The Tacoma Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It usually takes place in October.
| Location | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Language | English |
| Website | tacomafilmfestival |
It is one of the largest festivals in Washington, and features programming of independent American and foreign films, and a strong contingent of documentaries, with an emphasis on films produced in the Pacific Northwest.[1]
History
editFounded in 2006, the Tacoma Film Festival (TFF) has been hosted annually at the Grand Cinema.[2][3] Created with the intention to foster the film community in Tacoma and the broader Pacific Northwest region, the festival has grown from a small regional event to a prominent fixture in the region's cultural landscape.[4][5] TFF provides a platform for regional and international filmmakers[6][7] and has been described as the "Sundance of the Pacific Northwest," emphasizing its growing reputation and influence in the region's film community.[8]
Awards
edit2007
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Rain in the Mountains | Joel Metlen; Christine Sullivan |
| Best Documentary Feature | Spitfire 944 | William Lorton |
| Best Narrative Short | Full Disclosure | Douglas Horn |
| Best Local Film | GPS - The Movie | Eric Colley |
| Audience Choice | My Left Hand | Joshua Isaac |
2009
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | White on Rice | Dave Boyle |
| Best Documentary Feature | Freeing Silvia Baraldini | Margo Pelletier; Lisa Thomas |
| Best Narrative Short | Sebastian's Voodoo | Joaquin Baldwin |
| Best Regional Film | Otis v Monster | Patrick Neary |
| Audience Choice | The Stairwell | Andrew Finnigan |
2010
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Earthwork | Chris Ordel |
| Best Documentary Feature | Back to the Garden | Kevin Tomlinson |
| Best Narrative Short | Ana's Playground | Eric D. Howell |
| Best Regional Film | Shuffle | Garrett Bennett |
| Best Animated Film | A Complex Villainelle | Nathan Billington, Howard Cook, Rebecca Forth, Bart Ovaitt, & Ryan Porter |
| Audience Choice | Wheedle's Groove | Jennifer Maas |
2011
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | This Narrow Place | Sooney Kadouh |
| Best Documentary Feature | The Two Escobars | Jeff Zimbalist; Michael Zimbalist |
| Best Regional Film | Connect To | Sam Nuttmann |
| Best Animated Film | The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore | William Joyce & Brandon Oldenburg |
| Best Narrative Short | Thief | Julian Higgins |
| Audience Choice | Fort McCoy | Kate Connor & Michael Worth |
| Local Audience Choice | Half Empty (Fantastic Confabulations) | Andrew Finnigan |
2012
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Dead Man's Burden | Jared Moshe |
| Best Documentary Feature | Lemon | Laura Brownson; Beth Levison |
| Best Animated Film | Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon | Brad Schaffer |
| Audience Choice | The Magic Life | Nelson Cheng |
| Local Audience Choice | Shadowed | Joey Johnson |
| Best Narrative Short | Curfew | Shawn Christensen |
| Best Documentary Short | Odysseus' Gambit | Alex Lora |
2013
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Euphonia | Danny Madden |
| Best Documentary Feature | A River Changes Course | Kalyanee Mam |
| Best Regional Film | Improvement Club | Dayna Hanson |
| Best Animated Film | Woody | Stuart Bowen |
| Audience Choice | Her Aim is True | Karen Whitehead |
| Best Narrative Short | The Telegram Man | James Francis Khehtie |
2014
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter | David Zellner |
| Best Documentary Feature | The Immortalists | David Alvarado; Jason Sussberg |
| Best Regional Film | Koinonia | Andrew Finnigan |
| Best Animated Film | Yearbook | Bernardo Britto |
| Audience Choice | Life Partners | Susanna Fogel |
| Local Audience Choice | Laggies | Lynn Shelton |
| Best Narrative Short | What Cheer? | Michael Slavens |
| Best Documentary Short | David Hockney in the NOW | Lucy Walker |
2015
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Regional Film | Even the Walls | Sarah Kuck & Saman Maydani |
| Best Narrative Short | The Chicken | Una Gunjack |
| Best Documentary Short | Live Fast Draw Yung | Stacey Lee & Anthony Mathile |
| Best Director | The Chicken | Una Gunjack |
| Best Cinematography | Mathias Pilz for The Chicken | Una Gunjack |
| Best Screenplay | Eric Fallen & Moon Molson for The Bravest, the Boldest | Moon Molson |
| Best Actress | Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris for The Bravest, the Boldest | Moon Molson |
