Sinners Screening Discussion Panel: A Recap
Just like everyone else in the world right now, all of us here at Hinton became entirely enamored by Sinners as soon as we saw it. Some of you might have seen this TikTok that Maggie posted proposing the idea to Marcus that Hinton host a discussion panel for the film, which in turn launched the mad dash to make it happen as soon as possible. The next thing that would happen would be a beautiful collaboration between ourselves and Majestic Bay Theatres. I had already been familiar with Majestic Bay, a family owned theater operating in Ballard, from their TikTok videos updating the lettering on their marquee, so when Maggie made the call for independent theaters that would be willing to host our event, I knew they’d make the perfect fit. Within a few days the partnership was set in motion with a date for the screening and discussion panel set for May 10th, leaving me only a little over a week to promote the event and ensure we, well, would even have an audience.
I’m thrilled to say that the turnout was incredible. I was already feeling pretty good when this TikTok that I posted asking folks in Seattle to show up was getting a little bit of love, but nothing could have prepared me for how satisfying it was to be the last person to walk in to the auditorium and see basically every single seat and over 170 people sitting in attendance. By the end of the film when the screen cut to the credits and everyone in the room was clapping – even though for many of them this was their second or third time coming back to see it – I knew I was in for a special night with this community.
Throughout the week Maggie had rounded up a really exciting group of panelists including the renowned Nisi Shawl, whose writing had inspired many a horror movie lover in the room. The sharp and wonderful NaKeesa Frazier-Jennings who is such an uplifting figure in the community. Isabella Von Ghoul, who would become our resident horror specialist, and someone who I am so glad saw my TikTok in time so we could make her a last-minute addition to our panel as her presence was certainly central to the dynamic energy in the room that night. And, of course, Maggie and myself. I was admittedly nervous to be sitting alongside these exceptional and foundational panelists as the youngest and least experienced member of the group, but god do I love film! And that was what carried me through. I had prepared some of the discussion questions that were asked, and what a rewarding feeling it was to have the opportunity to be in that room, sharing a mind and thought with everyone there, including the roughly 80 or so people in the audience who stayed for the panel and had the generosity to share thoughts and questions of their own. We would be in that theater thinking and talking to each other until past 10 p.m.!
So thank you to each of those who were able to make it out that Saturday, who saw my TikTok and decided what I had to say was worth their time, who asked such phenomenal questions, and who (special thank you for this) laughed at my jokes. Thank you to Majestic Bay Theatres who I will forever be a fan of, who have already functioned as an essential pillar of Seattle history and community – I hope we can continue to keep building that community and history together. Thank you to all of our panelists whose intelligence I deeply admire and whose experiences I look up to. And thank you to Maggie, who’s been such a great mentor to me and has given me the platform to be a part of orchestrating something like this. Oh, and thank you TikTok algorithm for working in my favor.