Doctober, Hooptober, and Oscars — Oh My!

Our October programming arrives with a little something for everyone — not to mention some new faces and new opportunities.

October 07, 2025

Howdy folks!

Welcome to SFS’s October Newsletter. We’ve truly got something for everybody this month. For doc-heads, we’ve got our In Focus screening with local documentarian Georgia Krause. For the Hooptober Crowd we’ve got a Locals Only lineup to die for (featuring Matthew Rush’s Slamdance sensation Chickenboy). We’ve even got a few new volunteer opportunities rearing their heads. Before we get into all of that though, we’ve got a few introductions to make.

After a long search, we’re proud to welcome four new faces into the fold here at SFS. Please give a warm welcome to Gabby, Keith, Jadin, and Wesley:

We’re couldn’t be more excited to be working with all four of them as we continue to work toward our mission of providing a community where Seattle filmmakers thrive. They’ll be in and around SFS events and on the Discord, so if you see ‘em around, say hey!

Without further ado, let’s start the show, shall we?

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We’re currently seeking volunteers for our Marketing & Programming Teams to work on an ongoing basis. Here are the open positions we’re looking to fill:

  • Graphic Designer - Marketing Team - We’re looking for a Graphic Designer volunteer to help drive the visual identity of the organization. This role will provide a lot of freedom for creativity and to bring your own artistic sense to the work. Ideally, this person will be able to help solidify brand standards and graphics. We anticipate this role requiring about 5 hours per week.

  • Social Media Manager - Marketing Team - The Social Media Manager will be in charge of growing and monitoring SFS's Social Media Channels. Responsibilities include: Attending monthly marketing meetings, developing and implementing marketing strategies, and publishing content across our channels (Instagram/TikTok/Discord). We anticipate this role requiring about 3-5 hours per week.

  • Programmer - Programming Team - Programmers are in charge of screening, seeking out, and selecting films and filmmakers for our LOCALS ONLY and IN FOCUS events. Responsibilities include: Attending monthly meetings to decide selections, regular review of film submissions, and semi-regular attendance of screening events. We anticipate this role requiring about 3 hours per week including a once a month 1-hour Programming Meeting.

No experience is required for these roles, though strongest candidates will have some background in similar positions. We strongly encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and lived experience. SFS is a fully volunteer-run organization and no member of our team currently receives compensation for their work.

If you are interested in applying, please do so through the link below:

Volunteer — Seattle Film Society

www.seattlefilmsociety.com/volunteer

SCREENINGS

Thursday, October 16th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Our October '25 IN FOCUS will showcase the work of one of the Seattle area’s brightest up and coming documentarians, Georgia Krause.

We’ll be screening five of Georgia's short films including their previous Locals Only selection Small Talk. The screening will be accompanied by a Q&A led by Seattle Film Critics Society President Kathy Fennessy.

Thursday October 16th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Films at 7pm.

Thursday, October 30th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

In the spirit of the season, our October LOCALS ONLY will be an all-horror edition!

  • Chickenboy (8 Min, 2025, Dir. Matthew Rush): A lonely farmer accidentally creates a chicken-human hybrid.

  • The Winemaker (16 Min, 2025, Dir. Sarey Martin): A winemaker with a cosmic secret must finish the year's vintage before her enemies come for vengeance.

  • The Collector (12 Min, 2025, Dir. Scott Leberecht): Ruby is a chemist who specializes in unusual product, and must make a series of brutal decisions to preserve her business.

  • Plastic Boy (5 Min, 2025, Dir. Alex Bulger) A man finds out something strange is growing inside of him.

Four shorts, four of the PNW’s top up-and-coming names in horror. All of the filmmakers will be with us for the screening + Q&A so grab a friend, check out some horror films, and come hang out!

Doors at 6:30PM, screening from 7:00PM to 8:30PM. Afters to follow!

Thursday, November 6th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

For this Month’s TRUTH TO FICTION, we’re proud to screen the multi-award winning documentary WTO/99. An immersive, archival doc, the film reanimates the clash between the then-emerging World Trade Organization (WTO) and the more than 40,000 people who took to the streets of Seattle to protest the WTO’s impact on human rights, labor, and the future effect of continued globalization. The result is an urgent document of class struggle set against the backdrop of millennium-era Seattle.

This screening is presented in partnership with the Seattle Documentary Association and the Northwest Film Forum. SFS Newsletter subscribers can get discounted tickets for this screening by using the code SFSWTO at check out.

Doors at 6:30PM, screening starts at 7:00PM.