| Best Actor | Joseph Smith for Hagereseb | Zia Mohajerjasbi |
| Audience Choice Feature | Landfill Harmonic | Brad Allgood; Graham Townsley |
| Audience Choice Short | Birthday | Chris King |
| Local Audience Choice Feature | The Glamour & the Squalor | Marq Evans |
| Local Audience Choice Short | Big Boy | Bryan Campbell |
2016
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Short | Home | Daniel Mulloy |
| Best Actor (Narrative) | Abraham Attah in Out of the Village | Jonathan Stein |
| Best Actress (Narrative) | Charlie Chan Dagelet in Hold One | Charlotte Scott-Wilson |
| Best Screenplay (Narrative) | Christophe M. Saber for Discipline | Christophe M. Saber |
| Best Cinematography (Narrative) | Paul MacKay; Victor Seguin for Home | Daniel Mulloy |
| Best Director (Narrative) | And Nothing Happened | Naima Ramos-Chapman |
| Best Documentary Short | The Carousel | Jonathan Napolitano |
| Best Cinematography (Documentary) | Nathan Golon for I Am Yup'ik | |
| Best Director (Documentary) | The Tricks List | Brian Bolster |
| Local Audience Choice Short | Phil's Camino | Annie O'Neil |
| Local Audience Choice Feature | As You Are | Miles Joris-Peyrafitte |
| Audience Choice Short | Out of the Village | Jonathan Stein |
| Audience Choice Feature | Score: A Film Music Documentary | Matt Schrader |
2017
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Christian Papierniak |
| Best Director (Narrative) | Everything Beautiful is Far Away | Pete Ohs; Andrea Sisson |
| Best Cinematography (Narrative) | Christian Sorensen Hansen and Pete Ohs for Everything Beautiful is Far Away | Pete Ohs |
| Best Performance (Narrative) | Jun Zhao in King of Peking | Sam Voutas |
| Best Performance (Narrative) | Mackenzie Davis in Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Christian Papierniak |
| Best Screenplay (Narrative) | Sam Voutas for King of Peking | Sam Voutas |
| Best Narrative Short | Import | Ena Sendijarevic |
| Best Cinematography in a Narrative Short | Christian Houge Laursen in Forever Now | |
| Best Performance in a Narrative Short | Max Jenkins for The Mess He Made | |
| Best Performance in a Narrative Short | Nicole Williams in Game | Kristian Håskjold and Trille Cecilie Uldall-Spanner |
| Best Screenplay in a Narrative Short | Forever Now | |
| Best Director in a Narrative Short | Ena Sendijarevic for Import | Ena Sendijarevic |
| Best Regional Film | Little Potato | |
| Audience Choice Best Local Short | Richard Twice | |
| Audience Choice Best Local Feature | Semi-Iconic: The Ballad of Dick Rossetti | |
| Audience Choice Short | Game | |
| Audience Choice Feature | A Shot in the Dark | |
| Best Documentary Feature | For Ahkeem | |
| Best Director of Documentary Feature | Mike Day for The Islands and the Whales | |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature | Mike Day for The Islands and the Whales | |
| Best Documentary Short | Wildland | |
| Best Director of Documentary Short | Lauren Frohne for The Legacy of Linc's Tackle | Lauren Frohne |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary Short | John Pope for The Wizard Oz |
2018
edit2019
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Mad Dog Labine | Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr; Renaud Lessard |
| Best Director - Narrative Feature | Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer for Empty Metal | |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Feature | Christopher Rejano for Knives and Skin | |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Feature | The Plagiarists | James N. Kienitz Wilkins; Robin Schavoir |
| Best Performance - Narrative Feature | Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr; Renaud Lessard | |
| Best Narrative Short | Dios Nunca Muere | Barbara Cigarroa |
| Best Director - Narrative Short | Barbara Cigarroa for Dios Nunca Muere | Barbara Cigarroa |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Short | for All These Creatures | Adric Watson |
| Best Performance - Narrative Short | Tamar Amit-Joseph in Halayla | |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Short | for Halayla | Emily Shir Segal |
| Best Narrative Short Honorable Mention 1 | New Land Broken Road | Kavich Neang |
| Best Narrative Short Honorable Mention 2 | Dumpling | Xiaolu Wang |
| Best Documentary Feature | Caballerango | Juan Pablo González |
| Best Director - Documentary Feature | Kavich Neang for Last Night I Saw You Smiling | Kavich Neang |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Feature | Juan Pablo González for Caballerango | Juan Pablo González |
