Open Caption Screenings

SIFF is excited to bring more open caption screenings to better welcome deaf and hard of hearing audiences, as well as anyone who benefits from viewing captions. We present as many films as possible with open captions every Tuesday and during Sunday matinees.

WHAT ARE OPEN CAPTIONS?

Open captioning is when the dialogue and sounds of a film are written as text that is overlaid on the film image for anyone in the audience to see. It is considered passive assistance, a service that is there to use or ignore.

We understand that open captions can be distracting for those who are not accustomed to using them, but in the spirit of making SIFF accessible for all cinephiles we appreciate your consideration for those who need open captions.

OPEN CAPTIONS vs. CLOSED CAPTIONS vs. SUBTITLES

As explained above, open captioning is when the dialogue and sounds of a film are written as text that is overlaid on the screen. Closed captioning is when dialogue and sounds of a film are visible through a single, personal device. Closed captioning availability differs per film and venue. Subtitles are the on screen translation from different languages which only translate dialogue and do not include audio descriptions like open and closed captioning.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES

All SIFF Cinema venues and Seattle International Film Festival external venues will remain equipped with Assistive Listening devices on days when open captioning is not offered. Check-in with the Cinema or Festival Venue Manager to locate the devices at your venue.

All SIFF Cinema venues and Seattle International Film Festival external venues are equipped with Closed Captioning and Descriptive Listening devices, but services may vary per film. Call 206-464-5830 for more information.

Assets & Liabilities

USA | 2026 | 62 min. | Zach Weintraub

Tacoma-based director Zach Weintraub’s fictional counterpart—also named Zach—is a burnt-out suburban dad who is taken on a wild supernatural odyssey when he meets a skater kid at the park who reminds him of his younger, more idealistic self.

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The Best Summer

USA | 2026 | 84 min. | Tamra Davis

A found-footage documentary from a 1995 concert tour featuring live performances, candid interviews, and a behind-the-scenes look at life on tour with Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Beck, Pavement, Rancid, The Amps, and Bikini Kill.

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Cookie Queens

USA | 2026 | 91 min. | Alysa Nahmias

This charming SXSW Film & TV Festival Audience Award-winning documentary profiles four resolute girls through Girl Scout Cookie season as they find their place in the $800 million phenomenon.

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If I Go Will They Miss Me

USA | 2026 | 92 min. | Walter Thompson-Hernández

Expanded from an award-winning Sundance short, Walter Thompson-Hernandez infuses empathy in this lyrical feature about a sensitive boy in Watts who constructs a mythological imagination for his family, contrasting sharply with their complicated reality.

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The Life We Leave

USA | 2026 | 87 min. | JJ Gerber

An ambitious entrepreneur and two funeral directors pioneer a groundbreaking eco-friendly deathcare facility in Washington state, challenging traditional burial practices and transforming end-of-life rituals.

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Maintenance Artist

USA | 2025 | 95 min. | Toby Perl Freilich

Overlooked acts like maintaining a house by doing dishes or maintaining a city by picking up garbage can be seen as performance art, or so says Mierle Laderman Ukeles, the first-ever artist in residence at the New York City Department of Sanitation.

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