45th Seattle International Film Festival (2019)

A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BETH BARRETT AND FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING MANAGER STAN SHIELDS

It is our distinct honor to welcome you to the Seattle International Film Festival. For 45 years, SIFF has been a place for people to come together and celebrate unique stories, diverse perspectives, and powerful emotional narratives. Over this 25-day experience, we invite our communities to engage with the works of filmmakers and artists from around the world.

At SIFF, we believe in the value of the shared film experience and are proud to be screening over 400 films, representing nearly 90 countries, taken from the more than 5,000 films sent to us for consideration. Many of these films are from first- or second-time filmmakers, representing new voices in film, telling new stories, and empowering a new generation of artists to embrace their visions. By encouraging emerging filmmakers, SIFF is supporting the cultural ecology both at home and around the world.

This year’s ShortsFest Weekend is incredibly strong and includes filmmakers working in episodic formats. Our Indigenous Film Spotlight and 4th World Indigenous Media Lab continue to grow. The SIFF New Works-in-Progress Forum is bringing four international teams to Seattle to work with industry mentors and the audience to refine their films. We are partnering with the Bigfoot Northwest Script Challenge to present a live reading of an awarded script. The True Productions & Clark Family Legacy Film Grant, along with our Forums and education programs, serve as development opportunities for both filmmakers and our audiences.

The Seattle International Film Festival is committed to the ongoing responsibility of creating equitable opportunities at our Festival. SIFF understands the necessity of supporting and connecting emerging filmmakers from around the globe. We proudly provide them a platform to reach our audiences and build a conversational relationship between artist and audience.

SIFF 2019 will reach over 140,000 audience members at multiple venues in neighborhoods throughout the Greater Seattle area. These venues include AMC Pacific Place 11, Majestic Bay Theatres, Ark Lodge Cinemas, Cinemark Lincoln Square Cinemas, Shoreline Community College, Kirkland Performance Center, and SIFF’s year-round cinemas. Additionally, SIFF has made the Hyatt Regency Seattle our new official hotel.

We are truly grateful for this year’s filmmakers, as well as our long-time partners and generous sponsors that make the festival possible. We are also deeply appreciative of the hundreds of volunteers who contribute an astonishing amount of time and effort to SIFF. We thank you all for your continued involvement in the festival, and for your help in supporting these vibrant and impactful experiences. We hope you enjoy taking part in this celebration of cinema as much as we enjoy sharing it with you.

We are dedicated to fostering a community that is informed, aware, and alive.

SIFF believes in film’s unique power to share original stories, diverse perspectives, and rich emotional journeys. Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, expanding into SIFF Education, and, most recently, operating our year-round fivescreen SIFF Cinema, we have offered Seattle, and beyond, experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. Our distinctly smart audiences allow us to take risks, host complex conversations, and truly appreciate film.

The SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is the largest film festival in the United States, with more than 140,000 people attending each year. The 25-day event, held each May and June, is renowned for presenting over 400 features, short films, and documentaries gathered from more than 80 countries. We receive over 5,000 independent film submissions annually, and screen debut features and shorts alongside works by established master filmmakers and arthouse cinema hits. More than 70% of the films screened at the Festival will not return to theaters, making SIFF an amazing place to discover and celebrate new work from around the world.

Over 175,000 people annually attend SIFF CINEMA to see the best new arthouse and feature films at our three classic movie houses: SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and the SIFF Film Center. Featured also are the latest international works, one-of-a-kind special events, and festivals, including mini-festivals Noir City, Cinema Italian Style, and French Cinema Now. Through SIFF Cinema, we are dedicated to preserving and enriching the experience of attending the movies while going beyond the screen with filmmaker and panel discussions. SIFF Cinema also hosts SIFFsupports, a program dedicated to supporting, presenting, and highlighting film events and festivals by our local film community.

SIFF EDUCATION programs are designed to train and strengthen our strong community of educators, film lovers, and filmmakers of all ages. Film Appreciation classes and Cinema Dissections dig deeper into the art of film, while youth filmmaking camps and Crash Cinema events provide hands-on filmmaking experiences. SIFF Education programs occur at SIFF, in the schools, and across the region with our community partners.

FROM SIFF’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Welcome to the 45th Seattle International Film Festival: a celebratory time for Seattle and the Eastside, with films, special guests, multiple gala events, a Secret Film Festival, and more.

We are kicking off SIFF’s 25-day Festival, showing 233 feature length films and 176 shorts, and continuing to present the varied and diverse perspectives of filmmakers from all around the world.

In addition to the Festival, SIFF has more programs that make it a Seattle treasure. In a time when classic movie theaters are being replaced by condos, SIFF has taken on the challenge of stewarding three cinemas, making it possible to come together to see a breadth of films on five big screens.

SIFF also provides education to adults and kids. SIFF takes the show on the road, moving its youth film camps and workshops to a variety of neighborhoods and enabling students throughout the city to learn how to tell stories using digital cinematic skills. Thank you for your financial support, which enables SIFF to produce a festival of this scale, maintain its cinemas, and provide educational opportunities to communities throughout Seattle.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and our Festival staff, thank you to our sponsors, filmmakers, volunteers, and our amazing audiences. Enjoy the Festival!

Sincerely,

OFFICERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FROM THE GOVERNOR

May 16 – June 9, 2019

I am pleased to extend warm greetings to all attendees of the 45th Annual Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). With four-and-a-half decades of hosting independent film, and the exciting celebration of cinema, SIFF is a Washington institution.

The Seattle International Film Festival has enriched the greater community immensely. Cinema is more than entertainment; through film we are invited to explore the human condition through a diverse lens. Truthful filmmaking cannot be felt any place more than in independent film.

Film brings people together to discover, and have complex conservations about, the world in which we live, work, and play, and highlights the experiences of those whose stories might not otherwise be heard.

The largest film festival in the United States, the Seattle International Film Festival has become a prestigious event that draws nearly 140,000 people each year to view more than 400 features, short films, and documentaries from more than 85 countries.

I applaud festival organizers, the many volunteers, educators, film lovers, and filmmakers for making this special event possible. Thank you for your attendance and support of SIFF, and please accept my best wishes for a memorable festival.

Very truly yours,

FROM THE MAYOR

April 15, 2019

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the City of Seattle, I am excited to welcome audience members, artists, and organizers alike to the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival! I am grateful that our City has the opportunity each year to host such a prestigious and impressive cultural event.

Since 1976, SIFF has attracted filmmakers and fans from all over the world. Today, SIFF is not only an institution in Seattle’s cultural life, but also is now among the largest and most well-attended film festivals in our country. The growing national and global influence of SIFF is due in large part to the tireless work of staff and volunteers who make this festival happen. On behalf of our City, I applaud you.

The City of Seattle shares SIFF’s belief in the power and importance of free artistic expression. Like other art forms, film can build community, showcase underrepresented experiences and perspectives, and remind us of the hidden, beautiful complexities of our world.

Our City’s Office of Arts & Culture is dedicated to supporting and partnering with artistic institutions because they make Seattle a better, more beautiful, and more vibrant place to live. We support the arts because we know arts are not an amenity, but a necessity.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating film in Seattle and for being supporters of the Seattle International Film Festival!

Sincerely,

Do you work with 4K, 6K or even 8K footage?

Do you feel like your editing system is holding you back?

FROM THE MAYOR OF BELLEVUE

Greetings:

As mayor, I am pleased to welcome the Seattle International Film Festival to Bellevue.

Welcome to Bellevue, Washington, a vibrant, modern, and growing city that offers the ultimate in shopping, dining, and cultural attractions, surrounded by magnificent natural beauty and outdoor spaces—all within easy strolling distance. We encourage you to get out and explore our many parks located throughout the city. In fact, Bellevue is known as a “city in a park,” boasting nearly 100 parks that range from ball fields to beach parks and from forested wilderness with hiking trails galore to manicured meadows and even a botanical garden.

Bellevue’s central location in the Puget Sound region provides the opportunity to experience all that the greater Seattle area has to offer. Within minutes, you can explore Seattle’s culture and history, visit Kirkland’s waterfront parks and galleries or tour Woodinville’s Wine Country, home to 90 wineries and some of the world’s best wines. You can even quench your taste for adventure with a day trip to nearby mountains for hiking, biking or skiing. I encourage you to go to VisitBellevueWashington.com to get more information about visiting our city.

On behalf of the City of Bellevue, I hope you enjoy this great festival.

Sincerely,

FROM THE MAYOR OF KIRKLAND

Welcome once again to Kirkland as part of our 11th year of hosting the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on their 44th season. Kirklanders and our neighbors across the whole Eastside are excited to contemplate this year’s gallery of entertaining and provocative films. We are proud of our artistic, cultural, and educational offerings and the film festival is a welcome mainstay of our event-filled year. As always, we are pleased to accommodate SIFF at our own downtown Kirkland Performance Center with its intimate and comfortable setting for film watching.

While you are in Kirkland enjoying these great movies, I encourage you to break out and explore our unique and vibrant downtown which presents a blend of outdoor venues for recreation or relaxation, plus art, fine dining and wine tasting and boutique shopping. Park Lane, just around the corner from the Performance Center won a “Great Street in America” award last year. It was one of five streets in the nation to be bestowed with this distinction. Park Lane is a gem filled with outside dining, shopping and an outdoor sculpture gallery with works for sale by major regional artists.

Within walking distance is an array of fine dining experiences, representative of a variety of cuisines —from Italian to Indian to Peruvian to Mexican. Visit www.explorekirkland.com to check out dining and nearby hotel accommodations such as The Heathman Hotel and The Woodmark Hotel and Still Spa for those interested in overnight stays.

Enjoy your stay and another exciting year of films.

Sincerely,

FROM THE MAYOR OF SHORELINE

Once again, we are proud to partner with Shoreline Community College in welcoming the Seattle International Film Festival to Shoreline! Shoreline is a diverse community with a long history of celebrating the arts.

Hosting SIFF in Shoreline is part of the City and the College’s ongoing collaboration to grow our creative-industries cluster. The City and the College established the Shoreline Film Office in 2013 to support the film industry and attract more productions to the area. It provides a wide array of venues, professional education and training, production support, and a single point of contact for permitting film, gaming, theater, and sound projects. The Shoreline Film Office includes collaboration space and the Black Box, a flexible theater/production space fully outfitted with lighting, audio/ visual equipment, a large green-screen wall and portable risers for an audience of 50. These resources are available to professionals for a nominal charge.

While other colleges are closing similar programs, the film school at Shoreline Community College is highly respected throughout the region. The Film Office has been successful in attracting film productions totaling approximately $1M per year. We have hosted everything from Super Bowl ads to smaller commercial work, feature-length independent films to shorts.

To learn more about the Shoreline Film Office, call (206) 546-5829 or email filmoffice@shorelinewa.gov.

Whether you are coming to Shoreline for the first time or familiar with the area, I encourage you to take some time to explore our great city. While famous for great schools, we also have fantastic parks, unique shops, a wide variety of eateries, and a warm, diverse, welcoming community. To learn more, visit surprisedbyshoreline.com.

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the show!

GRAND SPONSORS

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

PRODUCING SPONSORS

PARTNER SPONSORS

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

African Studies Program at UW

Ali Ahmadi

American Iranian Business Council

American Romanian Cultural Society

Anonymous

ARVR Academy

Babak and Sinikka Parviz

Canadian Studies Center at UW

Center for Global Studies at UW

Center for Human Rights at UW

Center for West European Studies at UW

China Studies Program at UW

Comparative Religion Program at UW

Confucius Institute of the State of Washington

Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest

San Francisco

Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles

East Asia Center at UW

Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at UW

Epic Team Adventures

Follow Your Feet Productions

German Films

Greater Seattle Vietnam Association

Hands On Location Massage

Honorary Consulate of Austria in Seattle

Honorary Consulate of Germany in Seattle

Honorary Consulate of Spain in Seattle

Honorary Consulate of Switzerland in Seattle

Iranian American Faculty at UW

Japan Studies Program at UW

HOSPITALITY PARTNERS COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Agave Cocina & Tequilas

AV Factory

Butler Valet

Capitol Cider

Capitol Hill Block Party

Comet Tavern

DJ Han Cholo

DJ Paco

DRY Soda Co.

Eltana Wood-Fired Bagel Café

MEDIA PARTNERS

AlphaGraphics

Amy Kowalenko

Art Access

Ashlyn Gehrett

Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UW

Michael and Neda Nassirian

Mike Moghaddas Realty

Napa Valley Film Festival

Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department at UW

Nima Foroutan, DDS

North Seattle French School

Québec Government Office in Los Angeles

Radio Iranshahr

Sanaz Namdar

Seattle - Christchurch Sister City Association

Seattle - Kobe Sister City Association

Seattle - Nantes Sister City Association

Seattle - Perugia Sister City Association

Seattle - Reykjavik Sister City Association

Seattle Composers Alliance

Seattle Film Institute

Seattle Isfahan Sister City Association

Seattle Polish Film Festival

Seattle Turkish Film Festival

Shirin’s Chic Design

South Asia Center at UW

Southeast Asia Center at UW

Tasveer

The Naini Family Foundation

The Tourist Office of Spain

TheFilmSchool

Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington

UW Alumni Association

UW Master’s in Education Policy

Washington Athletic Club (WAC)

Facility, Inc.

Hollywood Lights

Il Fornaio

KIND Snacks

Lost Lake

Mbar

Music Man

Neumos

Northern Lights Food & Beverage

Osteria La Spiga

Pedersen’s Rentals

Pel’meni Dumpling Tzar

Rhein Haus

RN74

Sweet Iron Waffles

The Essential Baking Company

The House Studios

The Runaway

Triumph Bar

Elizabeth Crook

Quinton Peters

Stephen Mellander and Daniel Herda

Telescope Films

SIFF thanks all our donors who make film a vital part of our community. Through the art of cinema, we are introduced to viewpoints that differ from our own. Now more than ever, media literacy and cultural understanding are important topics, and we are proud to be part of the conversation.

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS.

DONORS

For information on how to donate, please contact the Philanthropy team at giving@siff.net or 206.464.5830.

INDIVIDUAL DONORS DONATIONS MADE TO THE CINEFUND BETWEEN MARCH 17, 2018 & MARCH 17, 2019.

$25,000 +

Linda & David Cornfield

Lynn Hubbard & David Zapolsky*

Harold Matzner

$15,000-$24,999

Richie Meyer & Susan Harmon**

Brent & Courtney Stiefel*

$5,000-$14,999

Jim & Jill Angelo

Katherine & David De Bruyn**

Donna & Rob Dughi*

Mary & Rich Fassio

Amy Fulford

Brian LaMacchia**

Diana E. Knauf & Bjorn Levidow*

Mary Metastasio*

Chris Newell*

Charles F. Rose, III & Ryan D. Belcher*

Carl Tostevin & Mickey McDonough**

Sheree Wen*

$250-$499

Seth Acker

Glenda Ahn

Kimberly Allen

Ariel Altaras

Rik Anderson

Ned Backus

Heather & Mark Barbieri

Tanya Bednarski

Shaun Brennan

Janice Brookshier

Anne Camber

Ricardo Ceja

Gilberto Colunga

Lynn Dissinger

Bill Dubay

Amanda Ebbert

Matthew Echert

Jeff Edwards

Jacquelyn Ernst

Jeff & Cindy Ernst

Andrew Estes

Barbara Fetty-Solders

Mark & Andrea Frabotta

Alberta Garvin

Kyle Gatti

Natalie Gendler

Desiree Grant

Alison Grevstad

Heidi Hager

Wanda Herndon

John Hickey

Mari Horita

Carole Horwitz

Adam Hutchinson

Sibyl James

Gail Johnson

Chadwick Jones

Erin Kenway

Jill Kurfirst

$1,000-$4,999

Blaise Aguera y Arcas

Mary L. Bass

Russell Bennett

Cindy Brettler

Jenifer Bunis*

Christopher & Janet Conrad

Suzanna Darcy

Patrice Doerr

William Donnelly

Ellen Downey

Stephanie Ellis-Smith

Craig Friedson

Nancy Hollinger & Richard

von Riesen

Donna & Michael James

Linda Johnson

Ruth Johnston

Georgeann Lauth

Michael Lockman & Woody

Davidson

David Lowe

Trish Lum

Genevieve Marsh

Ellen Maxson

Sherry & Miles McRae

David LeCompte

Chad Lewis

Kathryn Lister

Ron Lynch

Nicholas Marchant

Steve McCarthy

Wendy Miller

Allison Mills

Richard Moule

Nick Nussbaum

Tim Postlewaite

Xandra Rarden

Colby Ray

Ben Redder

Jennifer Richardson

Jude Rosenberg

Jon Rosichelli

Randy Rowland

Amy Sachtleben

Ricky & Mary Santovec

Cathy Sarkowsky

Kim Savage

Jeff Schouten

Meredith & Craig Shank

Rachel Speaks

Kimbrough Street

Mark Taylor

Holly Tennant

Allison Terwilliger

Elisa Thomases

Anne Uusnakki

Mary-Claire van Leunen

Keith Weiss

William Wichgers

Helen Williams-Ginsberg

Mary Williamson

Rob Williamson

Christian Zobel

Pamela Zytnicki

Yazmin Mehdi

Deborah Nash

Elaine Nonneman

Jean Patton

Dan Poliak

Michelle Quisenberry & Don Curtiss**

Mary Rainwater

Ray Rasmussen

Leslie Ray

Valerie Robinson

Neil Roseman

Mark Rosencrantz

Kristin Saada

Donald Scaramastra

Frederick Schwab

William Shook

Nancy Shriver**

Keith & Teresa Simanton

Lea & Rick Sund**

Ann Trapp

Breakwater Investment Management

William Van Buren

Mary Wagner & Rich Carlblom

$100-$249

Jenny Abrams

Richard Albrecht

Alice Alexander

Ann Allen

Manal Alsharif-hanna

Ariel Andersen

Aaron Anderson

Kenneth H. Anderson

Scilla Andreen

Mahvash Armand

Samia Ashraf

Bill Aston

Veronica Barnes

Jillian Barron

Alison Bassett

Michael Baxstrom

Carmen Bendixen

Wally Bivins

Kerstin Bjork

Kathie Bliss

Michael Bolasina

Phil Borges

Deborah Bowen

William Boyan

Philip Brandt

J Bradley Brickman

Leslie Brockman

Edward Brown

Elizabeth Burke

Diane E. Calvert

Craig Campbell

Dulce Capestany

Michael Caplow

Christopher Carr

Katherine Carson

Eileen Casler

Helen Chipasula

Erica Chow

Christopher Clancy

Mary Waring

Michael Weidemann Carol Windham

Karen Young

Tom Zimmermann

$500-$999

Oscar Abello

Kim Albrecht Rene Alkoff

Joan Alworth Craig Bartholomew Donna Bellew Zane Brown

Kenneth Burnham Scott Devore Leslie Dickinson James Edmunds Joe Eliasen

Edmund Ellis Maura G. Fallon

Joleen Hughes

Doug Isler Rachael Jones

Julie Ketter

Christina Koons

Martha Clarkson

Shelby Clayton

Frances Clifton

Deborah Clothier

Derek Coffman

Adrienne Cole

Ann Colowick

Ari Consul

Gregory Cooper

Marc Cote

Christopher Crooker

Josh Daniel

Debra Davis

Jonis Davis

Virginia Davis

Krijn de Jonge

Georgina Delgado

Janet Delmore

Sara Dickerman

Gretchen Dingman

Austin Doherty

Joanna Donea

Michael Dryfoos

Phillip Duggan

Paul Dyer

Sally Eagan

Jeanne Eagleson

Erin Eason

Caroline Egan

Michael Erickson

Luis Escamilla

James Ewel

Heidi Falck

H Kevin Fansler

Bucky Farquhar

Debra Feist

Dee Fenton

Susan Finkel

Guadalupe Fisch

William Fitzharris

Chris Lloyd

Scott March

Marcia Mason

Marshal McReal

Mary McWilliams

Matthew Norman

Joanne Ort

Olivia Pi-Sunyer

Jamie Quinlan

David Ragozin

Jennifer Roth

Zoe Ryan

Daniel Schreiber

Karl Siebrecht

Erika Smith MacDonald

Jared Spears

Erika Tedin

Chuck Wilke

Thomas Wright

*Friend of SIFF

**Founding Friend of SIFF

Gregory Flood

Rob Foley

Benjamin Foster

Elizabeth C. Fowler

Jeffrey Frank

Richard Freedman

Phyllis Friedman

Copacino Fujikado

Norman & Ruthellen Gahm

Dagan Galarneau

Steve Gales

Louisa Gaylord

Jay Gibson

Daniel Glasser

Lawrence Goetz

Steve Goldstein

Krista Goodman

Jeffrey Gossett

Thomas Grismer

Amira Hailemariam

Paul Haley

Don Fleming & Libby Hanna

Jeffrey Hanna

Fred Harder

Wilhelmina Harlock

Thom Harrington

Nicholas Hasenoehrl

Ruth Hayler

Steve Hayward

Russell Heglund

Anne Helmholz

Ladson Hinton

Luke Hoban

Ellen Hobbs

Ryan Honig

Dru Horenstein

Roy Hsu

David Ikeda

Thomas Israel

Beata Jachulski Baker

Amy Jackson

Stuart Jacobson

Andrée Jacovich

Elizabeth Jessup

Christopher Jordan-Squire

Susan Kellett

Kathryn Kelly

Lisa Kelly

Phillip Kent

Katherine Kirk

Sarah Kirschner

Dina Kisseleva

Hannah Kotzen

Jim Kressbach

Vivek Lakshmanan

Janet Landis

Suzanne Lane

Matt Langston

Ronald Leamon

James Lenihan III

Marge Levy

Carla & Don Lewis

Tiffany Lin

Morgan Littlefield

Kueimei Liu

Xiaoyi Liu

Brittni Liyanage

Deron Lord

Shawn Loutsis

Claire Madsen

David Madsen

Anne Marchand

Abbie Martin

Jeffrey Martin

Mary Anne Martin

Lynda Mathews

Suzanne Matsen

Sean Maylone

Betsy McCarthy

Phillip McConnell

Ji McDermott

Kara McDonald

Kim McIver

Stephen Mellander

Nathan Merrells

Cynthia A. Michael

Irwin Michelman

Kate Miller

Laurie Mitchel

Stephen Moody

Richard Moyer

Carolyn Mueller

Deb Murphy

Katherine H. Murray

Jacki Myers

Lawrence Nash

Susan Naye

Caroline Nelson

Dorothy Neville

Jon Newman

Jeff Norman

June Ogawa

Eric Ogden

Susan Olsavsky

Gary Olson

Mick Ostroff

Sheila O’Sullivan

Lisa Palmatier

MEMBERS AS OF MARCH 15 , 2019

PLATINUM LIFETIME & LUMINARY

William Affleck-Asch

Nicole Beaudoin

Tika Bordelon

Lisa Brummel

Brian Cartmell

Christopher Conrad

Jill Cook & A.J. Ostman

Kenneth Dale

Woody Davidson

John Davis

Anita Dingrani

Jack Dingrani

Dwight Gaut

Elva Gonzalez

Patrick Halstead

Paula Hlastala

Lowell Ing

Darlene Johnson

Celeste Keaton

PRODUCER

Craig Friedson

Joshua Hornbeck

Lynn Hubbard

Judith Jesiolowski

Mary Ann Kofler

Thomas Kofler

Lellius Rose

Gregory White

Thomas Wright

David Zapolsky

DIRECTOR

Rene Alkoff

Stephanie Barden

Thomas Barden

Donna Bellew

Steve Burnham

Lysanne Cape

Deborah Confer

David Cornfield

Carmen Palomera

Deborah Paul

Susan Pazina

Kathryn Pearson

Ruth Pelz

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Pamela R. Perrott

Hope Perry

Maureen Peterson

Dwight Phillips

Judy Pigott

Michelle Plants

Brian Poor

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Dale Pratt

Megan Pursell

Lee Rademeyer

Kiki Rae

Mike Ramey

Chris Randall

Jennifer Reibman

Nancy Reichley

William Restey

Chris J. Rigos

Alfred Ritter

Kathleen Roan

Bailey Robinson

Connie Rock

Constance Romero

Dave Rosencrans

Kenneth Rosman

Linda Rozanski

Evelyne Rozner

Janet Rudolph

Brian LaMacchia

Michael Lockman

Jon Luker

Kim McIver

Brian Miller

Brian O’Neill

Bridget O’Neill

Deborah Parsons

Jeff Parsons

Deborah Person

Mary Rainwater

Jennifer Schonberger

Steve Schonberger

Nancy Shriver

Heidi Stephens

Lea Sund

Liza Taylor

Mark D. Taylor

Erika Tedin

Ken Williams

Linda Cornfield

Scott Curtice

Tatjana Deretic

Andrew Filer

Krista Goodman

James Greene

Spencer Johnson

Mark Malamud

Sharon McCallum

Miles McRae

Sherry McRae

Chad Pemberton

John Pruitt

Braiden Rex-Johnson

Maggie Savarino

Everett Seymoure

Robyn Seymoure

Jennifer Spain Greene

Thomas Votteler

Michael C. Weidemann

Thomas Zimmermann

Lori Sandler

Lindsey Sargent

Leela Sasaki

Judy Seiwerath

Barbara Selig

Michelle Shadday

Kathryn Shane-Kumler

Mario Shaunette

Corbin Sheffels

Laurie Shimoda

Moshe Shushan

Diane Simpson

Mimi Slyngstad

Karen F. Smith

Kathleen Smith

Kerry Smith

Melanie Smith

Ron Smith

Steven Smith

Keith Snell

Howard Stambor

Bill Stauber

Sylvia Sterne Panos Stinis

Ann Stover

Kelly Struhs

Matthew Sutton

Gayle Tajima

Miles Takahashi

Dawson Taylor

Jane Taylor

Laura Terrenzio

Bonnie Timm

James Tisdel

DONORS

Nikolaus Trede

Mary Tudor

Gabrielle Turshman

Keith Tyler

Tim Ufkes

Cindy Vaughn

Eunice Verstegen

Andrew Walker

Suzanne Walsh

John Ward

Nancy Ward

Lorraine Warehime

Susan Weller

Barbara West

Jennifer Westberg

Claire White

Amanda Wilber

Kenneth Willman

Matthew Willoretta

Michael Winters

Michael Withey

Barbara Wong

Keiko Yamada

Leslie Yamada

SIFF also thanks the 1,053 individuals who donated $1-$99 this year.

Dennis Willingham

Peggy Willingham

Vicki Wong

LIFETIME

Sherman Alexie

Russell Bennett

Renee Braun, Jr

BeBe Burns

Virginia Callison Dolan

Paul Canniff

Ricardo Ceja

Deb Clark

Marion Cloutier

Allen Cohn

John W. Comerford

Alice Cunningham

Conrad Denke

Andrea Frabotta

Mark Frabotta

Carrie Gorringe

ADVOCATE

James Angelo

Jill Angelo

Allison Bauman

Laura Butler

Corinne Campbell

Katherine De Bruyn

Julie Ketter

Ji Lee

Bjorn B. Levidow

Peter McClung

Susan McClung

MerriJo Seil

Kathryn M. Shields

Brian Smith

Laurel Smith

Brent Stiefel

Courtney Stiefel

Annette Toutonghi

Bruce Hawley

Dan Herda

Steve Kelley

Diana E. Knauf

June Krumpotick

Jerry Luiten

Stephen McCandless

Stephen Mellander

Judith Mercer

Mary Metastasio

Elizabeth R. Mitchell

Walter Moore

David Nyberg

Tom O’Brien

J McLaren Peters

Kevin Phaup

Dan Poliak

Meredith Potochnic

Jessica Prince

Daniel Roben

PATRON

Jason Allee

Kira Anderson

Samuel Andrew

Jerome Arbes

Paul Baczewski

Eric Benson

Susan Benson

Kim Lyford Bishop

Wally Bivins

David Bowman

Aaron Bregel

Jim Bromley

Pamela Cardone

Shawna Clausen

John Commiskey

Jeremiah Connolly

Dan Cowan

Michael de Broglio

Safia de Broglio

Claire DeGraff

Leela Sasaki

Rosie Saunders

Tom Skerritt

Steven Smith

Jane Suzick

Sylvester Thomas III

Julie Tokashiki

Rich Wasserman

Joe Welinske

Annie Wilson

Robin Reynolds Wilt

Bagley Wright

Virginia Wright

PREMIERE

Susan Harmon

Richie Meyer

CELEBRITY

Christopher Newell

Lynn Dissinger

Frances Durako

Stephen Durako

Matthew Echert

Michael Falk

Shlomo Freiman

Amanda Gray

Carol Grossmeyer

Paige Hansen-Shankar

Russell Heglund

Robin Hendricks

Charlton Holland

Joan Hsiao

Elisabeth Jaech

Lisa Jaffe

Bernard Jalbert

Julian Jiggins

Katherine Jiggins

Carole Jones

Portia Jones

Anne Knight

DONORS

Megan Lacy

Matt Liu

Deron Lord

Jason Lynch

Erika Smith MacDonald

Todd Mahaffey

Stephen Mangum

Joshua Mann

Laurie Maris

Ian Marks

Margaret Marks

Marcia Mason

Phoenix Moomaw

Richard Moyer

David Murdock

Alex Nachman

Deborah Nash

Michael Nesteroff

Kelli Nichols

Ashley Nichols

Michael Oborn

Anslem Opitoke

Philip Palaveev

Jean Patton

Richard Patton

Karen Prell

Dan Puckett

Mark Remington

Susie Ristuben

Christopher Roberts

Jennifer Roberts

Elizabeth Rummage

Rene Sanchez

Bev Schubert

Chris Schubert

Claudia Schwab

Frederick Schwab

John Simpson

Pamela Skene

Adam Snyder

Scott Spangenberg

Meredith Stelling

Mindy Stern

Poppy Storm

Nan and Neal Sullins

Carolyn Takei

Elisa Thomases

Karen Trilevsky

Donna Van Buren

William Van Buren

Kimm Viebrock

John Wieland

BENEFACTOR

Oscar Abello

Caterina Acitelli

Craig Acker

Gary Ackerman

Peter Adkison

Blaise Aguera y Arcas

Jacqui Aiello

Troy Aker

Michael Albert

Gabriel Aldea

DL Alex Alexander

Maggie Alhadeff

Alexa Allen

Kimberly Allen

Ann Allen

Raymond Allen

Tom Allmendinger

Valerie Allmendinger

Elad Allweil

Elizabeth Alpaugh

Joan Alworth

Cap Anderson

Nellie Anderson

Carrie Anderson

Jennifer Anderson

Virginia Anderson

Charlotte Anderson

Cortney Anderson-Sanford

Gerry Arambula

Jerelyn Arbuckle

Ahmad Armand

Mahvash Armand

Erika Arnberg

Susan Arnold-Aldea

Somchai Asawadilokchai

Mark Ashida

Tiffany Ashton

Dennis Atkin

Ana Bacioiu

Jean Bailey

Kelsea Baird

Sandee Baker

Briony Ball

Chris Banta

Heather Barbieri

Caroline Barlow

Byron Barnes

Constance Barnes

Jennifer Barnes

Dash Barnett

Cristina Barr

John Barr

Jillian Barron

Craig Bartholomew

Asli Basarir Maylone

Aysun Bascetincelik

Mary L. Bass

Schyler Batey

Julia Beabout

Sherry Beacham

Jennifer Beals

Mark Beardslee

Jacquelyn Beatty

Natalie Beauchene

Lauren Bedson

Mark Bedson

Dominique Behr

Colleen Bell

Marcia Bennison

Stacie Benton

Nathan Bialke

Kathy Biever

Bruce Bigley

Tom Bird

Dean Biron

Josh Bis

Jonathan Bishop

Julie Bivins

Caroline Blachford

Ani Black

Alexander Bochkov

Rick Bodlaender

Dana Boggess

Kathryn Boris-Brown

Jeff Botten

Barbara Bowen

Deborah Bowen

Rebecca Boyd

Kurt Bradley

Gordon Brandt

Lois Brandt

Victor Bremson

Carolyn Brenner

Cindy Brettler

Lora Brewsaugh

Dan Bridge

Adam Briehl

Liz Briesemeister

Aaron Briggs

Jill Briggs

Daniel Bristol

Heidi Broadhead

James Broadus

Meredith Brooks

Linda Brown

Nicholas Brown

Alonzo Brown

Audi Brown

Carol Brown

Katherine Brown

Wendy Brown

Henry Brown, Jr.

