Special Events and Series
Saturday Secret Matinees
Recreate the magic of Saturday matinees from yesteryear. Every Saturday through March 30th, come watch an episode of a classic weekly serial followed by a feature, all on 16mm film!
20th Anniversary Celebration Series
Join us throughout 2024 as we show some of our favorite films celebrating significant anniversaries this year, in celebration of our own significant anniversary: 20 years as a volunteer-operated nonprofit cinema!
Jess Francomania
A never-ending tour celebrating writer/director Jess Franco, presented by Severin Films and The Oscarbate Film Collective. Featuring THE HOUSE OF LOST WOMEN and SINFONÍA ERÓTICA.
MASKING RULES & GUIDELINES
- Masks remain required for weekend screenings before 6pm and for select special event screenings as noted.
- Masks are encouraged for all other screenings, but not required.
- Why are we doing this?
Our aim is to make seeing movies here safe and comfortable for everyone. In addition, the cinema is operated 100% by volunteers and we are trying to keep them healthy!
Now Playing
Coming Soon
Riddle of Fire
- Friday, Apr 5, 2024, 7:00pm
- Saturday, Apr 6, 2024, 4:30pm
- Saturday, Apr 6, 2024, 7:00pm
- Sunday, Apr 7, 2024, 3:30pm
- Sunday, Apr 7, 2024, 6:00pm
- Tuesday, Apr 9, 2024, 7:15pm
- Saturday, Apr 13, 2024, 4:45pm
- Sunday, Apr 14, 2024, 7:30pm
- Tuesday, Apr 16, 2024, 7:15pm
Shot on Kodak 16mm film, this neo-fairytale set in Wyoming, USA follows three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks them to run an errand. On the hunt to obtain her favourite blueberry pie, the children are kidnapped by poachers, battle a witch, outwit a huntsman, befriend a fairy, and bond together to become best friends forever.
*Projected in 35mm April 5-7. All other showings projected digitally.*
“I’ve never seen a film exactly like Weston Razooli’s Riddle of Fire… There are witches, freak folk twins, a hazy color palette that lends everything a lysergic glow–[Razooli] shot the film on 16mm as in the fantastical days of yore–and the kind of Celtic-style lettering for the credits and inter-titles that adds vintage flare to a film otherwise set in the present.” Kathy Fennessy, Seattle Film Blog
“Taking cues from the likes of The Goonies and Stand By Me, with a healthy dose of tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons thrown in for good measure, Weston Razooli’s feature debut celebrates the imagination and possibility that exists in childhood, when something as simple as running an errand for a parent is elevated to mythical quest status… this simple but sweet fairytale is an exuberant adventure with charm to spare.” Hannah Strong, Little White Lies
Singapore Sling – 4K Restoration
- Friday, Apr 5, 2024, 9:30pm
- Saturday, Apr 6, 2024, 9:30pm
- Sunday, Apr 7, 2024, 8:30pm
On a dark and stormy night, Mother and Daughter, a wealthy pair of psychopathic killers with a penchant for murdering their servants, happen upon a badly injured man laying dying in the mud. Bringing him back to their opulent villa, they begin nursing him back to health before subjecting him to every manner of torture imaginable. But as each of the twisted duo develops their own unique interest in their mysterious victim, a perverse love triangle begins to unfold that will lead to shocking revelations. As staggeringly beautiful as it is notorious, Nikos Nikolaidis' acclaimed SINGAPORE SLING is a grotesque, sensual, and altogether unforgettable genre cinema gem from one of Greece's key arthouse auteurs. New 4K restoration from Vinegar Syndrome.
