(Image: SIFF)

(Image: SIFF)

Capitol Hill’s art house film future is murkier than ever as the silver screen at E Pine’s Egyptian Theatre could go dark for months.

SIFF says a major water pipe burst on an upper story of the Seattle Central-owned building home to the historic theater Tuesday damaged multiple floors of the 1916-era structure.

SIFF said it looks like the building could be closed for a long time.

“While the full extent of the damage is still under analysis, initial accounts have led Seattle Central College to close the building to the public for the foreseeable future and the Fine Arts building leadership expect that it will take multiple months of building closure to assess, repair and reopen,” the organization said in its announcement.

Multiple upcoming screenings have been moved to other SIFF venues while some like a planned screening of Caligula have been canceled.

Word of issues in the building first spread Tuesday as Election Night got off to an inauspicious start as the Capitol Hill Community Council had to cancel its ballot watch party at the theater due to “technical difficulties.”

It turns out those technical difficulties were a plumber’s nightmare. SIFF says the building’s water damage was caused by “a significant pipe leak of a main line on the 4th floor of the building.”

The expected long-term closure of SIFF Cinema Egyptian comes at what could be a challenging time for film nonprofit. SIFF has been caring for the Egyptian for a decade. Its 2014 deal to take over the theater included a 10-year lease with Seattle Central with options for five-year extensions.

UPDATE: A SIFF spokesperson confirms the organization started a renewed five-year extension in October.

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill’s days a neighborhood thick with art house screens are long gone. The cinema at the Broadway Market closed decades ago and the neighborhood’s Harvard Exit Theater was overhauled and reopened in 2018 to serve thousands every year as the home of the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle.

On 12th Ave, meanwhile, The Grand Illusion’s search for new Seattle art house home includes a partnership that will bring screenings to Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum.

UPDATE 11/13/2024: A benefit for SIFF Egyptian employees will be held Wednesday night at the Northwest Film Forum:

A pipe burst at The Egyptian and SIFF staff need our community’s support! At the moment, the the length of the closure and it’s effect on staff is a bit unclear, so we are trying to raise funds as a safety net. If recovery funds aren’t needed, money raised will go to support the SIFF workers union!

Join us on November 13th at 7pm for a free screening of a VERY secret and VERY good movie. While admission is free, donations to SIFF staff’s fundraiser are VERY strongly encouraged in lieu of the cost of a ticket. Presenting proof of donation at the concession counter will get you a free small popcorn 😉

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