our mission

Our mission at the Lakedance International Film Festival is simple - It is our goal to provide a level of quality in our festival that extends beyond the walls of our venues right to the hearts and minds of our audience and our filmmakers.

We will find, select, promote, and celebrate quality storytellers, performers, and craftspeople and their masterworks. To share with the wonderful people of the greater North Idaho area the world class entertainment that can be found locally and internationally in independent produced cinema - and to place reward on this cinema as it is due.

Through integrity throughout Lakedance and its practices, we aim to establish a utopia for cinema makers whose goal it is to produce and promote quality independent cinema in the 21st century and to assist those who deserve recognition and appreciation.

why lakedance

At Schweitzer Lakedance, we believe the name itself is representative of what our festival stands for: a celebration of high quality films and their creators, at a location that we feel celebrates nature's most enchanting beauty daily - Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille.

why sandpoint

Sandpoint itself is becoming a hotspot of culture and recreation in the Northwest, boasting art (Sandpoint Artwalk) and music festivals (The Festival at Sandpoint), as well as being home to several of the Inland Northwest's best artists, such as Lisa Van Der Karr. Schweitzer Lakedance perfectly coincides with this festive atmosphere - a mix of contemporary styles and traditional North Idaho values - and finally brings the missing piece of the puzzle, the film festival, to Sandpoint.

why quality and integrity

In recognizing its place as a film festival with purpose amongst a seemingly growing list of film festivals with no soul, Lakedance seeks to maintain its balance of those two important ingredients - style AND substance, never forgetting that both are equally important to the audience and the filmmaker.

our goals

In particular, for audience members, we bring the world of independent cinema to them, literally providing a platform in which they can be introduced to a film by a filmmaker, watch the film, and then ask questions about that film directly to be answered by the filmmaker, or another member of their team. It is this connection that continues throughout all of Lakedance, whether an audience member goes to listen to topic discussion panels with filmmakers, or participates in a workshop taught by esteemed professionals, we bring the world of international independent cinema to them. For Filmmakers and other VIPs, we give a centralized location during our festival for socializing and networking, open during all festival hours. For those interested in exploring the area we are working with many partners including local businesses, organizations, and governments both on the local and state level to offer a wealth of options during their stay with Lakedance, as well as discounts on many services and products. For those visiting with us, Schweitzer Lakedance offers not just a film festival, but a vacation in one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet.