Fall is Right Around the Corner!
Upcoming Programs, Services and Events
September -
SJFF 2027 – Open Submissions - 9/7
Best of Fest Free Monthly Film Screening - 9/24
October -
Social Justice Filmmaking for Nonprofits - 10/6 - 10/29
SJFF 2027 – Early Bird Deadline - 10/12
Student Films Showcase - 10/29
November -
SJFF 2027 – Regular Deadline - 11/11
Best of Fest Free Monthly Film Screening - 11/19
December -
SJFF 2027 – Final Deadline - 12/11
Best of Fest Free Monthly Film Screening - 12/17
SJFF Best of Fest Screening - CYCLE
Thursday, September 24, 2026 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Pacific Tower - Panoramic Center - 8th Floor, 98144
Free Event
Award-Winning Documentary Feature
Directors: Laura Dyan Kezman and William Howell
Original Score by: Immortal Girlfriend
Edited by: Laura Dyan Kezman
Director of Photography: Laura Dyan Kezman
CYCLE investigates what happens in the silence between viral cases of police brutality, exposing the system that allows it to repeat. Centering the 2019 Juneteenth Day killing of Ty'rese West—a Black teenager killed by police in a small Wisconsin suburb—the film unearths the quiet unraveling that happens behind closed doors—through courtrooms, sworn depositions, and years of unanswered questions—when a family seeks truth with no headlines to back them.
Featuring interviews with national legal scholars and rare access to the officer’s sworn deposition, CYCLE reveals the raw, often unseen struggle for accountability when there's no video, no headlines, and no public pressure.
Timely, haunting, and already striking a deep chord with audiences, CYCLE breaks through the noise to confront the silence that follows.
For more information contact: marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Free and reduced access supported by 4Culture
Social Justice Documentary Production Course for Nonprofits
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 6th thru October 29th - 9:30am - 12noon, 2026
Where: Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98144, 11th floor, Suite 1105
Cost: $300
This course is for anyone interested in learning how to create a short social justice documentary. Participants will learn how to tell their stories effectively and with visual impact. The class will introduce participants to screen language and sequencing, offering hands-on experience with professional digital video cameras, audio systems, and editing software.
Participants will work together to produce short films, 3 to 4 minutes long, on a social justice topic or issue.
* The class takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 12 noon, with eight sessions scheduled from October 6th to October 29th.
While this is a beginner class, basic knowledge of the Apple operating system and computers is recommended.
The workshop's instructor is teaching artist Sam Hampton, PhD. Sam is the executive director of the Social Justice Film Institute and an award-winning documentary filmmaker (hamptonfilms.com).
* This workshop is limited to 12 participants. Please register early to reserve a spot.
For more information, contact: marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Social Justice Film Institute
Student Showcase Mini Film Festival 2026
Thursday, October 29th, 2026 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Pacific Tower - Panoramic Center - 8th Floor, 98144
Free Event
Hands-on social justice film projects are central to SJFI’s mission. Join us as we celebrate our social justice filmmakers and screen class-based films students have created over the past three years.
This event celebrates past and current social justice production students and the films they have created for nonprofit partners and community members. For many student filmmakers, this is the first film they have ever made.
This event is free and open to the public.
If you have considered taking our Social Justice Filmmaking course, come see what is possible when you join us to create your own film.
Invite your friends, family, and community members to this special event.
This year’s program will feature 15 student-produced short documentaries that highlight social justice stories.
NEW! - Offering Production Services for Nonprofits and Individuals!
SJFI now provides affordable, high-quality audio and video production for Seattle area nonprofits, helping them increase visibility with donors, constituents, and the broader public. We tell the real-life stories and missions of local nonprofits and community-based groups working to transform lives and support communities in need. By working in partnership, we help organizations share stories of transformation that demonstrate the impact of their work.
How to Get Your Film Made by SJFI:
Contact us by phone, email, or through our website.
Talk with us about your organization’s mission and programs.
Develop a strategy for using the film or video effectively.
Set a production schedule and completion date.
Completed Video/Film Production Projects with Seattle Area Nonprofits:
Families Shoulder to Shoulder - Healing from Harm
This short film follows several individuals who experienced harm in their communities. The film explores how people restored their well-being after trauma, including the experience of feeling trapped by gang influence in their own neighborhoods, where fear, threat, and control shaped daily life. Today, these individuals are reclaiming safety, power, and presence while carrying the scars of what they survived.
Gifts of Hope - Rites of Passage: Senegal
Through a collaboration between the Social Justice Film Institute and Gifts of Hope, the 20-minute documentary, Rites of Passage, follows a group of African American students from Seattle on their 10-day journey to Dakar, Senegal.
TeamChild - Legal Youth Services
In partnership with TeamChild, the Social Justice Film Institute produced two short videos highlighting TeamChild’s work to shift power and repair harm in BIPOC communities by expanding equitable access to education, healthcare, and housing support for youth across Washington State.
Costs are determined based on the scope of the project and your organization's budget.
For any questions regarding SJFI production services, please contact:
marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Touring Film Festivals Around the Country - The Pathway to Freedom
Social Justice Film Institute Produced Documentary
The Social Justice Film Institute is now accepting free screening requests!
By hosting an in-person screening with your organization or community group, you can join us on our mission to educate and empower others about social justice. Members of our production team and film subjects are available for discussion before or after film screenings.
Produced by our team at the Social Justice Film Institute, The Pathway to Freedom is a 20min documentary created in collaboration with Families Shoulder to Shoulder. The film follows a mother’s efforts to challenge mass incarceration and advance prison reform in Washington state.
Contact our Program Manager, Marisa Reyes-Pacheco for more information - marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org
Official Selections to Date:
Black Indie Filmmakers Association Film Festival - Houston, TX
The InterCultural Voices Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA
BraveMaker Film Fest - Redwood City, CA
Spokane International Film Festival - Spokane, WA
Maupintown Film Festival - Charlottesville, VA
Black August Film Festival - Pasadena, CA
Seattle Black Film Festival - Seattle, WA
LightReel Film Festival - Washington, DC
Inthrive Film Festival - Richmond, VA
Free and reduced access supported by 4Culture
Listen and learn more about films shown at the
2026 Social Justice Film Festival!
RADICAL FILMS is the Social Justice Film Institute podcast featuring alumni and friends of the Social Justice Film Festival discussing all things related to social justice storytelling. The Social Justice Film podcast was created to explore and share stories about the intersection of social justice and film.