Who’s hosting?

Local horror-show hostess Isabella Price will be taking the morning off from her typical role as the Queen of Darkness and ushering in the sunshine as our mistress of ceremonies.

She’ll be joined by special guest SJ Chiro, director of the recent feature East of the Mountains.

Ahamefule Oluo – prolific polymath, chef, multi-instrumentalist, composer, writer, and stand-up comedian (recently doing SEVERAL of those things in Thin Skin) – will host a pre-program cook-along; Seattle-based donors at this level may opt for brunch ingredients (and NWFF popcorn!) to be delivered right to their door.

Let NWFF be your guide through a lavish suite of Zoom rooms, loaded with different activities (both participatory and passive).

What goes on in each room?

• MAIN PARTY: Hosted by Isabella Price, this is our home base, where we will call folks back for whole-group announcements and events. Brunch begins with a group toast in the lobby, so that we’re all on the same apéritif-page, then proceeds with a curated interactive program featuring Forum highlights, testimonials, and conversations with our leadership team of Executive Director Vivian Hua, Artistic Director Rana San, and Managing Director Chris Day about the joys and challenges of the past year.
• CINEMA 1: A program of locally-sourced music videos over the course of the evening! We’ll also showcase some of the films produced in our mid-pandemic workshops: plant- and cyanotype-based experimental filmmaking, stop-motion with coffee grounds, and more.
• CINEMA 2: A NWFF party without karaoke is like … brunch without coffee? Between a crowd-pleasing selection of karaoke classics, which all are invited to dance + sing along to from home (on mute, please!), some of the most charismatic performers in our milieu have generously offered to record solo karaoke sessions for your entertainment… we’ll see if they come through!
• ALLEY: Inexplicably, we’ve fielded surprising numbers of requests to permit pets into NWFF. (Not talkin’ service animals here.) Additional cleaning and allergy concerns: no thanks. But on Zoom, all fur and feathers are welcome! Malakie Peters, the Scarecrow staff’s latest inductee, has prepared a special critter-centric reel for folks to enjoy as they introduce their own pets to one another, show off their accessories, tricks, snaggleteeth, etc. There will also be a pet video contest, with extra points for film-themed looks! Submit yours here >
• WORKSHOP ROOM: The forbidden fruit of the pandemic – the insides of other people’s homes. All that cool stuff – art, projects in progress, that folks have been waiting to share – REVEALED! We’ll be taking several virtual tours through the homes of friends of ours who have standout art collections.

Bring your pet to brunch!

Let the fur and feathers fly! During brunch, we’re inviting folks to introduce their pets, show off their accessories, tricks, snaggleteeth, etc. to one another in a special pet-centric Zoom room. Guests are also invited to enter our pet antics video contest. Extra points for film-themed pet outfits!

Click here or click the Tom Hardy below to enter; brunch attendance encouraged but not required.

Donors at any level are invited to brunch with us, but those who wish to contribute more have the option of receiving the following additional benefits! (Questions? Just e-mail vivian@nwfilmforum.org)

Choose from two Film Forum T-shirt designs and received a limited edition risograph poster! Includes delivery / shipment. Design by Samantha Wendel.

Each Toolkit below is a set of consultation sessions, to be purchased as a pack. (Each keynote speaker will have their own Zoom meeting date and time, noted in parentheses; purchasers of a Toolkit pack are welcome to attend all four!) Sessions begin with a ~15-minute presentation by the keynote speaker, followed by questions and free-form discussion among the speaker and the group. Your support for these Toolkits not only secures your slot, but also helps NWFF offer two slots per workshop to emerging BIPOC filmmakers!

Fimmaker Toolkit #1 – DEVELOPMENT (10 slots available)

• Developing Your Fundraising Plan with Jennessa West (Producer, Thin Skin) – Aug. 23 at 10am PT
• Production Legal Tips from Matthew Dresden (NWFF Board Member & Lawyer) – Aug. 25 at 6:30pm PT
• Developing Your Script with Lindy West (Writer & Producer, Shrill, Thin Skin) – Aug. 18 at 7:30pm PT
• Demystifying Representation: Agents, Managers & More from Jen Au (Literary Agent) – Aug. 19 at 7:30pm PT

Filmmaker Toolkit #2 – PRODUCTION (10 slots available)

• Advice on Working with Actors from Megan Griffiths (Writer & Director, Lucky Them, Eden) – Aug. 29 at 10am PT
• Pulling Your Team Together with Wes Hurley (Writer & Director, Potato Dreams of America) – Aug. 28 at 10am PT
• Techniques for Editing & Soliciting Feedback with Celia Beasley – Aug. 25 at 7:30pm PT
  
• Effective Prep Techniques & Set Etiquette with Tony Becerra (DGA) – Aug. 29 at 11am PT

Filmmaker Toolkit #3 – DISTRIBUTION (10 slots available)

• Advice on Connecting with Your Audience from Bao Tran (Writer & Director, The Paper Tigers) – Aug. 21 at 10am PT
• Publicity Tips from Smarthouse Creative (Seattle-Based PR Agency) – Aug. 26 at 7:30pm PT
• Distribution & Film Festivals from Amanda Salazar (NWFF Programmer) – Aug. 22 at 11am PT
• Fourth guest TBA!

Filmmaker Toolkit #4 – DOCUMENTARY (10 slots available)

• Researching Your Subject with Gilda Sheppard (Director, Since I Been Down) – Aug. 19 at 6:30pm PT
• Social Change Storytelling with Tracy Rector (Managing Director of Storytelling, Nia Tero) – Aug. 18 at 6:30pm PT
• Development Tips for Shorts & Features with Chloë Walters-Wallace (Manager, Firelight Media’s Artist Programs) – Aug. 26 at 6:30pm PT
• Doc Resources & Suport from Sundance Institute – Date/time TBA!
  

Take an evening off this summer to cruise Puget Sound, cocktails in hand, and with friends! * Note: Subject to availability; all COVID-19 rules and protocols must be followed.

Northwest Film Forum’s in-house production company, Remove the Gap Productions (RG Pro), works to support and uplift the careers of girls, women, nonbinary, femme, trans, and gender-nonconforming filmmakers. Our Production Intensives series is offered quarterly and provides training on essential skills for people who want to apprentice with RG Pro, who are entering the production industry, or who creating their own film and media projects. By supporting it with your generous donation, you help support the next level of filmmakers!