Filmlandia!

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A Movie Lover's Guide to the Films and Television of Seattle, Portland, and the Great Northwest

by Schmader, David

From Twin Peaks to Twilight, from Practical Magic to Portlandia!, Filmlandia! highlights more than 200 film and television entertainments created and centered in Seattle, Portland, and the greater Pacific Northwest, extensively researched and curated by culture writer David Schmader.

The PNW has a thriving, rich film culture, and it’s finally celebrated in a guide as visually arresting and compelling as the films and television themselves!

More than 200 entries are included and feature:
• Hilarious, insightful synopses
• Behind-the-scene facts and trivia
• Regional scenic highlights

In addition, sidebars pepper the pages, covering:
• Regional filmmakers like Gus Van Sant and Lynn Shelton
• Television shows that shaped the public’s perception of the region (such as Twin Peaks, Shrill, and Portlandia!)
• Documentaries, queer cinema, silent films, Vancouver-shot imposters, and more.

Colorful artwork, inspired by the primary VHS color palette of the 80s, turns this handy guide into a visual treat as well. This is a book for any cinephile, but for those who love and live in the PNW, Filmlandia! is an absolute must-have.

Apr 18, 2023 | Price: $21.95

David Schmader is a writer living and working in Seattle. From 1999-2014, Schmader served as associate editor at Seattle’s Pulitzer-winning newsweekly the Stranger, writing the column Last Days: The Week in Review. In 2015, Schmader became creative director of the award-winning nonprofit writing center the Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas, where he also serves as writer-in-residence. In his spare time, he’s the world’s foremost authority on the brilliant horribleness of Showgirls, hosting annotated screenings of Paul Verhoeven’s stripper drama at cinemas across the U.S. and supplying the commentary track for the bestselling Showgirls DVD.

“Filmlandia is a quick, joyful read that’s as much a love letter to local film and television icons such as Lynn Shelton, Megan Griffiths, and Irene from the Real World as it is to the Pacific Northwest’s (mostly) sparkling scenery. And oh, boy, is this corner of the country filled with weird little treasures.” —The Stranger

“David Schmader’s film writing has always been dryly funny and incisive, but it has rarely been this affectionate. This very comprehensive collection of PNW-centric film and TV capsules is for locals or tourists, hardcore cinephiles or casual viewers. Full disclosure: David once called me a "Showgirls truther.” —Matt Lynch, Scarecrow Video, cohost of The Suspense Is Killing Us podcast and YouTube’s Viva Physical Media