Vashon Film Institute Announces Film Slate for Fifth Annual Vashon Island Film Festival, August 13-16
EIGHT FEATURES AND SEVENTEEN SHORTS SHOWCASE AT ICONIC VASHON THEATRE, PLUS THREE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, SEVEN LOCAL SPOTLIGHTS, AND SHORTCUTZ •
Vashon Island, WA (July 8, 2026)—Vashon Film Institute (VFI), the non-profit organization dedicated to fostering independent filmmaking in the PacificNorthwest, has announced the film slate for its fifth annual Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF), set for August 13-16. VIFF will showcase eight features and seventeen shorts from the current festival circuit, plus three Special Presentations, seven Local Spotlights, and the local shorts competition shortCUTZ, at family-operated cultural landmark the Vashon Theatre. The festivities will also include a selection of events for patrons to experience, like the Opening Night Reception, Saturday Night Soiree, and Red Bicycle Awards.
VIFF’s slate is curated by the VFI programming team, headed by Lead Programmer Stacey Oristano (actress; Friday Night Lights, Bunheads, Shameless).
VIFF will screen five narrative and three documentary features in its feature competition. The narrative features in competition include:
Rich Newey and Annika Marks’ Adult Children, Bentonville 2025 Best Ensemble Jury Award and Newport Beach Film Festival 2025 Festival Honors Award for Outstanding Ensemble. 17-year-old Morgan hopes her older half-siblings will be able to shed some light on what it means to be an adult. Sadly, they don’t have a clue.
Mickey Keating’s Crooks, Tribeca 2026. A couple of scammers, Johnny and Faye, rob the decadent Moonlight Casino. Faye betrays Johnny, taking the money, but is hunted down by a murderer and meets a mentally unstable waitress.
Myrsini Aristidou’s Hold On to Me, Sundance 2026 World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award. It's summer, and 11-year-old Iris is running wild through the streets with her older friend Danae when she learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father's funeral.
Rodrigue Jean’s Labrador — Autopsy of Silence, Tribeca 2026 Best Performance, Best Cinematography, and Best International Narrative Feature. As a cargo ship sails through a storm off the coast of Basse-Côte-Nord, a cook is found murdered on board. From the perspective of Alupa Tulugak, an Inuk mechanic and friend of the victim, this story reconstructs the events as a thriller.
Marie-Elsa Sgualdo and Nadine Lamari’s Silent Rebellion, Venice 2025 and Raindance 2026 Best International Feature. A virtuous teen in 1943 Switzerland 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.
The documentary features in competition include:
Adam and Zack Khalil’s Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild], Sundance 2026 NEXT Audience Award. Ancestors manipulate time and space within museum archives, confronting history and spirituality as specialists battle for Indigenous remains' repatriation, exposing enduring worldviews that legitimized their initial collection.
Felipe Bustos Sierra Everybody to Kenmure Street, Sundance 20206 World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance. Glasgow residents abandon their daily routines to gather on Kenmure Street after learning authorities plan to deport their neighbors, sparking an impromptu grassroots movement.
J.J. Gerber’s The LifeWe Leave, SXSW 2026 and Seattle International Film Festival 2026 Golden Space Needle Award for Best Documentary. An ambitious entrepreneur and two funeral directors pioneer a groundbreaking eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state, challenging traditional burial practices and transforming end-of-life rituals.
VIFF will screen six narrative, five documentary, and six animated shorts in its short competition.
The narrative shorts in competition include: Ilke Paddenburg’s A Shot at Art, SXSW 2026; Anna Baumgarten’s Balloon Animals, Sundance 2026; Willa Niava and Kristelle Laroche’s Jazz Infernal, Sundance 2026 International Fiction Short Film Jury Award; Ben S. Hyland’s The Man That I Wave At, Sitges 2025 Best Short Film Award; Abby Pierce and Tiny Cruz’s So, Boom, Tribeca 2026 Special Jury Mention for Narrative Short; and Pranav Bhasin’s We Were Here, SXSW 2026 Redbreast Unhidden and Narrative Short Audience Award.
The documentary shorts in competition include: Arielle Knight’s The Boys and the Bees, Sundance 2026 Non-Fiction Short Film Jury Award; Taliesin Black-Brown’s Listen, Tribeca 2026 Best Documentary Short; Liza Mandelup’s Luigi, Sundance 2026; Ashley Brandon’s Panther Pat, Slamdance 2026 Best Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize; and Livia Albeck-Ripka and Víctor Tadashi Suárez’s Still Standing, Sundance 2026 and Slamdance 2026.