Jessica Brownell

Mike Broz

Elizabeth Bruning

Julie Bryant

Susan Buchanan

Josh Bugenig

David Buksh

Jennifer Buksh

Jenifer Bunis

Julia Burch

Steven Burdick

Susan Burgess

Elizabeth Burke

Dina Burlingame

Mark Butler

Barbara Byham

John Calcagno

Janet Calcaterra

Timothy Callahan

Dale P. Callison

Robert Callum

Daryl Campbell

Sharon Campbell

Nikos Campbell

Albert Candelaria

Sandra J. Canepa-Swan

Alan Canode

Linda Capell

Peter Capell

Joshua Caponi

Jonathan Cardona

Teresa Carew

Karen Carlson-Iffert

Caron Carlyon

Brian Carman

Diogo Carneiro de Mello

Caroline Carr

David Carroll

Amy Carter

Evan Cartwright

Cecily Carver

Darci Cascioppo

Ryan Casey

Mary Casey-Goldstein

Helene Causse

Melissa Chadwick

Benjamin Chamberlain

Eric Chamberlain

Becky Chan

John Chaney

Metta Chaphiv

Ryan Chappell

Julie Charles

Jennifer Chartraw

Xiaoji Chen

Hang Ping Chen

Jason Chien

Elaine Cho

Martha Choe

Rachel Choi

Erica Chow

Anna Chu

Laurie A. Clapp

Robin Clark

Michael Clarke

Caitlin Clarke

Todd Clay

Arden Clise

Judith Coito

Scott Collins

William Collins

Ann Colowick

Charles Bryan Colson

Amanda Comeau

Richard Conbere

Fergal Condron

Jeff Cone

Karen Conley

Sharon Conner

Alessandro Contenti

Jill Cook

Carmen Cook

Joann Cooler

Ann Coppel

Christopher Coronado

Hannah Corpuz

Juan Cortes

Vanessa Cortes

Jennifer Costello

Leonard Costello

Kaye Counts

Claire Cowie

Michael Cox

Garth Cray

Janet Cray

John Creighton

Andrew Crouse

Sherrie Crow

Susan Cudnohfsky

Michael Culpepper

Amy Curtis

Paul Curtis

Juliette Dahl

John W. Daise

Harris Dale

Christopher Daley-Watson

Stephanie Daley-Watson

Nick Dallett

ParisAnne Dallett

Suzanne Daly

Scott Davies

Carol Ann Davis

Janice Davis

Nelson Davis

Arlie Davis

Diane Davis

Julie Davis

Kenneth Davis

Judy de Jonge

Krijn de Jonge

Darren Dean

Aaron Dean

Robin Dearling

Deana Dearry

Janet Delmore

Ned Delmore

Bev Denny

Edla Deppman

Telved Devlet

Scott Devore

Carla DewBerry

Mark Diamond

Anthony Diaz

James Dickmeyer

Roland Dietrich

Marguerite DiGiovanni

Samia Dillsi

Janice Dilworth

Kristin Distelhorst

Jennifer Divine

Mike Doane

Rhonda Doane

Patrice Doerr

Shannon Doherty

William Donnelly

Deborah Dorfman

Matthew Dorfmann

Diane Douglas

Marcia R. Douglas

Roger Downey

Ellen Downey

Matthew Dresden

Susan Drew

Donald Driftmier

Ellen Drummond

Keith Drummond

Michael Dryfoos

Bill Dubay

Frãdãric Dubut

Donna Dughi

Robert Dughi

Revelle Dunlop

Helena Dworakowski

JoAnne Dyer

Sean Eagen

David Eastwold

Amanda Ebbert

Lauren Edlund

Kimberly Eiring

Brittany Eisenegger

Kalyn Ekstrom

Wendy Ellington

Eva Elliott

Edmund Ellis

Robyn Ellis

Nadia Eng

Lea Ennis

Amy Enser

Kurt Eselgroth

Andrew Espe

Larry Estes

Bart Evans

Susan Ewbank

Wendy Ewbank

Teresa Eyler

Jackie Fahmy

Adrienne Fairhall

Erin Fairley

Maura G. Fallon

H. Kevin Fansler

Dona Farmer

Elizabeth Farnham

Dorcas Farquhar

Norine Federow

Susan Feeney

Beth Fell

Edward Felt

Dee Fenton

Susan Ferguson

Joseph Ferrara

Lisa Finch

Brian Fioca

Elliott Fitzgerald

James Fitzmaurice

Wilhelm Fitzpatrick

Elizabeth Flavin

Donald Fleming

Cheryl Fluehr

Rob Foley

Darington Forbes

Ian Ford

Martha Fouts

David Francis

David Franklin

Julie Fraser

Deborah Frausto

Jacob Freeman

Liz Freeman

Curtis Freet

Audrey Freudenberg

Erin Frisbie

Anne Fu

Nicole Fulfer

Amy Fulford

Rikke Fulkerson

Jill Fullagar

Carole Fuller

Jodie Futornick

Durwood Gafford

Elizabeth Gallagher

Emmanuel Gambliel

Mimi Gan

Jacob Garcia

Blake Garland

Deborah Gates

David Gelfand

Michele Gianelli

Anastasia Giannoulas

Sean Gibbons

Emily Gibian

Cassie Gibson

Annette Gililland

Michael Gillespie

Paul Gillespie

Carol Ginsberg

Geoffrey Glass

Peggy Glick

Beth Glosten

Nikolay Glushnev

Carol Gnojewski

Carol Lynn Gnojewski

Anna Goeke

Maria Goff

Sofie Gogic

Steve Goldstein

Donald Gonzales

Suzan Gonzales

Gay Goodman

Anna Gordon

William Gould

Allen Gown

Carol Gown

Tracey Grady

Dominique Grandmougin

Virginie Grange

Shannon Grant

Elizabeth Grasel

Alex Gratzer

Jan Gray

Marsha Green

Michael Greer

Jean Greif

Catherine L. Greutert

Jasara Big Boy Gribble

Jeremy Grosser

Conrad Groth

Brian Gustafson

Linda Gwilym

Aaron Hachez

Sarah Haggard

Carmen Hagios

Amira Hailemariam

Leota Hair

Tarah Hale

Timothy Hale

M Elizabeth Halloran

James Hamil

David Hamilton

Kristian Hamilton

Michael Hampton

Carl Hamry

Dana Hamry

Elizabeth Hanna

Jeffrey Hanna

Rosario Hanna

Ellen Hanna

Charles Hansen

Richard Hansen

Laura Hanson

Mike Harbour

Charles Harmon

Monica Harmon

Chris Harmon

Bernice Harris

Alan Hart

Brian Hart

Carol Hart

Julie Hartley

Donald Hartline

A. G. Hartmann

Shuko Hashimoto

John Hatheway

Rosemarie Havranek

Cian Hayes

Kathryn Hazzard

Marcie Headen

Laura Hearsey

Iain Heath

Randy Heath

Marilyn Heiman

David Hellene

Kellanne Henry

Wanda Herndon

Anne Heron

Larry Herron

Joshua Hibbard

Timothy Higgins

Chrystie Hill

Sandy Hill

Steve Hill

Holly Hill

Judith Hill

Jared Hines

Kimberly Hitchcock

Carolyn Hitter

Jim Hitter

Catherine Ho

Patrick Ho

Scott Hodukavich

Cory Hoeppner

Diana Hoffer

Drew Hoffman

Kevin Hoffman

Devin Hollingsworth

Brian Holt

Douglas Holtzman

Eric Honea

Eric Hopper

Deborah Horne

Carole Horwitz

Rick Horwitz

Rebecca Hosford

Cheryl Hou

Christopher Howard

Michael Howard

Roy Hsu

Shengjun Huang

Kristy Huffman

Gary Humble

Patrick Hurley

Clarice Hutchison

Shelli Hyrkas

Marissa Iannarone

Jonathan Icasas

David Ikeda

Sara Intriligator

Laura Inveen

Anuj Iravane

Nathaniel Irons

Christina Isacson

Barbara Isenhour

Laura Ishak

Scott Iwata

Tiina Jaatinen

Amy Jackson

Fiona Jackson

Bruce Jacobsen

Gretchen Jacobsen

Donna James

Michael James

Sibyl James

Sydne James

Olivia Janik

Ilga Jansons

Marilyn Jarrell

G. Bruce Jensen

Paula Jenson

Janel Johnson

Jean Johnson

Kathryn Johnson

Donna Johnson

Teri Johnson

Amy Johnson

Mike Frost and Ann Johnson

Christopher Jones

Lauri Jordana

Brian Judd

Daniel Judd

Ann Jun

Benjamin Justus

Jeffrey Kaiser

Lesley Kalmin

Cindy Kamrin

Kayla Kane

Peter Kangas

Shel Kaphan

Laura Kates

Caitlin Kearney

Ryan Keawekane

Josie Keenan

Lucas Kelleher

Kevin Kelley

Laurene Kelly

Marty Kelly Peterson

Barbara Kempf

William Kepper

Daniel Kerlee

Susan Kese

Denise V. Kester

Andrew Khosravian

Rob Killian

Jennifer Kim

Bob Kimball

Laura Kimball

Russ Kimball

Dianne King

Josiah King

Andrew Kinnavy

Joan Kinsey

Paul Kizior

Bryan Klisch

Cheryl Klisch

Dorothy Klyce

Kaitlyn Knight

Phil Knight

Ashlee Knight

Aaron & Jennifer Knopf

Chadd Knowlton

Vlada Knowlton

Tiffany Knowlton

Alexa Koenings

Ronald Kolb

Salome Koloffon Tella

Christina Koons

Judy Koven

Daria Kozlova

David Krafchick

Paul Kramer

Cecile Krejsa

Herb Krohn

Karla Kross

Kurt Kruckeberg

Brian Krupenevich

Natalie Kubu-Ynzunza

Greg Kucera

Deept Kumar

Selim Kuru

Will Lace

Katie Lambrecht

Sharon Lamm

Colleen Landis

Janet Landis

Patrick Landis

Damon LaPoint

Rebecca Laszlo

Kurt Lauer

Lorraine Laurente

Liam Lavery

Stacy Lawson

Leslie LazarThorn

Dorothy Le

Alexis Leãn

Daniel Leal

Ronald Leamon

Joline Lear

Dave LeCompte

Mark Lee

Caleb Lee

Lindsey Legaspi

Courtney LeMarco

Victoria Leonard

William Leonard

MA Leonard

Amy Levenson

Richard Levitt

Arlene Levy

Chad Lewis

Tim Lewis

Gabriel Lewison

Marko Liias

Hyun Lim

Winston Lin

Margaret Liu

Ericka Lock

John Locker

Noelle Loizos

Mari London

Martin Long

Gerald Lonning

Jeff Loomis

Wendy Loomis

Sharon Lopez

Roseanne Lorenzana

David Lowe

Linda Lowry

Marc Luker

Trish Lum

Jennifer Luthe

Barbara Lycett

Hanna Lynn

Rob MacKinnon

Claire Madsen

Lynne Magie

Jess Main

Rakesh Malik

Carolyn Manta-Kennedy

Anne M. Marchand

Casey Margard

Jim Margard

Janet Margot

Marcos David Marin Amador

Gabby Markoff

Eric Marks

Genevieve Marsh

Tom Marsh

Jakob Sergio MarstonGalarza

Abbie Martin

Jeff Martin

Kimberly Martin

Laura Martin

Lora Mason

Parker Mason

Donna Massoth

Elaine Mathies

Lavrans Mathiesen

Matthew Matko

Suzanne Matsen

Jennifer Matson

Gail Mautner

Ellen Maxson

Arlene Mayeda

Sean Maylone

Marco Mazzoni

Caitln McCaffrey

Wayne McCormick

Christopher McDaniel

Liz McDaniel

Joe McDermott

Colleen McElroy

Columba McGlynn

Marilyn McGregor

Jim McIntire

Patricia McKenzie

Sally McKenzie

Kim Mclean

Debbie McPhillips

Sarah Meardon

Yazmin Mehdi

Julia Meinershagen

Jorge Mendoza

Shane Menold

Gail Mensher

John Mensher

Sarah Merner

Thomas Mesaros

Donna Meyering

Christine Meyers

Christopher Meyers

Tracy Middlebrook

Al Miller

Louisa Miller

Peter Miller

Jacquelyn Miller

Wendy Miller

Zosha Millman

Margaret Minnick

Jacob Mitchell

Leah Moise

Rebecca Monk

Chad Monson

DONORS

Stephen Moody

Susan Moody

Cornelia Moore

Sherry Moore

Patrick Morgan

Kate Morgan

Shawn Morgan

Joan Moritz

Jeffrey Morrow

Derrick Morton

Stephanie Morton

Jennifer Moser

Daniel Mosley

Gregory Moss

Carolyn Mueller

Dave Muhich

Patrick Mullen

Lauren Mulligan

Tim Mulligan

Baily Mullins

Adrian Muniz

Cristofer Munson

Benjamin Murphy

Donna Murphy

Kelly Murphy

Jacki Myers

Robert Myers

Peter Myler

Elyse Nakajima

Yashbir Narechania

Maggie Nascimento

Clayton Nelson

Janet Nelson

William Nelson

Jennifer Nelson

James Nesbitt

Monica Neumann

Todd Newman

Marjorie Newman

Paris Nguyen

Kaleb Niall

Lisbet Nilson

Maureen Nonnenmann

Karen Noonan

Kirk Nordenstrom

Matthew Norman

Leslie Novick

Margaret Lynn Nowelati

Laura Nuechterlein

David Obenchain

Dave O’Brien

Tim O’Connor

June Ogawa

Margaret Ohashi

Rebecca Ojala

Mark O’Kelly

Michael Alan Olasin

Christopher Olch

Matthew Olsen

Micah Olsen

Teresa Olson

Sylvia Olveda

Linda O’Neal

Kimberly O’Neill

Billy O’Neill

Laureen Ong

Christopher Ophoven

Jenifer O’Ryan

Basha Osinski

Sue Oskowski

AJ Ostman

Esther Ott

Shana Pacarro-Muller

Nancy Page

Bob Pajer

Shankar Pal

Sarah Palm

Trevor Panger

Jovana Panic

William Pappas

John Parchem

Jane Park

Brian Parker

Jordan Parker

Mike Parks

Brandy Parris

Constance Parsons

Kimberly Pasciuto

Linda Pastor

Cecilia Paul

Amie Pease

Ronald Pederson

Mikaela Peizer

Lori Pender

Steve Perlmutter

Deborah Perluss

Hope Perry

Dale B. Peschel

Kati Peters

Lisa Peters

Beth Pfost

V Ellen Phillips

Chelsea Phipps

Christopher Piermont

Elizabeth Pilati

Joseph Pillow

David Pinder

Elaina Piper

Sanford Pitler

Samuel Plott

Simon Poile

Scott Pollock

Dawn Porter

Kay Powers

Carrie Pratt

Dale Pratt

Marj Press

Joanna Price

William Price

Evan Pulgino

Deirdre Quarnstrom

Eric Quarnstrom

Jamie Quinlan

David Quinn

Steven Quinn

Michelle Quisenberry

Randi Rachlow

Camille Ralston

Job Ramirez

Juan Ramirez

Lana Ramsey

Miles Ranisavljevic

Greg Rasalan

Rick Rasmussen

Esther Rawner

Karen Rea

Laurel Rech

Christina Reece

Catherine Reed

Glenn Reed

Steve Reeder

Nancy Reichley

Maureen Reilly

Rachel Rein

Harry Reinert

Michael Renforth-Carr

Sheri Renner

KH Ressler

Sarah Reynolds

Timothy Rhodes

Alison Richards

Sean Richer

Steve Riddle

Traci Riley

Ed Ringness

Marjorie Ringness

Heather Rivas

Kathleen Roan

Shirley Roberson

Joi Roberts

Riley Roberts

Bailey Robinson

Valerie Robinson

David Robinson

Linda Robinson

Connie Rock

Stephanie Rodriguez

Ignacio Amir Rodriguez

Schnackenberg

James Rogers

Kim Rollins

Joseph Romeo

Scott Rosen

Jude Rosenberg

Mark Rosencrantz

Megan Rosenfeld

Ann Rosenstock

Scarlet Rosholm

Kenneth Rosman

Lynn Rosskamp

William Rowden

Randy Rowland

Kevin Rowland

Helene Rubens

Ron Rubin

Sarah Rudinoff

Dana Rudy

Pamela Runciman

Deborah Rustin

Alley Rutzel

Johannah Ryman

Thomas Sackett

Jeffrey Sakuma

Randy Saldinger

Harold Sanford

Cynthia Sangster

Stephanie Sarantos

Cathy Sarkowsky

Elizabeth Savage

Greg Schatzman

Elizabeth Schiffler

Kathryn Schipper

Jean Schlinger

Gary Schmidt

Alan Schneider

Ferdinand Schober

Daniel Schreiber

Mark Schroeder

Glenn Schwantes

Benjamin Schwartz

Linda Scoccia

Alan Scott

Victoria Scott

Lee Scovern

Margaret Scovern

Susan Segalla

Barbara Selig

William Selig

Marcus Sellers-Vaughn

Nataliya Semez

Sudeshna Sen

Stephanie Shadbolt

Michelle Shadday

CB Shamah

Sherry Shanabarger

Ryan Sharp

Nathan Sharpe

Michael Sharps

Mario Shaunette

Laura Shaw

John Shaw

Lorene Sheppard

Audrey Shiffman

Gale Shinozaki

Rose Shipley

Lanell Shirai

Todd Shively

Frances Sholl

William Shook

Simcha Shtull

Mauri Shuler

Ann Shure

Gena Shurtleff

Jason Sills

Keith Simanton

Megan Simkus

Gary Simmons

Derek Singer

Priya Singh

Harlow Sires

Regina Skourti Obenchain

Richard Skwarek

Shawn Slaven

Greg Slyngstad

Mimi Slyngstad

Cameron` Smith

Gregory Smith

Erin Smith

Andrew Smullens

Don Sneesby

John Snider

Mary Sobczyk

Dominique Sohnly

Judi Sorensen

Gail Sorensen

Siri Southwick-Young

Ash Sparks

Rachel Speaks

Daron Spektor

Cole Spicer

Amy Spinelli

Amanda Marie Sproule

Claudia Steinman

Chuck Stempler

Christine Stepherson

Paula Stevens

Cameron Stevens

Mary Stevens

Jonathan Stewart

Christopher Stewart

Gloria Stickel

Dave Stine

David Stobaugh

Lynn Stobaugh

Caroline Stoebuck

Jeff Stolz

Brion Stone

Kristin Stone

Andrew Storey

Ann Stover

John Strait

William Stretch

Mike Strick

Karen Strickland

Karen Stuhldreher

Anne Suen

D Matthew Summy

Shelly Sundberg

David Swan

Emilia Sweeney

Lara Swimmer

Thalia Syracopoulos

Rebecca Szper

Henry Szymonik

Gayle Tajima

Miles Takahashi

Raymond Takeuchi

Brooks Talley

Erik Tanen

Laurence Tanen

Michael Tanner

Stacey Taplin

Tanya Tavenner

Aaron Taylor

Michael Taylor-Judd

Mike Teeny

Allison Templeton

Kevin Testa

Sean C. Thomas

Toby Thomas

Ovid Thompson

Maryam Thomson

Fiona Tiene

Petra Tierney

Rick Timkovich

James Timms

Andrew Tischaefer

Caroline Tobin

Laurie Tolson

John Tomchick

Timothy Tomlinson

Erik Torgerson

Roberta Torgerson

Carl Tostevin

Patrick Tousignant

Janis Traven

Timothy Tribble

Jennifer Tripp

Lawrence True

Jennifer Truluck

Mark Truluck

Patrick Tschumper

Philip Tse

Mary Tudor

Keith Tyler

Barbara Tytler

Paul Tytler

Angela Underdown

Perry Underdown

Lisa Upshaw

Liberty Upton

Sean Usibelli

Brian Van Doren

Calvin Van Zee

Adam Vandelaarschot

Wesley Varney

Sondra Vasquez

Jeri Vaughn

Alan Veigel

Laura Veigel

Angel Velazquez

Peter Verburgt

Sophie Verlaine

Eunice Verstegen

Saul Vest

Sandra Vigil

Eugenial Vinyar

Val Vinyar

Sarita Viramontez

Anne Nicole Visel

Jim Vollendroff

Kurt Von Fuchs

Sasa Vukovic

George Wagner

Jean Wagner

Kylie Wagner

Jessica Wagoner

Andrew Wagster

Robin Walbeck-Forrest

Lenore Waldron

Kelly Walker

Suzanne Walker

Susan Wamsley

Grace Wang

Robin Waples

Shaun Warner

Mary Warren

Ardee Warshal

Michael Wasell

Joan Waters

Wendy Watts

Carolyn Wedekind

Heather Weihl

Daniel Weikel

Joe Weil

Shayna Weinstein

Bill Weir

Brian Weiss

Philip Welch

DONORS

Sheree Wen

Dorothy Wendler

Dennis West

Joan M. West

Christopher Wheeler

Margaret Wheeler

Charles Wheeler

Elizabeth White

Valencia Whitlow

Chelsea Whittler

William A. Wichgers

P. J. Wilcynski

Sarah Wilkes

Kurt Williams

Maxine Williams

Anne Williams

Kevin Williams

Kenneth Willman

Elizabeth Willmott

Sarah Wilmot

Claire Wilson

Tom Wilson

Christina Wilson

Crystal Wilson

Karen L. Wilson

Tiffany Wince

Jonella Windell

Betty Winfield

Ray Winninger

Michael Wisian

Paula Wissel

Ashleigh Withall

Rebecca Withington

Antoinette Wizenberg

Scott Woelfel

Richard Wolf

Sally Wolf

Carol Wollenberg

Colin Wong

Peter Wong

Tana Wong

Christopher Woods

James Woods-Palmer

Sara Woolsey

Diana Woycheshin

John Wright

Kyoko Wright

Howard Wu

Richard Wurdack

Cynthia Yager

Daniel Yager

Steven Yee

Jake Ynzunza

Megan Yoshimura

Brittney Young

Michael Yovetich

Miriam Yovetich

Freddie Yudin

Nicholas Zatkovich

Karin Zaugg Black

Chenmuren Zhang

Anja Ziegler

David Ziemba

Karl Zwick

Scott Zwink

Gerard Zytnicki

Pamela Zytnicki

SIFF ALSO THANKS THE 3,893 ENTHUSIAST, 1,794 SENIOR, & 208 STUDENT MEMBERS.

DONORS MEET THE PROGRAMMERS

SIFF is more than just an annual festival of the world’s greatest films; it’s a community of creative, passionate people who live and breathe cinema. This section is dedicated to our talented team of programmers. These are the people who work and watch movies all year long to curate the best films possible for the Seattle International Film Festival. This year we asked: You are planning a cinematic dinner party for four. Who are the other three guests? Here are some of our dedicated programmers’ answers:

BETH BARRETT

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

I want to take Barry Jenkins, Cate Blanchett, and Awkwafina out for burgers and beer.

STAN SHIELDS

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING MANAGER

Spike Lee — director of Do the Right Thing, which was in competition at Cannes in 1989; Wim Wenders — who was the head of the 1989 Cannes Jury, and is rumored to have told the jury that he found Mookie, Right Thing’s lead character, “unheroic;” and Sally Field — who was also on the jury, and is said to have ratted out Wim Wenders, and told Lee what he said. Spike did not take it well....

ANGELO ACERBI

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Chris Hemsworth, Guillermo Del Toro, Olivia Colman. ‘Cause funny people can come from all over the world (me included).

MARYNA AJAJA SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Tilda Swinton, Jane Campion, and Deepa Mehta.Tilda for being the coolest chameleon in the world, Jane for her stories that help with digestion, and Deepa for spice.

JUSTINE BARDA SENIOR PROGRAMMER

During SIFF season, I don’t have time to plan dinner parties, so I’d like to crash someone else’s, namely Luis Buñuel’s in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.  And I want to sit between Stephane Audran and Delphine Seyrig.

NICK BRUNO PUBLIC CINEMA PROGRAMS MANAGER

Buster Keaton, Humpty Dumpty, and Michael Douglas. After the meal, we all fall down.

JAMES DAVIS OPERATIONS & CINEMA PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Groucho Marx, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Leatherface.

HELENE DE LACOSTE PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT

My three guests would be: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Mathieu Kassovitz, and Romy Schneider — for their sensitivity and spontaneity!

JUAN MANUEL DOMINGUEZ

PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATE

John Waters, Tina Fey, and Mike Judge, my Mount Rushmore against everything that makes you feel like you’re reading a MAGA tweet.

DAN DOODY

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Boris Karloff, Humphrey Bogart, and Ida Lupino in a secluded booth at the original Brown Derby restaurant, followed by top-shelf whiskey and cigars, I think.

LAURA GOOD

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

My cinematic dinner party guests would be Agnès Varda, Andrea Arnold, and Ava DuVernay. #femalefilmmakereveryday

MARCUS GORMAN

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Daniel Day-Lewis, Hal Holbrook, and Henry Fonda, all dressed as Abraham Lincoln, in a knock-down drag-out wrestling match sponsored by me.

RUTH HAYLER

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Orson Welles, Marlene Dietrich, and James Stewart. Orson, so I could ask him how The Magnificent Ambersons was supposed to end, Marlene (who co-starred with Orson in Touch of Evil) in the hope she would share her worldly wisdom, and James because he seems like such a nice guy that everyone liked (and co-starred with Marlene in Destry Rides Again).

DUSTIN KASPAR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS MANAGER

Nadine Labaki (Caramel), Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), and Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch). The conversation on creating art in our modern world would be the first of many tantalizing courses throughout the evening.

MEGAN LEONARD

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Tilda Swinton, John Waters, Bill Murray, and me. We’d all seductively and silently sip cocktails and eat our food like we’re in a Luca Guadagnino film and exchange weird looks. Parlor games to follow.

CLINTON MCCLUNG

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

A classic gourmet meal accompanied by absinthe and a spirited discussion of the intersections of revolution and art with Carrie Fisher, Tura Satana, and Vincent Price — whose cook book I will use to plan the menu.

DONORS

GRACE MOSQUEDA

FESTIVAL SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, and Ryan Coogler. I admire each of these artists in different ways and would love to find out what makes them tick, and maybe see if a little magic happens and a project is created out of the three getting together at my dinner party!

COLLEEN O’HOLLERAN FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Stephen King, Tabitha King, and Kathy Bates. I’ll kick the night off by telling everyone I’m their “number one fan.”

TRACY RECTOR FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

M.I.A., Taika Waititi, and Barry Jenkins — I’d serve it up in the summer with Southern soul food, Delta blues and gin.

CORY RODRIGUEZ

FESTIVAL SHORTS PROGRAMMER

My cinematic dinner guests would be Catherine O’Hara, Stuntman Mike, and Paimon. Catherine will bring all the laughs, Stuntman Mike will supply the nachos and virgin piña coladas, and Paimon....well, he’ll just raise some hell. Perfection.

ASHLEY SOARES PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR

Tessa Thompson, Sam Elliott, and Björk. They are all just the most ultimate levels of badassery!

ZACK SOLOMON FESTIVAL SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Alive: Khalik Allah, Adam Curtis, Claire Denis.

Deceased: Stanley Kubrick, Chris Marker, Luis Bunuel. Selfishly I just want to ask all these people questions or hear them talk to each other; they seem to be filmmakers who understand secrets of society and humanity, and Khalik Allah is easily the coolest filmmaker and Q&A I have ever seen and met.

ANDY SPLETZER FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Drawing from three eras of experimental film, I would invite the dreamily evocative innovator Maya Deren from the ’40s, the gossipy and gay bombthrower Kenneth Anger from the ’50s, and the underappreciated (at least until we show the doc about her at this year’s festival) Barbara Rubin from the ’60s and ’70s. Talk about fireworks!

HEBE TABACHNIK SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Death from The Seventh Seal, E.T., and Marguerite Duras. I bet our dinner will last for a few days and I would tackle a few of my existential questions.

ANDREW WALKER PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT

Andy Kaufman, Deadpool, & Steve-O. Because what could go wrong?

Director: Lynn Shelton

Producers: Ted Speaker

Lynn Shelton

Screenwriters: Lynn Shelton

Mike O’Brien

Cinematographer: Jason Oldak

Editor: Tyler L. Cook

Music: Marc Maron Cast: Marc Maron

Jon Bass

Michaela Watkins

Jillian Bell

Toby Huss

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: IFC Films

Selected Filmography: Outside In (2017)

Laggies (2014)

Touchy Feely (2013)

Your Sister’s Sister (2011) Humpday (2009)

My Effortless Brilliance (2008)

We Go Way Back (2006)

FILM: MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL PARTY: FISHER PAVILLION

On the internet, value, as well as beauty, is in the hand of the sword-holder—a truth exploited by the ensemble of characters that inhabit the small-town Southern world of this latest comic gem from Seattle native Lynn Shelton. The titular McGuffin of this shaggy-dog story is an old Civil War sword inherited by lesbian couple Cynthia (Jillian Bell) and Mary (Michaela Watkins), who seek the advice of Alabama pawnshop owner Mel (comedian and podcaster Marc Maron). Disbelieving the claims of Cynthia’s grandfather that the sword had been offered in surrender—by the U.S. Army—Mel offers a paltry $400. However, after some digging through the web’s shadier conspiracy-theory websites, Mel’s dim assistant (Jonathan Bass) uncovers potential buyers who insist the South secretly won the Civil War, and who might be willing to part with 100 times Mel’s offer. Thus begins a farcical odyssey into the underbelly of Southern paranoia and revisionist history. Using her signature improv-style directing technique, Shelton lets her actors react naturalistically to the outlandish situations they encounter, including nefarious backwoods characters who covet the chance to own proof of their own delusions. Full of caustic but never mean-spirited wit, Shelton’s Sword of Trust could be called her uproarious, goofy response to the rise of MAGA culture in America.

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Producers: Ben Browning

Howard Klein

Jillian Apfelbaum

Mindy Kaling

Screenwriter: Mindy Kaling

Cinematographer: Matthew Clark

Editors: Eleanor Infante

David Rogers

Music: Lesley Barber

Cast: Emma Thompson

Mindy Kaling

John Lithgow

Paul Walter Hauser

Reid Scott

Amy Ryan

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation

Format: DCP

Print Source: Amazon Studios

Film Website: filmnation.com/late-night-1

Selected Filmography: Cake (2005) Chutney Popcorn (1999)

Late Night USA 2019

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30 PM

FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN PARTY: DAR RAINIER CHAPTER HOUSE

ENCORE SCREENING: SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is the undisputed “Queen of Late Night”—partly because of the caustic wit she has honed from 28 years on the air, and also because she’s the only woman talk-show host in the coveted 11:30 PM time slot. As well-respected (and feared) as Katherine is, her show’s ratings are steadily losing ground to younger competition. Noticing the show’s all-male writing staff, the network decides to inject some new blood. Enter Molly Patel (played by the film’s screenwriter, Mindy Kaling), who is not a comedian but an efficiency expert from the corporate world, hired to tighten up the writing and pare down the show’s bloated gags. The fact that Molly is also an Indian-American woman who happens to fill two glaring holes in the network’s need for diversity with just one salary is also duly noted between the lines of Kaling’s snappy satire. Helmed by veteran television director and indie auteur Nisha Ganatra (1999’s Chutney Popcorn), Late Night is full of knowing, hilarious references to the rampant sexism in the comedy world; even Katherine herself says she dislikes women writers. But, in addition to mining laughs from the skewering of fragile Hollywood egos, Ganatra is ultimately sympathetic to aging women in entertainment, who see their career options shrink under the intense pressure from fickle, youth-obsessed network executives.

WELCOME ABOARD A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY.

Take a journey around the world without leaving your seat.

Boeing is proud to sponsor the Seattle International Film Festival, celebrating films from around the world that bring people together.

Director: Lulu Wang

Producers: Daniele Melia

Peter Saraf

Marc Turtletaub

Andrew Miano

Chris Weitz

Jane Zheng

Lulu Wang

Anita Gou

Screenwriter: Lulu Wang

Cinematographer: Anna Franquesa Solano

Editors: Michael Taylor

Matthew Friedman

Music: Alex Weston

Cast: Awkwafina

Tzi Ma

Diana Lin

Zhou Shuzhen

Lu Hong

Jiang Yongbo

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Mandarin, with English subtitles

Print Source: A24

Film Website: bigbeach.com

Selected Filmography: Posthumous (2014)

The Farewell

USA/CHINA 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 6:00 PM

FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN PARTY: MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND INDUSTRY (MOHAI)

When a Chinese family discovers that their matriarch has inoperable lung cancer, they decide to keep her diagnosis a secret from her and instead orchestrate an impromptu wedding that allows the whole family to return home, under the guise of celebration, to say goodbye. In her debut lead performance, comedian/ musician Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) stars as Billi, a writer living in New York City who is told to stay back because her emotions will reveal the secret. Disobeying her family’s orders, Billi travels to China to see her grandmother (charmingly played by Zhou Shuzhen) one last time, simultaneously reflecting on the changes both she and her old Chinese haunts have endured. Chinese law doesn’t require doctors to disclose diagnoses to patients, but after living the majority of her life in the United States, Billi struggles to understand how this secret could ethically or emotionally be the right way to say farewell to her grandmother. Writer/ director Lulu Wang creates a heartfelt tale, based on her own stranger-than-fiction family story, that is in each moment joyous, tragic, and comedic, and explores how our cultural heritage evolves when we move away. —

SWEDEN/ICELAND 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 6:00 PM

Director: Maximilian Hult

Producers: Anna G. Magnusdottir Anders Granström

Screenwriter: Maximilian Hult

Cinematographer: Tómas Örn Tómasson

Editor: Stefanía Thórs

Music: Sunna Gunnlaugs

Cast: Björn Thórs

Jóel Ingi Sæmundsson

Sara Dögg Árgeirsdóttir Sigurður Karlsson

Hafdîs Helga Helgasdótter

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Icelandic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Littlebig Productions

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Film Website: pitythelovers.com

Selected Filmography: Hemma (2015)

FILM: MAJESTIC BAY THEATRES PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM ENCORE SCREENING: SUNDAY, MAY 19, 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

These two Icelandic brothers are unlucky in love, but in completely different ways: Óskar (Björn Thórs) is a sad sack whose only real friend is his dog, Otto, while Maggi (Jóel Ingi Sæmundsson) is a Lothario who just can’t seem to lock it down. Neither can figure out what is wrong, since all their friends seem to be pairing off and getting married. And now the brothers are back to living together, as Óskar has swapped his downtown condo for his father and stepmother’s large suburban house, and Maggi is sans apartment after yet another breakup. Maybe they can boost each other up. Soon, Maggi’s confidence rubs off on his brother, who finally gathers up the courage to ask out Anna (Sara Dögg Árgeirsdóttir), a longtime school friend-turned-veterinarian, while Maggi starts to learn that there’s more to a fulfilling relationship than just another sexual conquest. Add to the mix a bizarre conceptual artist, two goth 13-year-olds named Danni, and a house that’s falling apart, and you have this charming ensemble drama about longing, love, growing up, and what makes us human.

Director: Wayne Blair (Batjala Mununjali Wakkawakka)

Producers: Rosemary Blight Kylie du Fresne

Kate Croser

Screenwriters: Joshua Tyler

Miranda Tapsell

Cinematographer: Eric Murray Lui

Editor:

Chris Plummer

Music: Antony Partos

Cast: Miranda Tapsell

Gwilym Lee

Kerry Fox

Huw Higginson

Ursula Yovich

Shari Sebbens

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Films Boutique

Print Source: Films Boutique Film Website: filmsboutique.com/movies /top-end-wedding/ Selected Filmography: Septembers of Shiraz (2015) The Sapphires (2012)

Top End Wedding

AUSTRALIA 2019

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 6:00 PM

FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS

ENCORE SCREENINGS: SUNDAY, MAY 26, 1:00 PM SHORELINE CC

MONDAY, MAY 27, 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

It’s not the hero and heroine, but the bride and her mother, who need a happy ending in this rom-com set in Australia’s Northern Territory (the “top end” of the title). Lauren (Miranda Tapsell) heads back to Darwin for the wedding she’s always dreamed of, only to find that her mother (via a sticky note reading simply “I’m done”) has run off. She and obliging fiancé Ned (Gwilym Lee, whom you may recognize as Brian May in Bohemian Rhapsody) give chase, figuring Mum’s returned to her ancestral home, the picturesque Tiwi Islands just off the coast, which Lauren has never seen. Complicating matters are Lauren’s imperious boss and Ned’s mother, whose attitudes toward Indigenous Australians Queen Victoria would find a touch unenlightened. Director Wayne Blair takes full advantage of the region’s natural beauty, especially in a boat ride through the magnificent Katherine Gorge, and co-screenwriters Tapsell and Joshua Tyler provide a heartwarming get-back-to-your-roots finale, with the pairing-off and the “Strictly Priscilla”-style camp de-emphasized in favor of the mother/daughter reconciliation and Lauren’s spiritual rejuvenation.

K P C ’ s 2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0 P r e s e n t e d S e a s o n w i l l b e a n n o u n c e d o n

A u g u s t 1 3 , w i t h s e a s o n t i c ke t p a c k a g e s a v a i l a b l e .

FRANCE 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 8:00 PM

Director: Olivier Assayas

Producer: Charles Gillibert

Screenwriter: Olivier Assayas

Cinematographer: Yorick Le Saux

Editor: Simon Jacquet

Cast: Guillaume Canet

Juliette Binoche

Vincent Macaigne

Nora Hamzawi

Christa Théret

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Playtime

Print Source: Sundance Selects

Film Website: ifcfilms.com/films/non-fiction

Selected Filmography: Personal Shopper (2016)

Cloud of Sils Maria (2014)

Something in the Air (2012)

Carlos (2010)

Summer Hours (2008)

Boarding Gate (2007)

Clean (2004)

Demonlover (2002)

Irma Vep (1996)

FILM: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER PARTY: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER ENCORE SCREENING: TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” This line from “The Leopard” by Giuseppe di Lampedusa (it’s also in Visconti’s masterpiece) is the subject of debate by the characters in Non-Fiction, but it’s also at the heart of the film itself. The film is set in the Parisian publishing world, and the change referred to is largely technological—namely, the impact of the digital age on literature as an art. On the side of change is Alain (Guillaume Canet), a renowned editor cautiously trying to lead his publishing house into the 21st century. Firmly on the side of staying the same is Léonard (Vincent Macaigne), a technophobe writer whose latest novel Alain is about to reject. Change is not only affecting these characters’ professional lives, but their personal lives as well. Leading the “digital transition” at the publishing house is Laure, the ambitious new hire with whom Alain is having an affair. Meanwhile, Alain’s wife Selena (a marvelous Juliette Binoche) has been involved with Léonard for years. All of which makes for a deliciously smart and sexy comedy, one that manages to engage with both the particular issues of our time as well as the enduring ambivalence about change that seems to be an inescapable part of the human condition. — Justine Barda

Ballard’s Majestic Bay Theatres and The Alhadeff Family are proud to be a part of SIFF 2019

Director: René Laloux

Producers: Simon Damiani

André Valio-Cavaglione Anatole Dauman

Screenwriters: René Laloux

Roland Topor Stefan Wul

Cinematographers: Boris Baromykin

Lubomir Rejthar

Editors: Hélène Arnal

Marta Látalová

Dick Elliott

Rich Harrison

Music: Alain Goraguer

Cast: Jennifer Drake

Eric Baugin

Sylvie Lenoir

Jean Topart

Jean Valmont

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Janus Films

Film Website: janusfilms.com/films/1642

Selected Filmography: Gandahar (1987)

Time Masters (Les Maîtres du Temps) (1982)

LA PLANÈTE SAUVAGE DJ NicFit Presents Fantastic Planet

FRANCE/CZECHOSLOVAKIA

1973

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

In 1973, French animator René Laloux and artist Roland Topor wowed the Cannes Film Festival with their phantasmagorical work of science fiction, a hallucinatory futuristic animated parable set on the faraway planet of Ygam, where knowledge is power and a race of blue giants (Draags) act as oppressors to tiny humanoid creatures (Oms). By turns surreal and graceful, brutal and emotional, the film’s unprecedented visual style helped it to become an instant counterculture classic. Now, DJ Nicholas “NicFit” Gilmore takes Fantastic Planet one step further into the stratosphere with a carefully curated soundtrack featuring the music of alternative-rock icons The Flaming Lips. The modern psychedelic music of Wayne Coyne and the Lips provide the perfect sonic complement to the film, sharing similar motifs of sociopolitical commentary, rebellion, and general hallucinogenic mind-fuckery. DJ NicFit, known throughout the Pacific Northwest for his innovative mashups of beloved films with indie-inspired soundtracks, returns to SIFF after last year’s wildly popular all-Queen interpretation of Highlander. He has dug into the deepest recesses of The Flaming Lips catalogue to craft this all-new, mind-altering reimagining, as performed live on two turntables only at this one-of-a-kind screening event. — Clinton McClung

Awards: Cannes Film Festival 1973 (Special Prize)

PRESENTED BY

The Phantom of the Opera with live soundtrack by The Invincible Czars USA, 1925

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director: Rupert Julian

Producer: Carl Laemmle

Screenwriters: Raymond L. Schrock

Elliott J. Clawson

Cinematographers: Milton Bridenbecker

Virgil Miller

Charles Van Enger

Editors: Maurice Pivar

Gilmore Walker

Music: Gustav Hinrichs

Max Winkler

Cast: Lon Chaney

Mary Philbin

Norman Kerry

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, silent with English intertitles

Selected Filmography: The Cat Creeps (1930)

Love Comes Along (1930)

Walking Back (1928)

The Leopard Lady (1928)

The Country Doctor (1927)

The Yankee Clipper (1927)

Silence (1926)

Three Faces East (1926)

Hell’s Highroad (1925)

Based in Austin, Texas, The Invincible Czars have toured throughout the U.S., sporting period-specific wardrobes while performing live soundtracks for silent films including Fritz Lang’s Destiny, F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, Tod Browning’s The Unknown, and, as featured at SIFF 2017, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This year, they bring their inimitable symphonic-meets-post-punk sound to accompany the most iconic film from “The Man of a Thousand Faces” himself, Lon Chaney. Set in 19th-century Paris, The Phantom of the Opera tells of an opera ingénue (Mary Philbin) who attracts the obsessive attention of a horribly disfigured recluse (Chaney, who designed his own ghastly makeup) living in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House. A mesmerizing blend of romance and mystery, the film remains one of the most lavish of the silent era, with stunning set design (the massive opera-house set remained operational on the Universal lot until 2014), costumes, and a jaw-dropping early Technicolor sequence. The Invincible Czars have crafted an enigmatic new score that blends original music with snippets of Ravel and Erik Satie, performed by an ensemble featuring violin, piano, guitars, and flute, as well as copious sound effects and even audience participation. A perfect blending of sound and vision, The Invincible Czars offer modern-day filmgoers a vibrant musical context through which they can experience this silent masterpiece.

