Big Truck Crashes Into Egyptian…TWIST Film Festival Has To Make Adjustments

Damage from a truck accident at SIFF’s Egyptian Cinema in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has caused changes to TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival’s screening schedule. Photo: SIFF

You may have already heard the pooh that there was a nasty accident on Saturday, October 15th at the Egyptian Cinema (Harvard & Pine) on Capitol Hill. A large commercial truck managed to slide under the overhanging marquee in front of the theater and got wedged. When the truck managed to pull free, it caused serious damage to the marquee and the front of the building which is owned by Seattle Central College but leased and managed by the Seattle International Film Festival.

The accident occurred around 1 pm and fortunately no one was injured. TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival has taken over the Egyptian for the week to screen films during this year’s festival. The damage caused by the accident was significant enough that the Fire Marshal ordered that the main entrance to the cinema be closed and as a result of the loss of one of the primary fire exits, the Marshal also reduced the capacity of the Egyptian to only 150 seats.

As a result, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, the producers of the TWIST have had to make some changes for their programming and screening. While some screenings (those that have sold under 150 tickets) have continued at the venue, others have moved across the street to Broadway Performance Hall which is also owned by Seattle Central College. If you have passes or tickets to screenings at the Egyptian for this week, please take a little extra time to get to the screening.

Jason Plourde, the executive director of Three Dollar Bill Cinema issued this statement today to clarify the screening situation for certain films and days. The biggest change: the multi-media/live performance and screening of the locally made documentary THE LONG HAUL about the male strip troupe “The Buckaroos” has been rescheduled for Tuesday, November 1, 2016. And, ALL Wednesday/Thursday screenings will be at Broadway Performance Hall. TWIST screenings at Northwest Film Forum are obviously unaffected.

Jason Plourde:

In the 20+ years of running film festivals, I’ve never experienced a truck hitting the front of a venue. However, the staff has kept TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival running smoothly with just some minor changes:

1. Due to circumstances beyond our control as a result of the damage and decreased capacity limits of the Egyptian we are not enough to contain the sexiness and fabulousness of The Long Haul Live *rescheduled*. So the show has been postponed two weeks to Tuesday, Nov 1, 2016 at 8pm. Ticketholders and Full Series Passholders: your ticket or pass will admit you to the rescheduled event; no exchange is necessary. Info on obtaining refunds coming soon.
2. An extra screening of PARIS 05:59: THEO & HUGO has been added in it’s place. Tues, Oct 18 at 9:30pm. Tickets here:
   http://twist.boldtypetickets.com/…/365…/paris-0559-theo-hugo
3. All Wednesday and Thursday shows originally scheduled at the Egyptian will be held across the street at the Broadway Performance Hall. We’ll see you there for: Out Run – TWIST Centerpiece Film, Lazy Eye, BearCity3, and Third Antenna Screening at Twist!

TWIST moves to AMC Cinemas at Pacific Place for Friday and Saturday screenings (October 21 and 22) and closes out the festival on Sunday, October 23 at the Cinerama with The Pass starring Russell Tovey,

For updates on TWIST and schedule changes, check out the TWIST Facebook page. To buy tickets to TWIST screenings and events, go to their website.