The Pacific Northwest Multicultural Readers Series and Film Festival Features Celebrity Talent, Dynamic Films, and Captivating Readings, along with a New Showcase Addition
Nationwide — The Pacific Northwest Multicultural Readers Series and Film Festival (PNMC Fest) kicks off its third year on August 14, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. The event includes a film festival, a readers’ series of plays, a gala, and master classes. The festival is produced by the PassinArt Theatre under the leadership of Artistic Director Jerry Foster.
This year’s festival ambassador is award-winning actress, playwright, and director, Regina Taylor. Taylor earned a Golden Globe Award, an NAACP Image Award, and two Emmy nominations for her role as “Lily Harper” in the television drama, I’ll Fly Away. She was the first Black woman to play “Juliet” on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet. Taylor will kick off the PNMC Readers Series with her newest play, Exhibit. Winner of the Theatre Aspen Solo Flights Award, Exhibit is a solo performance written and performed by Taylor.
The PNMC Fest features other celebrity guests from film, television, and theatre. Confirmed attendees include actor Javon Johnson (Tyler Perry’s The Oval, American Soul), actor Roscoe Orman (Sesame Street, The Wire), director Allie Woods (Founder member of the Negro Ensemble Company), AUDELCO-award-winning playwright Jeannette Hill, award-winning director Bobby Yan, along with an outstanding list of other talented artists.
The reader’s series features nearly thirty scripts, many featuring celebrity actors of stage, film, and television. The film festival will feature thirty independent, award-winning selections and some from overseas, representing Italian, French, and German artists. The event will screen a special presentation of Bull Street, starring award-winning actress Loretta Devine. The film follows a family fight to keep their land amid small-town legal and backroom shenanigans.
New to the PNMC Fest this year is the Youth Artists Expo. Classes and activities will be held for young people, ages 15-20, interested in filmmaking and theatre. Industry celebrities will also share their experiences of the diverse opportunities available in these professions. Festival All Access tickets will give attendees entrance to Master Classes for skill enhancement in the film and theatre industries, a networking reception, and celebrity conversations.
The PNMC Fest runs August 14th-16th and will be hosted entirely at the DoubleTree Hotel located at 1000 NE Multnomah Drive. The first PNMC Fest in 2021 was a virtual gathering with readings and film screenings shared over Zoom. For the full list of events and tickets or to request media credentials, please visit www.pnmcfestival.org
About the PNM Festival
The PNMC Fest is a biennial celebration based in Portland, Oregon. Executive produced by actor and director Jerry Foster, the event is coordinated by festival curator Leasharn M. Hopkins, who is a writer, producer, and director.
The PNMC Fest has two main components: its Readers Theatre Series curated by August Bullock, and the Film Festival Series, curated by award-winning broadcast journalist Kathryn Mobley. It also includes master classes, networking events, a gala, a celebrity conversation series, and its own podcast, the B-Role hosted by actress, poet, and speaker Angela Ray.
About PassinArt Theatre
Founded in 1982 in the Albina neighborhood, PassinArt follows in the tradition of the Black Theatre Movement, which began in the United States in 1821 with roots in many African traditions of oral history and story to pass along knowledge and grow subsequent generations.
As the oldest, continuously producing Black company in Oregon, PassinArt remains dedicated to the founders’ early commitment to pass on art, history, and culture from one generation to the next. For four decades and counting, PassinArt Theatre Company has provided training and opportunities for emerging and established Black artists and artists of color of all ages, abilities, faiths, and genders.
For press inquiries, contact Angela Ray at 855-387-4463 or angela@speakandreach.com
Great Job Staff & the Team @ BlackNews.com Source link for sharing this story.
