Tag Archives: film

‘Keep making movies for the big screen’ — work underway for SIFF Egyptian reopening — UPDATE

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As Anora director Sean Baker celebrated wins for five Academy Awards including best picture Sunday night, he called on filmmakers to “keep making movies for the big screen.”

Capitol Hill’s biggest screen will soon be able to light up again.

This week marks four months since the Seattle Central College of Fine Arts Building, home to the 570-seat SIFF Cinema Egyptian movie theater was shuttered following a devastating water leak in the building’s fourth floor mainline. The leak damaged several floors of the five-story, 110-year-old structure which houses the former Masonic Temple where SIFF Cinema Egyptian operates. Continue reading →

You can be a Capitol Hill community producer and boost BIPOC and queer filmmakers behind Reckless Spirits

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A scene from RECKLESS SPIRITS

Hua

Despite the ongoing closure of the historic Egyptian Theatre, the film community on Capitol Hill continues to flourish and create as local community figure and filmmaker Vee Hua launches short film Reckless Spirits.

This “metaphysical, multilingual POC best friend comedy,” also serves as proof-of-concept and first 12 minutes of a proposed full-length feature film. Hua and their team are in the throes of crowdfunding for the project, with hopes to raise $100,000 by December 22nd.

The film is a “hilarious, trippy ride,” said Hua, Director, Co-writer, and Producer of the project. Incorporating inspiration from media like “Broad City” and Everything Everywhere All at Once, the film follows a pair of best friends who are led into “swirl-world,” of “ancestor spirits, physics, and a cult leader”, according to the project’s kickstarter page.

The main characters are “a gender-fluid Latine performance artist and a neurotic Asian American therapist,” inspired by the co-writers, Hua and Lisa Sanaye Dring. “We wanted to see characters that we felt related to us and offer representation that we haven’t seen haven’t seen on-screen before,” said Hua.

The film has “anti-colonial, anti-capitalist undercurrents” and explores themes of spirituality, particularly the tension between belief and the capitalist messaging that comes with modern, commercialized spirituality, said Hua. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s Egyptian closed for ‘foreseeable future’ after burst pipe damages building home to 108-year-old theater — UPDATE

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(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. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | 2024 Seattle Queer Film Festival

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PONYBOI

THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS

From Three Dollar Bill Cinema 

Three Dollar Bill Cinema is proud to announce the full lineup of film screenings and special events for the 29th Seattle Queer Film Festival (SQFF), taking place October 10-13 at venues on Capitol Hill and in downtown Seattle and virtual screenings October 14-20. The diverse slate of queer cinema hails from 26 countries across the globe and includes narrative features, documentaries, and short films totaling 46 programs comprised of 101 films.

In-person screenings occur at SIFF Cinema Egyptian and in three theaters concurrently at AMC Pacific Place, and most virtual screenings are available in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Tickets and passes are on sale now.

The 2024 festival theme is Q-thartic. “In a time when marginalized communities are still fighting for visibility and justice, it’s vital that we uplift queer voices through the transformative power of film,” said Trent Farrington, festival director. “Our theme, Q-thartic, centers on the emotional release that cinema can provide, offering a much-needed space for healing, validation, and connection. Through stories that celebrate intersectionality, we hope to spark empathy, foster inclusivity, and embrace the complexities of queer life in all its forms.”

The Seattle Queer Film Festival will open on Thursday, October 10, at Capitol Hill’s SIFF Cinema Egyptian with PONYBOI. Produced and written by and starring River Gallo (2023 OUT 100 list, winner of GLAAD Rising Star Media Award,) PONYBOI takes place in New Jersey over Valentine’s Day. A young intersex sex worker, Ponyboi (River Gallo,) must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways. With the help of Bruce, a mysterious cowboy played by Murray Bartlett), Ponyboi journeys through the underbelly of New Jersey on a quest for freedom in a gripping 24 hours. Nominated for the 2024 Sundance Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, PONYBOI also stars Dylan O’Brien (star of “The Maze Runner” trilogy and the long-running TV series “Teen Wolf”), Victoria Pedretti (“Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood” and “You”), and Indya Moore (“Pose”). The film will screen at SIFF Cinema Egyptian at 7:00 PM, followed by an Opening Night party at Stoup Brewing. Continue reading →

The Grand Illusion’s search for new Seattle art house home will include partnership with Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum

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(Image: The Grand Illusion)

Classic Seattle art house cinema The Grand Illusion is moving on from its University District home and will be partnering with Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum on pop-ups and more as it searches for a new theater to call home.

The Seattle Times reports the U District theater will close after more than 50 years with a final screening in January.

