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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.

​

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. 

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