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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

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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).

 

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way. 

What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common?  According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot.  “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.

The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture.  This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.

Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…