Our Mission

Our vision is to be the world's temple of movie culture, enriching individuals and communities with unfettered access to the full range of cinema and television throughout history and from around the world, representing a diverse chorus of voices and perspectives. We will continue to lead the way in championing physical media in a digital age.

We are the largest publicly accessible video collection in the U.S. Scarecrow offers 147,000+ titles, three times the amount available through all major streaming services combined and a number that puts us in league with the likes of The American Film Institute and The UCLA Film and Television Archive. Our collection represents 128 years of cultural history and the breadth of the entire globe with films from 138 countries and over 126 languages other than English.

• Comparing our holdings to institutions like The Library of Congress and the Paley Center as well as the WorldCat database reveals that we hold thousands of rare and out-of-print titles. Of our 100 rarest titles:
• 44 may be the only publicly accessible copies in existence;
• 33 are held by 5 or fewer public collections; and
• 88 aren’t even held by the Library of Congress.

We are committed to advancing equity. Film is a language we all share. Film history is OUR history and stories committed to film cover the full spectrum of human experience. These stories were created by and represent all of us...every race, age, gender, orientation, range of ability, and economic means.

Knowing film's power as a democratic medium that effectively generates empathy, Scarecrow ensures that all of our special programs and initiatives feature works by underrepresented populations. Each Children's Hour series, for example, centers on themes that use the diversity of world cultures as a springboard for its educational arts activities. We frequently offer screenings that celebrate LGBTQIA+, minority, and women storytellers. Continuing that tradition, we launched REPRESENT! – an initiative where we partner with organizations serving underrepresented populations to curate suggested viewing lists, blog posts, and interviews that spotlight a different topic every other month. Community partners for REPRESENT! have included Solid Ground, Converge Media, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, NAMI, University District Food Bank, and Women in Film Seattle.

We offer genuine freedom of choice. In an age where a handful of corporations dictate the availability of streaming content, we keep the full spectrum of diverse voices available. The cost of online convenience is a narrowing of voices; homogenized, mainstream content; and catalogs that continue to shrink.

We offer films by and about historically marginalized storytellers and we feature these works and Hollywood blockbusters with equal prominence. Our collection is curated to highlight areas often overlooked, including LGBTQIA+ and local filmmakers; a robust documentary collection that chronicles history, social justice issues, women’s studies, communities of color, and civil rights triumphs; and an unparalleled foreign section.

“Movies are the most powerful empathy machine in all the arts. When I go to a great movie, I can live somebody else’s life for a while. I can walk in somebody else’s shoes. I can see what it feels like to be a member of a different gender, a different race, a different economic class, to live in a different time, to have a different belief.” - Roger Ebert

We are a critical caretaker of our cultural history. It's estimated that 90% of American films made before 1929 were destroyed in the transition to talkies, and half of all films made before 1950 are lost to time. We stand at a unique moment where we can learn from past mistakes and stem further losses brought on by changing technology and viewing habits.

Our expert team represents a cumulative total of over 200 years of commitment to our unique archive. Scarecrow Video began life in 1988 as a video store, and in 2014 we formed a non-profit to steward and grow this unparalleled collection. Currently, we are made up of 18 full and part time staff members (with an average tenure of 12 years), eight board members, and 20 volunteers.

Scarecrow’s collection continues to expand every week, bringing in 3,000 - 4,000 new titles annually representing both new and historical content. We anticipate maintaining this growth for the foreseeable future along with our commitment to representing the full range of cinematic voices.

Scarecrow Video IS the future of accessible media. In this new age, we are re-defining the significance of physical media, and paving the way for its place in our future. As technology changes our landscape, we must continue to fight to preserve one of the most important sources of empathy we have: movies.

“This is cinéaste heaven.” – Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy)

In 2022 Scarecrow was proud to serve over 8,000 film lovers through over 64,000 low-cost rentals, free virtual screenings and classes, and outreach programs. Our patron base covers 97% of King County, 99% of Snohomish County and beyond, and includes constituents from a broad range of income, age, and cultures. Beginning in 2020 with the expansion of our Rental by Mail program and our online programming, we have been able to reach beyond our immediate area to serve all areas of Washington.

We are a vital part of our community. Scarecrow Video was honored with The Stranger’s Genius Award for Film in 2015. In 2016, we were chosen as Seattle’s top legacy organization in a poll conducted by Councilmember Herbold’s office. In 2017, The Office of Arts & Culture and Office of the Mayor made generous contributions to Scarecrow representing the city's commitment to our work. We have also gotten the attention of a number of different news outlets, and you can check those articles out on our Press page.

“They are truly caretakers of our shared culture, history and film arts, and undeniably a Seattle institution.” – Former Councilmember Lisa Herbold and Kate Becker, King County Creative Economy Director; guest editorial published in The Stranger

Scarecrow is also an important resource in the Seattle film community, regularly partnering with organizations like SIFF, SAM, The Grand Illusion, NWFF, Motion Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPs), and many local film festivals to promote film arts year-round.

We are a resource for educators and students. We regularly assist educators from Cornish College, University of Washington, Seattle University, Seattle Film Institute, and others through tours of our collection, research assistance, guest speaking in classes, and advice for curriculum development.

“I could not teach my classes and address historical diversity, if I did not have…Scarecrow Video. Not only do they have more diverse films than any streaming service or disc mail order, but they include thousands of titles that are out of print and impossible to find anywhere else.” - Janice Findley, History Instructor at Seattle Film Institute

As a nonprofit, we are dedicated to championing the essential art of cinematic storytelling as well as the vital importance of physical media. We accomplish this through low-cost rentals and by using the archive for unique, no-cost community programming that includes free screenings and outreach programs.

Our online programming builds virtual community. We provide a robust line-up of virtual events which consists of online film clubs, presentations that explore film's intersection with social issues, lecture series delving into the history and hallmarks of specific genres. These events are free and open to all and provide an online space for film lovers nationwide to convene and share their passion. We also have an active YouTube channel that showcases our web series, VIVA PHYSICAL MEDIA. This show offers film recommendations and further opportunities for viewers to engage with the deep wells of cultural history that our collection represents.

Our outreach programs build real-world community and allows us to think about new ways to use the collection outside of our four walls. Our current outreach programs include:

• Outdoor movie series: Every summer, we produce our popular series of outdoor films that invites the community to enjoy family-friendly fare and pre-show entertainment in tranquil surroundings. These free, public events open windows into other cultures through the power of story and creativity, all in a beautiful setting for everyone to enjoy.
• School screenings: This year we were invited to host a film night at a local school. It was such a success that we are working on putting together a more fleshed-out program to serve schools throughout our area, especially those with more limited means.

• Silver Screeners: This program has allowed further access to our collection to seniors in our community that might face challenges coming to our location. We serve six physical locations and host two virtual film clubs for older LGBTQIA+ participants. Programming is personalized for each audience. This program provides enrichment and community connections to a population that struggles to find both of these.

“I cannot overstate the positive impact that the Silver Screeners program has had on our community. This monthly movie and discussion series is an important part of our programming, offering seniors a platform to explore new films while fostering social connections and intellectual engagement. The post-screening discussions have been particularly impactful, facilitating meaningful conversations and strengthening the sense of camaraderie among our members.” --- Justin Ferguson, Lake City Senior Center