A Classified Cinema screening at The Egyptian this summer (Image: Classified Cinema)
A group of midnight movie champions and lovers of physical media are finalizing a lease agreement with property owner Seattle College to reopen the Egyptian Theatre on Capitol Hill. The E Pine venue closed two years ago due to a major pipe burst in the more than 110-year-old former Masonic Temple, followed by SIFF’s decision not to renew its 10-year lease in 2025.
WFLM Seattle, led by Ben Redder alongside Elias Savage, Scotty Wright, and Lanna Hed, is lined up to become a long-term tenant in the theater, The Stranger reports.
Redder brings local cinephile experience having managed Seattle Cinerama and worked at Scarecrow Video, The Stranger notes.
WFLM has been part of a summer of pop-ups and events in the Egyptian as Seattle Central opened a schedule of one-time showings and special screenings to light the theater back up after a long closure following the water pipe break and the exit of SIFF. Meanwhile, the school has been looking for a new long-term tenant for the theater that has been showcasing arthouse, classic, and international cinema since 1980.
The WFLM group has been testing the cinematic waters at the Egyptian with events this summer including a sold-out screening of a documentary on Lenny Wilkens and “secret movie” collaborations and “physical media swaps” for film geeks with Classified Cinema.
“A show there wouldn’t have been possible without volunteers and Seattle Central College,” the group said after a June event at the Egyptian. “Thank you. We fucking love movies (WFLM) and Classified Cinema want to screen more movies and maybe even eventually secure a consistent location.”
According to Redder’s conversation with the Stranger, the group plans to operate the theater similarly to Santa Ana’s Frida Cinema with programming centering on repertory cinema, crowd favorites, forgotten titles, and the return of late-night midnight movie screenings. Redder reports that the building requires minor cosmetic updates, paint, and equipment checks before opening, with organizers targeting operations to begin before the end of the year once the contract is signed and announced.
While Capitol Hill’s golden era with multiple art house film destinations has long passed, recent times have brought some lively new options for the neighborhood’s film communities. CHS reported here on monthly Quality Film Club screenings inside the neighborhood’s old supermarket on 15th Ave E.
Meanwhile, the Northwest Film Forum has held on in its 12th Ave home in the building once home to the Klineburger Brothers taxidermists and neighboring the fortress-like East Precinct, that has been part of real estate investor and arts supporter Elizabeth Linke’s 12th Ave holdings.
On E Pine, Seattle Central tells CHS it “is in talks with an organization to use the Egyptian Theatre” but said the lease is not yet signed.
The Egyptian Theatre is located at 805 E Pine. Learn more at
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