A candid chat with Vashon Film Institute president Mark Mathias Sayre
By Sara Michelle Fetters
It’s year three for the Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF), and the president of the Vashon Film Institute Mark Mathias Sayre is ready for the audience to grab their seats. "It’s an exceptionally busy time right now,” says Mathias with a lively chuckle. "I’m very excited about it.”
The idea remains the same as it was at the festival’s inception in 2021: program major titles and award-winners from festivals from earlier in the calendar year like Cannes, Sundance, and Tribeca, showcase them at the historic Vashon Theatre, and let audiences (residents, visitors, press, guests, everyone and anyone) enjoy themselves.
"Yes,” agrees Sayre, "we’re still committed to curating notable and award-winning films, both features and shorts, from the preceding festival season. This year, we have films that won grand jury prizes at Sundance, Un Certain Regard at Cannes, took home top prizes at Tribeca, and a number that performed extraordinarily well, whether it was audience award winners or grand jury prizes or special jury prizes, at SXSW.”
And what are some of those titles? Nicholas Colia’s comedy Griffin in Summer starring Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Kathryn Newton. Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard award-winner Black Dog, directed and co-written by renowned Chinese filmmaker Hu Guan. Grand Jury Prize recipient at January's Sundance Film Festival and Golden Space Needle winner for Best Documentary at this May’s Seattle International Film Festival Porcelain War. Jane Schoenbrun’s critically lauded I Saw the TV Glow. SXSW Audience Award-winner Songs from the Hole. Those are just a few noteworthy features VIFF is bringing to the island.
"We also have a new screening section called The Local Spotlight,” adds Mathias. "We have Inheritance from local filmmaker Rachel Noel James [who stars and co-wrote the screenplay] that will be screening, as well as The Sound, which is a pilot episode of a new series focused on First Nation people. Has a supernatural thriller vibe to it, which is very cool.
"We are also going to showcase some short films that have been submitted to us from [Vashon Island] locals in a new screening section that’s kind of festival-within-the-festival called Shortcuts. It’s like a little mini competition for local shorts.”
But it’s not only about bringing a variety of cinematic confections to Vashon for a celebratory weekend in early August. Mathias also views VIFF as a showcase for the island itself, one that could inspire filmmakers to make future features there.
"Decker Sadowski, who's on our jury, who was one of the stars and producers of Juniper that was in the festival two years ago, she actually with her team just shot a new movie on the island earlier this year,” he says with pride. "It’s really awesome, because they found the island by going to the festival. They fell in love with it and then decided to shoot a movie for a million bucks [here]. You can see the success of the festival really spilling back into the local economy. It’s great.”
It's this aspect, non-resident attendees discovering the majestic beauty and everything it has to offer, that arguably excites the Vashon Island Film Institute president the most.
"That's probably the most exciting thing to me about the festival,” says Mathias. "It’s now become really representative of the other stuff that we want to do with the Film Institute, which can show how even celebrating indie film here is directly resulting in empowering people to make art, whether it’s film or something else in the Pacific Northwest, here on the island more specifically. That was the goal from the beginning. At the end of the day, we knew we’d be most successful if we were able to engender the creation of more art. Seeing that already starting to happen as we go into year three of the film festival? It’s super-duper exciting to me, and it puts motivation into all of us working at the Film Institute as we open up our new programs.”
Some of those new programs include the Quartermaster Lag, otherwise known as "QLab,” a collective of filmmaking programs decided to facilitate local productions, and VFIpresents, a sales, distribution, and release arm, which focuses on organizing community events outside of VIFF, such as a Night Market at the Backlot, an outdoor space at the Vashon Theatre scheduled to take place the first Friday of each month.
"We just had our first Night Market [on July 5],” says Mathias. "Where we had a variety of vendors selling antiques, vintage clothing, and handcrafted goods. We had a DJ play, a beer and wine garden, and all sorts of leisure games. I was just so pleased, especially for what we would call probably like a beta test without a ton of marketing. People just poured in. As soon as they saw what was going on, it was just a magnet for activity. I can only imagine how much that will grow.
