Best of the Fest

Free Screening – March 27 at 7 PM San Juan Island Library & Lopez Center for Community and the Arts Friday Harbor Film Festival invites you to experience The Ramba Effect , the 2025 FHFF Audience Choice Winner for Best “Tales from the Heart” Feature Film, returning to the San Juan Islands as part of the 2026 Best of the Fest series. Ramba was an Asian elephant who spent roughly five decades in captivity—much of it as the last circus elephant in Chile—living in isolation and p

Winner of the 2025 FHFF Audience Choice Award for Best “Explorers & Adventures” Feature Film, Girl Climber follows elite climber Emily Harrington as she pursues a career-defining free ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. A gripping, intimate portrait of ambition, resilience, and vulnerability, screening free on San Juan and Lopez Islands as part of the 2026 Best of the Fest Series.

The short documentary Lina. offers an intimate portrait of a six-year-old Ukrainian child and her family after their rescue from a Russian-occupied village. Screening January 30 at the San Juan Island Library and January 31 at the Lopez Island Grange, the film is paired with Checkpoint Zoo. The January 30 screening includes a special meet-and-greet with Executive Producer Silke Johnstone of The Humanity Funds.

Kick off Friday Harbor Film Festival’s 2026 Best of the Fest Series with a free double feature of Checkpoint Zoo and Lina., Audience Choice Award winners from FHFF 2025. Join us January 30 at the San Juan Island Library with filmmaker Silke Johnstone in person, and January 31 at the Lopez Island Grange with a special interview with director Joshua Zeman. Two powerful films, one unforgettable weekend.

Celebrate the New Year with FHFF’s 2026 Best of the Fest Series—free monthly documentary screenings from January through September on San Juan and Lopez Islands. Featuring audience-favorite films from the 2025 festival, plus live or pre-recorded filmmaker Q&As. Full Film Guide coming January 5.