The Tacoma Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It usually takes place in October.
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.
History Founded in 2006, the Tacoma Film Festival (TFF) has been hosted annually at the Grand Cinema. 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. TFF provides a platform for regional and international filmmakers and has been described as the "Sundance of the Pacific Northwest," emphasizing its growing reputation and influence in the region's film community.
Awards
2007 + 2007 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2009 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2010 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2011 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2012 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2013 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2014 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2015 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2016 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2017 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 + 2018 Tacoma Film Festival Awards Category Film title Director(s) Best Narrative Feature Drift Helena Wittman Best Director - Narrative Feature Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer for Empty Metal Adam Khalil; Bayley Sweitzer Best Cinematography - Narrative Feature Ashley Connor for Mountain Rest Ashley Connor Best Screenplay - Narrative Feature Bryce Richardson for I Want More, I Want Less Bryce Richardson Best Performance - Narrative Feature Sophia Mitri Schloss for I Want More, I Want Less Bryce Richardson Best Narrative Short Nettles Raven Jackson Best Director - Narrative Short Faren Humes Macho Faren Humes Best Cinematography - Narrative Short Shawn Peters for Piu Piu Naima Ramos-Chapman Best Performance - Narrative Short Dymond Veve in Kira Burning Laurel Parmet Best Screenplay - Narrative Short Mariama Diallo for Hair Wolf Mariama Diallo Best Documentary Feature Distant Constellation Shevaun Mizrahi Best Director - Documentary Feature Daniel Patrick Carbone for Phantom Cowboys Daniel Patrick Carbone Best Cinematography - Documentary Feature Erick Stoll for America Chase Whiteside; Erick Stoll Best Documentary Short Silica Pia Borg Best Director - Documentary Short Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, and Jackson Polys for The Violence of Civilization Without Secrets Adam Khalil; Zack Khalil; Jackson Polys Best Cinematography - Documentary Short Luis Gutierrez Arias and John Henry Theisen for It's Going to Be Beautiful Luis Gutierrez Arias; John Henry Theisen Best Pacific Northwest Film Civil Stephen Takashima Best Pierce County Film Medieval Martha Stewart Taylor Hawkins Audience Choice - Best Short The Burden Niki Lindroth von Bahr Audience Choice - Best Feature Dawnland Adam Mazo; Ben Pender-Cudlip Audience Choice - Best Regional Short Medieval Martha Stewart Taylor Hawkins Audience Choice - Best Regional Feature Boom! A film about The Sonics Jordan Albertsen Best Virtual Reality Film 1 Swampscapes Liz Miller; Juan Carlos Zaldavar; Kim Grinfeder Best Virtual Reality Film 2 Biidaaban: First Light Lisa Jackson
2019 + 2019 Tacoma Film Festival Awards 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 Zoé Audet for Mad Dog Labine 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