The Whidbey Island Film Festival is returning for a sixth year with a celebration of black and white classics.

The festival, brought to the public by the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, is an event for families, film enthusiasts and nostalgics and an excuse to glam up with friends.

The theme of this year’s edition is “In Glorious Black and White” and was chosen by WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan and Film Curator James Hinley, who selected 10 films released between 1943 and 1998, showcasing the evolution of black and white films over time.

Duncan said black and white film can play “a pivotal role” in making a film timeless and setting the time and place. Audience members can appreciate this kind of cinematography and enjoy stories that stand up against the test of time in a world dominated by fast and easy entertainment, she wrote in an email.

The two-week-long festival feels like a party from start to finish, offering a friendly and intimate environment, Duncan wrote.

The event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 with a red carpet rollout, small plates, some champagne and bottomless popcorn, Duncan wrote in an email. The reception is followed by the first movie on the list, “Paper Moon,” an Academy Award-winning comedy-drama released in 1973.

The first week of the festival continues with “Jane Eyre” at 2 p.m. and “Raging Bull” 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, followed by “Pinky” at 2 p.m. and “To Kill a Mockingbird” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19.

“Ed Wood” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23, followed by “Pleasantville” at 7:30 on Jan. 24, “Anatomy of a Murder” at 2 p.m. and “The Innocents” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25. The festival concludes with “Young Frankenstein” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 26.

Each movie will be introduced by speakers who will discuss themes and what makes the story relevant today, Duncan wrote.

At 2 p.m. on Jan. 26, guests can also enjoy “Art of the Score,” featuring James Hinkley on cello, Sheila Weidendorf on piano, and Gloria Ferry Brennan on violin. To Duncan, this is the highlight of the festival, and the perfect experience for people who are moved by movie soundtracks.

According to a press release, the festival was born in 2019 to broaden the programs offered at WICA and to bring tourists in the slower winter months.

The festival is the only purely classic film festival in the state. According to Duncan, Washington is increasingly becoming a haven for film lovers, and WICA is happy to have its “little niche.”

“Being the only purely classic film fest in the state is important because it allows our unique story arc to draw people who won’t have the opportunity to share these great films the way they were meant to be seen,” she wrote in the email. “On the big screen and with a room full of people.”

To learn more and purchase tickets and passes, visit whidbeyislandfilmfestival.org.