This trio of powerhouse films grapples with, bemoans, and interrogates Seattle’s changing physical landscape. These filmmakers ask: How do we provide an antidote to “placelessness” via intentional, grassroots community spaces?
We begin with BEACON iLL, a kinetic, neon-hued ode to struggling to get by in Beacon Hill, featuring local South End rapper Rell Be Free.
Then we segue into The Beacon, a short from beloved local filmmaking crew Vanishing Seattle. The film profiles the break-dancing studio The Beacon, founded by the iconic hip-hop b-boy crew, Massive Monkees. A community hub for dancers, The Beacon shuttered in 2020 amidst the pandemic. But its triumphant return in 2022 reveals the power of a groove to unite us all. As one dance teacher puts it, “Dance is medicine.”
We close with Visions of Wallingford, a self-aware “community filmmaking project” that initially celebrates, and ultimately questions, Wallingford’s idyllic reputation. Tagging along for a series of walking tours, the viewer listens in on candid conversations with Native elders, urbanist advocates, and unhoused neighbors. What should growth look like in a changing city? Who gets to enjoy Wallingford’s many amenities, and who is left out?
Join us for a thought-provoking, urgent conversation about what Seattle we want for the future.
Watch this program in person at NWFF, Sep. 28 at 7pm. VIRTUAL, IN-PERSON, and HYBRID (virtual AND in-person) Festival Passes and Individual Tickets are available!
In 2013, members of the Massive Monkees, Seattle's acclaimed breaking crew, opened The Beacon Studio in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. After many successful years of growth and development in the dance community, the studio closed in 2020. This is the story of The Beacon's comeback in a city of vanishing mainstays. Vanishing Seattle Films is a documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag. Each film focuses on a small business or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood and community.
This trio of powerhouse films grapples with, bemoans, and interrogates Seattle’s changing physical landscape. These filmmakers ask: How do we provide an antidote to “placelessness” via intentional, grassroots community spaces?
We begin with BEACON iLL, a kinetic, neon-hued ode to struggling to get by in Beacon Hill, featuring local South End rapper Rell Be Free.
Then we segue into The Beacon, a short from beloved local filmmaking crew Vanishing Seattle. The film profiles the break-dancing studio The Beacon, founded by the iconic hip-hop b-boy crew, Massive Monkees. A community hub for dancers, The Beacon shuttered in 2020 amidst the pandemic. But its triumphant return in 2022 reveals the power of a groove to unite us all. As one dance teacher puts it, “Dance is medicine.”
We close with Visions of Wallingford, a self-aware “community filmmaking project” that initially celebrates, and ultimately questions, Wallingford’s idyllic reputation. Tagging along for a series of walking tours, the viewer listens in on candid conversations with Native elders, urbanist advocates, and unhoused neighbors. What should growth look like in a changing city? Who gets to enjoy Wallingford’s many amenities, and who is left out?
Join us for a thought-provoking, urgent conversation about what Seattle we want for the future.
Watch this program in person at NWFF, Sep. 28 at 7pm. VIRTUAL, IN-PERSON, and HYBRID (virtual AND in-person) Festival Passes and Individual Tickets are available!
In 2013, members of the Massive Monkees, Seattle's acclaimed breaking crew, opened The Beacon Studio in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. After many successful years of growth and development in the dance community, the studio closed in 2020. This is the story of The Beacon's comeback in a city of vanishing mainstays. Vanishing Seattle Films is a documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag. Each film focuses on a small business or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood and community.
