The Vashon Island Film Festival (VIFF), set for August 8-11 will screen twelve features and ten shorts that have distinguished themselves on the festival circuit, in addition to three local projects in the newly minted Local Spotlights category. 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.

VIFF will screen seven narrative and five documentary features (all Pacific Northwest premieres unless otherwise noted). The narrative features include: Director Vincent Grashaw’s Bang Bang, fresh off its World Premiere at Tribeca 2024; Director Guan Hu’s Black Dog (North American Premiere), Un Certain Regard Award and Palm Dog Grand Jury Prize Winner at Cannes 2024; Director Brendan Gabriel Murphy’s Fluxx, Grand Jury Prize Award Winner for Best Feature Film at Malibu Film Festival 2024; Director Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, Audience Award Winner for Best American Feature Film at Champs-Élysées Film Festival 2024 and Seattle Film Critics Society Feature Film Award Winner at Seattle International Film Festival 2024; Director Nicholas Colia’s Griffin in Summer which swept the Tribeca Film Festival in June; Directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez’ Sujo, Grand Jury Prize Winner for Dramatic World Cinema at Sundance 2024; and Director Bartek Bala’s Swarm (Rój), which had its United States Premiere at Cinequest 2023.

The documentary features include: Director Paul Levatino’s Bastards of Soul (West Coast Premiere) which had its World Premiere at Sun Valley Film Festival 2024; Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s A New Kind of Wilderness, Grand Jury Prize Winner for Documentary World Cinema at Sundance 2024 and Documentary Competition Award Winner at Seattle International Film Festival 2024; Directors Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s Porcelain War— Grand Jury Prize Winner for Documentary at Sundance 2024; Golden Space Needle Award Winner for Best Documentary at Seattle International Film Festival 2024; Director Alison Tavel’s Resynator, Audience Award Winner for Documentary Feature at SXSW 2024;
And Director Contessa Gayles’ Songs from the Hole, Audience Award Winner for Visions at SXSW 2024.

VIFF will screen six narrative, three documentary, and one animated shorts: director Andrew Saunderson’s Crows (West Coast Premiere); director Anthony Saxe’s Dissolution, Grand Jury Award Winner for Narrative Shorts at SXSW; director Àlex Lora’s The Masterpiece (La Gran Obra), Grand Jury Prize Winner for Best Short Film at Sundance 2024; directors Kerry Furrh and Olivia Mitchell’s Ripe!, Best Narrative Short Winner at Tribeca 2024; directors David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz’ Trapped, Special Jury Award Winner for Narrative Short at SXSW 2024; directors Matt Eastman and Karen Knox’s The Year of Staring at Noses, Audience Award Winner for Best Canadian Short at Calgary Underground Film Festival 2024; director Jack Dunphy’s Bob’s Funeral, Short Film Jury Award Winner for Non-Fiction at Sundance 2024; director Shuli Huang’s Goodbye First Love, World Premiered at Berlinale 2024; directors Shannet Clemmings and Ursa Kastelic’s Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too, Special Jury Prize Winner for Best Documentary Short at Slamdance 2024; and director Nina Gantz’ Wander to Wonder, Grand Jury Award Winner for Animated Short at SXSW 2024.

The Local Spotlight, which highlights films from the local community, includes Emily Moss Wilson’s feature film Inheritance (World Premiered at Dances With Films 2024); director Thomas Scott Stanton’s short film Mare (World Premiere); and production company Children of The Setting Sun’s television pilot The Sound (World Premiere).