Have you seen this yet? What are you waiting for?
Part diary and part meteorological observation, this screening presents three videos about the emotional content of precipitation. Geography is the map of memory, and movement becomes the catalyst for remembering. Presented as single-channel digital video.
Recent Video Works About Weather is an ongoing installation that shows every night during Local Sightings (which ends tomorrow).
A Natural Selection – Films From Portland is a program curated by Local Sightings jurist Vanessa Renwick. Vanessa has joined our jury for the second year, and this is also the second time she’s presented an evening of exceptional work from Portland artists.
Last year many of those artists came up from Portland for the screening, which made for a memorable sharing and mingling of Northwest minds.
The program features work by Melody Owen, Zachary Margolis, Judah Switzer, Karl Lind, Liz Haley, Robin Moore, Alicia McDaid, and Vanessa Renwick.
About Vanessa Renwick:
Founder and janitor of the Oregon Department of Kick Ass Born 1961 in Chicago, Illinois. Film / Video / Installation artist. Lives in Portland, Oregon. A filmmaker by nature, not by stress of research. She puts scholars to rout by solving through Nature’s teaching problems that have fretted their trained minds. Her iconoclastic work reflects an interest in place, relationships between bodies and landscapes, and all sorts of borders. Working in experimental and poetic documentary forms, she produces films, videos and installations that explore the possibility of hope in contemporary society. She is a naturalist, born, not made : a true barefoot, cinematic rabblerouser, of grand physique, calm pulse and a magnetism that demands the most profound attention.
A Natural Selection – Films From Portland screens at Local Sightings Wednesday, October 7 at 7pm.
Every year the programmers here at Local Sightings include an evening of important historical interest from the Northwest we call Century 20. Last year it was In Partnership with Time and The Tribe and the Professor, two gems from the Ruth and Louis Kirk Moving Image Collection housed at the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections. The 2007 festival featured The Bitter Ash, a hip 1963 feature from Canadian director Larry Kent, the story of a cynical working stiff and a struggling, self-deluded playwright whose lives collide. 2006 was the rarely-seen 1985 film Beacon Hill Boys about Asian-American teenagers growing up in south Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood in the 1970s.
This year’s Century 20 presentation is “Film Originals, The Work of George and Helen Smith.” George and Helen Smith made films together for over thirty years. George worked behind the camera as cinematographer and editor, while Helen wrote scripts for the nearly 40 titles they produced under the name Film Originals. Their films focused on a variety of topics including the rise of aeronautics in American transportation, the Northwest timber industry, and environmental conservation. Featured films from the George and Helen Smith Collection, recently acquired by the UW Libraries Special Collections, include Last of the Log Drives (1970), Flying Businessman (1953), Those Were the Days (1971) and Telephone Creek (1950). The screening will include program notes and comments from Hannah Palin, Film Archives Specialist.
This is likely your only opportunity to ever see these films, so don’t miss it.
Film Originals plays Local Sightings Monday, October 5 at 7pm.
River Ways:
“You are unlikely to see a truer portrait of what America has been and what it is becoming.” –Seattle PostGlobe
“A remarkably evenhanded (though not naive) and compelling investigation into both sides of a debate over whether to remove four dams on the Snake River in Eastern Washington.” –Seattle Times
American Collectors:
“Profiling people through their objects is a great trick, especially when the objects are as odd and plentiful and occasionally gorgeous as those found in American Collectors. If this sounds like something you’d like, you’re right, and you should go see it tonight” –The Stranger
“Respects the obsessions of those afflicted with “More-itis” without denying the entertainment value of entering the private worlds of borderline maniacs…In addition to the excellent interviews, the film is a wealth of visual delight. Hundreds of bobble-headed dolls shimmy and shake to generic metal music. A theme-park for artifacts from science fiction movies of the fifties takes up residency in a donut shop. Finally, the sight of 100 idle tractors on a plot of unbroken land is a once-in-a-lifetime vision of displaced consumerism gone wild.” –Seattle PostGlobe
Where You From:
“The documentary, which is directed by Sabrina Lee and photographed by Matthew Buzzell, has a distinct aesthetic or mood (somber snow, rural dusks, isolated farms); and the featured rappers (who are interviewed in living rooms, bars, roads) are committed to giving a realistic account of this slow and lonely world that is far from city life—Bozeman, Montana, is 700 miles from a major city.” –The Stranger
The Mountain, the River and the Road:
“A further push toward getting Seattle wired into the national community of independent film-makers.” –Seattle PostGlobe
“A low-key but impressive relationship story” –Seattle Times
Punch:
“The film’s over-the-top violence makes one laugh as well as cringe, the dialogue crackles and occasionally turns lyrical, and the cast of relative unknowns carries the story’s feverish lunacy with zest and raw talent.: –Seattle Times
Get your tickets (and more information) at www.localsightings.org.
