When we told you a month ago about West Seattle filmmaker Francine Strickwerda‘s award-winning film “Ultimate Citizens“ screening at SIFF, the showings were only scheduled off-peninsula. But now you have a chance to see it at Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) – thanks to a local school team! The screening is 6:30 pm this Wednesday (June 12). It’s organized by Lafayette Elementary‘s first-ever Ultimate Frisbee team, in partnership with the filmmaker. From the announcement:

ULTIMATE CITIZENS is the story of Mr. Jamshid, a Seattle primary school counselor who uses the sport of Ultimate Frisbee to help immigrant and refugee children find belonging on their way to compete in the world’s largest youth tournament. Please join us for a special screening of this inspiring and award-winning documentary, fresh from the Seattle International Film Festival. Filmmaker Q&A to follow the screening. Bring your family, your Ultimate Frisbee team, or your school class! Tickets are $10.

One showing only – buy your ticket(s) by going here.

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That’s the trailer for “Ingress,” a sci-fi movie written and directed by Bainbridge Island filmmaker Rachel Noll James that’s about to be shown for a week at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater (2343 California SW). Noll James also stars in “Ingress,” which she summarizes as: “A woman who can move between parallel realities loses her husband tragically and must overcome past trauma to travel the multiverse once again and find her way into a reality where he is still alive.” She tells WSB that “Ingress” was entirely filmed on Bainbridge, and since she’s so close by, “I will be attending to do a talkback about the filmmaking process for the opening-night screening on March 8th.” That’s Friday at 7 pm. Subsequent Admiral Theater showings will be at 1 pm and 7 pm Saturday and Sunday (March 9-10) and 3:30 pm Monday-Thursday (March 11-14); the movie runs just under two hours. You can get tickets (and see what else is showing at The Admiral) by going here.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Admiral Theater is open today, according to its owner and management, despite picketing outside.

We went to the theater this morning after a media advisory from City Councilmember Kshama Sawant‘s office announcing what was on flyers posted around the area (thanks to everyone who sent us photos of those late last night and this morning) – a “rally and strike” alleging that an Admiral Theater staffer had been fired for trying to organize a union and that there were problematic working conditions, plus making demands including a $25 hourly wage.

Sawant herself wasn’t there but a community organizer from her office, Adam Ziemkowski, who said he also is with Workers Strike Back (founded by Sawant), emceed the rally and a news conference for us and the other media crew that showed up. The former worker spoke, as did two men who identified themselves as current workers, and other local labor activists.

First, some background: The Admiral Theater is owned by a Bainbridge Island-based company called Far Away Entertainment, which also owns five other small theaters around the region. At the Admiral, they own the business, but not the city-landmark building, though Far Away led the renovations that converted it into a first-run moviehouse in 2016-2017.

At this morning’s event, we spoke with Kylie (above center), the former manager who was fired; one of the demands is that she be reinstated. She said she had worked for the Admiral for a year and told us her firing earlier this month followed two days in which she had sent messages to management calling out problems. She says she was being “asked to break labor laws” and that the small staff was so overworked they weren’t getting breaks. We checked state systems but couldn’t find any past complaints on record; Kylie said an unfair labor practice claim would be filed today.

We also talked to current employee Matt, who said he has been working for the theater for about six weeks. He’s a West Seattleite and says he “really appreciates what the theater means to the community” and that’s why he wants to see improved working conditions, Besides the demand for a higher wage, he expressed concerns about pest problems in the building, rodents and termites, noting that he had four years of experience in the pest-control business. He said his advice to company management for dealing with the pest problems was disregarded.

Here’s what they and a third worker, plus the event organizer, said at the news conference:

After returning to our HQ, we spoke with Far Away Entertainment owner Jeff Brein by phone. First, he said, since there’s no union, “there’s no strike” – the picketing is “a protest.” He says the protest “took us by surprise” because a proposal to organize a union had not been brought to him or upper management, and they of course would be open to talking about it. “I’m not anti-union, I’d be happy to sit down and talk.” He said Kylie was fired “for what we believe to be just cause.” As for a $25 hourly wage, he says what his company pays is “a fair, workable wage … at or exceeding what Regal and AMC [corporate theater chains] pay.” Business at the Admiral still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, Brein says. “We’re slowly growing back.”

