It's Saturday night and you have no idea what to do. Your friends and you don't feel like hitting up the bars again, and no one knows about any parties tonight. You're all feeling pretty mellow and want to relax, but still can't stand the idea of being cooped up in an apartment all night. Someone suggests going to see a movie, so you pull out your I-Phone to check what's playing.
You've all seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button already, nobody cares to see Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, only the girls want to see Twilight, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans just seems like too big a risk when you're paying $10.25 a ticket. Just mentioning the price turns a few friends off to the idea and it's beginning to look like you'll end up watching CSI: Miami reruns until Saturday Night Live comes on.
That's when you remember that really small movie theater you walked by the other day, the one advertising midnight movie classics. But is it cheaper? And what are they showing this week? You realize that you yourself don't know much about the alternative movie scene and that you wish you did. What kind of movies do they show? What kind of events do they showcase? What are their histories? Where do the movies come from? Are the theaters any different?
You actually have a pretty wide selection, when it comes to alternative theaters in Seattle. You just have to decide on what you might be interested in, and what theaters are in your area. Once you look into the theaters you can decide on what’s right for you.
History and Basic Information:
The Grand Illusion Cinema:
Just because a theater shows independent movies doesn't mean that the theater itself is independent. In fact, most alternative movie theaters are owned by big corporations, and are a part of big-chain theaters. The Grand Illusion Cinema is not one of those theaters, it is truly independently run. And as it just so happens, they're Seattle's first independently owned movie theater. They first opened in 1968 by Randy Findley, who is now the head of "Fox Searchlight Pictures" Fox's indie film division, that's brought us film's like Sideways, and Juno.
The space was originally an old dentist office until Findley converted it. They specialized in showing foreign and revival films. The theater was so successful it prompted Findley to open the Seven Gables Cinema and start the Seven Gables Theater chain. The Seven Gables theater chain was eventually consumed by the Landmark Cinema Corporation but The Grand Illusion managed to stay out of the deal.
In 1997 the theater was threatened by financial problems but was saved by the non-profit film arts organization, The North West Film Forum, more on that organization later. They also remodeled the theater and revitalized interest with promotions throughout the city.
Landmark Theaters:
In 1974 a young Ruth Hayler decided to get a job at The Grand Illusion cinema, to not only make money but to satisfy her love of film. She started as a ticket taker but eventually worked her way up to manager. In 1976 she transferred over to The Seven Gables Theater where she continued her work as manager. When the Landmark Corporation took over they made her the program director of all the Landmark Cinema theaters in Seattle. There are seven total Landmark Theaters in Seattle, The Seven Gables Theater acts as the corporate office to the other six Landmark Theaters, it specializes in independent and foreign language films.You can find The Seven Gables in the University District on the corner of 50th and Roosevelt.
Just around the corner from The Seven Gables you’ll find the Metro Cinema, with ten screens they show a mix of Hollywood, foreign, and independent films.
The U-District is home to two more Landmark Theaters, the two of which are just around the corner from each other. At N.E. 45th St. and Brooklyn Avenue is the nautically-themed Neptune Theater, one of Seattle’s last single-screen theaters. Around the corner from there is the Varsity Theater on University Way. Both theaters serve as extra venues in the area, showing mixes of Hollywood, independent, and foreign films.
On Capitol Hill you’ll find the other two theaters, The Harvard Exit and The Egyptian. At the north end of Broadway, at Harvard and Roy is The Harvard Exit Theater. Its charms include a 1920’s atmosphere with a fireplace and grand piano, an extensive DVD library of independent films for purchase, and a specialty for art and independent films.
The Egyptian is located off Broadway on East Pine. It plays a variety of independent, art, foreign, and documentary films. On weekends they run restored classics at midnight screenings, often catering to niche-audiences.
To learn more about the various Landmark theaters and view show times visit their website:
Landmarktheaters.com The North West Film Forum:
The North West Film Forum has a very long and complicated past, one I could never hop to cover entirely. It was started in 1995 by Husband and Wife Jamie Hook and Deborah Girdwood. The couple met on the set of an independent movie that was never finished. The experience of working on a film and the frustration in never seeing it finished, inspired the couple to begin an organization dedicated to helping struggling filmmakers.
At first they were just a non-profit film studio that rented out filming and editing equipment to local film makers, at the expense of dedicated board members. When they rescued The Grand Illusion Cinema in 1997, they used the theater to host events and show the films made by the local artists they helped. Eager to do even more the company moved to another location in 1999, where they showed movies, and housed their filming and editing equipment. But the organization continued to grow and in 2003 they decided to move to an even bigger location, on 12th Avenue in Capitol Hill where they currently reside.
Events and films: Just to give you an idea of what the theaters are up to, here’s an example of some of the theaters kinds of films and events.
At The Grand Illusion Cinema January 23-29, you can see the 1946 French classic Beauty and the Beast. No, not the cartoon. They're showing the original black and white version with English subtitles, a must see for anyone who enjoyed the Disney version. SPOILER ALERT: There are no singing candles and clocks in this version, but that doesn't mean they aren't alive. January 30-February 5, they're playing an Alfred Hitchcock classic that even some Hitchcock fans may not know of unless they're from Great Britain. The 39 Steps is one Hitchcock's earlier Spy films from Great Britain, and you can see the brand new 35mm print starting this Friday at The Grand Illusion.
