The much-beloved Orcas Island Film Festival took 2020 off for the pandemic but eased its way back in 2021 in a more compact — but still in-person — format to meet the challenges of gathering safely in the Covid Era. They focused on a single theater, ran each film from their diverse and engaging lineup once, scaled back the parties, had reserved / distanced seating, and introduced outdoor dining options. Full series passes sold out quickly and stray individual tickets were a hot commodity.
Like many of their fellow film festivals, they’re coming all the way back in 2022, complete with a launch of a new website and rebranded social media channels (oifilmfest replaces orcasfilmfest, perhaps to avoid the interpretation that it’s a fest for killer whales). Co-Director Donna Laslo reliably puts on great, crowd-friendly events to bring some of the best films from around the world to the incredibly charming town of Eastsound. The lineup is currently still under wraps, but Chief Curator Carl Spence reliably plucks the shiniest gems from the world’s most prestigious film festivals (the website features jealousy-inducing pics of him galavanting in Cannes and mentions his upcoming travels to Venice). It’s a rare opportunity for area cinephiles to see highlights from acclaimed events, previewing the films most likely to get nominations for the International Film Oscar, and dive into the awards contenders on a big screen in the company of fellow film fanatics well before they hit area theaters (or streaming services).
This year’s event runs from October 6-10 and will include the recently-renovated Sea View Theater (with its state-of-the-art Barko cinema projection system, full 7.1 Dolby surround sound, and upgraded HVAC system) as well as two screens at the Orcas Center. They expect to screen approximately 30 films this year (vs. last time’s 16) with multiple screenings per film.
At the moment, passes are currently on sale at early-bird rates ($190 regular / $500 patron), with prices going up on September 1st. Those who buy passes will have early opportunities to reserve seats in advance. Pending availability, individual tickets will be sold online. Although the always exceptional programming and curation, not to mention the scenic and culinary pleasures of any long weekend on Orcas Island, suggest that it would be fairly safe to buy a pass blindly, more information on the full lineup is expected in mid-September and through their social media channels.