Facing a bird’s-eye view of Port Townsend from the fourth floor of the Mount Baker Block Building, Janette Force opened a small, handmade wooden box with an Altoids tin nested in the bottom. The lid was reworked with a copper face, and stamped “Port Townsend Film Festival 2013.”

In the last layer of what Force referred to as the “Russian doll” effect, she prised the lid and drew out a copper tag on a matching chain: a truly Port Townsend trophy.

In her dozen seasons as Port Townsend Film Fest executive director, Force must have handed out many of these keepsakes to jubilant winners.

“I am a changed person,” Force said, reflecting on her tenure during a sit-down last week. After volunteering for the film fest for five years, she’d been wheedled into taking over the executive director position when her predecessor passed away in 2009.

“I spent a good week terrified,” she said, laughing. “I had an elderly mother, one boy getting married, and two grand-children,” she said.

But as unprepared as she may have felt, she sensed it was a solid next-step.

“I had to do it,” she said. “It was a growth trajectory like no other.”

A background in small business management and theatre enabled Force to bring a level of structure and professionalism to the hometown film festival.

“I was an actress, and that served me well,” Force said.

MAKING A SCENE

“We got the festival through the 10th anniversary,” Force said, relying heavily on the help of Terry Tennesen, who does the graphics for the fest.

“Bless his beautiful heart,” she said, the warmth for her colleague palpable.

At that time, there were just four full-time employees, and the event replied heavily — as it still does— on the help of volunteers.

When someone approached Force with a folder of letters from antique car enthusiasts requesting that the festival show something related to their passion, Force had the idea to approach the Raker’s Car Club, and see if they might be interested in parading around the various festival celebrities.

People thought she was nuts, she said. Now, the event is one of the most beloved.

“I get to introduce all of the cars,” she said, still in present-tense mode.

“Being the MC for that parade is like the best improv moment,” she added.

Danielle McClelland, the incoming executive director, walked past at that moment.

She hadn’t yet heard about the car show, and she teased Force about what she was getting roped into.

To Force, it’s just these kinds of community touchstones that provide opportunities to get everyone involved in the power of film.

‘Who would love being here?’ is a question she’s used over the years in deciding who to invite to the film festival. After all, she’s lived in Port Townsend since 1977 and understands the quirks of Jefferson County.

THE REEL DEAL

In alignment with her passion to get youth interested in film, one year Force arranged for “Riding My Way Back,” a short film about a suicidal veteran who finds meaning in life again through a horse named “Fred,” to be shown at Chimacum High School.

In the 400-seat auditorium, you could hear a pin drop.

“The kids were absolutely silent during the film,” Force said.

The best part? The meet-and-greet with Aaron Heliker, the soldier. Force said the lunch bell rang, and everyone missed it, clamoring to connect with Heliker.

She got teary when she related that the kids all lined up for high fives with him before he left.

“It was just marvelous,” she said, her eyes bright.

A showing of the 2018 film “Intelligent Lives,” with guest Chris Cooper, was another fond memory. Focused on de-stigmatizing the intellectually disabled, Cooper shared the story of his own disabled son, Jesse, who passed away when he was 16.

That segued into “Bulletproof Johnson,” a film with disabled actors and technicians, the protagonist a youth that Jesse had attended camp with. The Silverwater Cafe hosted a private dinner for families with disabled children after the film, Force said.

She also emphasized the Peter Simpson Free Cinema program, named in honor of her predecessor. The outdoor movies are iconically PTFF, and there’s a variety of other no-cost community viewings to reduce financial barriers to the art of film.

Being in a position to invite notable actors and directors to the area is something Force still marvels at. Two years ago, Danny Glover came to town to discuss a showing  of the 1990 film, “To Sleep With Anger,” with Rais Bhuiyan, moderator of “The Secret Lives of Muslims,” who was shot point blank in the face after 9/11.

The event is still a fresh memory for her.

“He [Glover] is an amazing man,” she said.

“He was here for less than 12 hours,”  she added. After a limo arrived to whisk him away, she looked at a colleague and wondered aloud if Glover’s visit had even been real.

A BEAUTIFUL GIFT

“I was really thinking I’d just take my victory lap,” Force said of 2019. But COVID turned everything upside down.

She told herself, “Hike up those big girl pants, we’ve got to do this.”

Being early on the scene with streaming services was critical, she said, reflecting on the festival’s nimble response to the catastrophic news.

Ever optimistic, Force found the positive in the adversity.

“There was a beautiful gift in the pandemic,” she said. “I got to talk to every single director.”

This year, 89 films were accompanied by interviews with directors or producers, something impossible pre-pandemic.

Force seemed satisfied with her 12 years of service to the film fest.

“It’s a very big job,” she said. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”

She’ll miss her corner office with an incredible view of the rooftops and Port Townsend Bay. (It used to be a pigeon coop, she confided, laughing.)

The office had been picked clean of her touches, all except for a book case packed with ephemera collected over the years. There was a transparent red Buddha, a stuffed plush monkey, and a pop-up birthday card with a sticker that said, “Make shit up” on it. (“That’s what I do,” she said).

“I was a gardener once upon a time,” Force said. She has grandkids that are going to see a lot more of her, too.

“I think that having a good life is an artistic life form,” she said.

“I am so proud,” Force added.

“There’s no way in the world I should’ve been trusted to do this.”