Now in its fifth season of bringing thought-provoking cinema to small towns and rural communities throughout North America, the Wandering Reel Traveling Film Festival will come to Vashon Theatre for the first time this weekend, bringing a slate of award-winning short films from around the world.
The festival features four collections of short films exploring themes that include corporate greed, the climate crisis, migration, immigration, happenings in youth culture, love, gender and more. For the second year in a row, the festival will feature a line-up of films that have, in the majority, been made by female filmmakers. It’s a sign, according to festival director, Michael Harrington, that “short films are once again ahead of the pack and paving the way for innovation and true gender equality in the film industry.”
Each screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the festival’s director, Michael Harrington.
6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1
Program A: Is This Love?
Stories of compassion, connection, and adventure that question the awesome (and complex) power of love.
Films: Little Waves • A Tangled Tale • The Update • Your Mother Is A Thief • Deep End Dance • If This Isn’t Love • Two Balloons
6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2
Program B: The Nonconformist
An examination of some of the unconventional norms that permeate the diverse beauty of modern life.
Films: Washed Away • Mahalia Melts In The Rain • Welcome to the Ball • Lady Hater • Burton Before and After • About the Birds and the Bees • Where Do Cats Go After 9 Lives
6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3
Program C: One World
One-part look at the effects of human-caused climate change and corporate greed, and one-part look at war and the refugee crisis, this program explores the common bond of human compassion.
Films: Welcome to the Gwichyaa Zhee • The Fourth Kingdom • Starvation • Untravel • Aziza • Brotherhood • Bodega
6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4
Program D: Revisionist History
Description: History rinses and repeats but is not always as we remember or as we were taught. Tying the past into the present can be a warning, an opportunity to learn, and a celebration all at once.
Films: Framing Agnes • A Night at the Garden • Sticky • Counter Mapping • Earthrise
Tickets to the festival, $10/adults, $9/student/senior/military, are available at the theatre box office or in advance at vashontheatre.com .
The festival is recommended for ages 14+. There is some language and non-explicit violence and sexuality in a few of the films. According to the festival director, Program B. The Nonconformist, includes several films about teens and youth that young people would relate to.
