Peter Simpson, the driving force behind the Port Townsend Film Festival, has died.
Simpson died of cardiac arrest at his Port Townsend home on Thursday.
He was 74.
Simpson lived in Port Townsend for 40 years, first moving to the city with his wife, Pat, in 1959.
In 1968, he moved to Reston, Va., but returned to Port Townsend a decade later, in 1978.
Simpson served as the face and voice of the festival for the past 10 years in his capacity as artistic director. The festival is to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.
“The 10th anniversary was his goal,” said Toby Jordan, president of the festival board.
“He had a lot of goals for this festival, and we’re going to carry them out.”