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | SFS Discord @ 7pm

Our October Film Discussion Series will be rockin ‘n rollin through a series of Music Biopics covering musicians from the classical period to the present (and one who never existed at all). We’ll conclude the series with a field trip to see the new Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. The full list of films covered will include:

  • Wed. October 1st | Amadeus (1984, Dir. Milos Forman)

  • Wed. October 8th | I’m Not There (2007, Dir. Todd Haynes)

  • Wed. October 15th | What’s Love Got To Do With It? (1993, Dir. Brian Gibson)

  • Wed. October 22nd | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007, Dir. Jake Kasdan)

  • Wed. October 29th | Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025, Dir. Scott Cooper) - Field Trip!

Wednesday nights, 7pm-8:30p. All meetings (with the exception of the last one) will take place on the Seattle Film Society Discord server.

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.

SELECTED EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Jack Chakerian | LO #1, #16

Jack is set to begin filming next month on his debut feature film The Absence of Violet. This project will film all over Washington State, with the majority of Principal Photography taking place in Port Townsend. Additionally, Jack’s short film Tonight We Dance will play the Tacoma Film Festival and the Poulsbo Film Festival during the weekend of October 10th-12th. If you are interested in helping out as crew for The Absence of Violet, you are welcome to contact Jack at [email protected].

Cabal Video | LO #6

Cabal Video recently shared their romantic-thriller short film What’s Been Missing? via Youtube.

Colin Simpson | LO #8, #20

Colin Simpson’s previous Locals Only selection Burglar recently completed it’s festival run and was released online via Colin’s Youtube channel.

Ashley George | LO #17

Ashley’s short film Slush will be playing the Tacoma Film Festival, which takes place October 10th-12th at The Grand Cinema.

THE BUSINESS OF FILM

Max Cea continues to put out incredible, thoughtful dispatches from the ground floor of independent film. One of his more recent communiques is an essay for Filmmaker Magazine titled Learning By Doing. The essay concerns Cea’s experiences Producing his first feature film, The Big Game. In addition to being a thorough exploration of the how the film got made, it doubles as a step-by-step account of all the zigszags, scheduling snafus, and hoop jumping that goes into getting a film off the ground:

An experienced filmmaker told me that established actors are more likely to agree to be in a small indie if it’s happening soon. For one thing, a fast-approaching date signals that the project is actually happening; for another, it doesn’t require them to lose out on other opportunities that may arise down the line. Really, for everyone—whether it’s cast, crew or investors—you want to project a sense that the train is rolling and everyone needs to be ready to get on board.

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Glazers Camera

Located in South Lake Union, Glazers is a locally owned community hub for all things photo and video. They offer rentals and retail for video and photo equipment, as well as events and classes taught by their expert staff. They are committed to providing top-of-the-line equipment and expertise to everyone from the working professional to the serious hobbyist. 

We’re all aware of the shifting ground beneath the film industry right now. Indiewire’s Future of Filmmaking section is specifically designed to provide you with the tools, resources, and advice on how to navigate a shifting landscape. Future of Filmmaking has something for anyone looking for a way to level up their career.

Free Tool | Magic Lantern

Magic Lantern is a free software add-on for Canon EOS cameras that runs from the SD/CF card and adds a host of new features not included under factory settings. The list of features provided is too expansive to list here, covering nearly every in-camera setting and tool you could want. The software is also Open Source and Refined. API is fully documented with scripting support extended to every day users and a robust forum for questions or concerns.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from incoming SFS Education Director Gabby Rossen:

They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone—and I’m living proof. I just moved back to Seattle after thirteen years in the Boston area. And while Boston isn’t the worst place to return from, when it comes to food and culture, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Emerald City.

I first landed in Seattle in the early ’90s, during the Kurt Cobain era. If you were here then, you know—it was a golden age for music, film, and food. Nights spent watching Maktub at the Baltic Room or catching an indie flick at the Grand Illusion Cinema are burned into my memory. So are the late-night meals—giant wet burritos from the now-gone Mama’s Mexican Kitchen, or falafel from Zaina’s in Pioneer Square. Back then, hot dog carts lined the streets well past midnight.

All of those people, places, and things are gone. But one gem from that era still stands: Thai Tom, a tiny hole-in-the-wall at 4543 University Way NE. It opened in 1994, just a year after I arrived. Inside, everything is cooked fresh in front of you—fast, fiery, and full of flavor. My go-to is the Swimming Rama with chicken or tofu, but the Pad Thai is just as good.

When the founder, Tom, passed in 2021, we lost a Seattle legend. I worried the place might close, but I’m relieved it hasn’t. Thai Tom was one of my first stops after moving back last May, and now I go nearly every week.

Maybe I’m not telling you anything new. But if you’ve never been—don’t miss your shot. Seattle’s evolving fast. And if Thai Tom ever closes, I’ll be in mourning. For now, though, they’re still here. So go. And thank me later.

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: