The imminent 20th annual Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival promises a dynamic and diverse lineup of silver screen fare, and also, possibly, the fitting farewell for a beloved island institution.

The 20th anniversary retrospective, co-curated by Kathleen Thorne, the festival’s original founder, and T.J. Faddis, former longtime manager of the Lynwood Theatre, will once again play at Lynwood’s central screen Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18.

But this time, possibly for the last time.

Historically produced by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge (formerly the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council), the film festival is just one of several previously staple programs the group has been stepping away from throughout this year in favor of promised new offerings.

“They’ve recently changed their whole strategic plan,” Thorne said. “They’ve gotten rid of a lot of the public programs they did, like [there’s] no more Garden Tour, no more Poetry Corners, no more Celluloid Bainbridge.

“They’re still doing public art, which is funded by the city, and still doing Art in Education, which is funded through the Washington State Arts Commission,” she explained. “So they’re doing things that are sort of self-funded, and still trying to steer people to other organizations that can do things, but they don’t want to do them themselves anymore.”

Tim Spenser, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge spokesman, said it is their hope the film festival becomes a thriving independent operation, like Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network and Olympic Performance Group, both previously AHB-sponsored.

“As AHB refocuses on our primary role as a connector to and within the island’s cultural sector, we think Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival is ready to transform into an independent event,” he said. “Our plan is to hand off the festival’s considerable legacy over to a team of community members who are interested in piloting the festival into the future.

“We’re already in the process of reviewing proposals and welcome the community’s interest and enthusiasm.”

Interested readers can contact AHB at ahbainbridge.org.

“We would ideally like to see the festival continue as a venue for local filmmakers and films with a connection to Bainbridge Island,” Spenser said, “but we’re also excited to see Celluloid continue to grow and change.”

Even so, there almost wasn’t a 20th Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival at all — at least not by that name.

“This year the name was going to be changed to The Bainbridge Island Film Festival,” Thorne said. “That was one of the conditions for TJ and I to take it over this year: No, we’re not changing the name on its 20th anniversary.”

Other changes have occurred, however. Thorne stepped down in 2012, and the following years saw the new minds behind the festival eventually broaden the scope of the selections, doing away with the requirement that all films have a strong tie to Bainbridge.

“I was disappointed when they made it first regional and then this year it was going to be kind of [from all over] the world,” Thorne said “Then the two filmmakers who were going to do it, they both kind of bailed. So T.J. and I said, ‘OK, we’ll take it over.’”

For her return, Thorne has chosen a lineup of films decidedly focused on Bainbridge, some beloved classics from the early days of the festival, and some new favorites from recent seasons.

“In putting together this particular lineup we did focus more on ones that were really Bainbridge-ish,” she said.

The two-day festival begins with perhaps the biggest film to come out of the island since the “Snow Falling on Cedars” adaptation, “The Fundamentals of Caring,” based on the similarly titled novel by Bainbridge’s Jonathan Evison.

There will be an opening reception at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Marketplace in Lywnood Center, followed by a screening of the film with a Q&A with Evison afterward.

Tickets, $35 each for the reception and screening, are on sale via www.brownpapertickets.com (Event #3690255).

Admission to the film screening only is $10.

The action resumes at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 when, after a brief welcome, audiences will see two very appropriate documentary shorts: “Historic Lynwood Theatre 75th Anniversary Movie Tribute” (2011) and “T.J. Faddis Threads the Last 35mm Film Projector at The Historic Lynwood Theatre” (2011).

The day progresses from there with a lineup that includes “After Silence: Civil Liberties and the Japanese American Experience,” a 30-minute historical documentary in which Island Treasure Awardee Dr. Frank Kitamoto and five Bainbridge High School students process archival prints that bring to life the World War II eviction and incarceration of the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island; “Eagle Harbor Liveaboards,” a 15-minute documentary which gives a brief look into some of the personalities and lifestyles of those who make their homes on boats in Eagle Harbor; “One with the Work,” a seven-minute documentary about the life and work of iconic islander Dave Ullin; a documentary about the Bainbridge Island’s longest running poetry reading, held every year at San Carlos; a photo journal of Bainbridge Island people and places taken on the road by then-Bainbridge taxi driver, photographer Jewel Clearwater between 1997 and 2006; “Plastic Is Forever,” a 12-minute ecological documentary; rare BBC newscast footage of the Oct. 1, 1999 plane crash on Bainbridge Island involving the Tomorrow’s World television crew, filmed by a camera mounted on the plane; “The Gefilte Fish Chronicles,” a 56-minute documentary that captures the 2004 gathering during which the descendants of Abe and Minnie Dubroff celebrated their 100th Passover in the U.S.; and many more.

All screenings Sunday are free (donations accepted).

Visit www.celluloidbainbridge.com for more information and a complete schedule.

Though the future of the festival is uncertain (“It’s sort of up for grabs,” Thorne said) — its past is local legend.

In 1999 the now-ubiquitous monthly Art Walk was a quarterly event, coordinated by Thorne, who was struggling to find a way to get people out and about during the nastier months of the year.

“February was always tough to get people downtown,” she said, “because the weather could be just miserable, or beautiful, so we wanted to have something inside to bring people outside and if there was bad weather they’d have something to see inside.

“Bainbridge Cinemas offered us the use of two of their theaters and so we started putting out word for films. And it was just amazing how many people had stuff stashed away in their drawers.

“It just took off.”

For several years the festival was held at the Pavilion and ran in a couple theaters, but that really wasn’t ideal, Thorne said, because people had to pick: Do you want to be in Theater 1, 2 or 3?

Finally, the festival was moved to its true home in Lywnood where interest — and the average would-be filmmaker’s proficiency — grew.

“As the festival grew it became easier and easier for people to make films, technology changed,” Thorne said.

Whereas once hosts grappled with managing several kinds of media in a single afternoon, switching from film to digital to VHS transfers even, now things are more streamlined, the technical quality of offerings easier to ensure.

“I’ll be sad to see it go,” Thorne said. “If somebody else wants to take it over it would be a different festival, whether they keep the name or not or whether they open it up to other films.

“I’m sorry to see it end.”