"And then we have more big plans. We’re talking about doing a music festival and a theater festival and all sorts of other stuff. I’m very excited for the immediate film festival, obviously, but also for everything that we have in the future at the Vashon Film Institute as well.
"I felt like we were onto something, and this community has always been such a big arts advocate. I knew if our goal was to empower artists and celebrate their art, we would have the community a hundred percent behind us and, certainly, we have been proved nothing but right on that front. Things are moving really even quicker than we probably anticipated.”
Not bad for a festival originally imagined to be a way to help a local historical movie house out when it was struggling to get back to financial viability in a post-COVID world.
"That’s really how the Institute was founded to begin with,” Mathias explains. "I had been having conversations with [Vashon Theatre owner] Eileen Wilcott. I’m friendly with them, and we knew they would probably be having difficulties coming out of the pandemic keeping the doors open. So, the film festival’s genesis really was as a special event coming out of COVID that we thought would increase the chances that people would come to the theatre, would come back to see independent film. And it’s only grown from there.
"The relationship between VFI and the Vashon Theatre now is so strong that we're partnering on multiple different events and projects, and I think we’ve really found this synergy where they can be a home base for us for events and activities. This lets us support them to help keep the doors open and to keep the community coming to an institution that for a ton of us is seminal. I mean, both my career as a filmmaker and now as a sales agent and distributor outside of VFI, I owe to the theatre. I also own and operate The Forge, which is a motion picture sales and distribution company. I do not think I would be doing what I am had I not gone to the Vashon Theatre as a child.”
And what does Mathias envision for VIFF by the time of its 10th or 20th anniversary?
"I think in some ways we’re limited to sort of the size and scope of how big the program can be,” he candidly admits. "But we do have plans to expand to a couple of other venues where we can start putting on seminars, workshops, and lecture series during the festival, which will probably start to happen in the next few years. We’re immediately very focused on continuing to try to attract as many off-islanders and out-of-staters as possible to get respect, awareness, and exposure.
"I think, what will come with that, is you will start to see in addition to the way that we curate the greatest hits that we will start to premiere a number of movies at this festival. I think that’s where the program will grow. It’ll start to be a launchpad for filmmakers who want to say to the world, ‘We premiered at the Vashon Island Film Festival! We got in there!’ I think that will mean something inherently positive.
"Mostly, I’m just so pleased with every filmmaker that we’ve had come to the festival has had nothing but the most positive things to say to me about their experiences. To me, that’s the best metric of success you could possibly have.”
The third annual Vashon Island Film Festival will take place at the historic Vashon Theatre Aug. 8-11. Ticket holders can form a queue one hour before each screening and will be admitted at the scheduled showtime on a first-come, first-serve basis. For a full calendar of events and ticket information, go to: https://vashonislandfilmfestival.ticketspice.com/viff24.
This year’s lineup:
FLUXX
Thursday 8th (8pm)
Director Brendan
Gabriel Murphy
Narrative Feature
100 mins | USA | 2024
Famed actress Vada Pierce inexplicably awakens in her bathtub with no memory of the events prior, only to discover that her home has been ransacked and her husband is missing. But every time Vada tries to leave the house, she finds herself back in the bathtub. Desperate for answers, she must race against time to discover the truth of her circumstances.
Debuting with a hat trick at the Egypt International Film Festival in 2023 with awards for Best International Film, Best International Director, and Best Actress, this mind-bending multi-genre film has only gained steam since, netting another three awards at the Mammoth Film Festival (Best Genre Film, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography).
A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS
Thursday 8th (6pm)
Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
Documentary Feature
84 mins | Norway | 2024
On a small farm in the Norwegian forest, a family seeks a wild free existence. However, after a tragic event changes everything, they are forced from their idyllic farm and into the expectations of modern society.
