Yes, that’s right, it’s almost the most wonderful SIFF time of the year: those three weeks in early summer when you are forced to choose between lovely weather outside and lovely films inside. As previously mentioned, the 36th annual Seattle International Film Festival kicks off May 20th with the sophisticated male escort comedy The Extra Man at Benaroya Hall. From there, it’s onward and upward, with a little bit of everything: the latest Todd Solondz, a Bill Hicks documentary, Australian cane toads in 3D, the controversial Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives…and there’s also movies for the children, like Senior Prom, a mockumentary directed by Nicholas Terry, a seventeen-year-old Mountlake Terrace resident.
In terms of the Big Events, the closing night film is Get Low, which stars Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, and Sissy Spacek. It was well-received at Sundance this year, as well as Toronto last year. Other galas include the Duplass Brothers comedy Cyrus, Christian Carion’s (Joyeux Noel) new film Farewell, and the gay-la Violet Tendencies. Of course there are many, many foreign films showing at the festival (from sixty countries, including three from Africa), but the focus this year is on Spain, which has eighteen features and nine shorts at the fest, including gala film Cell 211.
And yes, there’s so much more: a tribute to Ed Norton, Stephin Merritt at the Paramount providing a live soundtrack to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, films in Kirkland, West Seattle, Juanita, and Everett…. Look, the full lineup will be on the SIFF website next week (and they’re doing the SIFFter iPhone app again this year, hooray), and the box office opens May 7 (May 6, if you’re a SIFF member). But buy your pass or ticket package if you haven’t already, and start your planning now.
Not sure that ‘Get Outside’ is the way to induce people to spend a month in the darkness of a theater.
so glad that SIFFter is back! glossy and incredibly useful, one of the better festival apps I’ve seen.
I’m a transsexual woman who’s VERY excited to see this movie. Thank you for including it! I’m not particularly offended by the T word but some of my girlfriends are. It looks like a schlocky, hot-mess of a good time. Can’t WAIT!