It's been a sad two weeks being off the air, but Cascadia Now! will be back tomorrow from 1-3pm on RainyDawg Radio: http://www.rainydawg.org

We'll be playing a variety of great local music as well as imports from afar, and we'll also have the pleasure of speaking with local filmmaker Shaun Scott about his new film "Seat of Empire", an imperial history of Seattle from 1909 to 2009. His film will be screening this Thursday at 6:30pm on the UW campus in the Communications building (CMU 120).

Please tune in, and remember, if you miss the show check back here later to download it!

Thanks!

SEAT OF EMPIRE sings the story of the social and environmental struggles that’ve shaped Seattle. From the Duwamish to the domed stadium, Bill Boeing to Bill Gates, the IWW and Philippine laborers to the Post-WWII boom that brought Seattle to unprecedented national prominence, SEAT OF EMPIRE explores the
cross-sections of environmental sacrifice, military development, and municipal struggles over space and resources. The film is one artist’s contribution to the small but growing canon of poetic reconstructions of our city’s history that began with Murray Morgan’s “Skid Road”.

SEAT OF EMPIRE is also a film about a city that made the film possible: it was funded by the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs; features interviews of local historians taped at the 911 Media Arts Center; makes use of archival footage and photography attained from MOHAI, The Seattle Municipal Archives, Seattle Schools, The Nordic Heritage Museum, and University of Washington Special Collections; and showcases the local music scene with scores from Scott Morning, Art Brown, Josh Rawlings, Anomie Belle, Lonesome Shack, and Evan Flory-Barnes’ orchestral outfit Threat of Beauty.

Seattle has a number of anniversary ceremonies on the horizon— not only of 1909's AYPE, but also of the Potlatches (first held in 1911), and of the World’s Fair (the 50th Anniversary of which is in 2012). Of course we have reason to commemorate the rise of a provincial outpost to a cosmopolitan city of international stature, but these celebrations are also opportunities to stop and think critically, and out loud, about how we got to where we are today. Subsequent screenings are in the works for The Burke Museum, Seattle City Hall, and Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Presentations will invite audience feedback with Q&A and panel discussions featuring community activists, scholar-artists, and the producer.

SEAT OF EMPIRE is Shaun Scott’s first professional documentary effort after graduating from UW in 2007. Some of his early works are featured on the Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project website, and can be seen at depts.washington.edu/civilr/films.htm. He was the recipient of a 2008 City Artist Award from the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs; he is also working with the King County Equity & Social Justice Initiative to produce a public service announcement about the impact segregation is having on the health of King County’s residents. For more information about the film, to find out about or organize other screenings, or to arrange press coverage, write to theseatofempire@gmail.com.