He denies all the other allegations, including that labor laws were broken. “We’re fully compliant with every workplace regulation and have never had a complaint.” He also says they have regular pest-control visits and that the recent sighting of apparent termites was addressed promptly. Mold? He’s not aware of that, though acknowledges some water trouble from a roof leak had to be dealt with, but he says the building is safe. (We checked the city code-compliance files, and no complaints were on record there since one about trash in the alley last year, ultimately ruled unfounded.)

Most of all, Brein said, he’s puzzled that a city councilmember would lash out at his business without attempting to contact him first, but he says he’s never heard from Sawant or her staff.

So what happens now? The picketers say they’ll be there all weekend. (Checking the view of the sidewalk outside the Admiral via the nearest live traffic cam, it appears at least one person is there handing flyers to passersby.) Former manager Kylie says their request for the community is, “Don’t go to the movies right now.” Owner Brein says his message is, “The Admiral is open,” and wants to stay that way: “It’s disheartening to be subjected to this harassment.” Meantime, we’ll watch for the formal filings in the unionization matter.

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Thanks for the tips – Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) has added two new features:

MOMMY MATINEES: Fridays at 10 am, The Admiral has added special early, less-loud shows of selected movies from their current lineup, with babies and young children welcome. This is actually a comeback for a feature that the theater offered pre-pandemic – not just for mommies but for anybody caring for a very young child. UPDATE: Times vary. Here’s the list for this week (Friday, July 7):

Joy Ride (R)
Fri: 9:30 AM

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (PG-13)
Fri: 9:00 AM

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (PG)
Fri: 9:20 AM

Asteroid City (PG-13)
Fri: 9:10 AM

R.CUPS: As mentioned on the marquee, The Admiral is now offering beverages in reusable r.Cups – one of the first theaters in the nation to do so: “r.Cups are collected, washed, sanitized, then used again & again & again. r.Cups can be used hundreds of times!”

P.S. If you’re considering a movie to get out of the heat, The Admiral is air-conditioned.

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Emma Yeager has a free ticket to the Admiral Theater for you. It’s the premiere screening of her first documentary at 10 am Saturday, May 6th. Here’s her story:

I have lived in West Seattle with my family for 8 years. Over the last 5.5 years my father (Doug Jackson) and I have been working on my very first documentary film. We are so excited to show it on May 6th at the Admiral Theater at 10 AM (doors open at 9:30 AM). I grew up in Burbank, California where my father worked his entire career on major motion pictures as a sound editor. His favorite works include Schindler’s List, Hairspray, Logan and War For the Planet of the Apes (And More Here). For as long as I can remember my father has shown me and passed on a joy and love of film. For the last 15 years I have done many small film projects myself such as weddings, family history mini documentaries, small company promotion films and some volunteer non-profit films.

However, in 2016 right here in West Seattle, my life came to a halt when I was pregnant with my second child and was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. HELLP syndrome is a version of preeclampsia that targets the liver and has a 50% chance of fatality for both the mother and child. My son was born as soon as we found out, small but healthy. I spent the next week in the hospital fighting for my life. When the worst of it seemed to pass I found that I had lost the ability to walk. My community came alongside me and my family for the next 7 months, desperately searching for answers and help to be able to walk again.

My documentary called “Oh Me of Little Faith” is about my story when I couldn’t find any medical professional anwsers. I was deeply depressed, unable to live my life when one day my friend from church encouraged me to take a small walk of faith that changed my life.

We made this documentary viewing a free event because we wanted to share it with our West Seattle Community. We are asking for donations to be able to share it with many more all of the USA this year in various film festivals. It is really important that people reserve tickets so we can make sure we have room. So far we have almost 100 attending.

Here is our event ticket/information website.

This has been a labor of love and our whole production team has been just me and my dad. We have paid 100% out of pocket and are hoping to raise money to continue to share this film and be able to make more like it in the future. It is very exciting to share my story and truly begin what I hope will become a career of telling more difficult and beautiful stories in the future.

The film is about an hour long and will be followed by Q&A.

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Even if you don’t fish, the scenery might be reason enough to catch the Fly Fishing Film Tour‘s 2023 West Seattle stop. It’s this Thursday (April 13th), 7 pm at the Admiral Theater (2343 California SW), hosted by West Seattle’s own fly-fishing specialists at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor). We’re told EWA proprietor Dave McCoy is featured in one of this year’s films! You’re invited to stop by EWA’s gear/apparel shop in The Junction (4502 42nd SW) before Thursday’s screening, “as we will be having some activities to celebrate all things fly fishing.” And you can get your ticket(s) in advance via The Admiral’s website.

