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20 years of independence at Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum comes as director plans exit

Lyall Bush at the forum's 20th anniversary gala (Image: Elisa Huerta-Enochian with permission to CHS)

Lyall Bush at the NWFF’s 20th anniversary gala. He’s stepping down as director of the nonprofit in September.  (Image: Elisa Huerta-Enochian with permission to CHS)

For 20 years, the Northwest Film Forum has gathered people on Capitol Hill around a common love of making, watching, and learning about independent film and executive director Lyall Bush has been there from the beginning. After watching the NWFF grow from a small film equipment collective into an invaluable arts asset for the city and seven years of steering the ship, Bush is now planning an exit for a new director to make their mark.

Bush announced on Thursday he would be stepping down from his post this September.

“You take stock, at that point, and ask what you want to be doing, and in a sense our 20th anniversary is a good chance for the organization to hit the refresh button (so to speak) as well,” Bush told CHS in an email. “It’s a chance for the whole operation to write a new strategic plan, craft new vision, and keep independent filmmaking going for another couple of decades.”

Bush’s announcement came on the same day that writer, director, and NWFF board member Megan Griffiths was announced as the recipient of the 10th annual Mayor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film. Griffiths’ latest film, Lucky Them, featured scenes filmed in the heart of Capitol Hill in 2013.

Even as the city’s biggest force in film seems rejuvenated and as vital as ever on Capitol Hill with its 41st annual festival kicking off here and around Seattle this week, there are no guarantees of sustainability for smaller champions of film arts.

In 2013, CHS looked at the future of film on Capitol Hill including NWFF and 21st Ave's Central Cinema (Image: Elisa Huerta-Enochian)

In 2013, CHS looked at the future of film around Capitol Hill including NWFF and 21st Ave’s Central Cinema (Image: Elisa Huerta-Enochian with permission to CHS)

As it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2015, the NWFF can confidently claim its place among Seattle’s arts institutions, though it was far from a sure thing. At the height of the recession in 2009, a $70,000 budget shortfall nearly brought an end to the to the nonprofit. At the time, Bush sent out a public plea for support and was able to gather $44,000 in two weeks to keep the lights on.

This year’s anniversary will make for a special Local Sightings Film Festival, the forum’s annual festival that celebrates Pacific Northwest films and filmmakers, which kicks off September 24th. Meanwhile, the 41st annual SIFF will hold its opening gala Thursday May 14th ahead of a month of film on Capitol Hill and across the city. The NWFF is not a part of the festival, but Bush said he looks forward to the day when the the two can join forces.

That’s when Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer entered the picture…

NWFF traces its origin to the 1995 launch of WigglyWorld Studios, a post-production outfit that got its start on Capitol Hill. At the time, Bush was working as a film editor and was brought on as the group was primarily interested in forming a repository for film equipment.

The organization quickly grew into other aspects of film, including teaching and screening. Co-founders Jamie Hook and Deborah Girdwood — along with Michael Seiwerath, now at Capitol Hill Housing — began exploring an expansion into their own theater.

That’s when Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer entered the picture along with some deep pocket donors. After changing its name, the nonprofit took over management of the U-Districts’ Grand Illusion Theatre in 1997. Two years later, it opened the The Little Theatre at 19th and Mercer. Hanauer remains involved, by the way, serving on the NWFF board.

As it grew, so did the NWFF’s hectic schedule of events. This excellent history of the organization gives a taste of what it was like in the Summer 2003:

Each day from 8am to 3pm there was a youth filmmaking class in The Little Theatre. At 3pm sharp, the teenage filmmakers left and the cast of Point Break Live ran in the theater for a quick rehearsal, only to get pushed out at 5 for two Childish Film Festival screenings. As kids and parents left the lobby, they were confronted with a rowdy, beer drinking crowd for Point Break Live at 8. With the space completely trashed, everyone went home after midnight, only to have to return at 7am to clean up before the next day’s workshops.

Recognizing that they needed a space to house everything under one roof, the NWFF consolidated its efforts in 2004 into its current home on 12th Ave.

Since then, the theater has become well known as a place to see films to showcase the deep tradition of classical cinema. In 2013, the forum turned towards its biggest fans to make the leap into digital. The next leap, Bush said, will be moving screenings online.

Bush envisions that one day soon, a revamped NWFF website will act as the organization’s “third cinema” in addition to its two traditional screens. “We want to reimagine how people can see new and innovative work online,” he said.

When not running NWFF’s day-to-day operations, Bush spends time teaching film history at the forum and at Seattle University. He told CHS one of his favorite scenes to break down with a class is this “magical, simple, vaguely documentary” scene from Jean Luc Godard’s “My Life to Live.”

Film classes have become a key component of NWFF’s mission — the organization has tripled its kids class enrollment in recent years and is planning on rolling out a year-long filmmaking program this fall. Classes run the gamut of filmmaking, including
conception, writing, lighting, directing, and acting.

Around half of NWFF’s revenue is generated through ticket sales, popcorn, class fees, and renting gear while grants and donations make up the other half. But what makes that all fall into place is the forum’s enduring indie spirit.

“If you’re going to making films independently, your going to be pressing against the form,” Bush said. “Nobody else stands for that with as much rigor.”

The Northwest Film Forum is located at 1515 12th Ave. You can learn more at nwfilmforum.org.

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[…] Earlier this year, CHS talked with outgoing NWFF director Lyall Bush about his exit and the history of the film-focused organization: […]