As a well-curated and cutting-edge small film festival, this year’s Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF) exceeded expectations in programming, attendance, and cultural impact. Celebrating five years of local, regional, and award-winning films from the current film festival circuit, VIFF’s island community and supporters added an extra celebratory vibe to an already incredible atmosphere for connecting with and enjoying film culture.
Opening with A24’s Tony, festival-goers got a first look at the biopic about a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain who travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape his life. During the post-film Q&A, executive producer and stunt coordinator Amy Greene and stunt performer Taylor Handley shared behind-the-scenes details about filming in Provincetown and other locations, as well as the film’s stunt work. Greene had worked with Tony actor Dominic Sessa on The Holdovers.
“Director Matt Johnson is telling a story about a real person who was mythologized,” says Greene. “The movie was shot in 25 days with five days in P-Town during Pride, and we were very welcomed.” She adds, “The stunts were important to this story because the action is authentic to Anthony Bourdain having this wild child, youthful summer.”
Greene mentioned working with Stuart Gordon Tribble of Vashon Island, Tony’s hair department head, who passed away this year and was honored by VIFF with the inaugural S. Gordon Tribble “Superstar” Award.
A panel discussion with Aaron Long along with Jessica Share, director Craig Downing, and Marcia, mother of Emily, of Dad Genes at VIFF. Photo by Phil Clapham – Bright Eyes Images.
VIFF had a slew of excellent shorts from the current festival circuit, along with special presentations, local spotlights, and the local shorts competition, shortCUTZ. Feature and documentary film highlights included a locally shot and produced film in Seattle, Dad Genes, with current Vashon Island resident Aaron Long. A story within a story that continues today, covering the children who sought to find their sperm donor father. Its structure and content created a film experience, especially with its surprising outcomes.
Another documentary of note is The Life We Leave, about a pioneering, groundbreaking eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state that challenges traditional burial practices and transforms end-of-life rituals. Well received by Vashon Island filmgoers, the documentary offers a new perspective on burial, providing extensive insight into its business model and connecting it to real-life entrepreneurial experiences.
Perhaps what makes VIFF a film festival worth attending and supporting is its selection of foreign films that bring the world to us. Hold on to Me, written and directed by Cypriot filmmaker Myrsini Aristidou, presents a stark yet deeply emotional story about a father and daughter who find a connection amid the unimaginable risks of daily survival. And the documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street is not only a feat of gathering footage and recollections of a demonstration in Glasgow that followed a deportation attempt, but it also has an underlying connection to present-day U.S. life that makes us wonder about the world we live in. Also, the festival’s closing film Labrador—Autopsy of Silence offers a fascinating and eye-opening perspective on an ocean liner’s life and a murder investigation.
However, looking back at the fifth VIFF, it would not be complete without mentioning Crooks, a crime caper with great retro characters, design, and storytelling, starring indie film actress Melora Walters, and the Vashon Island premiere of Theater is Dead, filmed on Vashon Island, which also stood out. Producer and Vashon Island native Zach Mann and director Katherine Dudas, along with actors Olivia Blue and Jacob Nichols, were in attendance, making for a lively and engaging Q&A for this horror film, especially for theater geeks and kids, and inspiring others to make movies on the island.
With full theaters, many filmmakers and film professionals in attendance, and strong community support, VIFF thrived this year. Its dedication to curation and to connecting filmmakers with the community sets it apart from many festivals, especially given its encouraging environment of support. A short ferry ride from Seattle, with all events in town and the theater just steps away, makes VIFF a festival to consider for a dedicated weekend away to watch and immerse oneself in independent film among like-minded folks.
VIFF, operating under the Vashon Film Institute (VFI), a nonprofit dedicated to fostering independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest, presented its Red Bicycle Awards at a ceremony at the historic Vashon Theatre, where all films were screened at this family-operated cultural landmark.
The festival’s film slate was curated by the VIFF programming team, headed by Lead Programmer Stacey Oristano (actress; Friday Night Lights, Bunheads, Shameless). Jury awards were selected, in an anonymous voting process, by Lead Juror Taylor Handley (actor; The Pitt, Mayor of Kingstown, The O.C.) and VIFF alumni Jordan Albertsen (BOOM: A Film About the Sonics, VIFF23) and Rachel Noll James (Inheritance, VIFF24; Ingress, VIFF25).
Launched this year, the Quartermaster Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking will be dedicated to the Mann family for their unwavering support of VFI, VIFF, and the arts on Vashon. The award has been renamed the Chai & Joy Mann Quartermaster Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking in their honor.
The Chai & Joy Mann Quartermaster Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking went to J.J. Gerber’s The Life We Leave, which follows an ambitious entrepreneur and two funeral directors as they pioneer a groundbreaking, eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state, challenging traditional burial practices and transforming end-of-life rituals. The Audience Award for Best Feature also went to The Life We Leave.
The Burton Award for Excellence in Short Filmmaking went to Pranav Bhasin’s We Were Here, which follows three retired men in a small Indian town as they wage war against household technology, until their beliefs are challenged when one of their kids joins an AI company, forcing them to confront a changing world they may no longer fit into.
The Audience Award for Best Short went to Stephen P. Neary’s Living with a Visionary, the Sundance 2026 Animation Short Film Jury Award winner.
Director Katherine Dudas (left), with actors Olivia Blue and Jacob Nichols and producer Zach Mann, take questions after the Vashon Island premiere of Theater Is Dead. Photo by Phil Clapham – Bright Eyes Images.
Best Director and Best Screenplay Awards both went to Myrisini Aristidou for Hold Onto Me, which tells the story of 11-year-old Iris, who is running wild through the streets with her friend Danae when she learns that her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. The film also took home Best Cinematography for Lasse Ulvedal Tolbøll.
Best Actor went to Lisa Gueneau for Silent Rebellion, which tells the story of a virtuous teen in 1943 Switzerland, as she questions her village’s morality when they turn away French refugees. After a personal trauma upends her life, she must find the courage to forge her own path against social expectations.
Best Supporting Actor went to Melora Walters for Crooks, which tells the story of a couple of scammers, Johnny and Faye, as they rob the decadent Moonlight Casino. Faye betrays Johnny, taking the money, but she is hunted down by a murderer and meets a mentally unstable waitress.
Best Editing went to Colin Monie for Everybody to Kenmure Street, which tells the story of Glasgow residents abandoning their daily routines to gather on Kenmure Street after learning of the authorities’ plan to deport their neighbors, sparking an impromptu grassroots movement.
The Mickey’s Chair Award for Best shortCUTZ (in partnership with C’Mon Barber) went to Vashon native Cassie Bergman’s Sailing the Sound. The winner was selected by the audience. The prize package includes a year of free haircuts and twelve film passes to the Vashon Theatre.
The festival’s newest award, the S. Gordon Tribble “Superstar” Award, selected a notable LGBTQIA+-made or -focused film to program at VIFF, and was presented with a $1,000 cash prize. It honors the legacy of Stuart Gordon Tribble, a beloved member of the Vashon Island community and broader film world who passed away unexpectedly last year. The inaugural winner was Labrador—Autopsy of Silence.
“We made it through year five,” concludes VFI President and longtime Vashon Island resident Mark Mathias Sayre. “And we did that with the support of our sponsors, filmmakers, volunteers, our board, and above all, our audiences! Now, we start on year six.”
To learn more about the festival, year-round film screenings, and to become a member or supporter, visit vashonislandfilmfestival.com.
