L O C A L

SEPTEMBER25 - OCTOBER4

FILM FESTIVAL

LOCALSIGHTINGS.ORG

Local Sightings is the Northwest’s premiere

showcase of new films, putting homegrown talent in front

of Seattle audiences and connecting artists from Alaska

to Oregon in a week-long celebration of cinema from the

region. Produced by Northwest Film Forum, the festival

features new films, juried prizes and killer parties. The 2014

festival includes new features, shorts and documentary

programming, as well as conversations with filmmakers

and film industry networking events. In 2012, Seattle Weekly

called Local Sightings the “Best Film Festival” in Seattle.

An evil alien force invading peaceful Northwestern woods. . .A woman standing at a crossroads under Missoula’s cirrus cloud-scat tered sky. . .A richly tex tured subculture of Vietnam War re-enactors. . .A man fending for himself on a post-apocalyptic planet . . .A hand-drawn string bean cursed with interstellar pica and a lisp. . .

. . .and everything in between. For the past seventeen years, Local Sightings has proudly convened the finest new films produced in the Pacific Northwest. From the striking to the stunning, the weird to the wacky, and with generous doses of humor and social commentary thrown in, this year’s festival slate truly represents the many-splendored voices and styles of independent film from our fair region.

This year at Local Sightings, expect to see an eclectic and vibrant group of films, and the talented filmmakers who made them—up close and personal. For the first time in the festival’s history, we’re expanding Local Sightings to ten packed days, filling the schedule with new events like our opening night PechaKucha-style bash, and spotlighting the people who make this region so fertile for filmmaking. If you’re working in film and other creative industries, we encourage you to check out our expanded Seattle Film Summit throughout the festival week.

Local Sightings on-screen delights run the gamut from our opening film, Bella Vista, making its first U.S. appearance after a world premiere at the prestigious Rotterdam International Film Festival in the Netherlands, to Bubble Bubble Meows and the Meteor Stomachache, making its first festival appearance after being stitched together in Photoshop, in the director’s home.

New filmmakers from your own backyard. Discovery awaits! See you at the cinema.

Courtney SheehanFestival Director

LETTER FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

OPENING NIGHTLow Down, Get DownTHURSDAY , SEPTEMBER 25 AT 7PM

Opening Night Party at 9PMSponsored by

Opening in Fall 2014!

This year the opening night of Local Sightings features a jam-packed preview of what’s to come in the ten day festival, presented by the filmmakers, speakers, and teachers who make the movie magic happen! Expect a few surprises and a lot of dancing.

OPENING FILMFRIDAY , SEPTEMBER 26 AT 8PM

VIP Passholders: Don’t miss an exclusive opening night reception at 6pm.

Email localsightings@nwfilmforum.org for invitation details.

A meditation on displacement and adaptation in the contemporary American West, Bella Vista follows the lives of outsiders in Missoula, Montana. Teaching English to a group of international students, thirty-something Doris finds herself increasingly alone. While she grasps for the connection that might save her, it’s her students who understand what it takes to belong.

Brunner-Sung’s unobtrusive camera captures objects, people and landscapes in ways that reveal understanding of her characters without the crutch of exposition. It is this formal mastery and human insight that signals the arrival of a major directorial talent.

Shot in only 12 days and directed, written, edited, produced and DP’d by women, Bella Vista had its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.

FREE INSTALLATION PROGRAM: Join us before the screening at 6:30pm for Feeling Time, an installation-style screening of new experimental work. The looped program includes:

Express/Local Adam Sekuler | Seattle, WA | 25 min An ordinary subway ride turns into a rhythmic exploration of passing moments.

Progression #1 Milla Krivdina | Seattle, WA | 5 min Ocean waves and lights create layers of experience.

A Thauma-Tale Ben Popp - Portland, OR | 3 min Storytelling inspired by a thaumatrope optical toy.

Organic Video Study Brandon Aleson | Seattle, WA | 4 min A time-lapse video of molding organic berries transforms this object into a living, breathing organism.

Vera Brunner-Sung Missoula, MT 83 min U.S. premiere!

P r e - s c r e e n i n g reception at 7pm

Sponsored by

Bella Vista

CLOSING NIGHTT H U RS D AY, O CTO B E R 2 N D

SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: TOWN HALL CAUCUS6PM

After a dozen discussions, convene one final time during Local Sightings with fellow filmmakers and industry leaders for a culminating talk and chance to weigh in on important next steps for the local film community.

LOCAL SIGHTINGS FILM AWARD CEREMONY7:30PM

Join us as we celebrate the juried winners of Local Sightings 2014, present the Seattle Composers Alliance award for film music scoring and hear the people’s vote in the Naked City Audience Awards.

