Vashon film festival unveils 2026 lineup
Published 10:30 am Tuesday, August 4, 2026
From a murder mystery aboard a storm-tossed cargo ship to documentaries about deportation resistance, environmentally focused death care and the return of Indigenous remains, this year’s Vashon Island Film Festival will bring four days of independent cinema to the Vashon Theatre.
Running Aug. 13-16, the festival will present narrative, documentary and animated films through its main competition, special presentations, Local Spotlight program and shortCUTZ filmmaking competition.
The festival opens Thursday with “Tony,” a narrative feature imagining a formative summer in the life of 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain.
The other special presentations include “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money,” in which actor and author Ben McKenzie investigates the hype, deception and harm surrounding cryptocurrency, and the first episode of the documentary series “Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult.”
Directed by Chris Smith, the series follows Hoyt Richards, who was 16 when an encounter with a Manhattan socialite led him into a spiritual group known as Eternal Values.
Five narrative features will compete in the festival’s main program.
“Hold On to Me,” winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, follows 11-year-old Iris, whose estranged father returns to town for a funeral as she spends the summer roaming the streets with an older friend.
“Labrador — Autopsy of Silence,” which received three awards at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, unfolds aboard a cargo ship where a cook is murdered during a storm. The events are reconstructed through the perspective of an Inuk mechanic who was the victim’s friend.
The remaining narrative competitors are “Adult Children,” a comedy about a 17-year-old seeking guidance from her equally uncertain older half-siblings; “Crooks,” about two scammers whose casino robbery ends in betrayal; and “Silent Rebellion,” set in a Swiss village that turns away French refugees during World War II.
Three documentaries will also compete.
“The Life We Leave” follows an entrepreneur and two funeral directors developing an environmentally focused death-care facility in Washington state. The film received the Golden Space Needle Award for best documentary at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival.
“Everybody to Kenmure Street” documents the response of Glasgow residents who interrupt their daily routines and gather to prevent their neighbors from being deported.
“Aanikoobijigan” examines museum archives, spirituality and efforts to repatriate Indigenous remains. Its title can mean ancestor, great-grandparent or great-grandchild.
The shorts competition includes six narrative, five documentary and six animated films.
The Local Spotlight program will feature “Dad Genes,” “Radioheart: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole,” “Theater Is Dead,” “36 Questions,” “Long Time, No See,” “Scout’s Honor” and “Who Are You, Nanu?”
Audience members will also choose the winner of the shortCUTZ Mickey’s Chair Award, which comes with a year of free haircuts from C’Mon Barber and 12 passes to the Vashon Theatre.
Features will compete for the Quartermaster Award and the Audience Award for best feature, while shorts will compete for the Burton Award and the Audience Award for best short. The programming team will also present Red Bicycle Awards in selected categories.
The awards ceremony will take place Sunday, Aug. 16. Other events include an opening-night reception and a Saturday-night gathering.
Single-screening tickets and festival passes are available. Organizers recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before each screening because tickets and passes do not guarantee admission if the theater reaches capacity.
The complete schedule is available at vashonislandfilmfestival.com.
