APRIL IS FOR DREAMS THAT CREEP

(and creeps that dream)

April 07, 2025

APRIL ‘25 NEWSLETTER

Hello Hello Hello!

Welcome to the April Newsletter, we’re glad to have ya. 

On tap for SFS this month is our usual brew of LOCALS ONLY, OPEN SCREEN, and TRUTH TO FICTION screenings. Perhaps most excitingly, this month also brings the newest edition of our IN FOCUS showcase series, where we’ll be covering four films by Director Carlos AF Lopez including his 2024 Sundance selection DREAM CREEP! The screening will be followed by a Q&A led by Producer and SIFF Programmer Megan Leonard. Tickets are on sale now so grab ‘em while you still can!

Let's get into the good stuff, shall we?

Marcus Baker

SFS Artistic Director

SCREENINGS

Thursday, April 17th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 7pm

Our In Focus showcase series continues with four shorts by THE Dream Creep himself, Mr. Carlos AF Lopez. We’ll be screening four of his works with a post-screening discussion to be moderated by Producer and SIFF Programmer Megan Leonard:

  • Ghosting the Party 

  • Mudhoney “Kill Yourself Live” Music Video 

  • Procedure, Part 2 

  • Dream Creep 

Wednesday, April 23rd @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 7pm

Our April Locals Only screening features four shorts with plots that center the joys and pains of men getting duped:

  • Insure domestic tranquility by QM Kuhns

  • Bubblegum by Celestine Ocean

  • Bench, October by Jack Chakarian

  • The Connoisseur by Eric Morgret

Doors at 7PM, screening from 7:30PM to 9PM. Afters to follow!

*NOTE: Locals Only will be at Northwest Film Forum this month!

Tuesday, April 29th @ Seattle Open Arts Place (SOAP) | Doors at 7pm

Our “open mic night” for filmmakers continues on Tuesday, 4/29! Show up with your film on a USB stick, anything under 10 minutes goes up! It’s first come, first screen so be sure to get your tix and get there early! Doors at 7pm, screening from 7:30pm - 9pm.

Thursday, May 1st @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 7pm

Our monthly doc screening with SeaDoc and the NWFF continues on May 1st with Chantal Akerman’s unforgettable NEWS FROM HOME. Akerman’s previous feature (released one year earlier, in 1975) was named the #1 greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound in 2022.

Letters from Akerman’s mother are read over a series of elegantly composed shots of 1976 New York, where our (unseen) filmmaker and protagonist has relocated. The film is a gorgeous time capsule of the city, and a meditation on urban alienation and personal and familial disconnection, made by a filmmaker working at their creative peak.

PARTNER HIGHLIGHT

We are proud to promote PORTLAND PANORAMA and its inaugural festival, which will be held from April 10-20 in Portland, OR.

Built by artists for artists, they serve as a dynamic international hub for filmmaking, bridging global voices with Portland’s creative community to foster exchange, build connections, and showcase the city’s legacy as a premier destination for innovative art.

In particular, we want to promote their Saturday, April 19th event — Safety Day Saturday:

Program of Events:

9:30am - 10:00am // Doors open, coffee and pastries served

10:00am - 11:00am // Picture Car Safety Demo with Via Films

11:00am - 12:00pm // Production Safety & Protocol Panel

12:30pm - 1:30pm // Interpersonal Wellness on Set Panel

The program concludes with a special screening of the SAFE SETS documentary at the Hollywood Theatre.

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | SFS Discord @ 7pm

This April, our Weekly Film Discussion Group will be covering single location features! SINGLE LOCATION FILMS will cover film features that use every nook and cranny of a single space to tell carefully crafted tales. Films covered will include:

  • April 2 | ROPE (1948)

  • April 9 | THE BREAKFAST CLUB

  • April 16 | MY DINNER WITH ANDRE

  • April 30 | SLEUTH (1972)

We’ll be meeting on the SFS Discord each Wednesday night from 7-8:30pm.

