Friday Harbor Film Festival to honor Greenpeace founder this October

Submitted by the Friday Harbor Film Festival

The Friday Harbor Film Festival returns for the sixth year from Oct. 26-28. The film festival will be hosted in five venues throughout the three days. All films are shown twice and there are also special events, throughout the three days, including the favorite filmmakers’ forum.

The 2018 Andrew V. McLaglen Lifetime Achievement awardee is Capt. Paul Watson, founder of both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a person who has made outstanding contributions to raising awareness and his or her professional excellence in the field of filmmaking and activism. It is presented in memory of Andrew V. McLaglen, a proficient award-winning film director and longtime resident of San Juan Island.

Watson is a renowned marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist from Toronto, Canada. He was one of the founding members and directors of Greenpeace, a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.

Watson founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Its mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species by using innovative direct-action tactics. Watson has served as master and commander on seven different Sea Shepherd ships since 1978 and continues to lead Sea Shepherd campaigns. Alongside his crew, he has starred in seven seasons of Animal Planet’s television series “Whale Wars.”

A renowned speaker, accomplished author, master mariner, and lifelong environmentalist, Watson has been awarded many honors for his dedication to the oceans and to the planet. Among the many commendations for his work, he received the Genesis Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998, was named one of the Top 20 Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century by Time magazine in 2000, and was inducted into the U.S. Animal Rights Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. in 2002. He was also awarded the Amazon Peace Prize by the president of Ecuador in 2007. In 2012, Watson became only the second person after Capt. Jacques Cousteau to be awarded the Jules Verne Award, dedicated to environmentalists and adventurers.

Watson will be honored at the festival’s opening night gala at the San Juan Community Theatre, Friday, Oct. 26, followed by a screening of his new film “Chasing the Thunder.” The film is a high-seas documentary about the ecowarriors of Sea Shepherd as they engage on an epic 110-day, 10,000-mile chase of the Thunder, a notorious poaching vessel. Wanted by Interpol and banned from fishing in the Antarctic, it had eluded capture for over a decade. “Chasing the Thunder “takes the audience on an exhilarating ride to the furthest reaches of the planet as itcaptures the dangerous drama of the world’s longest maritime pursuit.

The exceptional aspect of the FHFF is that each screened film includes a Q&A with the filmmakers. The Friday Harbor Film Festival is a real favorite of the filmmakers themselves, and the accolades pour in after each event.

“An eager, interested audience, one that I expect will grow as the exceptional nature of the festival becomes increasingly recognized,” said Lucy Ostrander, producer of “Proof of Loyalty.”

“In the insider world of festival gems, we filmmakers agree, it’s a rare beauty,” said Kevin Tomlinson, producer of “Crazywise” about the local event.

“The level of professionalism exceeds many larger festivals we have been at. I really appreciated being able to provide Q&A and found the caliber of the questions from the audience to be both educated and thoughtful,” said Roger Williams, producer of “River Blue.”

On Sunday, the Local Hero Award will be awarded to Alex Shapiro, an accomplished composer, who has made a significant contribution to our community, though her musical reflections inspired by the island. The winners of each film award category and the overall favorite will also be announced, followed by a final screening of the audience’s favorite pick. Throughout the three days, the audience is encouraged to vote for their favorite film. Winning films are featured in the “Best of the Fest” screening in town, from Jan.-May.

Each year since 2013, the Friday Harbor Film Festival, located on San Juan Island, has invited dedicated and talented filmmakers to showcase their documentary films unique ability to entertain audiences through the art of compelling storytelling; inspire audience members, as well as filmmakers to be a force for positive change; and enlighten all participants by conveying relevant information, creating awareness and expanding appreciation of our fragile planet, diverse cultures and those daring to explore new frontiers. For more information, visit www.fhff.org.