Seattle, WA
Seattle-based film 'Know Your Place' hits the big screen at SIFF Cinema Uptown
SEATTLE – A film highlighting the unique experience of growing up in Seattle debuts tonight at the SIFF Cinema Uptown.
“Know Your Place,” the story of a 15-year-old Eritrean American boy navigating family, identity and a changing city, begins its run in Seattle after touring the globe for nearly two years.
The movie made its world premiere in 2022 at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), where it won the Golden Space Needle award, an audience favorite. Since then, it has been showcased at numerous film festivals worldwide, including New York, Vancouver, London, Ireland and Johannesburg.
“Know Your Place” will premiere in front of a general audience Friday, and the film’s creator, Zia Mohajerjasbi, told FOX 13 Seattle that the movie is for Seattle.
“I feel nervous, anxious, excited, and very grateful,” he said. Mohajerjasbi, who started his career in Seattle making music videos for artists like J-Kwon and Macklemore, developed the story for “Know Your Place” out of homesickness for Seattle while living in Los Angeles.
“I love filming in Seattle. It’s like my favorite place to film. I mean part of it is when you know somewhere so intimately,” he said.
Seattle’s issues with gentrification and its impact on its East African community are explored in the film, “Know Your Place.” (Zia Mohajerjasbi)
Determined to create an authentic film, Mohajerjasbi returned to Seattle to use a local cast and crew.
“I want to make a film in Seattle, with a Seattle crew, with a Seattle cast, and if we’re also being specific about narrative, and the community that we’re depicting on screen, then the community has to represent itself,” he explained.
The film centers on a young boy trying to help a sick family member, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Seattle. Many of the film’s locations have since disappeared, adding a layer of poignancy to the narrative. Although it is told through the lens of an Eritrean American, Mohajerjasbi believes the film conveys a universal human story.
“Based off what they’re maybe bringing to the table watching the film and ingesting that. So, I hope different people take away different things,” he said.
“Know Your Place” was shot entirely in Seattle over a three-year period, and Mohajerjasbi hopes different people take away different things from it.
“We really want to give this to Seattle, and we hope that, you know, the audiences here will sort of complete, you know, the lifecycle of the film,” Mohajerjasbi said,
For the first time ever, the film is available outside of film festival screenings and open to the public where the journey began. There are two screenings on Friday, with Mohajerjasbi holding a Q&A session after the 7 o’clock show.
“Know Your Place” will continue playing at SIFF Cinema Uptown throughout the week, with plans to expand to theaters across the country and eventually to streaming platforms.
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