Special Events and Series

We’re Moving!

Our lease was not renewed in 2025 and we have moved out of 1403 NE 50th. Plans are underway to relocate the cinema and we need your help to build an even grander Grand Illusion!

Now Playing

David Lynch: The Art Life

Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm · 2016
88min · digital
  • Monday, Apr 21, 2025, 8:15pm
  • Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025, 6:30pm
  • Monday, Apr 28, 2025, 6:30pm
  • Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025, 8:15pm

Screening location: Northwest Film Forum – 1515 12th Ave, Seattle

A rare glimpse into the mind of one of cinema’s most enigmatic visionaries, DAVID LYNCH: THE ART LIFE offers an absorbing portrait of the artist, as well as an intimate encounter with the man himself. From his secluded home and painting studio in the Hollywood Hills, a candid Lynch conjures people and places from his past, from his boyhood to his experiences at art school to the beginnings of his filmmaking career—in stories that unfold like scenes from his movies. This remarkable documentary by Jon Nguyen, Rick Barnes, and Olivia Neergaard-Holm travels back to Lynch’s early years as a painter and director drawn to the phantasmagoric, while also illuminating his enduring commitment to what he calls “the art life”: “You drink coffee, you smoke cigarettes, and you paint, and that’s it.”

Part of To Live Is To Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch.

“This cockeyed, oblique attempt to get closer to the worldview of David Lynch—one of American cinema’s finest oddities—is a compelling slice of cinephile inquiry.” Christina Newland, RogerEbert.com

“Extravagantly surreal as the products of [Lynch’s] imagination may be, they are deeply rooted in personal history and philosophy — and it’s this connection that Jon Nguyen’s disarmingly off-kilter documentary probes to rewarding effect.” Guy Lodge, Variety

The Short Films of David Lynch

David Lynch
65min · digital
  • Monday, Apr 21, 2025, 6:30pm
  • Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025, 8:45pm
  • Monday, Apr 28, 2025, 8:45pm
  • Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025, 6:30pm

Screening location: Northwest Film Forum – 1515 12th Ave, Seattle

2K digital restorations of six short films by Lynch: "Six Men Getting Sick" (1967), "The Alphabet" (1968), "The Grandmother" (1970), "The Amputee" Version 1 and Version 2 (1974), and "Premonitions Following an Evil Deed" (1995).

Part of To Live Is To Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch.

“This collection shows [Lynch] producing some real gems under massive constraints, both financial and artistic.” David Moats, The Quietus

“Lynch’s shorts provide an insightful look at not only his common narrative themes and motifs, but also his filmmaking and narrative style, as well as the evolution of his artistry.” Peyton Brock, Collider

Coming Soon

The Elephant Man

David Lynch · 1980
124min · digital
  • Monday, May 5, 2025, 7:00pm
  • Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 7:00pm
  • Monday, May 12, 2025, 7:00pm
  • Tuesday, May 13, 2025, 7:00pm

Screening location: Northwest Film Forum – 1515 12th Ave, Seattle

45th anniversary! With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft-tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well. As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship. Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller, THE ELEPHANT MAN was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch’s reputation as one of American cinema’s most visionary talents.

Part of To Live Is To Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch.

“I sometimes think that John Hurt’s performance in the title role of David Lynch’s sublime biography of Joseph Merrick (renamed John in the script) is the greatest piece of film acting I’ve ever seen… From the proto–Laura Palmer locket photo of Merrick’s mother that opens the film to its droning sound design and morbidly transcendent ending, [The Elephant Man] is like a template for three decades’ worth of brilliant variations.” Adam Nayman, The Ringer

The Elephant Man is a very pleasurable surprise.” Pauline Kael

“This is a tale of redemption and transcendence, of the hunchback of London Hospital, of the noble phantom who wanted to go to the opera, of Beauty and the Beast. In Treves’ account, though, the Beast was a Beauty. In Lynch’s hands, so is this film.” Richard Corliss, TIME

Pink Narcissus – New 4K Restoration

James Bidgood · 1971
70min · 4K DCP
  • Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 7:30pm

Screening location: Here-After (21+) – alley entrance, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle

“A benchmark of underground gay cinema” (The New York Times), newly restored. Co-presented by SECS Fest!