The Egyptian Cinema runs it’s midnight classics every Friday and Saturday night. Here’s what you can look forward to in the month of February. The first week is Chocolate starring Johnny Depp. The next is the Coen Brother’s classic The Big Lebowski starring Jeff Bridges. After that you can catch Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Rapping the month up is the sci-fi thriller Starship Troopers.
The North West Film Forum has a variety of alternative events. Throughout the month of January they featured a series of films from 1969, highlighting what popular film was like 40 years ago. One you may have heard of is the film that started a wave of interest in independent films, Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. They're also in the middle of their 4th Annual Children's Film Festival. And they aren't just showing a bunch of cartoons, you'll find true film in this festival. Such as the new documentary film JUMP!, about five teams competing in the World Rope Skipping Competition. But if you are in the mood for a cartoon, you may be interested in the 1941 toon, Hoppity Goes to Town. A story told through a bug's perspective, as an allegory for urban development. This film was made by cartoon legends Dave and Max Fleischer, known for creating Popeye and Betty Boop.
They want to involve audiences in any way they can. I had the chance to briefly speak with their special program curator, Peter Lucas. I asked him what his favorite community event was and told me about a new and exciting event they recently held. "WeTube" is a new event where the staff selects the best videos from YouTube and shows them in montage on a big screen. After that the audience is encouraged to shout out key words to search for other amusing videos. If you call out a word that leads to a funny video, you'll receive a prize!
Want to make a movie or have yours shown?
The Grand Illusion is accepting submissions for it's first annual "Homegrown Horror Festival" if you're an aspiring horror film maker, you should know of The Grand Illusion. You'll find the Grand Illusion in the University District area located at, 1403 NE 50th St (at University Way), Seattle, WA.
Don’t have the tools to make a movie?
The North West Film Forum isn't defined by the movies they show, they pride themselves more on their filmmakers aid program, a facility they call "WigglyWorld". Naturally you'll have to pay a fee for renting their equipment, but all things considered it's an incredible resource. But it is cheaper if you become a club member.
The resources and equipment you’ll find there include: Digital Video Cameras, 16mm Cameras, Super 8 Cameras, 35mm Cameras, different types of lighting and sound gear, and top of the line production facilities.
Those facilities include: film-to-video transfer equipment, a non-linear editing suite that features: A Quad-core Macintosh G5 with DVD burner, Final Cut Pro 5.1, as well as DVD Studio Pro, Flash, After Effects and Photoshop. Suite includes a Sony DSR-40 DVCAM deck.
They even have an Animation Suite that features: a custom FAX animation stand (similar to the Oxberry Filmaker Stand). Perfect for two-dimensional animation (paper, cel, collage, sand, etc) or three-dimensional, stop-motion animation.If you can’t afford to use their equipment, you can apply for a grant in which you’d have to make a proposal about the film you’d be making. If you meet a certain criteria, no criminal record, Washington State resident, and things like that. They’ll then decide if your project is worth sponsoring or not.
Their mission as a local film organization is to help local filmmakers not only make their movies but get them shown. Having both theaters and an equipment studio, they're free to do just that. If you’re passionate about artistically driven film not burdened by Hollywood expectations and want to support local Seattle art, The North West Film Forum is for you. And if you’re an aspiring film maker, they're a place you really can't afford to ignore, if they believe in your project they will help you.
Learn more about their programs and events at their website:
nwfilforum.orgEver wonder where the movies come from?
To learn more about the business of running alternative movie theaters, I sat down with Ruth Hayler, head director of Seattle’s Landmark Theaters.
Me: Where do these movies come from? How do you know to get them and from where?
Ruth: I personally will research into the movies getting praised by indie critics. And I attend as many film festivals, like Sundance, as possible. That's how I know what to get. As for how I get them, that's fairly simple. Where a chain owned by a corporation, so other corporations know to contact us about films they want shown. They send us lists on a regular basis. If I want a specific movie, I'll have to contact the studio and get them to send us a copy.
Me: What about the midnight classics shown at The Egyptian. These are old movies no longer being promoted. How do you get and choose those films?
Ruth: The same way we get new ones. Sometimes studios will make a new print of an old movie and send that out to theaters. Sometimes we'll ask them to make a new print of a movie we want, if they think there's enough demand they'll make it. For example, we were recently sent a new 35mm print of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie, because the studio received sufficient demand for it. And it was a big success; we sold a lot of turtle tickets. We also have a very large inventory of classics that we rotate throughout the years, we try to go with what we think might be popular. We noticed a trend in 80's nostalgia in the country, so we ran Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the same month we showed Ghostbusters, both were big hits. We also rely on the staff of the various theaters to give us their input.
Me: These theaters typically only feature one to two films at a time. How do you select which movies go to which theaters?
Ruth: Well, were showing Milk at the Egyptian's regular show times, because the Capitol Hill area is home to a large Gay audience. Here at Seven Gables, we tend to show more niche and special interest films like The Wrestler. Some of our other theaters, like the Neptune or Metro, will get the family films we have.
Me: How do you recommend people learn more about independent films in Seattle?
Ruth: I recommend they visit the North West Film Forum. They're the real independent theater in Seattle.
Get Out There!
Now that you know more about alternative cinema in Seattle, you'll rarely be able to make the excuse that there's nothing playing. In Seattle, there are always multiple options when it comes to seeing a movie, you don’t have to rely on what Hollywood offers you. And you have a variety of different alternative theaters showing different films in all major Seattle areas. It may require a little research on your part, as to what you might like. But once you look into things you'll be surprised by the numerous alternatives in the Seattle Cinema Scene. And if you really don’t like anything that’s out there, you can always go make your own film.