“A film noir unlike any other… this film is not afraid of the taboo. It pushes boundaries with intention and is a must-watch for any noir fans who can stomach it.” Drew Burnett Gregory, Autostraddle
“[An] ultratwisted version of Otto Preminger’s Laura. Features the most beautiful deep-focus black-and-white cinematography you’ve ever seen, plus a good dose of erotic vomiting.” Kier-La Janisse
Francomania: The House of Lost Women
- Wednesday, Apr 10, 2024, 7:30pm
In 1982 – a year in which he reportedly shot 13 films – writer/director Jess Franco created THE HOUSE OF LOST WOMEN, a blithely twisted drama that is equal parts Buñuelian black comedy, over-the-top soap opera, and furiously perverse sex shocker. Starring the director’s muse Lina Romay as a pensive young nymphomaniac whose life on a remote island with her father, stepmother, and mentally-challenged sister seethes with violence, incest and some of the most degenerate scenarios of the entire Franco canon. In what could pass as an early film from Pedro Almodóvar (an admitted fan of this film and its director), Jess Franco makes one of the most fiercely angry and shockingly hilarious films of his career, one that extends forth to the work of filmmakers like John Waters and Todd Solondz, while simultaneously being one of the most handsomely mounted productions in his canon.
In Spanish with English subtitles. Scanned uncut from the original negative. Part of Francomania, a never-ending tour celebrating writer/director Jess Franco, presented by Severin Films and Chicago’s Oscarbate Film Collective.
Get there early! Severin Films will have a pop-up shop in the lobby before the screening, starting at 6:30pm.
Francomania: Sinfonia Erotica
- Thursday, Apr 11, 2024, 7:30pm
At the close of the ‘70s, eminent auteur Jess Franco revisited the works of the Marquis de Sade to create what EuroSleaze historians have called one of the most sexually daring and boldly creative films of his entire career, SINFONÍA ERÓTICA (EROTIC SYMPHONY). When an unstable noblewoman (a fearless performance by Lina Romay) returns to her lavish estate, she will find herself – along with her libertine husband, his male lover, and a young nun with a craving for violation – trapped in a web of unholy hungers and decadent perversions. Susan Hemingway co-stars in this sonata of artsy depravity, featuring a darkly psychedelic score by Franco & Franz Liszt. Reality and fantasy will blur within the confines of this zany haunted house, one that will at times leave the viewer, along with the characters, unsure of what they are witnessing.
In Spanish with English subtitles. Transferred in 4k from an uncut 35mm print donated by The Instituto de la Sexualidad Humana in Madrid. Part of Francomania, a never-ending tour celebrating writer/director Jess Franco, presented by Severin Films and Chicago’s Oscarbate Film Collective.
Get there early! Severin Films will have a pop-up shop in the lobby before the screening, starting at 6:30pm.
Kim’s Video
- Friday, Apr 12, 2024, 7:00pm
- Saturday, Apr 13, 2024, 2:30pm
- Saturday, Apr 13, 2024, 7:15pm
- Sunday, Apr 14, 2024, 3:15pm
- Monday, Apr 15, 2024, 7:30pm
- Wednesday, Apr 17, 2024, 7:30pm
- Thursday, Apr 18, 2024, 7:30pm
Physical media reigns supreme in KIM’S VIDEO, an elegiac tribute to the iconic video store in New York City that inspired a generation of cinephiles before it mysteriously closed its doors and sent its legendary film archive to a small and slightly dubious Sicilian village for “safekeeping.” But what starts as an homage to cinema quickly becomes a rescue mission to ensure the eternal preservation of the beloved video collection.
Please note: The Sunday, April 14th screening will be shown with open captions.
“A rollicking tale of the inextricable bonds between life and art, and the value of ensuring that the latter remains preserved for future generations.” Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
“A film-geek reverie that winds up diving down a rabbit hole of underground intrigue.” Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Robot Ninja and The Dead Next Door Double Feature with Director J. R. Bookwalter
- Friday, Apr 12, 2024, 9:15pm
Join us for a special double feature screening of cult filmmaker J. R. Bookwalter's first two flicks, ROBOT NINJA and THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, followed by an in-person Q&A with Mr. Bookwalter himself!
Kicking off the double feature is a new restoration of ROBOT NINJA. Late one night, frustrated comic book artist Leonard Miller witnesses the brutal rape and murder of a young couple at the hands of ruthless small-town thugs. Seeking vigilante justice, Miller decides to become his most famous character, stalking the night, intent on spilling the blood of any criminal who stands in his way!
Then, in THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, an elite anti-Zombie team is assembled by the Government to cope with an ever-growing undead infection and the religious cult zealots who fanatically protect the festering foes. Bookwalter wrote, produced, and directed this movie starting at the tender age of 19, and it became an odyssey that would take four years to complete, with the uncredited backing of a now-legendary Hollywood director. Shot on Super-8mm, this auspicious debut quickly achieved cult status with horror fans and critics alike.