IN COUNTRY Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara | Seattle, WA | 80 min 8PM

Deep in the Oregon woods, the heat of a reenacted Vietnam battle sheds light on America’s complicated relationship with war and its veterans.

In Country is a feature documentary that follows the 2/5 1st Cav (Reenacted), a “platoon” of hardcore Vietnam War reenactors. Weaving together verite footage of the reenactments with flashbacks to the characters’ real lives, and archival footage from the Vietnam War, In Country blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy, past and present to tell a story about men trying to access the past.

The question at the center of In Country is “why?” Why would these men—many of them combat veterans of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan haunted by their own experiences on the frontline—try to recreate a war that so many have tried to forget?

CLOSING NIGHT PARTY AT VERMILLION ART GALLERY & BAR1508 11th Avenue between Pike and Pine 9:30PM

Open to passholders and Closing Night ticketholders only!

SPECIAL EVENTS

NIGHT OF THE NORTHWEST ROAD-RASH: ARCHIVAL SEATTLE SKATE VIDEOS

OCTOBER 1 | 6:30PM

Seattle skater establishment Marshall Reid dove deep into ancient annals of Seattle skateboard lore and dug up some true buried treasures. We’ve dusted off the VCR to behold the yesteryear glory of Seattle’s finest skate punks and “Ave” rats! Watch rippin’ skating, lip tricks and gnarly maneuvers of the hairiest kind! If you’re into music from greats like Mudhoney, Nirvana and Coffin Break, thrashin’ speed and the best of boardin’, this program is for you. Includes The Mission and Board Crazy.

PULLING FOCUS

OCTOBER 1 | 7PM

Washington Filmworks and Northwest Film Forum are pleased to announce the return of Pulling Focus, a panel series that focuses on the business of film. Panel discussions, moderated by Warren Etheredge (Host of Reel NW and Editor-At-Large of Media Inc.), are designed to speak to a diverse audience, from screenwriters to actors, from directors to producers and on to musicians. The goal is to elevate the conversation and give the Washington film community a rock-solid education about how to make passion for film into a career. Join us post event for a reception at 8pm.

SEATTLE 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT: 10TH ANNIVERSARY

OCTOBER 3 | 7PM

Watch a “best of” screening program from a decade of Seattle’s 48 Hour Film Project, a yearly competition that asks local filmmakers to conceptualize, create and finish a short film in just two days.

LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS

Maximón Monihan | 2013 | 80 min OCTOBER 3 | 8PM

Described as “Chaplin meets Eraserhead,” La Voz de los Silenciados is truly modern silent film. Olga, a deaf teenager, is coaxed from her home in Guatemala to travel to New York City, ostensibly to attend a Christian school for the deaf. Rather than being greeted by a charitable school, however, she’s enslaved in an international criminal scheme and forced to beg on the subway. Olga uses courage, cunning, and even humor to face an unimaginable nightmare-on-loop that ravages the audience.

Based on the true story of modern day slavery in the heart of the American metropolis, LVDLS deftly weaves together social critique, silent film aesthetics, magical realist humor and surreality, coupled with a low frequency soundscape so grippingly immersive that it merits its own place in the history of sound cinema.

CLASSES

STUDENT SHOWCASE AND EDUCATION OPEN HOUSE

Free event! SEPTEMBER 28 | 3PM

Join us to view some recent film work and final projects made by Northwest Film Forum

students. We’ll also have an opportunity for you to meet with esteemed instructors and

network with returning students—and learn more about new and upcoming classes

happening at the Film Forum this fall.

BOTANICOLLAGE WORKSHOP

Instructor: Caryn Cline OCTOBER 4

Filmmaker Caryn Cline will teach a workshop on the “botanicollage” technique, made

famous by Stan Brakhage and his film Mothlight. Participants will create handmade

film frames using local botanicals, art materials and film supplies to produce a short,

collaborative film that will screen at the conclusion of the workshop.

SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT

The Seattle Film Summit is a professional development event for anyone in Washington who has a stake in the production or distribution of media content, including filmmakers, actors, video game creators, transmedia geeks, editors, media lawyers, film community leaders, legislators, gaffers and writers. In 2014, the Seattle Film Summit is expanding beyond a single-day conference, with panels and events throughout Local Sightings, including the opening and closing nights of the festival. The mission of the Seattle Film Summit is to empower and inspire Washington state media producers, especially filmmakers, to discover and develop innovative methods of storytelling, funding and distribution.

Full conference schedule at localsightings.org

2014 Events Include:

Sharks vs. Jets: Tech and Design Opportunities

From LA to Vancouver: Competition or Collaboration

Balancing Commercial and Artistic Worlds

Indie Contracts Made Simple

Multi-Platform Storytelling

And more.

