October 9-13, 2025
Digital Film Guide
Excited to Welcome Alumni to our 2022 Fest!
We’re thrilled to be showcasing films from some of our amazing alumni filmmakers as part of our 2022 program! Here’s a glimpse at what our WWest family is bringing to this year’s program:
- Chicken // Short Narrative by alum Josh Leong
- One Buck Won’t Hurt // Short Documentary by Christopher Stoudt, produced by fest alum Ryan Suffern
- Fight or Flight // Short Narrative by Lindsey Hagan, part of the Gnarly Bay collective, whose work we’ve shown over the years
- Free to Care // Short Documentary by Owen Dubek and longtime alum, Chris Temple, both part of Optimist, whose films we’ve featured at many fests!
So happy to welcome back this lineup of fantastic filmmakers. Story can change the world!
Volunteer with Us!
Join the amazing crew of Washington West volunteers at this year’s fest, Oct. 13-17.
New volunteers:
- Complete this sign-up form
- Attend our upcoming virtual orientation (required for all new vols!) on Tues, 9/27 at 7 pm ET: meet.google.com/ags-jaef-sjg
- If you can’t make this date/time, let us know at volunteer@wwfilmfest.com
Returning volunteers join us for a quick refresher orientation on Wed, 9/28 at 7 pm ET: meet.google.com/xad-vbqp-erf
Looking forward to having you join our team!
REFUGE, Resources to Accompany Opening Night
REFUGE: A Story About Fear and Love in the American South will open our 2022 festival at 7 pm on 10/13 at the beautiful Capital One Hall. We’re thrilled to share this important story with our audiences and grateful to have three amazing members of the film team with us for a discussion: Producer and Co-Director, Din Blankenship, and subjects, Chris Buckley and Arno Michaelis.
We encourage you to learn more about our special guests and check out some of the valuable resources related to their work –>
- Chris Buckley is a husband, father, war veteran and former extremist. He now champions empathy and acceptance and works with Parents4Peace, a public health ngo that empowers families, friends, and communities to prevent radicalization, violence, and extremism.
- After founding and playing an active role in a worldwide racist skinhead organization in the late 1980s-1990s, Arno Michaelis is now an advocate of peace, forgiveness, and gratitude. He’s an inspiring speaker and author of My Life After Hate, co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds
- Din Blankenship is an Atlanta-based architect-turned-filmmaker. In 2021, she founded Late Bloomer Films, which has a compelling lineup of films, including REFUGE.
