This weekend, the Orcas Island Film Festival brings some of the top films from major worldwide festivals, visiting filmmakers, a short film competition, and a VR film lab to the small and charming village of Eastsound, Washington. When the schedule of 30+ was released last month, I was astounded to see prizewinners from Cannes (Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning art world comedy The Square; Robin Campillo’s Gran Prix winning HIV activism drama Beats Per Minute) alongside some of my favorites from Telluride like Agnès Varda & JR’s revelatory artistic collaboration Faces Places, Todd Haynes’s intersecting New York stories in Wonderstruck, and this year’s third Dunkirk-related Churchill-focused Gary Oldman showpiece Darkest Hour — all playing in a little festival well in advance of mainstream theatrical release.
Before hitching a ride on a ferry to dive into a weekend of exceptional cinema, I got some insights about the origins of the festival, the selection process, and overall vibe to expect on the island from to the festival’s Creative Director Jared Lovejoy and Chief Curator Carl Spence. Our interview, conducted by e-mail and lightly edited for clarity, follows.
Josh: This is the fourth year for the Festival but it will be my first time checking it out. Can you tell us a bit about how it got started?
Jared Lovejoy (Co-Producer & Creative Director): I started working on the festival in 2012. I do live on Orcas and Carl Spence, an old friend and our curator, also has a home here. I have a long history in production and owned a venue and production company in Seattle for many years. I met Carl in Seattle doing events for SIFF. I thought a destination festival here could be great since the town is so walkable and we have great venues, food, and all the things that make for a great experience. I applied for a county grant to launch the festival and asked Carl if he’d be the curator if I got the grant. He said yes, we got the grant, and two years later we started the festival.
Josh: OIFF seems intentionally small and focused, a bit more in the mold of Telluride than a big, expansive, multi-week affair like SIFF. What are you aiming for in terms of the overall feel of the festival?
Jared: You are right! Telluride was a big inspiration for me originally and I only just got to go for the first time this year. Carl has gone many times and agreed. We have been friends with SIFF as a festival since we launched and it’s because of the great work that SIFF has done for decades in helping to build such a vibrant film culture in the Northwest that we can do what we are doing now. There’s just something special about taking a break, going to a remote and beautiful place, and seeing great films.
Josh: Who is the audience for this film festival? Is it mostly locals or do you get tourists? Is there much of a press or industry presence?
Jared: There isn’t much press each year so far and we like it that way: we want this to stay at a level where visiting artists can feel comfortable just being here and being with people who love their work. We hope to keep it casual and approachable.
We don’t have the ski community lodging like Telluride, but our audience has been steadily growing at about 30% a year and it’s about 50/50 locals and tourists. Orcas is a very art loving place. The locals are all very excited to have something so rich in content and everyone in the community turns out in support. We’ve been lucky to get great artists coming every year and they comment on how nice it is to have such a kind small town feel with such great films at the same time. I think that’s what makes us special. We will always stay small and personal.
Josh: I recently described the slate of films as “bonkers good” — I was surprised at how many highlights from the major worldwide festivals were turning up in a relatively young festival in a small town on island in the Salish Sea. It seems like getting to show these films in advance of wide release would have to be be a big challenge. Does the smaller scale and more remote location help with getting the rights to show these films?
Jared: Carl’s many years in the business and great taste are a big reason this is taking off. We are able to show films that no one outside of the big established festivals have been able to show. I feel lucky to have a partner like Carl and this community is thrilled about what we are doing.
Carl Spence (Co-Director + Chief Curator): We have a few things in our favor. It helps that we have a number of film industry stalwarts that have residences on Orcas and the surrounding San Juan Island Archipelago. We are also timed to just after the beginning of the awards season for films and the small number of films shown provides a great platform for some of the best films of the year to be in the spotlight at the Festival.
We have eight of the Oscar submissions for Best Foreign Language Film, which speaks to the quality of the line-up – especially because we booked these films before their respective countries made their determination of which films to submit to the Academy Awards. The film business is a relationship-based business and my experience curating and running festivals in Seattle, Palm Springs, and San Francisco over the past 25 years definitely helps in terms of getting films we want.
Josh: Do you visit the big festivals and start programming throughout the year? (Related: This sounds like an incredible gig. Are you looking for any new programmers and where do I sign up for the festival junket?)
Carl: We are looking at films throughout the year and the largest selection of films comes from the Cannes Film Festival. However, we have also found films for this year’s edition as early as January at Sundance (Winnie), Berlin in February (EMO The Musical) and later in September at Telluride (Darkest Hour) and Toronto (Breathe). Most of the films have US distribution in place; however, we are also showing films from international suppliers such as Agniezka Holland’s film Spoor from Poland, which is still looking for a US distribution partner. Some are from filmmakers that I have worked closely with in the past including Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck) with his new film Jane made from the 50-year-old re-discovered footage of Jane Goodall.
Josh: I also noticed a few SunBreak faves from SIFF including The Cage Fighter and Lane 1974 (interview) … aside from Carl’s long run directing that festival, does OIFF have a special relationship with SIFF?
Carl: SIFF came on board as an early promotional partner and also presents our winning short film, which the Orcas Island Film Festival commissions each year, at the following year’s Seattle International Film Festival. We make our selections independently but do often have a few films that have also played at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Josh: I saw that Jean-Marc Vallée is on the list of guests with his 2005, unreleased in the US, C.R.A.Z.Y.. Are any other filmmakers making it out for the weekend?
Jared: We’re excited to have Jean Marc here for the second year! And this year we also have SJ Ciro (director, Lane 1974), Jenesse West (producer, Lane 1974), Stacey Piculell (co-producer, Chasing Coral), Bryan Sipes (co-writer, Demolition with Jean-Marc Vallée), Jeff Unay (The Cage Fighter), and several more.
Josh: Are you allowed to say which film you were most excited to get for this year? Or any that you really wanted but just couldn’t get?
Carl: Having a line-up of 30 films translates into having a festival of 30 favorites. I’m excited about each and every film we are presenting. I’m most excited about the fact that we have films spanning the globe from Africa to Australia and almost everything else in between. Some of my favorite films are by women filmmakers. From SJ Chiro to Agnieska Holland, Claire Denis, Agnès Varda to short filmmaker Megan Brotherton. I was moved by Pascale Lamche’s documentary film Winnie, that reframes and provides new light on a woman who had a much bigger role in the dismantling of Apartheid than was recognized in the press and society. Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying is very timely and, while tackling a serious subject. the humor infused into the script and brought to life by Steve Carrell, Laurence Fishburne, and Bryan Cranston is very entertaining and enjoyable.
The master filmmakers featured along with the first-timers are equally exciting. To be completely truthful, I’m passionate about all 30 of these feature films and documentaries.
Josh: Anything else we should know? Must-see tips for people to check out on Orcas between screenings?
Jared: Check out the 360/VR Lab at Rock Island Communications – should be amazing and includes a VR experience of Chasing Coral. (Full lineup)
Josh: It all sounds amazing — can’t wait to fill my weekend with all these great movies ! Thanks to you both for taking the time to chat. The festival kicks off on Friday October 6 at 5:00 pm with an Opening Night Soiree and runs through Monday October 9. Until then, readers can still purchase passes ($175-$500) or individual tickets online.