Local Sightings is a big deal here at the Film Forum. It is the culmination of everything we do all year, showing the best movies we can find and supporting the creation of local work. We look forward to it for months, and there is no party quite like the Big Opening Night Party.
Seattle filmmakers, movie buffs and partiers walk the red carpet at our opening night bash. With booze flowing, music blaring, and performances tickling the eyes and imaginations, we begin our 12th Annual Local Sightings Festival in the louche style you have come to expect.
Join us for an evening of DJs, dancing, karaoke and general mischief. Bring cash for the Skillet diner-on-wheels, parked outside for all your munching needs. The fun kicks off at 9pm with a grand commencement by the Northwest Junior Pipe Band.
Local Sightings Big Opening Night Party
A fundraiser for Northwest Film Forum
October 2 at Northwest Film Forum, beginning at 9pm
Get your tickets now, or with cash at the door. And bring cash for drinks & food as well!
We are pleased to include Mike Harring’s The Mountain, the River and the Road as this year’s opening night film at Local Sightings (and tickets are selling fast, so I’d get yours now).
Here’s the description:
The latest of Seattle’s forays into the new talkies drably bestowed with the moniker “mumblecore” stars some of the genre’s finest, Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation, Alexander The Last), Tipper Newton (LOL, Hannah Takes The Stairs) and Joe Swanberg (Nights and Weekends, LOL). Born out of a chance encounter at our 2007 Local Sightings, Michael Harring’s 16mm feature debut finds Jeff (Rice) as his parents are kicking him out of the house. Faced with an uncertain future, Jeff starts out on a road trip to Austin, TX with his friend, Tom (Swanberg) who’s also escaping his own relationship problems. Half way through the journey Tom jets to sort out issues with his girl friend while Jeff decides to stay behind in the town of Kernville, CA in hopes that he will be struck with inspiration as he avoids the pressures of home. Unfortunately, all he ends up doing is wandering the sleepy small town and watching daytime television. Then one day, after locking himself out of his motel room, Jeff meets the beautiful Cat (Newton), a chainsaw- toting rural gal who happens to work at the front desk of the motel. After some of the genre’s finest moments of early relationship stumbling, it’s beginning to seem like Jeff just might stay on, but with Tom returning and reality setting in, could this be a life developing, or is he still just putting off his future? The Mountain, The River and The Road is a beautifully shot debut from another of Seattle’s up and coming talents.
One of the most exciting parts about this film is the story behind it’s creation. For those of you wondering if you really will connect with other filmmakers at Northwest Film Forum or Local Sightings, read what director Mike Harring has to say:
For the past ten years, the Northwest Film Forum has helped me with grants to make my films, but the most unique way they helped me was by solving a casting dilemma. I had cast two of my three lead roles, but despite several casting calls in Seattle and Los Angeles, I just never found my perfect Tom. When the opening night party for Local Sightings 2007 rolled around, I was about two months from shooting, and I had no idea how I was going to cast this role.
Still, when Joe Swanberg, filmmaker and Local Sightings judge, passed me in the lobby of the NWFF, I really only intended to tell him how much I admired his work. I never expected that our conversation would end with me offering him the part and he seriously considering it. It also helped that my girlfriend, Kirsten Barber, who would play Tom’s girlfriend in the movie, told him he would be absolutely perfect. She has a way of putting things that makes it hard to say no.
A day later, after Joe read the script, he called to tell me he’d do it. I got lucky, sure, but you need that opportunity before you can get lucky and that’s what the NWFF provides. The NWFF is a crucial part of having a thriving filmmaking community in Seattle; they provide a venue where local filmmakers can meet each other as well as visiting filmmakers.
This is just one example of why it’s important for us local filmmakers to get out there and participate in the events at the NWFF. I hope you can make it out to this year’s opening night film, my film, The Mountain, The River and The Road and to this year’s opening night party. Stop what you’re doing and come out and have a good time. Who knows, it could end with you finding the final crucial member of your dream cast.
The Mountain, the River and the Road plays Local Sightings October 2 at 7pm (as is followed by the Big Opening Night Party).
Northwest Film Forum presents
Join us for the 12th annual celebration of Northwest filmmaking!
October 2-7 at Northwest Film Forum
Local Sightings is the premier showcase of Northwest filmmaking. The festival features an array of feature, documentary and short films, great prizes, filmmaker parties, archival Northwest films and an impressive national film industry jury looking for strong Northwest work. And don’t miss our legendary opening party that will ignite Seattle’s film scene Friday night and keep it bleary eyed Saturday morning.
If you prefer the home-grown to the over-blown, Local Sightings is for you!
View the Local Sightings 2009 complete schedule
Tickets go on sale Friday, September 25 at 9am.
