The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

A short film written and directed by Ben Vasion, who graduated from Wahkiakum High School in 2013, is continuing to get notice at film festivals across the United States.

The Last Goodbye is based on Vasion’s experience of losing his father to covid-19.

The film has been screened at The Kanab Film Festival, the University of Pennsylvania’s Bifocal Film Festival, the Student World Impact Film Festival, and now, the Lift-Off Sessions Film Festival.

He’s still waiting to hear from several other festivals, four of which are in Washington state.

The script for the film garnered Vasion a Rising Star Award at last year’s Desertscape International Film Festival. The Last Goodbye was also up for Best Super Short Film at a festival but did not win.

If Vasion wins at Lift-Off Sessions, he could be headed to Pinewood Studios in England where all the Star Wars films were shot.

His film is available for viewing right now, through Lift-Off Sessions. It costs $12 to watch the block of films that includes The Last Goodbye, or $20 to watch everything. Viewers can vote for their favorite films, which helps determine winners.

Vasion is working on another film, Pickles, which is being scored right now in preparation for film festivals in August.