Local Sightings 2023 – Closing Shorts: She Marches in Chinatown + Wok Hei + xīn nī 廖芯妮 [Hybrid]
Watch in person:
SOLD OUT Sep. 23 at 6:30pm
Encore! Sep. 24 at 4pm
Visiting Artist
** She Marches in Chinatown directors Della Chen & Amy Benson will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A! **
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 maria@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.
NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them. We are not currently checking vaccination cards. Recent variants of COVID-19 readily infect and spread between individuals regardless of vaccination status.
Read more about NWFF’s policies regarding cleaning, masks, and capacity limitations here.
About
(51 min TRT)
Join us for three powerhouse short films from the Chinese diaspora, each about (meta-)physical artifacts that have been passed down through generations.
Before the encore screening on Sunday, join Seattle Documentary Association for a 3pm mixer! Our community of local nonfiction aficionados and independent documentary filmmakers will be discussing upcoming projects, filmmaking resources and tips, and opportunities to collaborate over $5 beers ‘n’ wines. Free with RSVP (separate from the screening)!
BUY TICKETS HERE
- Purchase your ticket through Northwest Film Forum’s Eventive virtual cinema. A free Eventive login is required.
- From the Eventive virtual catalog page, purchased tickets will appear under “My Content Library” under your user menu (upper-right). From the Eventive festival landing page, they will appear under “My Tickets” on the site’s menu bar (at top).
- Your confirmation email will also route you back to these pages to watch. (Can’t find it? Check spam!)
- If all else fails, please contact paul@nwfilmforum.org
- Purchase your ticket through Brown Paper Tickets; 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).
- If you have purchased a Hybrid or In-Person-Only Festival Pass, we’ll be able to look you up at Will Call by the name you purchased under.
Co-presented with Wing Luke Museum
The Wing Luke Museum is an art and history museum in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District which focuses on the culture, art and history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Established in 1967, the museum is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate and the only pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the United States.
Co-presented with Seattle Asian American Film Festival
Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) is the only film festival to provide a space for pan-Asian American voices, perspectives, and histories told through multimedia arts in Seattle. Our volunteer-run organization empowers and uplifts Asian American creatives and builds community connections through our annual festival and other year-round events. We aim to be a platform that broadens the understanding of our community’s stories through elevating independent films that reflect the diversity and richness of Asian Americana and Asian diasporas.
Films in this program:
Wok Hei
(Joel Salaysay, Canada, 2022, 11 min, in English)
The program kicks off with the life-affirming Wok Hei, in which a first-generation Chinese-Canadian mother endeavors to restore a rusty wok. As she works, she reflects on the intangible essence of all the meals–and elders–that came before.
xīn nī 廖芯妮
(Jasmine Liaw, Canada, 2022, 7 min)
xīn nī 廖芯妮 is a hypnotic, dreamy dance-film from interdisciplinary artist Jasmine Liaw, incorporating Google Earth images, archival materials, and motion capture. As her Hakka father describes immigrating to Vancouver, the meaning of “xīn nī” shifts inexorably from language to language, and from generation to generation.
She Marches in Chinatown
(Della Chen & Amy Benson, US, 2023, 33 min, in English)
We close with She Marches in Chinatown, a loving portrait of the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, the only drill team in the world to combine traditional Chinese dress with military-style precision. At a time when it feels like “old Seattle” is vanishing, come celebrate a fixture of the CID that’s lasted 70+ years. As one drill team superfan puts it, “Please don’t go away–Seattle needs you!”
Festival Directory
⚠️ Please note: NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. We are not currently checking vaccination cards.
Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 26th Annual Local Sightings Film Festival is a virtual-and-in-person showcase of creative communities from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2023 program, which runs from September 15–24, 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.