I already gushed over the film lineup for this month’s Orcas Island Film Festival. The twelfth edition of the small but mighty festival officially kicks off tomorrow complete with a Red Carpet soiree and two theaters showing The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, Noah Segan’s heartfelt Sundance caper that’s made quite a festival run on the charms John Turturro since its January premiere. I’ll be heading to the island later this week, aiming to catch-up on some great films that I’ve missed on my own festival tourism or revisit others that made an impression earlier in the season.
Beyond the films themselves — which screen at the Sea View and Orcas Center in Eastsound — the festival has quite an array of ancillary programming to make the weekend worth the trek. Those of us from Seattle making a pilgrimage by ferry or small aircraft won’t be the only guests over the weekend. Filmmakers expected to be in attendance include Josephine director Beth de Araújo (who will be presented with this year’s Jean-Marc Vallé Vanguard Award), Humboldt USA director G. Anthony Svatek , We are the Shaggs director Ken Kwapis, Landscapes of Memory director Leah Galant, The Endless Frontier director Marilyn Ness, as well as a host of guests from Radioheart: the Drive and Times of Kevin Cole including the subject himself, film co-director Peter Hilgendorf, and executive producer Susan Benson.
Other planned events include the panel True Stories, Unscripted featuring special guests from this year’s OIFF documentary program talking about what it takes to capture real life on film (Friday, October 16, 12:30-2:00pm at Parish Hall). On Saturday, the festival plays host to a conversation with Producer Pamela Koffler and Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist). With a career that includes Past Lives, Carol, May December, Boys Don’t Cry, Far from Heaven, Still Alice, First Reformed, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, I’m Not There, Zola, A Different Man and Materialists, Koffler is scheduled to be honored by the Academy’s Irving G. Thalberg memorial award at the upcoming Governors Awards next month. And of course, what would OIFF be without a party? Saturday night closes out with a “Wonderful World of Oz” dance party featuring Sub Pop founder Bruce Pavitt and DJ CARE spinning tunes to lure festival goers into busing a move at Parish Hall.
Also of note, the festival’s primary venue, the Sea View Theater in the heart of quaint Eastsound is recently under new ownership. Say a little farewell to your favorite seat, whether it’s cozy or a BYO cushion: as part of new proprietors Kerry Boyte and Mark Maunder’s commitment to ensuring the continued operations of the venue long into the future, they’ll be working with OIFF to renovate the place with a new lobby, lounge, and state of the art projection and sound following the close of this year’s festival.
The “main” festival runs from October 14-18th. Although You Found Me is the designated “closing night” feature on Sunday, films continue at the Sea View for passholders who stick around Monday and Tuesday. 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. In total, The program brings together 43 feature-length films from 15 countries: 33 narrative features, including three animated films, and 10 documentaries; with 18 films helmed by women directors.
If you’re still itching for a glorious autumn weekend out of town tickets and some passes are still available.