Not Everything is Black & White – but Great Film is.
January 17 – 26, 2025 marks the sixth annual Whidbey Island Film Festival (WIFF), Washington State’s only purely classic film festival. The now two-week event is dedicated to creating a place where movie lovers can experience some of the world’s most iconic classic films the way they were meant to be experienced: on the big screen! Spanning more than half a century, this year’s ten films are presented In Glorious Black and White at Langley’s Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA), WIFF’s seaside setting.
“In the world of cinema, the use of black and white did not always serve aesthetic purposes, and it can play a pivotal role in creating a timeless quality, and setting time and place,” says James Hinkley, WICA Box Office Manager and WIFF co-curator, “It’s often critical to the storytelling as well. With a limited color palette, directors have been inspirationally creative in how they use light and shadow to tell their stories; and many more modern films, including several from this year’s line-up, use black and white as a critical component of the plot.”
Deana Duncan has served as WICA’s Executive Art Director for the past four years and recognizes WIFF as a lightning rod to bring the community together over shared love of art and filmmaking. “Because [the event] is held at our beautiful, intimate WICA, it’s a true community, family event,” says Duncan. “Guests share their love of the classics, meet or make new friends, and relive favorite classic movie memories from their past. We strive to celebrate and honor these world class pieces of art within their original context and contemporary impact in a fun, authentic, warm party that you won’t want to miss!”
The festival begins with a red-carpet opening celebration night, welcoming guests to pose in front of WICA’s step and repeat banner with their own little Oscar statue, before toasting champagne to the forthcoming entertainment. The theater opens one hour before showtime each night, luring the audience inside with the smell of over-buttered, freshly popped corn from a beautiful, vintage red metal and glass popcorn machine, offering bottomless popcorn and 15 toppings to choose from over the two weeks. After guests have enjoyed their signature drink and live piano bar, Duncan and Hinkley introduce each of the classic films – defined as appearing in both the Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics catalogs – helping to transport the audience into the nuances of the film they are about to see.
The third night of the festival features a moderated discussion about Pinky, a 1949 American drama directed by Elia Kazan, starring Jeanne Crain and Ethel Waters, which was fascinatingly controversial at the time of its release, and has remained controversial for very different reasons to this day. On January 26, Hinkley – a cellist by trade – is joined by pianist Sheila Weidendorf and violinist Gloria Ferry-Brennan for “Art of the Score,” a live concert of custom arrangements from the festival’s films.
“Film is a remarkably effective medium for conveying our human story,” says Duncan. “The art of classic films requires the contributions of nearly all the other art forms. Our hope is that Whidbey Island Film Festival becomes a true heritage festival for Whidbey Island and continues to grow and impact our lives through this powerful, shared experience of watching great film together.”
The Whidbey Island Film Festival is sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Creative West (formerly WESTAF), the City of Langley, and Island County, in partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival, Washington Filmworks, and Scarecrow Video.
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts
565 Camano Ave, Langley WA
360-221-8262
Tickets can be purchased at wicaonline.org
