Make a Living Off Your Art

... and get discounts to SIFF while you’re at it

May 06, 2025

MAY ‘25 NEWSLETTER

Welcome to the SFS May ‘25 Newsletter. Spring is in the air, SIFF is kicking off soon, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got discounts to giveaway!

May also brings us the sweet smelling scent of Summer Blockbuster season which we could not be more grateful for. Sinners is already burning up the box office, the new Marvel is apparently good-ish(?), and we’re just a few weeks away from trusting Ethan Hunt one… last… time.

To top it all off, our Film Business section features a few prime tips from musician James Blake on making a living from your art.

Yes, May is full of good stuff, of which we have much to share. So let's get into it, shall we?

Marcus Baker

SFS Artistic Director

SCREENINGS

Thursday, May 29th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Our May Locals Only will feature three wide-ranging shorts by local filmmakers Matt Dy, Ashley George, and (Director of Photography) Nick Culbert. 

  • Much Ado About Literally Nothing by Eva Neuwirth

  • Loop by Matt Dy

  • Volition by Ashley George

This will also be our first ~official~ screening at the Northwest Film Forum in their big room! So bring a friend and come hang as we screen some great local films and celebrate our transition to a larger venue!

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

Tuesday, May 27th @ Seattle Open Arts Place (SOAP) | Doors at 7pm

Our “open mic night” for filmmakers continues! 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.

TRUTH TO FICTION #5 | Thursday, June 5th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Our monthly doc screening with SeaDoc and the Northwest Film Forum continues with a powerful document of Seattle’s past. Born from a Life Magazine expose, STREETWISE follows a group of at-risk children who survive by hustling, panhandling, and dumpster diving on the streets of 1980’s Seattle. This screening will be followed by a Q&A with Real Change, a local organization that advocates for economic, social, and racial justice for people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Doors at 6:30PM, screening starts at 7:00PM!

PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

We’ve partnered with SIFF to offer discount codes for local and film-related films playing at this year’s festival! Use the code SFS51 for $3 off your ticket on any (or all) of the following:

Seattle Film Society will also be at this year’s SOUND VISIONS shorts block — SIFF’s local shorts block full of SFS Alumni (Nesib CB Shamah, Tommy Heffernan, Georgia Krause). The SFS team will give away 2 pairs of tickets to our May Locals Only Event before the screening. So be sure to read up on your Seattle-film trivia, and we’ll see you there!

The Issaquah Film Festival is excited to welcome the Seattle Film Society as a community partner!

Use promo code IFF25SFS to get 25% off your submission fee!

Film submissions are due by June 1st! Then on August 9th + 10th, join us in the heart of the Historic City of Issaquah for a weekend of powerful stories, fresh talent, and a celebration of filmmaking. From local voices to breakout filmmakers across the Pacific West, we’re excited to honor storytelling in our community!

  • Filmmakers: Submit your film by June 1, 2025, to be part of the IFF25 lineup!

  • Mark your calendar for August 9th and 10th!

  • Explore new voices and unique perspectives.

  • Celebrate storytelling in one of Washington’s most scenic and historic towns!

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | SFS Discord @ 7pm

This May our Film Discussion Group will be diving into everyone’s favorite springtime topic- dark and mysterious lore. TWISTED FAIRYTALES will cover four films that embrace the Fairy Tale format and lace it with darker (and/or more absurd) sensibilities.

  • Wed, May 7 | 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (Dan Trachtenberg, 2016) - Carry over from SINGLE LOCATION FILMS.

  • Wed, May 14 | PRINCESS BRIDE (Rob Reiner, 1987)

  • Wed, May 21 | PAN’S LABYRINTH (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)

  • Wed, May 28 | CORALINE (Henry Selick, 2009)

Wednesday nights, 7pm-8:30. All meetings 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. Our next meeting is:

  • Tuesday, May 6th: Grumpy Girl by SL Rao

  • Tuesday, May 20th: Twisted Creatures by Kalee Quiñones

  • Tuesday June 3rd:  The Other Me by Nura Ahmed

SELECTED LOCAL EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Osiris Chacona | Sept ‘24 Locals Only (LO #10)

Osiris was recently accepted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He will be attending and studying Film & Television. He has also recently completed work on a new short film, QUARTER, which is available to view here. 

Geena Pietromonaco + Matthew Rush | Jan ‘25 Locals Only (LO #2)

Geena and Matt were recently in the Seattle production of the Sarah Ruhl play IN THE NEXT ROOM produced by local theatre company Well Behaved Women and co. The show ran for five sold out shows at the Seattle Open Arts Place this past month.

Jack Chakerian | Nov ‘23 + Apr ‘25 Locals Only (LO #1 + LO #16)

Jack recently launched the “friends invest first” stage of an equity crowdfunding campaign on WeFunder for his upcoming feature film THE ABSENCE OF VIOLET. The mystery-adventure film centers on three friends who receive a mysterious letter from a long-vanished friend.

