Drop by to see your neighbors at Northwest Film Forum immortalized on the Criterion Channel’s Art-House America series (which profiles art-house power-houses like ourselves from all over the country), then watch the NWFF-produced Police Beat in its first-ever streaming iteration on FilmStruck. The Stranger‘s Charles Mudede, who co-wrote the film with director Robinson Devor, will be in attendance!

About the film:

Police Beat presents a unique protagonist in the post-9/11 world: a morally upright, Republican Muslim police officer. The film follows an African-born Seattle bicycle cop (“Z”) on his beat for seven days and six nights, covering more than forty crimes, all of which are based on actual Seattle police reports. Starring as Z is Pape S. Niang, a non-actor and former member of the Senegalese Olympic soccer team.

In this highly unconventional crime film, the protagonist is so preoccupied with his (possibly) unfaithful girlfriend that he never once acknowledges the criminal world that swirls around him. The crimes Z encounters become mirrors of his turbulent inner state, as he philosophizes about his unstable romantic relationship. While Z’s regular interactions are in English, his thoughts – the film’s narration – are in his native Wolof, the primary language of West Africa. In this way, Police Beat is an unusual portrait of an immigrant new to the United States that focuses less on the protagonist’s socio-economic difficulties than on his emotional responses to American life.

Despite a relatively low budget, the film features gorgeous 35mm-scope cinematography from DP Sean Kirby, and manages to incorporate nearly one hundred different locations from the greater Seattle area and Pacific Northwest. This ambitious film’s cast and crew were entirely made up of local talent; Police Beat is also the first NWFF production to play at Sundance.

Praise for Police Beat:

“Sensationally beautiful!” – Todd McCarthy, Variety

“Emotionally devastating!“– Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“The most original film in [Sundance] competition.” – Dennis Lim, Village Voice