FEATURES

BUBBLE BUBBLE MEOWS AND THE METEOR STOMACHACHE SCREENS WITH: MIDNIGHT TOURIST

Matt Orefice | Seattle, WA | 82 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 7PM Coloring book happy hour at 6pm!

What do chicken beak butter, kitten eyelashes, and watermelon spray all have in common? They are the key ingredients in a casserole cure for stomach aches caused by meteor consumption. It’s up to the painstakingly animated cat Bubble Bubble Meows to find these medicinal elements and save his friend, a stringbean with interstellar pica and a lisp. Along their journey they encounter Paul, a hyper-caffeinated feline who has long since blown past the coffee threshold, a coffee-slinging duck voiced by the director’s mother-in-law, and a pile of cottage cheese named Mr. Knowitall. Tangential motifs include expository voiceover by a Japanese narrator and the proletariat struggles of a trumpet animalcule named Nuncio. Surely no poorly-drawn cat has ever driven a baked potato car with as fine a theme tune on such kookoo bookoo bonkers adventures! Audiences may find themselves exclaiming, “oh wowsh!” upon exiting the theater. Not for the unaltered of mind.

CHAT

Greg Lundgren | Seattle, WA | 82 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

One webcam, one woman, one take: Chat turns the male gaze on its head (and knees it in the balls for good measure) in this dark comedy, shot in a day. One lackadaisical day, a woman sits down in front of her computer to make the rent by titillating a chat room full of anonymous men (we assume). Our camgirl protagonist racks up the dollars by peeling off layers of clothing but her anonymous customers reveal much more of themselves through the things they say and the questions they ask of her. Without hesitation, she waves away the gross and gratuitous comments, engaging only when there’s something at stake to be discussed, like the feminist dimension of her work. Juggling, atrocious violin playing, a pervy landlord and a pervier cop all make appearances on screen, as the audience merges with the POV of the chat room.

DOWN RIVER

Ben Ratner | Vancouver, BC | 93 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 7PM

A hugely popular success at film festivals across Canada, the star-studded Vancouver drama Down River charts the circle of friendship of four women who live in the same building: an actress struggling to reconcile her religious beliefs with her professional ambitions, an artist living under her father’s stern gaze, a hard-partying rock singer, and at their center, Pearl, a caring older woman who acts as a mentor and mother for them all. When Pearl abruptly departs from their lives, the younger women must find strength within themselves to face their personal and professional challenges.

Down River is a rare drama led by strong female performances, especially Helen Shaver, who plays the benevolent but sly Pearl. Director Ben Ratner, himself an actor, wrote the parts specifically for the actresses he cast, and infuses their soulful performances with his powerful insights into how challenging it is to thrive as an actress in an industry dominated by men.

KOINONIA

Andrew Finnigan | Port Orchard, WA | 94 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 9PM

Casting the Pacific Northwest as an expansive, open air nightmare, Koinonia meditates on the horror of looking at yourself in the mirror, if you are the last human alive.

John (Tony Doupe) might be the final person on Earth, and the film follows his somber slump towards a faint hope—the fabled last human city, Faraday—that he probably made up while playing backgammon with himself.

Director Andrew Finnigan’s take on post apocalyptic sci-fi builds an atmosphere of lonely, steady ache, with an eye for desolate detail in the dystopian wilderness. Every tree looks abandoned, and every horizon engulfs. In these moments the film succeeds quietly, hovering on the nostalgic look flashed by John when he sees a new face in a long-lost photograph.

MIND ZONE: THERAPISTS BEHIND THE FRONT LINE SCREENS WITH: CLIPPED WINGS

Jan Haaken | Portland, OR | 50 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 7PM

A documentary about therapists working in the 113th Army Combat Stress Control detachment. Their mission is two-fold (and contradictory): protecting soldiers from battle fatigue and keeping these same soldiers in the fight.

Director Jan Haaken’s mission is also two-fold: to tell the story of the psychological impact of war from the perspective of soldiers who experience it, and to contextualize this within the field of psychology. With psychiatric casualties mounting, the United States Army ups the deployment of mental health detachments to war zones—an undertaking on a scale previously unimaginable. As the 113th is deployed to Afghanistan and trains for their dual roles as soldiers and healers, Colonel David Rabb and his team of therapists are equipped with a wide arsenal of psychological techniques. But as they arrive to replace the previous Combat Stress Control unit, they learn the gravity of the tasks ahead and face daunting challenges in carrying out their conflicting missions.

NOTHING AGAINST LIFE SPOTLIGHT ON FISCAL SPONSORSHIP

Julio Ramírez | Seattle, WA | 90 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

A fearless, moving drama that addresses the social implications of living with depression, and stigmas surrounding suicide and mental health, Nothing Against Life peers into the lives of four disparate characters whose paths intertwine, as they navigate the razor’s edge of life.

