Local Sightings 2025 – 9 to 5 (Shorts)
Fri Sep 26:
In-person tickets >
$15 General Admission
$10 Student/Child/Senior
$7 Member
$100 General Admission
$70 Student/Child/Senior
$45 Member
Full Festival Passes and Individual Tickets are available!
Click for Accessibility Info
Ticketing, concessions, cinemas, restrooms, and our public edit lab are located on Northwest Film Forum’s ground floor, which is wheelchair accessible. All doors in Northwest Film Forum are non-motorized, and may require staff assistance to open. Our upstairs workshop room is not wheelchair accessible.
The majority of seats in our main cinema are 21″ wide from armrest to armrest; some seats are 19″ wide. We are working on creating the option of removable armrests!
We have a limited number of assistive listening devices available for programs hosted in our larger theater, Cinema 1. These devices are maintained by the Technical Director, and can be requested at the ticketing and concessions counter. Also available at the front desk is a Sensory Kit you can borrow, which includes a Communication Card, noise-reducing headphones, and fidget toys.
The Forum does NOT have assistive devices for the visually impaired, and is not (yet) a scent-free venue. Our commitment to increasing access for our audiences is ongoing, and we welcome all public input on the subject!
If you have additional specific questions about accessibility at our venue, please contact our Patron Services Manager at rajah@nwfilmforum.org. Our phone number (206-329-2629) is voicemail-only, but we check it often.
Made possible due to a grant from Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Sensory Access, our Sensory Access document presents a visual and descriptive walk-through of the NWFF space. View it in advance of attending an in-person event at bit.ly/nwffsocialnarrativepdf, in order to prepare yourself for the experience.
⚠️ COVID-19 Policies ⚠️
As of August 2024, NWFF has adjusted its mask policy from universally required to strongly encouraged at the majority of screenings. Occasional exceptions will be noted on each event’s page.
Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them.
Read more about NWFF’s policies responding to the present pandemic here.
About
(60 min TRT)
Corporate life, the grind, the 9 to 5. With satirical wit and verve, these films tackle the workplace woes of impostor syndrome, the pressure to perform, and unequal power dynamics.
Header photo credit: Wild Dreams, dir. Derek Nunn
BUY TICKETS HERE
FAQ: What's the festival format this year?
- This year’s festival will be in-person only! For the past several years, we have been proud to offer the festival as a hybrid virtual-and-in-person experience, but due to staff capacity, we cannot do this for the 2025 fest.
FAQ: How do I watch in-person?
- Purchase your ticket through Brown Paper Tickets <don’t forget to hyperlink this>; come to the show!
- You can also purchase a ticket on the day of the screening at Northwest Film Forum’s box office (1515 12th Ave, Seattle).
- Pass-Holders, we’ll be able to look you up at Will Call by the name you purchased under.
Films in this program:
Wild Dreams
(Derek Nunn, Tacoma, WA, 2024, 9 min, in English)
A young, black man encounters his ancestor as he traverses through life balancing success, race, and imposter syndrome.
Smoke and Mirrors
(Nathan Rivers, Vancouver, BC, 2025, 6 min, in English) Washington premiere!
When a novice magician drops the ball on his first performance, a faint laugh sets into motion a journey of self discovery.
I'm Only Human
(Eric L. Thomas, Seattle, WA, 2025, 6 min, in English) Seattle premiere!
In 1986, Eric L. Thomas was working as a cook while he established himself as an auteur filmmaker. He wrote I’m Only Human as a satirical look at the restaurant industry, and shot it over two days. But the film languished until 2025, when he completed it at last.
Home From Work
(Alex Fleming-McNeil & Michael Beuttler, Orcas Island, WA, 2025, 11 min, in English) U.S. premiere!
In a Pacific Northwest tourist town, two workers navigate the fragile reality of employer-provided housing—where losing your job means losing your home—while an employer confronts the moral and legal weight of a system that echoes America’s company town past.
GO!
(Brace Evans, Seattle, WA, 2024, 10 min, in English) West Coast premiere!
Every day, Maxwell is told to ‘GO!’ by individuals and the non-speaking walk signal. On a business trip to Berlin, a kid helps him to realize that walk signals in the United States are being used to subconsciously train and sustain a centuries old hierarchy.
Under Chef
(Nate Fieldson, Seattle, WA, 17 min, in English)
An eager young cook is pushed to his limits by his head chef.
Festival Directory
Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 28th Annual Local Sightings Film Festival is a showcase of creative communities from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2025 program, which runs from September 19–28, features a competitive selection of curated short film programs and feature films, inviting regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.
Local Sightings champions emerging and established talent, supports the regional film industry, and promotes diverse media as a critical tool for public engagement.