July is for Stargazing

Our July programming brings a smattering of screenings that look forward and look back, perfect for the turning point of year.

July 14, 2026

Happy July Everyone!

Before we get going, I wanna make to say an enormous thanks to everyone who helped to make Seattle is Burning a reality last month. From the teams at Three Dollar Bill Cinema and SWACE, to Georgia Krause and the Rainbow Rider team, to all of our incredible volunteers, the evening could not have been a bigger success! Thank you to everyone who helped to bring the event to life, and thank you to all of our attendees for lighting up the night!

Our July programming brings a smattering of screenings that look forward and look back, perfect for the turning point of year. On looking back: we’re proud to screen Zia Mohajerjasbi’s 2022 SIFF-winner Know Your Place for this Thursday’s IN FOCUS. This month’s LOCALS ONLY takes the opposite approach, with four sci-fi themed shorts that gaze into the far flung future. All this, along with upcoming editions of OPEN SCREEN and TRUTH TO FICTION to boot.

Lets get into it!

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

Table of Contents

SFS EVENTS

Thursday, July 16th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

IN FOCUS returns this Thursday with a screening of Zia Mohajerjasbi’s 2022 coming-of-age drama KNOW YOUR PLACE.

Set amidst the landscape of a transforming Seattle skyline, KNOW YOUR PLACE follows a young Eritrean-American boy as he confronts the realities of change and loss. The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival where it was awarded the New American Cinema Grand Jury Prize and the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film. 

A conversation about the film and Mohajerjasbi’s career will following the screening. This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum.

Thursday July 16th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Film at 7. See you at the movies!

Thursday, July 30th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Sci-Fi heads unite! Cyber strikes, future tech, and stargazing adventurers dominate this month’s event. This sci-fi themed block is sure to scramble your understanding of what it means to be human:

  • THE LAST FLIGHT by Danie 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!

Tuesday August 4th @ Seattle Open Arts Place | Doors at 6:30pm

OPEN SCREEN is Seattle’s weirdest and wildest film screening that YOU CAN BE PART OF! Bring your film or video on a thumb drive- anything under 10 minutes goes up! It’s first come/first screen so be sure to arrive early to get on our list!

This event is presented in partnership with Seattle Open Arts Place.

Tuesday August 4th at Seattle Open Arts Place. Doors at 7, Films at 7:30.

Thursday August 6th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Armed with a 16mm camera and a grant to make a documentary about the lingering aftermath of William Tecumseh Sherman’s 1864 march to the sea, Ross McElwee gets sidetracked. After his girlfriend breaks up with him, Ross shifts his attention from the historical to the persona embarking on a sociological chronicle that documents the courting rites and rituals of the New South. A generous and humanistic portrait of several remarkable women that Ross meets along the way, SHERMAN’S MARCH sketches its characters with novelistic sensitivity.

This event is presented in partnership with the Northwest Film Forum and the Seattle Documentary Association.

Thursday August 6th at the Northwest Film Forum Doors at 6:30, Film at 7.

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | Discord | 7pm-8:30pm

Our Film Discussion series on FILMS ABOUT PAINTERS continues all month long! We’ll be covering five films about painters ranging from classics to docs, including a field trip to see the new 4K Restoration of I SHOT ANDY WARHOL at the NWFF on Friday July 24th. The remaining list of Discussions includes:

  • Wed. 7/15: TIM’S VERMEER (2013) - Discord

  • Fri. 7/24: I SHOT ANDY WARHOL (1996) - Field Trip

  • Wed. 7/29: PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE  (2019) - Discord

Our meetings take place every Wednesday on the Discord from 7pm - 8:30pm (Field Trip excepted). Hope to see ya there!

July 23rd @ TPS Seattle Center | 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Directors Lab is a monthly event for Directors and Actors to practice working together in a friendly, judgement-free environment.

Sign ups are free for Directors and Actors. Participants are selected on a monthly basis. To help offset rental costs, we ask for an optional $10 donation from our participants. Hope to see you there!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

COMMUNITY NEWS

The National Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) is currently seeking volunteer screeners for their 2027 Festival. Screeners who review 50 films or more by January 15th will receive one complimentary All-Access pass to NFFTY 2027, along with potential additional perks and opportunities. Sign up to be a screener here.

Blake Rizzo (LO #19)

Blake recently launched the crowdfunding campaign for the feature-length version of his short film Air Traffic Control on July 17th! The short previously played at Locals Only #19. You can follow along and support the project through their Seed & Spark here.

Ashley recently produced and directed the music video for Kataria’s single “Trophia”. The video can be seen here.

Meaningful Movies Project - Volunteers Wanted!

The Meaningful Movies Project organizes and educates around social justice documentary film and conversation. They are currently looking for volunteers for their Seattle branch. You can learn more and get involved by emailing them at [email protected]

FESTIVAL DEADLINES

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Ballard Film & Foto

Ballard Film & Foto (BFF) specializes in photography supplies, printing, and used cameras, with some vintage and Polaroid cameras in stock. It is the second location from the owners of Lake City’s Shot on Film. BFF is located just off 56th street in Ballard and is open seven days a week from 9am -5pm.

Online Resource | Mirror Box Films Substack

Mirror Box Films is a movie production company that produces grounded, emotional genre films. On their Substack, founder Hudson Phillips shares transparent insights, and behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of today’s independent filmmaking community.

Free Tool | Da Vinci Resolve

Da Vinci Resolve is a free, all-in-one solution for post production. It features extensive tool sets for non-linear video editing, color correction, color grading, visual effects, and audio post-production. In addition to the software itself, there are a vast number of online tutorials available to teach you everything from the basics up through complex minutae.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from our Graphic Design Coordinator, Jana Wendl

Band | The Growlers

My recommendation this month is a band called The Growlers. The group were formed in Southern California in 2006 and have a distinctive sound that blends surf rock, garage rock, and psychedelic pop into a genre they call “Beach Goth.” Their music is perfectly suited for summer as it feels sun-soaked and dreamlike, while also feeling like a nostalgic late-night drive along the coast. Some of my favorite songs of theirs are “Someday”, “One Million Lovers”, and “Black Memories”. I love this band because of their ability to balance catchy melodies with a sense of longing and nostalgia. I love revisiting bands I used to listen to when I was younger, especially in the summertime.

A large part of The Growlers’ appeal for me comes from frontman Brooks Nielsen, whose voice is instantly recognizable. His low, raspy vocals carry both grit and warmth, giving each song a distinctive character as it sounds like he’s singing to us from an old-timey recording. Nielsen is an exceptional storyteller, and his vocal style plays a major role in shaping the band’s identity. Having seen The Growlers perform live twice, I can confidently say that his live vocals are every bit as compelling as they are on their recordings. For anyone interested in experiencing them in person, The Growlers will be performing in Seattle at the Neptune this September!

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: