Write-Ins, Vince Staples, and the King of Slow Cinema

We kick off the new year with new screenings, revamped educational events, and our own *personal* connection to the new Mayor.

January 13, 2026

Ring a ding ding, Happy New Year everybody!

I hope you missed us cause we definitely missed you! We are hitting the ground running this month with a full slate of programming. This includes a new edition of In Focus, a revamped version of our Screenwriting Group, a return to in-person meetings for our Film Discussion Group, and of course the return of our bestest beautiful boy Locals Only.

Speaking of- in case you missed it, we’re currently accepting short film submissions for our upcoming 2026 Locals Only screenings! As always, more details can be found on our website including our new Generative AI Policy and updated Programming Practices.

Finally: A quick reminder that SFS is an all-volunteer organization that is fiscally sponsored by Shun Pike. Our work is funded in full through ticket sales and (tax compliant!) donations. So if you like the work we do, please consider supporting if you’re able.

Lets start the new year off right, shall we?

Marcus Baker

SFS Creative Director

Table of Contents

SCREENINGS

Thursday, January 15th @ NW Film Forum | Doors at 6:30pm

Our IN FOCUS series returns this Thursday with a showcase for prolific commercial and video director JONATHAN SALMON! 

Jonathan's wry, surrealist work has become a fixture across platforms such as Vulture, Short of the Week, Mubi, and Directors Notes. He's directed videos for Vince Staples and Brent Faiyaz, and collaborated on short films with influential figures such as Venus Williams, Zack Fox, and Mekki Leeper. 

This five film set will feature four of his narrative works and one of his music videos. It will be followed by a short presentation by Jonathan on the arc of his career.

Thursday January 15th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, films at 7pm. See you at the movies!

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

Our premiere event returns for another year of great locally-sourced films by the most exciting up-and-coming filmmakers our region has to offer. Our 2026 Kick Off will feature four short films that are sure to thrill, delight, and maybe even make you think a little bit: 

  • 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)

  • Dealing With Time by Byron Donaldson: A woman offers her time service to a customer by showcasing her abilities as if presenting the features of a product. (6 min)

  • Welcome Home by Nicole Olson: After the death of her husband, a prolific painter dares to make a deal with a demon to bring him back. (7 Min)

  • Wild Dreams by Derek Nunn: A young, black man encounters his ancestor as he traverses through life balancing success, race and imposter syndrome (9 Min)

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

Thursday January 29th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Films at 7. See ya at the movies!

Thursday, February 3rd @ Seattle Open Arts Place | Doors at 7pm

Our February Open Screen event promises to carry the torch for Seattle’s weirdest and wildest film screening.

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!

Tuesday February 3rd at Seattle Open Arts Place. Doors at 7, Films at 7:30. See ya there!

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

Our Truth to Fiction documentary series returns with a film by the legendary Marlon Riggs.

BLACK IS… BLACK AIN’T is a wide-ranging consideration of the question at the heart of Riggs’ work: What does it mean to be black? Using his grandmothers gumbo recipe as a metaphor for the diversity of the African American experience, Riggs travels the country seeking insights from leading thinkers like Angela Davis, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Bell Hooks, Barbara Smith, and Cornel West, as well as every day people- all grappling with the numerous, often contested definitions of Blackness that have shaped their lives. Punctuated by footage of a dying Riggs directing his crew, BLACK IS… BLACK AIN’T breaks down divides of class, colorism, patriarchy, and homophobia as it issues a stirring appeal for unity.

Thursday February 5th at the Northwest Film Forum. Doors at 6:30, Film at 7.

EDUCATION

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

Our first Film Discussion Series of the year will cover four films by the King of Slow Cinema, Apichatpong Weerasethakul. This will include a field trip to see his film Mysterious Object at Noon at the SIFF Film Center on 1/21. The full list of films covered will include:

  • 1/7: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

  • 1/14: Tropical Malady

  • 1/21: Mysterious Object at Noon (Field Trip)

  • 1/28: Cemetery of Splendor

We will also (finally!) be returning to In-Person Meetings. We’ll be meeting each week (with the exception of Week 3) at The Rubix Apartments in Capitol Hill. 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.

