Catch up with all The SunBreak’s festival coverage on our SIFF 2013 page.
MvB: As I said before, SIFF served me well in the film department this year — if I were doing stars, a lot of 3.5 and 4s out of 5. Documentaries, as nearly always, were a strong group…
Tony: SIFF’s documentary menu is frequently world-class. Of the 35 movies I saw for the fest, almost one-third were docs and most of those were really, really strong. One weird aside/question: How do paying SIFF patrons feel about the influx of extremely short docs presented as full-fledged features? I counted at least three standalone docs that were under an hour long….
From a consumer standpoint, SIFF 2013’s consistency was a great thing. But that consistency almost became numbing sometimes. Very few of the films disappointed, but conversely that meant fewer surprises, pleasant or otherwise, for me.
MvB: I also liked what I thought of as the “Nordic Crimewave” pathway. Am I right that there was only one Icelandic feature, though? Shame!
Audrey: One Icelandic feature, one Canadian documentary about Iceland’s penis museum.
Tony: Iceland wasn’t the only corner of the globe that felt underrepresented this year. There coulda been a lot more Asian cinema: Hong Kong Action cinema, in particular, usually draws a devoted contingent, so its relative dearth was a bit of a headscratcher (not enough good stuff coming from that corner of the globe right now?).
It should be stated that the Midnight programming (from my perspective, at least) was pretty top-notch this year. And there was a real variety and breadth to the African cinema selection during SIFF 2013 — the socially-aware dramas and documentaries were to be expected, but it was really cool to see several examples of the continent’s pulp entertainment on display. I’d never want to bother with the empty calories of a Fanie Fourie’s Lobola again, but I was glad to see what a populist Chick Flick from half-a-world away looks like.
MvB: Not to beat a dead iPhone app, but SIFF’s decision to kill off its much-praised app in favor of a “mobile-optimized” site was befuddling. You lost key capabilities, like the ability to favorite films you wanted to see (rather than just track films you bought tickets to — a “feature” that also happened to leave passholders out in the cold), and the new site’s UI (by Ingeniux) didn’t come close to the ease and speed of the app. Initially, movies were sorted by day alphabetically, which got changed to chronologically about a week in. Choosing a film gave you show times, but to see the synopsis you had to open a whole new page, every single time. The site also tended to drain the battery of my iPhone in about an hour if I left it “up” in my browser. I give Ingeniux 1.5 stars out of 5, here.
Audrey: Let’s not forget that the mobile site initially featured a “synposis” for each festival film. Miss you, SIFF app!
Tony: Yeah, the absence of the app really stood out. Without it, I found myself frequently squatting at one venue and just watching what was there throughout the day, instead of really exploring.
MvB: SIFF also killed the Back-to-Back pass — I’m not sure why, and neither was the volunteer I asked. It’s not often a problem, but you’re penalized by going to see longer movies, since by the time you exit and circle around to get in line for the next show, it can be all the way down the block.
Audrey: Members and passholders were PISSED about the lack of back-to-back. To quote @maynardpark: “Major FAIL @SIFFnews w/no “back-to-back” option. Had to leave Egyptian and go to END of VERY LONG LINE. Way to treat your members.”
MvB: On the media coverage side, SIFF again insisted on holding “press screenings” during the day — a time many, many people find themselves at work. I didn’t make it to a single one. Are there any full-time film critics in Seattle anymore? The few times I went last year, the press were severely outnumbered by Platinum passholders, for whom the nominal press screenings are a benefit. Might be time to either change the name, or change the screening times. Thank god, in any event, for digital screeners.
Tony: I take vacation time from my day job for much of SIFF’s duration to cover it each year (miraculously, it is sometimes necessary for writers to supplement their princely writing income with non-writing work). This year especially, it seemed like there was almost no press in attendance at the “press screenings.” At more than one, I was (near as I could tell) literally the only press member. SIFF’s crackdown on press admissions to the actual Gala Screenings made those press screenings the only avenue for the local media to see The Bling Ring (SIFF’s closing night film) prior to its Closing Night Gala screening. I missed the screening at noon on a weekday the previous week, so I didn’t see it.
Audrey: SIFF’s communications (both to media and to the general public) have grown increasingly convoluted over the past few years. If anything there are too many communications coming from too many people within SIFF, some of which later require corrections, and all of which contribute to the diminishing returns from continual email newsblasts. And then on the other hand, when you send an email to SIFF, it often goes into the void without response. Once again, we beseech SIFF to maintain a strong PR presence (and pay good PR professionals what they’re worth) for the whole year, ramping up and adding staff as necessary for the festival. Continuity is priceless.
Tony: SIFF wouldn’t be the first non-profit to shoot itself in the foot by laboring under the hope that technology can compensate for a lack of staffing. Then again, bracing for that Brave New World would’ve entailed more of an investment in that technology in the first place. Like, say, a dedicated app (my turn to beat the dead iPhone app horse, MvB…), or (Dead Horse #2, officially noted) a credit card/advance-ordering server that could withstand the onslaught of thousands of denizens of the Whedonverse for the Opening Night Gala.
siff sucks. if you are a member, they’ll track every movie you see for the life of your membership each time they scan the barcode on your pass. they also stopped providing all of the things listed in the membership. i regret buying a lifetime membership greatly. biggest mistake of my life.