Spend the day at Chateau Ste. Michelle winery, just a few miles outside Seattle, Washington. Begin with wine tasting in our newly remodeled Visitor Center, take part in one of our exceptional wine experiences, like BLEND, and stay for a picnic to enjoy the daily food offerings from our award-winning culinary team. We look forward to hosting you.

Director: Charles Mudede

Producers: Michael Seiwerath

Jennessa West

Jonathan Caso

Screenwriters: Ahamefule Oluo Lindy West

Charles Mudede

Cinematographer: Sean Kirby

Editor: Rob West

Music: Ahamefule Oluo

Cast: Ahamefule Oluo

Ijeoma Oluo

Annette Toutonghi

Dwayne Kennedy

Hari Kondabolu

Thin Skin Event USA 2019

MONDAY, MAY 27, 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Sneak-peek short excerpt from Seattle filmmaker and author Charles Mudede’s upcoming feature Thin Skin. The excerpt will be followed by an on-stage interview with the creative team about the process of turning a true story into a feature film, with the real-life subject (and writer) Ahamefule Oluo playing himself in the film.

Ahamefule Joe Oluo’s days are spent at a soul-deadening corporate job and his nights come alive behind a trumpet at Seattle jazz clubs. As he struggles to climb out of the ruins of his broken marriage, Aham has to deal with endless bureaucracy, a boss trying to lead him to the Lord, and a mother who refuses to cut ties with his ex. After losing his home, Aham is living with his entire family once again. Aham’s older sister, Ijeoma, has reluctantly opened her one-bedroom apartment to Aham and his two young daughters, along with their mother, a wellmeaning white lady from Kansas, and her array of caged animals. The one person missing from this living situation is Aham and Ijeoma’s estranged Nigerian father. He left the family when the children were young and headed back to his village to start over again. He is the ghost in this cramped family living situation.

One day, the ghost makes contact after years of silence. This sends the family into a mad scramble for meaning. Some wish to forget this man’s very existence. Some wish to remember him as he was. Some wish to put the pieces back together again. Pressed together in this vise of a home, the family struggles with adult life and the meaning of family.

Thin Skin is a music-infused dark comedy about keeping it together when you’re falling apart. This story is loosely based on the award-winning Off-Broadway hit “Now I’m Fine.”

“We believe the arts are essential to building stronger connections in our community. Cinema as an artform has the power to inspire tolerance, enlighten audiences and bridge cultural distances. Since 2007, we have proudly supported the Seattle International Film Festival. We applaud its work to share original stories, diverse perspectives, and extraordinary films from around the world.”

CHIHULY

A TRIBUTE TO REGINA HALL

SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2:00 PM, SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

One of America’s favorite character actresses, Regina Hall has found much of her success in that most difficult of onscreen endeavors— making people laugh. An actor, activist, spokesperson, and journalist, her body of work is as broad as it is deep in a career that spans nearly three decades. From her careerlaunching performance in the Scary Movie franchise to her recent dramatic work in such films as Support the Girls and The Hate U Give, her versatility and commitment as an actress is renowned and cherished by all who collaborate with her.

Regina Lee Hall was born in Washington, D.C. to Ruby and Odie Hall, a teacher and a contractor. Though she initially expressed interest in becoming a nun—a desire she’d come back to later in life—she learned that she loved the written word, receiving her bachelor’s degree in English at Fordham University and a master’s degree in journalism at New York University. “Journalism seemed like something powerful,” she said in an interview with website The Shadow League . “I thought most people believe what they read, so the power of someone holding a pen in our culture, especially, was tremendous.” Tragedy struck during her first semester of graduate school when her father passed away after suffering a major stroke. At this point, she had begun taking acting classes and found herself at a crossroads.

Her focus switched full-time to her performing career. After booking gigs on the soap opera “Loving” and police dramas “NYPD Blue” and “New York Undercover,” she headed to Los Angeles to shoot the Malcolm D. Lee ensemble romantic dramedy The Best Man (1999), opposite Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, and Terrence Howard. Though not the film’s biggest role, her dedicated performance as Candace “Candy” Sparks made a huge impact, and she would reprise her role 14 years later in The Best Man Holiday . She worked with Sanaa Lathan twice more over the next year, appearing in the beloved sports romance Love & Basketball and the HBO adaptation of Terry McMillan’s novel “Disappearing Acts,” both directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Though she has made a name for herself in comedy, Regina is humble about her skills, saying she considers herself more as a character actress who makes strong choices regardless of drama. “When I came to Los Angeles,” she told the Los Angeles Times , “I wasn’t that good at punchlines. But I do love to create a character.” That ability served her well in Keenan Ivory Wayans’ Scary Movie (2000), a horror spoof that went on to gross nearly $300 million worldwide. With the character of brassy, hyperactive Brenda Meeks, Regina

stood out against a stacked cast—the film launched Anna Faris’ career, as an example—and came back for three of the franchise’s four sequels. “As a black woman, it is so wonderful to be a part of this,” she told Blackfilm . “To be a part of a franchise that millions of people see and has a built-in audience, but that you were a part of from the beginning. It’s great because it’s not that common.”

As her career rose—including a two-year stint on the hit David E. Kelley legal comedy “Ally McBeal” (for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination), a starring role on the Dick Wolf-produced “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” and third billing in the Jamie Foxx/Gerard Butler thriller Law Abiding Citizen —she appeared opposite Kevin Hart in Think Like a Man (2012), the movie adaptation of Steve Harvey’s comedic nonfiction treatise on relationships. The chemistry between Regina and Kevin was electric, which they would return to thrice more with that film’s sequel, the remake of About Last Night , and the BET reality television parody “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”

Regina’s recent work has been her most notable. 2017’s Girls Trip saw her join Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and breakout star Tiffany Haddish in the raucous, blockbuster comedy about four best friends who reunite at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. Next up was Andrew Bujalski’s 2018 indie hit Support the Girls , where she played the general manager of a struggling, Texas-based “breastaurant”; her no-nonsense, lived-in performance would earn her an Independent Spirit Award nomination and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, the first African-American actress to ever win the prize. And with The Hate U Give , the film adaptation of Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel, Regina did remarkable, grounded work as the mother of a burgeoning #blacklivesmatter activist. She can be seen in the film Little , which she also executive-produced, on the Showtime Wall Street comedy “Black Monday,” executive-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and the upcoming Warner Bros. film Shaft opposite Samuel L. Jackson.

When not acting, Regina dedicates her time to The Solutions Project, an organization that is at the forefront of making clean and renewable energy available and accessible to everyone.

We honor Regina Hall today as a revered actress with the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. Following a discussion of Ms. Hall’s career, moderated by editor Jacqueline Coley from Rotten Tomatoes , she will introduce a screening of Support the Girls .

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

The Best Man (1999)

Love & Basketball (2000)

“Disappearing Acts” (2000)

Scary Movie (2000)

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

“Ally McBeal” (2001-2002)

Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003)

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

King’s Ransom (2005)

The Honeymooners (2005)

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

“Law & Order: Los Angeles” (2010-2011)

Death at a Funeral (2010)

Think Like a Man (2012)

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

About Last Night (2014)

Think Like a Man Too (2014)

“Real Husband’s” of Hollywood (2014-2015)

People Places Things (2015)

Vacation (2015)

Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

When the Bough Breaks (2016)

“Grandfathered” (2016)

“Blackish” (2016-2017)

“Insecure” (2017)

Girls Trip (2017)

Support the Girls (2018)

The Hate U Give (2018)

“Black Monday” (2019-present)

Little (2019)

Shaft (2019)

Support the Girls

Director: Andrew Bujalski

Producer: Sam Slater

Houston King

Screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski

Cinematographer: Matthias Grunsky

Editor: Karen Skloss

Cast: Regina Hall

Haley Lu Richardson

Shayna McHayle

James LeGros

Dylan Gelula

AJ Michalka

Brooklyn Decker

Lea DeLaria

Jana Kramer

John Elvis

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: Results (2015)

Computer Chess (2013)

Beeswax (2009)

Mutual Appreciation (2005)

Funny Ha Ha (2002)

“I started off this day crying, so if you ask me, laughing is progress.” Any person who had to endure what Lisa (Regina Hall, Girls Trip) puts up with on a day-to-day basis would crumble under the pressure. But not her. As the general manager of Double Whammies—a Texas-based “breastaurant” and sports bar—Lisa is level-headed, considerate, and fiercely protective. There are small cracks in Lisa’s façade, though—things aren’t going well at home—but first things first, she just has to get through today. And hoo boy, what a day: There’s a man stuck in the ceiling, Daniela can’t seem to find child care, Shaina is in hiding after hitting her abusive boyfriend with her car, and Krista just got a massive tattoo on her torso—a huge no-no for Double Whammies’ no-tattoos policy. Worst of all, they can’t seem to get their cable to work in time for tonight’s big game. What’s next? Featuring a bevy of up-and-coming actresses—Haley Lu Richardson (Columbus), Dylan Gelula (“The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), AJ Michalka (“The Goldbergs”), and rapper Shayna McHayle (better known by her stage name Junglepussy)—and an uproarious turn from “Orange is the New Black’s” Lea DeLaria as the restaurant’s most loyal customer, Support the Girls is a clever and compassionate ode to America’s working class. —

Every

day we celebrate life stories.

Our residents share their rich history, talents, accomplishments, and the characteristics that make them unique. We honor them in big and small ways to spread joy and fill each day with possibilities. With over 20 years of experience in assisted living and memory care, Aegis Living provides compassionate care for seniors who need a little assistance with daily life. Together, we share old memories and embark on new adventures!

SIFF + TRUE PRODUCTIONS DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS GRANT PROGRAM

SIFF is thrilled to award the 2019 Clark Family Legacy Foundation Film Grant in the amount of $50,000 to Seattle-based Thin Skin, a new film by Ahamefule Oluo, Charles Mudede, and Lindy West based on the smash hit off-Broadway show “Now I’m Fine,” which was loosely based on Oluo’s real life.

We are humbled by the generosity and vision of Dwayne and Terese Clark, True Productions, and The Clark Family Legacy Foundation through their creation of this grant program and their ongoing commitment to nurture filmmakers with the vital financial support towards the completion of their films. SIFF has long believed in the importance of supporting the filmmaking ecosystem by providing a platform for filmmakers to debut their work. Through this support, exceptional films now have the opportunity to be fully realized and to be successfully launched into the world.

THIN SKIN EVENT

Sneak-peek short excerpt from Seattle filmmaker and author Charles Mudede’s upcoming feature Thin Skin. The excerpt will be followed by an on-stage interview with the creative team about the process of turning a true story into a feature film, with the real-life subject (and writer) Ahamefule Oluo playing himself in the film.

MONDAY, MAY 27, 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

With work spanning the world, the eight films in the Official Competition illustrate some of the finest filmmaking this year. Many of the films discuss themes that resonate worldwide—themes of immigration and friendship (Twin Flower), coming of age in times of political turmoil (House of Hummingbird), and the complications of family and love (Them That Follow, The Days to Come). The concept of how to represent yourself artistically comes through in X&Y, while the fight for what is right and true (Watch List (Maria) ), or simply what is real (Ghost Town Anthology), can battle with how to retell history (The Announcement). These films, as different as they may seem, all ruminate on a common theme of staying true to your convictions, even in times of struggle, and being open to the changes that can come from outside. These films represent some of the Festival’s best, and should be at the top of your movie-watching lists.

Juried by a team of international industry members, the winner of the Official Competition will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.

The Announcement

Turkey/Bulgaria 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Mahmut Fazil Coşkun

The Days to Come

Spain 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Carlos Marqués-Marcet

Ghost Town Anthology

Canada (Québec) 2019

US PREMIERE

Director: Denis Côté

House of Hummingbird

South Korea/USA 2018

Director: Bora Kim

Them That Follow

USA 2019

Directors: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison

Savage

Twin Flower

Italy 2018

US PREMIERE

Director: Laura Luchetti

Watch List (Maria)

Philippines/USA 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Ben Rekhi

X&Y

Sweden/Denmark 2018

Director: Anna Odell

NEW AMERICAN CINEMA COMPETITION

When we begin our programming selection process in the fall, the team looks in awe at the sheer volume of films by independent American filmmakers, a category that fields the largest number of submissions by far. We can select only a fraction to take to the finals, but the heavy competition leads to a truly remarkable collective output of U.S. independents.

Each of these films may not currently have a distributor, but they have a champion on the programming team. Our mission is to herald the diversity of the American experience through voices sorely underrepresented in American cinema. Of the eight selected films, five come from female directors, five are from directors of color, and one was made while the filmmaker was still in high school. Spanning a range of genres, these are stories from sea to shining sea: a naturalistic look at young love in Harlem; a black-and-white melodrama set in 1960s Oklahoma; a tragicomedy starring two of indie cinema’s finest comic actors; a restrained tale of a Montana teen’s struggles to care for her addict father; a gritty thriller about an immigrant working at a seedy motel; a lyrical examination of faith and family set against the Louisiana cane fields; a bittersweet drama about a young Asian-American boy’s friendship with an aging veteran; and a bright comedy about a party girl forced to work for her father’s toy business in China.

The New American Cinema jury consists of members of the FIPRESCI. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.

Burning Cane

USA 2019

Director: Phillip Youmans

Driveways

USA 2019

Director: Andrew Ahn

Go Back to China

China/Hong Kong/USA 2019

Director: Emily Ting

International Falls

USA 2019

Director: Amber McGinnis

Mickey and the Bear

USA 2019

Director: Annabelle Attanasio

Premature

USA 2019

Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green

Stray Dolls

USA 2019

Director: Sonejuhi Sinha

To the Stars

USA 2019

Director: Martha Stephens

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION

Be at the cutting edge of world cinema and take a little risk in your viewing. This year, eight new international voices have been selected for SIFF’s New Directors Competition. To qualify, the films must be dramatic features, a director’s debut or second feature, and without U.S. distribution at the time of SIFF selection. The films are chosen for their original scripts, innovative cinematography, and unique insights into people, places, and story.

From Kazakhstan to Taiwan, from Québec to Cuba, from Belarus to Sri Lanka, these are films that expand the cinematic palette in inventive ways. A young island boy and a rookie teacher come together for an Indigenous dance competition in Long Time No Sea. A planetarium guide is offered a chance to begin a new life on a new planet in The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia In A Colony, a 12-year-old girl befriends a First Nations boy at her new school. In Crystal Swan, a young female DJ makes good with a rural family in a scheme to obtain her U.S. visa. In Ayka, an undocumented Kyrgyz immigrant in Russia searches for the child she abandoned. A man and a woman meet to remove the curse that affects their antagonistic community in House of My Fathers. The non-linear Retrospekt tracks the messy memories of a woman who works at a domestic-violence clinic. And Sons of Denmark portrays the rise of an antiimmigrant, ultra-nationalist political party and the underground organization dedicated to stopping it.

The New Directors jury comprises film industry professionals and journalists who will choose the winning filmmaker during the Festival’s final weekend. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.

Ayka

Kazakhstan/Russia/Germany/Poland/ China 2018

Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy

A Colony

Canada (Québec) 2018

Director: Geneviève DuludeDe Celles

Crystal Swan

Belarus/Russia/Germany/USA 2018

Director: Darya Zhuk

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

Cuba/Germany 2018

Director: Arturo Infante

House of My Fathers

Sri Lanka/United Kingdom 2018

Director: Suba Sivakumaran

Long Time No Sea

Taiwan 2018

Director: Heather Tsui

Retrospekt

Netherlands/Belgium 2018

US PREMIERE

Director: Esther Rots

Sons of Denmark

Denmark 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Ulaa Salim

IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION

The production of films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal is at an all-time high with a record 900 films produced in 2018 alone, a testament to the years spent nurturing new generations of storytellers, investing in the development of their voices, and making sure resources and support are available to an expanding pool of talent. Once again, the year saw a great number of Ibero-American movies winning acclaim and being awarded in every major festival in the world, culminating in another stellar year at the Oscars® with awards for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography being given to Mexico’s Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

SIFF created the Ibero-American Competition to celebrate the power, originality, and influence of the storytelling talent in the region. This year, we are proud to present 25 new films from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, with 10 narrative features and documentaries in competition. These films hail from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Uruguay, and Spain.

We are also proud to have many first-time directors and a majority of women directors who, with their unique styles, raise questions concerning civil liberties, racial identity, artistic freedom, and gender equality, all while giving us endearing characters in unforgettable stories.

A jury made up of film-industry professionals and journalists will be responsible for selecting the winning film. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.

The Awakening of the Ants

Costa Rica/Spain 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss

Carmen & Lola

Spain 2018

Director: Arantxa Echevarría

The Good Girls

Mexico 2018

Director: Alejandra Márquez Abella

Marighella

Brazil 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Wagner Moura

Miriam Lies

Dominican Republic/Spain 2018

Directors: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada

Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark

Argentina/France 2018

Director: Daniel Rosenfeld

The Sharks

Uruguay/Argentina/Spain 2019

Director: Lucía Garibaldi

This Is Not Berlin

Mexico 2019

Director: Hari Sama

Your Turn

Brazil 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Eliza Capai

XXXXX

COMPETITION

There are stories to be told all throughout our living world, providing documentarians endless source material for compelling projects. Music, dance, art, politics, sports, social injustices, and nature itself all offer new perspectives and challenge our preconceived notions. These films broaden our horizons and invigorate our understanding of the planet, including the people and creatures with whom we share it.

From the absurd and terrifying to the inspiring and beyond, documentary art is about showing the world as it truly is, truly was, and truly could be. SIFF is extremely proud to present these eight films in 2019’s Documentary Competition as they explore such subjects as the world’s first private aerospace company in Fly Rocket Fly; the world of competitive pigeon flying in Pigeon Kings; the bravery of a young Afghani woman who found the courage to accuse her abuser on national television in A Thousand Girls Like Me; the San Quentin Prison basketball squad of Q Ball; and the Oakland-based alternative to the Girl Scouts in We Are the Radical Monarchs—along with profiles of Finnish linguist G.J. Ramstedt (Eastern Memories), zoologist and feminist trailblazer Anne Innis Dagg (The Woman Who Loves Giraffes), and heroically controversial exSeahawk Marshawn Lynch (Lynch: A History).

Eastern Memories

Finland 2018

Directors: Niklas Kullström, Martti Kaartinen

Fly Rocket Fly

Germany/Belgium 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Oliver Schwehm

Lynch: A History

USA 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: David Shields

Pigeon Kings

USA 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Milena Pastreich

Q Ball

USA 2019

Director: Michael Tolajian

A Thousand Girls Like Me

Afghanistan/France 2018

Director: Sahra Mosawi-Mani

We Are the Radical Monarchs

USA 2019

Director: Linda Goldstein Knowlton

The Woman Who Loves

Giraffes

Canada/USA/Kenya/South Africa 2018

Director: Alison Reid

SHORT FILMS COMPETITION

Limited in length but never in creativity, short films have their very own energy, far removed from the financial constraints of a feature film and often the rules of cinema itself. Whether they embody the start of an idea or the crystallization of one, shorts are one of the most consistently intriguing cinematic forms, a fascinating world unto themselves.

Each year, SIFF is proud to present a collection of short films we believe best represent the form’s limitless imaginative possibilities. While these films may be onscreen for mere moments, they make lasting impressions.

Every short film in the Seattle International Film Festival is eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize.

Our Shorts Competition jurors will choose winners in the Live-Action, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each Grand Jury Prize winner will receive $2,500; winners also qualify to enter their respective Short Film category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without a theatrical run.

2018 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARDS COMPETITION

2018 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE & JURY AWARDS

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Film and Best Actress: Elsie Fisher

Eighth Grade

USA | 2018 | 93 minutes | Bo Burnham. A 13-year-old girl navigates the final week of a disastrous school year.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Actor:

Miguel Ángel Solá

The Last Suit

Argentina | 2017 | 92 minutes | Pablo Solarz. Coming to grips with his mortality, an elderly tailor searches for the man who once saved him from the Holocaust.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Director:

Gustav Möller

The Guilty

Denmark | 2018 | 85 minutes | Gustav Möller. An emergency dispatcher receives a panicked distress call from a woman, leading him on a frantic rescue mission.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Documentary

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

USA | 2018 | 93 minutes | Morgan Neville. The life and career of Fred Rogers and his inspiring influences on children.

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

Pick of the Litter

USA | 2017 | 80 minutes | Don Hardy Jr., Dana Nachman. Five Labrador litter-mates are trained from birth for the chance to become guide dogs for the visually impaired.

2018 JURY AWARDS

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Official Competition

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem

Palestine | 2018 | 127 minutes | Muayad Alayan. A love affair between an Israeli and a Palestinian in embattled Jerusalem threatens to explode into political crisis.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | New Directors Competition & China Stars Award for Best First Film

Dead Pigs

China | 2018 | 130 minutes | Cathy Yan. Five Shanghai residents find their lives converging amid the backdrop of a mysterious river of dead swine.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | New American Cinema Competition

Thunder Road

USA | 2018 | 90 minutes | Jim Cummings. A small-town police officer struggles to process the death of his mother, an impending divorce, and his own unrecognized cluelessness.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Documentary Competition

Inventing Tomorrow

USA | 2018 | 105 minutes | Laura Nix. Brilliant teenage minds come together to devise solutions to climate change in this lifeaffirming science documentary.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Ibero-American Competition

Rust

Brazil | 2018 | 100 minutes | Aly Muritiba. When a Brazilian teenager’s sex video goes viral, she commits one desperate act that shocks her entire community.

YOUTH JURY PRIZE | Best Films4Families Feature

Zoo

Ireland | 2017 | 96 minutes | Colin McIvor. A young teenager and his friends break into a zoo to protect a baby elephant during the Blitzkrieg of 1941.

YOUTH JURY PRIZE | Best FutureWave Feature

My Name is Myeisha

USA | 2017 | 85 minutes | Gus Krieger. A heartrending dreamscape of a black teen’s life and dreams replaying as she becomes a statistic of police violence.

CHINA STARS AWARD | Best Film

The Taste of Betel Nut

China | 2017 | 84 minutes | Jia Hu. A polyamorous male couple tests the limits of their sexuality by becoming romantically entangled with a beautiful young girl.

CHINA STARS AWARD | Best New Talent

Girls Always Happy

China | 2018 | 117 minutes | Mingming Yang. A college graduate stuck living at home clashes with her mother over everything from marriage to money to table manners.

AFRICAN PICTURES

African Pictures showcases the best filmmaking happening in and about Africa today.

Set in a Casablanca hospital, the affecting drama Urgent, which tempers its cynical critique with humor and humanity, represents Moroccan filmmaking; while it’s been a big year for filmmaking in Egypt, and we have two features to show for it. The first, Yomeddine, is part road movie, part buddy comedy, and part affecting neorealist drama about a lifelong resident of a leper colony north of Cairo who sets out one day in search of the family who left him there as a child. The second film, EXT. Night, from SIFF favorite Ahmad Abdalla (Microphone, Rags and Tatters, Décor) is an exploration of life in contemporary Cairo as seen through the eyes of a film director, a sex worker, and a taxi driver who come together for one 24-hour period.

West Africa is represented by two dramatically different Ghanaian features: Nicole Amarteifio’s Before the Vows, a charmingly funny romantic comedy, and Sakawa, an illuminating and beautifully shot documentary about young men who practice internet romance scamming. East Africa is well represented by Fig Tree, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age portrait by Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian, who fled from the Ethiopian Civil War with her Jewish family to Israel. Kifaru presents the heartbreaking story of the final white rhinoceros in existence and the extraordinary Kenyans who took care of the beloved animal. Central/Southern Africa finds two strong dramas with Joël Karekezi returning to SIFF with his sophomore feature The Mercy of the Jungle, about two soldiers caught behind enemy lines in the Congolese Civil War, as well as a dark, Robin Hood-esque drama about a historical figure, John Kepe (the “Samson of the Boschberg”), who stole from the Boers to give to the poor in Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s Sew the Winter to My Skin

Before the Vows

EXT. Night

Fig Tree

Kifaru

The Mercy of the Jungle Sakawa

Sew the Winter to My Skin

Urgent Yomeddine

ALTERNATE CINEMA

This year’s Alternate Cinema section provides a different take on film history, one less preachy and more playful.

After watching Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground, you’ll wonder why Rubin isn’t a more talked-about figure in the experimental film movement of the ’60s and ’70s. She introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to the Kabbalah, and convinced Allen Ginsberg to cut his beard, but on top of that she was an innovative, groundbreaking experimental filmmaker. A standard documentary about James Mason would mention his 50 years in the industry and 150-plus film roles, but Invest in Failure (Notes on Film 06-C, Monologue 03) uses clips from every decade he worked, without narration or context, to create a portrait of his onscreen persona instead of the man himself. Using a similar style to opposite effect, Lynch: A History manifests former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch through the prism of a nearly stream-ofconsciousness collection of interviews and YouTube clips. Then there’s Storm in My Heart, in which Mark Cousins examines Hollywood’s racist history by showing the most famous musicals by Lena Horne and Susan Hayward sideby-side in their entirety. Finally, those looking for a tasting menu of short films should stop by ALT Shorts and sample the formal experiments and foundfootage collages on display.

ALT Shorts (short film package)

Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground Invest in Failure (Notes on Film 06-C, Monologue 03)

Lynch: A History Storm in My Heart

“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”

—Jim Henson

ARCHIVAL FEATURES

Our Archival Features are more than just a chance to see great films back on the big screen; they are an experience of their own, as we have collected this year’s finest restored masterpieces, uncovered previously unseen work from iconic filmmakers, and crafted unique film and music events.

Women directors were rare, to say the least, in Hollywood’s Golden Age, but the great Ida Lupino triumphed behind as well as in front of the camera; discover the aching domestic melodrama of The Bigamist and the wrenching suspense of The Hitch-Hiker, both from 1953. Speaking of golden ages: Remember newspapers? Between the Lines takes you back to 1977 as a scrappy Boston alt-weekly is threatened with blandification from a corporate takeover. No matter whom you ask, any critic’s list of the greatest films ever will include something by Billy Wilder, but nevertheless you might not know about his madcap 1961 satire One, Two, Three, which pits James Cagney’s manic Coca-Cola exec against Horst Buchholz’s beatnik communist. Spies, Fritz Lang’s 1928 follow-up to Metropolis, toys slyly with the conventions of the espionage thriller, celebrating them by isolating them and reinventing them by sending them up. Mikhail Kalatozov did something analogous in I Am Cuba (1964), playing ravishingly with camera technique in a genre, the Soviet propaganda film, noted more for didacticism than for cinema-for-cinema’s-sake experimentation.

If you like your films with live music, SIFF faves DJ NicFit and The Invincible Czars return to provide it for René Laloux’s futuristic parable Fantastic Planet and the original 1925 The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney. Aficionados of Mexican cinema will relish the galloping Enamorada (1946), half wartime action adventure and half battle-of-the sexes romance starring two icons, the dashing Pedro Armendáriz and the magnificent María Félix. You’ll have a ball with Farinelli (1994), an opulent costume drama that plunges you into the intrigue and sex of Italian baroque opera amid the men who paid a high price for wealth and adulation. And available for the first time in 80 years is Seattle filmmaker Richard Lyford’s As the Earth Turns, a disturbingly prescient sci-fi fable of planetary apocalypse.

As the Earth Turns Between the Lines

The Bigamist

DJ NicFit Presents Fantastic Planet Enamorada Farinelli

The Hitch-Hiker I Am Cuba

One, Two, Three

The Phantom of the Opera with live soundtrack by The Invincible Czars Spies

Storm

in My Heart

ASIAN CROSSROADS

The 2019 Asian Crossroads program continues SIFF’s tradition of representing many countries and cultures from this vast continent, from bustling metropolises at the forefront of social and technological change to villages off the beaten track and rich with tradition. Just a few examples will demonstrate the great variety of subjects and approaches that Asian filmmakers draw on to introduce audiences to their world and their heritage. The action-packed gangster flick Gatao 2: Rise of the King exploits crazed whiplash contrasts between sentiment and over-the-top violence, while Le Chocolat de H takes you on a continent-hopping trek with a mild-mannered chocolatier seeking the globe’s most exquisite ingredients for his award-winning confections. No. 1 Chung Ying Street cleverly juxtaposes stories of Chinese political upheaval and anguished romance from 1967 and 2014, while the dramedy Go Back to China* examines social conflict on a more intimate scale as a traditionalist father clashes humorously with his L.A.raised princess daughter. 19th-century Vietnam is captured with sensuous, impressionist beauty in The Third Wife, as a young woman struggles to make her way in a polygamous household. And perhaps most anticipated is the film chosen for our closing-night gala: The Farewell, which lets flamboyant hiphop star Awkwafina show off her dramatic chops in a heartfelt tale of a family gathering to honor its matriarch.

We encourage you to travel across Asia from the comfort of a theater seat. Explore the cultural and historical background of these faraway worlds, enjoy their food, music, and art, meet new people, and see and hear their stories.

Baby (Bao Bei Er)*

Cities of Last Things

Distinction

A Family Tour

The Farewell

Gatao 2: Rise of the King

Go Back to China*

House of Hummingbird

House of My Fathers

Le Chocolat de H

The Legend of the Stardust Brothers

Long Time No Sea

No. 1 Chung Ying Street

One Child Nation*

The Sweet Requiem

Ten Years Thailand

The Third Wife

Watch List (Maria)

Widow of Silence

*Part of China Stars

CULINARY CINEMA

Popcorn is no longer king as the phenomenon of food culture has exploded into cinema. We’ve selected some extraordinary films that explore different aspects of taste and the senses for the cinematically inclined.

Some say delicious food and drink are the stuff dreams are made of, and this year at SIFF, we take you around the world to see how your favorites are made and served in restaurants in every country and region, and the immense role food plays in cultures and communities. We travel on a culinary road trip to Scotland with the Roca Brothers (Chef’s Diaries: Scotland) and hear not only about the amazing food but also the remarkable people of the island. Thirsty? Explore organic wine production in France with Wine Calling. Find out what goes into olive oil with Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil, and follow chef Evan Funke as he establishes his pasta restaurant Felix (Funke) and master chocolatier Hironobu Tsujiguchi as he prepares for Paris’s annual Salon du Chocolat (Le Chocolat de H). Finally, Mexican series Lives with Flavor returns with focuses on chefs Monica Patiño and Carlos Gaytán (Lives with Flavor: Monica Patiño & Carlos Gaytán).

This year SIFF is definitely going to take you on some tasty journeys, and you better bet that your belly (and mind!) are going to be full by the end of it!

Chef’s Diaries: Scotland Funke

Le Chocolat de H

Lives with Flavor: Monica Patiño & Carlos Gaytán

Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil Wine Calling

DEUTSCHLANDJAHR

In celebration of the year-long Deutschlandjahr USA / The Year of German-American Friendship, we are pleased to present films in the German language from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Highlighting the unique importance of culture, science, and politics in transatlantic relations, these films run the gamut of creativity.

In All About Me, experience the sweet origin story of one of Germany’s most beloved comedians, Hape Kerkeling. Find love In the Aisles, as a supermarket warehouse’s new night stockman falls for a sweets-selling married coworker. Join the space race with Fly Rocket Fly, a documentary about OTRAG, the world’s first private space travel company that triggered an international political firestorm. In the rom-com What Doesn’t Kill Us, a psychotherapist breaks his occupation’s prime directive when he falls for one of his patients. Learn the wild history of Canadian art-punk musician Chilly Gonzales, who found his persona in the 1990s Berlin arts scene, in Shut Up and Play the Piano. Tag along with the Hoffman siblings in director Edward Berger’s quiet, generational drama All My Loving. And in #Female Pleasure, documentary filmmaker Barbara Miller showcases five extraordinary women from around the world who are fighting to liberate female sexuality from extreme religious and cultural constraints.

In Oray, a young Muslim man in Germany accidentally divorces his wife by uttering the word “talaq” three times, putting his love for her in conflict with his faith. In the Austrian psychodrama The Ground Beneath My Feet, a workaholic business consultant begins to feel her own mental state destabilizing. Be haunted by the dark, fantastical tale of The Innocent, about one woman’s awakening from a life of strictly prescribed religious dogma into the confidence, chaos, and magic unleashed by her own desires. Honor those who lived through the hell of the Holocaust in Lest We Forget, a remembrance project based on photographer Luigi Toscano’s traveling photo exhibition. And in our archival pick, figure out who’s double-crossing whom in Fritz Lang’s 1928 Weimar Germany espionage thriller Spies

All About Me

All My Loving

#Female Pleasure

Fly Rocket Fly

The Ground Beneath My Feet

The Innocent

In the Aisles

Lest We Forget Oray

Shut Up and Play the Piano Spies

What Doesn’t Kill Us

EMOCIÓN PURA: CINEMA FROM SPAIN

If you travel to Spain, you will be welcomed by a tapestry of geographies, the most exhilarating aromas, and people who will always have a fun moment to recall, a memory that will cheer you up, a recipe to share. Storytelling is deep-rooted in Spanish life—it is an art, a cherished tradition. Spain is a vast canvas defined by its contrasts, its tremendous energy, and its unique sense of humanity and humor. Whether focusing on its ever-challenging present or venturing into its complex past, one can be sure that the journey will be exciting, poignant, and extraordinary.

We are very proud to bring a selection of 15 features, documentaries, and shorts, from some of SIFF’s favorites such as Carlos Marqués-Marcet (the tender parenthood tale The Days to Come), Icíar Bollaín (the ballet narrative Yuli), Rodrigo Sorogoyen (the heart-pounding thriller The Realm), and filmmaking duo Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow (Another Day of Life, a powerful dreamscape of live action and animation). We will also showcase new voices, such as Arantxa Echevarría’s sexy and smart lesbian romantic comedy Carmen & Lola, and films for all ages, including The Footballest by Miguel Ángel Lamata. We also have our always-delightful culinary documentaries, including director Laura Otálora’s Chef’s Diaries: Scotland and José Luis López Linares’ Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil.

From the four corners of Spain, these films will fire up your mind, your soul, and your heart. Get on board this fascinating cinematic tour. Get ready for Cinema from Spain 2019.

FEATURE FILMS: Another Day of Life*

The Awakening of the Ants*

Carmen & Lola

Chef’s Diaries: Scotland*

The Days to Come

El Ángel*

The Footballest    Miriam Lies

The Realm

The Sharks*

Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil

Yuli

SHORT FILMS:

Coda Sacra

La Noria

Piggy

The Swimmer

* Co-production country

the 2 01 9

FILM PROGRAMS

FACE THE MUSIC

When music meets cinema, something special happens in a theater. Two different ways of perceiving the world come together to create one big life-changing blast. This year’s Face the Music program bathes you in a nice, warm gamma wave, one that will transform you into the most powerful, music-loving superhero that you can be. As Madonna once said: “Music makes the people come together.” So then, come together with us to enjoy the hypnotic combination that music and film create when they combine, as wild or as melancholic as they can be, and shine on our Festival screens.

Tag along with alternative-music icon PJ Harvey as she visits Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Washington, D.C. to talk with locals and let their stories inspire her song lyrics in A Dog Called Money. Take a tour of The Apollo as archival footage onstage and backstage enriches this portrait of the iconic Harlem theater. Learn about the battle over who truly owns the ubiquitous titular Baha Men earworm in Who Let the Dogs Out. With Enormous: The Gorge Story, Dave Matthews and Hozier are among the talking heads in this doc about the history of Washington’s best-known outdoor concert venue. Travel back to the dairy farm that became for one weekend the red-hot center of the zeitgeist in Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation.

If you’re in the mood for biographical portraits, we’ve got profiles on jazz musician Miles Davis (Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool), singer/songwriter David Crosby (David Crosby: Remember My Name), operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti (the Ron Howard-directed Pavarotti), tango composer Astor Piazzolla (Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark), art-punk musician Chilly Gonzales (Shut Up and Play the Piano), and the indefatigable Patrinell Wright and her Total Experience Gospel Choir (Patrinell: The Total Experience).

The Apollo

Blinded by the Light

David Crosby: Remember

My Name

A Dog Called Money

Enormous: The Gorge Story

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Patrinell: The Total Experience

Pavarotti

Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark

Shut Up and Play the Piano

Who Let the Dogs Out Wild Rose

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation

FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURES + PROGRAMS

Join SIFF each weekend morning throughout the Festival for extraordinary matinees of both international and new American films created for children and the young-at-heart.

Films4Families is a celebration of the whole family coming together to share the moviegoing and filmmaking experience at SIFF. We are proud to present our outstanding 2019 lineup, featuring some of the best children’s features and shorts from around the world. Seattle families will be among the first audiences to enjoy a select few of these creative treasures.

SIFF is also delighted to have the Films4Families Youth Jury back for SIFF 2019. Comprising five elementary and middle school youth, the jury will watch all the features to determine their favorite—and crown the winner with the Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature at the Golden Space Needle Awards on June 9, 2019.

Films4Families Jury: Fergus Binkley-James, Monroe Bradley, Maxine Lawson-Mangum, Will Madrid, and Bianca Sennhauser

2040

Australia 2019

Directed by Damon Gameau

Appropriate for ages 6+ (Conversations on global climate solutions)

The Family Picture Show (short film package)

Directed by various filmmakers from around the world

Appropriate for all ages.

The Footballest

Spain 2018

Directed by Miguel Ángel Lamata

In Spanish with English subtitles.

Recommended for ages 8+ (Comic violence)

Minuscule - Mandibles From Far Away

France 2018

Directed by Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud

No dialogue. Recommended for all ages.

Pachamama

France 2019

Directed by Juan Antin

Dubbed in English. Recommended for ages 5+

Rémi, Nobody’s Boy

France 2018

Directed by Antoine Blossier

In French with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 10+ (Mature themes, dog and child in peril)

Sune vs. Sune

Sweden 2018

Directed by Jon Holmberg

In Swedish with English subtitles.