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Going to see “Enormous: The Gorge Story“ at West Seattle’s only moviehouse, the historic Admiral Theater, tomorrow night? We have word tonight that the one-night-only screening will have a special guest on hand for Q&A after the movie – Ken Kinnear, creator/developer of the Gorge Amphitheater, the Central Washington venue that’s the subject of the film. Showtime is 7 pm, but seating will start at 6:30 pm. If you haven’t heard about “Enormous,” here’s the trailer:

The Admiral explains that Ken Kinnear “is the CEO of Allies Entertainment, Inc., and developed and produced all concerts at the Gorge Ampitheater. He appears in the film.” He’s also written a book that comes out next month, and The Admiral plans to have him back for a signing and screening, no date yet. Back to Wednesday night – you can buy your ticket(s) in advance via The Admiral’s website.

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Interested in behind-the-scenes moviemaking info? Tomorrow (Wednesday) night at West Seattle’s only moviehouse, the historic Admiral Theater, the 6:30 pm showing of Seattle-set/filmed martial-arts comedy “The Paper Tigers“ will be followed by Q&A with its director, Bao Tran. Joining him will be Kris Kristensen, the movie’s West Seattle-residing editor, who did Q&As there last weekend. As first reported here a week and a half ago, The Admiral was particularly excited to book this movie after learning about its backstory, including how its director fought to make it with Asian-American leads despite potential financiers’ suggestions otherwise. And the movie is doing well here – it was first planned for just a one-week run but has been held over at The Admiral for at least one more week.

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Last Sunday, we reported on why The Admiral Theater‘s general manager is so excited that they’ll be screening “The Paper Tigers,” a Seattle-set/filmed martial-arts comedy, starting tomorrow. We learned via a comment that the film’s editor is a West Seattle resident, Kris Kristensen, who then emailed today with an announcement: “Since the producers are all in NYC this weekend promoting the film, they’ve asked me to hold down the fort on the West Coast. I will be in attendance at both the Friday and Saturday evening (6:30) screenings at the Admiral Theater to do a Q&A following the screening.” The movie is scheduled for two showings a day during its weeklong run here – you can see the schedule and/or buy advance tickets by going here.

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That’s the trailer for “The Paper Tigers,” a martial-arts comedy that’s scheduled for a week-long run at West Seattle’s only moviehouse, The Admiral Theater, starting Friday (May 14th). The Admiral’s general manager Marina Kosenko emailed to let us know about it because this is a Seattle-set/filmed movie with “quite a backstory,” as she explains:

“Writer/director Bao Tran pitched the screenplay to Hollywood. The financiers wanted to produce, with the caveat that the actors be white. Instead of capitulating to Hollywood’s frequent whitewashing, he returned to Seattle and started a very successful fundraiser, which spurred private donors to pitch in as well. Filming started in Seattle in 2019, and included an extensive local crew. The film will be released 5/7 in only one local theater, Cinemark Lincoln Square Cinemas in Bellevue. I didn’t find out about the movie until Monday when I saw it on several news platforms. Unfortunately, our bookings for the 5/7-5/13 week were already solidified, but I’ve since had conversations with our booker, Jeff Brein (owner), Bao Tran, and their distributor to bring the film to The Admiral. I’m super excited about this film and think the West Seattle audience will appreciate it as well, given the content, local ties, and perseverance of the Paper Tigers crew.”

Among the outlets that have reported on the movie’s backstory is Northwest Asian Weekly. If you’re not up for in-theater viewing yet, the movie also will be released for video-on-demand Friday; if you are, you can check the schedule and buy online tickets via the website for The Admiral (which is at 2343 California SW).

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P.S. New here? The Admiral has almost 80 years of backstory, as noted in our coverage of its reopening celebration 4 years ago, after completion of the remodel that turned it back into a first-run moviehouse.

