The Seattle Film Festival returns Oct. 1–4, 2026 for its 11th annual edition at the Tin Room Theater in Burien, bringing together established voices in independent cinema, emerging filmmakers, international work and Pacific Northwest talent.
The festival opens Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. with A Fateful Weekend, directed by Tony Doupé (who also starred in The Maury Island Incident) a family drama set against the weekend of JFK’s assassination.
The Opening Night feature film, The Dulcinée Dialectic, comes from independent filmmaker Tao Ruspoli. The film follows artist Dulcinée DeGuere through questions of creativity, treatment and emotional experience.
The Closing Night feature film, Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies, is written and directed by Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen, Saving Private Ryan) and stars Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, The King’s Speech) alongside Burns. The intimate family drama screens Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:20 p.m. at the Tin Room Theater.Edward Burns and Jennifer Ehle in Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies, the Closing Night feature film of the 2026 Seattle Film Festival.
Cockroach, directed by Justice Singleton and Liliana Padilla, stars Justice Singleton alongside John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). The short begins with a late night encounter that takes an unexpected turn when its characters find themselves hunting a cockroach.
Among this year’s emerging filmmaker spotlights is the science fiction short ACB-223, directed by 18-year-old Quinn Topper Marcus and starring Kipp Marcus. Set against the final days of human civilization, the film brings one of the festival’s youngest directorial voices to an ambitious science fiction story.
The Home is directed by 14-year-old Maxwell Barto Weidenfeld, who also leads a cast including Gillian Jacobs and Lionel Boyce.
Returning high school filmmaker and previous Seattle Film Festival winner Jason Park presents Parasomnia, continuing the festival’s commitment to discovering promising young filmmakers.
French pop artist and actress Melissa Mars brings the horror short Al Mhajba [The Girl in the Veil], filmed in Algeria.
Bad Death, directed by Mexican filmmaker Luis Reyes Cantón, follows a university student whose fascination with crime journalism draws him into photographing nighttime crime scenes and increasingly close to the violence he is studying.
To Dress a Wound from Jenna Hanchard is a poetry driven experimental short exploring Black girl grief, rage, daydreams and generational memory, incorporating Haitian Kreyol, Twi and Lingala into its examination of how history and memory live within the body.Bonding brings a strong ensemble cast to the festival, featuring Jefferson White(Yellowstone),
Tate Donovan, Gloria Reuben, Alexandra Doke, and David Nordstrand in a feature-length thriller.
The festival also features Sound Again from director Carlos R. Correa, We Ride Why from Greg Roth, The Astronaut from director Adam Wells, Baby Sea Turtle from writer and co-director Natalie Gonzalez, and Dotted Line from filmmakers Michael Rognlie and EE Tallent.
A Saturday late night encore screening of Making Megaforce, directed by Bob Lindenmayer and featuring Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), takes place Oct. 3 at 9:20 p.m., celebrating cult film history and independent filmmaking.
The Seattle Film Festival concludes Sunday, Oct. 4 with its annual Awards Show, recognizing filmmakers, performances and achievements across the 2026 program.
Festival Directors William Wayne and Michael Rey lead the 2026 edition, continuing the festival’s focus on filmmaker-driven cinema, discovery and the theatrical experience of seeing independent work with an audience.
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
- WHAT: 11th Annual Seattle Film Festival
- WHEN: Oct. 1–4, 2026
- WHERE: Tin Room Theater, 923 SW 152nd Street, Burien, WA 98166 (map below)
Schedule, tickets and festival information:
www.theseattlefilmfestival.com/2026festival
Instagram: @seattlefilmfestival
2026 FESTIVAL SPONSORS
The Seattle Film Festival gratefully acknowledges the support of its 2026 sponsors: The Tin Room, The Tin Theater, B-Town Blog (South King Media), Maison Ferrand, Citadelle Gin de France, and Planteray Rum.
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