As part of SFCS’s annual awards highlighting the best in film, the Seattle Film Critics Society presents the John Hartl Pacific Northwest Spotlight to honor the outstanding work of a person with local ties to the region. Named in honor of John Hartl, the late Seattle Times film critic whose legacy remains a beacon in the region and beyond, prior recipients have included Lily Gladstone and Kyle MacLachlan.
In 2025, the SFCS Board of Directors selected director, photographer, and poet Sky Hopinka as the third recipient of the Hartl Spotlight Award. Born in Ferndale, Hopinka has directed a wide range of acclaimed films, such as Jáaji Approx.; Dislocation Blues; Fainting Spells, Małni: Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore; Kicking the Clouds; Sunflower Siege Engine; and the upcoming locally shot feature-length documentary Powwow People.
On Friday, May 15th, SFCS will present “An Evening with Sky Hopinka” in collaboration with Northwest Film Forum, featuring seven of his short films curated by SFCS Trustee Eric Zhu, remarks from the director, followed by a discussion and reception. Later that weekend, the SFCS will formally present the John Hartl Pacific Northwest Spotlight Award to Hopinka at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 17th, alongside a presentation of Powwow People and a Q&A.
Events in this Program:
An Evening with Sky Hopinka
Friday, May 15 – 6:30 pm (general admission tickets, $15)
Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle WA 98122)
Program includes: Mnemonics of Shape and Reason (2021), Kicking the Clouds (2021), I’ll Remember You as You Were, Not as What You’ll Become (2016), Fainting Spells (2018), Lore (2019), Dislocation Blues (2017), Sunflower Siege Engine (2022)
Tickets: https://nwfilmforum.org/films/an-evening-with-sky-hopinka/
Powwow People
– Saturday, May 16th – 2:30pm
– Sunday, May 17th – 4:30pm: Presentation of John Hartl Pacific Northwest Spotlight Award + Q&A hosted by SFCS Trustee Eric Zhu
About Sky Hopinka:
Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) was born and raised in Ferndale, Washington, and spent a number of years in Palm Springs and Riverside, CA, Portland, OR, and Milwaukee, WI. In Portland, he studied and taught Chinuk Wawa, a language indigenous to the Lower Columbia River Basin. His video, photo, and text work centers around personal positions of Indigenous homeland and landscape–designs of language as containers of culture expressed through personal and non-fictional forms of media.
About SFCS:
Established in 2016, the Seattle Film Critics Society is dedicated to supporting local productions and festivals, enhancing public education, awareness, and appreciation of cinema, and strengthening the bonds of critical dialogue as it pertains to the cinematic arts. SFCS’s membership includes film critics published in print, radio, television, and online media from Seattle and the surrounding areas of Washington State.