Showcases, Seasons of Change, & Suburban Fury

Our March programming highlights even more locally-made work than usual with our brand new Staff Showcase!

March 10, 2026

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeello everyone!

March—it’s when the world wakes up and shakes off the winter rust. We say goodbye to the last remnants of the previous year and begin to welcome in the new. It’s the cusp of spring, the Oscars, and SXSW. And if you’re in the right place at the right time, you might even spot some cherry blossoms.

For SFS, March also brings about our first-ever Staff Showcase. As a filmmaker-run organization, we thought it was time we give the talent within our ranks a chance to shine. We’ll be screening six shorts by six of the team members who keep the trains rolling around here. We’d be honored if you’d join us.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Lets get into it.

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

Table of Contents

SFS EVENTS

Thursday, March 19th @ Northwest Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

As SFS is a filmmaker-run organization, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the filmmaking talent within our ranks. In general, we do not program the work of our team or work that our team has creatively collaborated on, to avoid any favoritism or bias. 

For this special event, we’ll be screening five short films by the Filmmakers who help us keep things running around here. This includes:

  • I AM STILL RIGHT HERE  by Tommy Meisel (Programming Director): Filmed on Super 8 film stock, “I Am Still Right Here” is a portrait of Garabed “Garo” Sarian, an elderly Armenian American immigrant. (6 min)

  • SASQUATCH SUNRISE by Ben Johnson (Events Director): While scouting a location for a new drone delivery warehouse near the Skykomish River, consultants for a big tech company encounter unusual forms of resistance from the locals. (6 min)

  • SPICE WORLD: SHAKEN SECRETS by Gracen Bayer (Programmer): A reality TV show uncovers spicy secrets from the iconic Salt and Pepper duo. (6 Min)

  • CORTEX by Wesley Klingele (Administrative Assistant): The human memory and the invention of the camera converge in an impossible new change. (3 Min)

  • ONE HUNDRED by Marcus Baker (Creative Director): A mother asks her daughter for money. (15 Min)

This screening will be followed by a Q&A led by filmmaker Justin Robert Vinall.

Thursday March 19th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Films at 7. See ya at the movies!

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

With spring just on the horizon, this month’s block will feature four shorts about change. Whether it’s finding new friends, shifting your outlook on life, or living like The Dude, this month has something for everyone:

  • PRIVATE PARTY by Nate Fieldson: A lonely woman lists her car for sale in hopes of making some new friends. (10 min)

  • SHIT SANDWICH by Dawit Borrows: Following a self-harm incident, RJ meets with a psychiatrist who uses "Shit Sandwich" as a metaphor to reshape RJ's outlook on life. (5 min)

  • ASTRAY by Michael Kenji Matthews: Alone in the forest, a man starts to unravel after an unexpected encounter. (13 Min)

  • ABIDING by Lucas Salm-Rojo: A snapshot into the life of Jeff Dowd, the real life inspiration behind Jeff Bridges character "The Dude" in "The Big Lebowski". (7 Min)

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

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

Thursday, April 2nd @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Hi @Everyone

Tickets are now on sale for our Discord Members for our April Truth to Fiction!

Our April event will feature the nationally acclaimed (and locally made!) doc being called “A chilling, essential look at a Bay Area would-be presidential assassin.” SUBURBAN FURY explores the life and exploits of Sara Jane Moore, a conservative mother from the San Francisco suburbs recruited by the FBI in the 1970’s to infiltrate Leftist organizations until her deeply radicalizing politics complicated her role. Moore takes us back through her recollections and perspectives leading up to the moment where she attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, and an eerie sense of déjà vu takes hold as the tightrope of tension—between the ideals of the US and the realities we are living through—becomes a stranglehold.

Director Robinson Devor will be in-attendance for post-film Q&A.

SFS Newsletter subscribers can get discounted tickets for this screening by using code SFSTTF26 at check out.

Thursday April 2nd at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Film at 7. See you at the movies.

EDUCATION

Wednesdays | Discord | 7pm-8:30pm

This month’s series features four films about Writers- from the highs and lows to the surreal and the famously painful. We started with Misery (1991), and then took a Field Trip to see the new film A POET at the SIFF Film center. The remaining March schedule:

  • Wed 3/18: Barton Fink

  • Wed 3/25: Shirley (2020)

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

March 12th @ 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!

FESTIVAL DEADLINES

SELECTED EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Justin Robert Vinall (LO #5, LO #7, IF #1) 

Justin Robert Vinall recently launched a Patreon, where he is sharing current works, older projects and upcoming creative adventures. You can follow and support him here.

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Washington Filmworks

Washington Filmworks creates economic development opportunities for Washington's motion picture and associated creative industries. In addition to managing our state film incentive, they offer a suite of workforce development programs such as the Above the Line Education Forum, the Production Assistant Training & Work Experience Program, and many other creative, economic, and professional opportunities.

The Internet Movie Script Database is an online database of screenplays past and present. Scripts are available for download or in-browser reading without the use of any additional software.

Free Tool | Shotlister

Shotlister is an app the provides all the features you need to build an effective, comprehensive shotlist. It features multiple modes and features, all designed to help you prepare for your shoots like a pro.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from our Treasurer Keith Mayer:

Workout - Death by Burpees

My pick is my favorite workout regimen. To do a burpee, start standing, drop into a squat, place your hands on the floor, kick your feet back into a plank, perform a push-up, jump your feet forward, and explode upward into a jump, landing softly on your feet. Set a stopwatch or timer to keep track of your time. In the first minute, do one single burpee and enjoy the rest of the minute. At the start of the second minute, do two burpees. At the start of the third minute, three burpees. Keep adding like this until you can no longer fit the burpees into the one-minute span. You’ll feel silly in the beginning, but quickly you’ll understand how it gets you.

To me, it is the perfect workout. It’s a high-intensity, full-body calisthenics workout that requires strength, endurance, and agility. It can be done at the gym, at a park, in an apartment, or anywhere else where you can find about six feet of space. It requires no equipment (though a mat of some kind is recommended) and will almost certainly be done in less than fifteen minutes. In a time crunch, as a warm-up, or, if you reverse the process, a perfect cool-down. DBB is sure to get your heart rate up, your muscles working, and the sweat flowing. And best of all, it works for people of all fitness levels. Whether you are exhausted after one minute or can go for 20 minutes, sooner or later the burpees always win.

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: