ABOUT US

Post Alley Film Festival (originally The Market Cinema Fest) is the brainchild of former Pike Place Market marketing director, Andrew Krueger. With the aid of filmmaker Virginia Bogert (www.laughingdogpictures.com) and Pike Market Childcare and Preschool, Krueger launched the one-day festival in 2003 at the Market Theater to raise funds for the childcare center. In 2005, Bogert, Vice President of Women in Film/Seattle, proposed that WIF/Seattle become an on-going partner of the event. It seemed a perfect match.

The festival quickly became a showcase for creative, emerging filmmakers in Seattle and focused on a wide variety of homegrown short films in its first year. Films range from drama to documentary, experimental and animation. In its second year, the festival showcased women filmmakers. Post Alley Film Festival is not restricted to screening only women’s work, but it is a venue for female perspectives, and it encourages submissions focusing on female subject matter. The festival now also welcomes submissions from beyond the Evergreen state as well as US boarders.

Post Alley Film Festival is small, but growing; therefore, judging is very selective. Some films are solicited by the curator; other submissions are judged by a review panel of Seattle film industry professionals. The festival screens about two dozen hand-picked short films ranging from 5 to 20 minutes in length.

Past screenings: In 2003, the festival offered the first public sneak-peak at the award-winning documentary, The Heart of the Game, by filmmaker Ward Serrill. The preview was screened here before the feature length showed at Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and Toronto Film Festival in 2005. The Heart of the Game is the story of a girls rowdy high-school basketball team and focuses upon one player's fight to regain her eligibility. Proclaimed the sleeper hit of the Toronto Film Festival by Roger Ebert, The Heart of the Game was picked up by Miramax in Sept. 2005 for a reported one million dollars. And you saw it here first!

Each year Post Alley Film Festival also selects a few outstanding SIFF Fly Films to add to its program. These are films written, produced and edited under short time constraints, or “on the fly.” The Flys are a yearly occurrence at SIFF and are some of the most ingenious films SIFF offers. The PAFF program includes other award winners and a smattering of “first” films.

Post Alley Film Festival seeks the intriguing, the wacky, the bold, and we stand up for classic, elegant filmmaking. This is an Indy town and movies are our passion. What better way to raise money for good causes than by watching movies? (Please note: The films benefit children, but that does not mean they are for children.)

The festival was formerly held in October but has moved to February because Seattleites have a hard time staying indoors when the sun shines, and it usually does in October.

Since 1982, Pike Market Child Care and Preschool has provided quality child-care in the heart of downtown Seattle at Pike Place Market for families earning low to moderate incomes. Families in the program pay on a sliding scale based on family size and income. Over 80% of the families receive financial assistance. They have the opportunity to work, job search or go to school, confident in the knowledge that their children are safe and well cared for. Children in the program build the social and learning skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. PMCP is licensed and accredited nationally and in the City of Seattle and the State of Washington. PMCCP's credo: Respect all cultures, work against bias, celebrate diversity, because this philosophy best prepares children to live in a diverse society. Families share ideas, talents, stories and cultures. Communication and mutual respect between families and staff form the basis of healthy, strong relationships. Children learn through interacting with friends, the environment and play.

Pike Market Child Care & Preschool believes that all children deserve access to high quality care in a diverse and supportive environment. www.pikemarketkids.org

Women in Film / Seattle is a professional organization serving Pacific NW women since 1990 and is one of the 40 chapters of Women in Film and Television (WIFTI). WIFTI is a global network of over 10,000 members dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in the entertainment industries. WIF exists to promote, support and mentor members through valuable programs, contacts and events. WIF presents screenings, workshops and seminars all focused on the film and entertainment industry and related media. WIF/Seattle is a co-presenter of Post Alley Film Festival.

(Information about WIF/Seattle is taken from the organization’s web site.)

For more information visit www.womeninfilm-seattle.org