Out With the Old, In With the New

Our February programming features new events, new newsletter sections, and a few choice experiments.

February 10, 2026

Howdy Everybody!

Happy February. If you’re reading this, congratulations! You survived the first month of the year!

With the new year in full swing, we’re starting to roll out a few changes to how we do things, both in this newsletter specifically and in our programming. As it pertains to this newsletter: We’ve decided to replace our Business of Film section in favor of two new sections: Community Announcements and Festival Deadlines. You can see how these sections will operate below, but in short: They’re designed to deepen your connection to the Greater Seattle filmmaking community, and all of the opportunities that exist here. With that said: If you run an event or know of an event you feel may be a good fit, email us! We’d love to hear what you’ve got going on.

Secondly, we’re launching a new monthly educational event for Directors and Actors to practice working together in a friendly, judgement-free environment: The SFS Directors Lab.

How It Works: 

  • Four Directors. Four Actors.

  • Two of the Directors will bring a two page, two-character scene and two actors each. 

  • One director will get to work with their two actors on their scene for 15 minutes. The other three directors will take 10 minutes each to work with those same two actors on that same scene. 

  • Repeat the exercise with the second director,  their scene, and their two actors.

Each event takes place on the third Thursday of each month at Theatre Puget Sound from 6pm - 8:30pm. Sign ups are free for Directors and Actors. To help offset rental costs, we ask for an optional $10 donation from our participants.

Yes, yes lots of exciting new things going on these days! But that’s enough out of me, on with the show!

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

Table of Contents

SFS EVENTS

Thursday, February 12th @ Ballard Church | Doors at 7pm - SOLD OUT

Collaboration is in the air this February! We’re partnering with our pals over at Offbeat Films for a platonic, FREE Freelancer Speed Dating event!

Need a Gaffer? A Producer? A new friend to make fun stuff with? This event is your perfect opportunity! Meet fellow industry professionals and find the collaborators of your dreams through a rotating series of four-minute "dates", followed by open mingling!

Thursday, February 12th at Ballard Church. Doors at 6pm, "Dates" start at 6:45. If you’re on the list - we’ll see you there! If not - join the Discord and/or follow us on socials to be among the first to know about events!

Thursday, February 26th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

This month’s event will focus on the strange, the experimental, and the downright Lynchian with four shorts from four up and comers sure to make you question your reality:

  • 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. (4 min)

  • AVENGING ANGEL by Maryna Fox: Two women embark on a transformative journey to understand themselves and their inner voice of freedom. (7 min)

  • 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)

  • WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER by Matt Dy: A rogue police detective confronts his wife's attacker, seeking revenge. But things are not at all what they seem. (10 Min)

Join us for a screening and Q&A with drinks to follow at Linda's Tavern!

Thursday February 26th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Films at 7. See ya at the movies!

Thursday, March 5th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Our Truth to Fiction Documentary series continues next month with the vitally important THE LIBRARIANS.

THE LIBRARIANS centers on Librarians thrust into the fight for democracy as they navigate book bans and heated school and board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.

The film will be followed by a panel with Seattle-area Library Workers.

Thursday March 5th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Film at 7. See you at the movies.

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | In Person @ Rubix Apartments | 7pm-8:30pm

This month we’ll be covering three Brontë adaptations, plus a documentary on the sisters and their gothic, romantic, sweeping works. Our field trip this month will be to see the newest adaptation, Emerald Fennell’s take on WUTHERING HEIGHTS The full list of films includes:

  • 2/4: JANE EYRE (1943)

  • 2/11: WUTHERING HEIGHTS (2011)

  • 2/18: WUTHERING HEIGHTS (2026, Field Trip)

  • 2/25: TO WALK INVISIBLE (2016) 

Our meetings take place in person every Wednesday at The Rubix in Capitol Hill from 7pm - 8:30pm (Field Trip excepted). Hope to see ya there!

1st + 3rd Tuesdays | Hybrid | 7pm-8:30pm

Our Screenwriting Group is back with an all new hybrid format!

  • WRITERS LAB (First Tuesday of the month, Online): Join us on the ⁠Discord for a Writers Lab session! These sessions will include readings of 2-3 scripts (10-15 pages) with structured feedback. This month’s session featured readings of Nuclear Strategy for Beginners by Victoria Rigby; My Rainier by Michael Baldovino; and The Rootwarden by Dean Tunberg.

We’re always looking for more scripts for the Writer’s Lab — submit yours here!

  • CREATIVE ROOM (Third Tuesday of the Month, In-Person): An IN-PERSON EVENT with rotating themes. These will include a mix of Staged Readings, Workshops, Guest Speakers, and Write-Ins where we’ll hone and discuss the craft of screenwriting.