Directed by Seattle filmmaker Julio Ramirez, and featuring performances from Cynthia Geary (Northern Exposure), Fernando Noriega (Where The Road Meets The Sun, TV Azteca’s Morir en Martes), Hillary Pickles (Police Beat) and Keifer Grimm (Cthulhu, The Summer Before), Nothing Against Life is the story of strangers making the most important decision of their lives: whether to embrace reality and all of its contradictions, or to put their lives away.

PLAIN DEVIL SCREENS WITH: MAUREEN

Tonija Atomic | Seattle, WA | 56 min SEPTEMBER 29 | 9PM

On the tough streets of Seattle, a girl gang of she-devils takes on an Eastern European immigrant, in the style of John Waters-meets-Perfect Strangers. A new girl must prove herself worthy of joining the ranks of the ferocious gang by prevailing in cat fights and wars of words. Jam-packed with tattoos, street cred, arcade brawls, hater shades, astounded immigrant parents, bowtied nerds, matching jackets and loitering, for a camptastic good time.

RETURN OF THE RIVER SCREENS WITH: CATCH IT

John Gussman & Jessica Plumb | Port Townsend, WA | 83 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 7PM

The history and the story of the building of the Elwah Dam is, in many ways, the great Pacific Northwest Epic. Here are “villains” who are actually just ambitious people who want reasonable things (hydro-electric power and jobs for the people of Port Angeles), and “heroes” who want equally reasonable things (to set the Elwah River free, to allow the salmon—so critical to the health and well-being of the region—to spawn naturally, to return dignity to the indigenous people of the area). Framed by a beautifully written narration told from the point of view of the great Elwah itself, stunningly photographed and infused with a rare optimism, this is a documentary that will make you proud to live in the PNW.

SPEED OF SOUND SCREENS WITH: THE MAURY ISLAND INCIDENT

Brian Perkins | Seattle, WA | 56 min SEPTEMBER 29 | 7PM

Dave (Zach Weintraub) awakes one day to a mysterious text message from a friend who passed away a year ago. Dave tries to go about his day as usual by meeting up with a friend for a game of tennis, and makes camping plans with his girlfriend. But uncanny connections to the past begin to emerge. Friends and stories that are connected. to the ghost force Dave to confront his relationships, and what happened to his friend.

THE DEVICE SCREENS WITH: LANDING SHIP X-1

Jeremy Berg | Burien, WA | 87 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 7PM

The most effective thrillers are never solely about the monster, the psycho or the bug-eyed alien. Jeremy Berg’s second feature meditates on family, marriage, technology, memory and trust, while serving up healthy doses of the creeps.

Sisters Abby and Rebecca have been divided by an awful incident neither is keen to discuss. They gather to spread the ashes of their recently-deceased mother at the family Lake House (creepy cabin in the woods: check).They are joined by Calvin, husband of Abby and seemingly every woman’s ideal of the sympathetic partner (yet there is something not quite right with him). All goes well until the two sisters visit the site of the awful incident years ago, and uncover The Device that will change their lives forever.

THE EXHIBITION SCREENS WITH LA TROCHA

Miho Yamamoto & Damon Vignale | Vancouver, BC | 92 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 8PM

Mid-’90s, Vancouver, B.C.: a series of young, marginalized women and many Aboriginal go missing. Despite inescapable evidence this is the work of a serial killer, and despite the emergence of an extremely likely suspect, the indifferent Vancouver police delay and largely ignore the case, ultimately costing multiple more women their lives. What is eventually discovered is the largest serial killer case in Canadian history.

In response, renowned artist Pamela Masik attempts to mount a confrontational art exhibit featuring portraits of the victims. Despite what appears to be a sincere, self-funded attempt to draw attention away from the killer and towards the victims and the societal issues that cause such crimes to occur, her motivations are questioned. The Exhibition is a moving documentary about a disturbing part of Vancouver’s past. It raises questions about the meaning of art, censorship, cultural identity and the systematic forgetting of marginalized peoples’ lives and deaths.