A handsome, self-involved, and brooding young sex worker (Bobby Kendall) escapes the realities of his street life through a series of fantasies of incredible beauty. Obsessed with his own perceived perfection, he lives in a dreamworld of captivating colors, magnificent music, elaborate costumes and strikingly attractive males. In a series of eye-popping sequences he imagines himself in a variety of intense roles – from matador to Roman slave to harem leader – with his room as an exquisite jewel-encrusted retreat.

But reality constantly intrudes through the depraved lives of the other street people, the harsh and ugly sounds outside, and visits from his “johns”. Ultimately, his narcissistic enchantment with his own beauty and lifestyle is marred by one great fear – aging and loss of his youth. At once phantasmagoric and kaleidoscopic, the stunning new restoration of this ‘70s underground sensation burns just as bright – if not brighter.

The feature presentation will be preceded by a Best of SECS Fest 2024 short, “Angelo” by Helias Doulis.

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building. Get there early to order tasty beverages from the bar and delicious food from Tat’s Deli!

“A kind of gay Fantasia, part underground extravaganza, part romantic p**n.” The Village Voice

“I love this film… A testament to independent filmmaking.” Gus Van Sant

“As beautiful and timeless as The Wizard of Oz.” John Waters

“One of the greatest films of the 20th century.” Guy Maddin

Demons – 4K Restoration

Lamberto Bava · 1985
89min · 4K DCP
  • Monday, May 19, 2025, 7:30pm

Screening location: Here-After (21+) – alley entrance, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle

A beautiful restoration of the cult classic horror movie in honor of its 40th anniversary!

Welcome to the most life-enriching Italian terror-party of 1985. Produced by Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA) and directed by Lamberto Bava, DEMONS follows a panorama of punks, preppies, and ne’er-do-wells as they get trapped in a movie theater and possessed by gut-shredding Satanic demonoids. Featuring songs by Mötley Crüe and Billy Idol, gloopy effects, and the iconic Geretta Geretta in a lead role, this is the most fun you’ll ever have in a movie theater while watching a movie about beasties on the loose in a movie theater.

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building. Get there early to order tasty beverages from the bar and delicious food from Tat’s Deli!

Demons is a monument to the horror genre’s potential for Grand Guignol beauty.” Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine

“This is a classic party movie that you have to watch with friends and a load of beer because you will not be bored at all… Bava’s horror film is a cinematic masterpiece, pure and simple.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

Meditation, Creativity, Peace

David Lynch · 2012
105min · digital
  • Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 7:00pm

Screening location: Here-After (21+) – alley entrance, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle

Free screening! RSVP via the “Buy Tickets” button.

MEDITATION, CREATIVITY, PEACE follows David Lynch on a 16-country tour of Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America to spread the word about the individual and global impact of meditation. With equal parts wit and passion, the documentary shows Lynch’s commitment to Transcendental Meditation as a way of changing the world, starting from within.

The film also offers rare insight into Lynch’s creative process through interviews and revealing moments from the tour.

The feature will be preceded by a special half hour compilation of clips and shorts! And be sure to arrive early to claim your seat, grab a tasty beverage from the bar, order delicious food from Tat’s Deli, and enjoy a pre-show full of David Lynch-directed music videos!

Part of To Live Is To Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch.

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building.

“[Meditation, Creativity, Peace] will surely interest Lynch’s most devoted fans, whose number is not trivial, and is an intriguing present-day look at a practice whose popularity peaked when the Beatles discovered it.” The Hollywood Reporter

Hundreds of Beavers

Mike Cheslik · 2024
108min · DCP
  • Thursday, Feb 27, 2025, 8:00pm
  • Thursday, Mar 27, 2025, 8:00pm
  • Thursday, Apr 24, 2025, 8:00pm
  • Thursday, May 29, 2025, 8:00pm

Screening location: Central Cinema – 1411 21st Ave, Seattle

A dam good time at the movies! Fifteenth encore screening!

