Locals Only #34
Our November Locals Only will be our FINAL Locals Only of 2026! We’ll be screening four of our FAVORITE local shorts we’ve screened this year. All four shorts will be introduced by the SFS Programmer that chose it, followed by a short Q&A between the filmmaker and the SFS Programmer. The four shorts included are:
THE JOURNAL by James Andrews: An American veteran of the Vietnam War returns a precious keepsake to the daughter of an enemy soldier, 50 years later. (12 Min) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Program Director Tommy Meisel
PRIVATE PARTY by Nate Fieldson: A lonely woman lists her car for sale in hopes of making some new friends. (10 min) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Programmer Shelby Smout
PUPPET MASTER PLAYTIME by Amy Harris: Found footage of a public-access children's show whose sock puppet co-host undergoes a life-changing procedure at the hands of a crazed surgeon--spurred on by an immobile, psychic puppet. (8 min) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Programmer Patrick McFarland
what does it feel like to live inside a pomegranate? by Kamyar Mohsenin: A young woman discovers a giant pomegranate in the middle of the forest and decides to live inside it. (3 Min) - Into/Q&A by SFS Programmer Gracen Bayer.
This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum. Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Linda's Tavern! See ya at the movies!
What
LOCALS ONLY is a recurring presentation of local short films presented by the Seattle Film Society. Each month, SFS curates an intimate lineup of high-quality films from local independent filmmakers and showcases them for a community of filmmakers and film lovers. Screenings include in-depth Q&A’s with the filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to engage with the broader Seattle filmmaking community.
Where
NW Film Forum
1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
When
Thursday, November 19th / 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
Tickets
Tickets available here
Films
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at NW Film Forum to talk and have drinks! Around 9:00PM - 9:30PM we’ll head over to Linda’s Tavern to hang some more.
Holiday Party!
Join us on Saturday, December 12th at SoDo’s own Mountain Room for drinks, raffles, and fun as we celebrate another amazing year for the Seattle Film Community.
RSVP to this event via Partiful!
Saturday, December 12th at Mountain Room: Bar at the R. 8pm - Late. See ya on the dancefloor!
This event is sponsored by the Documentary Producers Alliance.
Locals Only #33
October is for terror! On tap this month are flesh eating nightmares and unexplained disappearances, unnerving polaroids and weekends gone wrong. Not to mention a freak you won’t be able to unsee. For all the horror-heads out there, this one’s for you:
POLAROID by Joey Greene: A young man is thrust into a terrifying mystery when the Polaroid photos that he has taken reveal something that isn’t actually there. (3 Min)
BEST FRIEND MATERIAL by Mel McCarthy & Nathan Blanchard: A guys weekend goes wrong. (15 min)
ADHESION by Mark Woo: A vain party clown suffocates in her own flesh-eating nightmare. (4 min)
MOTHER OF NIGHT by Mohamed Abdullahi & Rayana Mohamed: After a series of unexplained disappearances, a night-shift waitress investigates a ghostly local myth and discovers the horror may be terrifyingly real. (13 Min)
LOOK AT THIS FREAK by Alex Furnas: A reunion of old friends is disrupted by a hated roommate and something else that's even worse. (15 Min)
This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum. Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Linda's Tavern! See ya at the movies!
What
LOCALS ONLY is a recurring presentation of local short films presented by the Seattle Film Society. Each month, SFS curates an intimate lineup of high-quality films from local independent filmmakers and showcases them for a community of filmmakers and film lovers. Screenings include in-depth Q&A’s with the filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to engage with the broader Seattle filmmaking community.
Where
NW Film Forum
4812 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
When
Thursday, October 29th / 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
Tickets
Tickets available here
Films
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at NW Film Forum to talk and have drinks! Around 9:00PM - 9:30PM we’ll head over to Linda’s Tavern to hang some more.
In Focus: Tyler Michael James
IN FOCUS returns this October with a screening of Tyler Michael James’s 2022 thriller LOW LIFE!
LOW LIFE follows Benny, a small-time YouTube star who catches predators online, experiences a night from hell when he lets one of them into his own home.
LOW LIFE will be preceded by a screening of the film’s proof-of-concept short, and a conversation about James’s film & career will follow the screening. This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum.
Thursday, October 15th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Film at 7. See you at the movies!
Locals Only #32
In honor of back-to-school month, September’s event is a Student Showcase! From Satire to Sci-Fi, Fantasy to Documentary, these four shorts focus on the exciting work being made by the next generation of local filmmakers:
LABYRINTH by Brandon Mattesich: When she wakes up in the forest, the forest wakes up around her. Join her as she tries to find a way out. (3 min)
STELLANS by Kai Monear: In a future world dominated by an advanced species known as machina stellans must escape their sprawling campus. (10 min)
a small city called Taishan by Jordan Wu: A person that lived in the states for his entire life returns to his family’s hometown, searching for whether his hometown feels like a foreign place or home. (15 min)
EXTRA BUTTER by T.C. Sheahan: A contemptuous moviegoer is determined to get enough butter on their popcorn. (3 min)
This event is presented in partnership with the Tasveer Film Center. Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Flying Lion Brewing! See ya at the movies!
