About Local Sightings

Produced every year by Northwest Film Forum, Local Sightings is Seattle’s only festival dedicated to Pacific Northwest films and filmmakers, showcasing new films from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia. And screenings are only part of the story: Each edition of Local Sightings features parties, juried prizes, artist talks, performances, discussions and networking events that allow film lovers and filmmakers to explore local creativity together.

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In recent years, Local Sightings hosted the first-ever Northwest edition of the Sundance Institute Artist Services Workshop. Jurors have included Oscar winner and Seattle native TJ Martin, Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, and Ted Hope. The 20th edition of the festival is featured on FilmStruck in an episode of the Criterion Channel’s ’Art House America‘ series.

Local Sightings plays a significant regional role as a platform of discovery for new film talent. In 2012, Seattle Weekly called Local Sightings the “best film festival” in Seattle. Come view new films from your own backyard with us, have a beer with friends, and find a true hub for film lovers and filmmakers in Seattle. If you prefer the home-grown to the over-blown, Local Sightings is for you!

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“[Northwest Film Forum is] the preeminent steward of our local film scene.” — Seattle Weekly

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“The only important festival dedicated to local/regional films…Introduces audiences to the best the local scene has to offer.” — The Stranger

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“an esteemed tradition. . .the favorite festival of quite a few movie enthusiasts in Seattle.” — The Seattle Times

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“The film scene in the Northwest has become more prominent over the years thanks, in part, to the Northwest Film Forum. The small art house theater in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is an incubator for local talent that is getting noticed nationally. Many of these artists got their work in front of an audience for the first time at the Film Forum’s annual Local Sightings Festival” — KPLU 88.5

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“This thoughtfully curated collection of locally produced shorts, features, and archival films is unafraid of experimentation and steps outside of the standard no-budget tropes of so many amateur productions.” — The Stranger

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“[Northwest Film Forum is] an instant Capitol Hill landmark.” — Seattle Weekly

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“At a time when most independent filmmakers are vying for a slot at Sundance or courting Hollywood’s so-called ‘indie-film’ boutiques, it’s refreshing to see a film that caters exclusively to the mysteries of artistic expression…Local Sightings is under the radar, but not for long.” — Seattle Times

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“There’s a roughness to the Local Sightings Film Festival that makes it all the more beautiful. The Northwest Film Forum’s yearly celebration of regional filmmakers eschews glitz and glamor for grit. That’s not a knock on the quality of the movies on display, merely a testament to the sweat and passion that’s so obviously poured into each cinematic frame. On modest budgets, these features, shorts, and documentaries showcase rising talent on the ground level and flash glimpses of even more moviemaking potential.” — Seattle Met