COVID-19 Safety at NWFF
Northwest Film Forum values being a COVID-safer space for the filmmakers and film lovers who need us to be. From the moment we reopened to the public in September 2021, we required masks. Due to economic pressure, however, a new mask policy will take effect on September 20, 2024.
We will continue to require masks at select showtimes – Thursday nights and Saturday and Sunday matinees – but the majority of screenings will now be “masks strongly encouraged.” Please note additional details below, and be sure to read each calendar event thoroughly for policy differences.
Updated Venue Policy:
- NWFF patrons are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to wear masks while at the Northwest Film Forum. This applies to film screenings, film festivals, workshops, venue rentals, and all other programs.
- Complimentary masks will continue to be provided at the door. We encourage patrons to use high quality masks (NIOSH-approved N95, KN95, or KF94), which we will make available as often as possible.
- NWFF reserves the right to adjust this policy based on fluctuations in local and national COVID-19 case statistics, the preferences of our presenting partners, et cetera. Policy adjustments will be noted on each affected event’s page.
- Employees and volunteers are required to wear masks when engaging with the public.
- As of 7/20/2022, NWFF no longer requires proof of vaccination, boosters, or negative COVID-19 test results for admission. (Recent variants of COVID-19 readily infect and spread among individuals regardless of vaccination status, making high-quality masks a more important line of defense against transmission than ever.)
- Our cinemas are equipped with HVAC systems, but not systems specifically designed and calibrated to filter COVID-19 from the air.
Our Commitments:
- We will continue to build relationships with other local public safety-oriented organizations and COVID-aware community groups to solicit input about our policies and engagement with our programming.
- We will monitor CO2 levels in public areas of the Forum and record them on our COVID Safety page. Over time, this data will include readings at different levels of attendance. (CO2 levels below 800 ppm indicate good circulation in a space. CO2 levels are not directly indicative of COVID transmission, but give a sense of circulation quality, which translates to better protection from transmission.)
- The Edit Lab and Workshop Room are outfitted with Corsi-Rosenthal filters when in use. Each C.R. box uses four MERV-13 filters, 10″x10″x2″. (Read more about MERV ratings here.)
- We will regularly update a cinema slide with information on virus levels in local wastewater as an indicator of local spread.