SJFF 2022 – BLOCK 4 – The Doctrine of Recovery [Hybrid]

Watch online: Sep. 28 – Oct. 2

Watch in person: Sep. 29 at 9pm

In-person tickets

$13 General Admission
$10 Student/Child/Senior
$7 Member

Virtual tickets

$5 – $25 Sliding Scale

Festival passes

$50 – $125 Sliding Scale

Festival Passes grant access to BOTH virtual AND in-person film programs!
Individual Tickets are available, as well, but are for EITHER virtual-only OR in-person-only access.

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.

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 cris@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 ⚠️

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.

The Doctrine of Recovery

US Premiere!
(Brisind, US, 2022, 75 min, in English)

CW: disturbing themes of patriarchy and white supremacy

“This documentary is a crucial step on our healing path forward,” says RoseAnne Archibald, Assembly of First Nations Chief. “Three generations of First Nations’ women speak to how the Doctrine of Discovery continues to loom over every aspect of our lives as Tribal people. Visually beautiful, it inspires without ever shying away from the impacts of genocide authored in the Papal Bull of 1493. The Doctrine of Recovery is a call to action for reparations and revoking the Doctrine of Discovery.”

Header photo credit: The Doctrine of Recovery, dir. Brisind

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.

Screens with:

Total Disaster

Seattle Premiere!
(Keil Orion Troisi, Molly Gore, US, 2021, 12 min, in English)
CW: simulated bird conflict including fake blood

Trickster environmental activists pretending to be oil behemoth Total stage a satirical press conference to introduce “RéHabitat,” a plan to rescue animals from the East African Oil Pipeline by relocating them to “more sustainable” habitats in France. Using humor and mischief, they expose a deadly ecological and humanitarian disaster in a zany effort to help #StopEACOP.

Therefore, Socrates is Mortal

(Alexandre Isabelle, Canada, 2021, 12 min, in French with English subtitles)

Facing the climate crisis, Louise, a philosophy teacher, turns words into action.


Click to return to Festival Home:

Presented by the Social Justice Film Institute, Northwest Film Forum, and the Meaningful Movies Project, the 2022 Social Justice Film Festival is a celebration of the power of people and film to push for change within their homes and communities.

⚠️ 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.


A modern browser is required to view this site.

Please update your browser.

Northwest Film Forum
1515 12th Ave,

Seattle, WA 98122

206 329 2629


Notify me when new films, events, and workshops are coming up!