Northwest Film Forum

VIVA VHS! 

Northwest Film Forum and Scarecrow Video present an evening celebrating the bygone days when VHS was king with a selection of forgotten gems from the Scarecrow collection

Seattle, WA—On Saturday, August 8, Northwest Film Forum and Scarecrow Video are setting out to explore the cinematic oddities that can only be found on ½" videotape. The VHS-experts at Scarecrow have delved into their archives and unearthed forgotten gems and mind-blowing revelations for this special salute to the now neglected medium.

On December 23, 2008, the last shipment of VHS left the warehouse of the last remaining distributor of pre-recorded tapes. The media seized upon the opportunity to eulogize the home video format, a final endpoint to its long, slow decline. TV footage scanned rows of VCRs at thrift stores, allowing the camera to linger over piles of dusty tapes with missing covers. It was a public declaration of what had been known for years: VHS was dead. 

But not everyone was ready to let VHS go. From attics and basements, from underneath beds and atop the highest closet shelves, from the racks of dollar stores and shelves of independent video stores, tapes began to emerge. VCR heads spun again, illuminating eager faces with the glow of C-list 80s comedies, erstwhile celebrity exercise tapes and sleazy exploitation gorefests. While people realized there was no going back, they saw the value in preserving that which likely would never make the leap into a digital age.

We invite you to celebrate the bygone days when VHS was king! This evening's festivities will include a virtual VHS cover art gallery, contests with fabulous prizes, a squadron of Sasquatch and plenty of surprises. Refreshments will be available in the cinema with drink specials all evening long. Please join us in paying tribute to the vanishing magic of videocassettes and raise a glass to the home viewing days of yore. LONG LIVE VHS!
 

Saturday, August 8^th

9pm

Northwest Film Forum

1515 12^th Ave (at Pike St.)

Seattle, WA 98122

$6 for Northwest Film Forum members

$6.50 for Children & Seniors

$9 for General Admission

Advance tickets are available at www.nwfilmforum.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Day of show tickets are available from the Northwest Film Forum box office.

Scarecrow Video is home to one of the largest movie rental inventories in the country with over 100,000 titles, including imports, rarities and 21,159 VHS tapes. Contact them at (206) 524-8554, online at www.scarecrow.com, or visit the store at 5030 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Northwest Film Forum is Seattle's premiere film arts organization, screening over 200 independently made and classic films annually, offering a year-round schedule of filmmaking classes for all ages, and supporting filmmakers at all stages of their careers. NWFF brings together a community of individuals dedicated to great film in Seattle and beyond. You can learn more at http://www.nwfilmforum.org/