Elizabeth Shepherd is the director of Children’s Film Festival Seattle, a festival presented by Northwest Film Forum, a renowned film arts organization in the area. The 2021 fest takes place Feb. 18 to Feb. 28. Learn about Elizabeth Shepherd…
Hometown: Vashon Island, WA
First job: Babysitter.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in WA: Indoors: watching movies! Outdoors: going on nature walks/runs with my three-and-a-half-pound chihuahua-Italian greyhound mix.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Creating an international film festival that brings love, light and global awareness to youth and families. It has brought all those things to me and my family as well.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: The pandemic is still an obstacle that all of us in the arts work daily to overcome, finding new ways to pivot and create inspiring programs that help light up the darkness of this time.
Someone who inspires you and why: My twins, Ellie and Isaac Hughes, have amazed and inspired me continually since the day they were born 21 years ago.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Do it! A life spent absorbed in the arts is beautiful. But don’t think of it as “finding your passion.” You already have that. Find your beautiful struggle, and embrace it.
Favorite quote: “For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy.” –Roger Ebert
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I have won a few lip-synching contests and those wins were totally deserved. I’m great at lip-synching.
What makes someone fabulous: Being open, aware, curious and truthful. Caring deeply. Saying yes.
Photo credit: Oguz Uygur