October 14-18: Orcas Island Film Festival

Orcas Island Film Festival

The Orcas Island Film 12th annual festival takes place Oct. 14-18, bringing five days of extraordinary cinema, visiting artists, panels, parties and special events to Orcas Island.

The 2026 program features 43 feature-length films from 25 countries, including 33 narrative features, 10 documentaries, 18 films directed by women and 11 official country submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film — with that number expected to grow as additional countries announce their selections.

“This program captures what makes Orcas such a special destination for film lovers: audiences can discover the year’s most celebrated international films, major awards contenders and singular new voices in an intimate island setting,” said Carl Spence, OIFF co-founder and co-director. “From the Palme d’Or winner and Sundance’s top prize winners to the top official Oscar submissions and an exceptional documentary program, this is one of the strongest lineups we have presented.”

Recognized by USA TODAY as one of the Top 10 Film Festivals in the U.S., OIFF has grown into a destination festival, with last year’s attendees traveling to Orcas from 25 states and nine countries to experience acclaimed international cinema in the intimate setting of the San Juan Islands.

Program highlights

The festival opens with “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” starring acclaimed actor John Turturro, kicking off a program packed with some of the year’s most celebrated, talked-about and award-winning films arriving on Orcas from Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and the New York Film Festival.

Highlights include Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner “Fjord,” starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve; Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner “Josephine,” starring Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum; and Cannes prize winners “La Bola Negra,” “The Dreamed Ddventure,” “Everytime,” “Minotaur” and “La Gradiva.”

11 official Oscar submissions

Eleven films in the 2026 OIFF program have already been selected as their countries’ official submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Highlights include Romania’s submission “Fjord,” Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner; “Fatherland” from director Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland’s official submission; and Spain’s “La Bola Negra,” an emotionally charged drama inspired by an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca.

OIFF expects the number of official submissions in its lineup to grow as additional countries announce their selections ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline.

Documentary program

Highlights of OIFF’s 10-film documentary program include Sundance U.S. Grand Jury Prize winner “Nuisance Bear”; Cannes Best Documentary winner “Rehearsals for a Revolution”; two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple’s “Union Town”; and “Carl Sagan: We are Made of Star Stuff” from Academy Award-nominated director Nanette Burstein.

A destination festival without the lines

OIFF pairs an internationally curated film program with the intimacy and natural beauty of Orcas Island. Audiences can discover acclaimed films alongside filmmakers, artists and fellow film lovers while enjoying Q&As, panels, parties and special events throughout the five-day festival.

OIFF also offers reserved seating for every screening, allowing festivalgoers to build their schedules and choose their seats in advance rather than waiting in general admission lines.

Parties and special events

Opening Night Red Carpet Soirée

Oct. 14, 4-6 p.m., Emmanuel Parish Hall

Kick off OIFF at its Opening Night Red Carpet Soirée, where festivalgoers can meet visiting artists, directors, writers, actors and producers. Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres featuring local chefs and restaurants, specialty wines from Doe Bay Wine Company and the chance to celebrate the opening of OIFF 2026 with fellow film lovers. Free for passholders. Open to the public, tickets available for purchase.

The Wonderful World of Oz Dance Party

Oct. 17, 8-11 p.m., Odd Fellows Hall

Follow the Yellow Brick Road … Event artists from Luigi’s Toolshop transform Odd Fellows Hall into a wildly imaginative Wonderful World of Oz. Dance somewhere over the rainbow with Bruce Pavitt, founder of Seattle’s Sub Pop, and DJ CARE, as music, fantasy, spectacle and a little OIFF magic collide. Free for passholders. Open to the public, tickets available for purchase.

Panels

OIFF will host panels to bring visiting filmmakers, artists and industry guests together for intimate conversations exploring documentary storytelling, filmmaking and the journey from the festival circuit to awards season. Additional guests and details will be announced.

Documentary Panel: True Stories, Unscripted.

Industry Panel: From Festival Buzz to Awards Season.

OIFF bonus days

For the first time, OIFF is extending the festival with two additional evenings of screenings at the Sea View Theatre on Monday, Oct. 19, and Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The bonus days will give audiences additional opportunities to catch select films from the festival program, provide more scheduling flexibility during the main festival weekend and allow passholders and the Orcas community to keep the festival going for two more nights. The Sea View Theatre will close its doors for the winter for a much-needed remodel and upgrades. Stay tuned for more information.

OIFF is presented by Orcas Open Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing exceptional film and cultural experiences to the San Juan Islands. Festival passes are on sale now. Individual tickets go on sale Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. The complete film guide, screening schedule, passes and ticket information are available at oifilmfest2026.eventive.org.