Local Sightings 2025 – ACTION! Stars
This event took place on Sep 28, 2025
In-person tickets >
$15 General Admission
$10 Student/Child/Senior
$7 Member
$100 General Admission
$70 Student/Child/Senior
$45 Member
Full 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 rajah@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. 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
(40 min TRT)
This special screening celebrates the talents of mentors and apprentices alike from Northwest Film Forum’s ACTION! Narrative Apprenticeship Program and gives them a chance to continue getting to know each other and sharing industry tips.
We’ll be watching the 2025 cohort’s new film SASHIMI, alongside a selection of other projects by the mentors. After the show, join us for a conversation about the joys and challenges of being a working filmmaker in Seattle, as mentors reflect on their early years in the industry and give some parting wisdom to apprentices and audience members alike.
Header photo credit: SASHIMI, dir. Hao Zhu
BUY TICKETS HERE
FAQ: What's the festival format this year?
- This year’s festival will be in-person only! For the past several years, we have been proud to offer the festival as a hybrid virtual-and-in-person experience, but due to staff capacity, we cannot do this for the 2025 fest.
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).
- Pass-holders, we will be able to look you up using the name you purchased under.
Films in this program:
Gift Horse
(D.J. Walker, Seattle, WA, 2025, 16 min, in English) World premiere!
Haunted by a night of reckless joy with his friends, Jaylen, now an adult, struggles to reconcile the carefree thrill of their youthful adventure with the lasting scars it left behind. As he grapples with his troubled past and a strained relationship with his father, Jaylen must face the choices that shaped his life and find a way to move forward.
Little Red Riding Hood
(SJ Chiro, Seattle, WA, 2006, 11 min, in English)
A black and white, expressionist retelling of the original “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale, with a kick!
SASHIMI
(Hao Zhu, Seattle, WA, 2025) World premiere!
SASHlMl follows a young Chinese immigrant working at a small grocery store, quietly navigating the rhythms of customer service. Until an unexpected connection with her coworker reveals a hidden truth they both share beneath the surface. This is a story about awakening, mutual recognition, and the strength found in shared silence turned to solidarity
Festival Directory
Presented by Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum, the 28th Annual Local Sightings Film Festival is a showcase of creative communities from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The 2025 program, which runs from September 19–28, 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.