It's a Wonderful Legacy

Even as the Grand Illusion prepares for its 38th-annual screening of It's a Wonderful Life, the non-profit cinema has announced its George Bailey award. (That's the character played by Jimmy Stewart in the film.) This year, appropriately, it goes to Michael Seiwerath, who ran the GI when it was still part of Northwest Film Forum. (The two split in 2004.) This year, after successfully consolidating NWFF operations at its new Cap Hill location, Seiwerath departed to pursue a career in affordable housing development.

That worthy pursuit also seems a good fit with George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (which runs Fri. Dec. 12 to Christmas Day), since he, the responsible banker, tries to protect his clients and keep people from being evicted. So congrats to Seiwerath, and let's hope both the GI and NWFF can weather what looks like a tough economic climate in 2009 and the years ahead.