PORT TOWNSEND — As it prepares for its 14th year, the Port Townsend Film Festival is moving up — literally — to a larger office that could house small screening parties, its executive director hopes.
“There is a lot of light up here, which we are just delighted by,” said Janette Force while touring the new suite on the fourth floor of the Mount Baker Block building, 211 Taylor St.
“We will have space for our meetings, and people can work without tripping over each other.”
The new space, which tops 1,300 square feet, more than doubles the space that the film festival occupied on the third floor.
It includes more space for the film library, which is available to film festival members.
The new office represents a continued skyward movement for the film festival.
It occupied space on the building’s first and second floors before moving to the third floor five years ago.
“Our next step is to be on the roof,” Force quipped.
While some items already had been relocated Tuesday, the office will close Thursday and Friday for the move.
An opening reception at a future date will show off the new digs, Force said.
The new space has been cleaned and repaired by a volunteer crew, including drywall repair, finished by Wallyworks Construction, owned by Port Townsend resident Malcolm Dorn.
Having the new space for the annual festival, which will take place Sept. 20-22, will increase efficiency, Force said.
“We’d like to eventually have small screenings up here, but first, we’d need to raise the money to buy some curtains,” Force said.
“It’s very bright up here.”
The film festival also just released the first of three clues to the identity of its special guest, whose films will be shown at the festival both on a public stage on Taylor Street and in a question-and-answer session as part of the festival.
Force said this year’s guest continues a tradition that in the past included Peter Fonda, Cloris Leachman and last year’s guest, Bruce Dern, who took home a Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska.”
“We look for accessible guests who are not so taken by the pretense of festivals and willing to engage with attendees,” Force said.
“We also like to take them to schools to demystify the idea there is a separation between a big professional film star and the people who watch the movies.”
Aside from the information provided in the clues, Force divulged that this year’s guest engaged in a separate art form that also will be featured at the festival.
The guest moved from acting into directing and has served on the board of a film festival in his or her town of residence, Force said.
For more information, visit www.ptfilmfest.com or call 360-379-1333.
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
