By Julie McIntire Corey
The Friday Harbor Film Festival is celebrating its twelfth year, and its commitment to entertain, enlighten, inspire, and encourage locals and visitors through film and filmmaking is paramount. The opening night Gala honoring filmmakers is a fun celebration with food and film. The evening will begin with a video introducing this year’s filmmakers and highlighting all the films offered during the festival. The upbeat, informative gala party is open to the public, and tickets are available online.
The evolution of this small-town festival has made this well-loved off-season event into large-scale production. Amy Benson, director, added, “The Friday Harbor Film Festival is magical!! It is rare, in that it is both a flimmakers-honoring as well as a audience-focused fest. They bring the two together with their gatherings and the tradition of the filmmaker panel. The townspeople are so warm, fest organizers are so accommodating, the films so fabulous, and the town is full of beauty, and oysters. I did’nt want it to end. “
The festival is entertaining and educational. This year’s documentary lineup is an exciting mix of fifteen documentary feature films, thirty shorts, and the Young Filmmakers Showcase.
This year’s categories are 1. Activism in the West, 2. Healing,
3. Land & Sea. The venues where you can watch your favorite choices are Palace Theater, San Juan Community Theater, and SJI Grange. The film times and venue locations are all in the 2024 Festival Program Guide, available at the Film Festival office, 10 First Street, and many businesses downtown. And online at FHFF.org
This year, FHFF offers two ways to view 2024 films. An in-theatre ticket allows you to participate in in-person voting (if you would like) for your favorite film. You will receive a paper ballot when you arrive for a showing with easy instructions on voting. Audience participation has been crucial to the festival’s success throughout the years. Volunteers will be available at every screening to help you with any questions. Again, this year, FHFF has online viewing/streaming. It will be available from Oct 28 – Nov 3 for $ 15.00 to enjoy on your big screen.
The Filmmakers Forum on Saturday will explore the art of filmmaking -how films are planned, filmed, and produced by the people who made this year’s films. Sunday night is the last event of the festival; the Audience Choice Awards will be presented. The winners of these awards were voted on by all in-theater ticket holders who participated in the voting. The Best Overall Winner’s film will be played in it entirely after the awards ceremony. Lights Camera Action!
A proud sponsor of the FHFF, the Journal of the San Juans will feature an FHFF update in next week’s paper.