PRODUCING SPONSORS

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

.tv

MEDIA SPONSORS

MAJOR ANNUAL SUPPORT

THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS

7PM LOW DOWN, GET DOWN9PM OPENING NIGHT PARTY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25C

AL

EN

DA

R

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

6PM VIP PARTY6:30PM INSTALLATION PROGRAM7PM OPENING RECEPTION8PM BELLA VISTA

FEATURES SHORTS CLASSES EVENTS SUMMIT

11AM-4PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT CONFERENCE5PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT HAPPY HOUR7PM DOWN RIVER7PM THE DEVICE9PM CHAT9PM LOVE & LOSS

11AM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: INDIE CONTRACTS12:30PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: SEATTLE COMPOSERS ALLIANCE2PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: BUILDING USER BASES3PM STUDENT SHOWCASE AND EDUCATION OPEN HOUSE3:30PM LOCAL FACES, LOCAL SPACES5PM DEAL WITH IT SISTER5PM NOTHING AGAINST LIFE7PM RETURN OF THE RIVER7PM MIND ZONE9PM KOINONIA

6:30PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: MULTI-PLATFORM STORYTELLING7PM SPEED OF SOUND8PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: GET IN THE GAME9PM P PLAIN DEVIL

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4

6PM COLORING BOOK HAPPY HOUR6:30PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: DIY DISTRIBUTION7PM BUBBLE BUBBLE MEOWS AND THE METEOR STOMACHACHE8PM THE EXHIBITION9PM PUSH & PULL

6:30PM ARCHIVAL SEATTLE SKATE VIDEOS 7PM PULLING FOCUS8PM PULLING FOCUS RECEPTION

11AM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: INDIE CONTRACTS12:30PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: SEATTLE COMPOSERS ALLIANCE2PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: BUILDING USER BASES3PM STUDENT SHOWCASE AND EDUCATION OPEN HOUSE3:30PM LOCAL FACES, LOCAL SPACES5PM DEAL WITH IT SISTER5PM NOTHING AGAINST LIFE7PM RETURN OF THE RIVER7PM MIND ZONE9PM KOINONIA

6PM SEATTLE FILM SUMMIT: TOWN HALL CAUCUS7:30PM LOCAL SIGHTINGS AWARDS CEREMONY8PM IN COUNTRY9:30PM CLOSING NIGHT PARTY AT VERMILLION ART GALLERY + BAR

7PM SEATTLE 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT: 10TH ANNIVERSARY8PM LA VOZ DE LOS SILENCIADOS

11AM-4PM BOTANICOLLAGE WORKSHOP

SOLE MATE Chad Perkins | Renton, WA | 3 min

THE TALK Hadley Hillel | Seattle, WA | 5 min REMAINSNathan M. Miller | Seattle, WA | 14 min THE BIG DAYQuinn Armstrong | Seattle, WA | 5 min COPPICEShirlyn Wong | Milton-Freewater, OR | 4 min HANNAH & OTTOChris Volkmann | Seattle, WA | 6 min

MAIKARUAmanda Harryman | Edmonds, WA | 7 min THE NIGHT SHIFTShannon Snider & Stefanie Malone | Seattle, WA | 3 min THE SCOREStefanie Malone | Seattle, WA | 5 min A MODERN CREATION STORYElke Hautala | Seattle, WA | 13 min SHACKITECTUREDavid Wulzen | Seattle, WA | 8 min

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

LOVE & LOSS

LOCAL FACES, LOCAL SPACES

SERENADEKendra Ann Sherrill | Serenade, WA | 8 min WALKS LIKE A…Arlin McFarlane | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 3 min DATE STORIESHeather Pilder Olson | Seattle, WA | 11 min

THE NEW WESTPeter Edlund | Seattle, WA | 15 min

THE THIRD WHEELSJ Chiro | Seattle, WA | 4 min

THIS IS A FINITE PLACELars Andersen, Brian Cunningham | Seattle, WA | 8 min

YOU WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHINGBen Wyatt | Seattle, WA | 3 min

WORKING CLASS HEROTaylor Grigsby | Seattle, WA | 10 min

REACHING BLUEIan Hinkle | Victoria, British Columbia | 20 min

SHORTS

CONNIEAbbey Sacks - Kirkland, WA - 1 min DIANAErin O. Kay | North Hollywood, CA | 8 min MARIOTess Martin | Seattle, WA | 3 min MARIA TVRodrigo Valenzuela | Seattle, WA | 18 min

SLEEPING WITH SIRIMarty Riemer | Seattle, WA | 28 min WEST SEATTLE HELPLINEChristy X-NC17 | Seattle, WA | 7 min YOU DON’T KNOW JACKKyle Nixon | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 9 min

DEAL WITH IT SISTERJulie Robinson | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 4 min

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

PUSH & PULL

DEAL WITH IT SISTER

COLD LIGHT DAYDayna Hanson | Seattle, WA | 6 min BRILLIANT THOUGHTSSarah Ferrier | Seattle, WA | 1 min

LATE SPRINGLuke Sieczek | Seattle, WA | 6 min

9Kimberly Warner | Portland, OR | 15 min

5112Charles Conatzer | Seattle, WA | 3 min ROWING SMITTYJenna Pool | Seattle, WA | 6 min

THE BEAST INSIDEAmy Enser, Drew Christie | Seattle, WA | 4 min

ONE NIGHT IN FLORIDATess Martin | Seattle, WA | 1 min

5112

Charles Conatzer | Seattle, WA | 3 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

Protesters at May Day 2012 were captured on film by a multitude of local news stations. This film shows what viewers at home didn’t see: footage from the activist’s perspective.

