Spring Arts Preview: Film
Festivals keep the region’s movie scene busy this season.
By Rachel Gallaher March 12, 2026
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
Spring is festival season for Seattle movie lovers. For a few weeks each year, film festivals take over the city’s theaters, turning them into gathering spots for audiences eager to see what’s new on screen. Here are some worth catching.
Seattle Jewish Film Festival
The 31st annual Seattle Jewish Film Festival is a celebration of powerful storytelling that uplifts, highlights, and examines the vibrancy of modern Jewish life. With this year’s theme, Roots + Reels, the lineup of award-winning international and independent cinema artists will focus on the ways that tradition, community, and spirituality help keep individuals grounded in tense times. The opening night film, Once Upon My Mother, is based on a true story of familial connections and motherly love. “Seattle has the third largest Sephardic Jewish population in the world outside Israel and LA,” says John Shaffer, director of marketing and strategic communications at the Stroum Jewish Community Center. “Most [of them] are from Turkey and Greece, so having this film as opening night is particular to our community. It is also an important film about family, disability, and overcoming challenges.”
The Seattle Jewish Film Festival runs March 14–29 at various venues around Seattle.
The National Film Festival For Talented Youth
Now in its 19th year, the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) is the world’s largest festival for emerging filmmakers. (Each year the festival showcases films by directors ages 24 and under.) Founded by three teenagers in 2007 to address marginalization in the film industry, NFFTY strives to uplift work by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other traditionally overlooked groups. From comedy and drama to animated and experimental works, the films that screen at each year’s festival are indicative of the talent, drive, and passion of the next generation of film industry creatives.
The National Film Festival for Talented Youth runs March 26–29 at various venues around Seattle.
HUMP!
Seattle’s beloved erotic film festival returns to Seattle for its 21st year. Created and curated by local journalist and sex columnist Dan Savage, HUMP! goes beyond stereotypical dirty movie tropes, examining the full spectrum of sexuality with humor, tenderness, and originality. “This season leans into the beautifully human pursuit of desire,” says Rou Leonard, head of marketing and creative for HUMP!. “Where trust invites vulnerability, curiosity fuels connection, and pleasure becomes a shared act of bravery.”
HUMP! runs April 23–30 at multiple venues in Seattle, Bremerton, and White Center.
Seattle Deaf Film Festival
Hosted by arts-focused non-profit Deaf Spotlight, the 8th biannual Seattle Deaf Film Festival (SDFF) will feature 38 films from 12 countries, created for and by the Deaf community. As part of its mission, Deaf Spotlight fosters and showcases Deaf culture and sign languages through the arts, and all festival films (which are subtitled in English) highlight themes including activism, romance, personal growth, action, hope, and suspense. Viewers have two opportunities to experience SDFF: through in-person screenings at Northwest Film Forum and via online streaming.
Seattle Deaf Film Festival runs April 10–12 at Northwest Film Forum.
Seattle International Film Festival
For the past 50 years, the Seattle International Film Festival has turned the city into a veritable playground for cinephiles. Presenting more than 70 films—as well as panels, events, and the infamous SIFF opening night party—the 2026 festival includes programs that highlight world cinema, new directors, documentaries, and the return of audience favorites such as Secret Fest, ShortsFest, and WTF (Wild, Terrifying, Fantastic).
Seattle International Film Festival will run May 7–17 at various venues around Seattle.
This story is part of Seattle magazine’s Spring Arts series, which highlights theater, dance, film, and visual arts across the city.
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