Recommended for ages 8+ (Tween drama and situations)

We Are the Radical Monarchs

USA 2019

Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton

Recommended for ages 7+ (Socialjustice topics discussed)

FUTUREWAVE FEATURES

FutureWave is the perfect way for high-school and college students to access the Festival. Amid hundreds of possible films to see, we have curated the perfect starting point for new audiences to explore something that may seem familiar but has surprising depth or unique creativity. Many of the films are stories about youth told with a vitality and style that will be a stepping stone to exploring more extraordinary films across the Festival.

SIFF is a participating TeenTix venue. TeenTix are available on the day of any regularly priced film in the Festival as well as at SIFF Cinema throughout the year.

For its tenth year, SIFF has selected a jury of seven high-school students to view eight of the FutureWave feature films and award their favorite with the Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature. Films with an * are eligible for the FutureWave Jury Award.

FutureWave Jury: Owen Chilcote, Jesa Chiro, Tessa Gates, William Hamilton, Aaron Leaf, Nicole Moriarty, and Stefan de Villiers

Afterlife*

Netherlands 2019

Directed by Willem Bosch

Appropriate for ages 13+

Banana Split*

USA 2018

Directed by Benjamin Kasulke

Appropriate for ages 13+

Blinded by the Light

United Kingdom 2019

Directed by Gurinder Chadha

Appropriate for ages 17+

Burning Cane

USA 2019

Directed by Phillip Youmans

Appropriate for ages 15+

Carmen & Lola*

Spain 2018

Directed by Arantxa Echevarria

Appropriate for ages 13+

Fig Tree*

Ethiopia/Israel/Germany/France 2018

Directed by Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian

Appropriate for ages 13+

FutureWave Shorts and Best of NFFTY (short film package)

Directed by youth aged 18 and under

Appropriate for ages 13+

Hala*

USA 2019

Directed by Minhal Baig

Appropriate for ages 13+

House of Hummingbird*

South Korea/USA 2018

Directed by Bora Kim

Appropriate for ages 13+

Socrates

Brazil 2018

Directed by Alexandre Moratto

Appropriate for ages 15+

Sprinter*

Jamaica/USA 2018

Directed by Storm Saulter

Appropriate for ages 15+

Twin Flower*

Italy 2018

Directed by Laura Luchetti

Appropriate for ages 17+

FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AND BEST OF NFFTY

SIFF is proud to present FutureWave Shorts 2019, a program of new films created by talented filmmakers aged 18 years and younger who celebrate the art form’s creative possibilities.

For the sixth year, we are also showcasing a selection of the best films from the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the largest youth film festival in the world, which is presented annually in Seattle.  [* Denotes a Best of NFFTY selection.]

The WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking will be presented to a film chosen in recognition of its artistic and technical achievement. The Prodigy Camp will also provide a scholarship to their week-long, immersive overnight film camp for youth aged 12-18, held in July.

Black Girl Magic

USA 2019, 3 minutes

Directors: Sofia Majors, Eljae Givens, Jaylin Harris, Hope Allen, Taylor Freeman, Olivia Majors

Young women summon the superhero Black Girl Magic when they need to make things right.

BlueInk

USA 2018, 4 minutes

Directors: Miranda Potter, Jade Jess

A victim of human trafficking tells her story.

Come Back to Me*

USA 2018, 4 minutes

Director: Catherine McCord

A mother, a deployed 20-year veteran soldier, questions the balance between serving her country and raising her son.

Drenched*

Canada 2018, 7 minutes

Director: Margarita Brodie

Before leaving for college, Max and Geraldine reveal how they’ve really felt about each other all summer long.

Fifteen

USA 2018, 4 minutes

Director: AJ Baldwin

Fifteen is a tough age for a girl— especially when you fall in love for the first time with another girl.

Fleeting Moments

USA 2019, 6 minutes

Director: Will McCracken

A young couple’s lives are turned upside down by an otherworldly camera.

grief.exe

USA 2018, 4 minutes

Director: Dylan Santa Cruz

A boy goes through a simulation meant to help him mourn his dead girlfriend.

Hidden

United Kingdom 2018, 7 minutes

Director: Jess O’Brien

Solomon reads a poem to the class that has a meaning and two secretsonly known by one other classmate.

The Making of Chase Humes

USA 2019, 5 minutes

Director: Chase Humes

A transgender student talks about his experiences and hardships during his journey.

Meeting at Half Past Five

Russian Federation 2018, 4 minutes

Director: Daria Litvichenko

One evening Philip gets proof that the world is cruel and corrupt.

Mental

USA 2019, 5 minutes

Director: Serena Cunningham

A personal recounting of a young woman’s struggle with OCD and ADHD.

On the Backs of Salmon*

USA 2018, 9 minutes

Director: Miles Whitworth

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe have fought long odds to reclaim their identity after white settlers devastated the local salmon population.

Our Way of Life: A Video Poem for My Father

USA 2019, 2 minutes

Director: Lacy Hawk (Suquamish)

A young descendent of the Suquamish Tribe documents how they are preserving their culture and teaching the next generation.

Phillip Bruce - A Documentary About Limb Difference

USA 2018, 5 minutes

Director: Nepal Arslan

Phillip Bruce shares his experience of not having any fingers on his left hand.

Red Chimera

USA 2019, 8 minutes

Director: Jen Frisch-Wang

In her dream, Chrissy’s cat tells her that she will age 60 years overnight. When she wakes up, it’s true.

Stuffed

USA 2018, 7 minutes

Director: Sam Kellman

The childhood journey of Elliot and his best friend Alfie, who happens to be a stuffed bunny.

Sweet Dreams?

USA 2018, 2 minutes

Director: Barb Hoffman

An animated collage of three strange dreams.

PROUD SPONSORS OF THE SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THE HENRY M. JACKSON SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY

OF WASHINGTON

African Studies Program

Canadian Studies Center

Center for Global Studies

Center for Human Rights

Center for West European Studies

China Studies Program

Comparative Religion Program

East Asia Center

For more information and upcoming events, visit jsis.washington.edu or contact jsis@uw.edu.

Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program

South Asia Center

Southeast Asia Center

Taiwan Studies Program

UW Japan Studies Program

LATIN-AMERICAN CINEMA

Latin American is living through very turbulent times. In order to stay relevant, its cinema must reflect this reality while also touching minds and hearts. This troubled landscape offers exciting opportunities through cinema to express the rage, the hope, and the love that changes lives, offers relief, affords insights, and conveys empathy.

Latin America, with its rich traditions and phenomenal resilience, is both old and young; it is learning, it is evolving. These are times when ideas change, beliefs are put to the test, and critical voices must be listened to, times when creative voices become indispensible keeping us enlightened and informed.

Latin-American cinema is expanding and reaching new heights every year, cementing its place as one of the most vibrant and creative cinemas in the world. Fresh new voices join seasoned storytellers to bring never-before-told stories with innovative perspectives that always keep focus on the human spirit. This year’s lineup is a testament to this exploration, this never-ending thirst for crossing boundaries and creating new meanings.

SIFF 2019 is proud to present a collection of some of the most acclaimed films from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, and Uruguay. Let these 19 films from Latin America transport you to their landscapes, their history, their culture, their struggles and their triumphs. It will be a memorable journey.

El Ángel

The Awakening of the Ants

Botero

Enamorada

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

The Good Girls

I Am Cuba

Lives with Flavor: Monica

Patiño & Carlos Gaytán

Marighella

Midnight Family

Miriam Lies

Monos

Pachamama

Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark

The Sharks

Socrates

Temblores

This Is Not Berlin

Your Turn

NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

Seattleites see more films per capita than the residents of any other American city, and a growing number of these selections have their roots in the fertile Pacific Northwest film community. Each year, SIFF honors the many ways in which the Puget Sound region contributes to the world of cinema, whether as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or as inspiration for local filmmakers ready to strut their stuff. With Enormous: The Gorge Story, Dave Matthews and Hozier are among the talking heads in this doc about the history of Washington’s best-known outdoor concert venue. Get swept up in the mesmerizing video collage Lynch: A History, a portrait of heroically controversial ex-Seahawk Marshawn Lynch that focuses on his narrative-controlling interview strategies in the context of race and media celebrity in America. Cherish the extraordinary life and career of the late, legendary ski and snowboarding filmmaker Warren Miller with Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story. And with Patrinell: The Total Experience, learn about indefatigable Patrinell Wright and her Total Experience Gospel Choir as told against the backdrop of the Central District’s gentrification and our city’s racial history.

Are you more in the mood for narrative features? We have a special treat in As the Earth Turns, a recently rediscovered 1938 Seattle-shot silent film that tells of an apocalyptic future war. Join Seattleites Jenna and Kate and they attempt to open up their romance to an enigmatic stranger in Good Kisser, or catch a ride with three vigilantes as they take justice into their own hands in We Take the Low Road. And, of course, we have our opening night film Sword of Trust, a comedy starring Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, and Marc Maron and directed by Seattle-based filmmaker Lynn Shelton (Outside In).

FEATURE FILMS

Artifishal

As the Earth Turns

Engineering with NatureAn Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone

Enormous: The Gorge Story

Fight Fam

SHORT FILMS

All on a Mardi Gras Day

Black Girl Magic

Butterfly Disaster

CUDDLE: The Series

Cutioner.exe

Dancer By the Sea

Destination Northwest (short film package)

Dreamcatcher

Fleeting Moments

Good Kisser

The Long Haul: The Story of the Buckaroos

Lynch: A History

Our Bodies Our Doctors

Patrinell: The Total Experience

Ski Bum: The Warren Miller

Story

For Neesa

Mental

Mikey

Ming

No More White Women

On the Backs of Salmon

Our Way of Life: A Video

Poem for My Father

The Phantom 52

Stories of Us: Camp

Second Chance

Sword of Trust

Thin Skin Event

We Take the Low Road

The Wild

The Procedure Part 2

Red Chimera

Retch

Rock

Summer Lightning

Sweet Dreams?

Topless

Wedding Video

Witch a Well

THE SECRET FESTIVAL

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT WAS FOUND AMONG THE BELONGINGS OF A JOHN DOE, DECEASED; HIS REAL IDENTITY HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED. FOR YOUR SAFETY, SELECTED WORDS AND PHRASES HAVE BEEN REDACTED.

TO: sadklghsagkjlashdlasgd

Executive Director, fadskfdsafhjdsakfhsdajkhsadfhsadj

FROM: fdsafdsahjhjh Field Agent

SUBJECT: SIFF Secret Festival

Greetings: sadklghsagkjlashdlasgd. Since 1976, SIFF has held a festival within a festival for its audiences. The exact content of this “Secret Festival” is never disclosed. I have spent the past dsahjfkhfd attempting to uncover what films have played, but an exhaustive search has revealed only a miniscule amount of intelligence. Previous films include: fdsafsdafadsfadsfasdfasd starring fdsag dasfdsafdsaga; an ultra-rare screening of dsafdsafasdf dfsas, a film once believed to have been lost; and fdsafd gsdagsdagsa, a fdasfdsaf that nominally premiered at the fdsafdsa Film Festival.

Unfortunately, all of the above information is based on conjecture; no first-hand accounts are available. All Secret Festival attendees sign Oaths of Silence before acquiring their passes. Advanced “information coercion techniques” have been attempted to corroborate these findings but, so far, such methods have yet to yield satisfactory results.

As you can plainly see, the matter requires further investigation. Please wire $80 ($70 for SIFF members) so I may covertly obtain a Secret Festival Pass. After attending the four Secret Festival screenings, held at SIFF Cinema Egyptian on Sunday mornings throughout SIFF, I will be able to fully reveal what clandestine cinematic mysteries are involved.

FILM FESTIVAL

WILD, TERRIFYING, FANTASTIC

Some movies make you laugh or cry. Some give you a good scare. Some inform, some provoke, some dazzle, helping you forget the irritants of your life outside the theater. And some are just a painless way to kill 112 minutes. But some movies leave you with your jaw hanging open, frozen in your seat as the house lights come up, wondering what exactly you just saw.

We at SIFF love movies like this. We gather them under the heading WTF, which stands for Wild, Terrifying, Fantastic! (Why, what did you think it means?)

Imagine a 1930s Noel Coward drawing-room comedy, sparkling with champagne and bons mots—and demonic possession, and simply oodles of bloody murders: That’s Here Comes Hell. Mutants, zombies, and robots are among the ingredients of the crazed music-biopic spoof The Legend of the Stardust Brothers, a manga-flavored fantasia from 1985 that melds a punk and a New Waver into a Japanese glitter-rock double act. Nightmare Cinema makes a theater itself the framing device for a quintet of tales of terror presented by Mickey Rourke as… The Projectionist. Put on the cursed scarlet dress in In Fabric, a seductive, fetishistically stylized hommage to giallo, and you may be literally dressed to kill. And two alumnae of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe show you their twisted view of suburbia in the absurdist satire Greener Grass, destined to join the cult-classic canon. Plus there are two packages of short films for those who like to be stunned speechless in small doses.

Dark Delicacies (short film package)

Deadtectives

The Death of Dick Long

DJ NicFit Presents

Fantastic Planet

Greener Grass

Here Comes Hell

In Fabric

Knife+Heart

Koko-di Koko-da

The Legend of the Stardust Brothers

The Nightingale

Nightmare Cinema

WTF?! (short film package)

TRIUMPH BAR

NEW WORKS-IN-PROGRESS FORUM

NEW WORKS-IN-PROGRESS FORUM @ SIFF FILM CENTER

The SIFF 2019 New Works-in-Progress Forum brings four global film teams, six industry mentors, and a select SIFF audience into the filmic creative process at a vital junction: just before a picture is “locked.” Together, they watch the films in-progress and engage in critical feedback for a valuable creative experience. This initiative, held June 6–7, 2019, will comprise two fictional narratives and two documentaries culled from international independent projects, and is perfect for anyone who believes deeply in cinema and wants to be a part of the creative process in visual storytelling.

THE PATHS OF MY FATHER

Director Mauricio Osaki

When 11-year-old Nhi’s grandma is hospitalized, she is forced to join her absent father, a truck driver, on a journey around Vietnam. Nhi wants to escape to her hometown and reconnect with her roots, while the father sees it as a chance to give her away.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 10:00 AM

SIFF FILM CENTER

A LOSS OF SOMETHING EVER FELT

Director Carlos E. Lesmes

At the request of her mother Hille, Eeva arrives from Estonia to Bogota, Colombia, to look for her drugaddicted and alcoholic half-brother Lauri. In her quest to find Lauri, Eeva manages to rediscover and reconnect with the fragile love she and her brother once shared.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2:30 PM

SIFF FILM CENTER

HOPE’S JOURNEY

Director Yolanda Cruz

Hope arrives in Oaxaca angry, out of place, and afraid. Others have come in celebration, making the annual pilgrimage to La Virgen de Juquila, the region’s patron saint, but it isn’t until Hope befriends Soledad that a sense of origin begins to emerge.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 10:00 AM

SIFF FILM CENTER

LINA FROM LIMA

Director Maria Paz Gonzalez

It’s Christmas time. Ten years have passed since Lina (40) traveled to Chile to work as a housekeeper leaving behind her son who lives with his grandmother in Peru. This holiday season, Lina will find herself yearning to rest from the weight of her obligations to think, even for a brief moment, first about herself.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2:30 PM

SIFF FILM CENTER

MASTER OF EDUCATION IN EDUCATION POLICY

Improve Education by Changing the System

Learn more and apply at mep.uw.edu

SIFF EDUCATION: YOUTH

AT THE FESTIVAL:

SIFF Youth Juries

SIFF Education annually selects seven children (ages 8-12) for our Films4Families Jury and seven teenagers (ages 13-18) for our FutureWave Jury. These students watch eight films in their respective programs and award their favorite with a Youth Jury Prize.

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN THE COMMUNITY AND AT SIFF FILM CENTER:

Crash Kids (ages 9-12)  & Crash Student (ages 13+)

The Crash programs afford beginning to advanced youth the opportunity to work with a professional media educator for a daylong experience in filmmaking.

Upcoming Dates:

Student: Sep 21, Dec 7

Kids: Oct 5, Dec 14

School Break Filmmaking Camps

Students (ages 9-12) explore filmmaking with exciting fiveday sessions with master filmmaking educators. These camps are held from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM and are limited to 25 students. With a lead instructor and four supporting mentors, students receive an immersive experience in the craft of filmmaking. Aftercare is available at the SIFF Film Center camps. This year, we are excited to have outreach camps in Shoreline and Columbia City.

2019 Summer Camps:

Mysteries: July 8

Superheroes & Villains: July 15

Shoreline Community College: July 15

Animation: July 22

Animation: July 29

Young Women In Film Intensive: July 29

Rainier Arts Center: August 5

Fairy Tales: August 5

Science Fiction: August 12

Advanced Camp: August 19

Visit SIFF.net/education for more specifics about all of our upcoming programs

SIFF EDUCATION: FILM APPRECIATION

CINEMA DISSECTION

Cinema Dissection is a monthly event that affords film lovers an exciting opportunity to dig deeper into the films that they love. Over six hours, an expert facilitator will share the stage with audience observations as they work scene-by-scene through a great film.

2019/20 Cinema Dissections will be: Goodfellas, The Omen, Night of the Hunter, The Babadook, His Girl Friday, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and The New World.

APPRECIATION CLASSES

At SIFF, film experts (often professors and critics) expand film experiences with a deeper appreciation on a wide variety of film-related topics. These classes may be single or multi-day opportunities to explore the films of specific filmmakers, genres, countries/continents, or historical periods.

Upcoming Classes:

Kurosawa (Sep 12 - Oct 10)

Epic. Inspirational. Majestic. Emotional. Sensuous. Force of nature. This five-week course explores the seasons of Akira Kurosawa’s filmography.

Cinema DNA’s of Get Out (Sep 22)

and La La Land (Oct 12)

Explore the movies that inspired two contemporary classics.

Great Screenplays, Great Films? (Oct 16 - 30)

From bad acting to questionable production, the best screenplay can become a sad mess on film. In this threesession course, screenwriter Nicole Pouchet examines the good, the bad, and the god-awful.

Belted. Buckled. Booted. Badass:

Tura Satana on Screen (Nov 2)

Join feminist pop-culture historian Jennifer K. Stuller for a What The Femme! event celebrating the glorious bad girl goodness of the legendary Ms. Satana.

Suspenseful Symbiosis: Hitchcock in Pairs (Nov 7 - 21)

Three double-helpings of Hitchcock provide a look at the Master’s evolving style and vision and his risk-taking innovativeness.

Radical Films: 15 Movies That Shook the World (Jan 9 - Feb 6)

Dive into socially relevant filmmaking from the past 100 years with a survey of 15 largely underseen and underappreciated films.

SIFF EDUCATION: EDUCATORS

FILMMAKER VISITS

Whenever possible, we coordinate filmmaker visits to classrooms and community organizations around Puget Sound. These filmmakers bring real-world application into the classroom, expanding learning outside the traditional school experience and providing role models for students of all ages. We work to pair filmmakers with classes that will be enhanced by their artistic area of expertise.

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

We have expanded our School Screenings program into year-round opportunities for school classes to realize cinema literacy into their curriculums.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

SIFF Education creates professional development opportunities for teachers using the multidisciplinary world of filmmaking. As film is the dominant narrative medium of our time and media literacy more and more important, students in contemporary society also connect strongly with the film arts when used effectively with their academic curriculum. Teachers who harness film interest engage their students with projects and examples using real-world learning.

STEM CURRICULUM AUGMENTATION

Through generous support from The Boeing Foundation, SIFF is working with 4th-grade science teachers in South Seattle Elementary Schools. This work augments their science curriculum with creative media projects that assesses student comprehension and supports retention of concepts/critical thinking learned. The augmented lessons are then co-presented with media-teaching artists within the school classes and fine-tuned to share with other interested teachers across the globe.

For more information on any of these opportunities, contact education@siff.net

4TH WORLD – INDIGENOUS MEDIA LAB AND EVENTS

The city of Seattle sits on Coast Salish land, and Washington is home to 29 tribal nations and 11 tribal communities, each with its own culture, language, identity, and history. Uniquely located to elevate Native voices, the Seattle International Film Festival has a long tradition of celebrating Indigenous film, stories, education, and media.

For Indigenous communities, media-making can be many things: a form of self-expression, a method of empowerment, an education in leadership and teamwork, a way of learning about and preserving one’s own culture, a way of connecting with their communities and their elders, and a skill that can lead to a satisfying career in the creative industries. Indigenous Media adds a new voice to the debate on Native, First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indigenous issues—what some call “diversifying the dialogue.” As many of these creative filmmakers’ skills and commitment strengthen, they are increasingly seen as determined contributors and visionary creators.

In partnership with Longhouse Media, we are in our fifth year of a training program for emerging and midstage Indigenous filmmakers, which through intensive workshopping and networking will build access to new skills and connect them to industry professionals and to one another via a cohort model known as 4th World Media Lab.

SIFF has a long history of supporting innovative Indigenous film, education, and workshops, most notably the nine-year, formerly annual SuperFly Filmmaking Experience in partnership with Longhouse Media and local Coast Salish tribes. We remain committed to nurturing, highlighting, and raising up diverse talent and voices. 4th World Media Lab is our commitment to showcasing and strengthening the media-making talent across the borders within First People communities.

EVENTS

Indigenous Kickoff at Discovery Center – May 24

A complimentary event at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center, in partnership with The Gates Foundation and y haw ’ FREE to the public.

3:00 PM – Curated Art Market in partnership with y haw ’

5:00 PM – Honor Song

6:00 PM – Indigenous Shorts film screening and panel discussion featuring Paulette Jordan and Heather Rae

N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear

Screening and Panel – May 25

At 12:30 PM at Seattle Central Library, join us for the Seattle premiere of N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear, in partnership with the Seattle Central Library. Following the screening will be a robust panel discussion about Indigenous poetry, changing cultural narratives, and artistic leadership. FREE to the public.

4th World – Indigenous Media Lab – May 23-27

In this 5th annual cohort training, in partnership with Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, our filmmakers will join together to hone their filmmaking skills through industry master classes with ITVS and pitch training with Points North Institute.

The 2019 fellows are: TAYLOR HENSEL (Cherokee Nation ), CLEO KEAHNA (White Earth Anishinaabe and Meskawaki ), IVY MACDONALD (Blackfeet ), COURTNEY MONTOUR (Mohawk, Kahnawake ), JJ NEEPIN (Cree ), EVELYN PAKINEWATIK (Nipissing First Nation, Ojibwe ), CAMILLE TSO (Diné ), RAVEN TWO FEATHERS (Cherokee, Seneca, Cayuga, and Comanche ).

INDIGENOUS-PRODUCED FILMS AT SIFF 2019

Doing the Work! (short film package)

For My Father’s Kingdom (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Indigenous Kickoff Event (short film package)

N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear (USA)

Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife) (Canada)

Top End Wedding (Australia)

Vai (Aotearoa New Zealand)

FESTIVAL FORUMS EDUCATION

Our Festival Forums set the stage for engaging discussions about issues that affect filmmakers and audience alike. Don’t miss these great opportunities to deepen your connection to the art of cinema. All Festival Forums are at 6:30 PM at the SIFF Film Center Auditorium.

All panels are $5 / Free for SIFF members / Passholders unless stated otherwise. Visit SIFF.net for expanded descriptions and panelists announcements.

MAY 21

The Art of the Short

Why make a short film? The short film is often regarded as an abbreviated feature. But is it? How does the genre differ? What are the benefits and challenges of making a short film? Filmmakers share their thoughts and experiences and why they have chosen to work in this specialized art form. Hosted by Women in Film - Seattle.

MAY 28

How Any Artist Can Hustle on Social Media

Whether you’re a film producer, costume designer, musician, author, or any other kind of artist, you already contain everything you need to build a strong audience on social media. This panel will teach you how to leverage your art and voice to grow a following online, which can help you land gigs, sell tickets, pop up on VIP radars, and more. Sponsored by Seattle University Film Studies.

MAY 30

Behind the Music: Composing for Film

Join feature film composers from various backgrounds as they discuss the history of their career and what inspired them to compose for film. Hosted by the Seattle Composers Alliance.

JUNE 4

Racial Cinequity: Seattle’s Film Cultures

Join representatives from the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, Seattle Latino Film Festival, Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, and Seattle Asian American Film Festival for a probing conversation around experiencing and supporting Seattle’s various filmmaking and filmgoing communities.

JUNE 6

Bigfoot Northwest Script Challenge Live Table Read

SIFF + Bigfoot present a live table reading of “Crack the Whip,” a one-hour comedy pilot by Heather Pilder Olson, with feedback by Bigfoot partners representing the production teams behind Straight Outta Compton , Men in Black 4 , and ABC’s smash hit “Blackish.” About “Crack the Whip:” Trudy has just lost her job, is about to lose her marriage, and decides to whip her life back into shape by becoming a professional dominatrix.

Following the reading will be a public conversation between the founders of Bigfoot, the author, and our industry guests. Discussion will cover industry trends and paths forward for the material and writer. Presented by The Film School, Northwest Screenwriter’s Guild, and SAG-AFTRA.

Find more information on Bigfoot at bigfootscriptchallenge.com

Irish

Europe on your doorstep

Smart flies non-stop from Seattle to Dublin, the gateway to Europe.

SHORTSFEST WEEKEND SHORT FILMS

Too often, short films are viewed as apprentice works—a practical workshop for the filmmaker to ply their craft before embarking upon a career in feature films. And while there is occasionally some truth in this observation, it belies the fact that feature and short films are two very different cinematic forms. With short films, the filmmaker is freed from most, if not all, commercial constraints. Indeed, the only constraint is time—less than 30 minutes, please. In exchange for this freedom, short film practitioners must distill their creative vision to its most vital essence without wasting a single frame and take deliberate care to achieve a certain singular effect. Year after year, the most original cinematic work emerges in these fleeting, yet no less intense, flashes of inspiration.

Every short film at the Seattle International Film Festival is eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. The Golden Space Needle prizewinner will be determined by audience balloting.

Our Shorts Competition juries will choose winners in the Live-Action, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $2,500 and also qualify to enter their respective Short Film category for the Academy Awards®

ALT Shorts ShortsFest Opening Night

It is our great pleasure to open our ShortsFest weekend with this collection of superb short films from around the world that exemplify the art of storytelling in all its variety. Comedy and drama, live action and animation—these films prove that short is truly sweet.

Black 14

USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Darius Clark Monroe

An archival social study examining white pathology and cognitive dissonance via media coverage of a 1969 racial protest at the University of Wyoming.

Life in Miniature

United Kingdom 2018, 5 min, Director: Ellen Evans

A celebration of one woman’s mission to document the everyday, as she carves a place for herself in the precious world of miniatures.

Miller & Son

USA 2018, 21 min, Director: Asher Jelinsky

A mechanic lives between running their family’s auto shop during the day and expressing themselves at night, until an unforeseen event threatens their compartmentalized life.

The Motion of Stars

Austria 2018, 14 min, Director: Jan Prazak

Eight-year-old Lena’s favourite book gains special significance as she awaits a solar eclipse with her father.

Obon

Germany 2018, 15 min, Directors: André Hörmann, Samo Akiko Takakura survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and in the midst of total destruction she finds a moment of happiness.

Prizefighter

USA 2018, 6 min, Director: Lyndon J Barrois

In stunning collage animation, heavyweight champion Jack Johnson battles his fiercest opponent—racism.

The Seahorse Trainer

Canada 2019, 12 min, Directors: Ricardo Bonisoli, Babak Bina WORLD PREMIERE

A lonely old man with a passion for training seahorses tries to achieve an unimaginable trick.

Found footage and formal experiments that create unique ways to look at our modern world.

Animistica

Austria/Germany/Mexico 2018, 7 min, Director: Nikki Schuster

Mutating flora and fauna and the splendor of decay.

Applied Pressure

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Kelly Sears

Massage is supposed to release tension.

Butterfly Disaster

USA 2019, 7 min,

Director: Caryn Cline WORLD PREMIERE

Monarch butterflies need their milkweed.

Fallen

Austria 2018, 3 min,

Director: Klaus Schuster

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Marionettes without strings falling, falling, falling.

In the Autumn Before the Winter Comes Man’s Last Mad Surge of Youth

USA 2019, 3 min,

Director: Jon Behrens

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Multiple images of trees and houses.

Judy’s World

USA 2018, 4 min,

Director: Salise Hughes

Montage with many Hitchcock movies.

The Letter

USA 2018, 13 min,

Director: Bill Morrison

Morrison mixes decomposing images.

Reverence

Portugal/United Kingdom 2018, 11 min, Director: Pedro Maia

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Men and poetry and distressed film footage.

SineCide or No One Believes Me But the Police Are Chasing a Wrong Man

Iran 2018, 8 min,

Director: Ata Mojabi

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

More Hitchcock with multiple Psycho images.

Water and Clearing

Austria 2019, 5 min,

Director: Siegfried A. Fruhauf

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Musty bucket filled with water in the creepy woods.

A Winter Song

USA 2019, 3 min,

Director: Jon Behrens WORLD PREMIERE

Monochromatic montage of snow in trees.

WWW (The Whale

Who Wasn’t)

Italy/USA 2018, 10 min,

Director: Alessia Cecchet

Monstrous cetacean falls from the sky, signaling the end.

SHORT FILMS

Animation4Adults

FRIDAY, MAY 24 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Ten animated films that will take you from the deepest inner reaches of the self to the outmost realms of imagination.

Albatross Soup

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Winnie Cheung

A chorus of voices attempts to solve a puzzling riddle.

Bavure

France 2018, 5 min, Director: Donato Sansone

In the beginning there was the Stain. Then the paintbrush brings forth the man, transforms him, completes him.

The Call

Romania/France 2018, 10 min, Director: Anca Damian

A phone call, a bathroom, and a woman are at the intersection of the worlds.

Guaxama

France/Brazil 2018, 14 min, Director: Nara Normande

The sea breeze brings back happy memories of Tayra on the beach in Brazil. We were inseparable.

La Noria

Spain 2018, 12 min, Director: Carlos Baena

A young boy encounters strange creatures that turn his life upside-down.

Muteum

Estonia/Hong Kong 2018, 4 min, Director: Aggie Pak Yee Lee

A visit to the art museum provides several lessons for some young, impressionable minds.

Reneepoptosis

USA/Japan 2018, 10 min, Director: Renee Zhan

Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee.

Sister

USA 2018, 9 min, Director: Siqi Song

A man remembers his childhood memory of growing up with an annoying little sister in 1990s China.

Tangle

Iran 2019, 7 min, Director: Malihe Gholamzadeh

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A glimpse into the life of a girl during wartime.

Turbine

Canada 2018, 8 min, Director: Alex Boya

US PREMIERE

A woman comes home to discover her husband has fallen in love with their kitchen ceiling fan.

Are You Experienced?

MONDAY, MAY 27 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

“If you can just get your mind together, then come on across to me. We’ll hold hands and then we’ll watch the sunrise from the bottom of the sea.”

A Farewell

China/USA 2018, 13 min, Director: Yifei He

In the wake of her grandfather’s passing, a forgotten memory sends Danni in a journey into her family’s abandoned culture.

Girlfriends

Canada (Québec) 2018, 19 min, Director: Marie Davignon

US PREMIERE

Three young girls enter the woods...

Hot Dog

Germany 2019, 8 min, Directors: Alma Buddecke, Marleen Valin

How Hannah came to love her vagina more than Netflix.

Kiss of the Rabbit God

USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Andrew Thomas Huang

The Rabbit God awakens forbidden desires within a Chinese restaurant worker.

Mudpots

USA 2018, 13 min, Director: Cate Smierciak

US PREMIERE

Best friends Shelby and Jess share one last day together before Shelby leaves the Salton Sea.

Paperboy

Iceland/USA 2019, 11 min, Director: Ninna Pálmadóttir

WORLD PREMIERE

Young Breki grows up fast when he peers into a basement window.

Titanyum

Turkey/Canada 2018, 15 min, Director: Gökçe Erdem

Zeynep must overcome her insecurities to become the figure skater she wants to be.

FILMS

Close Encounters of the Gay Kind

SUNDAY, MAY 26 6:00 PM

Whether they’re meeting a stranger, confronting themselves, or facing truths, the boys in these shorts invite you to get close and join in on their experiences.

Blue Boy

Argentina/Germany 2019, 19 min, Director: Manuel Abramovich

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Seven sex workers in Berlin face their identities as they listen to recordings of themselves.

Haus

Canada 2018, 15 min, Director: Joseph Amenta

As Makai and his friend prepare for a Kiki Ball, he must confront his disapproving brother and stand up for his newfound family.

Homecoming

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Jennifer Blair

When a college student returns home to share some big news with his parents, the outcome isn’t what anyone expected.

Infinite While It Lasts

Brazil 2019, 19 min, Director: Akira Kamiki

Two men must decide if they can truly be together when they discover their significant sexual differences.

Pepper

South Korea/USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Jayil Pak

As the Korean Goddess of Birth ushers one boy’s soul to grant a couple their son, an unforeseen ghost alters her plan.

Stepdaddy

USA 2019, 8 min, Director: Lisa Steen

Old friends Wyatt and Patricia are struggling to reconnect over dinner. Then Patricia’s dad shows up...

Sweater

USA 2018, 5 min, Director: Nick Borenstein

Corey is having a terrible day, but his new sweater and a trip to the coffee shop just might turn it all around.

Tadpole

USA 2018, 8 min, Director: Jovan James

The boundaries of friendship are tested when 14-year-old Chris decides to host a sleepover.

Dark Delicacies

SATURDAY,

MAY 25 8:45 PM

CINEMA

Shadowy thrills and nightmarish chills await you, dear viewer, in these tales of the supernatural.

Coda Sacra

Spain 2018, 11 min, Director: Pol Barrós

At a remote lake, an expedition fights against an unknown evil to their last breath.

Count Your Curses

Belgium 2018, 9 min, Director: Lorène Yavo

Two roommates face a recurring problem: Their house spirit is devoured by an unknown creature overnight.

For Neesa

USA 2019, 4 min, Director: Marshal Hunter WORLD PREMIERE

Mystic forces swirl around Fran, a woman alone in a dangerous world.  But nothing can stop the power of a mother’s love.

Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre

Finland 2018, 15 min, Director: Ilja Rautsi

After her car dies on a remote wooded road, Essi must survive a horde of men with frail egos, who just want to explain everything to her.

Madame

France 2019, 23 min, Director: Garth Jennings

Inside a grand Parisian apartment lives an elegant elderly lady…and inside this lady lives a monster.

Nymphs

Italy 2018, 12 min, Director: Isabella Torre

US PREMIERE

An archeologist sets free three enigmatic creatures, causing a series of mysterious and terrifying events to unfold.

Other Side of the Box

USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Caleb J. Phillips

A couple receives a mysterious package from an old friend.

Spirit #1

USA 2019, 6 min, Director: Brett Potter

Samantha met a ghost last night, but she can’t remember what he looks like.

Destination Northwest

MONDAY, MAY 27 12:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

From divining hidden water sources to topless bathing, this diverse collection of shorts from talented local filmmakers showcases unique visions of how we live today.

Cutioner.exe

USA 2019, 15 min,

Director: Brendan Bennett

WORLD PREMIERE

When searching for a human connection in an AI-dominated world, a technical genius will go to any cost in order to find companionship.

Dreamcatcher

USA 2018, 5 min,

Director: Matty Brown

As an elderly Native American woman looks back on her life, the line between reality and fantasy are blurred.

No More White Women

USA 2018, 5 min,

Director: Nathan Caywood

The white women Zora dates are all problematic in their own unique way— or maybe he’s the problematic one.

Retch

USA 2019, 14 min,

Director: Tifa Tomb

WORLD PREMIERE

An unseen force kills travelers stranded on a broken-down bus.

Rock USA 2019, 7 min,

Director: Jacob Rosen

WORLD PREMIERE

A man and woman have an unexpected connection with one another at a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

Summer Lightning

USA 2019, 12 min,

Director: Andrew Saunderson

WORLD PREMIERE

For a father and son, a baseball game isn’t the most important battle of the weekend.

Topless

USA 2019, 14 min,

Director: Norma Jean Straw

WORLD PREMIERE

Two strangers undergo breast removal operations, yet only one of them is asked to cover up when swimming at the pool.

Wedding Video

USA 2019, 14 min,

Director: June Zandona

WORLD PREMIERE

A hapless wedding videographer unwittingly changes the course of the ceremony she is hired to film.

Witch a Well

USA 2019, 5 min,

Director: Nikki Mitha

WORLD PREMIERE

Jim Cline finds water where it seems there is none. How’s he’s able to do so is a mystery. Even to him.

Doing the Work!

SUNDAY, MAY 26 2:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

From bare-back horse racing to Madonna-inspired dance routines, these are just a few of the ways Indigenous people get to work in this extraordinary package of seven short films.

Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes)

Canada 2018, 20 min, Director: Amanda Strong (Michif)

Accompanied by a 10,000-year-old shapeshifter, Biidaaban sets out on a mission to reclaim the ceremonial harvesting of sap from maple trees.

Blood (and) Memory 2

USA 2019, 4 min, Director: Marcella Ernest (Ojibwe)

A split-screen remix of home movies, exploring how the construction of Indigenous memory fast-forwards and rewinds in time.

Emptying the Tank

Canada 2018, 10 min, Director: Caroline Monnet (Algonquin)

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A striking portrait of Chippewa female mixed-martial-artist Ashley Nichols, celebrating her inner strength, fortitude, and dedication.

Fast Horse

Canada 2019, 14 min, Director: Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree)

Siksika horseman Allison RedCrow dreams of bringing a team to the “greatest outdoor show on Earth”—the Calgary Stampede.

Les Vaillants

Canada 2018, 5 min, Director: Martin Gunn (Kitcisakik, Anishnabe)

For over 100 years, Kitcisakik men have gathered to build a casket as a show of solidarity with the deceased’s family.