Our friends at Central Cinema are generously helping us keep the beavers gnawing away while we search for a new home. 60% of ticket sales go to our relocation fund!

In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

Created by Mike Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, the duo behind the modern cult hit LAKE MICHIGAN MONSTER (2018).

Named one of the 10 best movies of 2024 by Ty Burr of The Washington Post and Amy Nicholson of The Los Angeles Times.

“Starts strange, gets stranger, and yet remains resolutely adorable… embraces the defiant glee of art cinema and distills it into something so thoroughly pure and sincere that it is surely hard not to fall in love with it.” Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

“It’s sure to develop a significant cult following with its unique mix of silent-era slapstick, animation elements, theme-park-style critter costumes, and general air of inspired absurdity.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Steroidally swollen with gags and smarts.” Guy Maddin

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset double feature

Richard Linklater · 1995/2004
181min · digital
  • Monday, Jun 16, 2025, 6:30pm

Screening location: Northwest Film Forum – 1515 12th Ave, Seattle

Richard Linklater's classic romance, BEFORE SUNRISE, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Join us for a double feature of it and the beloved follow-up, BEFORE SUNSET, on June 16th, the date Jesse and Céline first came into each others' lives.

BEFORE SUNRISE opens with a chance encounter between two solitary young strangers. After they hit it off on a train bound for Vienna, the Paris university student Céline (Julie Delpy) and the scrappy American tourist Jesse (Ethan Hawke) impulsively decide to spend a day together before he returns to the U.S. the next morning. As the pair roam the streets of the stately city, Linklater’s tenderly observant gaze captures the uncertainty and intoxication of young love, from the first awkward stirrings of attraction to the hopeful promise that Céline and Jesse make upon their inevitable parting.

In the breathtaking follow-up, Céline tracks down Jesse, now an author, at the tail end of his book tour in Paris, with only a few hours left before he is to board a flight back home to the States. Meeting almost a decade after their short-lived romance in Vienna, the pair find their chemistry rekindled by increasingly candid exchanges about professional setbacks, marital disappointments, and the compromises of adulthood. Impelled by an urgent sense of the transience of human connection, BEFORE SUNSET remains Richard Linklater’s most seductive experiment with time’s inexorable passage and the way love can seem to stop it in its tracks.

“Taken together–which they should be–Before Sunrise and Before Sunset make up one of the supreme movie romances of the post-’80s era, an affair of the film and flesh to make the heart leap and the mind dance.” Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos (with Harley Flanagan in-person)

Rex Miller · 2024
96min · DCP
  • Monday, Jun 30, 2025, 6:30pm
  • Monday, Jun 30, 2025, 9:00pm

Screening location: Here-After (21+) – alley entrance, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle

Exclusive screenings of the brand new documentary about Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan, with Harley and his wife and manager, Laura Flanagan, joining for in-person Q&As after each showing!

Founder of the pioneering band Cro-Mags and a legend of the NYC Hardcore scene, Harley Flanagan is a punk rock icon who has defied the odds and come out the other side. But while his career has been a no-holds-barred ride, WIRED FOR CHAOS isn’t just about the music, it’s about a man forged in fire – a survivor of neglect, sexual abuse, drugs, violence and PTSD – who’s lived to tell the tale.

Featuring interviews with Henry Rollins, Flea, Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains, and more!

Please note: Here-After is a 21 and over establishment. The entrance is via the alley in back of The Crocodile building. Get there early to order tasty beverages from the bar and delicious food from Tat’s Deli!

“Chances are if it happened in New York and it was important and interesting, Harley Flanagan was somewhere in the room.” Anthony Bourdain

“This film floored me… It’s a glorious portrait of the human spirit and of a person’s ability to change for the better.” Steve Kopian, Unseen Films