Matty Brown directed this Visit Seattle film Dreamcatcher, an unconventional tourism promotion piece celebrating the kaleidoscope of textures and experiences that have shaped one woman’s life and memories in the Emerald City.
The short came out of a unique sponsorship relationship through which Visit Seattle and agency PB& supported the Film Independent Spirit Awards through the creation of the Seattle Story Award, which honors a filmmaker whose background, vision, and diversity of style and subjects exemplifies the essence of Seattle. Through deliberations by the Film Independent Nominating Committee, director Brown emerged as the winner of the award, which includes a $25,000 grant to create a short film inspired by Seattle’s independent spirit. Dreamcatcher is that film and it was “premiered” through a teaser segment which was screened during the Film Independent Spirit Awards broadcast earlier this month.
Brown was afforded the freedom to explore beyond the typical icons of the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, and compose an intimate love letter to the city. Seattle is where Brown became who is he is as a person and as an artist, a place that breeds experiences which are hard to describe, but rather must be shown. With Dreamcatcher, he conveys this experience through an entirely original perspective, creating a cinematic journey. In a dreamlike sequence, an elderly Native American woman reflects on a life well-lived and the memories of youth. As the narrator pleads the importance of seeing her life, rather than hearing of it, we’re shown a breathtaking visual narrative that toes the line between reverie and reality, underscoring the impact of her words.
For his part, Brown was grateful for the opportunity to push the boundaries of tourism content. “The Seattle film is more important and meaningful to me than anything thus far in my career. Being given the space to let my imagination run wild and share how I feel about this city without limits was a dream come true.”
This is Brown’s first project since recently signing with Atlanta and Seattle-based production company UNHEARD/OF, which produced Dreamcatcher.