If you missed last Tuesday’s Writers Lab session, fret not! Here’s the upcoming meeting schedule:

  • Tuesday 2/17 (In Person @ Seattle Film Institute) - Workshop w/ Stephanie Platter

  • Tuesday 3/3 (Online) - Writers Lab

  • Tuesday 3/17 (In Person) - Creative Room

Hope to see ya there!

February 19th @ 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. Here’s how it works:

How It Works:

  • Four Directors. Four Actors.

  • Two of the Directors will bring a two page, two-character scene and two actors each.

  • One director will get to work with their two actors on their scene for 15 minutes. The other three directors will take 10 minutes each to work with those same two actors on that same scene.

  • Repeat the exercise with the second director, their scene, and their two actors.

Each event takes place on the third Thursday of each month at Theatre Puget Sound from 6pm - 8:30pm.

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

Hope to see ya there!

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crypticon Seattle Film Festival | Seeking Submissions!

Crypticon Seattle, Seattle's longest-running horror film festival, is currently seeking submissions for their 2026 edition! The festival prides itself on showcasing a diverse range of horror films from the dark and scary to the bloody and macabre. SFS Newsletter subscribers can submit for free by using the code SFSTNewsL26 at check out. This year’s event runs May 1st-3rd so be sure to check it out!

Sea Slug Animation Festival is BACK with a FURY! | Feb 27 - Mar 1

Sea Slug is celebrating the ingenuity, creativity, and weirdness of independent animation February 27–March 1. The 2026 program will showcase the Seattle premiere of the quirky Endless Cookie, the 4K restoration of the masterpiece Son of the White Mare, local and international short films, an Artist Alley, and mixers for audiences and artists to connect around SIFF Cinema Uptown. Students and SIFF Members receive discounts on tickets and passes.

The Grand Illusion Cinema | A Better Tomorrow [New 4K Restoration]

Screening: March 2nd @ NW Film Forum

This screening will feature a special live intro from local Hong Kong genre film connoisseur and one of SFS’s very own programmers, Patrick McFarland.

Attend this screening, and you might win free tickets to March’s Locals Only!

40th anniversary of John Woo's landmark action classic, newly restored!

The film that established John Woo as the king of the Hong Kong gunplay film and made a superstar of Chow Yun-Fat! An ex-gangster tries to reconnect with his estranged policeman brother, but he finds that his ties to gangs are harder to break than he thought.

FESTIVAL DEADLINES

SELECTED EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Molly Muse (LO #1 ,#12, #18) + Geena Pietromonaco (LO #2, #12)

Molly and Geena recently completed principal photography on their feature film debut Christmas Popup! The film stars Geena and Friday Night Lights alum Zach Gilford, and centers on an unlucky-in-love set decorator who takes a job designing a Christmas Eve pop-up event for a jaded celebrity chef. This film is in post production now, with editing being done by fellow SFS alum Tommy Heffernan.

Jasira Andrus | LO #13

Jasira recently directed and released the music video for Sedona Rose’s new single “Tell Me I’m Pretty”. The video was shot at the Northwest Film Forum and features an excellent supporting turn from fellow SFS Alum Champ Ensminger. The video is available to watch here.

Nolan recently released the short documentary Golden Rule: The Journey for Peace. The film centers on The Golden Rule, America’s first environmental protest boat that sails to crusade against nuclear testing and proliferation. The film is available to stream for free here.

RESOURCES + TOOLS

The Seattle Composers Alliance strives to create a non-competitive community of like-minded professionals and enthusiasts. From networking events, to masterclasses, to live performances and recording of their member's works, the SCA is dedicated to enriching our local music creator community.

Online Resource | American Cinematographer

American Cinematographer is the media arm of the The American Society of Cinematographers. Their online, media, and print publications feature interviews, podcasts, and discussions with notable figures in the cinematography community, as well as on the state of the Cinematographic Arts.

Free Tool | TinyWow

TinyWow is a free online tool that covers a wide range of administrative niches. Need to convert an image file? Make a document into a PDF? Download an MP4? Tinywow is the all-in-one tool that has you covered.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from our Social Media Manager Jennifer Derks:

The Secret Agent (starring Wagner Moura) is a Brazilian political thriller that feels both timely and grounded. The film was shot (and takes place) in Recife, my mother’s hometown and the city where I had the privilege of attending college, which adds a personal dimension to the viewing experience. Directed by Recife native Kleber Mendonça Filho (known for Neighboring Sounds, Aquarius, and Bacurau), the city functions as more than a setting, shaping the film’s visual and narrative texture.

The story follows a clandestine operation set against Brazil’s authoritarian past, exploring themes of surveillance, power, and moral compromise while Moura delivers a restrained and focused performance. The film has been making the international festival rounds, earning major recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, winning a Golden Globe, and receiving significant attention from international critics, including multiple Oscar nominations, placing it among the most celebrated Brazilian films of the season.

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: