Reel NW Season Four Premiers Friday, April 11 on KCTS 9

SEATTLE—Season four of KCTS 9’s popular indie-film series Reel NW premieres Friday, April 11, 2014 at 9:00 pm with a new look and its first-ever series host—renowned film critic, interviewer and educator Warren Etheredge.

Reel NW brings the work of talented independent filmmakers to public television audiences here in the Northwest, and beyond. All Reel NW films are made by Northwest filmmakers, shot in the Northwest, or feature a Northwest subject. The season four lineup  includes SAVING LUNA; FIELD WORK: A FAMILY FARM; CLOSURE; YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG; FIX: THE STORY OF AN ADDICTED CITY; FORTY-SEVEN VIEWS OF LESLIE LASKEY; HOLY ROLLERS: THE TRUE STORY OF CARD COUNTING CHRISTIANS; ICONS AMONG US: JAZZ IN THE PRESENT TENSE; and CEMENT SUITCASE. Rounding out the season is a compelling collection of diverse short films, which will be available for online viewing beginning April 1.

In 2010, KCTS 9 launched Reel NW to find and broadcast the best features, documentaries and short films in Washington state, British Columbia and beyond. In its first three seasons, Reel NW aired 24 feature-length films 132 times and 25 short films 276 times, representing the work of more than 50 filmmakers. Reel NW has now earned seven Northwest Regional Emmy Award nominations and three wins.

Beyond the television broadcasts, Reel NW features a content-rich website to connect with the widest possible audience for Northwest independent film. Throughout the season, full-length films and web extras, such as filmmaker interviews, will be published to KCTS9.org/reel-nw. Reel NW films will be available via KCTS 9’s web video player to audiences around the world and via Xbox, Roku and Apple TV (rights permitting).

For press screeners or to arrange an interview with Reel NW host Warren Etheredge or with a Reel NW filmmaker, contact Hilda Cullen. Visit Reel NW online to watch previews, read director's notes and learn more about each film. See below for more information on scheduled Reel NW films. For the latest information about Reel NW and the Northwest film community, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

4/11 – SAVING LUNA

A visually stunning, award-winning film that follows Luna, a baby killer whale who gets separated from his family on the wild coast of Vancouver Island. All alone, he seems determined to make friends with humans. People throughout the community fall in love with him, but officials fear the dangers of this human–whale interaction and try to find a way to end it.

Filmmakers: Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit

4/18 – FIELD WORK: A FAMILY FARM

Iowa farmers Judy and Charlie Swanson just want to stay family-size, as all around them farms grow to five-, seven-, even ten-thousand acres. This personal and revealing documentary follows the Swansons and their three grown children through the recession roller coaster as they struggle to live their dream of farming together as one extended family. Field Work: A Family Farm draws a poignant portrait of a Midwest community as it explores where the American family farm is headed in the twenty-first century.

Filmmaker: John Helde

4/25 – CLOSURE

A documentary about a transracial adoptee from Seattle who finds her birth mother and meets the rest of a family who didn’t know she existed, including her birth father. A story about identity, the complexities of transracial adoption and most importantly, closure.

Filmmakers: Bryan Tucker and Brian Lee

5/2 – YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG

Justine, a recent college graduate turned retail employee, lives and works in a nameless city. The film begins when her boyfriend, Zach, leaves to interview for a position at a recently renovated arthouse movie theater in a small town. He lands the job and together they relocate to an air mattress in his new boss’ garage. Dropped suddenly into an unfamiliar place and stripped of all routine and distraction, Justine is left to sit quietly by and observe the signs of her own deteriorating relationship.

Filmmaker: Zach Weintraub

Note - Nathan Williams’ short film The Dinner Table will directly follow the broadcast of You Make Me Feel So Young on 5/2.

5/9 – FIX: THE STORY OF AN ADDICTED CITY

Dean Wilson used to be an IBM salesman. Now, as president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), he is the most politically outspoken drug addict in Canada. Ann Livingston, a non-user, is the charismatic co-founder of VANDU. Dean loves Ann. But he is also a captive of the drugs he uses. Together, Ann and Dean lead an unpredictable crew of street addicts in their fight to open North America’s first safe injection site. Produced in 2002, this broadcast will coincide with the web release of an exclusive update from the film’s main subjects and filmmaker on how things have evolved since FIX was first released.

Filmmakers: Nettie Wild and Betsy Carson

5/16 – FORTY-SEVEN VIEWS OF LESLIE LASKEY

Shot over an 11-year period, Forty-Seven Views of Leslie Laskey is a chronicle of the 91-year-old artist, poet and legendary teacher Leslie J. Laskey. Often described as passionate, demanding, insightful, magical, inspirational and above all creative, he is a force to be reckoned with, as illustrated in this beautifully shot film portrait.

Filmmakers: David Wild and Lulu Gargiulo

5/23 – HOLY ROLLERS: THE TRUE STORY OF CARD COUNTING CHRISTIANS

Holy Rollers follows the rise of arguably the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America—made up entirely of churchgoing Christians. While they succeed in taking millions from casinos, how will they manage to find a place for faith and God in the arena of high-stakes gambling?

Filmmakers: Bryan Storkel, Amy Storkel and Jason Connell

5/30 – ICONS AMONG US: JAZZ IN THE PRESENT TENSE

Jazz is undergoing changes of monumental magnitude and importance. Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense is a feature-length documentary that captures the metamorphosis of jazz by showcasing the words, music and spirit of the artists who are paving the way for an unprecedented musical revolution.

Filmmakers: John W. Comerford, Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson, Peter J. Vogt and Kristian R. Hill

6/6 – CEMENT SUITCASE

An “anti-romantic comedy” about Franklin, the best wine salesman in the Yakima Valley. He hates his life, his girlfriend is cheating on him, and he doesn’t even have the self-respect to tell her that he knows. When he meets the “other guy,” who turns out to be terrific, he decides that it might be time to let go of some baggage.

Filmmaker: Rick Castañeda

Reel NW season four premieres Friday, April 11, 2014 at 9:00 pm.