| Best Documentary Short | La Flaca | Adriana Barbosa; Thiago Zanato |
| Best Director - Documentary Short | Darius Clark Monroe for Black 14 | Darius Clark Monroe |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Short | Juanita Onzaga for Our Song to War | |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 1 | La Flaca | Adriana Barbosa; Thiago Zanato |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 2 | Prisoner of Society | Rati Tsiteladze |
| Best Pacific Northwest Narrative Feature | Where the House Was | Ryan Adams |
| Best Pacific Northwest Narrative Short | RESPEK | Kamari Bright |
| Best Pierce County Film | #StopErasingBlackPeople | Tacoma Action Collective |
| Pacific Northwest Narrative Short Honorable Mention 1 | Cold Holy Water | Rankin Renwick |
| Pacific Northwest Narrative Short Honorable Mention 2 | All on a Mardi Gras Day | Michal Pietrzyk |
| Audience Choice - Best Short | Kamali | Sasha Rainbow |
| Audience Choice - Best Feature | The Infiltrators | Cristina Ibarra; Alex Rivera |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Short | Sepulcher | Stephen Takashima |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Feature 1 | Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance | Melinda Raebyne |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Feature 2 | My Mother Was Here | Rustin Thompson |
| Best Music Video | Shambles | Jonathan Salmon |
| Best Animated Film | KIDS | Michael Frei |
2021
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Potato Dreams of America | Wes Hurley |
| Best Director - Narrative Feature | Charles Mudede for Thin Skin | Charles Mudede |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Feature | Alex Grigoras for Wood and Water | Jonas Bak |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Feature | Brielle Brilliant for Firstness | Brielle Brilliant |
| Best Performance - Narrative Feature | for Alia's Birth | Nikohl Boosheri |
| Best Narrative Short | The Unseen River | Pham Ngoc Lan |
| Best Director - Narrative Short | Affonso Uchoa for Seven Years in May | Affonso Uchoa |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Short | Giorgos Valsamis for I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face | Sameh Alaa |
| Best Performance - Narrative Short | Nadir Saribacak in Leylak | Dennis Latos; Scott Aharoni |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Short | Pham Ngoc Lan for The Unseen River | Pham Ngoc Lan |
| Best Documentary Feature | Acts of Love | Isidore Bethel; Francis Leplay |
| Best Director - Documentary Feature | Jessica Kingdon for Ascension | Jessica Kingdon |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Feature | Goga Devdariani; Salome Jashi for Taming the Garden | Salomé Jashi |
| Best Documentary Short | Surviving You, Always | Morgan Quaintance |
| Best Director - Documentary Short | Adam Khalil and Adam Piron for Halpate | Adam Khalil; Adam Piron |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Short | Sean Hanley for The Whelming Sea | Sean Hanley |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 1 | Orbita | Udval Altangerel |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 2 | Luces Del Desierto | Felix Blume |
| Best Pacific Northwest Feature | A Black Rift Begins to Yawn | Matthew Wade |
| Best Pacific Northwest Short Film | See Me | Dawn Jones Redstone |
| Audience Choice - Best Short | Undercut | Kelly Pike |
| Audience Choice - Best Feature 1 | Thin Skin | Charles Mudede |
| Audience Choice - Best Feature 2 | Missing in Brooks County | Lisa Molomet; Jeff Bemiss |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Short 1 | Now Is the Time | Christopher Auchter |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Short 2 | A Dinner Party from Hell | Derek Schneider |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Feature | 700 Feet Down | Carly Vester; Peter Bortel |
| Best Animation | Our Bed is Green | Maggie Brennan |
| Best Music Video | Kreis | Kilian Immervoll & Anna Sophia Rußmann |
| Best Late Night Film | The Following Year | Miguel Campana |
2022
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Utama | Alejandro Loayza Grisi |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Feature | Silvan Hillman for Unrest (Unrueh) | Cyril Schäublin |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Feature | Zia Mohajerjasbi for Know Your Place | Zia Mohajerjasbi |
| Best Performance - Narrative Feature | Matthew Jeffers for Unidentified Objects | Juan Felipe Zuleta |
