Rounding Out the Year

Our 2026 comes to a close with our yearly retrospective and a new Christmas classic.

November 03, 2026

The Seattle Film Society is fully volunteer-run. If you value what we do and would like to support our work, please consider making a tax-deductible donation.

Happy November, Seattle.

November is the end of our year (for the most part). We’ll have final editions of Locals Only, Directors Lab, and Film Discussion Group, plus an alumni screening that we’re exceedingly proud to share. All this alongside our usual mix of community news, local events, and more.

2026 has been a banner year for SFS. With this in mind, I want to say thank you to all of our event partners, filmmakers, volunteers, and the entire SFS Team for an amazing year working together. Most of all: I want to say an enormous thank you to all of you. If you’ve bought a ticket to an event, joined the Discord, read this newsletter, recommended us to a friend— thank you! None of this would have been possible without all of you. On a more personal note: Running SFS continues to be a dream for me, and getting to do it with so many wonderful friends and colleagues is just the cherry on top. It’s an honor and a privilege, and I can’t wait for you all to see the exciting things we’re cooking up for 2027.

We’ll have a truncated version of this newsletter going out next month, as well as selected announcements so stay tuned for those as well. Until then- onward and upward.

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

Table of Contents

SFS EVENTS

Thursday November 5th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm, Film at 7

This month we’re proud to present Kirsten Johnson’s elliptical and highly acclaimed doc CAMERAPERSON.

A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina; the daily routine of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment at home: these scenes and others are woven into Cameraperson, a tapestry of footage captured over the twenty-five-year career of documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality and crafted narrative.

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

Thursday November 5th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 7, Film at 7:30.

Graphics Credit: Quentin Lebeau

Saturday November 7th @ The Egyptian Theater | Doors at 7pm, Film at 7:30

SFS is proud to present the West Coast Premiere of the feature film CHRISTMAS POP-UP!

CHRISTMAS POP-UP follows an unlucky-in-love set decorator who takes a job designing a Christmas Eve pop-up event for a jaded celebrity chef, hoping to escape her current hell: living with her ex and his new girlfriend… before he proposes on New Year’s Eve. POP-UP stars Seattle-based Actor/Writer Geena Pietromonaco and Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), in addition to a slew of other local faces.

CHRISTMAS POP-UP had it’s world premiere at the Austin Film Festival on November 1st, and is being followed by a theatrical run. The film’s core creative team is made up of SFS Alums Pietromonaco (Actor/Writer), Molly Muse (Director), Rachel Taggart (Producer), and Tommy Heffernan (Editor). A Q&A led by SFS Creative Director Marcus Baker will follow the screening.

SFS Newsletter Subscribers can get discounted tickets for this screening by using code SFSXMAS at checkout.

Thursday, November 19th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm, Films at 7.

Our November Locals Only will be our FINAL Locals Only of 2026! We’ll be screening four of our FAVORITE local shorts we’ve screened this year. All four shorts will be introduced by the SFS Programmer that chose it, followed by a short Q&A between the filmmaker and the SFS Programmer. The four shorts included are:

  • THE JOURNAL by James Andrews: An American veteran of the Vietnam War returns a precious keepsake to the daughter of an enemy soldier, 50 years later. (12 Min) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Program Director Tommy Meisel

  • PRIVATE PARTY by Nate Fieldson: A lonely woman lists her car for sale in hopes of making some new friends. (10 min) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Programmer Shelby Smout

  • 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) - Intro/Q&A by SFS Programmer Patrick McFarland

  • 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. (3 Min) - Into/Q&A by SFS Programmer Gracen Bayer. 

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! See ya at the movies!

Graphics Credit: Janice Kim

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | Northwest Film Forum | 7pm - 8:30pm

Our final Film Discussion Group series will center on ANIMATED MYTHOLOGY! Our field trip this month will be to see Laika’s new film WILDWOOD. The full list of films includes:

  • 11/4: WILDWOOD (2026) @ AMC Pacific Place - 7:15pm Screening + Discussion to Follow

  • 11/11: THE SECRET OF THE KELLS (2009) @ NWFF - Discussion Only

  • 11/18: NEH ZA 2 (2025) @ NWFF - Discussion Only

All of our discussions will be IN PERSON at the Northwest Film Forum (Field Trip excepted)!

Join us there each Wednesday from 7pm - 8:30pm for fun, book-club style discussions on each of these films. RSVP’s are strongly encouraged. Hope to see ya there!

Graphics Credit: Janice Kim

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!

Graphics Credit: Quentin Lebeau

COMMUNITY EVENTS

COMMUNITY NEWS

Blake Rizzo (LO #19, LO #30)

Blake recently launched the crowdfunding campaign for the feature-length version of his short film Air Traffic Control! The project was selected as a Seed&Spark staff pick, and previously played at Locals Only #19. You can follow along and support the project through their Seed & Spark here.

Washington Filmworks - Above the Line Education Forum Applications Open!

The Washington Filmworks Above the Line program provides business of film skills training and mentorship opportunities for early to mid-career Washington State producers and directors who identify as members of historically underrepresented communities. The Forum provides 15 weeks of online sessions, panel discussions, and workshops with industry professionals covering business of film skills including: legal basics; budgeting; financing; production; and marketing and distribution. The Application window is open from November 6th - 16th.

Georgia Krause (LO #3, IF #5, LO #27, Seattle is Burning)

Georgia Krause continues to have success with their short film Rainbow Rider. The film recently completed a cross-country tour of 10 cities. Georgia is also deep into production on their first doc feature, Oh! Possum!, currently being filmed in Alaska. Congrats Georgia!

Daniel Mogg (LO #30)

Daniel Mogg recently launched Director’s Notebook, a video series designed to pull back the curtain on the creative decisions, challenges, and lessons behind his work as a commercial director. The first episode, now available on his Youtube channel, breaks down how Mogg and his team brought an Alaska Airlines commercial starring QB Sam Darnold to life. You can follow along here.

FESTIVAL DEADLINES

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Wheelhouse

Wheelhouse is a statewide trade association dedicated to supporting creative workers and creative businesses. Wheelhouse has a partner 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that raises the value of creativity in Washington State by promoting culture and the arts, conducting research and educating others about the value of creativity, and providing resources that help build robust and flourishing creative communities.

The Seattle Horror Filmmakers Facebook Group is an active, ongoing Facebook group for filmmakers who love making “bloody, terrifying, ridiculous movies.” The group is a popular online gathering space for filmmakers, actors, SFX and makeup folks of any skill level who want to make the streets of Seattle run red.

Free Tool | mobygratis

Created by the musician moby, mobygratis exists to provide free instrumental music for creators. Tracks are available in 3 format options: stereo mp3, stereo wav, and multitrack wav, all free to use for non-commercial purposes.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from new(!) SFS Programmer, Vanessa Ceja:

Stand Up Special | Kate Berlant’s Parmesan

After feeling spiritually cursed by watching You Can See Everything two days in a row, I found myself enjoying Parmesan, an HBO stand up comedy special by Kate Berlant, by whom I have been previously charmed, but not completely sold on. This made me laugh so much that my face didn’t know how to understand the signals I was sending: am I laughing or sobbing? Thank you, Kate Berlant, for actually taking performative risks in comedy, such as moving your face in strange ways. It was much appreciated.

Thanks for reading! See you next month 😊