
'The New Generation Film Makers Attracted to Seattle
The new generation film-makers were attracted to Seattle and they considered filming in Seattle because of the Seattle World's Fair that was held in the year 1962.
It attracted the interest of a new generation of film makers and led to such productions, memorable and otherwise, as The Slender Thread (based on Seattle's Crisis Clinic) and It Happened At the World's Fair (starring Elvis Presley, at the express request of then-Governor Al Rosellini).
The Space Needle has also served as a location for heroes and villains ranging from Warren Beatty in The Parallax View to Austin Powers' nemesis, Dr. Evil:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059729/
Beginning in 1974, the annual Seattle International Film festival has also attracted growing attention and attendance, and the city has long been popular with independent cineastes.

