Best Documentary Feature – Bucks Harbor

Catch a repeat screening of the 2026 Tacoma Film Festival's <b>Best Documentary Feature</b> winner as selected by juror Jeremy Cropf:<div><blockquote>"Pete Muller’s exquisitely shot film offers a vivid portrait of lobster fishers in ultra-rural Maine, where vulgar masculinity and emotional detachment are vital to enduring the harshest conditions. And yet, the subjects featured here buck expectations at every turn, revealing a depth of emotional maturity and empathy that is both unexpected and deeply moving. A film full of many small moments that somehow feel huge. A standout. "</blockquote><div>You’d be forgiven for not knowing where Bucks Harbor is. “If Bangor, Maine is the asshole of the world,” says Mike, a lobster trawler, “we’re 200 miles up from it.” It’s a true-blue working-class town close to the U.S./Canada border, and fishing is the name of the game, “where a man’s worth is often defined by the strength of his back.”</div><div><br></div><div>As Mike sternly raises two teen boys to follow in his footsteps, we also home in on three other locals: there’s foul-mouthed, flirtatious clamdigger Wayne, whose laid-back demeanor belies deep emotional scars; Dave, a former drug addict with a penchant for art; and tackle shop employee Mark, who explores another side of gender expression via social meda. A narrative emerges, one about the churning, oft-destructive cycles of masculinity. Though some of these men find comfort and enrichment in tradition, others have been hollowed out and cast aside, their ambitions and dreams unfulfilled.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Director Peter Muller spent five years embedded in Bucks Harbor to create this sharp, artistically immersive documentary, mixing fly-on-the-wall filmmaking with breathtaking nature cinematography. The personalities emerge naturally, with grace, humor, and bursts of joy. But much like the nearby Atlantic Ocean, something rages underneath the placid surface. <b>Tacoma Premiere.</b></div></div>DocumentaryPT1H38M2026-10-26USen
Pete Muller
Pete Muller
Nathan Golon
Noel Paul
Best Documentary Feature – Bucks Harbor"Best Documentary Feature – Bucks Harbor"

Showtimes

October 26, 7:45 pm

October 27, 1:45 pm

The Grand Cinema