Please note: Special event ticket pricing is in place to better support Mr. Bookwalter’s travels during his theatrical roadshow.
VHS Uber Alles April 2024
- Saturday, Apr 13, 2024, 9:30pm
Cynthia Rothrock plays a Shaolin monk residing in Nepal who has been given the task of protecting her master (Lam Ching-Ying) and his six year old nephew, the New Living Buddha, from The Evil Abbot. However, as they try to escape to Hong Kong, her master gets assassinated and the child is picked up by two bumbling crooks! Hot on their trail, The Evil Abbot appears in Hong Kong, leading to a final boss battle full of epic fight choreography, wirework, magic animated FX, and “a magnificently psychotic sequence” as the balance between good and evil must be restored!
“One’s enjoyment of [this film] will depend on one’s enjoyment, or tolerance, for Hong Kong comedy….Everything that happens is either just outright bonkers or in bad taste…” Andrew Skeates, Far East Films
“Overall [this film] has some real entertaining fights…you will have to sit through some real bizarre comedy…. A must for martial arts fans.” chrichtonsworld.com
“This is the worst piece of crap I have seen recently. There is only one good thing in this flick, the fights. Avoid it unless you are fan of the dragon lady Cynthia Rothrock.” 1/10 ”Useless movie that was never supposed to exist!” IMDb review
NEVER RELEASED ON DVD! ONLY ON VHS! ONLY $3!
Bye Bye Tiberias: PCRF Charity Screenings
- Sunday, Apr 14, 2024, 5:30pm
- Sunday, Apr 21, 2024, 5:30pm
$5 or more pay-what-you-can ticket pricing! Proceeds from these screenings will go to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), the primary aid org in Gaza, providing medical and humanitarian relief to children and families there.
In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass (SUCCESSION, RAMY, PARADISE NOW) left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her chosen exile, and the way the women in their family influenced both their lives. Set between past and present, BYE BYE TIBERIAS pieces together images of today, family footage from the nineties, and historical archives to portray four generations of daring Palestinian women who keep their story and legacy alive through the strength of their bonds, despite exile, dispossession, and heartbreak.
Palestine’s submission to this year’s Academy Awards. 2024 Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best Documentary. In French and Arabic with English subtitles.
Please note: The April 14th showing is exempt from our masked matinee policy. Though still encouraged, masks are not required for the showing that day.
Additional donations may be made in-person at the times of the screenings. You may also donate directly at any time by going to PCRF’s donation page.
“Bye Bye Tiberias works as a sweeping ode to the importance of witnessing, but it impressively functions just as well as a movingly intimate exploration of the past Abbass has often bottled up.” Lisa Laman, Collider
“A powerful celebration of lives marked by separation, exile and erasure.” Allan Hunter, Screen International
SECS Fest Presents: California Creamin’ – A 16mm Grindhouse Event
- Friday, Apr 19, 2024, 9:30pm
California has long been at the center of the entertainment industry, as it also was for the adult film business during the grindhouse era. For CALIFORNIA CREAMIN', the Seattle Erotica Cinema Society has assembled a program of long-lost, West Coast sex cinema on 16mm. Step into the experience of attending a storefront porn theater during the rise and fall of the adult cinema's Golden Age!
The program will open with a selection of short "beaver" films, set to a psychedelic soundtrack.
The feature is a rarely-seen Golden Age film from 1978--and even more rare as an early example of a hardcore film written and directed by an adult film actress. In this low-budget sex thriller, Sugar is hired to track down a man, played by the hunky Mike Ranger (INSATIABLE, TABOO). But when she finds him, she must decide if her loyalties fall with the criminals that hired her or with a man for whom she has found affection. [Content notice: This feature contains a fictional rape scene.]
This program will be introduced by film and media scholar, David Church, Ph.D., providing historical background on the West Coast adult film scene and 16mm storefront theaters.
PLEASE NOTE: This event is mask mandatory. Please bring a mask. There will also be masks available at the door.
*No one under 18 admitted*