9

Kimberly Warner | Portland, OR | 15 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

A ballet class can’t contain this young girl’s imagination.

A MODERN CREATION STORY

Elke Hautala | Seattle, WA | 13 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Glass blower Preston Singletary prepares a daringly ambitious project: a large-scale totem pole made entirely out of glass.

A THAUMA-TALE

Ben Popp | Portland, OR | 3 min SEPTEMBER 26 I 6:30PM

Storytelling inspired by a thaumatrope optical toy.

BRILLIANT THOUGHTS

Sarah Ferrier | Seattle, WA | 1 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

One woman’s inner monologue stands still against the bustling streets of Seattle.

CLIPPED WINGS

Leo Pfeifer, Duncan Gowdy, Coleman Andersen | Seattle, WA | 14 min SEPTEMBER 28 I 7PM

A personal look at discrimination from the Boyscouts of America.

COLD LIGHT DAY

Dayna Hanson | Seattle, WA | 6 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

Two dancers partake of a snack on the long dock of the Lakebay Marina.

CONNIE

Abbey Sacks | Kirkland, WA | 1 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

A rhythmic interpretation of a short story by Joyce Carol Oates.

COPPICE

Shirlyn Wong | Milton-Freewater, OR | 4 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

One man attempts to cope with the death of his mother.

DATE STORIES

Heather Pilder Olson | Seattle, WA | 11 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

A film that travels through time, exploring the ways dating is portrayed on screen.

DEAL WITH IT SISTER

Julie Robinson | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 4 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

Mallory’s expressions on living with Charge syndrome.

DIANA

Erin O. Kay | North Hollywood, CA | 8 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

Two men travel through the desert, tracking the path of their lost companion.

HANNAH & OTTO

Chris Volkmann | Seattle, WA | 6 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

A casual encounter with a stranger on the street becomes something more.

LA TROCHA

Ian Bell | Seattle, WA | 15 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 7PM

The story of the Wounaan, an indigenous community plagued by industry, and “a government who does not see the indian.”

LATE SPRING

Luke Sieczek | Seattle, WA | 6 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

One man grapples with the scary realities of his past.

MAIKARU

Amanda Harryman | Edmonds, WA | 7 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

The story of Maikaru, an artist, who survived a childhood of human trafficking.

MARIA TV

Rodrigo Valenzuela | Seattle, WA | 18 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

Soap opera stereotypes are subverted by the Latina women they purportedly portray.

MARIO

Tess Martin | Seattle, WA | 3 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 9PM

This paint and glass combine to animate the life of an old Italian Playground song.

MIDNIGHT TOURIST

Koray Kocaturk | Everett, WA | 5 min SEPTEMBER 30 | 7PM

For one little boy, Seattle literally comes to life.

ONE NIGHT IN FLORIDA

Tess Martin | Seattle, WA | 1 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

A stop-motion short about Trayvon Martin, using audio from Obama’s reaction speech in 2013.

ORGANIC VIDEO STUDY

Brandon Aleson | Seattle, WA | 4 min SEPTEMBER 26 | 6:30PM

A time-lapse video of molding organic berries transforms this object into a living, breathing organism.

PROGRESSION #1

Milla Krivdina | Seattle, WA | 5 min SEPTEMBER 26 | 6:30PM

Ocean waves and lights create layers of experience.

ROWING SMITTY

Jenna Pool | Seattle, WA | 6 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

Six men build three dories and row 165 miles to Canada to raise funds to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease.

REACHING BLUE

Ian Hinkle | Victoria, British Columbia | 20 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

A documentary about the effects of climate change on the Salish sea, as told by the people who live, work and study there.

REMAINS

Nathan M. Miller | Seattle, WA | 14 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

One man’s personal struggle to deal with his mother’s remains.

SERENADE

Kendra Ann Sherrill | Serenade, WA | 8 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

Pre-pubescent love is a complicated thing.

SHACKITECTURE

David Wulzen | Seattle, WA | 8 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Architect and builder Doug Potter shows how a house is more than just materials: it’s a home.

SLEEPING WITH SIRI

Marty Riemer | Seattle, WA | 28 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

One journalist experiments with the stresses of the digital age, spending one week fully plugged in and the next completely disconnected.

SOLE MATE

Chad Perkins | Renton, WA | 3 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

One man’s not-so-average day in a world where everyone looks the same.

THE BEAST INSIDE

Amy J. Enser & Drew Christie | Seattle, WA | 4 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

A teen in a homeless family describes his challenges and creative resistance in this animated short.