Paulette

USA 2019, 17 min, Director: Heather Rae (Cherokee)

Follow the history-making rise of Coeur d’Alene tribal member Paulette Jordan, the first Indigenous candidate to win the Idaho primary for Governor.

Sweetheart Dancers

USA 2019, 14 min, Director: Ben-Alex Dupris (Colville)

Sean Snyder and Adrian Stevens, a Ute and Navajo two-spirit couple, shift culture through their participation in this celebrated powwow contest.

SHORT FILMS

Episodic 2Connection : Available Episodic 1 - Finding Your Pack

FRIDAY, MAY 24 5:30

PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Seven series about the ties (familial and otherwise) that hold us together, but also might tear us apart.

Flog

USA 2019, 11 min, Director: Austin Kolodney

WORLD PREMIERE

When Cat becomes a meme, she enlists the help of her sister to help her become an #Influencer.

M

Argentina 2018, 10 min, Director: Javier Devitt

An American couple travel to the Patagonia woods to search for the husband’s father, but they soon discover that something supernatural is lurking…

Maggie

USA 2019, 8 min, Director: Sasha Gordon

A struggling new mom with inappropriate fantasies joins a stand-up comedy class.

Moderately Put Together

USA 2018, 19 min, Director: Leigh Ann Biety

One morning, a charmingly messy thirtysomething gets a phone call that could change everything.

On the Spectrum

Israel 2018, 25 min, Director: Yuval Shafferman

Three twentysomething roommates on the autistic spectrum share an apartment while learning to cope with the world around them.

Sauce

USA 2019, 11 min, Directors: Dui Jarrod, Rhavynn Dummer WORLD PREMIERE

After losing yet another head chef position, chef Moon Hampton takes a moment to regroup, and take matters into his own hands.

Westinghouse

USA 2018, 9 min, Director: Dorian Keyes

The owner of a regional theater company hustles to manage both the company and her teenage daughter while fending off bankruptcy.

SUNDAY, MAY 26 2:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

This package of episodes explore the ways that we try to make connections in our increasingly disconnected world.

Asian American Studies

USA 2018, 7 min,

Director: Woody Fu

A hyper-paced sketch series examining the plight of yellow life in a whitefiltered world.

Battledream Chronicles: A New Beginning

Martinique 2018, 24 min,

Director: Alain Bidard

A young black female slave struggles to bring down a Machiavellian empire in a futuristic world where plantations are video games.

CUDDLE: The Series

USA 2019, 8 min,

Director: John Helde

WORLD PREMIERE

Dina just wants to change the world with the power of touch—but the hardest person to hug is herself.

Downbeat

USA 2018, 10 min,

Director: Michael Schaubach Morris has made a name for himself as the only rapper who exclusively creates ad-libs. He’s about to take it to the next level.

One True Loves

USA 2018, 6 min,

Director: Olivia Accardo Between her tweens and late-twenties, Lydia discovers what it means to fall in and out of true love eight times.

Palomino & Swissy

USA 2019, 8 min,

Director: Julien Lasseur

WORLD PREMIERE

Swissy’s trying to to steal a briefcase in a desert town. Palomino’s a mercenary with a complicated past. Trusting each other will be an issue.

Rainbow Ruthie

USA 2018, 21 min,

Director: Ruthie Marantz

When a former public-access celebrity discovers her old nemesis is now a popular social-media star, she decides it’s time to take back the spotlight.

Saving Face

USA 2019, 13 min,

Director: Jeannie Bolét

WORLD PREMIERE

Unable to find her purpose, Ruby throws common sense to the wind, resulting in a series of detours and misfortunes.

Short Term Rental

USA 2019, 7 min, Directors: Steve Figueiredo, Sean Patrick Kelly

WORLD PREMIERE

After his marriage begins to crumble, John is left with a vacancy in his heart...and his apartment.

When the Dogs Are Gone

Denmark/Greenland 2018, 8 min,

Director: Frederik Wolff Teglhus Times are changing fast for Greenland’s sled dog population, and only a few thousand dogs are left. What will happen if the dogs disappear?

FutureWave Shorts and Best of NFFTY The Family Picture Show

SATURDAY, MAY 25 11:30 AM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Bring the whole family to the cinema for a playful set of animated, live-action, and documentary short films curated for the young and the young at heart.

Dancer By the Sea

USA 2019, 10 min,

Director: Barbara Mones

WORLD PREMIERE

A widowed dancer saves an otter on her beachfront and nurses it back to health.

Flipped

United Kingdom 2018, 5 min,

Directors: Hend Esmat, Lamiaa Diab

What if the children were in charge?

A Kalabanda Ate My Homework

Uganda 2018, 7 min,

Director: Raymond Malinga

Your teacher is not going to believe that a mythical creature consumed your assignment.

The Last Day of Autumn

Switzerland/France 2019, 7 min,

Director: Marjolaine Perreten

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Forest animals secretly collect parts from abandoned bicycles as they are preparing for a great race.

Ming

USA 2018, 3 min,

Director: Brenna Johnson

Ming, a young monk, is confronted with the daunting task to light the inside of a dark, foreboding temple.

Rocket Boy

United Kingdom/USA 2018, 5 min,

Director: Simon Sorted

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A first-hand account of a man who witnessed the launch of Apollo 11 when he was a boy.

Rollers

France 2018, 5 min,

Director: Marta Gennari

US PREMIERE

The opening of a small hairdressing salon injects new life into the residents of a retirement home.

Sam’s Dream

France 2018, 7 min,

Director: Nolwenn Roberts

A little mouse decides to make his crazy dream come true.

Slurp

France 2018, 5 min,

Director: Florent Hill

A grandson tries to fix an annoying eating habit that his grandmother has at the table.

Zog

United Kingdom 2018, 27 min,

Directors: Max Lang, Daniel Snaddon

A coming-of-age delight about a young dragon-in-training.

MONDAY, MAY 27 2:45 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The next generation of filmmakers are finding their unique voices and creating media with purpose. These international shorts from filmmakers 18 and under are glorious evidence that storytelling is already strong in the future.

Black Girl Magic

USA 2019, 3 min, Dir.: Sofia Majors, Eljae Givens, Jaylin Harris, Hope Allen, Taylor Freeman, Olivia Majors Young women summon the superhero Black Girl Magic when they need to make things right.

BlueInk

USA 2018, 4 min, Dir.: Miranda Potter, Jade Jess

A victim of human trafficking tells her story.

Come Back to Me

USA 2018, 4 min, Dir.: Catherine McCord

A mother, a deployed 20-year veteran soldier, questions the balance between serving her country and raising her son.

Drenched Canada 2018, 7 min, Dir.: Margarita Brodie

Before leaving for college, Max and Geraldine reveal how they’ve really felt about each other all summer long.

Fifteen

USA 2018, 4 min, Dir.: A.J. Baldwin

Fifteen is a tough age for a girl—especially when you fall in love for the first time with another girl.

Fleeting Moments

USA 2019, 6 min, Dir.: Will McCracken

A young couple’s lives are turned upsidedown by an otherworldly camera.

Grief.exe

USA 2018, 4 min, Dir.: Dylan Santa Cruz

A boy goes through a simulation meant to help him mourn his dead girlfriend.

Hidden United Kingdom 2018, 7 min, Dir.: Jess O’Brien

Solomon reads a poem to the class that has a meaning and two secrets only known by one other classmate.

The Making of Chase Humes

USA 2019, 5 min, Dir.: Chase Humes

A transgender student talks about his experiences and hardships during his journey.

Meeting at Half Past Five

Russia 2018, 4 min, Dir.: Daria Litvichenko

One evening, Philip gets proof that the world is cruel and corrupt.

Mental USA 2019, 5 min, Dir.: Serena Cunningham

A personal recounting of a young woman’s struggle with OCD and ADHD.

On the Backs of Salmon

USA 2018, 9 min, Dir.: Miles

Whitworth, Cecilia O’Rollins

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe have fought the long odds to reclaim their identity after white settlers devastated the local salmon population.

Our Way of Life: A Video Poem for My Father

USA 2019, 2 min, Dir.: Lacy Hawk (Suquamish)

A young descendent of the Suquamish Tribe documents how they are preserving their culture and teaching the next generation.

Phillip Bruce - A Documentary About Limb Difference

USA 2018, 5 min, Dir.: Nepal Arslan Phillip Bruce shares his experience of not having any fingers on his left hand.

Red Chimera

USA 2019, 8 min, Dir.: Jen

Frisch-Wang

In her dream, Chrissy’s cat tells her that she will age 60 years overnight. When she wakes up, it’s true.

Stuffed

USA 2018, 7 min, Dir.: Sam Kellman

The childhood journey of Elliot and his best friend Alfie, who happens to be a stuffed bunny.

Sweet Dreams?

USA 2018, 2 min, Dir.: Barb Hoffman

An animated collage of three strange dreams.

Glitoris Maximus

SATURDAY, MAY 25 5:30 PM

Women explore their cravings, their insecurities, and, most important, their bodies in this program of female sexual awakening.

Deep Tissue

USA 2019, 9 min, Director: Meredith Alloway

A girl orders a special massage.

Egg

France/Denmark 2018, 13 min, Director: Martina Scarpelli

A woman is locked in her home with an egg that she lets die of hunger.

The Field

France/India/United Kingdom 2018, 19 min, Director: Sandhya Suri

A poor agricultural laborer leads a double life in the village’s last remaining cornfield, but the harvest is approaching.

Fuck You

Sweden 2019, 15 min, Director: Anette Sidor

On a night out with friends, Alice steals a strap-on and challenges her boyfriend’s masculinity.

Happy Ending

United Kingdom 2018, 5 min, Director: EunJu Ara Choi

A Korean sex worker explores her body as she discusses the stigmas and prejudices she’s endured.

Little Waves

Canada (Québec) 2018, 12 min, Director: Ariane Louis-Seize

On family-reunion day, Amelie feels out of place and lonely as her favorite cousin brings a lover over for the first time.

Lockdown

USA 2019, 12 min, Directors: Logan George, Celine Held

Struggling with feelings for her best friend, 14-year-old Marie stages an almost perfect plan.

Going Solo

FRIDAY, MAY 24 12:00 PM

Sometimes you have to go it alone.

Filumena

USA 2018, 9 min, Director: Joe Garber NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

When a portal mysteriously opens in Filumena’s closet, will she be prepared for the danger that lies within?

Go Tell Your Fathers

USA 2018, 13 min, Director: Chloe Sarbib, Amy Taylor Rosenblum

Over a family beach weekend, a young women grapples with whether to confide in her family about a recent sexual assault.

Little Grey Bubbles

Canada 2018, 14 min, Director: Charles Wahl

After losing her best friend, a young woman wonders what the three grey “typing” dots in the last text message he never sent her represent. A timely look at friendship and connection in the modern age.

Prince of Val-Be

Canada 2018, 19 min, Director: Jean-François Leblanc US PREMIERE

A former racer competes in an amateur race to regain his social standing in his Québécois town. Don’t call it a comeback.

The Proposal

Norway 2018, 7 min, Director: Det Sporadiske Filmkollektivet NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A man proposes to his girlfriend but it doesn’t go as planned in this sharp and incisive Norwegian drama.

Third Kind

Croatia/Greece 2018, 32 min, Director: Yorgos Zois Earth has been abandoned for a long time and humanity has found refuge in outer space—until one day a signal beckons.

Mysterious Travelers Indigenous Kickoff Event

FRIDAY, MAY 24 6:00 PM

THE GATES FOUNDATION DISCOVERY CENTER

A celebration of Indigenous culture kicks off Memorial Day weekend on Friday, May 24 with a complimentary event at The Gates Foundation Discovery Center, in partnership with The Gates Foundation. The evening includes a screening of Indigenous short films, a panel discussion about media representation with Native filmmakers, a curated art market, and samples of Indigenous foods.

The program opens at the Art Market at 3:00 PM, with an honor song at 5:00 PM, and the free screening begins at 6:00 PM.

The Grave Digger of Kapu

Aotearoa New Zealand 2018, 16 min, Director: Libby Hakaraia (Maori)

US PREMIERE

Hone—the last old-time gravedigger in a Maori community—struggles to find a younger man to whom he can pass on his skills and knowledge.

Leave It on the Water

Canada 2018, 13 min, Director: Steve Sxwithul’txw (Penelakut)

Join For the People, a canoe group from Penelakut First Nation, as they train to compete in the world’s largest outrigger canoe race.

Thunderbird

Canada 2018, 3 min, Director: Erin Collins (Anishnabe/Fort William) Using archival footage and photos, Thunderbird explores the story of Olympic ski-jumper Steven Collins.

SUNDAY, MAY 26 12:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Take a journey around the world with these shorts depicting tales of crossing borders, unexpected discoveries, and unintended pets.

Nefta Football Club

France 2018, 17 min, Director: Yves Piat

When two brothers find a donkey wearing headphones and carrying bags of white powder, they decide to bring the bags to their village.

Sin Cielo

USA 2018, 25 min, Director: Jianna S Maarten Saada

Two teenagers pursue young love in the borderlands where violence may be inescapable.

The Subject

Canada 2018, 10 min, Director: Patrick Bouchard

An animator dissects his own body, extracting memories, emotions, and fears that will nurture his work.

The Swimmer

Spain 2018, 18 min, Director: Pablo Barce Orellana NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A boy throws himself into the sea without looking back. Each breath is a memory; every stroke, some more hope.

Tungrus

India 2018, 13 min, Director: Rishi Chandna

A family adopts a baby chick as a playmate for their cats, but fail to anticipate his growing into an adult cock that also happens to be quite a dick.

Untravel

Serbia/Slovakia 2018, 9 min, Directors: Ana Nedeljkovic, Nikola Majdak Jr.

A girl in an isolated country, enclosed by a huge wall, has never traveled anywhere, but dreams of leaving forever for a perfect world called Abroad.

Ties That Bind This Is America

FRIDAY,

MAY 24 4:00 PM

All on a Mardi Gras Day

USA 2019, 22 min, Director: Michal Pietrzyk

Demond, an African-American man, belongs to a

culture known as Mardi Gras Indians.

Esfuerzo

USA 2018, 13 min, Director: Alana Maiello

A man who takes over his grandfather’s wine business finds himself trapped between tradition and innovation.

Green

USA 2018, 12 min, Director: Suzanne Andrews Correa

An undocumented Turkish pedicab driver unwittingly draws police attention, endangering his brother, his community, and himself.

A Line Birds Cannot See

USA 2019, 9 min, Director: Amy Bench

Separated from her mother at the border, a 12-year-old sets out across the desert.

Moonwalk With Me

USA 2019, 13 min, Director: So Young Shelly Yo

Juno, a second-generation Korean American, struggles to keep her drifting father grounded while trying to maintain her own independence.

Pa’lante

Puerto Rico/USA 2019, 9 min, Director: Kristian Mercado Figueroa

An estranged family tries to reconnect in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Pozole

USA 2019, 10 min, Director: Jessica Mendez Siqueiros

When Maia sets out to reconnect with her Mexican-American roots on her Nana’s birthday, things go terribly wrong.

SATURDAY, MAY 25 3:00 PM

A look at the ties that ground and enrich us, and the ones we must sever in order to be free.

All These Creatures

Australia 2018, 13 min, Director: Charles Williams

An adolescent boy attempts to untangle memories of his father and a mysterious infestation.

Brotherhood

Canada/Tunisia/Qatar/Sweden 2018, 25 min, Director: Meryam Joobeur

A Tunisian shepherd unexpectedly returns to his family home with a new wife in this tense and strikingly vivid drama.

Feathers

USA 2018, 20 min, Director: A.V. Rockwell

A school playground is a ruthless battleground in this beautifully realized look at acceptance and identity.

Laugh Lines

Switzerland 2018, 6 min, Director: Patricia Wenger

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A series of playful yet surrealist vignettes born out of the laugh lines of two BFFs.

The Orphan

Brazil 2018, 15 min, Director: Carolina Markowicz

Jonathas has been adopted and returned due to his “different” way. Inspired by true events.

Umbra

Iran 2018, 15 min, Director: Saeed Jafarian

A woman walks through a suburban neighborhood at night looking for her mysteriously missing lover and has an unsettling but stirring interaction with a stranger.

SUNDAY, MAY 26 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

When the internet isn’t enough, turn to this year’s WTF?! program to satisfy your need for the weird, the funny, and the f*cked up.

Caterpillarplasty

Canada 2018, 5 min, Director: David Barlow-Krelina

A psychedelic take on beauty ideologies blown out of proportion. With everincreasing options for body modification, people seek extreme metamorphosis to match their ideal.

Docking

Canada 2019, 4 min, Director: Trevor Anderson

Trevor reflects on his fear of dating.

Escape From North Korea

USA 2019, 29 min, Director: Keith Eng

In a distant 1980s future, America’s last ninja must rescue the president’s daughter from the supreme leader of neo North Korea.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Sudden Birth*

(*but were afraid to ask)

United Kingdom/Germany/USA 2019, 11 min, Director: Scott Calonico

The educational video you never knew you didn’t need.

Father Figurine

USA 2019, 18 min, Director: Matt Kazman

When the wealthy patriarch dies, his family discovers an unusual request in his will: for his body to be stuffed and displayed in their home.

Piggy

Spain 2018, 14 min, Director: Carlota Pereda

Her clothes stolen by a clique of cool girls, an overweight teen must walk home in nothing but her bikini—a walk she won’t soon forget.

The Procedure Part 2

USA 2019, 3 min, Director: Calvin Lee Reeder

A man is captured and forced to endure a strange experiment. Again.

Wild Love

France 2018, 7 min, Directors: Paul Autric, Quentin Camus, Maryka Laudet, Léa Georges, Zoé Sottiaux, Corentin Yvergniaux

While on a romantic getaway, Alan and Beverly cause a fatal accident. This crime won’t remain unpunished…

ShortsFest Closing Night

MONDAY, MAY 27 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF’s annual celebration of the short subject finishes off with a dynamically varied program examining the breezy joy and tremendous complexity found in the best short films.

Engaged

USA 2019, 17 min, Director: David Scala

When Darren keeps failing to propose to his boyfriend Elliot, Darren realizes he actually might be self-sabotaging himself due to unresolved insecurities about his sexuality.

Ghosts of Sugar Land

USA 2018, 21 min, Director: Bassam Tariq

In Sugar Land, Texas, a group of young Muslim-American men ponder the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS.

Orbit

Netherlands 2019, 7 min, Director: Tess Martin

Spinning drawings guide us along the flow of energy through our planet, and let us ponder our place in the natural cycle.

The Phantom 52

USA/Japan 2019, 8 min, Director: Geoff Marslett

A lonely trucker, voiced by Tom Skerritt, waiting for a reply on the CB radio, encounters a ghost that haunts the highways, and a whale that sings in a voice no other whale can hear.

Psychic

Ireland 2018, 19 min, Director: Brendan Gleeson

A charismatic psychic and his two manipulative sons are gaining a cult following. Only a determined TV show host, and their own dark history, stands in the way.

The Puppet Master

Canada 2018, 5 min, Director: Cal Brunker

When a jogger comes across a mysterious ringing cellphone in the woods, he finds himself an unwilling pawn in the plan of an evil mastermind.

Snare

Australia 2018, 14 min, Director: Madeleine Gottlieb

A father. A son. A dream to drum.

Shorts Before Features SHORT FILMS

Chasing History

USA, 2018, 9 minutes, Director: Charles Elmore

A small-town kid from the Cherokee Nation, Mason Fine sets higher goals after achieving his dream of playing football for a Division I school.

Screens before MAKING COCO: THE GRANT FUHR STORY

Chowboys: An American Folktale Canada, 2018, 9 minutes, Director: Astron 6

Three stupid cowboys are lost in the woods without any food on the coldest night of the year. Will they succumb to the cold, cannibalism, or the Christmas Spirit?

Screens before HERE COMES HELL

Copy Shop

Austria, 2001, 12 minutes, Director: Virgil Widrich

A man who works in a copy shop meets multiple dopplegangers.

Screens before INVEST IN FAILURE (NOTES ON FILM 06-C, MONOLOGUE 03)

dukwib | ~ swatixwt d (Changer’s Land)

USA, 2018, 5 minutes, Director: Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole)

The land endures despite incursions of power plants and highways, as people sing and drum, celebrating the ocean, mountains and creatures of the Salish Sea.

Screens before SGAAWAAY K’UUNA (EDGE OF THE KNIFE)

Fayettenam

USA, 2019, 9 minutes, Director: Gerald Ding

WORLD PREMIERE

A young girl finds an outlet for her violent childhood, taking her on an unimaginable journey to fighting for a world championship.

Screens before FIGHT FAM

Gutk’odau (Yellow)

USA, 2019, 8 minutes, Director: Adam Piron (Kiowa)

This experimental documentary short combines audio captured from Kiowa Tribe language lessons with breathtaking shots of the Great Plains.

Screens before N. SCOTT MOMADAY: WORDS FROM A BEAR

Liberty

USA, 2019, 17 minutes, Director: Faren Humes

When Alex and Milagros are chosen to dance at their housing project’s groundbreaking ceremony, they face constant interruptions as they try to rehearse.

Screens before BURNING CANE

The Line

USA, 2018, 13 minutes, Director: Melisa Resch

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Sparks fly between two women when they meet at a clinic defense demonstration.

Screens before PREMATURE

Lost Weekend

USA, 2019, 14 minutes, Directors: Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb

In 1984, two friends from small-town Pennsylvania win an MTV contest and the chance to party with Van Halen for 48 Hours.

Screens before WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

Mikey

USA, 2019, 12 minutes, Director: Duane Shrode WORLD PREMIERE

12-year-old Mikey Bishop is a dominant junior high school wrestler who was born blind.

Screens before FIGHT FAM

Moa Ma Le Pinko (Chicken and Bingo)

Aotearoa New Zealand, 2018, 7 minutes, Directors: Amberly Jo Aumua (Maori/Samoan), Courtney Montour (Mohawk), Jesse Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos)

A Samoan man grapples to come to terms with his mother’s death and her burial wishes.

Screens before FOR MY FATHER’S KINGDOM

Quest for Fire

United Kingdom, 2018, 6 minutes, Director: Patrik Bergh US PREMIERE

When Doug’s family finally has had enough of his obsession he turns for help from a self-help group with a difference.

Screens before ENORMOUS: THE GORGE STORY

Suite No. 1, Prelude

USA, 2019, 15 minutes, Director: Nicholas Ma

Yo-Yo Ma records the first piece he learned for the last time, creating both a joyful reunion, and a reminder of the permanent struggle of artistic expression.

Screens before PAVAROTTI

Twentynothing

United Kingdom, 2018, 7 minutes, Director: Nathan Miller

George’s girlfriend is taken by an ogre, forcing her to embark on a traumatic quest through the surreal universe of the twentysomethings.

Screens before GOOD KISSER

FEATURE FILMS FROM A TO Z

For 45 years, SIFF has had the honor of curating films from around the world, giving Seattle audiences the international cinematic experience they crave. This is the power of film, where an audience can be transported from a darkened theater in the Pacific Northwest to anywhere on Earth in just a few minutes. All you need is a ticket, a place to sit, and an open mind.

Near the end of this catalog, among the indexes, we have broken down our feature film listing by genre (see the Moods Index, page 257) and grouped them in traditional subject categories (see the Topic Index, page 259). On the following pages, however, we’re offering you the whole world of cinema at once with our alphabetized listing of feature films.

2040

AUSTRALIA 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 18 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, MAY 19 1:00 PM MAJESTIC BAY

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 1:00 PM SHORELINE CC

A love letter to human ingenuity, this hybrid documentary by award-winning filmmaker Damon Gameau vividly imagines a future for Gameau’s daughter Velvet, one where existing solutions to climate change are widely adopted and create a greener, more equitable world. Gameau embarks on a quest across the globe in “an exercise in fact-based dreaming.” From solar home systems in Bangladeshi villages to marine permaculture along the U.S. coast, he tracks down innovative tech—like a traveling foodie hunting for good eats—before enthusiastically fast-forwarding to a brighter 2040, where an older, dramatized Velvet benefits from thriving cities and cleaner air. Driverless ride-sharing? A cooler fashioned out of mushrooms? Through delightfully creative animation, dramatizations, and interviews, 2040’s vision is as accessible as it is ambitious: In one sequence, Gameau discusses carbon sequestration in a sunflower field and wind power on…well…a wind turbine. 2040 is full of hope, not dread; it is utopic, not dystopic. Gameau’s unconventional doc is for an apathetic world, one desensitized to environmental disaster. Instead of dwelling on beached whales or uprooted forests, Gameau invites us, along with the children he interviews, to dream of a better tomorrow. Lighthearted, his approach is refreshing and the world he paints is inspiring.

Director: Damon Gameau

Producers: Nick Batzias

Anna Kaplan

Virginia Whitwell

Damon Gameau

Screenwriter: Damon Gameau

Cinematographer: Hugh Miller

Editor: Jane Usher

Music: Bryony Marks

Featuring: Damon Gameau

Eva Lazarro

Zoë Gameau

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Madman Entertainment

Print Source: GoodThing Productions Company

Film Website: whatsyour2040.com

Selected Filmography: That Sugar Film (Doc., 2015)

3 Faces

IRAN 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 6:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SUNDAY, MAY 19 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Behnaz Jafari, a famous film and television actress, receives a video message from a suicidal young woman. The woman, Marziyeh Rezaei, aspires to be an actress herself, and has been accepted to drama school in Tehran, but her family objects to her choice of career. Distraught by the girl’s direct appeal, Jafari sets out to find her, enlisting the help of her director friend, Jafar Panahi. All three leads play some version of themselves in this richly layered metafiction that has become the director’s primary mode in recent years. They travel through the countryside of northwest Iran in search of the young woman’s village (apparently the village of Panahi’s own parents), where the eccentricities of rural life conceal something more repressive. This sentiment is embodied in the character of Shahrzad, a star from the 1960s and ’70s who was banished after the Revolution and now lives on the outskirts of town. In 2010 Panahi was accused of making anti-regime propaganda, and was forbidden to make movies or travel for 20 years. In his fourth film since then, he tells a powerful story about the lives of women, the responsibilities of viewership, and what it means to remain visible despite overwhelming pressure to disappear. — Justine Barda

Awards: Cannes Film Festival 2018 (Best Screenplay) Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival 2018 (Best International Film)

Director: Jafar Panahi

Producer: Jafar Panahi

Screenwriter: Jafar Panahi

Cinematographer: Amin Jafari

Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer

Music:

Imaj Studio Tabriz

Cast: Behnaz Jafari

Jafar Panahi

Marziyeh Rezaei

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Persian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Kino Lorber

Film Website: kinolorber.com/film/view/ id/3280

Selected Filmography: Taxi (2015)

Closed Curtain (2013)

This Is Not A Film (2011)

Offside (2006)

Crimson Gold (2003)

The Circle (2000)

The Mirror (1997)

The White Balloon (1995)

Sponsored by Anonymous, Babak and Sinikka Parviz, Michael and Neda Nassirian, Nima Foroutan DDS, Follow Your Feet Productions, American Iranian Business Council, ARVR Academy, Mike Moghaddas Realty, Shirin’s Chic Design, The Naini Family Foundation, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department at UW, Iranian American Faculty at UW, Radio Iranshahr, and Seattle Isfahan Sister City Association

An Affair

NORWAY 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 19 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MONDAY, MAY 20 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Anita’s attorney husband is not thrilled that she’s going back to work, but she’s 44 and bored (and he’s about as passionate and romantically demonstrative as most Norwegians), so she starts a job as a highschool gym teacher. Her first day is, to put it mildly, not boring; one student, Markus, introduces himself by unnervingly boasting about his endowment. He zeroes in on Anita, and soon they’re doing things in the locker room and in a parked car that weren’t in the lesson plan. But before long Markus, having had his kicks, decides to move on (men, amirite?), and Anita’s the one who becomes obsessed— compulsively checking for his texts, stalking him on social media, befriending his mother, and even sabotaging Markus’ new interest in a fellow student. An Affair is built on the same premise as this year’s SIFF offering Frances Ferguson, but goes 180 degrees in the opposite direction—for tension-tightening psychological drama rather than off-kilter deadpan humor (and it’s more steamily explicit). Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (Going West, SIFF 2018) downplays the provocation of the age gap to explore, via a probing and courageous performance by Andrea Bræin Hovig, how an outwardly composed woman could be driven to such destructive addiction.

Director:

Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken

Producer:

Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken

Screenwriter: Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken

Cinematographer: Oskar Dahlsbakken

Editor: Vidar Flataukan

Music:

Stein Berge Svendsen

Cast: Andrea Bræin Hovig

Tarjei Sandvik Moe

Anneke von der Lippe

Carsten Bjørnlund

Agnes Kittelsen

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Norwegian Film Institute

Film Website: nfi.no/eng

Selected Filmography: Going West (2017)

Late Summer (2016) Cave (2016)

Returning Home (2015)

HIERNAMAALS

Afterlife

NETHERLANDS 2019

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM ARK LODGE

SATURDAY, MAY 25 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE MONDAY, MAY 27 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Sam is a precocious, artistic, and responsible teenager who finds her life turned upside down after her mother, Vera, dies from an accidental fall off a ladder. Secretly counting the days after her mother passes, Sam unfortunately meets a similar fate on the morning of her 16th birthday when she absentmindedly pedals her bike in front of an oncoming truck. Sam wakes up in a bureaucratic office sitting across the desk from, she quickly discovers, her afterlife caseworker. Now, Sam has a choice to make: return to Earth reincarnated or continue on to the other side and spend eternity with her beloved mother. Sam chooses the other side, and discovers an afterlife populated by older souls who live an eternity of dinner parties, wine, and friendship. Though Vera is overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter, she isn’t convinced that the afterlife is the right choice for Sam. But what if there were a third option? Overseen by her playfully mischievous guardian angel, Sam embarks on a quest to save her own life, as well as her mother’s, in this vibrant, sensitive, and constantly surprising coming-of-death story that celebrates second chances while also showing the importance of appreciating the life we’ve been given. — Clinton McClung

Director: Willem Bosch

Producers: Pieter Kuijpers

Sander van Meurs

Iris Otten

Screenwriter: Willem Bosch

Cinematographer: Jacco van Ree

Editor: Bas Icke

Music: Arno Krabman

Cast: Sanaa Giwa

Romana Vrede

Gijs Scholten van Asschat

Jan-Paul Buijs

Ria Eimers

Ilse Warringa

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Dutch, with English subtitles

Print Source: Pupkin Film

Film Website: pupkin.com/project/ hiernamaals/

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Alice

AUSTRALIA/FRANCE 2019

THURSDAY, MAY 30 4:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Alice (Emilie Piponnier) just had her entire life turned upside-down. Her husband François has been bleeding them dry, secretly withdrawing cash on a biweekly basis and having stopped payments on their mortgage over a year ago. Alice now has nothing, her entire inheritance having gone into the Paris apartment she shared with her husband and their young son…an apartment the bank will foreclose on in just a few weeks. It’s not like François will help, as he’s nowhere to be found and isn’t answering his phone. But when she discovers where all the money was going—a local high-end escort service—Alice decides to go into the profession that so enraptured her husband. “It’s that good-girl thing you got going,” another escort tells her. “You will need better shoes, though.” Though she is at first reluctant, her natural charisma and bedside manner with her rich clients not only brings her the money she so desperately needs but also the personal empowerment that has heretofore eluded her. Alice is a clear-eyed look at survival sex work, never teetering into the melodrama and moralizing that seems to come packaged with so many narratives about the world’s oldest profession. But it also doesn’t skimp on the social stigmas of the trade, nor the cost of holding secrets from your loved ones. — Marcus Gorman

Awards:

SXSW 2019 (Best Narrative Feature Award, CherryPicks Female First Feature Award)

Director: Josephine Mackerras

Producer: Josephine Mackerras

Screenwriter: Josephine Mackerras

Cinematographer: Mickaël Delahaie

Editor: Marsha Bramwell

Music: Alexander Levy

Cast: Emilie Piponnier

Martin Swabey

Chloe Boreham

Christophe Favre

David Coburn

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Visit Films

Print Source: Visit Films

Film Website: visitfilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

All About Me

GERMANY 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 18 6:00 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 19 3:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, MAY 25 6:00 PM SHORELINE CC

You know you’ve made it as one of your country’s most famous celebrities when they make a movie about your childhood. Such is All About Me—whose German title translates That Boy Needs Some Fresh Air—a sweet origin story about Hape Kerkeling, one of Germany’s most beloved comedians and television hosts. It’s 1972 in Germany’s Ruhr Valley and Hape is simply Hans-Peter, a pudgy nine-year-old with a troubled family life; ever since his mother’s botched surgery, he has watched her sink into a deep depression, one that eventually leads to her taking her own life. With tragedy hanging over the family, his despondent father leaves Hans-Peter in the care of his kind-hearted grandmothers, whose love and care make it possible for the young lad to survive the emotional turmoil and use his natural comedic talents to heal his own wounds—all while making people laugh along with him. Maybe this kid has something going on! Based on Kerkeling’s best-selling autobiography and marvelously handled by Oscar®winning director Caroline Link (Nowhere in Africa), All About Me is an entertaining, sincere coming-of-age story about the therapeutic potential of laughter.

Director: Caroline Link

Producers: Hermann Florin

Nico Hofmann

Sebastian Werninger

Screenwriter: Ruth Toma

Cinematographer: Judith Kaufmann

Editor:

Simon Gstöttmayr

Music:

Niki Reiser

Cast: Julius Weckauf

Luise Heyer

Sönke Möhring

Joachim Król

Ursula Werner

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Picture Tree International

Print Source:

Picture Tree International

Film Website: picturetree-international. com/films/details/thatboy-needs-fresh-air.html

Selected Filmography:

Exit Marrakech (2013)

A Year Ago in Winter (2008)

Nowhere in Africa (2001)

Pünktchen und Anton (1999)

Beyond Silence (1996)

GESCHWISTER

All

My Loving

GERMANY 2019

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 24 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 25 1:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

THURSDAY, MAY 30 6:30 PM SHORELINE CC

Edward Berger’s quiet, generational drama

All My Loving centers around the Hoffman siblings, who are each forced to make decisions that will ultimately lead to emotional maturity. 41-year-old Stefan (Lars Eidinger) is a wealthy pilot who spends most of his life in transit. He is almost a caricature of toxic masculinity, flaunting his Porsche, swimming pool, and roster of beautiful women, but his superficial existence comes into question when he gets sick and his troubled daughter deserts him. Meanwhile, 44-yearold Julia (Nele Mueller-Stöfen) takes a trip to Italy with her husband in an attempt to save their relationship. While there, she encounters an injured dog, which becomes her singular focus and provides a welcome distraction from her marital problems. Tobias (Hans Löw), 34, is married to a successful businesswoman and has three children. He is trying to finish his doctoral thesis, but when the Hoffman siblings’ father falls ill, Tobias is forced to assume the role of family caretaker while putting his own aspirations aside. In recounting these three tales of Hoffman, the film does not spoon-feed likeability to the audience; instead, it introduces deeply humanistic flaws that allow viewers to identify with the characters and root for them to grow into better versions of themselves.

Director: Edward Berger

Producers: Jan Krüger

Jörg Trentmann

Raimond Göbel

Screenwriters: Nele Mueller-Stöfen

Edward Berger

Cinematographers: Jens Harant

Philipp Haberlandt

Editor: Barbara Tonnieshen

Music: Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka)

Cast: Lars Eidinger

Hans Löw

Nele Mueller-Stöfen

Manfred Zapatka

Christine Schorn

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Beta Cinema

Film Website: betacinema.com

Selected Filmography: Jack (2014)

Frau2 sucht HappyEnd (1999)

Gomez (1998)

An Almost Ordinary Summer

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 12:00 PM

Two families are about to come together for a fantastic wedding; they just don’t know it yet. It’s the gorgeous Italian coast, and patriarch Toni has opened his mansion’s guesthouse for a vacationing young couple, Sandro and the pregnant Carolina, and their father Carlo, who hasn’t been the same since his wife died. Toni has also invited his extended family, including famous actress daughter Olivia and his weedsmoking, free-spirited sister—to stay in the mansion. But at dinner, he reveals the truth— not only is he getting married in three weeks, he’s getting married to a man: Carlo. While most of Toni’s family is happy for his impending nuptials, the hotheaded, homophobic Sandro berates his father, immediately packs up, and cancels the vacation. But before he, Carolina, and the kids can leave, Toni’s other daughter Penelope, who clearly hasn’t gotten over her parents’ divorce, offers him a deal: stay in the guesthouse for now, and we’ll work together to screw up the wedding plans. An Almost Ordinary Summer is a breath of fresh air for Italian cinema, a funny, intelligent, feelgood LGTBQ comedy with a clear, positive attitude toward gay marriage, which is still a hot-button issue in the Beautiful Country.

