The Columbia Film Festival was founded in 2016 and is produced by the Columbia Festival of the Arts. Four times a year the Festival will produce films from all genres, including features, shorts, documentaries, special themes, Maryland based films, as well as work by student filmmakers.

The Columbia Festival of the Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Founded in 1987, the Festival's popularity and growth has transformed it into one of the Baltimore/Washington Corridor's premiere arts events. The Festival presents four weekend-long arts festivals throughout the year, comprised of both free and ticketed events, featuring world-class performances, exhibitions, film programs, concerts, family activities, master classes, workshops and community dialogues. Columbia Festival of the Arts brings together the arts community, businesses, local schools, and individuals to create events that shine a spotlight, not only on the arts, but on the Howard County community as a Maryland showplace.

The mission of the Columbia Festival of the Arts is to present a world class celebration of the arts and entertainment that attracts, engages and inspires the broad and diverse community it serves.

In support of its Vision and Mission the Columbia Festival of the Arts seeks to attract, engage and inspire through the achievement of the following goals:

 - Broaden the scope of programming to expand the diversity of offerings for greater community involvement and to increase the Festival's year-round presence.

 - Deepen audience engagement through strong programming and artistic experiences.

 - Strengthen, expand and add local, as well as regional and national, partnerships.

 - Optimize leadership and management of the Festival and its engagement with Columbia and Howard County residents and businesses.

 - Build a financially sustainable organization.

The Festival is dependent upon a variety of funding sources, including grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donations. The funds are used to subsidize Festival programming costs in order to make the arts accessible for people across a broad spectrum of social, cultural and economic strata. The Festival's focus is on reaching out and embracing the vast and diverse community that exists in the region.

Now in its third decade, the Festival continues to thrive because so many organizations and individuals are committed to its success.