NWFF's Local Sightings Film Fest Opens Friday

This Friday, Oct. 2, the 12th annual Local Sightings Film Festival of recent work from the Pacific Northwest opens at Northwest Film Forum, and runs through Oct. 7. As usual, part of the festival plans to be boozy, with an opening night party Friday at 9 p.m. ($5 members, $7 non-members), and a bar space opening in one of the theatres for post-show chats. Tickets to film showings are standard price: $6 members, $9 non-members, and can be purchased online. The full schedule with links is here.

The festival sports an unusually strong line-up of feature films this year, including Michael Harring's The Mountain, the River, and the Road (playing Friday at 7 p.m.). The story follows a young man who sets out on an abortive road-trip with an old friend after his parents not-so-politely ask him to get out of the house. It's a classic road movie/coming-of-age story that follows the kid's experiences in tiny Kernville after his friend strands him there.

The late-night fare, offering up all the gore and sex you could want, is Jay Cynik's Punch (Saturday 11 p.m.), a violent epic about two gangs whose turf-war is a proxy for God's struggle with Satan, adapted from Cynik's graphic novel The Last Stand of the Teenage Mod Murder Squad.

As usual, the festival sports a variety of feature and documentaries as well as screenings of shorts. The full line-up is here, but for my money, the most interesting programs are the ones showcasing short-films, which are faster-paced and more diverse. The local music video showcase on Sunday at 7 p.m. promises to be interest (it's also free, but you have to RSVP). The "Obstacles to Overcome" showcase of short films (Sunday, 9 p.m.) includes one featuring talented up-and-coming actress/dancer Gabrielle Schutz. And then there's the Tuesday, 9 p.m. "Abstractions" showcase, which includes Serge Gregory's lushly filmed homage to the blue heron, When Herons Dream.