The animated shorts in competition include: Kate Renshaw-Lewis’ Busy Bodies, Sundance 2026 and Slamdance 2026 Best Animation Short Grand Jury Prize; Celia Alcina Matesanz, Fuxuan Deng, Pontheera Nimmanakiat, Ané Quintana, and Hongru Su’s The Famous Last Show, Gobelins l'école de l'image; Anna Ginsburg and Miranda Latimer’s Hag, SXSW 2026 Animated Shorts Competition Special Jury Award; Boris Boidron, Lucile Brunet, and Lauren Félines’ Les Vieux, École des Nouvelles Images; Stephen P. Neary’s Living with a Visionary, Sundance 2026 Animation Short Film Jury Award; andDanielNeiden and Edward Jordon’s Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale, Berlinale 2026 Crystal Bear for Best Short Film.
VIFF will also screen three Special Presentations, including:
Matt Johnson’s narrative feature Tony. A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life. Starring Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Dominczyk, Rich Sommers, Stavros Halkias, with Leo Woodall and Antonio Banderas. A24 will release in theaters August 2026.
Ben McKenzie’s documentary feature Everyone is Lying to You for Money, DOC NYC 2025. Actor and author Ben McKenzie investigates the lies, hype, and harm behind cryptocurrency’s rise—and who’s really paying the price.
Episode one of Chris Smith’s documentary series Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, HBO Max. Hoyt Richards, at 16 years old, meets an enigmatic Manhattan socialite on a Nantucket beach and is pulled into his spiritual group, Eternal Values.
Additionally, VIFF will screen three feature and four short Local Spotlights. The Local Spotlight features include:
Craig Downing and Matt Isaac’s Dad Genes, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2026. A documentary that follows Aaron Long, a former sperm donor who later connects with several of his biological children, eventually forming an unconventional family and becoming the subject or worldwide media attention. Subject Aaron Long is a Vashon Island resident.
Andrew Franks and Peter Hilgendorf’s Radioheart: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole, Seattle International Film Festival 2026. A documentary that explores the life and career of DJ Kevin Cole, tracing his path from the club dance floors of Minneapolis' First Avenue to the global stage of Seattle's KEXP radio station. Director Andrew Franks grew up on Vashon Island.
Katherine Dudas, Olivia Blue, Madison Lawlor, and Decker Sadowski’s Theater is Dead, Fantastic Fest 2025 and Newport Beach 2025. Sheltered Willow auditions for mysterious director Matthew's play, a Greek tragedy adaptation. Enthralled, she ignores dangers and undergoes self-discovery as the lead under his tutelage. Theater is Dead was shot entirely on Vashon Island.
The Local Spotlight shorts include: Chiara Motley and Rachel Noll James’ 36 Questions, World Premiere; Donald Saunderson’s Long Time, No See, deadCenter 2026; Isabel Pask and Sam Paley’s Scout’s Honor, Seattle International Film Festival 2026 Live Action Short Grand Jury Prize; and Anjini Taneja Azhar’s Who Are You, Nanu?, Tasveer Film Festival and Market 2025 Narrative Short Audience Choice Award.
Finally, in partnership with C’Mon Barber, the local shorts competition shortCUTZ will screen films shot entirely on Vashon Island or by present and former residents. Submissions are open until Friday, July 24th and official selections will compete for the Mickey’s Chair Award, with a prize package that includes a year of free haircuts and 12 film passes to the Vashon Theatre. Winners are selected by the audience.
Features compete for theQuartermaster Award and the Audience Award for Best Feature, as well as Red Bicycle Awards in categories determined by the programming team. Shorts compete for the Burton Award and the Audience Award for Best Short. Quartermaster, Burton, and Red Bicycle Award winners are selected by VIFF’s jury in an anonymous voting process. Audience Awards are determined by festival attendees. The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, August 16.
VIFF is also introducing a new award this year, called the S. Gordon Tribble “Superstar” Award, to honor the legacy of Stuart Gordon Tribble, a beloved member of the Vashon Island community and broader film world who passed away last year. This award, presented annually in partnership with Gordon’s close friends and film family alongside a $1,000 cash prize, selects one notable LGBTQIA+- made or -focused film to be programmed at VIFF. Gordon’s final film credit was as the hair department head on the Special Presentation film Tony, which will headline Opening Night in his memory. The inaugural award will be presented on Closing Night to Labrador — Autopsy of Silence, bookending the festival with a tribute to the man who inspired it.
