— from Shannon Borg —

OIFFLogoThree films featuring the San Juan Islands will be screened at the 3rd annual Orcas Island Film Festival, October 7 – 10.

The Orcas Island Film Festival announces three winning scripts to be produced this summer, exploring the San Juan Archipelago and using it as a canvas to create short films that entertain and inspire.

The Orcas Island Film Festival’s three winners are Aproximada by Kyle Carver and Dan Larson from Orcas Island; Yoga for Salvador by Stefan Hajek from Seattle, and Storm of the Century by Micah Kearney from Seattle.

These independent filmmakers will each be awarded $3500 grants to create their vision in the San Juans, using the magic of the San Juan Archipelago as a canvas during the summer of 2016. Viewers will have a chance to vote for their favorite online at www.orcasfilmfest.com during September, leading up to the Orcas Island Film Festival (October 7 – 10, 2016). All three films will be shown at the festival.

Four judges chose the winning scripts, including video marketing expert Laura Varma; Los Angeles screenwriter, Bryan Sipe; Orcas Island screenwriter, Janet Brownell; and Kate Becker, director of the Seattle Office of Film and Music.

An impressive lineup of world-class films has established the Orcas Island Film Festival as a festival to watch for cutting edge cinema from around the world. With more than thirty films last year, including 5 films that won Academy Awards in 2015, the diversity and creativity of the work and the natural beauty of the location, this new festival is a unique experience worthy of an annual pilgrimage to the islands.

About OIFF

Orcas Island Film Festival is an ongoing experiment in cross-pollinating various artistic mediums with film as the synergistic force, showing a curated selection of feature length and short films to an audience of local islanders and visitors. Each year, partnering with the Seattle Film Festival www.siff.net, OIFF will focus on films of the avant-garde, art house, trans-media and emerging edge film culture from around the world, and feature the most progressive directors, stories, techniques and ideas.

**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**