Our festival on-demand streaming period ended at 11:45pm on Sunday, Oct 25th.

Thank you for attending this year's first virtual festival!

Recorded livestream filmmaker Q&A's (Q&A only, no film screening),

are available to view for free through October 31st.

2020 Festival Awards

As we have for each of the last 7 years, we are delighted to honor filmmakers who have done outstanding work through our Awards Program. We are very pleased to present the following awards this year: Local Hero Award, two Laszlo Pal Emerging Filmmaker Awards, and Audience Choice Awards for the Best Short Film and the Best Feature Film.

THE LASZLO PAL

EMERGING FILMMAKER AWARD,

recognizing emerging young talent in filmmaking, is presented this year to the creators of the Festival’s best student short films in 2 age categories.  

The winning films have been chosen by votes of people viewing the Student Film Showcase during the Festival. Each awardee will receive a Lewis and Clark Compass. 

The Student Film Showcase is made possible through a generous donation by

Suzy Mygatt Wakefield and Jay Wakefield

Audience Choice Awards

Our Virtual Balloting System has been keeping track of all viewer ratings since we began streaming on October 15th.  We ended voting at midnight on the October 24th and ran the tabulation algorithm to determine our audience favorites.  Results were close.  Real close.

The scoring algorithm  generates a rating from 1-100 with our films scoring from the mid-70's to the mid-90's.  The top two films in each category scored a few points higher than other films in the same category, but differed only by a few one-hundredths of a point. We  therefore effectively have a tie for Best Feature and for Best Short.  Check out the winners below!

Each awardee will receive a personalized metal salmon sculpture made by Chuck Moen of Sandy, Oregon. These outstanding films are available for viewing at no charge on October 25th.

Audience Choice Award goes to:

Vertical:  The Future of Farming

Directors

Scott Morris,

Jay Windland

Vertical: The Future of Farming follows a new generation of urban, indoor farmers, whose approach to food production offers the potential to combat climate change while feeding hundreds of millions.

Audience Choice Award goes to:

Through Her Eyes: The Science and Beauty of Inter-tidal Life in the Salish Sea

Director

Michael Noonan, PhD

Set in the Pacific Northwest (Washington State, USA), the world-renown marine biologist, Dr Drew Harvell, conducts an exploration of the invertebrate biodiversity at False Bay in the beautiful San Juan Island archipelago.

Audience Choice Award goes to:

Love is the Way

Directors

Jeremy Là Zelle,

Kristin Gates

Love is the Way brings together voices speaking in defense of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, highlighting the generations of stewardship by Gwich’in and Iñupiaq people. Inspired in part by footage of the late photographer Michio Hoshino, this film explores the friendships, values, and stories shaped by the place, and the strong commitments to its protection.

Audience Choice Award goes to:

Our Gorongosa

Director

 James Byrne

Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique has become one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife restoration stories. After a decade of renewed protection, Gorongosa’s large mammal population has increased 10-fold to over 100,000 animals. But the Park must also find a way to co-exist with the 200,000 people living in surrounding communities.

Browse our recorded livestream filmmaker Q&A's and watch for

free through Oct 31st!