THE BIG DAY

Quinn Armstrong | Seattle, WA | 5 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

Jared doesn’t spend his big day as expected. . .

THE NEW WEST

Peter Edlund | Seattle, WA | 15 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

A classic revenge tale begins in a schoolyard and ends at the heart of the modern frontier.

THE NIGHT SHIFT

Shannon Snider & Stefanie Malone | Seattle, WA | 3 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Beth’s Cafe is more than just a place to order a 12 egg omelette: it’s a family.

THE SCORE

Stefanie Malone | Seattle, WA | 5 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

A spotlight on Seattle music duo Miles & Karina, this film highlights the unique experience of seeing a movie with a live score.

THE TALK

Hadley Hillel | Seattle, WA | 5 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

When parents tell their child that they’re getting a divorce, things escalate.

THE THIRD WHEEL

SJ Chiro | Seattle, WA | 4 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

A quintessentially Seattle take on a noir classic.

THIS IS A FINITE PLACE

Lars Andersen, Brian Cunningham | Seattle, WA | 8 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Seattle’s rapid expansion seen through the eyes of one music venue.

WALKS LIKE A…

Arlin McFarlane | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 3 min SEPTEMBER 27 | 9PM

A film that acknowledges how young family experiences stick with us.

WORKING CLASS HERO

Taylor Grigsby | Seattle, WA | 10 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Local muralist Ryan ‘Henry’ Ward shares his perspectives on making art in Seattle on the occasion of his solo show.

WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE

Christy X-NC17 | Seattle, WA | 7 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

A documentary about the West Seattle Helpline, a non-profit organization that offers emergency assistance for those in need.

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK

Kyle Nixon | Whitehorse, Yukon Territories | 9 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 5PM

A perspective often unseen: living with someone who has non-verbal autism.

YOU WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING

Ben Wyatt | Seattle, WA | 3 min SEPTEMBER 28 | 3:30PM

Words to wise about gardening, featuring Jose Gonzales of City Peoples Garden Store.

Proudly

Presenting the

4th Annual

Naked City

Audience

Awards

NakedCityBrewing.com

8564 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 (206)838-6299

Film Awards

Every year, Local Sightings awards one feature and one short film with a cash prize. Festival programmers select outstanding films for the festival’s competition, and guest jurors view the competing films during the festival to decide final awards. The winning feature filmmaker receives $500 in cash and a theatrical run at Northwest Film Forum. The winning short filmmaker receives $250 in cash and $250 of studio time and equipment rental.

Composition Prize

The Seattle Composers Alliance announces the third year of its Local Sightings award for best original score, for features and shorts. Judges include notable local Seattle composers, educators and producers. The winning feature composer receives $500 and the short composer $250.

Audience Award

Naked City Brewery announces the fourth year of its Local Sightings audience award, featuring the people’s choice for best feature and short films. The winners will receive an encore at The Screening Room, at the Brewery Taphouse in Greenwood. Look for voting boxes in the Film Forum lobby following each festival screening.

FILM AWARDS

JURY PRIZE NOMINATED FILMS

F E AT U R E S

BELLA VISTA

IN COUNTRY

KOINONIA

DOWN RIVER

S H O R TS

THE NEW WEST

REMAINS

CONNIE

MARIO

LA TROCHA

LATE SPRING

COPPICE

KRISTEN FITZPATRICK is the Director of Acquisition & Exhibition at Women Make Movies, the world’s leading distributor of films by and about women. Kristen has been on numerous film festival juries around the world and spoken on numerous panels focusing on distribution, promotional strategies and impact campaigns for social justice documentary. She was recently on the board of NewFest, and was also a long-term member of the selection committee for the New York International Asian Film Festival. Kristen currently serves annually as a judge for the Student Academy Awards (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), is a judge for the Northeast Emmys, and was recognized as an Emerging Leader by the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC).

RICHARD HERSKOWITZ is the director of Cinema Pacific, a festival of Pacific Rim cinema hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene, where Herskowitz teaches cinema studies and arts administration. He is also artistic director of the Houston Cinema Arts Society, presenter of the annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival. From 1994 to 2008, Herskowitz was director of the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville. Prior to this, Herskowitz directed the Cornell Cinema media arts center, where he presented over 500 films annually from 1982-94, and served as the film and video curator at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, N.Y.

