Not if. When.
The Seattle Earthquake Project is an upcoming documentary about earthquakes, anxiety, and the delicate relationship between humans and land in a city built on unstable ground.
The Seattle Earthquake Project is the working title of an upcoming feature documentary about a rapidly growing city built on fragile ground and the seismic forces that continue to shape it. Seattle has endured many major earthquakes, yet much of that history has been forgotten. The film uncovers this past in drowned forests, fractured brickwork, and archival records, asking why decades of expert warnings have left Seattle and the broader Pacific Northwest so vulnerable.
Blending scientific insights with local narratives, the film looks beyond physical danger, examining how anxiety and cognitive biases can skew risk perception and preparedness, and how memory and media shape what we treat as urgent. It examines the hazards beneath our feet and the deeper faults in our systems and priorities.
Funded by 4Culture, the film is slated for completion in 2026.
Why It Matters
Seattle sits on unstable ground, shaped by glaciers, seismic faults, and human engineering. Scientists estimate there’s an 86 percent chance of a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years, yet the region remains dangerously unprepared, despite known ways to reduce risk.
Thousands of old brick buildings across Washington are vulnerable to collapse. Known as unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs), they include apartments, schools, neighborhood businesses, and historic gathering places. Many public schools across Washington State still lack adequate seismic safety. These are only a few of the vulnerabilities facing the region, and risk is not evenly shared: the those with the fewest resources are often the most exposed.
The economics are clear: federal studies show that every $1 spent on mitigation saves $4–$6 in recovery costs, and more importantly, saves lives. Yet disaster preparedness and scientific research have faced repeated cuts, despite clear knowledge of the risks. The pattern goes beyond earthquakes, echoing the denial and delay around issues such as climate change. This story is not only about one city’s risk, but also about how we undervalue the histories written into the land beneath us, science, and the future itself.