John Helde, the Mike Leigh of Washington, talks new movie ‘Marcie’s’

Washington state rarely gets the chance to play itself on the big screen despite our abundance of talented filmmakers. That is, unless the movie is made by longtime local writer and director John Helde. 

A veteran of the Washington film community, he cut his teeth editing acclaimed films like the rom-com classic “Sleepless in Seattle” and the coming-of-age gem “Smoke Signals,” part of a boom of local Hollywood productions that’s no longer as present in the region. He’s also directed his own features (“Phoebe’s Father,” “Brown’s Canyon”). Each sees him working closely with actors to collaboratively build grounded characters and films around them, his latest being the locally shot “Marcie’s.” 

Available to stream on VOD, “Marcie’s” sees Helde again working with local actor Jenn Ruzumna, who plays the titular aspiring bar owner with a heart of gold, and giving Washington a humble, heartfelt moment on the big screen.

To hear it from Helde, he’s most inspired by filmmakers like Mike Leigh, director of “Secrets & Lies” and the recent “Hard Truths,” and approaches his movies in a similar fashion of casting actors first then developing the story later. 

“It’s the challenges of everyday life, of these ordinary people, and dealing with relationships and work and class struggle that I was really drawn to. Those are the kind of movies I like to see,” Helde said. “I was [drawn to] do that kind of work with people in Seattle. That’s how it came about that I started making movies this way.”

When it came to Marcie herself, Helde credited Ruzumna as being integral to establishing who she was — her backstory, motivations, fears and, ultimately, aspirations she holds for purchasing the bar from the previous owner in an attempt to make it one she can call her own.  

“What inspired me the most was (Marcie’s) drive to create something unique for herself,” Helde said. “To build a life for herself that not everybody might have imagined.”

The filmmaker turned to local dive bars to give the film life, namely the interior of Ballard’s Waterwheel Lounge, which is set to close in early 2026. He said shooting in the state, as opposed to other recognizable locales, was critical to the experience. 

“I love a sense of place, especially a very specific sense of place,” Helde said. “One thing I love in a movie is when it takes me to someplace I’m not familiar with. We’re all familiar with the New York City streets and the (Los Angeles) vibe. Those can be used very brilliantly in film, but I’m always drawn to those places that you feel like you’re being dropped into someone’s real life in some corner of the world you’re not familiar with.” 

In “Marcie’s,” this also includes exteriors around North Bend and the outside of the Mt. Si Tavern. It was something that got Helde thinking about economic insecurity, the loss of third spaces (the places we go that aren’t home or work) and how they can possibly survive. 

“What is the future of the independent dive bar? How do you own something like this and make a go of it?” Helde said. “This was unfolding before my eyes and I just wanted to bring this to the surface. It’s something I already felt living around here with the cost of living in Seattle going way up.”

“Marcie’s” then becomes about the bar also serving as a community space where people look out for each other and lift each other up. In the film, they rally together in an attempt to save the bar from a different buyer who is coming in to purchase it solely for the land it’s on. To Helde, this was about leaning into the authenticity of how the characters reflect real-life bonds as “people get thrown together in these places and end up helping each other in unexpected ways.” 

In many ways, this mirrors the way that Helde has formed bonds with a local cast and crew that has him wanting to continue working with them. Though Seattle and Washington broadly may still not always get to play itself, the opportunities are there. 

“I definitely see myself making more films. I love working this way,” Helde said. “Seattle is a great place to make films because you can do everything here from beginning to end. There are great crew people, producers, technical crew people and postproduction facilities. It’s a small community, but great creative work is going on here.”