Tickets are on sale now!
April 9th - 13th, 2025 | Online - April 14th-20th
NW Film Forum | University Heights Center | Pacific Tower | Online
Join us as we celebrate another year of insightful storytelling, amazing visuals, and memorable moments in social justice film.
The Social Justice Film Festival is a unique celebration of social justice storytelling. We are more passionate than ever about championing social justice films and independent voices, providing a platform for diverse artists. Our festival is not just about entertainment but also about highlighting activism and the work that challenges us to be better, reflecting the diversity of our world.
Artists and the audience come together to celebrate and discover new films, have constructive conversations, and learn about social justice issues in their community. Through the Social Justice Film Festival, the public has access to narratives and documentaries introducing them to different ethnicities, lifestyles, cultures, languages, religions, and thought-provoking themes and perspectives.
Tickets are on sale now!
You can watch most films in the 2025 SJFF program at home on our Eventive Virtual Cinema platform from April 14 – 20.
The Virtual Social Justice Film Cinema schedule and tickets will be available April 1.
Individual Film Block Ticket - $12 each
Day/Night All Access Ticket - $40 each (full access to day and evening films and events)
Festival All Access Ticket - $175 each (full access to all films and events, all venues)
*A number of free tickets are available, see the ticketing table for more information at the time of each screening.
Day/Night All Access Tickets available FRIDAY AND SATURDAY at University Heights Center only.
2025 Social Justice Film Festival Highlighted Events
Wednesday, April 9, 6pm, Northwest Film Forum
Opening Night - How We Look at Prisons
The Social Justice Film Festival begins at the Northwest Film Forum, a nonprofit organization that promotes public dialogue and creative action through shared cinematic experiences. Our opening night event is How We Look At Prisons, a collection of documentary films followed by a panel discussion that examines mass incarceration and encourages individuals to envision and strive for a world without prisons.
Our opening night feature film, Path to Freedom, is a collaboration between the Social Justice Film Institute and Families Shoulder to Shoulder. This nonprofit organization assists families in criminal court trials, clemency hearings, parole hearings, and resentencing hearings.
Beyond the goal of simply changing hearts and minds, these short films show actions that can be taken to help create a world without police and prisons.
Panel Discussion Participants:
Moderator: Gilda Sheppard - Filmmaker and Professor Sociology/Cultural & Media Studies at The Evergreen State College and Washington State Prisons
Panel Guests:
David Trieweiler – Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Ginny Parham – Founder, Families Shoulder to Shoulder
Willie Nobles – Director, Families Shoulder to Shoulder
Marriam Oliver – Incarcerated for Over 22 Years
Thursday, April 10, 8:30 pm, Northwest Film Forum
Social Justice Peer Pitch 2025
The Social Justice Film Festival will host its first-ever Social Justice Peer Pitch program. This unique program will enable four social justice filmmakers to present their new projects to fellow filmmakers and the general audience for feedback, providing everyone with valuable insights and new connections to enhance their filmmaking. Constructive feedback from peers in a supportive environment will help identify strengths and areas for improvement in projects. Participants will also build skills and confidence in articulating their projects among peers before pitching to stakeholders. While this isn't a traditional pitching forum, it offers presenting filmmakers an excellent opportunity to receive valuable feedback from fellow social justice storytellers and their supporters.
Social Justice Peer Pitch Guest Judges:
Rosalie Miller - Local Filmmaker, Director of Worth My Salt and Personhood
Benjamin Davis - Faculty, Seattle University, Social Justice Cinema
Friday, April 11, 7:00 pm, University Heights Center
King County Reparations Project
The King County Reparations Project is a 40-minute documentary that takes viewers on an emotional journey through the Central District and South End, once the pulsating core of African American life in the Pacific Northwest, now a testament to the scars of urban upheaval. Produced at Cascade PBS, this documentary is the first chapter in a series dedicated to capturing the stories of Black individuals who have seen their homes, businesses, and cultural landmarks vanish.
Panel Discussion Participants:
Moderator: AJ Musewe - Board Member, Social Justice Film Institute | Founder, With Reverence Co-op
Angela Moorer - Creative Producer, Cascade PBS
Pastor Robert Jeffery Sr. - Executive Director, King County Reparations Project
Saturday, April 12, 7:00 pm, University Heights Center
Rites of Passage: Senegal
Through a unique partnership between the Social Justice Film Institute and the nonprofit Gifts of Hope, the 25-minute documentary Rites of Passage highlights a group of African American students from Seattle and their journey to Dakar, Senegal. This collaboration and the students' journey will be the main focus of the Youth Visions program during the Social Justice Film Festival. After viewing the film, which depicts their experiences, join us for a discussion with the students about their time in Dakar.
Panel Discussion Participants:
Moderator: Toyia Taylor - Founder | Executive Director, Speak with Purpose
Samona Burleson - Executive Director, Gifts of Hope
Seattle Area Students - Trevon Mitchell, Kennedy Saunders, Alana Smith-Abdullah
Sponsored by the Climate Pledge Arena Community Area Foundation
Sunday, April 13, Pacific Tower - Panoramic Center | Films begin at 10:30am
Closing Day: Social Justice with a View
Join us for an morning and afternoon of social justice films at the beautiful Panoramic Center in Pacific Tower, which offers stunning views of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, as well as Puget Sound. Filmgoers will enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast and refreshments throughout the day.
Pacific Tower is Seattle’s newest home for health education programs and a dynamic hub for some of our most vital and innovative community nonprofits. Located on Beacon Hill in one of Seattle’s most iconic buildings, Pacific Tower fosters an exciting model for cross-organizational collaboration in health care, education, social services, and job creation.
Sponsored by 501 Commons