BASTARDS OF SOUL
Friday 9th (1:30 pm)
Director Paul Levatino
Documentary Feature
81 mins | USA | 2024
Bastards of Soul dives into a Texas band’s journey toward stardom, only to be marred by the pandemic and a sudden tragedy. Capturing their final sessions and live shows, this intimate film celebrates music’s power to heal and unite. Premiering at the Sun Valley Film Festival earlier this year and Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary at both the Dallas International Film Festival and Hill County Film Festival, “Bastards of Soul find joy in the sadness.” (People)
SWARM
Cast: Roma Gasiorowska, Eryk Lubos, Adam Wojciechowski, Antonina Litwiniak
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Friday 9th (3:45 pm)
Director Bartek Bala
Narrative Feature
105 mins | Poland | 2023
Isolated from society for over a decade, a family has self-exiled on a remote island at the command of its patriarch. But when his wife expresses a desire to return to the world from which they are hiding, the family’s foundation will be put to the test. Requiring over 9 months of pre-production to plan a brutal 33-day shoot on a remote section of the coast of Poland that has since been lost to erosion, the soundtrack for this gut-wrenching thriller features over 60 highly-specialized musicians and atavistic vocalists.
I SAW THE TV GLOW
Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, with Fred Durst and Danielle Deadwyler
Friday 9th (6 pm)
Director Jane Schoenbrun
Narrative Feature
100 mins | USA | 2024
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show: a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack. Programmed at both Sundance and SXSW in 2024, I Saw the TV Glow is a once-in-a-generation horror from Jane Schoenbrun with critics pronouncing it “the best film of 2024, if not the decade.” (Movie Marker)
INHERITANCE
Cast: Austin Highsmith Garces, Rachel Noll James, Wes Brown, with Chris Mulkey and Michelle Hurd
Saturday 10th (10:30 am)
Director Emily Moss Wilson
Local Spotlight Feature
102 mins | USA | 2024
Estranged sisters Lucy and Paige reunite to bury their father, becoming entangled in the complicated web of their past as they realize that they have inherited more from their father than just money. Hot off its premiere at Dances With Films in June, “Inheritance is an authentic indie drama that tackles the messy realities of family, betrayal, and redemption.” (Film Threat) Written by lead actress and Seattle local Rachel Noll James. Saturday 10th (10:30am) Director Emily Moss Wilson Local Spotlight Feature 102 mins | USA | 2024
BLACK DOG
Cast: Eddie Peng, Jia Zhang-Ke, and Xiaoxin
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Saturday 10th (1:15pm)
Director Guan Hu
Narrative Feature
100 mins | China | 2024
On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Beijing Olympics, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog; two lonely outcasts finding purpose in each other. From legendary Chinese director Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred), this remarkable film was the recipient of the top Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
RESYNATOR
Saturday 10th (3:30 pm)
Director Alison Tavel
Documentary Feature
96 mins | USA | 2024
In unearthing the revolutionary synthesizer her late father invented in the 1970s, Alison Tavel not only revives his mission to share it with the world, she unexpectedly forges a deep bond with the father she never got the chance to know. The Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary at the SXSW Film Festival this year, Resynator is “bursting with heart, and genuinely moving in its improbable journey to close the distance between the dead and the living.” (Austin Chronicle)
GRIFFIN IN SUMMER
Cast: Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Forston, and Kathryn Newton
Saturday 10th (6 pm)
Director Nicholas Colia
Narrative Feature
93 mins | USA | 2024
Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. But once he meets handsome twenty-five-year-old handyman Brad, his life (and play) will never be the same. Sweeping the Tribeca Film Festival in June with top awards for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and Best New Narrative Director, “Griffin in Summer is a brilliant movie about first crushes” (Screen Rant) that “will have you rolling in laughter with its sublime portrayal of a disaffected youth.” (MovieWeb).
SONGS FROM THE HOLE
Sunday 11th (10 am)
Director Contessa Gayles
Documentary Feature
106 mins | USA | 2024
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother’s life was taken. Now, an incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars. “A fresh and lyrical take on the genre,” (Hollywood Reporter) “Songs from the Hole simultaneously teaches the lesson of how music not only entertains, but literally can save lives” (The Curvy Film Critic). Audience Award Winner for Visions at SXSW 2024.
