C-ID Summer Cinema 2025

Vanishing Seattle: The Beacon
Director: Will Lemke
Runtime: 15 min

In 2013, members of the Massive Monkees, Seattle’s acclaimed breaking crew, opened The Beacon Studio in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. After many successful years of growth and development in the dance community, the studio closed in 2020 with uncertainty of whether it would ever reopen. This is the story of The Beacon’s comeback in a city of vanishing mainstays. Vanishing Seattle Films is a documentary series that takes a deeper dive into the stories of history, legacy, and resilience behind the #VanishingSeattle hashtag. Each film focuses on a small business or community space significant to a Seattle neighborhood and community.

Reclaiming Humanity: Saving Seattle's First Filipinx American U.S. History Course
Directors: Edmundo Aguilar and Tianna Mae Andresen
Duration: 29 min

For 50 years, the Filipino American community of Seattle has been tirelessly advocating for the inclusion of our history in Seattle Public Schools. Erased from history books and disempowered from our identities, the Filipino American community has long fought for recognition. In this touching and insightful documentary powered and supported by the Seattle Filipinx community and beyond, Dr. Edmundo Aguilar and Tianna Mae Andresen retell the 50-year struggle to get a Filipinx American US History Course in Seattle public schools.

She Marches in Chinatown
Director: Della Chen
Duration: 33 min

In 1952, Asian American girls had no extra-curricular activities until Ruby Chow created the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, the only one of its kind in the world. Despite gentrification, Title IX, and a global pandemic, 70 years later the Drill Team continues to define, represent, and celebrate the evolving Asian American experience of its dedicated, multigenerational participants.

The Seattle Chinese Community Girls’ Drill Team proudly marks 73 years of tradition and excellence. This all-volunteer nonprofit empowers its members through friendship, self-confidence, cultural pride, teamwork, and leadership. The team is composed of 30 dedicated girls, ages 11 to 19, who exemplify discipline and unity in every step they take.

Their uniforms, handcrafted from silk and satin draw inspiration from the Chinese Opera Imperial Warriors. Each ensemble is embellished with over 7,000 beads and weighing more than eight pounds. Team officers wear pheasant feathers that are six feet, amplifying their majestic presence.

Every performance, they carry forward a powerful legacy, honoring heritage, showcasing strength, and cultivating unity that resonates far beyond the stage.