Seattle’s Fall Film Festivals Are a Kaleidoscopic Delight
A look at the city’s many film festivals celebrating everything from regional to foreign film
By Stephen Strom September 8, 2017
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
The Northwest Film Forum’s (NWFF) Local Sightings Film Festival (9/22–9/30), celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, focuses on films by Northwest directors, with Northwest actors or about the Northwest with film conversations, artist talks, juried prizes and more. In October, NWFF partners with Velocity Dance Center for a one-day film fest, Next Dance Cinema (10/4), featuring a number of films exploring dance.
French cinema gets an in-depth look with the French Truly Salon film series (monthly through March), presented by Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The Stage to Screen series, also offered by SIFF (dates vary), brings popular plays from the U.K.’s National Theatre to the big screen, such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (9/10). And the Seattle Art Museum is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Film Noir Series (Thursdays, 9/28–12/7), screening classic titles such as The File on Thelma Jordon and Lured.
Founded in 2002, the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival (10/6–10/15) focuses this year on Nepal. The ninth annual Seattle Latino Film Festival (10/6–10/14; Facebook, “Seattle Latino Film Festival”) offers a look at Latino culture through various screenings and panels. The Twist Seattle Queer Film Festival (10/12–10/22) draws more than 10,000 attendees each year. In November, the Social Justice Film Festival (11/16–11/21) will explore films with “resistance” as a theme.
The Port Townsend Film Festival (9/15–9/17) hosts special guest Academy Award–winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) who will discuss his new film, The Music of Strangers, about Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Or take in one of the many indie flicks screened at the 12th annual Tacoma Film Festival (10/5–10/12).
Follow Us
The Clouded Surf: Warren Dunes Makes Beach Music for Seattle
The local band is the unlikely mascot we need.
Contrary to what you might think, the best mascots are born, not manufactured. Yes, a lovable socialist monster like Gritty might emerge to provide a face for the soul of a city, but sometimes, there are artists who rise up to define the character of that city. One of the enduring memories I have of…
Best in Show: Schack Art Center’s Annual Juried Exhibition Opens in Everett
This spring, Everett’s Schack Art Center opened Present Tense: 24th Annual Juried Exhibition. A longstanding tradition, the show will feature pieces from artists working in a range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, glass, ceramics, printmaking, photography, and mixed media. “We select emerging artists and those with well-established practices,” says Schack’s marketing and communications manager, Aaron…
Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…