PORCELAIN WAR
Sunday 11th (12:15 pm)
Directors Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev
Documentary Feature
97 mins | Ukraine | 2024
A stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the passion and fight that only artists can put back into the world when it’s crumbling around them. With extraordinary footage filmed by ordinary citizens in a war-torn Ukraine, Porcelain War is a story much bigger than a single country: it’s about all of us. Boasting 11 wins and 10 nominations across 15 film festivals this season, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance, “[the] intensity with which Porcelain War presents its horrors will knock you down.” (The Wrap)
BANG BANG
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Glenn Plummer, Kevin Corrigan, Andrew Liner, Nina Arianda
Sunday 11th (2:15pm)
Director Vincent Grashaw
Narrative Feature
103 mins | USA | 2024
Retired pugilist Bernard “Bang Bang” Rozyski is inspired to try his hand at training once he reconnects with his estranged grandson. While their training brings him out of the hole he’s been living in, everyone questions Bang Bang’s motivations. Is he merely passing down inherited rage, or is there true altruism behind his tutelage? Hailed as “the most satisfying movie at the Tribeca Film Festival” this season and “a career highlight from Tim Blake Nelson.” (Awards Radar)
SUJO
Cast: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Pérez, Alexis Varela, Sandra Lorenzano, Jairo Hernández
CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING
Sunday 11th (4:30pm)
Directors Astrid Rondero & Ferndanda Valadez
Narrative Feature
127 mins | Mexico | 2024
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his 4-year-old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father’s destiny may be inescapable. A circuit juggernaut (8 wins/21 nominations/19 festivals) and Grand Jury Prize Winner for World Cinema at the Sundance Film Festival, Forbes film critic Scott Phillips urges: “Put this one on your personal Watch List.”
And there’s more…
NARRATIVE SHORT
Crows
Dissolution (SXSW 2024 – Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Short)
The Masterpiece (Sundance 2024 – Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film)
Ripe! (Tribeca Film Festival 2024 – Winner, Best Short Film)
Trapped (SXSW 2024 – Special Jury Award for Narrative Short)
The Year of Staring at Noses (Calgary Underground Film Festival – Audience Award for Best Canadian Short)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Bob’s Funeral (Sundance 2024 – Short Film Jury Award for Non-Fiction)
Goodbye First Love (Berlin International Film Festival – Nominated for Best Short Film)
Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too (SXSW 2024 – Grand Jury Award for Documentary Short; Slamdance 2024 – Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short)
ANIMATED SHORT
Wander to Wonder (SXSW 2024 – Grand Jury Award for Animated Short)
Outside of Features and Shorts that are in competition, we also have a new screening section that is highlighting local product called Local Spotlight – this is out of competition and this year includes a feature, a pilot, and a short. See those below.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Inheritance
The Sound
Mare
Vashon Island Film Festival Program Includes ‘Bang Bang,’ ‘Black Dog,’ ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ – Film News in Brief (from Variety.com)
The third annual Vashon Island Film Festival has announced its slate for the event set for Aug. 8-11. Located off the coast of Washington State, the island festival will screen 12 features and 10 shorts, plus three local projects.
VIFF will also feature a selection of other events for patrons to experience, including the Red Bicycle Awards Ceremony, hosted on Sunday, August 11, at the Vashon Theatre and its outdoor pavilion The Backlot, which is a newly renovated and family-operated cultural landmark on the island.
Festival founder and CEO of the Forge distribution and sales company Mark Mathias Sayre said, “I don’t envy our jury’s job,” says Sayre. “Our line-up is as strong as it’s ever been—it truly is the best of the best from this year’s festival season. Even our patrons will have a difficult time choosing which films to watch, which is a good problem to have.”
The narrative features include: director Vincent Grashaw’s “Bang Bang,” starring Tim Blake Nelson, director Guan Hu’s “Black Dog” director Brendan Gabriel Murphy’s “Fluxx,” director Jane Schoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow,” director Nicholas Colia’s “Griffin in Summer.” directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’ “Sujo,” and director Bartek Bala’s “Swarm.”