ADDED MONDAY: Admiral co-proprietor Jeff Brein says in a comment, “In an effort to be responsive to folks who are hesitant to visit our Theater because people may be taking off masks to eat … we are going to introduce “Mask Mandatory” shows each day – those starting between the noon and 1:00 hour. Masks will be required at all times and concessions will NOT be sold but we encourage you to purchase on your way home after the movie to help support the Theater. The “Mask Mandatory” policy will not be in effect for our afternoon and evening performances.”

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ADMIRAL THEATER REOPENING: As we first reported last week, today is reopening day for The Historic Admiral Theater (thanks to Peter Morse from nearby Mission Cantina [WSB sponsor] for the top photo). First movie’s at 3:30 pm – the marquee is updated, the lineup is set, the staff is ready:

The photo is from Admiral employee Diane, who writes:

We have been rushing to get the Admiral ready for our first moviegoers. We are so excited. We are opening with a skeleton crew of 4. Our general manager is Larry Wymer. We are going to do the best we can to make the movie experience enjoyable while having rules to keep everyone safe and comfortable. We are only going to have 2 movie showings per day (25% capacity) and we made sure to give us, the staff, enough time between movies to disinfect the theaters and common areas.

Welcome back!

The Admiral’s parent company Far Away Entertainment details its safety policies here. And if you’re not ready to go back to the movies, you can still support The Admiral via “virtual cinema.”

IN-CAR MOVIE RAINED OUT AGAIN: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s plan to show “The Secret Life of Pets” to an in-their-cars crowd at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) has now been thwarted by weather two Fridays in a row – rain is expected to return tonight – so they are shelving it until next year.

ANTI-RACISM VIGIL: Organizer Nancy says the weekly vigil in North Delridge is on:

We’ll be back on the Delridge pedestrian overpass again. I hope you’ll join us as we take a public stand against racism.

What: Delridge weekly anti-racism vigil
When: Friday, October 16th, from 5:30-6:30 pm
Where: Pedestrian overpass on Delridge at the Delridge Community Center/Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

Please remember to wear your masks!

If you can’t come in person, please consider passing on the info to your networks.

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Until the governor announced new guidelines on Wednesday, movie theaters were not allowed to open in Phase 2 counties. Now that’s changed, and West Seattle’s Admiral Theater has just announced it will reopen under the new guidelines – 25 percent capacity – one week from today, on Friday, October 16th. Masks will be required “while in the auditorium and until you’re seated at a safe distance from other patrons,” but you can take yours off to consume concessions while seated. The Admiral’s parent company Far Away Entertainment explains other policies here (including what “25 percent capacity” means – 3 empty seats away from the next unrelated person). As for what The Admiral will be showing – that’s not on their website yet.

P.S. If you’re not comfortable with going to the theater, you can still support The Admiral by watching movies at home – here’s what’s available right now.

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West Seattle’s only movie theater – the historic Admiral Theater – remains closed, but you can support its parent company Far Away Entertainment – a local group of small moviehouses – by watching a movie at home. The announcement:

Magnolia Pictures is offering THE WHISTLERS, ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND, and SLAY THE DRAGON as part of a virtual cinema program designed specifically to support our movie theaters.

Through Thursday, April 2, 100% of net proceeds from tickets sold will go back to our theaters, and beginning Friday, April 3. Far Away Entertainment will receive a typical studio 50/50 proceed split.

Tickets will range from $6.99 to $12.00.

Link to rent ‘Once Were Brothers’

Link to rent ‘The Whistlers’

If you’re new – the Admiral is an almost-80-year-old moviehouse that’s still standing only thanks to some dedicated community members, including its ownership and management. Three years ago, it had a “grand reopening” celebration after renovations that turned it into a first-run fourplex.

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Need some diversion? West Seattle’s only movie theater is open. Here’s how the Admiral Theater‘s parent company Far Away Entertainment says things are being handled:

We are open and if you’re able to visit our movie theater, we thank you!

In order to promote social distancing, we’ll only be selling 50% of our seats to each show and scheduling shows further apart to allow for extra cleaning time. The 50% sales limit allows for more effective social distancing. Now there will be plenty of room to sit apart from others in all our auditoriums.

Employees have been asked to stay home if they’re feeling unwell and will also be screened upon coming to work. We will continue to take all extra cleaning precautions and measures.

We have some great shows on screen and hope you’re able to escape and enjoy a movie!

The Admiral is at 2343 California SW. Its lineup, showtimes, and ticket prices are here.

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