  • 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 1/20 (In Person @ The Rubix) - Write-In

  • Tuesday 2/3 (Online) - Writers Lab

  • Tuesday 2/17 (In Person) - Creative Room

Hope to see ya there!

SELECTED EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS

Alex recently celebrated a victorious campaign for new Mayor Katie Wilson after serving as her Campaign Manager. Following the victory, he is stepping into the role of Head of Community Relations. Per PubliCola, this role will serve as an expanded version of the external relations division that will function as the organizing arm of the Mayor’s office. He also detailed his team’s strategy in a recent article for Jacobin. Congrats Alex!

Carlos’s Sundance and SXSW-selected short Dream Creep is now available to steam for free (with your library card) on Kanopy.

Ed Castañeda | LO #5, #11

Ed just released his short film Rock Bottom, a Comedy / Mockumentary created for the Seattle Summer Film Project. Made in the spirit of Christopher Guest film, the film won Jamie Petitto best actor in a comedy for her role. It also snagged a few other awards during their fest run. It's on SubliminalEd Films YouTube channel now.

THE BUSINESS OF FILM

There’s always handwringing to be done about how to monetize a film. A film’s financial afterlife- assuming it plays theaters in some form- depends on a variety of factors, not the least of which is how effective it was at building an audience during its initial release.

To that end, Stat Significant recently took a look at the potential revenue streams for current Oscar front runner One Battle After Another to examine its long term prospects. The piece doubles as an overview of the past, present, and future of monetizing films:

So how do streamers evaluate whether new content is actually moving the needle? To gauge programming quality, most platforms rely on a set of user engagement metrics that correlate with subscription retention (with “retention” defined as the percentage of customers who renew their membership).

Each month, streaming platforms try to nudge customers past certain usage thresholds—for example, how many customers stream 14+ hours of content in a week. The more subscribers who surpass this hours target, the better the platform’s retention: existing users stick around longer, and fewer new sign-ups cancel within their first six months.

RESOURCES + TOOLS

Local Resource | Women in Film Seattle

Women in Film Seattle is a cinema-arts organization dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in all areas of film, video, and other screen-based media. They are one of 50 chapters of Women in Film and Television (WIFTI), a global network with over 20,000 members. They offer an array of events, programs, screenings, and seminars. 

Online Resource | The Crowdfunding Playbook

Similar to their indispensable Distribution Playbook, Seed&Spark recently released their newest definitive tome, The Crowdfunding Playbook. This free resource is designed to help creators leverage proven crowdfunding principles and build sustainable, independent creative careers.

Free Tool | Spacefinder

Spacefinder Seattle is a database of rental spaces available to artists, community groups, and cultural organizations. It is managed by the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and is supported by the Office of Arts and Culture and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

SFS STAFF RECS

This month, we’ve got a Staff Rec from our Community Outreach Director (and resident DJ) Jadin Hawkins:

If you ever want to be transported to another world where you sit now, I recommend you listen to Yasunori Mitsuda’s discography (composer of the video game franchises Chrono Trigger & Xenoblade Chronicles). His works evoke such dense, otherworldly emotions of melancholy, triumph & passion that I don’t think I’ve ever been able to fully re-discover in music or come close to capturing in my own work. While he is classically trained, his influences derive from a diverse range of genres including jazz musicians (such as Art Blakey & Pat Metheny), world music and early electronic music (Yellow Magic Orchestra). All this to say, his work culminates into a unique soundscape that is very much worth experiencing, even outside of the context of the video games they’re heard in (which are widely considered the best in their respective genres as well). 

My favorite works of his (that I would recommend) are the Chrono Cross & Xenogears soundtracks.

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: