The Seattle International Film Festival has completed its run in Renton, drawing hundreds of film-goers, all supported by a large community effort in the city.

Seattle-based SIFF, the largest and longest-runnning film festival in the country, had agreed to have Renton host the festival for one season.

Now, the question is, will there be another SIFF-Renton?

Suzanne Dale Estey, the city’s economic development director, said she’s hopeful SIFF will return next year.

“We believe they have been pretty pleased,”  she said. The key, of course, was ticket sales and Dale Estey continued to promote the festival right up to the final showing.

She’s expecting there will be a debriefing with SIFF after the festival finishes its main run in Seattle on June 12.

Dale Estey said mid-week she was expecting the audience at the IKEA Performing Arts Center to top out at about 2,000 after the final showing Thursday night.

“SIFF-Renton ticket sales have been very good, but we have plenty of room to grow in future years,” she said. As hoped, the festival meant good exposure for Renton in the region and a boost for downtown businesses, she said.

Dale Estey said it’s hard to quantify, but “there was definitely an extremely positive impact for downtown and this community.”

Numerous volunteers stepped up to help put on the festival and the Renton FilmFrenzy in October got exposure, too, that “will have significant benefits this fall,” she said.

The Renton FilmFrenzy and SIFF-Renton are an effort of the Renton Community Marketing Campaign.

Dale Estey said the organizers in their own debriefing will take a look at how to expand marketing, since“just about every tool imaginable” was used this year, including newspaper, online, social media and just plain walking the streets with flyers, posters and film guides.

Next year, she hopes to work more closely with employers to reach out to filmgoers.

An “onging challenge,” she said, is how to reach out to Renton’s communities of color to view the films. An East Indian group attended the “Sounds of Mumbai” and A Filipino group watched “Pinoy Sunday.”

SIFF IN SEATTLE

The Seattle International Film Festival is continuing its run at its Seattle venues through June 12. Tickets are available online or by calling 206-324-9996