Submitted by Film Is Truth
For nearly two decades, Film Is Truth has relied on our community, day in and day out. It’s true that we wouldn’t exist without our friends, neighbors, and patrons.
But the phrase “community support” took on an entirely new definition one night in September 2015, when, as midnight approached, dozens of volunteers draped gondola racks filled with DVDs in plastic wrap, pointed them north, and pushed them down the sidewalks through downtown Bellingham, from our former Holly Street location to our new home in the Public Market on Cornwall Avenue.
If there was one moment — one distinct image — that summed up the last twelve months here at Film Is Truth, this would be it.
We knew from the very beginning that 2015 would be a pivotal year for Film Is Truth. However, last year turned out to be more exciting than any of our board members, staff or supporters could have imagined. We became an incorporated non-profit, held a pair of incredible fundraising events, staged an overwhelmingly successful crowdfunding campaign, and, with the help of a team of enthusiastic and well-caffeinated volunteers, moved our entire collection – more than 17,000 DVDs, Blu-Rays and VHS Tapes – to our new location.
We hit the ground running in the first week of January when we became incorporated as a non-profit in the State of Washington. This was our first step toward becoming a tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit.
In April, we planned our very first fundraising event, celebrating National Poetry Month with an evening of film-themed poetry and music at the Honeymoon in downtown Bellingham. “Every Frame Tells a Story,” featuring performances by Jessica Lohafer, Carol Guess, Scot Casey, Dee Dee Chapman, and the band Falling Up Stairs, was a massive success. In addition to raising more than $500, we were thrilled by the turnout – the event was standing-room-only, and we were able to connect with longtime friends and new supporters alike.
As part of our mission to connect to our community and bring people together over a shared love of movies, we went out on the town this summer, tabling at events all over Bellingham. You might have seen us at Art Walk, the Night Market, the Make.Shift Block Party, the Pickford Rooftop Cinema, or at Western’s Info Fair.
Despite bad weather and a widespread power outage, a crowd came out for our Movie Karaoke Fundraising Event at the Shakedown in late August. Chad Petersen’s Front Porch Swing played an early set that night, and local karaoke legend Aireekah hosted a memorable night of singing – and a little dancing. We raised about $500 to help us in our efforts to relocate the store.
And our Kickstarter campaign, launched in part to help us cover the costs of the move and construction on the new space, turned out better than we could have dreamed, thanks to the many people who contributed and helped spread the word.
We ended up raising $14,543 — exceeding our goal by more than $2,000.
But the big news this year was, of course, our move from our longtime Holly Street location to our new home in the Public Market at 1530 Cornwall Avenue. This is the fourth downtown location Film Is Truth has occupied in our 18 years, and we couldn’t be more excited about the space and its possibilities. We’re centrally located, in a place that is a convenient stop for many of our patrons. The Market features plenty of free parking, and is situated less than a block from the central downtown bus station – a major step forward in our ongoing quest to be more accessible to everyone in our community. The owners of the Public Market and Terra Organic and Natural Foods were supportive and welcoming from the very beginning, helping us to quickly settle in.
And, while the move to this new location didn’t happen magically, it did quite literally happen overnight. Our staff members worked straight through to the next morning, and our die-hard volunteers boxed up DVDs, dismantled shelves, loaned us their pickup trucks and, in that particularly spectacular display of community spirit and creative problem-solving, helped wheel our wire display racks several blocks through downtown Bellingham.
We opened the next day in our new space. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.
All in all, 2015 was a remarkable year here at Film Is Truth, but we intend to make 2016 an even better one. In the coming year, we’ll be moving forward with our goal to host film clubs in the community space our new location has provided. We’ll continue to organize fun and unique events around Bellingham. And, we’ll keep growing our collection and seeking ways to better serve our patrons. We’ll be engaging with our community in as many ways as possible, so keep an eye out.
None of our accomplishments in the past year would have been possible without the support of our patrons, neighbors, and friends. We’d like to sincerely thank everyone who helped, in ways large and small, to make our first full year as a non-profit such a successful one.
We’re looking forward to doing some great things in the year ahead. We hope you’ll be a part of them.
Thanks again, from all of us at Film Is Truth.