American Factory USA 2019

MONDAY, MAY 20 6:30 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 21 4:30 PM

Director:

Simone Godano

Producers: Matteo Rovere

Roberto Sessa

Screenwriter: Giulia Steigerwalt

Cinematographer: Daniele Ciprì

Editor: Davide Vizzini

Music:

Andrea Farri

Cast:

Alessandro Gassmann

Fabrizio Bentivoglio

Jasmine Trinca

Filippo Scicchitano

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: True Colours Glorious

Films

Print Source: Wolfe Releasing

Selected Filmography: Wife & Husband (2016)

After earning an Oscar® nod for their short The Last Truck (2009), about the closing days of a General Motors plant in Ohio, filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert returned to Dayton to see what filled the vacuum. The new would-be savior is Fuyao Glass America, a Chinese windshield manufacturer that rehired about two-thirds of the 3,000 workers laid off by GM. However, the inclusion of hundreds of Chinese workers that Fuyao flew in to mix with the grateful Ohioans ends up becoming a source of great tension. While the Chinese managers bring their own prejudices about “lazy,” error-prone Americans who dare to question their superiors, the locals are baffled by the messianic nature of the Fuyao work culture. Shot in an immersive cinema-verité style, American Factory reveals the absurd everyday conflicts that prevent the workers from cohering—from the CEO’s micromanagement of line workers to the broadcasting of socialist work songs intended to motivate the uncomprehending Americans. Soon the word “union” is mentioned, throwing the whole operation into existential worry. Bognar and Reichert wisely refuse to cast either side as villain or hero, choosing instead to portray the workers as a group of confused test subjects in what may be a half-amusing, half-infuriating portent for a China-centric 21st century.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2019 (US Documentary Directing Award)

Directors: Steven Bognar

Julia Reichert

Producers: Steven Bognar

Julia Reichert

Jeff Reichert

Julie Parker Benello

Cinematographers: Steven Bognar

Aubrey Keith

Jeff Reichert

Julia Reichert

Erick Stoll

Editor: Lindsay Utz

Music: Chad Cannon

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: Netflix

Film Website: participantmedia.com/ film/american-factory

Selected Filmography:

Steven Bognar:

Making Morning Star (Doc., 2015)

A Lion in the House (Doc., 2006)

Personal Belongings (Doc., 1996)

Julia Reichert:

Making Morning Star (Doc., 2015)

A Lion in the House (2006)

Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists (Doc., 1983)

Union Maids (Doc., 1977)

Methadone: An American Way of Dealing (Doc., 1974)

Growing Up Female (Doc., 1971)

ANONS

The Announcement

TURKEY/BULGARIA 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

TUESDAY, MAY 21 8:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Loosely based on actual events, The Announcement blends bleak political commentary with the darkest deadpan comedy to satirize Turkey’s long history of military coups. The year is 1963 and a hapless group of co-conspirators is implementing a takeover orchestrated by the military from the nation’s capital. Their job is to go to the Istanbul Radio studios to announce that the military has taken over the country, a task that proves more challenging than expected. A series of random delays means that when they finally arrive at the radio station, it’s gone off the air for the night and nobody can be found to operate the equipment. The station manager points out later that if he’d had advance notice, as with previous coups, the problem could have been avoided… The violence that occasionally interrupts the absurd goings-on underlines the gravity of their consequences. Despite its highly stylized period setting, the film also has a timeless quality, as well as a resonance with recent events in Turkish politics that highlights how the more things change, the more they stay the same. — Justine Barda

Awards:

Venice International Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Prize)

Director: Mahmut Fazil Coşkun

Producers: Halil Kardaş

Tarık Tufan

Screenwriters: Ercan Kesal

Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun

Cinematographer: Krum Rodrigues

Editor: Çiçek Kahraman

Music: Okan Kaya

Cast: Ali Seçkiner Alici Tarhan Karagöz Murat Kiliç

Şencan Güleryüz

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Heretic Outreach

Print Source: Heretic Outreach

Film Website: heretic.gr/the-announcement/

Selected Filmography: Yozgat Blues (2013) Wrong Rosary (2009)

Another Day of Life

POLAND/SPAIN/BENELUX/GERMANY/HUNGARY 2018

MONDAY, MAY 20 9:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Arriving in a land of chaos, carnage, and what the locals simply call “confusao,” hardliving Polish Press Agency reporter Ryszard (Richard) Kapuscinski has an almost pathological need to throw himself into the world’s deadliest conflicts—as much a means of processing his own experiences growing up in a devastated post-WWII Poland as simply doing the job he was trained to do. Touching down in the Angolan capital of Luanda just as Portugal withdraws after 500 years of colonial rule—and leaving the anarchy of a bloody civil war in its wake—the embittered journalist eagerly rushes into the madness on a journey that spells almost certain death, immediately setting out to the war’s Southern Front to meet infamous rebel leader Comandante Farrusco. But with fellow journalist Artur in tow, Kapuscinski quickly breaks his journalistic vows and commits himself to recording the lives of those nameless victims of war caught between forces larger than themselves, the faceless and the forgotten who want nothing more than to live in peace, in this powerful dreamscape of live action and brilliant, color-saturated animation from co-directors Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow. — Hebe Tabachnik

Awards:

Goya Awards 2019 (Best Animated Film)

European Film Awards 2018 (Best Animated Feature Film)

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2018 (Audience Award, Best Basque Screenplay)

Wama Film Festival 2018 (Audience Award)

Reanimania Int. Animation and Comics Art. Festival 2018 (Best Feature Film)

El-Gouna Film Festival 2018 (Audience Award)

Directors:

Raúl de la Fuente

Damian Nenow

Producers: Jarek Sawko

Ole Wendorff-Østergaard

Amaia Remirez

Raúl de la Fuente

Screenwriters: Raúl de la Fuente

David Weber

Amaia Remírez

Niall Johnson

Damian Nenow

Cinematographers: Raúl de la Fuente

Gorka Gomez Andreu

Editor:

Raúl de la Fuente

Music:

Mikel Salas

Cast/Voices: Wilson Benedito

Ryszard Kapuscinski

Akie Kotabe

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Portuguese, and Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Indie Sales

Film Website: anotherdayoflifefilm.com

Selected Filmography: de la Fuente:

I Am Haiti (Doc., 2014)

Nömadak Tx (Doc., 2006)

Nenow:

Debut Feature Film

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

MONDAY, MAY 20 7:00 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 23 4:00 PM

In Immermath, Germany, the world’s biggest excavator lumbers through a massive openpit mine, its behemoth bucket-wheel rhythmically plowing into soft earth for a sight alternately awe-inspiring and haunting. Seemingly more like a small city on tracks, the giant has systematically destroyed a series of small towns in the name of some form of necessary progress. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, lake-sized lithium fields—aglow in multicolored yellow, orange, and red water— evaporate under the scorching sun in order to extract the precious element that makes environmentally friendly hybrid-car batteries possible. In central London, underground bunkers used to protect citizens during WWII are converted into subterranean farms in a city with precious little agricultural space. Traveling the globe on a four-year quest to document the ways in which humans have impacted the planet and altered its future—directors Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky have created a stunning documentary of almost spiritual force and surreal, jaw-dropping beauty that’s equal parts horror and hope, often within the same image.

Awards:

Cleveland International Film Festival 2019 (Director Spotlight Award) Canadian Screen Awards 2019 (Best Documentary)

Toronto Film Critics Association 2018 (Rogers Best Canadian Film)

Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2018 (Best Canadian Documentary)

DC Environmental Film Festival 2019 (Polly Krakora Award for Artistry in Film)

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Directors:

Jennifer Baichwal

Nicholas de Pencier

Edward Burtynsky

Producer:

Nicholas de Pencier

Screenwriter: Jennifer Baichwal

Cinematographer:

Nicholas de Pencier

Editor:

Roland Schlimme

Music:

Norah Lorway

Rose Bolton

Narrator: Alicia Vikander

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, and German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Séville International

Print Source: Kino Lorber

Film Website: theanthropocene.org/film

Selected Filmography:

Baichwal:

Watermark (Doc., 2013)

Payback (Doc., 2012)

Act of God (Doc., 2009)

Manufactured Landscapes (Doc., 2006)

Burtynsky:

Watermark (Doc., 2013)

Nicholas de Pencier:

Long Time Running (Doc., 2017)

Black Code (Doc., 2016)

Watermark (Doc., 2013)

Manufactured Landscapes (Doc., 2006)

The Apollo USA 2019

SATURDAY, MAY 25 6:45 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, MAY 26 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MONDAY, MAY 27 3:30 PM SHORELINE CC

It’s 1934 and you’ve signed up for a talent show. You were planning to dance, but the dancers on before you are amazing, so at the last second you decide to sing instead. Then on top of that, you forget the words and start to scat. What then? Well, if you’re Ella Fitzgerald, you’ve just launched your career. This could happen only at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, which both presented and, thanks to its long-running Wednesday Amateur Nights, launched many of the greatest AfricanAmerican performers ever, which is to say many of the greatest American performers ever. (Its Motown Revues featured arrays of legends unduplicated by even the most gala Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.) After decades as an epicenter of music, comedy, dance, even drag, the venue hit a rough patch in the ’70s, but soon bounced back, bolstered by a new genre, hip-hop. The archival footage in Roger Ross Williams’ doc is rich and fascinating (choosing what to leave out must have been agony), but presentday scenes also reveal the hard work of the Apollo’s governing board to both celebrate its history and push African-American art forward: The development of a stage adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me” continues the theater’s legacy as a community center and a reflector of our country’s racial history.

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Producers:

Lisa Cortés

Jeanne Elfant Festa

Cassidy Hartmann

Nigel Sinclair

Screenwriters: Roger Ross Williams

Cassidy Hartmann

Cinematographer: Michael Dwyer

Editors: John Steven Fisher

Jean Tsien

Featuring: Jamie Foxx

Pharrell Williams

Patti LaBelle

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Motto Pictures

Film Website: hbo.com/documentaries/ the-apollo

Selected Filmography: Life, Animated (Doc., 2016)

God Loves Uganda (Doc., 2013)

Artifishal

USA 2019

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 3:30 PM

Director Josh “Bones” Murphy successfully exposes opposing sides of a salmon crisis by pitting the narratives of ecologists and conservationists against the human tendency to engineer and control, probing into the psychology of a lucrative hatchery industry. In this instance, the fingerprints lie across the weakened genetic makeup of thousands of hatchery-bred salmon, interbreeding and competing with wild salmon in rivers and oceans across the Earth. Woven among artistic shots of pristine natural forests and rivers of America’s Western coast is the story of a sacred relationship between Native Americans and salmon. As recited in accordance with Yurok belief, “If we don’t take care of this world, and there are no more salmon, then there will be no more need for Yurok people.”

If hard-earned photos from the aftermath of Washington’s Cypress Island Atlantic Salmon open-water pen breach isn’t enough to incite a call to action, we’re taken to Norway, where the repulsive reality of farm-raised salmon health is revealed by journalist Mikael Frödin Angler. This documentary does well to inspire an appreciation for nature’s unhindered perfection while fueling a disdain for human hubris.

Director: Josh Murphy

Producers: Laura Wagner

Josh Murphy

Dylan Tomine

Sarah Makarewicz

Screenwriters: Collin Kriner

Josh Murphy

Cinematographers: August Thurmer

Devin Whetstone

Editor: Collin Kriner

Music: William Fritch

Featuring: Carl Safina

Gary Meffe

Amy Cordalis

Dylan Tomine

Mikael Frödin Angler

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Patagonia

Print Source: Film Collaborative

Film Website: patagonia.com/artifishal. html

Selected Filmography:

Vikingsholm: The Legacy of Lora Knight and Helen Smith (Doc., 2009)

Unparalleled 3: Soul Slide (Doc., 2002)

Unparalleled 2: Free World (Doc., 2001)

The Art of Self-Defense

USA 2019

FRIDAY, MAY 31 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Casey Davies (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) needs to change his life. Single, friendless, and picked on at work, he’s a wimp, a lamb in a world of wolves. And after getting randomly attacked on the street while out buying dog food, it’s now or never, so he signs up at a local dojo run by a charismatic and mysterious sensei (Alessandro Nivola, Disobedience), ready to learn the tenants of karate. “I’m afraid of other men,” he tells Sensei. “They intimidate me. I want to be what intimidates me.” Be careful what you wish for, Casey. Though the classes boost his confidence and defense skills—the confrontation with his co-workers is the uproarious centerpiece of the film—Casey soon realizes that something deeply sinister is happening within the dojo’s walls, and now he’s in too deep. Blending big, broad laughs with go-forthe-throat thriller conventions, The Art of SelfDefense is a blackly comic, often shocking deconstruction of toxic masculinity and cultural appropriation—the dojo and its students are overwhelmingly white—and a wicked satire on those who prey on American insecurity.

Director: Riley Stearns

Producers: Andrew Kortschak

Cody Ryder

Stephanie Whonsetler

Walter Kortschak

Screenwriter: Riley Stearns

Cinematographer: Michael Ragen

Editor: Sarah Beth Shapiro

Music: Heather Mcintosh

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg

Imogen Poots

Alessandro Nivola

Steve Terada

David Zellner

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Bleecker Street

Film Website: bleeckerstreetmedia.com/ theartofselfdefense

Selected Filmography: Faults (2014)

As the Earth Turns

USA 1938/2018

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 2:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Recovered from the home of director and Seattle native Richard Lyford, As the Earth Turns is a 1938 sci-fi thriller that cleverly foreshadows many things still relevant to us today, among them the U.S.’s involvement in war and global warming. Young news reporter Julie Weston (Barbara Berger) is eager for a big break, so when her boss sends her to a naval radio base she promises to bring back a story that will “rock the Earth.” What she doesn’t realize is she’s about to come face-to-face with a mysterious peace activist named PAX (played by Lyford), who will stop at nothing to stop global war—even if it means destroying everything in his path. Filmed in and around the Pacific Northwest—including shots at Boeing Field and Gas Works Park (back when it was still an operating gasification plant)—As the Earth Turns is a low-budget indie before being a low-budget indie was a thing. Lyford was only 19 when he filmed this spec-fic adventure—mastering miniatures, DIY explosions, unusual camera angles, and triple-exposures for a jaw-dropping array of ahead-of-its-time practical effects. Newly restored and accompanied by a lively new score by local composer Ed Hartman, As the Earth Turns is a gem of early Seattle filmmaking that is finally available after over 80 years.

Awards: Depth of Field International Film Festival Competition 2018 (Outstanding Excellence Direction, Viewer Impact: Entertainment Value, Award of Excellence SFX Visual, Original Concept)

Aurora FINLAND 2019

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 4:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 9:00 PM

Director:

Richard Lyford

Producers:

Richard Lyford

Kim Lyford Bishop

Ed Hartman

Screenwriter: Richard Lyford

Cinematographer: Richard Lyford

Editor: Richard Lyford

Music: Ed Hartman

Cast: Richard Lyford

Barbara Berger

Alan Hoelting

Edwin C. Frost

Roger Bassett

Running Time: 46 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Film Website: astheearthturns.com

Selected Filmography: Island of Allah (1956)

The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950)

Aurora (Mimosa Willamo, SIFF 2017’s Lake Bodom) is a perpetually single, hard-partying nail technician who dreams of leaving town and never coming back, but her unrepentant alcoholism and recent eviction from her home make that goal financially difficult to attain. Darian (Amir Escandari) is an Iranian refugee new to Finnish Lapland who will do anything for his young daughter. When the two randomly meet late one night at a hot-dog kiosk, she rejects his sudden, desperate marriage proposal but responds with an offer: If Darian ponies up 3,000 Euros, she’ll help him find a wife so he and his daughter can achieve asylum. But that’s easier said than done, especially in a world where too many people are still distrustful of foreigners, regardless of their plight. Aurora is a cross-cultural romantic drama about commitment—to family, to country, to matrimony—that doesn’t pull punches, creating an adult, sometimes surprisingly funny view of a very complicated situation while still hitting the emotional beats that make the genre sing. “Thank you, Aurora. You’re a strange person,” Darian tells her one night. So is the film, and our Festival is better for it.

Director: Miia Tervo

Producer: Max Malka

Screenwriter: Miia Tervo

Cinematographer: Arsen Sarkisiants

Editor: Antti Reikko

Music: Laura Naukkarinen

Jaakko Laitinen

Väärä Raha

Cast: Mimosa Willamo

Amir Escandari

Oona Airola

Hannu-Pekka Björkman

Miitta Sorvali

Running Time: 106 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Finnish, Farsi, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales:

LevelK

Print Source:

LevelK

Film Website: levelk.dk/films/aurora/5093

Selected Filmography: Santra and the Talking Trees (Doc., 2013)

The Awakening of the Ants

COSTA RICA/SPAIN 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 7:00 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 4:30 PM

For thoughtful, demure young housewife Isa (Daniella Valenciano), life in a lush, postcardperfect Costa Rican seaside village is far from being anyone’s idea of a dream. Pressured by her intrusive and loudly opinionated in-laws to have another baby even as her already cramped household struggles to stay afloat, and tending to the needs of her husband and two daughters while her own desires remain distant and ignored, Isa finds herself suffocated by rigid gender roles and the cloistered, provincial thinking that comes with smalltown life. Desperately imagining some other way of living—single, childless, desired— while growing increasingly tense and angry towards those closest to her, Isa unexpectedly becomes more attuned to the natural world and its strangeness, as increasingly vivid and at times surreal dreams and visions take over her waking life, blurring the line between what is and what can be. Soon the young mother finds herself at a breaking point, awakening to her own long-suppressed sexuality and the possibilities of a life lived on her own terms, in this engrossing and intimate feature debut from writer/director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss. — Hebe Tabachnik

Director: Antonella Sudasassi

Furniss

Producers: Amaya Izquierdo

José Esteban Alenda

Screenwriter: Antonella Sudasassi

Furniss

Cinematographer: Andrés Campos

Editor: Raúl de Torres

Music: Sergio de la Puente

Cast: Daniella Valenciano

Leynar Gómez

Isabella Moscoso

Avril Alpízar

Adriana Álvarez

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: FiGa Films

Print Source: FiGa Films

Film Website: figafilms.com/el-despertar-de-las-hormigas

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Ayka

KAZAKHSTAN/RUSSIA/GERMANY/POLAND/CHINA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 19 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Award-winning actress Samal Yeslyamova (Tulpan) plays the role of Ayka, a Kyrgyz illegal migrant in Moscow. Ayka has no money, no home, and she just gave birth. She is never still, so we follow her through wintry Moscow streets on her reckless pursuit to find work. An aggressive soundtrack and visceral cinematography emphasize the vision of a huge megalopolis where anyone can get lost or disappear. It is Yeslyamova, however, who steals the camera; always moving forward in her unraveling as she enters her curtained den until the end, when she and the camera give us a chance to breathe. In 2010, 248 newborns were abandoned in Moscow’s maternity wards, a statistic director Sergey Dvortsevoy found in the newspapers and adapted for his film. He likes to make films from “real” life and values surprises and doubt, interested in what happens when families and relationships break down between people and their environment to the point when an individual is morally damaged. His film comes at a time of worldwide chaotic migration, and it is obvious that what happened to Ayka is happening to others.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2018 (Best Actress)

Golden Orange Award 2018 (Best Actress)

Tokyo Filmex 2018 (Grand Prix)

Asian Film Award 2019 (Best Actress)

Official Oscar Submission 2019 (Foreign Language Film)

Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy

Producers: Sergiey Dvortsevoy

Thanassis Karathanos

Martin Hampel

Anna Wydra

Screenwriters: Sergey Dvortsevoy

Gennady Ostrowski

Cinematographer: Jolanta Dylewska

Editors: Sergey Dvortsevoy

Petar Markovic

Cast: Samal Yeslyamova

Zhipargul Abdilaeva

David Alaverdyan

Sergey Mazur

Slava Agashkin

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Kyrgyz and Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Film Website: the-match-factory.com/ catalogue/films/ayka.html

Selected Filmography: Tulpan (2008)

In the Dark (Doc., 2004)

Highway (Doc., 1999)

Bread Day (Doc., 1998) Paradise (Doc., 1995)

Baby (Bao Bei Er)

CHINA 2018

US PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 30 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN BAO

Set in modern-day Nanjing, China, Liu Jie’s realist drama stars Yang Mi as Meng, a 19-year-old girl plagued with chronic illness and poverty trying to survive in an ableist, patriarchal society. Suffering from a congenital illness, Meng was abandoned by her parents and left to state-subsidized foster care. As a young adult, she struggles to take care of herself and her disabled foster mother, finding it challenging to secure a job while grappling with persistent health problems. After lying about her condition, she begins a physically demanding position as a janitor at a children’s hospital and encounters a newborn with the same birth defects she experienced. Since China’s one-child policy limits family-planning options, the baby’s father is ready to let the newborn die rather than put her through a harrowing series of surgeries with no guarantee for survival. He believes that even if the child survives, her quality of life will be severely diminished due to society’s disdain for the genetically disadvantaged—especially girls. Relentless in her pursuit of justice, Meng sees herself in the baby, and makes it her personal mission to give her a fighting chance at survival. Baby raises the question: How much is a human life worth?

LINCOLN SQUARE

Director:

Liu Jie

Producer:

Shan Gao

Screenwriter: Liu Jie

Cinematographer: Florian Zinke

Editors:

William Cheung

Ching-Song Liao

Music: Guo Sida

Cast: Yang Mi

Guo Jingfei

Hong-Chi Lee

Wang Yanjun

Zhu Shaojun

Yan Surong

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Wild Bunch

Film Website: wildbunch.biz/movie/baby

Selected Filmography: Hide and Seek (2016)

De Lan (2015)

Young Style (2013)

Judge (2009)

Courthouse on Horseback (2006)

Banana Split

USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 19 1:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

THURSDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM ARK LODGE

It’s the end of April’s (Hannah Marks, SIFF 2017’s Slash) senior year of high school, and she and longtime boyfriend Nick (Dylan Sprouse, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”) have just broken up. No matter; April is off to Boston University in just a few months, so why not spend her final days in Los Angeles cutting loose? But while getting trashed at a house party, she bumps into Dylan’s new squeeze, Clara (Liana Liberato, also in SIFF 2019’s To the Stars), a recent transplant from Fresno. High-school social conditioning demands they hate each other on principle, but it turns out they have way more in common than a mutual beau. Over the summer they develop a perfect kindred-spirit friendship in ways they never thought possible, all while working overtime to keep their relationship secret from Nick. What makes Banana Split special are the hard edges, the goofy character quirks, and the lead performances from Marks (who also co-wrote the screenplay) and Liberato, who infuse their characters with a level of teenage anxiety that feels positively refreshing among high-school movies. Directed by former Seattleite cinematographer Benjamin Kasulke (Your Sister’s Sister, Safety Not Guaranteed), Banana Split is a teen movie worth cherishing.

Director: Benjamin Kasulke

Producers:

Jeremy Garelick

Mickey Liddell

Pete Shilaimon

Will Phelps

Glen Trotiner

Sam Slater

Screenwriters: Hannah Marks

Joey Power

Cinematographer:

Darin Moran

Editor:

Brendan Walsh

Music:

Annie Hart

Cast:

Hannah Marks

Dylan Sprouse

Liana Liberato

Luke Spencer Roberts

Haley Ramm

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: American Indie

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground

TUESDAY, MAY 21 8:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 9:30 PM

Barbara Rubin is someone we should all know about. She came to New York in 1963 at age 18 to work for Jonas Mekas, the Village Voice writer who was also the center of the New American Cinema movement of experimental filmmakers. Very quickly she was holding forth with the older, mostly male, filmmakers about drugs, films, art, whatever, then befriended some of the era’s most culturally significant artists. Her dual-projector film Christmas on Earth was made that year, which pushed the boundaries of explicit feminist film in a time when artists were being arrested. She introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan to the Kabbalah, and convinced Allen Ginsberg to cut his beard. Chuck Smith’s documentary does a great job capturing New York’s punk-rock creativity at the time, using lots of great archival footage along with interviews with people like Mekas and film critics like J. Hoberman and Amy Taubin. The effects of drugs finally caught up with her and, in true Barbara Rubin style, she changed her life in an extreme way. Equal parts nostalgia and inspiration, the documentary looks at the artistic compulsions and internal conflicts of someone who should have been more of a star. This movie should help put Rubin back on the celestial map. —

Awards: DOC NYC 2018 (Metropolis Grand Jury Prize)

Director: Chuck Smith

Producer: Chuck Smith

Cinematographer: Andy Bowley

Editor: Chuck Smith

Music: Lee Ranaldo

Featuring: Richard Foreman

Jonas Mekas

Amy Taubin

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Juno Films

Print Source: Juno Films

Film Website: junofilms.com

Selected Filmography: Forrest Bess: Key to the Riddle (Doc., 1999)

Before the Vows

GHANA 2018

MONDAY, MAY 20 6:30 PM ARK LODGE

SATURDAY, MAY 25 8:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 26 8:15 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Meet Afua, a modern Ghanaian woman who is engaged to Nii. But Afua doesn’t believe in marriage. She is surrounded by her divorced parents and Nii’s still-married-but-constantlybickering parents…and she is starting to doubt her commitment to her own wedding, just a short time away. What is a bride-to-be to do? Writer/director Nicole Amarteifio sets up an unconventional solution that seems destined to destroy their union…or is it the perfect knot from which to untie their prewedding jitters? Amarteifio is the creative force behind “An African City,” the hit web series featuring a quartet of single African women climbing the corporate ladder of Accra. It’s much more than just a “Sex and the City” clone, and Amarteifio brings her Africanfeminist landscape to Before the Vows. Afua and Nii are not the usual rom-com zombies doing stupid things as required by the plot; they are overthinking marriage to the point that only the absurd will bring them back to understanding their true love for each other. This distinctly African romantic comedy is perfectly calibrated to allow you to sit back and enjoy the ride, with an effervescent young cast and a scenario that has to be seen to be believed. — Dustin Kaspar

Director: Nicole Amarteifio

Producers: Nicole Amarteifio

Ramesh Jai

Screenwriter: Nicole Amarteifio

Cinematographer: Adikesh Bharghva

Editor: Yaw Karkoh-Ampomah

Music: Jayso

Cast: John Dumelo

Maame Adjei

Nathaniel Kweku

Emeline Nsingi Nkosi

Jeffrey Forson

Berla Mundi

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Between the Lines USA 1977

TUESDAY, MAY 21 6:30 PM

A charming ensemble cast of then-unknowns leads this Altman-esque spotlight on the daily struggles within an alternative newspaper in 1970s Boston. “All of us on this paper are either on our way up or on our way down,” says the editor of fictional alt-weekly The Back Bay Mainline, whose irreverent, familial staff members are facing professional and personal crossroads: News reporter Harry (John Heard) is coasting by on past successes, while his on-again-off-again romantic partner Abbie (Lindsay Crouse) sees her star rising as lead photographer; music critic Max (Jeff Goldblum) uses his gift for pseudo-intellectual gab to pick up girls, yet can’t make ends meet without frequent visits to the pawnshop. Meanwhile, a cub reporter (Bruno Kirby) attempts to make his mark, a newspaper vendor (Michael J. Pollard) may be living under the office pinball machine, and the office secretary (Jill Eikenberry) is the only one who understands the changes to come after the paper is sold to a milquetoast publishing giant. Working from an energetic script by journalist Fred Barron, director Joan Micklin Silver, one of a handful of female narrative film directors working in the male-dominated 1970s, followed her Oscar®nominated break-through film Hester Street with this impressive and honest character study, one infused with still-relevant messages about the role of the free press in an increasingly corporate world. — Clinton McClung

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 1977 (Reader Jury Prize, Interfilm AwardOtto Dibelius Film Award)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 1977 (New Generation Award)

The Bigamist USA 1953

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Joan Micklin Silver

Producer:

Raphael D. Silver

Screenwriter: Fred Barron

Cinematographer: Kenneth Van Sickle

Editor:

John Carter

Music:

Michael Kamen

Steve Van Zandt

Cast: Jeff Goldblum

Jill Eikenberry

Bruno Kirby

Lindsay Crouse

Gwen Welles

Joe Morton

John Heard

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Cohen Media

Film Website: cohenmedia.net/films/ betweenthelines

Selected Filmography: A Fish in the Bathtub (1998)

Big Girls Don’t Cry... They Get Even (1992)

Loverboy (1989)

Crossing Delancey (1988)

Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)

Hester Street (1975)

TUESDAY, MAY 28 6:00 PM

Edmond O’Brien stars as Harry Graham, a traveling salesman living an apparently idyllic life in San Francisco with his beautiful wife, Eve (Joan Fontaine). The only thing missing is a child to complete the family. As the film opens, the couple sits in an adoption-agency office, where Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn), their caseworker, warns that they will have to undergo a thorough investigation before any adoption can be made final. However, something about Harry’s demeanor throughout the interview troubles Jordan. At first his inquiry into the Grahams’ life turns up little, until he visits Los Angeles to call on Harry’s co-workers and clients. An off-the-cuff remark leads Jordan to a secluded bungalow where Graham resides while in town…with another wife (Ida Lupino) and an infant son. What follows is Harry’s doleful confession of how this hidden dual life came to be. As with her previous directorial efforts Outrage and Not Wanted, director Lupino proves adept at navigating taboo subject matter and the strictures of Hollywood’s production code to produce a sophisticated, compelling drama, all the while drawing out complex emotional performances from her lead performers, including herself. Presented at SIFF in a new restoration, The Bigamist is a singular achievement in 1950s filmmaking. — Dan Doody

Director: Ida Lupino

Producer: Collier Young

Screenwriter: Collier Young

Cinematographer: George E. Diskant

Editor: Stanford Tischler

Music:

Leith Stevens

Cast: Joan Fontaine

Edmond O’Brien

Ida Lupino

Edmund Gwenn

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Kino Lorber Repertory

Film Website: kinolorber.com/film/ thebigamist

Selected Filmography: The Hitch-Hiker (1953) Hard, Fast, and Beautiful (1951)

On Dangerous Ground (1951)

Outrage (1950)

Never Fear (1950)

Not Wanted (1949)

Blinded by the Light

THURSDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 24 3:15 PM

During the doldrums of the Thatcher years, there’s not much for a bright teenager to do in the drab factory town of Luton, England, except plot how to get out. It’s worse if you, like Javed (Viveik Kalra), are pressured by your embittered workaholic father, worse still if you’re Pakistani and menaced by racist skinheads. But when a friend gives Javed a Bruce Springsteen mixtape, he suddenly discovers that although he wasn’t born in the U.S.A., he was definitely born to run—and “Dancing in the Dark” explodes onto the soundtrack (and the lyrics onto the screen) for a set piece somewhere between an ’80s music video and a Bollywood production number. Javed’s schoolmates are more interested in dandyish New Wave, but The Boss’s music does catch the ear of his politically conscious crush Eliza, and it eventually inspires Javed to approach her, to write, and to believe in himself. Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) based her film on “Greetings from Bury Park,” a memoir by journalist and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor, and cast it in the crowd-pleasing mode of other music-equals-freedom uplifters like Say Anything…, High Fidelity, or Footloose. (Stay through the credits and hear “I’ll Stand By You Always,” which Springsteen wrote for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone but which Chris Columbus wasn’t able to use.)

Director: Gurinder Chadha

Producers: Gurinder Chadha

Jane Barclay

Jamal Daniel

Screenwriters: Sarfraz Manzoor

Gurinder Chadha

Paul Mayeda Berges

Cinematographer: Ben Smithard

Editor: Justin Krish

Music:

A.R. Rahman

Cast: Viveik Kalra

Hayley Atwell

Rob Brydon

Kulvinder Ghir

Nell Williams

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Warner Brothers

Film Website: benditnetworks.com

Selected Filmography: Viceroy’s House (2017) It’s a Wonderful Afterlife (2010)

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) Bride and Prejudice (2004)

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

What’s Cooking? (2000) Bhaji on the Beach (1994)

Botero

CANADA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 1:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

FRIDAY, MAY 24 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 25 12:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Considered by many to be the world’s greatest living artist with the greatest number of museum exhibitions and the largest number of books published about him, the rich legacy of Fernando Botero is beyond dispute. His trademark plump, portly figures are famous the world over, alternately expressionless and cheeky, deadpan yet playful—and controversial in their oversized presence in popular culture and their use in addressing often contentious social issues. Beginning with an impoverished childhood in rural Medellin and the loss of his father at an early age (an event the artist suspects informs his love of largerthan-life figures), Botero was driven by a restlessness and need to experiment, taking him to 1950s Florence where he was transformed by the humanism of Piero della Francesca; to 1960s New York where the struggling painter’s figurative work made him an outcast in a time of pop art and abstract expressionism; and leading to his immersion in sculpture following the tragic death of his son Pedrito. Using rich archival footage and interviews with biographers, artists, scholars, and Botero’s own children—not to mention the artist himself— director Don Millar’s moving portrait is as spry and lively as the man it follows, a testament to the creative spirit and its ability to change the world. — Hebe Tabachnik

Director: Don Millar

Producers: Joe Tucker

Eric Hogan

Screenwriters: Don Millar

Hart Snider

Cinematographers: Johan Legraie

Joe Tucker

Editor: Hart Snider

Music:

David Bertok

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English, Spanish, and French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Transit International

Print Source:

Films Transit International

Film Website: boterofilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Brittany Runs a Marathon USA 2019

FRIDAY, MAY 24 7:30 PM

SHORELINE CC

SUNDAY, MAY 26 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Tired of seeing weight-loss ads featuring already perfect models looking dewy and fabulous? Then you’ll want to meet Brittany (Jillian Bell, Sword of Trust), a hard-partying New Yorker who discovers in her late 20s that, after a decade of enjoying the late-night theater scene with her roommate Gretchen (Alice Lee, “Switched at Birth”), she really needs to get in shape—and lose 55 pounds, her doctor warns. Too broke for a trainer or a gym membership, Brittany decides on the do-it-yourself route by taking up running, only to discover that even jogging one city block is a challenge. Eventually, she gets the encouragement she needs from runners in her neighborhood, including Seth (Micah Stock, Tony nominee for “It’s Only a Play”), who shares her natural aversion to exercise. After some time and mutual confidence-building, the group, in a fit of euphoria, decides to take on the New York City Marathon. This, Brittany soon learns, is where the real work begins, as she reassesses who her real friends are and who has been holding her back. First-time director Paul Downs Colaizzo, known mostly as a playwright (“Really Really”), avoids the pitfalls of sports clichés by creating realistic, engaging characters Brittany meets on her comic journey of self-discovery. This crowd-pleaser will have you laughing and cheering all the way to the finish line.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2019 (US Dramatic Audience Award)

Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo

Producers: Matthew Plouffe

Tobey Maguire

Margot Hand

Screenwriter: Paul Downs Colaizzo

Cinematographer: Seamus Tierney

Editors: Casey Brooks

Peter Teschner

Music: Duncan Thum

Cast: Jillian Bell

Michaela Watkins

Utkarsh Ambudkar

Lil Rel Howery

Micah Stock

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Amazon Studios

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Burning Cane USA 2019

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 6:30 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 3:30 PM

In rural Louisiana, religious conviction collides with generational injury, violence, and alcoholism, shrouded by cigarette smoke and shadow, in 18-year-old Phillip Youmans’ penetrating debut feature. A weary grandmother, Helen, grapples with an abusive son, a flawed Baptist preacher (Wendell Pierce, “The Wire”), and the profound disconnect between the abstract rhetoric of the small-town pulpit—of eternal life and combating the evil one—and her daily realities: the cycles of pain and trauma in her family. Stripping the film of an outside score and obscuring the action through outof-focus, handheld shots, Youmans observes and interprets the mundane and the quiet, dwelling on Helen’s son washing dishes or her smoking on a porch, often without the hand-holds of dialogue or clear, sequential storytelling. We must sift through a collection of deeply personal, starkly realistic fragments and divine meaning from subtle, Malick-esque juxtaposition: Helen’s son puking in a darkened room; the Baptist preacher expounding to his congregation. In its sharp and probing exploration of religious faith and inherited dysfunction, Burning Cane slips under your skin and will leave you, silent, thinking, in the dark of the theater as the credits roll.

PRECEDED BY:

Liberty

USA, 2019, 17 minutes, Director: Faren Humes

When Alex and Milagros are chosen to dance at their housing project’s groundbreaking ceremony, they face constant interruptions as they try to rehearse.

CARMEN Y LOLA

Carmen & Lola

SPAIN 2018

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Phillip Youmans

Producers: Wendell Pierce

Mose Mayer

Ojo Akinlana

Karen Kaia Livers

Cassandra Youmans

Phillip Youmans

Screenwriter: Phillip Youmans

Cinematographer: Phillip Youmans

Editors: Phillip Youmans

Ruby Kline

Music: Kevin Gullage

Cast: Wendell Pierce

Karen Kaia Livers

Dominique McClellan

Braelyn Kelly

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Film Website: burningcanefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

THURSDAY, MAY 30 8:45 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 5:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The daughter of street vendors eking out a living on the outskirts of Madrid, bombshell Carmen (Rosy Rodriguez) would never think to question the norms of her deeply religious, and highly marginalized, Roma community. Hemmed in by both a suffocating local patriarchy and larger anti-Roma prejudice, her life is shaping up to be one of early marriage and motherhood with a young man no less traditionalist than her father, with the remainder of her years spent cleaning house and cooking, with maybe even a small hairdressing job on the side. (“School stuff! Book stuff! But no wedding plans here!” barks her father as he balks at Carmen’s ideas about her future.) But when she unexpectedly crosses paths with thoughtful, rebellious graffiti artist Lola (Zaira Romero), who is also quietly pushing against the restrictions of their shared neighborhood, the pair find themselves caught between the electricity of first love and the harsh realities of navigating two hostile worlds, leading to a powerful moment of reckoning. Enriched with exuberant music performed by actual Roma musicians from the Madrid area, this is a smart, lively, and sexy debut feature from writer/director Arantxa Echevarría.

