2026 Film Festivals Spotlight: Lee Strasberg’s Jury Reveal and Vashon Island’s Lineup

The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute announced that Academy-award veteran Al Pacino will serve as lead juror for the 10th Lee Strasberg Film Festival (LSFF) scheduled for Nov. 13-15, 2026 in Los Angeles. The same Variety brief detailed the Vashon Island Film Festival’s (VIFF) fifth-annual program, which will run Aug. 13-16, 2026 on Vashon Island, Washington.

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LSFF’s jury will include actors and emerging filmmakers Henri Esteve, Hayley Orrantia, Wade Allain-Marcus, Hyejin “Grace” Park, and Brittany Alexia Young, joining Pacino in evaluating independent films and performances. VIFF’s competition will feature eight narrative and documentary features—such as Rich Newey and Annika Marks’ *Adult Children* and Mickey Keating’s *Crooks*—alongside 17 short films across narrative, documentary, and animated categories. Special presentations include Matt Johnson’s narrative feature *Tony* and Ben McKenzie’s documentary *Everyone is Lying to You for Money*.

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• LSFF: 10th edition, Nov. 13-15, 2026; awards ceremony at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre.

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• Jury members: 6 (Pacino plus five peers).

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• VIFF: 5th annual, Aug. 13-16, 2026; 8 feature films, 17 short films.

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• Competition categories: Best Short Film, Best Screenplay, multiple acting honors (LSFF); Mickey’s Chair Award for audience-selected local shorts (VIFF).

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• Local shorts competition “shortCUTZ” accepts submissions until July 24, 2026.

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Festival Director David Lee Strasberg emphasized the continuity of his parents’ vision, noting that the LSFF jury “reflects my parents’ vision with an extraordinary range of voices” and underscores the institute’s commitment to fostering a collaborative artistic community.

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“My mom and dad [Lee and Anna Strasberg] believed that bringing artists together into a collaborative creative community was extremely important. This year’s jury reflects my parents’ vision with an extraordinary range of voices—from icons like Al [Pacino] who have given so much support to our community, to talented working alumni actors, to bold independent filmmakers who are just beginning to make their marks on modern filmmaking.” — David Lee Strasberg, Festival Director

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These announcements set the stage for two distinct yet complementary celebrations of independent cinema on the West Coast in 2026.

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