See the complete lineup at the festival’s website.
A program of the Vashon Film Institute, the Vashon Island Film Festival (“VIFF”) is held on picturesque Vashon Island, WA, every second week of August, celebrating independent film through curated screenings of notable and award-winning films from the preceding festival season. Check out the VIFF website right HERE.
2024)—VFI presents, the nascent sub-division of the Vashon Film Institute (VFI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has announced NTMRKT at the Backlot, an open-air market during Vashon Summer Nights featuring local vendors selling art, antiques, vintage goods, collectibles, and other products. Patrons may also enjoy a beverage from the beer and wine garden while they shop, catch a silent film, or dance the night away with sets from local DJs. Admission to the NTMRKT is free, and will be held every First Friday, July through September, from 5pm-9pm.
Vendor applications for NTMRKT shall typically open three weeks before each event, and shall close the week prior (or once all space is reserved, whichever is soonest). Notwithstanding the foregoing, vendor applications for the inaugural event on July 5, 2024, are already open, and vendors are encouraged to apply quickly as reservations are secured on a first come, first serve basis.
“Our goal is to expand VFI’s presence beyond the Vashon Island Film Festival(VIFF), both on the island and in and around the greater PacificNorthwest,” says VFI President Mark Mathias Sayre. “As NTMRKT is VFIpresents’ first formal program outside of VIFF, we look forward to introducing the community to local artists and vendors during its cherished First Fridays. And to host it at the Backlot at the Vashon Theatre is an exciting opportunity and a space we hope to be coordinating events at for years to come.”
To help staff the NTMRKT and VIFF, and to continue building a support infrastructure for the Vashon Theatre, VFI is also launching a new volunteer program, seeking willing members of the community to fill various positions on a rolling basis. Such positions shall include:
Sales Clerks, who shall be responsible for selling tickets at the box office and providing information to patrons about screenings; and
Theatre Ambassadors, who shall introduce films, survey the technical quality of screenings, monitor for public disturbance, and clean the theater after use; and
Concessions Attendants, who shall assist customers at the concessions stand (requires food worker card).
For positions that require permitting not already held by volunteers, VFI shall reimburse volunteers for the cost of obtaining them. Most volunteer positions work in shifts less than 3-4 hours, and volunteers shall be rewarded with one free movie pass to the Vashon Theatre for each shift worked. All volunteer positions are subject to interviews with VFI and Vashon Theatre personnel.
“The Vashon Theatre is a cultural landmark on the island and a seminal arts institution in the region,” adds Sayre. “As such, VFI views it as the centerpiece of VIFF and as a vital partner for the institute’s various other programs. Helping to support their infrastructure is intricately linked to the success of our own organization, and we’re hoping to mirror volunteer programs at other incredible cinemas in the Pacific Northwest, such as The Grand Cinema in Tacoma.”
Individuals interested in volunteering may email VFI Event Coordinator Michelle Johnson (mljohnson2708@gmail.com) and CC vashonfilmfest@gmail.com for more information.
http://www.vashonislandfilmfestival.com/
𝐂’𝐌𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐬
𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐖𝐀 (𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒)—The Vashon Film Institute (VFI), the 501(c)(3) organization responsible for the annual Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF), and C'Mon Barber, Vashon’s beloved barber shop operated by islander Tara Morgan, have announced a partnership for VIFF24 that will bring two new screenings to the festival—both highlighting work from filmmakers in the Pacific Northwest as a “Local Spotlight”—and a new local short film competition appropriately dubbed “shortCUTZ,” which will select five short films that were shot on Vashon to screen at VIFF in August this year. The official selections of shortCUTZ will compete for Mickey’s Chair, a new award honoring excellence in local short filmmaking named in honor of Morgan’s late father, a year of haircuts from C’Mon Barber, and 12 free film passes to the Vashon Theatre. The Local Spotlight screenings will be confirmed during VIFF’s formal line-up announcement in July.
