Local Sightings 2020 – Hold Onto the Moving Sky (Shorts Program)

View this program on-demand
Sep. 18–27, 2020

Zoom Q&A w/ Filmmakers*
Sep. 20 at 8:00pm PDT

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Festival - Local Sightings Film Festival 2020: Short Film Programs

About

Sweet, tender, rich, and poignant tales of longing, belonging, and place.

* All ticketholders will receive access to Viewing Party and Zoom Q&A with:

The Refuge – Aziz Tebyanian (Director)
Hold Onto the Moving Sky – Benjamin Morgan (Director, Co-Writer), Jocelyn Berado (Actor, Co-Writer)
LONGING – Ellison Shieh (Director)

A special note from House on Fire Co-Directors Heather Hawksford & Reed Harkness:

“Our hearts are breaking for all of the people who have lost their homes and loved ones during this year’s wildfires. Their size and magnitude this year has been terrifying and we are very anxious about the trajectory “fire season” is on. While we love our documentary series and how the prompt has made people think about what really matters to them when faced with the prospect of losing everything, we realize this is a devastating reality for a lot of people, many of whom did not have time to save anything and they had no guarantee that their people and pets and data were safe (as they are in the show). The feeling of helplessness is huge, so we want to share a resource that has helped us feel like we can contribute at least little something to those who have been affected.

This google doc includes 95 of the least funded Gofundme campaigns for people who have been affected by the Alameda fires in Oregon. Some of these people have lost everything and their Gofundme accounts have hardly had any traffic. Some are written in broken English and some people are left with their small children and no home to go to. It’s heartbreaking to read through them. So pick a number between 1-95 and give as much as you can.”

Film Program:

Hold Onto the Moving Sky

(Benjamin Morgan, La Grande, OR, 2019, 8 min)

A “silent film” about a woman who must cope with a troubling text message.

Longing

(Ellison Shieh, Seattle, WA, 3 min)

An exploration of a second generation Taiwanese American’s disconnect with the homeland; an American upbringing and a childhood reimagined.

Where the Ends Meet

(Alex Sylvester, Seattle, WA, 2019, 8 min)

When her options start dwindling, Tracy, a single mother, must do whatever necessary to feed her daughter.

The Refuge

(Aziz Tebyanian, Renton, WA, 2020, 7 min)

Thrown out of her home, Maryam is given refuge by a neighbor. There, she finds out a truth she has to come to grips with.

Sue Sada Was Here

(Cindy Mochizuki, Vancouver, BC, 2018, 9 min)

Sue Sada Was Here is an experimental film that turns written texts Muriel Kitagawa (1912–1974) into scores of physical movement, which are then enacted in the historic Roedde House. Kitagawa’s editorial writing and unpublished manuscripts speak to the pre- and post-war periods in Vancouver, particularly the injustices of the Canadian government’s policies towards Japanese and Japanese Canadians. The performers embody Sue Sada, one of Kitagawa’s pen names and use books as objects of print history that can omit histories of violence and colonialism. This film was originally commissioned for Memories of the Future III.

Winner of Best in Show Award at Cadence: Video Poetry Festival 2020 [Online].

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Tides of Hyperion

(Alexander Lenzi, Seattle, WA, 2019, 16 min)

Two Russian-American friends move to Seattle to escape the traumas of their past.

House on Fire

(Reed Harkness & Heather Hawksford, Portland, OR, 2020, 54 min)

A range of people are given the spontaneous prompt that their house is on fire and told they have only two minutes to save just one thing.

Features four episodes: Happy Valley, Dignity Village, Woodburn, and The Gorge

Back to Festival Catalog

Local Sightings Film Festival 2020 [Online]

Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 23rd Annual Local Sightings Film Festival [Online] virtually showcases creative communities from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2020 program, which runs from September 18-27, features a competitive selection of curated shorts and feature film programs, inviting regional artists to experiment, break, and remake popular conceptions around filmmaking and film exhibition.

Local Sightings 2020 champions emerging and established talent, supports the regional film industry, and promotes diverse media as a critical tool for public engagement. This year’s festival also celebrates NWFF’s 25th Anniversary as an organization.

🏆 AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS 🏆

Vote for your favorite films by 12pm PDT on Closing Day, Sep. 27; BEST FEATURE and BEST SHORT winners receive a future screening opportunity at NWFF!

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