Because you read this newsletter, you’re a friend! Learn more about the film and the investment opportunity here (minimum investment $100) and get preferred “early bird” terms before the public launch on March 15.

Tommy Heffernan | Apr ‘24 Locals Only (LO #5)

Tommy Heffernan’s short film THE DISTANCE is a selection of SIFF 2025. The short follows a day in the life of an Asian-American young man who's determined to reach an impossible dream. It was co-directed by Sean Nguyen and will play on 5/22 at the SIFF Uptown in the “Sound Visions” local shorts block.

Michael Rognlie | Oct ‘24 Locals Only (LO #11)

Michael Rognlie is set to direct the new comedy-horror short DOTTED LINE. The film goes before cameras in early June and is a co-production of On The Fence Productions and Tapped House Media.

Justin Robert Vinall | Nov ‘24 In Focus (IF #1)

Writer/Producer/Director Justin Robert Vinall will be returning to the Seattle International Film Festival with his horror proof of concept, STARGAZER on Friday, May 23rd, 9:30PM at the SIFF Cinema Uptown in part of "The Spirit Cabinet" Horror Block. This cosmic ghost story follows a fragmented astronomer who looks to the stars to find comfort in the darkest of places.

Emily Sheehan | July ‘24 Locals Only (LO #8)

SLUSH, a horror short Emily produced, will be screening at SIFF on Thursday May 22 at 6:45pm at SIFF Uptown. The film previously premiered at Nevermore Film Festival in North Carolina and won the Audience Award, and followed it up with a screening at Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans. Emily is also serving as EP for Jack Chakerian’s film THE ABSENCE OF VIOLET.

THE BUSINESS OF FILM

Building a Career as an artist can be taxing work, even more so when you’re struggling to make a living off your art. It can sometimes be helpful to look at successes in other fields for applicable lessons. Variety recently interviewed musician James Blake about his recent pivot to the app Vault, described as an “inner circle for artists” where fans are able to access exclusive content from an artist in exchange for a membership fee. The bottom line? Going to direct to your audience might be the way to go:

“Vault is a safe space to release music to fans who already support you without opening it up to the whole world, and the fan has a certain level of exclusive access. There isn’t really a middle ground between my hard drive and those fans.

I actually recognize people in this community that I’m building because I’m talking to them regularly — unlike Instagram, which feels almost like an airport where I’m never going to see a lot of these people again. I can’t mobilize those people into a fan base, because the algorithm is limiting me on average to seven-point-something percent of reach. So I might reach that 7 percent, but I am never going to reach all of them at once, or all of them regularly, which makes it virtually meaningless: I’ve created a 700,000-person-strong marketing tool for Instagram, but I’m not able to market to them myself.

So that’s why Vault became so important to me, because whenever I send a message, or upload a song, all of them get a text message or email. I think Vault is closing the loop on fan interaction with artists, and I’ve been building a community that I can actually reach, that is basically an inner circle for an artist, for a small subscription fee. And when there’s enough people, it starts to look like a solid monthly income — and a dependable monthly income is the thing that a musician virtually never has.”

(James Blake)

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Tyrelle Sound

Tyrelle Sound is a Post-Production Sound Studio based in the PNW. Their experienced team has helped craft the soundscape for numerous features and shorts, both locally and nationally. They offer dialogue editing, foley/sound design, and mixing, in addition to a range of other sound services. Most importantly, they proudly offer special rates to indie filmmakers and are happy to work with a range of budget levels. If you’re looking for a reliable, skilled team to handle your Post-sound needs, Tyrelle Sound has your back.

Online Resource | The Team Deakins Podcast 

The Team Deakins podcast is an ongoing conversation between acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins and James Deakins, his collaborator. Episodes typically feature interviews with prominent filmmakers (both above and below the line) and cover a wide range of topics relating to cinematography, the film business and whatever other questions are submitted. Team Deakins is free to listen and available wherever you get your podcasts.

Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus is a fully searchable, easy-to-navigate thesaurus of active verbs. It’s specifically designed as a tool for actors and directors to find the exact right “action” word for every story situation so that you can refine your choices and play or direct a line truthfully.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a recommendation from SFS Program Director Tommy Meisel:

Recipe - Homemade Pesto 

Add 2 cups basil, 1 cup parsley, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup walnuts, 3 cloves garlic, and 1/2 cup olive oil into a food processor and mix until smooth. This pesto goes great on a sandwich, on pasta, or even simply spread onto bread. I’ve found that real olive oil is a difference maker in recipes like this. Many brands will mix in lower-quality vegetable oils into their olive oil, so if you do decide to purchase instead of make at home, make sure to find a brand that uses 100% olive oil. Enjoy!

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: