Food & Drink
What to See This Fall: Film
By Seattle Mag August 25, 2015
This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
The Seattle indie filmmaking scene is currently thriving, thanks to locally based filmmakers such as Lynn Shelton, Megan Griffiths, Mel Eslyn and Lacey Leavitt, who make it a priority to film in Washington state. (Follow the Keep Film in WA campaign at washingtonfilmworks.org.)
Stay abreast of new work from local up-and-comers at the Northwest Film Forum’s Local Sightings Film Festival (9/24–10/3; localsightings.nwfilmforum.org), the annual event showcasing the diverse perspectives of Northwest filmmakers. This year’s lineup features stories about a male escort turned deli owner (The Sandwich Nazi), a funny girl with a death wish (Killing June), a Christian fundamentalist road trip (Children), a Nepalese girl striving for an education (Drawing the Tiger) and the legendary guardian of the Samish people (Maiden of Deception Pass).
Prefer to ingest your movies in a thematic splurge? Look to SIFF (siff.net) for its popular mini festivals: Women in Cinema (9/17–9/20) reveals the modern world as seen through the female gaze; French Cinema Now (10/22–10/29) offers a contemporary take on liberté, égalité and fraternité; and Cinema Italian Style (11/12–11/19) showcases new reels from the filmic land of plenty.
Also worth gorging on is Nightfall, the 38th annual film noir series at SAM (9/24–12/10; seattleartmuseum.org), whose dark and moody movie gems include Scarlet Street (1945), Fritz Lang’s take on the femme fatale, and Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949), in which Shelley Winters plays the girlfriend of a heroin smuggler who falls for a narc. Now that’s noir.
Explore more 2015 Fall Arts events here.
Follow Us
Book Excerpt: Old White Man Writing
Seattle resident Joshua Gidding examines his own white privilege
In his book, Old White Man Writing, Seattle resident Joshua Gidding attempts to come to terms with his privilege. Gidding grapples with the rapidly changing cultural norms in 21st-century America while examining his own racial biases and prejudices. As Manhattan Book Review notes: “Old White Man Writing is an introspective deep dive into an eventful life…
Glacial Expressions
Local scientist and painter Jill Pelto spotlights climate change in a multi-artist show at Slip Gallery
The divide between the arts and sciences is long-fostered and well-documented. From elementary school onward, children are often singled out for their penchant for math or artistic ability and guided toward classes — and later careers — that align with their right or left brain tendencies. For Jill Pelto — a local climate scientist, painter,…
How Taproot Theatre Survived A Financial Crisis
Theatre is planning for its 50th birthday next year
Karen Lund vividly remembers that sinking feeling she had in the fall of 2023. That was when Lund, producing artistic director of Taproot Theatre Co., first realized that the financially strapped, midsized professional theatre in the Greenwood neighborhood might not survive. The theatre had already weathered the worst of the pandemic, but costs were mounting….
Humanities Washington Fights ‘Midnight’ Cuts
Nonprofit loses previously approved federal grants with little warning
The letter came without warning, like a slap in the face from an invisible hand. Humanities Washington CEO and Executive Director Julie Ziegler had already been talking with peers in other states, and she readied herself for the blow. The National Endowment for the Humanities (think DOGE) had terminated her nonprofit’s previously awarded federal grant…