This weekend saw the kickoff of Seattle’s 27th Local Sightings Film Festival ten-day run September 20th – September 29th. Hosted at Northwest Film Forum (and online), it showcases the best and brightest the Pacific Northwest has to offer, both new and established. Filmmakers from WA, OR, AK, ID, MT, BC, and the Yukon are all eligible to participate which adds a mix of cultures, perspectives and styles for us to enjoy. Just as in years’ past the festival includes short and feature film programs that run the gamut from documentaries to experimental films.
The opening night film was one we’d caught at last year’s SIFF, Punderneath It All, and it’s still available to watch through Local Sighting’s online festival pass. A dive into the little-known world of competitive punning. Who knew!? This coming Friday, the last night of the fest (though there are still some films to see the next day) there’s a special featured set of three shorts all interrogating Seattle and its on-going issue with gentrification. These productions not only look into why Seattle has such a problem but how we can work against it to bring affordable living and close communities back into city limits. You can still get tickets for this final evening of films (available both in person and online) dubbed Seattle of the Future? Closing Shorts
Among the regular feature films available both in person and throughout the week online, is another SIFF alum worth checking out. All We Carry is an affecting film that follows a family of immigrants from Honduras who are awaiting a final decision on their request for asylum. Mercifully they find shelter with a local synagogue, but their fate is left up to people they’ve never met and agonizingly slow coming.
Feature and short films aren’t the only offerings available from Local Sightings Film Fest this year. Northwest Film Forum also has a couple workshops that sound intriguing for filmmakers as well as normies like us. One such workshop held this Saturday 9/28 explores Projection Mapping, which combines two art forms to create something new and exciting for both filmmakers and artists. In this workshop you can get your hands dirty and try out the process yourself, exploring how it can create an adventurous display both on and off the big screen.
You can find most of the festival available both in person and online throughout this week and whether you pick one or the other, or a combination of both in person and online, the entire festival is super affordable. Not only do you see some fantastic new works, but you are supporting our local filmmaking community, giving them an audience and a voice that every artist seeks. Starting from $60 for NWFF members up to $140 (sliding scale) for non-members. A hybrid pass, allowing access to either/both, is a bit more at $75 for members and $100-150 for non-members. Individual tickets are also available for both in-person and online screenings.