Hi Jonathan,

Other than rendering the default filter location as part of the table, such as in the footer or header row, as you found, we can also render it above the table as a Form;

And we also have the availability to render the column filters in a SideBar as a widget.

Here is a screenshot example when it's placed on the right side, but you should be able to position it on the left side, if you position your sidebar and our filter widget like that :

Please check more details how it works here. Find the section named "Advanced filter in a widget (in WordPress sidebar)".

Let me know how it goes.