Seattle International Film Festival 2026: What are impacts of layoffs?

The Seattle International Film Festival returns for its 52nd edition from May 7 to 17 - and the 10-day celebration of cinema comes on the heels of one of the rockiest years in the history of SIFF, the nonprofit that runs the festival.

After last year's festival, SIFF laid off about 20% of its administrative staff amid financial struggles caused by changes in audience habits and a protracted pandemic recovery, according to SIFF leadership.

Later in the year, the nonprofit announced it would close its Egyptian theater.

And late last year, Executive Director Tom Mara left the organization.

Some things are looking up, though: Attendance at all three of SIFF's remaining year-round venues has grown since 2024.

"We have been through some deep and very real challenges, particularly in the past year, but we see that there are positive results of these difficult and painful decisions," said festival spokesperson Victoria Nguyen.

"While the larger industry trends remain beyond our sphere of influence, we are deeply gratified by the support we've seen from audiences, donors, members and funders in the community."

Here's everything you should know as the film festival returns - and what could be next for SIFF.

Wait - what did you say has happened since the last festival?

Last June, after the 2025 film festival, SIFF laid off nearly a quarter of its administrative staff, totaling nine people, and decreased hours for floor staff and projectionists. Leadership blamed a drawn-out pandemic recovery, changes in audience and donor behavior as well as rising costs that have not kept up with revenue.

The nonprofit announced in October that the Egyptian, its historical single-screen movie theater on Capitol Hill - which initially shuttered in November 2024 due to water damage from a leak - would permanently conclude operations to focus its resources on its remaining theaters in its portfolio of year-round moviehouses: SIFF Cinema Downtown, the Uptown and Seattle Film Center. (SIFF was leasing the theater from the building's owner, Seattle Central College.)

In November, Mara exited his role as executive director after 3 ½ years at the helm of the organization, and the organization announced additional layoffs and restructuring in January.

The nonprofit currently has 19 full-time, year-round employees (as well as 48 part-time staff), down from about 43 around this time last year.

How is SIFF pulling off this festival with a smaller staff and fewer resources?

SIFF has hired 32 seasonal employees for this year's festival. Overall, though, the organization is putting on a festival with a smaller physical footprint.

The festival has been trending smaller for a while now, largely triggered by the pandemic and influenced by budget considerations. The festival has scaled down from a 25-day festival to 10 days, showing around 200 movies instead of 400. The films are showing in fewer venues as well, down from nine to six or seven in recent years.

This year's festival has the smallest footprint in recent memory, with the majority of screenings happening at SIFF's Uptown, Downtown and Film Center theaters as well as PACCAR IMAX at Pacific Science Center.

"We see it as an opportunity to create a campus-feel," Nguyen said.

"All venues are within walking distance of one another, making it easier for attendees to move between screenings and events. We're excited to activate the downtown core, Seattle Center and the Uptown neighborhood, and to celebrate the partnerships in those communities that help bring the festival to life."

What's at stake for the organization with this year's festival? Is SIFF 2026 make or break?

Not really. The festival has never been a moneymaker for the organization.

With the festival, the nonprofit is fulfilling its mission to expose a wide swath of local audiences to a breadth of local and international movies by all sorts of filmmakers - creating "community" around film, as SIFF puts it, as well as an avenue for people to discover SIFF more broadly.

"While the festival is the jewel in the crown of our programming, SIFF is fundamentally a year-round cinema organization, and the festival represents about 12% of our annual budget," Nguyen said. "Our long-term sustainability depends on the community engaging with us beyond the 10 days of the festival, and we hope audiences who discover the magic and diversity of the festival will carry that excitement with them for the other 355 days of the year."

So how does SIFF make ends meet? Movie theaters often make money off concessions, not just ticket sales. That said, it's important to note that SIFF, as a nonprofit, relies on grants and donations for about half of its revenue.

What does SIFF's year-round attendance look like?

In total, SIFF sold 240,000 tickets in 2024 and about 226,000 in 2025. That roughly 6% drop reflects growth at SIFF's remaining theaters as well as the closure of the Egyptian.

While 2025 started slowly for SIFF, attendance recovered somewhat by the end of the year. SIFF sold fewer tickets overall in 2025 compared with the year prior, but that's due to the shuttering of the Egyptian. In fact, you'd expect to see a bigger dip post-Egyptian closure - but that has been tempered by major growth in Uptown attendance, moderate growth at the Downtown theater and an increase in Film Center attendance, according to data provided by SIFF.

In 2025, ticket sales grew at all three remaining SIFF locations - but not equally. Attendance at the Uptown grew by 27% from 2024 to 2025; bumped 4% at the Downtown; and rose 37% at the 90-seat jewel box Film Center.

Note that tickets at the Downtown theater are generally more expensive than at the Uptown, and SIFF representatives have stressed that concessions revenue is higher at the Cinema Downtown as well.

The Cinerama - er, SIFF Downtown - has turned out to be a bit of a programming puzzle, with some recent shifts in programming. What is working at that beloved theater?

SIFF said it has aimed to make its programming more accessible and affordable, expanding its $7 Movie Tuesdays to Downtown, hosting community screenings that bring classic films to new generations, and running curated series like the works of Akira Kurosawa and Wong Kar-wai as well as celebrations of anime and film noir. Special repertory and restoration screenings, including "Jaws" and "The Shining," have been well-received, too.

How have ticket sales been for the first four months of 2026 across SIFF venues?

Nguyen said, "Trends have been positive; we don't have specific numbers to share at this moment, but we are appreciative of the audiences that continue to come out to the movies and be part of the in-person experience."

Is SIFF expecting to grow its staff again at some point? When will a new executive director be hired?

Nguyen said SIFF will "continue to review our staffing needs," noting that the organization has been "hiring as needed. We will continue to evaluate with time."

So, who's running the show these days?

"SIFF's senior leadership team of four directors is currently managing the organization in close collaboration with key members of our board of directors," Nguyen said. "The board, who is responsible for hiring the executive director, is firmly committed to finding the right fit for this role. A board-led search committee has begun its work, and while there is no specific timeline at this time, the board remains focused on and dedicated to the search."

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