1st + 3rd Tuesdays | SFS Discord @ 7:30pm

Our Screenwriting Group continues! Meetings are bi-weekly on our Discord channel and we are always looking for new submissions! Scripts can be submitted through our website. Our next meeting is:

  • Tuesday, April 15th

SELECTED LOCAL EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Lamar + Nik | July ‘24 Locals Only

LAMAR + NIK (the directing duo Jesse Lamar High and Nik Harper) recently completed production on their short film “The Memo”, which centers on Steve Harvey's 2017 memo to his show staff that leaked to the press. We highly recommend this delightful BTS photo they passed along.

Nate Fieldson | September ‘24 Locals Only

Since completing Under Chef, Nate Fieldson has made a handful of zero-budget shorts including the most recent, I KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY, in which he writes, directs, DP’s, edits, and stars. He has also recently wrapped production on "Private Party", a slice-of-life dramedy about a down-and-out single mother (Leah Shannon) trying to cure her loneliness by 'selling' her car. The project also stars Naziah Hendrix. 

Jasira Andrus | January ‘25 Locals Only

Jasira Andrus has recently completed the script for her upcoming short and is currently seeking funding for the project. She is also currently working on a graphic novel centering on a mystery in the PNW.

Nathan Lawyer-Yolar & Kodjo Daniel Seddo | January ‘25 Locals Only

Nathan and Kodjo are currently casting for their next short film, which focuses on a black woman navigating modern dating apps. They’ve passed along their pitch deck here if you’d like to learn more.

THE BUSINESS OF FILM

Raising money for a film is one of the most critical parts of the business, and one that most filmmakers have an openly antagonistic relationship to. While it’s not the cure-all that having rich, supportive parents might be, No Film School recently published a piece on Paul Schrader’s Three-Pronged Pitch to use when speaking with potential investors:

  • Number One: “Forget about getting rich. You're not gonna get rich, but I think I can make you whole,” 

  • Number Two: “I'm gonna give you a film if you bring it up at a dinner party, people are gonna be impressed.” 

  • Number Three: “I'm gonna put you on a red carpet in Venice, Cannes, or Berlin. You've made a lot of money selling tires, wouldn't you rather spend some money trying to do this?”

Check out Schrader’s full insights over on No Film School.

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Lightpress

Lightpress is an owner/operator company that offers a range of post-production services including Film Scanning (8mm/S8mm/16mm/35mm), Color Grading, Conform, and Room Rental. They also partner each year with the Interbay Cinema Society via their “Lightpress Grant” to help experimental filmmakers digitize and preserve their work. Founded in 1997 by colorists Jeff Tillotson and Eric Rosen, their stated goal is to produce outstanding visuals and make sure all clients leave happy.

Online Resource | Studio Binder Blog

The Studio Binder Blog covers a wider range of film and film production topics including numerous tutorials, recommendations, and concept breakdowns for topics ranging from “What does an executive producer do?” to “What’s an aside?” They also offer some pretty nifty all–in-one production software if you’re willing to pony up a bit. If you’ve got a question, it’s likely that Studio Binder has at least one possible answer.

Free Tool | Polycam

Polycam is a 3D imaging app that allows you to digitally capture spaces and interiors to use for your reference. With Polycam, you can measure spaces and generate floor plans, as well as capture and upload objects that you can then add into 3D digital space and share with collaborators. While primarily built for the construction industry, Polycam also makes it easy to digitally capture location details from your tech scouts, prepare overheads for easy camera and blocking diagrams, and test out production design ideas without having to spend a nickel.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a recommendation from head of SFS Events:

BEN JOHNSON

Book | Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris

An extraordinary read about an extraordinary director! I love that the book highlights the humanizing qualities and creative struggles of Mike Nichols throughout his career. It explores both his successes and failures in depth, with the latter being the more interesting sections of the book in my opinion. It's inspiring to see the journey of a director of a legendary film like The Graduate fall to creative lows (sorry Day of the Dolphin), go on a hiatus, detail personal struggles, pivot, change mediums (back to theatre), and then return to film years later with exciting new stories to tell in The Birdcage and Angels in America. It’s a long read, but well worth the ride to dive deep into the life of such an icon!

Thanks for reading! See you next month :) 

Got questions, suggestions, or news? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at [email protected]

Don’t forget, we’re a volunteer-run project under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (Shun Pike) so you can always: