2026 Best of the Fest: Three Screenings In, Six More to Go
- FHFF
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Three months in, and the response has been nothing short of extraordinary. The 2026 Best of the Fest Series is well underway — and the Friday Harbor Film Festival (FHFF) community has shown up in force for every one of them. From Checkpoint Zoo and Lina. in January to Girl Climber in February and The Ramba Effect in March, all three screenings drew full houses on San Juan and Lopez Islands. Thank you. Truly. Your presence makes this series what it is.
About the Best of the Fest Series
From January through September, FHFF brings one audience-favorite documentary from the 2025 Friday Harbor Film Festival back to the big screen each month. These free community screenings take place on San Juan Island and Lopez Island, presented in collaboration with the San Juan Island Library and the Lopez Island Library, and are followed by either a live Q&A with an attending filmmaker or a pre-recorded interview when filmmakers are unable to join in person — making award-winning documentary films accessible and engaging for island audiences throughout the year.
Why Documentary Films Matter
Documentary films play a vital role in helping us better understand our world — illuminating untold stories, exploring urgent issues, and fostering empathy, dialogue, and connection. At the heart of FHFF’s mission is a commitment to showcasing films that inspire curiosity, compassion, and informed conversation, while strengthening community through shared cinematic experiences.
2026 Best of the Fest Film Lineup
JANUARY 30 - ✓ Screened
Checkpoint Zoo
Amid the Russian Ukraine war, zookeepers and volunteers risk everything to rescue over 5,000 animals trapped in Kharkiv’s Feldman Ecopark. Featuring powerful firsthand footage, this inspiring film reveals courage, sacrifice, and compassion in the face of unimaginable danger.
Lina.
Told through a mother’s voice, Lina. follows a Ukrainian family’s perilous escape from Russian occupation in Kherson. Finding refuge offers fragile hope, yet the lasting scars of war reveal the profound cost carried by a child and her mother.
FEBRUARY 20 - ✓ Screened
Girl Climber
Elite climber Emily Harrington attempts a daring 24-hour ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Balancing ambition, risk, and personal stakes, her story is both a gripping survival tale and a powerful portrait of breaking barriers in a male-dominated sport.
MARCH 27 - ✓ Screened
The Ramba Effect
Ramba, Chile’s last circus elephant, endures 50 years of captivity before finally finding freedom at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. Her journey becomes a powerful call for animal liberation, shining hope for countless others still awaiting rescue.
APRIL 24 - SJI Library + Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
Filmed over a decade in Sitka, Alaska, this cinematic journey unveils a coastal wilderness alive with humpbacks, bears, seabirds, and glowing plankton. With sweeping imagery, it reveals the hidden wonders of one of North America’s richest ecosystems.
Exploring the life of Katharine Lee Bates, author of America the Beautiful, this film reveals a poet, reformer, and visionary ahead of her time. Her story celebrates America’s beauty while confronting its flaws, inspiring unity and ongoing social progress. Includes an in-person Q&A with director John de Graaf.
MAY 22 - SJI Library + Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
In Baja Mexico, veteran diver Terry recalls his decades-long bond with Willy, a giant manta ray who transformed his life and inspired conservation. Now in his eighties, Terry undertakes one last journey in search of reunion and closure.
JUNE 26 - SJI Library + Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
The Snake and the Whale
The fate of the endangered Southern Resident Orcas hangs on the survival of Snake River salmon. The Snake and the Whale follows the fight to breach four dams and restore the whales’ food supply before it’s too late.
JULY 17 - SJI Library + Lopez Island Library
Parrot Kindergarten
Raised in a cult, Jennifer Taylor O’Connor finds healing through teaching her cockatoo, Ellie, to read and communicate. This remarkable story of interspecies connection challenges our understanding of animal intelligence, emotion, and the possibilities of cross-species dialogue. Includes an in-person Q&A with director Amy Herdy.
AUGUST 21 - SJI Library + Lopez Island Library
Champions of the Golden Valley
Winner of multiple festival awards, this uplifting film follows former Olympic hopeful Alishah Farhang as he sparks a homegrown ski culture in Afghanistan’s mountains, uniting young athletes from rival villages through resilience, community, and the transformative power of sport.
SEPTEMBER 18 - SJI Library + Lopez Island Library
Rebel with a Clause
Armed with a folding table and a love of language, Ellen Jovin takes her “Grammar Table” across all 50 states. What begins as wordplay becomes a surprising journey of humor, connection, and unity in a divided America.
What’s Next
The full 2026 Best of the Fest Film Guide — including the complete lineup, screening schedules, venues, and Eventive links — is now available HERE. Six more screenings remain, running monthly through September. Mark your calendars and join us on San Juan or Lopez Island — all screenings are free, and no tickets or RSVPs are required.
Thank you for filling the room — three times over. Your enthusiasm for these films, these stories, and these filmmakers is exactly what the Best of the Fest is built for. We can't wait to see you again next month.
With gratitude, we thank our presenting media sponsor, CascadePBS, and in-kind media sponsor, The Journal of the San Juan Islands, for their continued support of FHFF and the Best of the Fest Series.
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