| Best Narrative Short | asi en la tierra como en el cielo | Mireya Martinez |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Short | Brian Imakura for Some Vile Beast | Brian Imakura |
| Best Cinematography - Narrative Short | Ray Huang for little trumpet | Megan Trufant Tillman |
| Best Performance - Narrative Short | Gil Fishman in Glow Stick | |
| Best Screenplay - Narrative Short | Brian Imakura for Some Vile Beast | |
| Best Documentary Feature | After Sherman | Jon-Sesrie Goff |
| Best Sound Design - Documentary Feature | Gods of Mexico | Helmut Dosantos |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Feature | Melisa Cardona for Powerlands | |
| Documentary Feature Honorable Mention 1 | What We Leave Behind | Iliana Sosa |
| Documentary Feature Honorable Mention 2 | Freedom from Everything | Mike Hoolboom |
| Best Documentary Short | Kicking the Clouds | Sky Hopinka |
| Best Sound Design - Documentary Short | Home When You Return | Carl Elsaesser |
| Best Cinematography - Documentary Short | Yanbin Zhao for Remaining Silent | |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 1 | Blue Room | Merete Mueller |
| Documentary Short Honorable Mention 2 | Strangers | Rajee Samarasinghe |
| Best Pacific Northwest Narrative Feature | The Diaper Cake | Anastasia Babenko |
| Best Late Night Pacific Northwest Film | Sojourn | Nesib Shamah |
| Best Pacific Northwest Documentary Feature | Up on the Mountain | Olivier Matthon; Michael Reis |
| Audience Choice - Best Short | Dana | Lucia Forner Segarra |
| Audience Choice - Best Feature | Butterfly in the Sky | Bradford Thomas; Brett Whitcomb |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Documentary | Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts | Dru Holley |
| Audience Choice - Best Pacific Northwest Feature | Know Your Place | Zia Mohajerjasbi |
| Best Animation | No Leaders Please | Joan C. Gratz |
| Best Music Video | June | Magdalena Zielinska |
| Jurors' Award - Best Experimental Film | El Gran Movimiento | Kiro Russo |
| Best Late Night Film | The Timekeepers of Eternity | Aristotelis Maragkos |
2023
edit| Category | Film Title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Narrative Feature | Fancy Dance | Erica Tremblay |
| Best Documentary Feature | Brief Tender Light | Arthur Musah |
| Best PNW Film | Fantasy A Gets a Mattress | Noah Zoltan Sofian; David Norman Lewis |
| Best PNW Documentary Short | They Scream Freedom (Ellos Gritan Libertad) | Melinda Raebyne |
| Best Narrative Short | Black Seed | Amirhoman Khosravani |
| Best Documentary Short | Buurman Abdi | Douwe Dijkstra |
| Best PNW Narrative Short | In This Neighborhood | Lilly Lion |
| Best PNW Documentary Short | Savi the Cat | Netsanet Tjirongo; Bryan Tucker |
| Best Animated Short Film | The Old Young Crow | Liam Lopinto |
| Best Late Night Short Film | Unknown Heavens | Erik M.G. Fox |
| Best Experimental Short Film | Lotus-Eyed Girl | Rajee Samarasinghe |
| Audience Choice Award, PNW Film | Punderneath It All | Abby Hagan |
| Audience Choice Award, Feature Film | Immediate Family | Denny Tedesco |
| Audience Choice Award, Short Film | Confessions | Stephanie Kaznocha |
References
edit- ^ Sailor, Craig (July 25, 2014). "Tacoma Film Festival provides diverse lineup for film buffs". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ South Sound Magazine Staff (September 26, 2023). "The Grand Cinema launches $5M fundraising campaign to secure the Merlino Arts Center". South Sound Magazine. Tacoma, Washington. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Macdonald, Moira (October 5, 2007). "Film Festival Fever in Tacoma". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Ponnekanti, Rosemary (October 3, 2014). "Tacoma Film Festival grows up with big-name films, a dedicated social space, and more than 100 premieres". The News Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Benoit, Andrew (October 17, 2022). "Tacoma Film Festival: our annual hub of culture and community". The Trail. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Sailor, Craig (August 15, 2014). "Tacoma Film Festival brings indie spirit to the city". The News Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Dawson, Nick (October 6, 2017). "Filmmaker Summer Camp: 25 New Faces Converge at the Tacoma Film Festival". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Mudede, Charles (October 4, 2022). "Tacoma Film Festival Is the Sundance of the Pacific Northwest". The Stranger. Retrieved March 8, 2024.