— Hebe Tabachnik

Awards:

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019 (CV Cine Award)

Goya Awards 2019 (Best Supporting Actress, New Director)

Guadelajara International Film Festival 2019 (Ibero-America CompetitionBest First Feature)

Director: Arantxa Echevarría

Producer: Pilar Sánchez

Screenwriter: Arantxa Echevarría

Cinematographer: Pilar Sánchez

Editor: Renato Sanjuán

Music:

Nina Aranda

Cast: Zaira Romero

Rosy Rodriguez

Moreno Borja

Rafela León

Carolina Yuste

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: latidofilms.com/ carmen-lola

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

CÉLÉBRATION

Celebration

FRANCE 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 24 4:00 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 25 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Filmed from 1998 to 2001, this portrait of fashion colossus Yves Saint Laurent’s final show was screened only once in 2007 before it was blocked by YSL’s business (and on-and-off romantic) partner Pierre Bergé, who objected to the couturier’s portrayal as frail and not quite all there, and to his own as something of a supercilious, control-freaky pill. (The dynamic between the two is said to have inspired Paul Thomas Anderson’s treatment of Daniel Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville’s characters in Phantom Thread.) But Bergé relented in 2015 (and died in 2017), so Celebration is at last being widely released. Director Olivier Meyrou said the experience of filming the reticent designer was “very close to a wildlife documentary... Just like big cats must sooner or later come to a watering hole,” Meyrou spent a great deal of time at his atelier patiently waiting for an appearance. So naturally the atelier’s staff come off more vividly, always ready to rip out a lining or make infinitesimal adjustments to a garment according to le maître’s specifications. YSL lingered until 2008, but this exploration of his final collection is his true farewell, and the end of an era in French fashion.

Director: Olivier Meyrou

Producers: Christophe Girard Bénédicte Couvreur

Screenwriter: Olivier Meyrou

Cinematographers: Florian Bouchet

Jean-Marc Bouzou

Editor: Cathie Dambel

Music: François-Eudes

Chanfrault

Running Time: 74 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Playtime Group

Print Source: KimStim

Film Website: playtime.group

Selected Filmography: Parade (Doc., 2013) Beyond Hatred (Doc., 2005)

Chef’s Diaries: Scotland

UNITED KINGDOM/SPAIN 2019

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 4:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

From a working-class upbringing as cooks at their parents’ humble Catalan bar/restaurant to their current status as giants in the world of culinary arts, the Roca brothers—eldest brother Joan, 2016 winner of World’s Greatest Chef; middle brother and acclaimed sommelier Josep; and youngest brother Jordi, himself awarded the World’s Greatest Pastry Chef title in 2014—could easily coast on the mountains of accolades their famed Michelin-starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has given them. Yet with little else to prove, the brothers also find themselves driven by a fear that success could stagnate their creativity, inspiring a restlessness that has again sent them to a nation not traditionally known for its food but one waking up to its own culinary greatness: Scotland. From Shetland’s wood-smoked haddock to oyster fishing off the Isle of Skye to haggis at Dingwall’s legendary Cockburn & Son—and of course, Aberlour’s barrel-aged whisky—the brothers discover a land steeped in tradition slowly opening to new energies and its own rich abundance. Driven to put together a menu inspired by their trip, the trio go one better and create a humble, loving, and deeply admiring tribute to a people who keenly balance the weight of tradition with the spirit of freedom. —

Director:

Laura Otálora

Producer: Lydia Martínez Fliquete

Screenwriters:

Martí Roca

Laura Otálora

Cinematographer: Álex García Martínez

Editors: Martí Roca

Roberto Bra

Music: Can Sons

Featuring: Joan Roca

Jordi Roca

Josep Roca

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, English, and Catalan, with English subtitles

International Sales: Feelsales

Print Source: FREAK Independent Film Agency

Film Website: agenciafreak.com/largometraje/CHEFS-DIARIESSCOTLAND/821

Selected Filmography: Gospel Beyond Music (2015)

Cities of Last Things

TAIWAN/CHINA/FRANCE/USA 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 28 7:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

An older man lies in a pool of blood on a damp nighttime sidewalk as a robot drone roams overhead. But who or what was responsible? And what chain of events led to his fate? In Cities of Last Things, Taiwan-based director Ho Wi Ding rewinds the dark and compelling life of Zhang Dong Ling, accompanying him on three nights across three ages in a single city through three interconnected vignettes: a lonely, world-weary man seeks revenge; an upright policeman is betrayed, and stumbles upon love; and a teenager, caught on a stolen scooter, grapples with his family history. In all, Zhang struggles stubbornly against a wet, inky-black city, which threatens to infect him with its violence and corruption. From science fiction, which evokes the gritty, dystopian aesthetic of Blade Runner and Minority Report, to an engrossing crime drama and a romance, all tied together by an ambient, Max Richter-esque score and rich cinematography, Wi Ding crafts an absorbing narrative of transience and isolation, of finding one’s place in a cold concrete jungle. Though each vignette could stand separately as a short film in its integrity and depth, the genre-traversing whole is impressively cohesive, as Zhang navigates the gloom in an auto bus, races through the streets on the back of a motorcycle, sprints along empty sidewalks and alleys, and searches for fulfillment in an inhospitable world.

Awards: Toronto International Film Festival 2018 (Platform Prize) Golden Horse Film Festival 2018 (Best Supporting Actress)

Clemency USA 2019

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 6:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 3:00 PM

Director: Ho Wi Ding

Producers: Ho Wi Ding

Hu Chih-Hsin

Winnie Lau

Alexis Perrin

Ronan Wong

Chen Shih-Yong

Screenwriter: Ho Wi Ding

Cinematographer: Jean-Louis Vialard

Editors: Ho Wi Ding

Lee Huey

Music: Robin Coudert

Cast: Lu Huang

Hong-Chi Lee

Louise Grinberg

Jack Kao

Ning Ding

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Wild Bunch

Selected Filmography: Beautiful Accident (2017) Our Sister Mambo (2015) Pinoy Sunday (2009)

In this film’s harrowing opening scene—the first of many in writer/director Chinonye Chukwu’s hard-hitting, and extensively researched, prison drama—the 12th execution in Warden Bernadine Williams’ tenure does not go as it should, and we are not spared the hideous details. As the woman charged with overseeing them (including informing the condemned men about what exactly the procedure entails), she may have thought her just-doing-my-job emotional armor was impervious, but these horrifying circumstances open, and slowly widen, a crack. The clock is winding down for another death-row inmate, Anthony (Aldis Hodge), whose hope for a reprieve decreases daily even though his guilt is in question. (Introducing shades of gray to the issue, the mother of the man Anthony was convicted of killing also has her say.) Anthony’s beatendown defense attorney, the media attention, and the anti-death penalty protestors gathering outside the prison (their chants audible from her office) add to Williams’ emotional pressure. All this, plus the resulting insomnia and bar-hopping self-anesthetizing, also takes a toll on her marriage. Winner of the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2019, Clemency is already being talked of as a career-best performance for Alfre Woodard as Williams, caught gruelingly in the crack between power and powerlessness: in charge of the procedure, but with no ability to change the system.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2019 (US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Chinonye Chukwu

Producers: Bronwyn Cornelius

Julian Cautherley

Peter Wong

Timur Bekbosunov

Screenwriter: Chinonye Chukwu

Cinematographer: Eric Branco

Editor: Phyllis Housen

Music: Kathryn Bostic

Cast: Alfre Woodard

Aldis Hodge

Richard Schiff

Wendell Pierce

Richard Gunn

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: NEON

Film Website: acepictures.com/project/ clemency

Selected Filmography: Alaskaland (2012)

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

DENMARK/NORWAY/SWEDEN/BELGIUM 2019

SUNDAY, MAY 19 12:30 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 21 8:45 PM

Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger states that his film is either a great feat of journalism or just a huge conspiracy theory. Regardless, by using the death of UN General Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld, whose airplane mysteriously crashed in what is now Zambia in 1961, as an entry point into a bigger story about an antiblack transnational crime, you get sucked in. First we witness a man in a white suit (Brügger himself) dictating a story to two African women about the very plausible assassination of the seemingly mild-mannered Swedish bureaucrat, who was in fact a daring activist who truly sought to help liberate African nations working their way out from under the oppressions of colonialism. But the powers that be were not happy. Next we are shown clues pointing toward a Belgian-British mercenary pilot for hire, forged log books, eyewitnesses, and even a photo showing the placement of the ace of spades in the collar of Hammarskjöld’s lifeless body. This is when the story really begins to take off, resulting in a crazy, chilling documentary that is unforgettable in its claims. — Tracy Rector

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2019 (World Cinema Documentary Directing Award)

Movies that Matter 2019 (Camera Justitia Award)

One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2019 (Best Director)

Cold Sweat

IRAN 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 21 6:00 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 26 6:00 PM

Director: Mads Brügger

Producers: Peter Engel

Bjarte Mørner Tveit

Andreas Rocksén

Screenwriter: Mads Brügger

Cinematographer: Tore Vollan

Editor: Nicolás Nørgaard

Staffolani

Music: John Erik Kaada

Featuring: Göran Björkdahl

Mads Brügger

Running Time: 128 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, French, Bemba, Swedish, and Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales: DR Sales

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: facebook.com/ColdCaseHammarskjold

Selected Filmography: The Saint Bernard Syndicate (2018)

The Ambassador (Doc., 2011)

The Red Chapel (Doc., 2009)

Based on a true story, Cold Sweat is a riveting drama about an Iranian futsal champion, Afrooz, who finds herself unable to travel to the biggest match of her life without her husband’s permission. (Futsal is a form of indoor soccer played on a handball court.) Unfortunately for her, they’re in the middle of a protracted and acrimonious divorce. While initially supportive of his wife’s career in professional sports, Yaser has gotten increasingly resentful and controlling in response to her success. Desperate to compete, Afrooz tries everything: She bargains with her husband; she tries to enlist the league to support her; she hires a lawyer and takes her case to court; she even launches a social-media campaign. But Yaser is bent on revenge (and on preventing what he suspects may be a bid to emigrate), and with the law on his side, there’s nothing to stop him. Taut and timely, Cold Sweat features a powerhouse performance by Baran Kosari as a talented athlete and the captain of her team on one hand, and a woman who doesn’t even have control over her own movements on the other. — Justine Barda

Awards:

Fajr International Film Festival 2018 (Best Actor, Supporting Actress,Film Editing)

Director: Soheil Beiraghi

Producer: Mehdi Davari

Screenwriter: Soheil Beiraghi

Cinematographer: Farshad Mohammadi

Editors: Bahram Dehghani

Mohammad Najarian

Music:

Karen Homayoonfar

Cast:

Baran Kosari

Amir Jadidi

Sahar Dowlatshai

Leili Rashidi

Hoda Zeinolabedin

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales: Noori Pictures

Print Source: Noori Pictures

Film Website: Nooripictures.com

Selected Filmography: Me (2015)

Sponsored by Anonymous, Babak and Sinikka Parviz, Michael and Neda Nassirian, Nima Foroutan DDS, Follow Your Feet Productions, American Iranian Business Council, ARVR Academy, Mike Moghaddas Realty, Shirin’s Chic Design, The Naini Family Foundation, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department at UW, Iranian American Faculty at UW, Radio Iranshahr, and Seattle Isfahan Sister City Association

A Colony

CANADA (QUÉBEC) 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM ARK LODGE

THURSDAY, MAY 23 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Caught between her own insecurities and the pressure from her new schoolmates to fit in, 12-year-old Mylia (Émilie Bierre) is having trouble figuring out who she is and where she belongs. After a shaky past, enrolling at a new school in a new neighborhood is less of a fresh start and more of a terrifying new risk. However, her fear of being bullied again is matched only by her fear of not fitting in, so when she’s befriended by the confident and popular Jacinthe (Cassandra GosselinPelletier), she ignores all red flags and dives headfirst into a new lifestyle of teen partying, sex, and popularity contests. Mylia also meets Jimmy (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), a First Nations boy considered an outsider by the cool kids at their school. As her friendship with Jimmy blossoms, it begins to heavily clash with her new social standing, which, when paired with her troubled family life, provides the perfect stage for disaster. A slightly harsher Eighth Grade with more of a cultural and social-justice focus, A Colony is an emotionally sensitive look at teenage peer pressure, prototypical familial expectations, internalized racism, and the traumatic circumstances that often push teens into adulthood long before they’re ready.

Awards: Berlin Film Festival 2019 (Best Feature Film) Whistler Film Festival 2018 (Best Canadian Feature, Performance, Direction)

Canadian Screen Awards 2019 (Best Film, Actress, First Feature)

Québec City Film Festival 2018 (Grand Prix)

UNE INTIME CONVICTION

Conviction

FRANCE 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 31 4:00 PM KIRKLAND PC MONDAY, JUNE 3 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Geneviève Dulude-De

Celles

Producers: Sarah Mannering

Fanny Drew

Screenwriter: Geneviève Dulude-De

Celles

Cinematographers: Léna Mill-Reuillard

Etienne Roussy

Editor: Stéphane Lafleur

Music: Mathieu Charbonneau

Cast: Émilie Bierre

Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie

Irlande Côté

Cassandra Gosselin

Pelletier

Noémie Godin-Vigneau

Robin Aubert

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Indie Sales

Print Source: Indie Sales

Film Website: indiesales.eu/a-colony

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Law professor Jacques Viguier (Laurent Lucas, Raw) is on trial for his wife’s murder. It’s been nine years since her disappearance and, though public opinion isn’t on his side, he is acquitted due to lack of evidence. But when the prosecution appeals and declares that another trial will commence, it seems like the entire legal system is out to get him. That is, not if Nora (Marina Foïs, also in SIFF 2019’s Sink or Swim) has anything to say about it. A single mother and brasserie chef, Nora has painstakingly gathered everything she could on the first trial and locates the region’s best lawyer, Eric Dupond-Moretti (Olivier Gourmet, Two Days One Night), pleading for him to take the case. He’s initially reluctant, fearing his reputation if he lost a murder case that doesn’t even have a body, but finally accepts due to the diligence of her report. And armed with 250 hours of recorded, phone-tapped evidence that was prohibited in the first trial, maybe they have a chance. But when her true relation to the case is revealed, their partnership takes a hit that could turn an acquittal into a conviction. Based on a true story, Antoine Raimbault’s crackling nail-biter is a cannonball of a legal thriller that never lets up for even a second.

Director: Antoine Raimbault

Producer: Caroline Adrian

Screenwriters: Antoine Raimbault

Isabelle Lazard

Cinematographer: Pierre Cottereau

Editor: Jean-Baptiste Beaudoin

Music: Grégoire Auger

Cast: Marina Foïs

Olivier Gourmet Laurent Lucas

Running Time: 111 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Charades

Print Source: Charades

Film Website: distribution.mementofilms.com/film/infos/94

Selected Filmography: Your Violence (2013) Good Dog (2002) 24/24 (2001)

Crystal Swan

BELARUS/RUSSIA/GERMANY/USA

2018

FRIDAY, MAY 24 9:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

FRIDAY, MAY 31 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 2:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In her debut tragic comedy, director Darya Zhuk reveals a multilayered vision of time and place and paints a bright, kitschy, vibrant backdrop of familial dynamics and cultural traditions. It’s the 1990s in Minsk, Belarus, and young female DJ Velya (Alina Nasibullina) feels misplaced and alienated; she loves house-music mixes from Chicago and dreams of going to America. To get a U.S. visa and escape her native country once and for all, Velya devises a risky scheme that derails her into a backwater village, where she insinuates herself into the bosom of a family of strangers. More than cliché, director Zhuk digs deep into the roots of her homeland with realistic characters that are tender as well as fatally flawed.

Crystal Swan, and Zhuk’s short films (such as SXSW 2015 winner What Doesn’t Kill You), are fun and unapologetic stories about strong, diverse, and sometimes shocking women.

Crystal Swan, Belarus’ first Oscar® submission in 22 years, is a true portrait of a young woman who is hungry for music and who searches for that elusive feeling of freedom we all desire. —

Ajaja

Awards:

Official Oscar® Submission 2019 (Foreign Language Film)

Bratislava International Film Festival 2018 (FIPRESCI Award)

Cork Film Festival 2018 (Youth Jury Award)

Director:

Darya Zhuk

Producers:

Birgit Goernbock

Olga Goister

Debbie Vandermeulen

Valery Dmitrotchenko

Screenwriter:

Helga Landauer

Cinematographer: Carolina Costa

Editors:

Sergey Dmitrenko

Michal Leszczylowski

Music: Oliver Achatz

Cast: Alina Nasibullina

Ivan Mulin

Anastasia Garvey

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Russian and, English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Loco Films

Print Source: Loco Films

Film Website: loco-films.com/crystalswan

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

David Crosby: Remember My Name

USA 2019

FRIDAY, MAY 24 6:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 25 1:30 PM

“I should be dead,” ’60s avatar David Crosby said in a CNN interview a full 30 years ago. But, against all odds, he still isn’t: The man whom Vanity Fair calls “the voice, mustache, and replaced liver of a generation” just sat for his film portrait. Relentlessly probing interview questions from producer Cameron Crowe form its bulk, and Crosby, whose life was practically a template for music-biz hedonist excess, lays it all out: the combativeness, the breakups, the deaths, the sex, the sex, the sex, the sex, and above all the drugs—not shying from an honest assessment of their toll on his health, on his relationships, and, most regretted, on other people. Interviews with Graham Nash and Neil Young—archival, necessarily, since they aren’t currently speaking with their ex-bandmate—are also included. Outside the studio, Crosby visits the Kent State campus to recall the 1970 murders there and the song, “Ohio,” he wrote in protest, and shows director A.J. Eaton the then-home of Joni Mitchell (Crosby says his romance with her was like “falling into a cement mixer”) where in 1968 he, Nash, and Stephen Stills first met and harmonized. But today, at 77, Crosby’s found, and had his music-making rejuvenated by, younger colleagues; even though the market for boomer nostalgia is insatiable, he’s chosen to move ahead, and save his look back for this revealing doc.

Director: A.J. Eaton

Producers: Cameron Crowe

Michele Farinola

Greg Mariotti

Cinematographers: Edd Lukas

Ian Coad

Editors: Elisa Bonora

Veronica Pinkham

Music: Marcus Eaton

Bill Laurance

Featuring: David Crosby

Jan Crosby

Roger McQuinn

Henry Diltz

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: theuncool.com/films/ david-crosby-remembermy-name/

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Days to Come

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 6:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 4:30 PM

Though they’ve only been together for a year, journalist Vir and upstart attorney Lluís (real-life couple María Rodríguez Soto and David Verdaguer) have the kind of relationship that thrives on blunt honesty and emotional forthrightness in all matters. After finding out they’re unexpectedly pregnant, the couple approaches the issue with the same sense of openness and candor, opting not to become parents for the time being. But when an emotional game of pros and cons on the eve of the procedure ends with the pair changing course and choosing to accept parenthood, suddenly being young, beautiful, and in love doesn’t seem to be enough. Faced with the stark realities of bringing a child into this modern world, Vir openly grapples with the feeling that she’s “a fraud of a person,” while Lluís takes a soul-crushing job at his uncle’s law firm for the stability it will provide. Amid all this, intense doubts as to the strength of their connection rise to the surface, taking their relationship to the breaking point, in this raw and intimate third feature from writer/director Carlos Marqués-Marcet (SIFF 2014’s 10.000 KM, SIFF 2018’s Anchor and Hope). — Hebe Tabachnik

Awards: Malaga Film Festival 2019 (Best Spanish Film, Director, Supporting Actress, Youth Jury Prize)

Deadtectives

USA 2018

KIRKLAND PC

Director: Carlos Marqués-Marcet

Producers: Tono Folguera

Sergi Moreno

María Zamora

Screenwriters: Carlos Marqués-Marcet

Clara Roquet

Coral Cruz

Cinematographer: Alex Garcia

Editors: Oscar de Gispert

Ana Pfaff

Carlos Marqués-Marcet

Music: Maria Arnal

Featuring: David Verdaguer

María Rodríguez Soto

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Catalan and Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Factory Entertainment

Print Source: Film Factory Entertainment

Film Website: filmfactoryentertainment. com/project/the-daysto-come

Selected Filmography: Anchor and Hope (2017) 10.000 KM (2014)

FRIDAY, MAY 24 MIDNIGHT

TUESDAY, MAY 28 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

After years of diminishing ratings, paranormal reality-TV show “DeadTectives” is on the verge of cancellation; haunted hot tubs and vengeful cupcake bakers no longer draw enough viewers to sell Diet Dew soda. Given one last chance by a foul-mouthed network executive, Sam (Chris Geere, FX’s “You’re the Worst”) and his team—wife and producer Kate, smart-alecky co-host Javier, and Sam’s daft brother Lloyd, the team’s only true believer in the supernatural—are dispatched to Mexico’s most infamous haunted mansion. With a seriously disturbed special-effects supervisor and a domineering new producer at the helm, they are determined to manufacture an excess of ghostly thrills for a supernatural spectacular. However, when the evil secrets from the mansion’s past begin to reveal themselves, our hapless heroes quickly discover the house is no hoax. With zero ghost-hunting skills (or really any other applicable skills) the team has to figure out a way to bust the ghosts, deliver the episode of a lifetime, and, most important, escape the house with their lives. With his feature-film debut, director Tony West achieves a tremendous feat by delivering both giggles and chills in this perfectly balanced horror comedy. — Dan Doody

Director:

Tony West

Producers: Daniel Posada

Jason Tamasco

Screenwriters: Tony West

David Clayton Rogers

Mark Riley

Cris Rice

Cinematographer: Andre Lascaris

Editor: Nicole West

Music: Mark Sayfritz

Cast:

Chris Geere

Martha Higareda

Tina Ivlev

David Newman

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Odin’s Eye Entertainment

Print Source: Odin’s Eye Entertainment

Film Website: odinseyeent.com/ deadtectives

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Death of Dick Long USA 2019

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 9:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 2:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

How many wrong steps can two idiots make to cover up their mistakes? This Alabamaset film attempts to provide an answer, with usually hilarious, sometimes poignant, results. Director Daniel Scheinert, half of the directing team behind the inventive 2016 comedy Swiss Army Man, plays the title character, a hard-drinking dirtbag who parties hard with his buddies, Zeke (Michael Abbott Jr.) and Earl (Andre Hyland), using guns, fireworks, and a total lack of common sense. By the end of the evening, however, Dick is grievously wounded under mysterious circumstances. His panicked pals dump Dick at a hospital entrance and speed off before discovering later that Dick’s injuries were fatal, setting them off on a farcical journey, where everything that can go wrong eventually does. From bloodstains that won’t go away to an attempt to ditch their car in a too-shallow lake, Zeke and Earl dig themselves deeper at every turn, eventually attracting the attention of two local cops (Sarah Baker and Janelle Cochrane). Scheinert’s solo directorial debut appears at first to be merely a redneck romp, but takes a more emotional turn when the true story behind Dick’s horrific death is unveiled. Dick Long is not only a deeply funny comedy that gently tweaks Southern stereotypes; it ends up being a sobering exploration of modern masculinity, friendship, and guilt.

非同凡響

Distinction

HONG KONG 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 8:30 PM KIRKLAND PC

MONDAY, JUNE 3 9:30 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 4:00 PM

Director:

Daniel Scheinert

Producers:

Jonathan Wang

Daniel Scheinert

Melodie Sisk

Ted Speaker

Screenwriter: Billy Chew

Cinematographer:

Ashley Connor

Editor:

Paul Rogers

Music:

Andy Hull

Robert McDowell

Cast:

Michael Abbott Jr.

Virginia Newcomb

Andre Hyland

Sarah Baker

Janelle Cochrane

Daniel Scheinert

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

Print Source: A24

Film Website: a24films.com/films/thedeath-of-dick-long

Selected Filmography: Swiss Army Man (2016)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

With his tender, socially conscious film Distinction, director Jevons Au follows three characters and illuminates an unhealthy educational system that provides little sympathy for students with mental and physical disabilities: Ms. Tsu (Jo Koo), a music teacher at a school for students with disabilities, is assigned the task of supervising an extracurricular musical production; Zoey (Jennifer Ku) is an underachiever at a high-achieving school who volunteers to help with the production so she can earn extra credit and appease her parents; Ka Ho (Kaki Sham) is a poor, rebellious student who lives with his brother with a mental disability, and has no choice but to get involved with the musical lest he be kicked out of school. Because Hong Kong’s mainstream community views musical theater as a frivolous waste of time, no one initially wants to be involved with the production. However, it ultimately gives them a renewed sense of purpose, and teaches them about potential within themselves that had previously been lying dormant. Although Au is clearly targeting people and institutions that systematically fail children with mental disabilities, Distinction also shines a light on attitudes that are detrimental to the emotional development of kids, who are encouraged to disregard passion projects in favor of achieving arbitrary standards.

Director: Jevons Au

Producers:

Winnie Tsang

Catherine Wong

Screenwriters: Jevons Au

Ashley Cheung

Chuiyi Chung

Cinematographer: Zhang Ying

Editor:

Emily Leung

Music:

Charles Lau

Martin Lai

Cast:

Jo Koo

Jennifer Yu

Kaki Sham

Chung King-fai

Stephen Au

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Golden Scene Company

Limited

Print Source: Golden Scene Company

Limited

Film Website: facebook.com/distinctionmovie

Selected Filmography: Trivisa (2016)

The Dive

ISRAEL 2018

MONDAY, MAY 27 5:30 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 28 3:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 31 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Starring the director himself as well as his real-life brothers, Yona Rozenkier’s The Dive exposes the emotional impact of conflict on three brothers reuniting for funeral duties at their childhood kibbutz. Their dead father’s manipulative last request, designed from the grave to reconcile the three, instead inflames long-simmering rifts in a surreal setting of distant shelling, direct missile hits, and ABBA. Yoav (Yoel Rozenkier) is the prodigal son who has been lost to his brothers since leaving the army under a cloud. Itai (Yona Rozenkier) is the brother who stayed behind, still on army reserve and responsible for the security of the elderly kibbutz diehards who have remained when all others are gone. Little brother Avishai (Micha Rozenkier) is expected to complete his military service in real combat in Lebanon once his father’s funeral weekend is over. But Avi is woefully underprepared—both his fear and lack of readiness make him a perfect target for his two brothers’ competing views on the value of service and the call to duty. War, both literally and figuratively, looms large in this part of the world, where the expectation to fight and the pressure to “man up” takes center stage. The Dive is a 2018 SIFF New Works-inProgress project. —

Awards: Jerusalem International Film Festival 2018 (Best Israeli Film, Debut Film, Actor, Cinematography)

Director: Yona Rozenkier

Producers: Kobi Mizrahi

Efrat Cohen

Screenwriter: Yona Rozenkier

Cinematographer: Oded Ashkenazi

Editor: Or Lee-Tal

Music: Israel Bright

Cast: Yoel Rozenkier

Yona Rozenkier

Claudia Dulitchi

Shmuel Edelman

Miki Marmur

Micha Rozenkier

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Hebrew and Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Stray Dogs

Print Source: Stray Dogs

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

DJ NicFit Presents Fantastic Planet

FRANCE/CZECHOSLOVAKIA

1973

THURSDAY, MAY 30 7:00 PM

In 1973, French animator René Laloux and artist Roland Topor wowed the Cannes Film Festival with their phantasmagorical work of science fiction, a hallucinatory futuristic animated parable set on the faraway planet of Ygam, where knowledge is power and a race of blue giants (Draags) act as oppressors to tiny humanoid creatures (Oms). By turns surreal and graceful, brutal and emotional, the film’s unprecedented visual style helped it to become an instant counterculture classic. Now, DJ Nicholas “NicFit” Gilmore takes Fantastic Planet one step further into the stratosphere with a carefully curated soundtrack featuring the music of alternativerock icons The Flaming Lips. The modern psychedelic music of Wayne Coyne and the Lips provide the perfect sonic complement to the film, sharing similar motifs of sociopolitical commentary, rebellion, and general hallucinogenic mind-fuckery. DJ NicFit, known throughout the Pacific Northwest for his innovative mashups of beloved films with indieinspired soundtracks, returns to SIFF after last year’s wildly popular all-Queen interpretation of Highlander. He has dug into the deepest recesses of The Flaming Lips catalogue to craft this all-new, mind-altering reimagining, as performed live on two turntables only at this one-of-a-kind screening event. — Clinton McClung

Awards: Cannes Film Festival 1973 (Special Prize)

Director: René Laloux

Producers: Simon Damiani

André Valio-Cavaglione

Anatole Dauman

Screenwriters: René Laloux

Roland Topor

Stefan Wul

Cinematographers: Boris Baromykin

Lubomir Rejthar

Editors: Hélène Arnal

Marta Látalová

Dick Elliott

Rich Harrison

Music: Alain Goraguer

Cast: Jennifer Drake

Eric Baugin

Sylvie Lenoir

Jean Topart

Jean Valmont

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Janus Films

Film Website: janusfilms.com/ films/1642

Selected Filmography: Gandahar (1987)

Time Masters (Les Maîtres du Temps) (1982)

A Dog Called Money

FRIDAY, MAY 31 4:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 8:30 PM

Alternative-music icon PJ Harvey’s ninth studio album, 2016’s “The Hope Six Demolition Project,” was created through a unique process that blended travelogue, photography, performance art, and now a documentary feature. It began when Harvey, looking to develop a new set of politically tinged songs that would also evoke a tangible sense of place, decided to accompany award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker Seamus Murphy as he travelled on assignments to war-torn regions in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as to the poor, mostly black neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. As Murphy filmed, Harvey personally interacted with the members of the different communities and wrote her impressions in a diary, crafting song lyrics and melodies based on the stories she uncovered. Back in London, Harvey and her band experimented with these new songs during a live sound installation called “Recording in Progress” at the distinguished Somerset House, generating an album’s worth of material entirely within a glass-walled recording studio, with members of the public invited to watch. Chronicling the entire project, and even including a handful of songs not on the final album, A Dog Called Money is Murphy’s inspiring, expressionistic document of this unprecedented collaborative experiment. — Clinton McClung

SHORELINE CC

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Seamus Murphy

Producers: Isabel Davis

Katie Holly

James Wilson

Seamus Murphy

Screenwriter: Seamus Murphy

Cinematographer: Seamus Murphy

Editor: Seamus Murphy

Music: Polly Jean Harvey

Featuring: PJ Harvey

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Autlook Filmsales

Print Source: Autlook Filmsales

Film Website: autlookfilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The special bond between a shy child and a reclusive elderly neighbor has been fodder for suburban dramas for many years, often with mixed results. But in the hands of KoreanAmerican director Andrew Ahn, this simplytold tale contains enough subtlety and nuance to let its characters evolve in unexpected ways. Newcomer Lucas Jaye plays Cody, the eight-year-old son of Kathy (Hong Chau), a Korean-American who reluctantly relocates across the country to clean out the house of her estranged, recently deceased hoarder sister. As Kathy picks through the enormous pile of junk, Cody tries to adjust—awkwardly—to kids his own age. He has surprisingly better luck with Del, an elderly, taciturn Korean War vet neighbor (Brian Dennehy), who seems just as likely to tell Cody to get off his lawn as invite him inside. As the two warily assess each other, Cody and Del realize they are both lonely misfits, longing for friendship. Dennehy, so often wasted in tiny cinematic roles, has time and space here to develop Del’s character arc, from embittered widower to concerned father figure, seeking to rectify past mistakes. Driveways appears to be a quiet, uncomplicated drama about a boy befriending an old man, but slowly reveals its probing commentary on racism, immigration, generational conflicts, and sexual orientation in modern-day America.

Director:

Andrew Ahn

Producers:

Celine Rattray

Trudie Styler

James Schamus

Joe Pirro

Nicolaas Bertelsen

Screenwriters: Hannah Bos

Paul Thureen

Cinematographer:

Ki Jin Kim

Editor: Katherine McQuerry

Music: Jay Wadley

Cast:

Hong Chau

Brian Dennehy

Lucas Jaye

Christine Ebersole

Jerry Adler

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: ICM Partners

Print Source:

Symbolic Exchange

Selected Filmography: Spa Night (2016)

Eastern Memories

FINLAND 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 19 3:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 8:30 PM

Past and present collide in this travelogue that uses 100-year-old diaries to comment on modern-day Mongolia and Japan, and modernization in general. The diaries were written by G.J. Ramstedt, a Finnish linguist and all-around fascinating guy who was sent to Mongolia to study the language and help create a written record of it, and who fell in love with the land and the people. Instead of searching for archival footage to support the history, co-directors Martti Kaartinen and Niklas Kullström set out on the same journey and shot new footage of the cities and lands that Ramstedt wrote so eloquently about. Everything is the same but different, which changes not just how you look at the current footage but also how you think about the past. In addition to the original text and some beautiful cinematography, they include interviews with people they’ve met, such as a couple of hip-hop artists who rap in Mongolian and who credit Ramstedt for keeping their language alive. When Finland broke away from Russia after the 1917 revolution, Ramstedt was called upon to be the Finnish diplomat in Japan, where he ended up doing groundbreaking work in studying the Korean language. Turns out he’s not only the best guide to this region but the perfect subject for a film. — Andy Spletzer

Awards: Monterrey Film Festival 2018 (Best International Documentary)

El Ángel

ARGENTINA/SPAIN 2018

PACIFIC PLACE

MAJESTIC BAY

SHORELINE CC

Directors: Niklas Kullström

Martti Kaartinen

Producer: Niklas Kullström

Screenwriter: Martti Kaartinen

Cinematographer: Niklas Kullström

Editor: Niklas Kullström

Music: Rasmus Hedlund

Featuring: Michael O’Flaherty

Voice of G. J. Ramstedt

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Mongolian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Filmotor

Print Source: Filmotor

Film Website: easternmemories.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SATURDAY, MAY 18 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

THURSDAY, MAY 30 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

With his cascade of lush blonde locks and a sexy, slinky, denim-clad swagger, baby-faced 19-year-old Carlitos (newcomer Lorenzo Ferro in a star-making performance) seems to be the picture of innocence itself, a heaven-sent gift whose biggest crime is being an eternal tease to women and men alike. But behind his angelic face lies a soullessness that thinks nothing of breaking into whichever home he pleases and taking whatever he wants; for “Blondie,” as he’s colloquially known, robbery and theft come as naturally as breathing. When this self-proclaimed “gift from God” befriends handsome, troubled criminal-in-training Ramón (Chino Darin), the pair quickly move from breaking and entering to cold-blooded murder, earning the wide-eyed outlaw the nickname “Angel of Death” and leaving a bloody swath of terror throughout early-’70s Buenos Aires; he became Argentina’s most wanted, feared, and infamous outlaw. Luis Ortega, co-writer and director, portrays this young delinquent without complexes, in a sarcastic, irrepressible way in his new film executive produced by Pedro Almodóvar. It is near-impossible not to get swept up in the adrenaline of this irreverent gem. — Hebe Tabachnik

Awards:

Official Oscar® Submission 2019 (Foreign Language Film)

FEST International Film Festival 2019 (Jury Prize)

Havana Film Festival 2018 (Best Actor)

Fenix Film Awards 2018 (Best Actor)

Director: Luis Ortega

Producers: Pedro Almodóvar

Agustín Almodóvar

Hugo Sigman

Sebastían Ortega

Screenwriters: Luis Ortega

Rodolfo Palacios

Sergio Olguín

Cinematographer: Julián Apezteguía

Editor: Guillermo Gatti

Cast: Lorenzo Ferro

Chino Darín

Mercedes Morán

Daniel Fanego

Luis Gnecco

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Factory Entertainment

Print Source: 1091 Media

Film Website: filmfactoryentertainment. com/project/el-angel

Selected Filmography: Lulu (2014)

Dromómanos (2012)

Damn Summer (2011)

The Dirty Saints (2009) Monobloc (2005) Black Box (2002)

Emma Peeters

BELGIUM/CANADA 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 28 8:45 PM

SHORELINE CC

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN FRIDAY, MAY 31 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

As she approaches 35, humiliations are piling up for Emma Peeters (Monia Chokri). Even the one thing that is going right—she’s a great salesperson of television sets—is mortifying, because she’s trying to be an actress. (Being named Employee of the Month at the drab big-box store where she works outrages her.) She’s recognized for one stupid detergent commercial; her lame acting class isn’t helping; and, since she believes “35 is the expiry date for actresses,” she decides she may as well end it all. While working through her to-do list in her final week—making funeral plans and arranging one last sexytime—she meets a slightly goony mortician, Alex (Fabrice Adde), who may be able to help her cross off both of those. Nicole Palo’s direction and script for this insouciant, oh-so-French comedy is funniest when it’s sending up the acting profession: acting-class satires are never not funny, and Alex shows Emma how to bull-merde her way through an industry party. And considering the premise leaves open only two possible endings—Emma either follows through with her plan or doesn’t—it’s impressive how adroitly Palo keeps the surprises aloft in the film’s final act.

Awards:

Monte-Carlo Film Festival 2019 (Best Director)

Director:

Nicole Palo

Producers:

Gregory Zalcman

Alon Knoll

Serge Noel

Screenwriter: Nicole Palo

Cinematographer: Tobie Marier Robitaille

Editor:

Frédérique Broos

Music:

Robert Marcel Lepage

Cast:

Monia Chokri

Fabrice Adde

Stéphanie Crayencour

Andréa Ferréol

Anne Sylvain

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: True Colours Glorious

Films

Print Source: True Colours Glorious

Films

Film Website: truecolours.it/catalogue/ emma-peeters

Selected Filmography: Get Born (2009)

Enamorada

MEXICO 1946

MONDAY, JUNE 3 6:30 PM

José Juan Reyes, general of rebel forces during the Mexican Revolution, definitely has his priorities straight. When he and his troops take over the town of Cholula, he immediately announces he’s going to soak the local rich. He befriends the gentle young priest (they were in seminary together) and gives 2,000 pesos to the poor school teacher, but the weaselly mayor, trying to play both sides, gets shot. He then meets and falls for Beatriz, daughter of Cholula’s richest man, and the two begin to spar. Does this shrew get tamed? No, por Dios!—she ends the film as headstrong and proud as ever, while Reyes is the one who folds like a card table, wooing her with words rather than taking her with force. Eventually Beatriz must choose for herself whether to go off with the low-born but dashing general. All this makes the juicily enjoyable, buttonpushing Enamorada (seen here in a restoration overseen by Martin Scorsese) as near to a feminist film as you’re going to get from a Catholic country in 1946. Pedro Armendáriz and María Félix, two of the biggest stars of the golden age of Mexican cinema, play Reyes and Beatriz; Félix, in particular, combining the patrician willfulness of Hepburn, the I’m-incharge seductiveness of Gardner, and the palpitating emotionality of Garland, is here at her peak.