“As both a standing sponsor of VIFF and my barber, our conversation naturally turns to the festival during my time in Tara’s chair,” says VFI President Mark Mathias Sayre. “She asked if we could find a way for her sponsorship to promote local filmmakers, and I thought that was a brilliant suggestion. Thus, the Local Spotlight screenings and shortCUTZ are the brainchild of that collaborative sponsorship and I hope we can find more of these types of opportunities with other local businesses moving forward.”
“In my pre-Vashon Island life, film and film festivals played a major role,” says Morgan. “As both a filmmaker and a filmgoer, I’ve witnessed the power of seeing one’s expression on-screen. The short film format particularly makes that experience accessible to novice and experienced voices alike, and I’m so excited to see what our community creates!”
Submission to shortCUTZ is now live - visit https://vashonislandfilmfestival.com/submit/ or scan the QR code in the poster to enter today! The rules are simple: (i) 2-10 minutes in length; and (ii) must be shot entirely on Vashon. The deadline for submissions is 5pm PT on July 28, 2024; and official selections for shortCUTZ will be announced on August 2, 2024. The winner will be determined solely by VIFF24’s jury.
VIFF24 will run from Thursday, August 8, to Sunday, August 11, 2024. All screenings take place at the Vashon Theatre.
Vashon Film Institute Announces Launch of Two New Divisions, Third Annual Vashon Island Film Festival (August 8-11, 2024), and New Donation Arm for the Historic Vashon Theatre
Vashon Island, WA (April 11, 2024)—Non-profit organization Vashon Film Institute (VFI) has announced the creation of two new divisions and the reprisal of its existing Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF) in 2024, as well a new donation arm accepting restricted funds to be used solely to fund improvements at the historic Vashon Theatre. Founded by veteran film producer Mark Mathias Sayre, VFI is dedicated to fostering independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), with a Board of Directors that currently includes Isaac Mann, Peter Serko, and newcomer Kim Voynar.
VFI’s two nascent divisions are the Quartermaster Lab (“Qlab”), a collective of filmmaking programs, and VFIpresents, its sales, distribution, and release arm, which will also focus on organizing community events outside of VIFF, such as a Night Market at the Backlot, a world- class outdoor space at the Vashon Theatre, the first Friday of each month.
“The quintessential goal in founding VFI was to support independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest,” says Sayre. “To that end, VIFF has already brought compelling indie features and documentaries to local audiences and will continue to do so. But that’s only part of the game-plan: We’re equally committed to engendering the creation of new films as much as we are thrilled to celebrate them. In this sense, the Qlab will focus on developing new projects that VFIpresents can bring to life. Their commonality will be the PNW, whether that means the films are set or produced here, or the filmmakers call it home.”
VIFF will return to Vashon from Thursday, August 8, to Sunday, August 11, 2024, with another curated program of award-winning film screenings from the current festival season and other events, including yet-to-be-announced live music performances. Screenings and concerts shall be held at the Vashon Theatre, with ancillary festival events held at various locations around the town of Vashon. Funded to date entirely through charitable contributions, donations can be made through VIFF’s funding portal on its official website, where donors can identify the intended use of the funds (i.e., for general use or for facility improvements at the Vashon Theatre).
“VIFF is our flagship program and that isn’t going to change,” adds Sayre. “I was very proud to watch how it grew in its second year, and we’ve got big plans to continue harnessing all of the potential our beautiful island offers. We may be limited by the quantity of our screenings, but that just means we can focus on the quality of our program, both on- and off-screen.”
This year’s jury awards will be selected by actress and filmmaker Melora Walters and VIFF alumni Nick Richey (1-800-Hot-Nite, VIFF22), Olivia Kuan (The Herricanes, VIFF23), Paris Zarcilla (Raging Grace, VIFF23), and Decker Sadowski (Juniper, VIFF22). Last year’s top prizes went to Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper (Quartermaster Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking), Lloyd Lee Choi’s Closing Dynasty (Burton Award for Excellence in Short Filmmaking), Jordan Albertsen’s BOOM: A Film About the Sonics (Audience Award for Best Feature), and Sarah Hanner’s Bläckfisk (Audience Award for Best Short).
