Traditions define the holiday season; sometimes resulting in a lot of fun, and sometimes trapping us into obligatory events where fun is not even a part of the equation. 

I am so inspired to be a part of these next steps for The Grand Cinema and delighted that we could do this work in partnership with Lincoln High School. We can’t wait to find ways to share the art and skill of storytelling (collaboratively through digital media) with more and more of our neighboring students.

Thank you all for being a part of our community and supporting youth expression, leadership, collaboration, and storytelling. Please join us this Thursday, Friday, or Saturday for the first Lincoln Film Festival.

Much of the richness of Under the Shadow comes from its historical and Islamic inspiration – both a timeframe and culture I know very little about. My perspective (see ignorance) made the story even more compelling. I was deeply curious about all the characters, about their politics, about the War, and about their beliefs. Combining this with a threat whose motivation is tantalizingly unknowable made for a deeply satisfying scare-fest.

Visceral, magical, broad, compassionate, corporeal, the work of directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert is inspired by mortality and human bodies in their every form and function: as expression, as vessel, as something to stick on and in another body.

In this rich subject, the Daniels have found a way to really surprise us, and to explore bodies and their mortality in fascinating, absurd, inspiring, and risible ways.

Swiss Army Man, The Daniels’ first full length feature film, is guided by a deceptively simple concept. A man, stranded and lost, finds a tool that helps him survive, find his way, and thrive. The tweak is that the tool is a magic corpse named Manny: a “swiss army man.” 

Read on to learn more about this fascinating film fable:

Film inspires us at The Grand Cinema to meet as many filmmakers as we can, pick their brains, help them meet other creatives, and showcase their work. 

Obviously, since we’re in Tacoma, we’re particularly invested in our Northwest film community. Beyond our annual film festival, we’re also making more opportunities for filmmakers and artists to meet, connect, and collaborate.

This is the inspiration that led us to create TRACK - our local music video showcase sharing the newest and best in music videos created in the Northwest.

Read on to learn about TRACK 01:

Magically (through the magic of collaboration, to be precise), we pull off incredible, inspiring, unique events at The Grand all the time. This summer is no exception. Thanks to all sorts of cool partners, here's what I'm excited about at (and around) The Grand Cinema over the next few months.

Get updates and information from Grand staff at Art House Convergence and the Sundance Film Festival. Read on!