MAXIMÓN MONIHAN was raised in the Central District (“CD never flee”), where he was a regular installment in the city’s early-80s “Ave Rat” punk skater scene and member of the notorious band The Butt Pirates. By the late ‘80s, he was sponsored by the legendary H-Street skateboard team and was featured in, and worked on, numerous landmark skate films, most notably Shackle Me Not and Hokus Pokus. By the mid ‘90s he relocated to Brooklyn and stopped skating professionally, to instead make skate films for his former sponsors. In 2005, Monihan launched his own production company, Bricolagista!, and has shot a number of short films, online TV series and music videos for artists ranging from Prince Paul and Talib Kweli to Dead Kids and Negroes On Ice. His first feature film, La Voz de Los Silenciados, has screened extensively on the international festival circuit. Local Sightings will be its U.S. premiere.

JURORS

Supporting film artists is central to Northwest Film Forum’s mission as a comprehensive film arts center. We look forward to Local Sightings every year as an energetic celebration of the quality and drive of new film in the Northwest, but we also provide resources and services that keep local filmmaking great all year ‘round. Whether you shoot films on your smartphone and edit them for your friends, or are working in the film industry, we are here to support you.

EQUIPMENTWe rent professional filmmaking gear, at reasonable rates, to local artists. Our equipment for rent includes digital and analog film cameras, lighting kits, sound gear, screens, stands and more.

POST-PRODUCTION SUITESOur Capitol Hill venue hosts several editing spaces, including our digital, non-linear suite, with a full range of current editing software.

CLASSESOur year-round schedule of classes has something for everyone (general audiences and working artists alike), including an education in the tools required by current film technology, certification on a variety of equipment, insightful lectures on film history and culture, master classes with visiting artists and more.

CINEMA RENTALSWe rent our cinemas to local non-profits (including fellow film organizations like the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and the Social Justice Film Festival), artists (local fundraising parties and/or cast and crew screenings are regular events), and other organizations.

ARTIST SUPPORT

NORTHWEST FILM FORUM STAFFLyall Bush Executive Director

Matt Cunningham Technical Director

Christopher Day House Manager

Craig Downing Education Manager

David Falcon Ayala Business and Systems Manager

Molly Michal Marketing Manager and Development Associate

Line Sandsmark Development Director

Courtney Sheehan Program Director

Liz Shepherd Youth Programs Director

Laurie Polisky Local Sightings Intern/Assistant Programmer

Sarah Strunin Local Sightings Intern

Every year, Northwest Film Forum provides hundreds of local artists,

filmmakers and film students with a suite of crucial services, including classes

and workshops to build skills, affordable rentals of filmmaking gear and post-

production facilities, post-production facilities, and more.

This fall you can support a local emerging artist through our Free-Range

Filmmaker donation opportunity, starting Thursday, September 25. We will

accept your donation of $50 and gift, in turn, membership benefits to a local

film professional.

Your donation supports Northwest Film Forum’s year-round work, and also

directly benefits film learners and filmmakers working in Seattle by providing

them with access to the Film Forum’s resources. Make a donation at the festival

box office or online at localsightings.org.

FREE RANGE FILMMAKERS

All Local Sightings festival events are held at Northwest

Film Forum, 1515 12th Avenue between Pike and Pine on

Seattle’s Capitol Hill.

The festival Closing Night Party is held at Vermillion

Gallery + Bar, on the corner of East Pike and 11th Avenue.

PINE ST

PIKE ST

Northwest Film Forum Vermillion Gallery + Bar

MADISON ST

11 AVE

12 AVE

10 AVE

14 AVE

13 AVE

UNION ST

Getting HereBus: The Film Forum is located within ½ mile of the #2,

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, 60 and 84 Metro bus routes.

Parking: We recommend Seattle Central College’s

Harvard Garage at 1609 Harvard Avenue (at E. Pine

Street), which is open and available 24/7. An affordable

pay parking lot is also available 3 blocks from the Film

Forum, at the Greek Orthodox Church at 13th and Howell

(please note this lot may be closed for special events).

Free street parking is available Monday-Saturday after

8pm and all day on Sundays.

AccessibilityThe entrance, cinemas and restrooms of Northwest Film

Forum are fully wheelchair accessible; please email us

at house@nwfilmforum.org with any questions about

access.

Local DiscountsThe bustling Pike/Pine commercial corridor is steps

from the Film Forum’s front door. Our neighbors are

offering food & drink discounts for Local Sightings

ticket-holders—check the festival website for details.

localsightings.org

LOCAL SIGHTINGS FILM FESTIVAL 2014Presented by Northwest Film Forum

FIND US ON CAPITOL HILL 1515 12th Avenue (between Pike & Pine)

Seattle, WA 98122

GET TICKETS localsightings.org or nwfilmforum.org

or Brown Paper Tickets: 1.800.838.3006

Full Festival VIP Pass $250 ($180 Film Forum Members)

Opening or Closing Night $12 ($8 Film Forum Members)

Individual Tickets $11 ($6 Film Forum Members)

GET SOCIAL facebook.com/nwfilmforum

twitter.com/nwfilmforum