Scope Screenings 9/24
On a Tuesday night at the SIFF Egyptian, a crowd of mostly young BIPOC creators in the latest styles and trends gather, taking pictures, hugging, and giving daps. It’s an unusual sight for Seattle. The crowd is a mix of fashionistas, designers, photographers, rappers, artists, filmmakers, writers, and hangers-on, creating a vibe that feels more like a typical night out in L.A. But this is Scope Screenings, a monthly event.
Seattle is notorious for not having a "scene"—a place where everyone wants to be seen, where talented, cool, and sometimes just sexy people gather to mix with other talented, cool, and sexy people. There are plenty of reasons for that. Seattle tends to avoid "trying too hard"; no one in the city wants to seem like they care too much. What's cool here is a laid-back nonchalance, a curated sense of casual detachment from whatever is happening. But that detachment can hinder the building of community and the connections that help you make art, music, and film.
Scope Screenings is creating that community. Every month, locally made and produced films are shown to a crowd of peers, mostly consisting of music videos and short news pieces highlighting local groups. Because of the hyper-local nature of the films, the vibe is familial—fans and family show up to support their favorites. People cheer, dance, yell, and laugh out loud, which feels out of place at a typical Seattle event, where such outbursts are often stifled.
Launched in 2022 at the Here-After screening room, Scope Screenings has since expanded to the 570-seat SIFF Egyptian theater. The space is filled with photo booths, an artisanal hot dog stand courtesy of Bigfoot Longs, a confessional booth, and raffles. You’ll also see music video directors hoping to connect with their favorite artists, selfie-snapping would-be influencers, filmmakers nervously awaiting their debut on the big screen, and a few out-of-place middle-aged white people.
The event is hosted by the stylish Lex Scope, the founder of Scope Screenings. The vibe feels like an underground party, and Lex’s ability to make everyone feel welcome while managing the entire event is impressive. He has the personality of someone distinctly not from Seattle, a warmness that is coupled with a drive to achieve. In a brief conversation, we talked how Seattle can lull you into a false sense of comfort if you're not careful. Without the celebrity culture of L.A. or the intense drive for success in NYC, it can feel like there's no urgency to achieve. There's less fear of public failure here, and the city’s nonchalance means that even if you do fail, it’s fine—no one really cares. That can be both a blessing and a curse. If you're not careful, you can become complacent, stuck in a place of stasis where you’re not creating anything new, exciting, or challenging. Too many artists have fallen into that comforting trap of uninspiring work that stagnates for years. But by building a scene of young, hungry creatives who work together and motivate each other to grow, Seattle has the potential to shake itself out of that funk.
If I can say one thing about Scope Screenings, it's that something that the Film Industry in Seattle has been thirsty for a long time. It's something that the powers that be in Seattle's film scene have been trying to tap into for years. Constant conversations have been happening behind closed doors about how to find the BIPOC film community, how to build up the young film community, how to connect to a film audience that’s neither white nor over 50. Year after year these Zoom meetings, Office of Arts and Culture roundtables, and Washington Filmworks meetings discuss the solution for this puzzle, spinning their wheels without much success. While they've been reserving a seat at their table, the BIPOC creatives of Seattle have been busy building their own.
This month's iteration of Scope Screenings featured a range of local talent, including the music video “$ On the Line” by Alexis Brooke, directed by Christian Garvida, and the music video “Televised” by Nobi, directed by Lily Grace. The commercial "You Look Good" for the company Basics was directed by Bakari Hayes, and “The Town Built on Cannabis: Area 420,” a documentary preview directed by Luc Carlin, was also shown. Additionally, the music video for “Pretty Girls Deserve the Sun” by LIVt, directed by Sandra Garceo, and a news segment on the Black to Equality Coalition by Converge Media were screened.
Other notable works included the music video “Talk to Me” by Solywop, directed by Landoe Lamont, a documentary short by Converge Media covering the Day of Remembrance Gathering, the music video “With and Without” by Ben Dyleuth, the music video “On the Run” by Kenshi Killzz, directed by Ezra Bantum, and the short film “My Mother’s Voice” by Chrishenda Dawkins.
Most of these films were made in Seattle, proving that, with or without the approval of Seattle’s film establishment, filmmakers are still creating and building the community they have historically been excluded from.
If there’s one thing I can say about Scope Screenings, it’s that something special is happening here. It’s the very thing Seattle’s film industry has been trying to tap into for years. While the industry reserved a seat at their table, Seattle’s BIPOC creatives have been busy building their own.
If you're looking for a group of out-of-the-box filmmakers and creatives, want to join a crew of someone you admire, or just want to be a part of the future of Seattle's film scene, Scope Screenings is the place to be. Just remember to dress to impress.
Tickets on sale for October’s Scope Screening: https://www.lexscopefilms.com/scopescreenings
