Tacoma on Film

On July 15, Tacoma’s Grand Cinema opened its doors to 50 independent film fans who were eager to get a sneak peek of the upcoming Tacoma Film Festival. Three Northwest films were previewed as part of the event, in addition to a stop-motion film from the UK, The Eagleman Stag. Opening on Oct. 6, the festival will feature nearly 100 films, which will be shown in venues throughout the city, including Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma School of the Arts and UW–Tacoma’s Carwein Auditorium.

1  Theater patrons watch attentively during Otis v. Monster, an animated film that won the Best Regional Film award at the 2009 Tacoma Film Festival.  

2  Director Garrett Bennett answers questions about his film, Shuffle, a 20-minute suspense thriller that was filmed in downtown Seattle over three days. 

3  Local restaurants provided the party with food and drink.

4  The Grand Cinema in downtown Tacoma is a nonprofit arthouse theater that boasts low ticket prices and three screens. It will be among the film festival’s many venues in October. 

5  Grand Cinema’s director of community development Rachel Marecle (left) and festival director Emily Alm are gearing up for this year’s festival.