What
LOCALS ONLY is a recurring presentation of local short films presented by the Seattle Film Society. Each month, SFS curates an intimate lineup of high-quality films from local independent filmmakers and showcases them for a community of filmmakers and film lovers. Screenings include in-depth Q&A’s with the filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to engage with the broader Seattle filmmaking community.
Where
Tasveer Film Center
4812 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
When
Thursday, September 24th / 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Doors open at 7:00pm
Tickets
Tickets available here
Films
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at Tasveer Film Center to talk and have drinks! Around 9:00PM - 9:30PM we’ll head over to Flying Lion Brewing to hang some more.
Locals Only #31
Whether you’re working on accepting a major life change, sharing important news, or crossing into a new stage altogether, the stories featured in SFS's August Locals Only capture what it means to move into a new season of life:
BALSTON by Liisa Kaufman and Carson Marie Earnest: Rocked out of her insular existence by the bite marks and bristles of a used toothbrush, Balston must make a choice between her safe, superficial existence and accepting who she really is. (10 min)
POP by Ed Castañeda: A haunted spirit seeks a new place to occupy and perform her killer, haunting song. (7 min)
RECHARGE by Christopher Meyer: A battery factory employee must cross a hostile industrial wasteland on his way to work (12 min)
I WILL HOLD YOUR HAND by Teni Ayo-Ariyo: An intimate short film that examines motherhood through personal experience, creative expression, and community, reflecting on what it means to care, create, and evolve. (5 min)
CLOSING TIME by Spencer Keller: Emma has something important to tell her boyfriend, but when she arrives to meet him at the local diner and he's missing, she has a gut feeling that something is wrong. (8 Min)
This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum. Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Linda's Tavern! See ya at the movies!
What
LOCALS ONLY is a recurring presentation of local short films presented by the Seattle Film Society. Each month, SFS curates an intimate lineup of high-quality films from local independent filmmakers and showcases them for a community of filmmakers and film lovers. Screenings include in-depth Q&A’s with the filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to engage with the broader Seattle filmmaking community.
Where
1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
When
Thursday, August 27th / 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
Tickets
Tickets available here
Films
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at NW Film Forum to talk and have drinks! Around 9:00PM - 9:30PM we’ll head over to Linda’s Tavern to hang some more.
Open Screen #10
What
An open mic night for Washington filmmakers!
Need feedback on your latest cinematic masterpiece? Want to share some embarrassing home videos from your youth? Searching for a place where strangers will watch videos of your dog on the big screen? Come on out!
Seattle Open Screen is connecting filmmakers of all levels by showing any film (ten minutes or less) on the big screen here at Seattle Open Arts Place! Films screen on a first-come first-screen basis, so get here early!
Doors at 7PM and screening from 7:30PM to 9PM.
Head over to the pub afterward to socialize with other filmmakers!
Where
Seattle Open Arts Place
1406 18th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98122
When
Tuesday, August 4th / 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Doors open at 7:00pm
Tickets
Additional Details
Please bring videos on a standard Windows or Mac-compatible thumb drive.
Preferred format: MP4 or MOV files, compressed H.264
Ideal video specs:
Resolution: 1080p or 720p
Frame Rates: 23.976, 24, 29.97, 30, 59.94, or 60
Subtitles (optional): Superimposed on the video
We will try to accommodate all types of video formats, but if we are unable to play the video we will skip it.
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at Seattle Open Arts Place to talk and have drinks! Around 9:30PM - 10PM we’ll head over to Neighbor Lady Public House (1133 24th Ave Unit Q, Seattle, WA 98122) to hang some more.
Locals Only #30
Sci-Fi heads unite! Cyber strikes, future tech, and stargazing adventurers dominate this month’s LOCALS ONLY event. This sci-fi themed block is sure to fling you across time and scramble your understanding of what it means to be human:
THE LAST FLIGHT by Daniel Mogg: Amid a global cyber strike that leads to a permanent ban on air travel, an isolated fugitive family races to catch the last private flight to freedom. (5 min)
AXIOM by Katy Joy & Blake Rizzo: An android travels back into the past to retrieve a mysterious software from a CEO’s home, only to quickly uncover hidden truths about the mission’s objective. (7 min)
STARDATE: UNKNOWN by Andrew Davies: The crew of the UCS Reliant must survive alone on an alien planet when the technology they rely on fails them. (4 min)
STARGAZER by Justin Robert Vinall: A fragmented astronomer looks to the stars to find comfort in the darkest of places. (15 min)
This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum. Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Linda’s Tavern!
Thursday, July 30th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Films at 7. See ya at the movies!
What
LOCALS ONLY is a recurring presentation of local short films presented by the Seattle Film Society. Each month, SFS curates an intimate lineup of high-quality films from local independent filmmakers and showcases them for a community of filmmakers and film lovers. Screenings include in-depth Q&A’s with the filmmakers, as well as the opportunity to engage with the broader Seattle filmmaking community.
Where
1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
When
Thursday, July 30th / 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
Tickets
Tickets available here
Films
Afters 🍻
After the screenings, SFS and the filmmakers will stay at NW Film Forum to talk and have drinks! Around 9:00PM - 9:30PM we’ll head over to Linda’s Tavern to hang some more.
