Founded in 2006, and operating until 2009, the Lakedance International Film Festival was held annually in Sandpoint, Idaho in autumn, featuring an international juried competition of feature and short length independent films, question and answer sessions with filmmakers and stars, panel discussions, gala events, outdoor screenings, educational opportunities and VIP exclusive events.
Laughing Dog Brewing of Ponderay, Idaho launched their business around the same time and became the first corporate sponsors of the film festival.
They were later joined by a number of staple businesses in Bonner County, including Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Horizon Credit Union, Nieman's Floral and Sandpoint Realty.
[1] In August 2006, IPIFF took place, hosting over a thousand attendees, and nearly twenty filmmakers and stars representing their movies.
Also, two new events were added to the film festival: The first ever outdoor screening at Sandpoint's City Beach Park, free to the public, and VIP cruises on Lake Pend Oreille aboard the Shawnodese.