At this point, in their eleventh year, it barely counts as surprising when the Orcas Island Film Festival quietly drops one of the most astonishingly complete and compelling film festival lineups of the year. Over more than a decade, they’ve been curating a selection of films from around the world that has locals and visitors alike flocking to the quaint town of Eastsound on Orcas Island to celebrate much of the year’s best cinema.
Running from October 15-19th, the selection of films brought to the tiny island is truly stunning with highlights from the year’s most prestigious festivals making their first appearances in the Pacific Northwest via a handful of cozy island theaters.
- All That’s Left of You [Sundance review]
- Arco
- BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions [SIFF review]
- Calle Malaga
- The Choral
- Christy [TIFF review]
- Cover-Up [Telluride review]
- Frankenstein [Telluride review]
- Hamnet [Telluride review]
- Hedda
- It Was Just an Accident [TIFF review]
- Jay Kelly [Telluride review]
- La Grazia [Telluride review]
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Little Sister
- The Love That Remains
- Love + War
- Magellan
- Miroirs No. 3 [TIFF review]
- My Father’s Shadow
- No Other Choice [TIFF review]
- Nouvelle Vague [TIFF review]
- Orwell 2+2 = 5 [TIFF review]
- Palestine 36
- Parrot Kindergarten
- Peter Hujar’s Day [Sundance review]
- The Plague
- A Poet
- Queens of the Dead
- Resurrection
- Romeria
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value [Telluride review]
- Sirât [TIFF review]
- The Snake and the Whale
- Sound of Falling [TIFF review]
- Sweet Story
- Train Dreams [Sundance review]
- Turtle Walker
- Two Prosecutors
- The White House Effect
Based on what I’ve seen so far at Sundance, SIFF, Telluride, and TIFF, some of the very best movies of 2025 are on this lineup (I’d put Sentimental Value and Hamnet in this category); and the winner of the Best International Film Oscar is almost surely on this list (Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, and possibly No Other Choice among the front of the front-runners); not to mention the most gorgeous film made in the Pacific Northwest (Train Dreams). Oh, and also Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein. There are so many amazing discoveries on this list, it’s hard to imagine fitting them all into a long weekend, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying!
Patron passholders will be able to start reserving seats starting today; festival pass holders get their shot on Sunday; and individual tickets go on sale on October 3rd. In addition to all the movies; there’s also a Red Carpet Soiree and a Saturday Night Party. You should probably also set an alarm for Washington State Ferry reservations, too while you’re at it!