As Anora director Sean Baker celebrated wins for five Academy Awards including best picture Sunday night, he called on filmmakers to “keep making movies for the big screen.”

Capitol Hill’s biggest screen will soon be able to light up again.

This week marks four months since the Seattle Central College of Fine Arts Building, home to the 570-seat SIFF Cinema Egyptian movie theater was shuttered following a devastating water leak in the building’s fourth floor mainline. The leak damaged several floors of the five-story, 110-year-old structure which houses the former Masonic Temple where SIFF Cinema Egyptian operates.

(Image: SIFF)

Unlike so many indefinite challenges that slowly become permanent, the plot for the Egyptian is setting up for a triumphant comeback.

“Restoration efforts are underway and are expected to be completed by March 2025, with occupancy anticipated in April 2025,” an SCC spokesperson tells CHS.

“We’re committed to ensuring a safe and timely reopening of the Fine Arts building, which sustained damage due to a faulty component in the fire suppression system.”

The water damage impacted the SCC-owned building’s electrical systems, finishings, flooring, baseboards, elevators, and the fabric ceiling in the Egyptian Theater, according to the spokesperson.

Classes in the Fine Arts building were relocated to the Broadway Edison Building, Broadway Performance Hall, and online.

“The repairs are covered through an Emergency Contract approved by the Department of Enterprise Services for a little over $1 million,” the SCC spokesperson added. “The contract includes assessment, supervision, and repairs such as flood water mitigation, air/moisture testing, drying, and repairs to the systems listed above.”

If the building reopens as planned in April, the Egyptian Theater would possibly be ready in time to be part of the upcoming Seattle International Film Festival, which runs May 15-25 at SIFF’s venues. SIFF did not respond to a request for comment from CHS.

UPDATE: SIFF tells CHS the Egyptian won’t be ready in time to be part of the 2025 festival but to stay tuned for updates on the re-opening process.

SIFF does not currently have a reopening date to share for SIFF Cinema Egyptian, and there are currently no plans for the venue to be included in this year’s Seattle International Film Festival in May. The timeline to reopen for our organization’s operations will extend past SCC’s initial repairs as SIFF will need to then assess our own equipment in the space and work with vendors, staff, and others to properly reopen and run the theater. SIFF will share the reopening timeline as soon as that information is available, as we are eager to reopen this beloved venue as soon as possible.

“We are deeply appreciative of the community’s support and patience while this work continues,” SIFF said in a statement to CHS.

On January 14, SIFF noted that details on a reopening date will be shared as information becomes available. In 2014, SIFF signed a 10-year lease with Seattle Central College to operate the theater. That lease was extended for five years in October 2024.

A GoFundMe campaign launched on November 8 has raised over $10,000 for SIFF Cinema Workers Union employees impacted by the Egyptian’s closure. Similarly, the Northwest Film Forum, located a few blocks away at 1515 12th Ave, hosted a benefit on November 13, offering movie-goers a “VERY secret and VERY good” screening (and free popcorn) in exchange for donating to the fundraiser.

“I don’t know if [SIFF Cinema Egyptian’s closure] had a direct effect, but we are currently having our best quarter of ticket sales in over two years,” NWFF executive director Derek Edamura told CHS.

“We had amazing sales in January for Sundance Shorts, and this month, we have had incredible runs of Sing Sing and No Other Land.”

Edamura says NWFF is helping rebuild movie theater audiences.

“I think we are programming films that we know will draw and being very intentional about the other films that we take a chance on,” Edamura said. “We are also building in more opportunities for partnerships with organizations like Seattle Documentary Association, Grand Illusion Cinema, and Seattle Film Society.”

With hope, starting in April, Capitol Hill’s biggest movie screen will rejoin the show.

The SIFF Egyptian is located at 805 E Pine. Learn more at siff.net.

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