General admission to VIFF is available through Single Tickets or Festival Passes. Single Tickets are valid for one individual screening and are subject to availability. For guests attending multiple screenings, Festival Passes grant access to all VIFF screenings throughout the festival. Please note: a ticket or pass does not guarantee entry if a screening exceeds venue capacity, so guests are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime. Alternatively, those looking for additional perks—particularly local supporters—may become VFI Members for $119.99/year, which includes a Festival Pass and other benefits.
About Vashon Film Institute
Founded to celebrate and showcase independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest, VFI has three flagship programs: the Vashon Island Film Festival, held annually during the second week of August; the Quartermaster Lab (“Qlab”), a collective of filmmaker development programs; and VFI presents, a monthly programming arm that curates special community events.
A Word to Our Sponsors:
Film festivals cannot happen without sponsors and both VFI and VIFF acknowledge the support of 2026 sponsors 4Culture, Little Cup, C’Mon Barber and O Sole Mio with more to come.
Quartermaster Award
for best feature. All Narrative and Documentary Features in competition are eligible for the prestigious Quartermaster Award, which recognizes excellence in feature filmmaking.
Burton Award
for best short. All Short Films in competition are eligible for the Burton Award, which honors outstanding achievement in short filmmaking.
Audience Awards
for feature & short, All features and shorts in competition are eligible for the Audience Awards, as voted on by VIFF attendees.
Red Bicycle Awards
for individual achievement. Narrative and Documentary Features are also eligible for the Red Bicycle Awards, which recognize individual artistic achievements. These nominees are determined solely by the Vashon Film Institute.
Mickey’s Chair
for local shorts. Local short films featured in the shortCUTZ screening series compete for Mickey’s Chair, an award celebrating excellence in local short filmmaking. Named in memory of local barber Tara Morgan’s late father, the prize includes a year of free haircuts from C’Mon Barber and 12 complimentary movie passes.
The Quartermaster, Burton, and Red Bicycle Awards are determined by VIFF’s Jury through an anonymous voting process.
The Audience Awards are chosen by festival attendees.
Mickey’s Chair is awarded by Tara Morgan.
VIFF is a curated film festival, focusing on notable and award-winning independent feature films that premiered during the preceding festival season. As such, there is no formal submission process. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you are interested in notifying VIFF’s curators of a particular film for consideration, please email vashonfilmfest@gmail.com.
Volunteer
If you are interested becoming a sponsor of VIFF, please email vashonfilmfest@gmail.com for more details.
Sponsors
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of VIFF, please review our Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities or email vashonfilmfest@gmail.com for more details.
Awards
Held Sunday of each festival, the Red Bicycle Awards mark the closing of VIFF, where nominees from eligible screening sections compete for the Quartermaster Award, which recognizes excellence in feature filmmaking, and the Burton Award, which recognizes excellence in short filmmaking. Individual nominees also compete for:
Best Screenplay
Best Director
Best Actor (inclusive of all sexes and genders)
Best Supporting Actor (inclusive of all sexes and genders)
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Original Music
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Stunt
Narrative Features are considered for all Red Bicycle Awards, while Documentary Features are only considered for the Quartermaster Award, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Narrative Shorts and Documentary Shorts compete only for the Burton Award. Consideration does equate to actual nomination for the Red Bicycle Awards, which is determined solely by Vashon Film Institute’s Executive Team.
Non-jury awards include the Audience Award for favorite feature and short film, as voted by VIFF’s patrons. Films in all screening sections are eligible for the Audience Award.
JURY
Each year, VIFF selects 5 motion picture professionals to serve on its jury. Juror obligations include reviewing all of the films selected by VFI to screen at VIFF and submitting votes necessary to determine the relevant Red Bicycle Award winners. Prior to juror voting, nominations for awards are determined by VFI.
Link to Sign-Up for Volunteer Program: https://timecounts.app/vashon-film-institute
Link to Submit to shortCUTZ: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-5PbWlH2d5K9zAjoPjQqVGsNmrNmTwCuP9PPhbNE-9K51Hw/viewform
Link for Vendor Application to NTMRKT (applications close 5pm on July 2nd): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdu1O1e_j6gS62bk4cer_hqm1VoariEX7YLSOWVyC5vg0jq3Q/viewform?usp=sf_link