Ticketing is now open to the public here, with three discounted ticketing tiers available for early-bird purchase: a three-film package (10% off), a six-film package (15% off), and a ten plus-film package (20% off). Single screening tickets are also available for purchase at regular price. Ticketing is subject to availability. Ticket Link
Calling all cinephiles: Film fest teams with Vashon Theatre
A new partnership is blooming between Vashon Theatre and the Vashon Film Institute.
By Elizabeth Shepherd • May 30, 2024
Just in time for warm weather and long summer nights, a new partnership is blooming between Vashon Theatre and the Vashon Film Institute (VFI) — the nonprofit responsible for the annual Vashon Island Film Festival.
The independent film festival, now in its third year of presenting award-winning independent films on the international film festival circuit, will run from Aug. 8-11 at the theater this year. But all summer long and into the future, VFI will support and sustain the beloved historic movie house in a variety of ways, said its president, Mark Sayre.
Volunteer corps
VFI is now helping to recruit a community corps of film-loving volunteers to help staff Vashon’s beloved single-screen cinema — a program based on highly successful efforts to involve the community in this way at independent cinemas including Tacoma’s Grand Theater, Bellingham’s Pickford Theater, and Northwest Film Forum, in Seattle.
These volunteers will fill multiple roles at the theater — as box office workers, concessions attendants, and “theater ambassadors” who will do everything from introducing film screenings to helping to sweep up popcorn after the show. Gardeners who can help beautify the theater’s grounds are also welcome, said theater owner Eileen Wolcott.
Wolcott said that she’s looking forward to working with VFI as well as a newly formed Vashon Theatre Foundation, to “smooth out the rough edges and provide fantastic community events.”
“This is the way,” Wolcott said — describing how nonprofits and community partnerships can ensure the theater’s viability and presence in the community for years to come.
“We’ve had this sort of relationship with other nonprofits, like Island Greentech, which helped raise funds to buy an extremely expensive projection system in 2012,” she said.
Interested in volunteering? Contact coordinator Michelle Johnson (mljohnson2708@gmail.com) and copy vashonfilmfest@gmail.com to get more information.
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
Vashon Island Film Festival Sets Date for Third Event – Film News in Brief
Variety Magazine
April 19th, 2024
Vashon Film Institute has set the date for the third annual Vashon Island Film Festival, which is slated to take place Aug. 8-11. The announcement comes with the launch of two new divisions of the Vashon Film Institute and a new donation arm, which accepts restricted funds to be used solely to fund improvements at the Vashon Theatre.
VFI’s new divisions are the Quartermaster Lab, a collective of filmmaking programs, and VFIpresents, its sales, distribution and release division, which will also focus on organizing community events outside VIFF.
“The quintessential goal in founding VFI was to support independent filmmaking in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mark Mathias Sayre, founder of Vashon Film Institute. “To that end, VIFF has already brought compelling indie features and documentaries to local audiences and will continue to do so. But that’s only part of the game plan: We’re equally committed to engendering the creation of new films as much as we are thrilled to celebrate them. In this sense, the [Quartermaster Lab] will focus on developing new projects that VFIpresents can bring to life. Their commonality will be the PNW, whether that means the films are set or produced here, or the filmmakers call it home.”
That’s A Wrap On The 2023 Vashon Island Film Festival!
One of the best things about attending a small regional “getaway” fest like the Vashon Island Film Festival is getting to experience a community different from your own. Smaller fests tend to have a “homey” feel, the locals are welcoming, and the hospitality and sense of having had a unique experience can be exceptional. In its second year, I could feel the vision of the fest starting to gain cohesion and momentum. The slate of films was really exceptional for a small festival in its second year, boasting award-winning entries fresh of Sundance and SXSW; the Backlot, the open-air venue behind the theater, was in full swing, the vision talked about last year now realized; and the island took care of its guests with a welcoming embrace, organic spaces to connect, network and meet new friends, and a fabulous private welcoming party featuring sumptuous light bites and specialty cocktails. Read more on Kim Voynar's article from hammertonail.com right HERE.