Local Sightings 2024 – Monster of the Week [Hybrid]

Watch online: Sep. 20–29

Watch in person: Sep. 27 at 7pm

In-person tickets >

$14 General Admission
$10 Student/Child/Senior
$7 Member

Virtual tickets >

$5 – $25 Sliding Scale

Festival passes >

$60 – $150 Sliding Scale

VIRTUAL, IN-PERSON, and HYBRID (virtual AND in-person) Festival Passes and Individual Tickets are available!

Click for Accessibility Info

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 suji@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.

⚠️ COVID-19 Policies ⚠️

As of August 2024, NWFF has adjusted its mask policy from universally required to strongly encouraged at the majority of screenings. In the interest of accessibility, the requirement is still in place for Thursday night screenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees; occasional exceptions will be noted on each event’s page.

Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them.

Read more about NWFF’s policies responding to the present pandemic here.

About

(60 min TRT)

Ghouls, ghosts, Frankensteins, oh my! Travel back in time with these campy, throwback monster flicks ranging from the hilarious to the spine-tingling. Featuring a newly restored cut of the ahead-of-its-time 1930’s horror film, The Scalpel, from Seattle auteur Richard Lyford!

Header photo credit: Chispa, dir. Karina Lomelin Ripper

BUY TICKETS HERE

FAQ: How do I watch online?
FAQ: How do I watch in-person?
  • 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 Seattle Terrors!

Co-presented with Seattle Terrors!

Are you ready to meet the phantoms of Seattle’s mangled past? Gather your strength and venture with Seattle Terrors to wander into the harsh, otherworldly conditions formed by decades of tragedy and strife. “Monster of the Week” attendees can receive discounted tickets to Seattle Terrors Ghost Tour by using code “NWFEST” at checkout!

Co-presented with Scarecrow Video!

Co-presented with Scarecrow Video!

Scarecrow Video is dedicated to preserving and making accessible the world’s diverse cinematic cultural heritages through its unparalleled video collection and wide-ranging programs that engage communities nationwide. We will continue to lead the way in championing physical media in a digital age. We are the largest publicly accessible video collection in the U.SScarecrow offers 147,000+ titles, three times the amount available through all major streaming services combined. Our collection represents 128 years of cultural history and the breadth of the entire globe with films from 138 countries and over 126 languages other than English.

Co-presented with 48 Hour Film Horror Project!

Co-presented with 48 Hour Film Horror Project!

Try something new, level up your filmmaking, and join our community!

Gather your crew to write, shoot and edit a short film in under 48 hours (Oct. 11 kickoff to Oct. 13 at 7:30pm completion!), using the required character, prop, and line assigned for your city. (Earlybird: Sep. 17 / Regular deadline: Oct. 11.) The winner of Best Film goes to Filmapalooza in March 2024! Learn more at our website.


Films in this program:

Buggin' Out

(Tommy Heffernan & Melanie Strickland, Seattle, WA, 2023, 7 min, in English) Seattle premiere!

Terry turns to YouTube for a solution to his brother’s cicada-based emergency.

 

Virus Girl

(Sam Chang Bravo, Vancouver, BC, 2023, 2 min, in English) US premiere!

Virus Girl is an anti-war animation about the limits of morality, told from the point of view of a scientist tasked with finding a new and innovative way to save her nation. Trailer >

 

From the Depths

(Justin Robert Vinall, Everett, WA, 2023, 19 min, in English)

In search of reconciliation, a fracturing couple takes a much-needed vacation. But Ethan spirals into an even-deeper depression when he ventures from their cabin, lured by a Siren beckoning from the depths of the lake. From the Depths is a tense, psychologically grounded take on the ancient Siren genre.

 

Chispa

(Karina Lomelin Ripper, Portland, OR, 2023, 12 min, in English) Northwest premiere!

When an electrician working at a mall experiences a peculiar jolt of electricity, she undergoes a transformation that is both haunting and shockingly beautiful. Trailer >

 

The Scalpel

(Richard H Lyford, Seattle, WA, 2024, 20 min, in English) Seattle premiere!

A mad doctor transforms into a monstrous killer in this 1936 never-released film by then-19-year old Seattle filmmaker Richard Lyford. Thanks to newly added music from Seattle composer Ed Hartman, Lyford’s avant-garde films have found a new audience decades after his death.

 


Festival Directory

Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 27th Annual Local Sightings Film Festival is a virtual-and-in-person showcase of creative communities from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2024 program, which runs from September 20–29, 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.


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Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave,

Seattle, WA 98122

206 329 2629


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