Vanishing Seattle: Queer The Land
After witnessing countless friends and family lose everything to gentrification and displacement, a group of longtime Seattle activists form an organization dedicated to creating community and affordable housing for Queer and Trans People of Color. Four years later, and in the midst of a global pandemic and historic racial reckoning, Queer the Land is finally able to realize their goal with the purchase of a home in the Beacon Hill neighborhood; but soon discover the myriad barriers that lie in their wake. “Vanishing Seattle: Queer the Land” is the story of a changing neighborhood, a tenacious community, and an unwavering dream.
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2024 Jury Award for Best Local Film from Seattle Black Film Festival
2023 Best Documentary Award from Queer Voices: NYC Film Festival
Official Selection: 2023 Local Sightings Film Festival
2023 Tacoma Film Festival
2023 Voices Rising Film Festival (New York)
2023 Wicked Queer Film Festival (Boston)
2023 Northwest Folklife
2024 Way OUT West Film Festival (Albuquerque)
2024 Post Alley Film Festival
Produced and Directed by: Netsanet Tjirongo, Skeleton Coast
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers and Martin Tran
Special thanks: Evana Enabulele, Queer The Land members and Maria Batayola
This film was supported in part by 4Culture
We Are reckless
The last days of reckless video
#VanishingSeattle presents: “We Are Reckless” - the first film in the second Vanishing Seattle documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the hashtag.
“We are Reckless” intimately documents the bittersweet final month of the last family-owned video store in Seattle - celebrating longtime Reckless Video owner Mike Kelley and the film-loving community he nurtured for 30 years. Through poignant interviews with Mike, store employees, and loyal customers, the documentary captures the deep love and appreciation for the store, physical media, and the vibrant sense of community it fostered.
Official Selection: 2023 Local Sightings Film Festival, 2023 Poulsbo Film Festival, 2023 Oregon Documentary Film Festival.
Additional Screenings: Northwest Folklife 2023, Viva Video! at The Grand Illusion Cinema (2024), The Here-After at The Crocodile (2023).
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Directed by: Drew Highlands and CJ Fernandez
Produced by: Cynthia Brothers and Martin Tran
Original Music by: Steven Tran
Edited by: Drew Highlands
Special thanks: Mike Kelly & the store crew for being Reckless!
This film was supported in part by 4Culture
chinatown-international district: bush garden
"Chinatown-International District: Bush Garden" (Updated version) is the sixth and final film in #VanishingSeattle's documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the hashtag.
In addition to being the first karaoke bar in the country, since 1953 Bush Garden has been a hub for connection, celebration, and multiracial/multigenerational organizing. After the historic building was sold to a private developer in 2017, a grassroots fight emerged to save both its history and future as a vital community space.
Directors: Ellison Shieh + Christopher Woon-Chen + Martin Tran
Cinematographers & Editors: Ellison Shieh + Christopher Woon-Chen
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Each episode of the Vanishing Seattle film series focuses on a small businesses or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood. You can also check out the films on Vanishing Seattle’s YouTube Channel, Instagram (IGTV), and Facebook page.
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
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chinatown-international district: four seas/dynasty room
"Chinatown-International District: Four Seas/Dynasty Room" is the fifth film in #VanishingSeattle's documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the hashtag.
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Built in 1962, the Four Seas restaurant and Dynasty Room lounge in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District was a gathering place for people from all walks of life, until its closure in 2017. However, the space is being reactivated to continue to serve and build community for future generations.
Directors | Cinematographer | Editor: Tuyen Than
Producer: Ryan Catabay
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Assistant Editor: Patrick Castillo
Each episode of the Vanishing Seattle film series focuses on a small businesses or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood. You can also check out the films on Vanishing Seattle’s YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook page.
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
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capitol hill arts district
"Capitol Hill Arts District" is the fourth film in #VanishingSeattle's documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the hashtag.
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This film shares the experiences of artists, nonprofit leaders, and small business owners on #CapitolHill as they struggle to maintain a thriving presence for arts and queer culture in the neighborhood.
Directors & Producers: Angela Bernardoni + Laura Jean Cronin
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Director of Photography: Angela Bernardoni
Editor & Sound: Laura Jean Cronin
Additional Camera: Bianca Ramirez
Each episode of the Vanishing Seattle film series focuses on a small businesses or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood. You can also check out the films on Vanishing Seattle’s YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook page.
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
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ballard:
scandinavian specialties
"Ballard: Scandinavian Specialties" is the third film in #VanishingSeattle's documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the hashtag.
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Scandinavian Specialties is the last remaining Nordic-focused retail shop in Ballard, a neighborhood that has grappled with preserving its Scandinavian and working-class history against a backdrop of rapid development and gentrification.
Director/Producer/Cinematographer: Cody Lewis
Producer: Jon Evans
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Editors: Cody Lewis + Stephen Takashima
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Learn more about & support Scandinavian Specialties at www.scanspecialties.com
Each episode of the Vanishing Seattle film series focuses on a small businesses or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood. You can also check out the films on Vanishing Seattle’s YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook page.
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
UNIVERSITY DISTRICT: HARDWICK'S HARDWARE
"University District: Hardwick's Hardware" is the second film in #VanishingSeattle's documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the hashtag.
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Hardwick’s is a 4th-generation independent hardware store in the University District that has supported boat builders, woodworkers, metalsmiths, artists, tradespeople, and countless small businesses, local industries, and Seattleites for nearly nine decades. Hardwick’s Hardware plans to close and move out of state in fall 2020, as they and their customer base are being priced out by a changing Seattle and U District.
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Learn more about & support Hardwick's at www.hardwickandsons.com
Directors: Lisa B. Hammond + Derek Johnson, with support from Kai Films
Producer: Lisa B. Hammond
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
Cinematographers: Lars Larson, Ryan Purcell & Derek Johnson
Editors: Derek Johnson + Ali Scattergood
Audio: Bob Marts, Derek Johnson & Ali Scattergood
Special Thanks To: The Hardwick’s Family & Staff
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Each episode of the Vanishing Seattle film series focuses on a small businesses or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood. You can also check out the films on Vanishing Seattle’s YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook page.
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.
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CENTRAL DISTRICT: WA NA WARI
Vanishing Seattle is excited to present the very first film in our series of shorts that take a deeper dive into the stories of legacy, resistance, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag.
Wa Na Wari is a 5th-generation Black-owned home in Seattle's Central District that creates space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection - amid the context of increasing gentrification in a neighborhood that was once 80% Black.
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Learn more about and support Wa Na Wari at www.wanawari.org.
Directors | Producers | Editors: devon de Leña + CHIMAERA
Executive Producers: Cynthia Brothers + Martin Tran
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Vanishing Seattle Films is supported in part by 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax. Produced in association with Northwest Film Forum.