Happy New Year from FHFF — Introducing the 2026 Best of the Fest Series 🎉

Happy New Year! As we welcome 2026, the Friday Harbor Film Festival (FHFF) is excited to kick off another year of powerful storytelling with our 2026 Best of the Fest Series — a free, monthly documentary film series celebrating audience-favorite films from last year’s festival.

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

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

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

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

Sitka’s Hidden Wonders

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.

From Sea to Shining Sea

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.

MAY

The Last Dive

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

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.

JULY

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.

AUGUST

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

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

Check back at FHFF.org after January 5 for the full 2026 Best of the Fest Film Guide, including screening schedules, venues, and additional program details.

Thank you for supporting documentary storytelling and community cinema. We look forward to sharing another incredible year of films with you.

With gratitude, we thank our in-kind media sponsor, The Journal of the San Juan Islands, for their continued support of FHFF and the Best of the Fest Series.