The Grand Illusion is asking for community fundraising support as it searches for a new space in the city and says 12th Ave’s NWFF will be a partner in pop-up screenings. Continue reading →

Don’t worry — They’re still showing films at the Egyptian despite the ‘speakeasy’ pop-up

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One of the last remaining active art house and indie movie theaters in the city and an important center for film on Capitol Hill is just finishing up a run this week as a “speakeasy” pop-up.

But don’t worry. SIFF says rentals like the $40 a pop Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy don’t cut into silver screen time at Capitol Hill’s historic Egyptian Theatre.

The one-week event from the Fever interactive experience company promises a night “led by the speakeasy’s lead mixologist and Poe historians” — an “immersive evening” that “promises to be a chillingly unforgettable experience.” It wrapped up over the weekend. Continue reading →

Beyond Oppenheimer, nuclear Issues highlighted in International Uranium Film Festival’s stop on Capitol Hill

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By Holland Burris/UW News Lab

Oppenheimer has been a cinema sensation with seven Academy Awards for its depiction of the physicist who helped develop the world’s first nuclear weapons. There are more — and more important — stories to tell. The first-ever film festival about nuclear power will stop in Seattle on April 12-14 at Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum thanks to Jad Baaklini, a native of Beirut now residing in Seattle as director of communication at Epiphany Parish.

Baaklini became fascinated with the Hanford site in eastern Washington, learning about it after immigrating to the United States.

“I think people should just be aware of what’s around them,” Baaklini said. “Seattle can be in a little bubble especially if people are newcomers like me. I only moved here in 2018, and you know, you can live here your whole life not knowing the rest of Washington.”

After hearing about the International Uranium Film Festival, a Brazilian-based festival looking to stop in multiple locations in the U.S., he reached out to IUFF, pitched hosting to Northwest Film Forum, and connected the festival to its main sponsor, Physicians for Social Responsibility.

IUFF will show eight movies at the 12th Ave independent theater that will discuss nuclear issues from around the world, and include some panel discussions after a few of the films. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Full lineup announced for the 28th annual Seattle Queer Film Festival

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Glitter and Doom

From Three Dollar Bill Cinema

Three Dollar Bill Cinema is proud to announce the full lineup of film screenings and special events for the 28th Seattle Queer Film Festival (SQFF), taking place October 12-22 at venues on Capitol Hill and in Columbia City. The festival will be followed by a week of select films streaming online from October 22-29. The diverse slate of queer cinema hails from across the globe and includes narrative features, documentaries, and short films totaling 53 programs comprised of 119 films.

In-person screenings take place at SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Northwest Film Forum, Broadway Performance Hall, Ark Lodge Cinema, and Queer/Bar, and virtual screenings are available in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Tickets go on sale September 15, 2023. Passes are on sale now.

The 2023 festival theme is “Queer Joy Is Cinematic.” Festival screenings and events will explore what ‘queer joy’ means to members of the LGBTQ+ community. Continue reading →

Ten years after taking over Capitol Hill’s Egyptian Theatre, 49th Seattle International Film Festival kicks off with announcement SIFF is reopening the Cinerama

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(Image: SIFF)

As its venues including Capitol Hill’s Egyptian Theatre begin hosting the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival, cinema nonprofit SIFF has announced it is adding the city’s grandest silver screen to its family.

“We’ve acquired the Seattle Cinerama Theater from the estate of Paul G. Allen and will be reopening later this year,” the organization announced before Thursday’s opening night of the 49th edition of the festival. “This acquisition adds to our current venue offerings: SIFF Film Center, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and SIFF Cinema Egyptian. We look forward to stewarding this historic venue for magical moviegoing experiences well into the future—with all of you.” Continue reading →

From its new Capitol Hill home, Three Dollar Bill Cinema readies for the 18th year of TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival with screenings beyond the neighborhood

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A scene from Anhell69

As it prepares for the 18th year of the TRANSlations: Seattle Trans Film Festival, Capitol Hill film nonprofit Three Dollar Bill Cinema has also made a change of address.

The organization has a new Capitol Hill home, moving its offices into the newly formed E Pine complex of Gay City. LGBTQ health and community facility Gay City moved into its new Capitol Hill space last summer on E Pine and took on a new mission as “Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center.”

Next week, Three Dollar will host the 18th TRANSlations to kick off Seattle’s month of peak film festival activity including the return of the SIFF: Seattle International Film Festival starting May 11th.

TRANSlations gets the festival ball rolling starting Thursday, May 4th with screenings and events both online and in-person. For Capitol Hill film lovers, the 2023 festival will be an excuse for a field trip out of the neighborhood. Continue reading →