FHFF hosts double feature
Published 1:30 am Monday, April 20, 2026
Submitted by FHFF.
Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest returns on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. with a special double feature — two inspiring documentary films, screening simultaneously and free of charge at the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. Following the films, director John de Graaf will join audiences on San Juan Island in person for a live Q&A. Lopez Island audiences will be able to participate in the conversation via Google Meet — bringing both islands into the discussion in real time. Bring your questions. No ticket or RSVP is required. Details are available at fhff.org.
‘Sitka’s Hidden Wonders’
“Sitka’s Hidden Wonders” (43 minutes) is a stunning nature documentary by award-winning wildlife filmmaker Ben Hamilton. After nearly two decades filming for National Geographic, BBC, Discovery and Smithsonian Channel, Hamilton returns to the place where it all began — Sitka, Alaska — to make sense of what that wild coastal ecosystem has taught him about nature, time and attention. Humpbacks feed in nutrient-rich waters, bears wander temperate rainforests, seabirds emerge only under moonlight and bioluminescent plankton spark life from the deep. This film is an invitation to slow down, look closer and truly see the world around you.
‘From Sea to Shining Sea’
“From Sea to Shining Sea” (37 minutes) turns its lens on one of American history’s most compelling and under-appreciated figures: Katharine Lee Bates — poet, professor and social reformer — best known as the author of “America the Beautiful.” As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, director de Graaf brings Bates’ story vividly to life through hundreds of archival photographs, period film clips, watercolors and contemporary footage. Bates was a woman ahead of her time — she fought for immigrants, women’s suffrage, workers’ rights and world peace — and her famous lyrics, inspired by a view from the summit of Pikes Peak in 1893, carried both a love of country and an unflinching call for justice.
The Best of the Fest Series
Each month through September, Best of the Fest presents award-winning documentaries along with Q&As with the films’ directors and subjects. Programs begin at 7 p.m. Friday Harbor programs will be at the San Juan Island Library. Lopez Island programs will be at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts, or at the Lopez Island Library. Since they’re on Fridays, they are a great “date night” activity. Mark your calendar for “The Last Dive” screening on May 22 at the SJI Library and Lopez Center. Check the rest of the schedule at fhff.org. “Sitka’s Hidden Wonders” and “From Sea to Shining Sea” are presented as part of the 2026 Best of the Fest Series, with support from Film Sponsor: Friday Harbor Freight, 2026 Best of the Fest Series Presenting Media Sponsor: CascadePBS and 2026 Best of the Fest in-kind Sponsor: The Journal of the San Juan Islands for their continued support of FHFF and the Best of the Fest Series.