Local Sightings 2009 highlights include:
The Mountain, the River and the Road
Opening night film!
October 2 at 7pm
Born out of a chance encounter at our 2007 Local Sightings, Michael Harring’s 16mm feature debut stars Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs) and Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation), two twenty-somethings on a botched road trip that leads to an unexpected romance.
Big Opening Night Party
October 2, beginning at 9pm
A fundraiser for Northwest Film Forum
$5/members, $7/non-members
Seattle filmmakers, movie buffs and partiers walk the red carpet at NWFF’s annual opening night bash. With booze flowing, music blaring, and performances tickling the eyes and imaginations, we begin our 12th Annual Local Sightings Festival in stylish debauchery.
Film Originals, the work of George and Helen Smith
Century 20 – Historic Northwest Film
October 5 at 7pm
George and Helen Smith made films together for over thirty years. George worked behind the camera as cinematographer and editor, while Helen wrote scripts for the nearly 40 titles they produced under the name Film Originals. Their films focused on a variety of topics including the rise of aeronautics in American transportation, the Northwest timber industry, and environmental conservation.
Work in Progress: Wheedles Groove
October 3 at 7pm
Jennifer Maas’ work in progress Wheedle’s Groove provides a look back some thirty years before grunge music put Seattle on the map, when late 1960s groups like Black on White Affair, The Soul Swingers, and Cold, Bold & Together filled airwaves and packed clubs every night of the week. But just as many of the groups were on the verge of breaking out, the fickle public turned its ear to disco, and Seattle’s soul scene slipped into obscurity.
Find out more at http://www.localsightings.org!
Sponsored by 4Culture, ArtsFund, Modern Digital, Bad Animals, and Washington FilmWorks
Media sponsorship by KUOW 94.9FM and The Stranger
VIEW COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND PURCHASE TICKETS NOW
Most screenings are $6/NWFF members, $6.50/seniors and children under 12, $9/general
Here’s a few nuggets of Local Sightings news to whet your palate while you wait anxiously for the festival to begin October 2…
First of all, we are pleased to announce that the 2009 Local Sightings Film Festival opening night film will be The Mountain, the River and the Road, directed by Michael Harring.
The Mountain, the River and the Road is the story of Jeff (Justin Rice) is a failing post-college writer whose parents are finally kicking him out of the house. With this in mind, Jeff starts out on a road trip to Austin, TX with his friend, Tom (Joe Swanberg); a final grasp at youthful freedom. Their trip begins to unravel when their beater car busts and Tom’s ex-girlfriend intercepts Tom’s paycheck, forcing him to bus it home to resolve his relationship problems. Jeff decides to stay behind in hopes that he will be struck with inspiration as he avoids the pressures of home. He meets Cat (Tipper Newton), a young attractive woman also at a cross roads in her life, who just happens to work at the front desk of the motel. Everything is in place for a great winter romance between the young couple, but the impending return of Tom, the continuation of the road trip, and the unshakable burden of responsibility hover as a reminder of how fleeting romance can be.
We are also thrilled to welcome our 2009 panel of jurors!
Barry Jenkins is a filmmaker born and raised in Miami’s inner city, and currently living in San Francisco. After completing Bachelor’s degrees in both film and creative writing, he relocated to Los Angeles where he worked as a director’s assistant and development associate for Harpo Films. He is the writer/director of the short film My Josephine and the feature film Medicine for Melancholy. Rob Nelson has been a member of the National Society of Film Critics since 1998, and is the recipient of three awards each from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and the Society of Professional Journalists. His writing has appeared in Film Comment, Variety, The Village Voice, Mother Jones, and Utne Reader. Nelson teaches film studies at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and is currently at work on a book. Vanessa Renwick returns to the Local Sightings jury for her second year. Founder and janitor of the Oregon Department of Kick Ass, Vanessa is a film and video installation artist currently residing in Portland, Oregon.
The final program is still being decided. Check http://www.localsightings.org early next week to see the final slate!
Mountain River Road still
Barry Jenkins at NWFF – image courtesy of Kathy Fennessy
Image from Vanessa Renwick’s short film
Designed by festival director Dave Hanagan.
Our panel of jurors (Secrecy director Rob Moss, Walker Art Center film curator Dean Otto and Washington State Film Office Managing Director Mary Trimarco) watched all the films in competition at this year’s Local Sightings Film Festival and have picked one feature and one short film to win the 2008 prizes.
Congratulations to Grant Aaker and Josh Wallaert, directors of Arid Lands, winners of our $4000 feature film prize. Arid Lands will also get a full week’s run at Northwest Film Forum.
Watch the trailer:
And congratulations to Portland’s Kristian McKay, director of Orbita del Verano, winner of our $1700 short film prize
This year our jurors also decided to award a Special Jury Mention to Web Crowell’s animated short film Parasol.
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