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Sparking Community Through Film
PTFF is a nonprofit organization which presents films and film festivals, supports and nurtures filmmakers, and hosts educational and artistic programming through and about the medium of film.
twentyseventh annual
PORT TOWNSEND
FILM FESTIVAL
SEPT 24-27, 2026
Virtual Fest - Sept. 28-Oct 4
Passes On Sale Now
and a Special Concert Announcement!
⬇⬇⬇
⭐ Los Lobos ⭐
at Port Townsend Film Festival AND in concert Monday, Sept 28, 7pm at McCurdy Pavilion,
Fort Worden.
For all the trailblazing musical acts who’ve emerged from Los Angeles, very few embody the city’s wildly eclectic spirit more wholeheartedly than Los Lobos. Over the last five decades, the East L.A.-bred band has made an indelible mark on music history by exploring an enormous diversity of genres—rock-and-roll and R&B, surf music and soul, mariachi and música norteña, punk rock and country—and building a boldly unpredictable sound all their own.
The numbers are staggering: 100+ gigs a year for five decades running, crossing millions of miles to rock millions of fans. And that’s just at the live shows. In between they’ve recorded 17 studio albums, 7 live LPs, 3 compilations, 2 EPs, 2 DVDs, and contributed 40+ guest appearances on their friends’ recordings—all garnering 4 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Ritchie Valens Pioneer Award, NEA and Hispanic Heritage Foundation Honors, Congressional recognitions, plus countless “Keys to the City” and “Los Lobos Day” celebrations. Quite simply, they are one of the tightest, one of the best, one of the most prolific bands ever. And, amazingly, with the original founding members as the pack the entire time. Unprecedented. As their liner notes put it, quite simply: “Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr., Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin.”
Los Lobos will be part of a special Q&A with the filmmakers following the screening of Native Sons at 4pm on Sunday, Sept 27 at the American Legion.
⭐ Exclusive Los Lobos concert ticket pre-sale for Patron Pass holders is available June 20-22. ⭐
Tickets to the Los Lobos concert at McCurdy Pavilion go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, June 23.
Why upgrade
to a Patron Pass?
A Patron Pass includes:
⭐ Exclusive Los Lobos concert pre-sale ticket access June 20 - June 22.⭐
(Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, June 23.)
In-person film & forum events, Sept 24 - 27. 🎦
First access to ticket reservations beginning Aug 17. 🎟️
Opening Night Gala 🤩
Awards Party 🏆
Festival Lounge and Receptions 🥂
One free picnic meal 🧺
PTFF Virtual, Sept 28 - Oct 4 🍿
When you purchase a Patron Pass, you support free passes for volunteers and the Peter Simpson free Cinema Fund.
The Peter Simpson Free Cinema Fund allows students, seniors, working families, and individuals, facing economic hardship, to attend festival screenings and events that might otherwise be out of reach. This helps cultivate new audiences for independent film while reinforcing the Port Townsend Film Festival as a welcoming and uplifting event.
Purchase Your Pass
PTFF 2026 Festival Poster Revealed!
2026 Poster Artists - Loretta (Libby) Atkins and Ben Bauermeister
Libby has been creatively involved from childhood, starting out as a piano player and including a deep dive into collage work in the early 2000’s when she made over 1,500 collages. This immersion in one specific art form gave her the confidence to call herself an artist, and she credits art with refining her ability to pay attention.
Ben’s formal training began with a fine arts degree from Occidental College and led to a career integrating visual arts, typography, and technology. Throughout his work life he applied his expertise in typography with his creative spirit for innovation. Ben continues to weld, cast, snip, cut, glue, shoot, and mouse his artwork projects forward. “Anyone’s art is about piecing together the things that you’ve experienced, found, or invented along the way and packaging them into a single, hopefully cohesive, expression.”
Citing the fact that the film festival is her family’s favorite festival of the year, Libby approached the poster project as an exploration very much like the adventure that is exploring new films. “I never fail to come away with a new perspective on any number of topics,” she said. Ben enjoyed the challenge as well, saying “I learned that flexibility is the key to success and that the totem pole was a gift to the Northwest Maritime Center from the Jamestown S’Klallam. I discovered that bull kelp are the palm trees of the northwest and that the symbolism of a clock and a moon have about a thousand metaphoric overlaps.”
PTFF is thrilled with the result of their collaboration. Enjoy!
PTFF IS HIRING!
Passionate about cinema, technology, and providing exceptional hospitality? We invite you to join our team as the Box Office Manager for PTFF’s 2026 season.
More Information →
Interested in film festivals, arts administration, customer service, and event operations? We invite you to join our team as the Box Office Intern for PTFF’s 2026 season.
More Information →
What Are Laurels?
Why Bull Kelp?
Laurels are standard symbols of recognition and achievement for both films and film festivals.
Port Townsend Film Festival chose the bull kelp as our artistic and meaningful interpretation of this film industry standard.
Why bull kelp?
Along our Olympic Penisula shores, bull kelp survives by moving with the sea—holding fast to rock while rising toward light through constant motion. In stormy weather, its long strands bend instead of break, gathering into living forests that nurture, shelter, and sustain a diverse ecosystem.
Port Townsend’s resilient community endures, rooted in shared values, lifted by imagination, and strengthened through connection. Like bull kelp suspended together beneath the surface, we are carried by common currents, buoyant because we gather, and rise, with and for one another.
PTFF is grateful for the opportunity to add resilience, to nurture, to strengthen, and to help sustain our Port Townsend community through film. ❤️
MovieMaker Magazine’s
2025 COOLEST FILM FESTIVALS
MovieMaker Magazine asked a panel of film experts to share the festivals they would recommend to a friend — places where they felt good and had a blast. Places that are cool. PTFF was named one of 25 of those places… in the world!
Spotlight Series
Doug Blush - Filmmaker
Wendy Lobel - Filmmaker
Kirsty Bryan - Filmmaker
Vivian Kerr - Filmmaker
Therese - Filmgoer
Dear Community,
Because of our generous donors like you, PTFF is able to support local film production, connect Port Townsend to the national diversity of filmmakers, and spark community throughout the year. In this time of division and struggle, these relationships and opportunities to share stories with one another mean more than they ever have.
We want to continue to do more, and we hope you will play a part in making those moments happen. We want to continue providing free film programming and access to free passes. Ticket and Pass sales alone only cover a portion of our costs.
Please help us share the connection film brings our community with your financial support today.
Sincerely,
Danielle
Danielle (Danni) McClelland | Executive Director
Join the Cool!
Thank you to our Lead 2025 Sponsors!