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with Fundacion Televisa AC and Filmoteca de la UNAM. Restoration funded by the Material World Charitable Foundation.

Director: Emilio Fernández

Producer: Benito Alazraki

Screenwriters: Benito Alazraki

Emilio Fernandez

Iñigo de Martino

Cinematographer: Gabriel Figueroa

Editor:

Gloria Schoemann

Music:

Pedro Galindo

Eduardo Hernandez

Moncada

Cast:

María Félix

Pedro Armendáriz

Fernando Fernandez

Jose Morcillo

Eduardo Arozamena

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: UCLA Film & Television

Archive

Selected Filmography:

Zona roja (1975)

La Choca (1974)

Pueblito (1962)

El impostor (1958)

Río Escondido (1947)

La Perla (1947)

María Candelaria (1943)

Flor silverstre (1943)

Soypuro mexicano (1942)

La isla de la pasión (1941)

Engineering with Nature - An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 2:00 PM

SEATTLE CENTRAL LIBRARY

Engineering with Nature – An Ode to Water, Wood and Stone is a story told over the course of four years. What began as the Thornton Creek Project—a neighborhood flood-control initiative—grew into something with a much greater effect. Because of the City of Seattle’s involvement and community partnerships, these neighborhoods not only no longer flood annually, but the removal of pollutants in the water through natural processes has made the water healthier for wildlife. When a pair of Chinook salmon spawned in the creek, mere feet from their human neighbors, the success of Thornton Creek Project was fully realized. This pilot project has demonstrated a fresh new approach to Urban Land Use Planning, Stormwater Management, Water Quality Treatment, and Stream and Wildlife Habitat Restoration—all of which have implications for coping with the increasing effects of climate change—and continues to reveal its invaluable lessons. One thing is clear: Making an effort toward holistic approaches to heal our planet is key if we are going to overcome the environmental challenges faced by communities everywhere.

Enormous: The Gorge Story

USA 2019

SATURDAY, MAY 25 2:30 PM

Director: Shelly Solomon

Producer: Shelly Solomon

Screenwriter: Kent Cornwell

Cinematographer: Shelly Solomon

Editor: Shelly Solomon

Running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Leaping Frog Films

Film Website: leapingfrogfilms.com/ thorton.html

Selected Filmography: Ebb and Flow (2016)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 28 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Despite being 140 miles from Seattle, The Gorge became “a pilgrimage for the artist and the audience,” according to Jason Mraz, who first played at the amphitheater in the parking lot during one of Dave Matthews’ epic threeday shows. And if you’ve ever been to The Gorge, you know exactly what he means. There’s something undeniably exhilarating about witnessing your favorite band perform with the Columbia Gorge as the backdrop. But did you know this renowned venue started on the backs of two locals, Vince and Carol Bryan, who only wanted to share their wine while listening to live music? The “Champs de Brionne Summer Music Theater” gained notoriety when the Bryans got their first big act in August 1988: Bob Dylan. Weaving together stories from famous artists (like Steve Miller and Train’s Pat Monahan) and from the people who love their music, this documentary reveals how The Gorge, geologically and musically, became The Gorge, with insight from the people who live in the surrounding community and work the events year after year.

Awards:

LA Indie Film Festival 2018 (Best Documentary)

Spokane International Film Festival 2018 (Best Documentary, Audience Award)

PRECEDED BY:

Quest For Fire

United Kingdom, 2018, 6 minutes, Director: Patrik Bergh

When Doug’s family finally has had enough of his obsession, he turns for help from a self-help group with a difference.

Director: Nic Davis

Producer: Tim Williams

Screenwriters: Nic Davis

Brian De HerreraSchnering

Cinematographer: Jeff Hammerton

Editor:

Brian de HerreraSchnering

Music:

Various Artists

Featuring: Dave Matthews

Mike McCready

Jason Mraz

Dierks Bentley

John Oates

Steve Miller

Running Time: 64 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Jack TV

Film Website: enormousmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

EXT. Night

EGYPT/UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 25 8:30 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, MAY 27 8:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 28 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

The latest film from SIFF favorite Ahmad Abdalla (Microphone, Rags and Tatters, Décor) is an exploration of life in contemporary Cairo as seen through the eyes of three characters who come together for one 24-hour period. Moe is a film director, and the film opens on the set of his current project, which is in turmoil. His personal life is no better; his girlfriend has recently left him, and his novelist friend has been sentenced to prison for using “profound language” in his work. Heading across town to edit, he is picked up by taxi driver Mustafa, but due to Cairo’s notorious traffic, their progress is slow. They take a detour to Mustafa’s nephew’s place where they encounter Hala, a sex worker and one of Mustafa’s earlier fares. Together the three embark on a meandering journey around town which lasts the rest of the night, and takes the middle-class Moe into neighborhoods and circumstances that he might not otherwise experience, given Cairo’s social segregation. Class, gender, and religion all contribute to the shifting dynamics among the three characters, in this portrait of Egyptian society in the aftermath of the failed revolution. — Justine Barda

Awards:

Cairo International Film Festival 2018 (Best Actor)

Director:

Ahmad Abdalla

Producers:

Hala Lotfy

Karim Kassem

Ahmad Abdalla

Screenwriter:

Sherif Alfy

Cinematographer: Ahmad Abdalla

Editor:

Sara Abdallah

Cast:

Karim Kassem

Mona Hala

Sherif El Desouky

Ahmad Magdy

Aly Kassem

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Clinic Indie Distribution

Print Source: Film Clinic Indie Distribution

Selected Filmography:

Décor (2014)

Rags & Tatters (2013)

Microphone (2010)

Heliopolis (2009)

EL VIAJE EXTRAORDINARIO DE CELESTE GARCÍA

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

CUBA/GERMANY 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 17 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 28 6:30 PM SHORELINE CC

Ignored by her careless son, mistreated by her selfish sister, and with her days as a beloved schoolteacher behind her, Celeste Garcia (María Isabel Díaz, Volver) sits idly as the days of her drab workaday life pass by, her only bit of happiness coming from her part-time job as a guide at the famous Havana Planetarium. But when the government reveals that aliens from the planet Gyrok have been living in Cuba—her “Russian” neighbor is anything but Russian—and are ready to return the favor by taking select citizens back to their home planet, she unexpectedly finds herself chosen to make the intergalactic trek alongside failed musician Hector Francisco (Néstor Jiménez), insomniac butcher Augusto (Omar Franco), and husband-hunting Perlita (Yerlín Pérez, who can also be seen in the SIFF 2019 film Yuli). Soon, Celeste finds herself face-toface with the joys and fears of renewal—and her own long-buried secret—in this warm, funny directorial debut by acclaimed Cuban screenwriter Arturo Infante that proves you don’t always have to travel to a distant galaxy to find yourself…but it certainly helps. — Hebe  Tabachnik

Director: Arturo Infante

Producers: Claudia Calviño

Ernst Fassbender

Screenwriter: Arturo Infante

Cinematographer: Javier Labrador Deulofeu

Editor:

Joanna Montero

Music: Magda Rosa Galban

Juan Antonio Leyva

Cast:

Maria Isabel Diaz

Omar Franco

Nestor Jimenez

Yerlin Perez

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Film Website: the-match-factory.com/ catalogue/films/theextraordinary-journey-ofceleste-garcia.html

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

A Faithful Man

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 6:30 PM

Imagine you’re Louis Garrel—go with me on this—and your girlfriend of three years tells you she’s pregnant…and that the father happens to be your best friend. Oh, and they’re getting married in a few days. You’d move on with your life, right? Now imagine it’s about a decade later and, suddenly, the same girlfriend comes back into your life, recently widowed and with a precocious young son in tow. Without realizing it, you’ve become enamored with the eight-year-old boy, even humoring his detective-film-fueled theory that his father was poisoned. Add to the mix the girlfriend’s younger sister, still harboring a schoolyard crush on you after all these years, and you get this short and sweet story about life’s unanticipated joys and heartbreaks. With his second directorial feature (after 2015’s Two Friends), Garrel tips his hat at the conventions of the nouvelle vague while building a doozy of a love triangle between him, reallife spouse Laetitia Casta (SIFF 2012’s War of the Buttons), and cinema legacy Lily-Rose Depp (whose mother Vanessa Paradis can be also be seen this Festival in the giallo thriller Knife+Heart), ultimately creating an enticing soufflé of a romantic comedy. — Marcus Gorman

Awards: San Sebastián International Film Festival 2018 (Best Screenplay)

Director: Louis Garrel

Producers: Pascal Caucheteux

Gregoire Sorlat

Screenwriters: Louis Garrel

Jean-Claude Carrière

Cinematographer: Irina Lubtchansky

Editor: Joëlle Hache

Music: Philippe Sarde

Cast: Louis Garrel

Laetitia Casta

Lily-Rose Depp

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Kino Lorber

Film Website: wildbunch.biz/movie/afaithful-man/

Selected Filmography: Two Friends (2015)

LA CHUTE DE L’EMPIRE AMÉRICAIN

The Fall of the American Empire CANADA

(QUÉBEC) 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 17 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Québécois filmmaker Denys Arcand completes his informal trilogy with this thematic follow-up to The Decline of the American Empire (1986) and Oscar®-winner The Barbarian Invasions (2003), and it’s nothing less than a scathing indictment of capitalism and the damning influence of money. Though delivery-truck driver Pierre-Paul (Alexandre Landry) doesn’t have the greatest life, he does what he can to support Montreal’s homeless population through regular handouts and working volunteer shifts at the local shelter. But while out on a delivery, he witnesses a botched robbery that leaves two dead, one injured criminal on the run, and two bags of cash for the taking. Realizing that there are no witnesses, he quickly stows the loot in public storage and contacts Sylvain “The Brain” (Arcand regular Rémy Girard), a lawyer fresh out of prison for financial crimes, so they can figure out how to turn the dirty money into charitable donations. With two cops and an angry Mafia outfit hot on their tail, Pierre-Paul, Sylvain, and an openhearted sex worker named Camille (Maripier Morin) must stay 10 steps ahead of everybody if they hope to change the world for the better. Witty, idealistic, and uncomfortably relevant, The Fall of the American Empire is a satire that cuts like a knife. — Marcus Gorman

Awards: Valladolid Film Festival 2018 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Director: Denys Arcand

Producer: Denise Robert

Screenwriter:

Denys Arcand

Cinematographer: Van Royko

Editor: Arthur Tarnowski

Music: Mathieu Lussier

Louis Dufort

Cast: Alexandre Landry

Maxim Roy

Maripier Morin

Rémy Girard

Louis Morissette

Running Time: 129 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Seville International

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: sonyclassics.com/ thefalloftheamerican empire

Selected Filmography: An Eye for Beauty (2014) Days of Darkness (2007)

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

Stardom (2000)

Love and Human Remains (1999)

Jesus of Montreal (1989)

The Decline of the American Empire (1986)

Taiwan Cinema

A Family Tour

SATURDAY, MAY 18 3:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 24 1:30 PM

MONDAY, MAY 27 8:30 PM

Ying Liang’s debut, Taking Father Home, was a movie that already showed his powerful sense and sensibility. But The Family Tour confirms his ability to convey disconnection, to show how his own experience as an exiled Chinese dissident director can become both personal—autobiographical, almost—and universal, with a caring sense of despair when it comes to finding yourself in the ones who love you. To quote directors like Jia Zhangke or Ning Hao (whose work can be felt in Ying’s cinematic DNA) is to undermine his heartbroken ode to despair. But is also impossible to deny their phantom presence. The movie follows Yang Shu (Gong Zhe), a director who must live in exile—and what better place to feel in exile than that ghost town that is a film festival? Ying uses cinema, both as a setting and as a medium, to create a family drama: He becomes political by making tangible how a daughter/mother relationship and their overdue reunion has been reshaped by exile, making this distance the perfect example of how identity works, of how everyone around us defines our place in the world—even if we don’t call this place home. Ying Liang’s comedy and love takes care of his characters and us, showing how tender his emotional filmmaking style can be.

LINCOLN SQUARE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Ying Liang

Producers: Lee Shu Ping

C.elanopterus

Jeremy Chua

Fang Meng Jen

Screenwriters: Chan Wai

33

Ying Liang

Cinematographer: Otsuka Ryuji

Editor: Liu Yue Xing

Music: Tseng Yun-Fang

Cast: Gong Zhe

Nai An

Pete Teo

Tham Xin Yue

Running Time: 109 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin and Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Golden Scene Company

Limited

Print Source: Golden Scene Company

Limited

Selected Filmography: When Night Falls (2012) Good Cats (2008)

The Farewell

USA/CHINA 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 6:00 PM

When a Chinese family discovers that their matriarch has inoperable lung cancer, they decide to keep her diagnosis a secret from her and instead orchestrate an impromptu wedding that allows the whole family to return home, under the guise of celebration, to say goodbye. In her debut lead performance, comedian/musician Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians) stars as Billi, a writer living in New York City who is told to stay back because her emotions will reveal the secret. Disobeying her family’s orders, Billi travels to China to see her grandmother (charmingly played by Zhou Shuzhen) one last time, simultaneously reflecting on the changes both she and her old Chinese haunts have endured. Chinese law doesn’t require doctors to disclose diagnoses to patients, but after living the majority of her life in the United States, Billi struggles to understand how this secret could ethically or emotionally be the right way to say farewell to her grandmother. Writer/director Lulu Wang creates a heartfelt tale, based on her own stranger-than-fiction family story, that is in each moment joyous, tragic, and comedic, and explores how our cultural heritage evolves when we move away. — Megan Leonard

Director: Lulu Wang

Producers: Daniele Melia

Peter Saraf

Marc Turtletaub

Andrew Miano

Chris Weitz

Jane Zheng

Lulu Wang

Anita Gou

Screenwriter: Lulu Wang

Cinematographer: Anna Franquesa Solano

Editors: Michael Taylor

Matthew Friedman

Music: Alex Weston

Cast: Awkwafina

Tzi Ma

Diana Lin

Zhou Shuzhen

Lu Hong Jiang Yongbo

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Mandarin, with English

subtitles

Print Source: A24

Film Website: bigbeach.com

Selected Filmography: Posthumous (2014)

Farinelli

FRANCE/ITALY/BELGIUM 1994

MONDAY, MAY 20 7:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 25 3:15 PM

The first musicians to gain international fame strictly as performers—the first rock stars, in a sense—were castrati: Promising prepubescent singers underwent an operation that prevented their voices from deepening though they still developed the lung capacity and vocal carrying power of adult men. Back in the 18th century, when opera was Europe’s main mass-culture art form, the best of them earned unbelievable adulation and wealth, and the greatest of all was Carlo Broschi (170582), who took the stage name Farinelli. Gérard Corbiau’s opulent period piece sets up a sort of Mozart/Salieri dynamic between the singer (Stefano Dionisi) and his composer brother Riccardo (Enrico Lo Verso): one touched by God with inexplicable gifts, the other industrious but denied genius and consequently embittered. Jeroen Krabbé plays a scheming, high-strung Handel—yes, the composer of the Christmas classic “Messiah,” who earlier in his career wrote Italian operas by the dozens. There’s also plenty of sex (since accidental issue was never an issue, castrati tended to be very popular among women as lovers). The camp quotient is high, the acting lushly overheated, and the baroque opera arias delicious (the voices of soprano Ewa Malas-Godleska and countertenor Derek Lee Ragin were electronically morphed together to create the superhuman voice Dionisi lip-syncs to).

Director:

Gérard Corbiau

Producer:

Véra Belmont

Screenwriters: Andrée Corbiau

Gérard Corbiau

Cinematographer: Walther van den Ende

Editor: Joëlle Hache

Cast:

Stefano Dionisi

Enrico Lo Verso

Elsa Zylberstein

Jeroen Krabbé

Caroline Cellier

Running Time: 111 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian and French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: filmmovement.com/ educational/film/farinelli

Selected Filmography: Abdel Rahman El Bacha: Un Piano entre Orient et Occident (2015, Doc.)

The King Is Dancing (2000)

Versailles, le visite (1999, Doc.)

L’année de l’éveil (1991)

The Music Teacher (1988)

#Female Pleasure

SWITZERLAND/GERMANY 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 31 6:15 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 4:00 PM

Documentary filmmaker Barbara Miller (Forbidden Voices, SIFF 2013) showcases five extraordinary women from around the world who are fighting to liberate female sexuality from extreme religious and cultural constraints. Born into an ultra-orthodox Hasidic community in Brooklyn, Deborah Feldman found herself at 17 married and expected to offer obedience to a man she did not know, before having a child and deciding to escape; Somali immigrant Leyla Hussein, genitally mutilated as a child, is now a London-based psychotherapist who has challenged the U.N. to protect the rights of Muslim women in fundamentalist countries; manga artist Rokudenashiko creates strikingly original art, including plaster reproductions of her own vulva, in protest of Japan’s demonization of female sexuality as “obscene”; former nun Doris Wagner has become a voice for reform in the Catholic Church after authorities within the Vatican blamed her for “not resisting enough” after she reported being raped by a priest; and in India, educator Vithika Yadav is battling an epidemic of sexual harassment through an innovative education project that challenges strict Hindu conventions against discussing sexuality. Miller has combined the stories of these courageous activists into a surprisingly intimate and life-affirming tale of strength and courage, one that illustrates the value of allowing every woman the right to choose not only female pleasure, but also their own destinies. — Clinton McClung

Awards: Locarno International Film Festival 2018 (Premio Zonta Club Award) Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2019 (Amnesty International Award, WIFT Award)

Director:

Barbara Miller

Producer:

Philip Delaquis

Screenwriter:

Barbara Miller

Cinematographers: Anne Misselwitz

Gabriela Betschart

Akiba Jiro

Editor: Isabel Meier

Music:

Peter Scherer

Martin Kuhnert

Featuring:

Deborah Feldman

Vithika Yadav

Rokudenashiko

Leyla Hussein

Doris Wagner

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in German, English, French, and Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

CAT&Docs

Print Source: Abramorama

Film Website: femalepleasure.org

Selected Filmography: Forbidden Voices (Doc., 2012)

Fig Tree

ETHIOPIA/ISRAEL/GERMANY/FRANCE 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 21 7:15 PM

16-year-old Mina (Betalehem Asmamawe in her first film role) has known nothing but the Ethiopian Civil War. Living with her brother and grandmother, her Jewish family is planning to leave for Israel, where her mother already awaits. But Mina has fallen for Eli, her Christian boyfriend, who has escaped into the woods to avoid the mandatory draft-abduction of Mengistu Haile Mariam’s army. Mina devises a strategy to save Eli, but those plans are not going well. Fig Tree is a semi-autobiographical film based on first-time director Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s experience fleeing her homeland at age 11. Her story focuses, much like Mina, on the moment, assuming that there is nothing in the world but spending time with Eli. When violence erupts, the film’s urgency bubbles over with a tension that is very potent. Davidian’s film feels lived-in, largely because of its attention to the little details of her own experience, while also providing a rare document of the way civil war impacts the everyday lives of people. On the surface this is a simple coming-of-age tale, but Davidian’s grasp of drama is assured in its ability to weave a level of complexity that speaks beyond Mina’s experience. — Dustin Kaspar

Awards: Ophir Awards 2018 (Best Cinematography)

Director: Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian

Producers: Saar Yogev

Naomi Levari

Felix Eisele

Sandrine Brauer

Screenwriter: Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian

Cinematographer: Daniel Miller

Editor: Arik Lahav Leibovich

Music: John Gürtler

Jan Miserre

Cast: Betalehem Asmamawe

Yohanes Muse Weyenshiet Belachew

Mareta Getachew

Mitiku Haylu

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Amharic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Boutique

Print Source: Menemsha Films

Film Website: menemshafilms.com/ fig-tree

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Fight Fam USA 2019

WORLD PREMIERE

TUESDAY, MAY 28 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

With Fighting With My Family, writer/director Stephen Merchant told the true story of Saraya-Jade Bevis (a.k.a. British professional wrestler “Paige”) and the family that supported her ascent through the World Wrestling Entertainment world. Now meet the Fighting Montenegros from Issaquah, Washington. Amy and Dex Montenegro met at the gym— she a rising mixed-martial-arts amateur who turned to the sport in the wake of an abusive relationship; he a retired professional MMA fighter-turned fight coach with three daughters from a previous marriage—and after a quick sparring match followed by a first date at their local Subway, they were inseparable. Amy turned professional and has been killing it on the fight circuit, and now she’s been invited to compete on the 11th iteration of Invicta Fighting Championships, which showcases U.S.-based female fighters. A tough training camp is only one of her challenges; the couple must also act as responsible role models for their young daughters, two of whom wish to continue the family’s athletic dynasty.

PRECEDED BY:

Fayettenam

World Premiere USA, 2019, 9 minutes, Director: Gerald Ding A young girl finds an outlet for her violent childhood, taking her on an unimaginable journey to fighting for a world championship.

PRECEDED BY:

Mikey

World Premiere USA, 2019, 12 minutes, Director: Duane Shrode 12-year-old Mikey Bishop is a dominant junior high school wrestler who was born blind.

Director: Ruben Rodriguez Perez

Producer: Ruben Rodriguez Perez

Cinematographers:

Dominick Campese

Ruben Rodriguez Perez

Ahamaed Iqbal

Cynthia Vance

Casey Leydon

Editor:

Ruben Rodriguez Perez

Featuring: Amy Montenegro

Dex Montenegro

Daniel Eng

Will Hammond

Julie Kedzie

Running Time: 49 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Frumpy Cloud

Film Website: frumpycloud.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Firecrackers

CANADA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 2:30 PM

Fly Rocket Fly

GERMANY/BELGIUM 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 21 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Firecrackers opens with two teenage girls ruthlessly brawling in front of a cheering crowd. One of these is Lou (new talent Michaela Kurimsky), and this explosive introduction perfectly represents the angry, desperate yearning her and her best friend Chantal (actress and music video director Karena Evans) have to leave their small hometown. Lou and Chantal have big dreams, but the first step is to escape to New York City. Yet for a teenage girl, wriggling out from under the thumb of your oppressors—whether your junkie mother or your abusive partner— is never as easy as it sounds. On the night before their plan is supposed to take action, Chantal is assaulted by her possessive ex-boyfriend and things take a dark turn; the girls end up spiraling with nothing to hold on to but each other, if they can even find a grip. The beauty the camera finds amid the girls’ shoddy, unpleasant home lives is evocative of the work of Andrea Arnold (American Honey, 2016) and Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers, 2012), yet writer/director Jasmin Mozaffari clearly has her own unique voice and flair that is endlessly impressive—particularly for a debut feature. Firecrackers is a blistering and beautiful manifesto about what some girls must do to achieve their dreams, even if all that means is escaping their nightmares.

Awards: Canadian Screen Awards 2019 (Best Director)

Director:

Jasmin Mozaffari

Producer:

Caitlin Grabham

Screenwriter:

Jasmin Mozaffari

Cinematographer:

Catherine Lutes

Editor:

Simone Smith

Music:

Casey MQ

Cast:

Michaela Kurimsky

Karena Evans

Callum Thompson

Tamara LeClair

David Kingston

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales:

Séville International

Print Source: Good Deed Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

TUESDAY, MAY 21 6:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY SATURDAY, MAY 25 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, MAY 27 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

The astoundingly Herculean, and ultimately foolhardy, enterprise of German rocket scientist Lutz Kayser to build the first private aerospace company in 1975, decades before Elon Musk’s dreams of SpaceX, is a tale with more twists and turns than a Hollywood thriller. Working with a band of hardworking and talented engineers, Kayser created OTRAG, short for Orbital Transport and Rocket Corporation, despite the fact that the 1954 Treaty of Brussels had prohibited the development and launching of missiles on German soil. Undeterred, he made a controversial deal with General Mobutu Sese Seko, the military dictator of Zaire (today the Democratic Republic of Congo), to lease 39,000 square miles—an area one-tenth the size of the entire country—in order to build a private Cape Canaveral in the heart of the Congolese jungle. But with the Cold War in full effect, fears about the project began to spread, political pressure mounted, an international incident was narrowly avoided, and a tragic accident lead to the death of several crewmembers, bringing OTRAG’s unlikely adventure to an end. As told by many of the original employees of OTRAG, as well as Kayser himself, and featuring a plethora of archival footage from every stage of the project, Fly Rocket Fly separates myth from fact to tell the story of this remarkable undertaking. — Clinton McClung

Director: Oliver Schwehm

Producer: Markus Hilss

Screenwriter: Oliver Schwehm

Cinematographer: Hermann Sowieja

Editor: Helmar Jungmann

Music: Heiko Maile

Featuring: Lutz Kayser

Frank Wuksch

Victor Löbermann

James Oberg

François Heisbourg

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in German, English, and French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Magnetfilm GmbH

Print Source: Magnetfilm GmbH

Film Website: otrag.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Footballest

SPAIN 2018

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 1:00 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 1:00 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 11:30 AM

Sweet and scrawny Pakete just can’t catch a break. The 11-year-old Soto Alto Soccer Club player has just become the all-time penalty kick loser, playing so badly that videos of his many, many blunders have made him a YouTube sensation and have threatened to have his team knocked down to a lower division—and possibly having it replaced by a choir! With only three games left to prove their worth, the club sees a ray of hope with the arrival of talented central winger Helena. But when match referees mysteriously begin passing out mid-game, only to be replaced by a ref with questionable motives, the club quickly realizes that someone, for some reason, has stacked the deck against them. Soon, Pakete and the gang—including brainy Anita, pretty boy Toni, worrywart Angustias, and baby-faced Pedro—join forces to get to the bottom of the conspiracy, uncovering a vast network of scheming, conniving adults and learning the value of friendship and teamwork along the way in this fun and lively adaptation of the popular Spanish children’sbook series “Los Futbolísimos” by Roberto Santiago. — Hebe Tabachnik

For My Father’s Kingdom

NEW ZEALAND 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SHORELINE CC

KIRKLAND PC

Director: Miguel Ángel Lamata

Producers: José A. Sánchez

Fernando de Miguel

Mikel Lejarza

Mercedes Gamero

Screenwriters: Roberto Santiago

Pablo Fernández Vázquez

Miguel Ángel Lamata

Cinematographer: Teo Delgado

Editor: Nacho Blasco

Music: Fernando Velázquez

Cast: Julio Bohigas

Milene Mayer

Marcos Milara

Iker Castiñeira

Jorge Usón

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Factory Entertainment

Print Source: Film Factory Entertainment

Film Website: filmfactoryentertainment.com/project/thefootballest/

Selected Filmography: Our Lovers (2016)

Unresolved Sexual Tension (2010) Isi & Disi, alto voltaje (2006)

Una de Zombis (2003)

SUNDAY, MAY 26 11:30 AM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 27 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

For many native cultures, the bond of family is the strongest thing in nature. However, on the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga, the church may have an equally strong grasp on the people. In this deeply personal documentary by New Zealand artist Vea Mafile’o, of Tongan and Scottish descent, she investigates why her father, Saia Mafile’o, who left Tonga decades ago for New Zealand, still insists on giving nearly everything he earns to the Tongan church. Now in his 70s, Saia lives with Vea, who, along with her brother, Robert, struggles to manage their father’s finances, since nearly every pension check is sent directly to the church. By letting her camera capture much of the Mafile’o family dynamic, Vea lays bare the strain these money problems have placed on their bewildered relatives. Only when the family returns to Tonga for the 150th anniversary of Saia’s school do they begin to understand the inherent sense of community firmly rooted in Tongan culture and the compulsion to donate whatever possible to the greater good. In the end, the film illustrates the intense and mysterious gravitational pull that heritage can exert on a family, and how that shared connection can help heal old wounds.

PRECEDED BY:

Moa Ma Le Pinko (Chicken and Bingo)

Aotearoa New Zealand, 2018, 7 minutes, Directors: Amberly Jo Aumua (Maori/Samoan), Courtney Montour (Mohawk), Jesse Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos)

A Samoan man grapples to come to terms with his mother’s death and her burial wishes.

Directors: Vea Mafile’o

Jeremiah Tauamiti

Producer: Sandra Kailahi

Screenwriter: Vea Mafile’o

Jeremiah Tauamiti

Cinematographer: Jeremiah Tauamiti

Editor: Margot Francis

Music: David Long

Briar Pratstiti

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Tongan, with English subtitles

International Sales: New Zealand Film Commission

Print Source: New Zealand Film Commission

Film Website: nzfilm.co.nz/films/myfathers-kingdom

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

For Sama

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 6:30 PM

MONDAY, JUNE 3 4:00 PM

Winner of both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Award for Documentary at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, For Sama stands as both a harrowing witness to the Syrian tragedy as it unfolded in Aleppo and a touching love letter from a mother to her young child. While the bombs are falling across her city, director Waad al-Kateab films her first-person diaristic letter to her recently born daughter Sama, uncertain she will survive long enough for Sama to know her mother outside of the videos she shoots. Unsparing in its details and unflinching in what it captures, al-Kateab’s work reveals the brutal impact of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s civil war, relaying its impact in palpably humanistic terms. Both in the home they share and at the hospital where Waad’s husband labors as a direct responder to those affected by the daily violence, al-Kateab’s camera captures the human cost of life under perpetual conflict more directly and powerfully than perhaps any other film since Five Broken Cameras. To quote Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter, “The result is a series of deeply powerful images showing the human casualties of a war that most of us witnessed from our TV sets or computer screens.” —

Awards: SXSW 2019 (Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award)

Directors: Waad al-Kateab

Edward Watts

Producer: Waad al-Kateab

Cinematographer: Waad al-Kateab

Editors: Simon McMahon Chloe Lambourne

Music: Nainita Desai

Featuring: Waad al-Kateab

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: PBS Theatrical Film Website: forsamafilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Frances Ferguson USA 2019

MONDAY, MAY 20 6:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

SATURDAY, MAY 25 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 26 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Frances (Kaley Wheless, The Highwaymen), snarky and affectless, has a lump of a husband, one child, a clueless mother, and a job as a substitute teacher in North Platte, Nebraska. Three years into her marriage, strangely enough, she finds herself dissatisfied. How does she deal with this anomie? In the most ill-advised way possible: A student in biology class catches her eye, she has an affair (donning her old cheerleading outfit as bait), and her life quickly takes a Letourneau for the worse. The rest of Bob Byington’s very arch, very polarizing comedy deals with Frances’ downward spiral: arrest, trial, jail time, divorce, probation, court-ordered group therapy, community service, North Platte’s reaction, and her unwelcome celebrity, sarcasm intact—all mined for comic possibilities. Bob Byington, making his third appearance at SIFF after 2015’s Jason Schwartzman slacker saga 7 Chinese Brothers and 2017’s dystopian comedy Infinity Baby, assembles the exact right ensemble for the film’s bonedry tone, including Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), David Krumholtz (“The Deuce”), and Bill Wise (Support the Girls), plus laconic narration courtesy of—who else?—Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”).

Director: Bob Byington

Producer: Zefrey Throwell

Screenwriter: Scott King

Cinematographer: Carmen Hilbert

Editors: Susan LaMarca

Kris Boustedt

Music:

Chris Baio

Burgess Meredith

Cast: Kaley Wheless

Nick Offerman

Keith Poulson

David Krumholtz

Martin Starr

Jennifer Prediger

Bill Wise

Running Time: 77 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Selected Filmography: Infinity Baby (2017) 7 Chinese Brothers (2015)

Somebody Up There Likes

Me (2012)

Harmony and Me (2009)

RSO [Registered Sex Offender] (2008)

Funke

USA 2018

MONDAY, MAY 27 6:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

FRIDAY, MAY 31 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 3:00 PM

In 2015, Evan Funke was one of the brightest stars on the American culinary scene. Bucato, his first critically lauded restaurant, served capacity crowds night after night. But when allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance forced its closure, Funke became persona non grata in the Los Angeles restaurant world. Director Gab Taraboulsy’s engrossing documentary portrait of the chef follows Funke as he embarks upon his comeback. Still healing from the emotional pain of his past failure, Funke struggles to balance his artistic aspirations with the rank commercial difficulties of opening his new trattoria, Felix, on the most competitive street for restaurants in America. His journey toward redemption sees him voyaging through the pasta schools of Bologna (to reconnect with his mentor, Alessandra Spisni), the culinary archaeological streets of Bari, and the obsessive laboratories of Tokyo as he reconnects with the best artisan pasta makers in the world. Throughout this journey, Taraboulsy delivers keen insight into the chef’s philosophy and intricate techniques as he handcrafts fresh, heirloom pastas that even the most avid Italian foodies may never have seen or tasted. Passionate and thoughtful, Funke is an ode to the art of pasta and a forthright look at the stark realities of the restaurant business. — Dan Doody

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Gab Taraboulsy

Producers:

Gab Taraboulsy

Alexander Emanuele

Jay Holzer

Cecile Murias

Cinematographers: Robert Vroom

Gareth Paul Cox

Editor:

Alexander Emanuele

Music:

Steven Gutheinz

Featuring:

Evan Funke

Janet Zuccarini

Nancy Silverton

Jon Shook

Vinny Dotolo

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Tastemade

Film Website: deliciouscinema.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Gatao 2: Rise of the King

TAIWAN 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 21 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 28 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

In the land of action movies from time to time you need a movie like Gatao 2: Rise of the King. Why? Mainly because of its shameless sense that a muscular action flick, one that craves a midnight screening audience, can be poetic, sadistic, energetic, melancholic, and of course a living proof of what movies can do when they decide to ignore rules and embrace all their instincts. Gatao 2 is everything you didn’t know you wanted to see in a gangster movie from Taiwan. Born as an intentional exploitation flick based on the original Gatao (hint: Only a few secondary characters create a connection between the two films), this “sequel” is a visual feast, one that uses street-level gangsters in Taipei as the perfect excuse to celebrate the nonsense and sensibility in the works of people like Takeshi Kitano, Johnnie To, and Takashi Miike. An all-out war on the streets, an old-school one, becomes a large-scale cinematic party: For a few moments, Gatao 2 manages to go crazy and big (a fantastic and massive fight) and in others it goes full sentimental. That mix between spectacular and heartfelt action is what makes Gatao 2: Rise of the King a unique experience. — Juan Manuel Dominguez

Director: Yen Cheng-Kuo

Producers: Chou Yi-huan

Red Chang

Screenwriters: Red Chang

Jerry Sun

Cinematographer: Yao Hung-I

Editor:

Yao Hung-I

Music: Armo Huang

Cast: Collin Chou

Cheng Jen-Shuo

Wang Shih-Hsien

Peggy Tseng

Jack Kao

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Taiwanese and Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Swallow Wings

Print Source: Swallow Wings

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Ghost Fleet USA 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, JUNE 3 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

In port cities like Seattle back in the 1800s, men were “Shanghaied” out of bars and opium dens and forced to work on ships to meet the increased demand for crew. You might think of that as a footnote to history. You would be wrong. The multibillion-dollar Thai seafood industry has destroyed local ecosystems and pushed commercial fishing thousands of miles offshore, but beyond the environmental crisis is a humanitarian one: A severe labor shortage has led to the abduction and slave labor of thousands upon thousands of people. Many of them go for years without seeing land. However, there is a beacon of hope; Patima Tungpuchayakul kept hearing stories of stranded men who’ve escaped these boats, so she created an organization that not only helps them reunite with their families, but also charters trips to search for missing people. Not all of them want to come home; many were dumped in foreign lands with no identification and no hope, so they start new families. Beautifully shot, poetic recreations underlie some of the film’s horrific stories, which only draw you in deeper. Despite the harrowing subject, Ghost Fleet is ultimately a hopeful, inspirational story of somebody making a difference in the world. —

Awards:

Directors: Shannon Service

Jeffrey Waldron

Producer: Jon Bowermaster

Cinematographers: Basil Childers

Lucas Gath

Jeffrey Waldron

Alejandro Wilkins

Editor: Parker Laramie

Music: Mark Degli Antoni

Featuring: Patima Tungpuchayakul Tun Lin

Chutima “Oi” Sidasathian Bustar Maitar

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Burmese, Thai, and Khmer, with English subtitles

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source: Abramorama

Film Website: vulcanproductions.com/ ghostfleet

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

RÉPERTOIRE DES VILLES DISPARUES

Ghost Town Anthology

CANADA (QUÉBEC) 2019 US PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 19 7:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The Quebecois village of Irénée-les-Neiges has a ghost problem. Throughout the forbidding, snowy winterscape, mysterious figures thought long dead keep appearing to the 215 haunted residents, along with a group of masked children who may or may not be of this world. The supernatural activity begins with a car crashing into concrete blocks, killing the 21-year-old driver, Simon (Philippe Charette), in an apparent, inexplicable suicide. Tragedy deeply scars the family, including his grieving parents, Gisèle (Josée Deschênes) and Romuald (Jean-Michel Anctil), who are incapable of believing their son could commit such a selfish, monstrous act, and his older brother Jimmy (Robert Naylor), who is driven to fits of anger. The town’s residents, too, react in differing ways to the suicide, which conjures strange noises and apparitions of the village’s troubled past and its tragedies, including Simon himself. The mayor Simone (Diane Lavallée) and diner-owner Pierre (Hubert Proulx) are defiant and determined to revive the town with new development, while others seem content to head for the city and abandon Irénée-les-Neiges to its ghosts. Shot on grainy 16mm stock, Canadian director Denis Côté’s melancholy film is a disquieting, elegiac study of the fate of small towns in North America, once so full of optimism but now emptying out, leaving only mournful echoes of the dead.

Director:

Denis Côté

Producer: Ziad Touma

Screenwriter: Denis Côté

Cinematographer: François Messier-Rheault

Editor:

Nicolas Roy

Cast:

Robert Naylor

Josée Deschênes

Jean-Michel Anctil

Philippe Charette

Diane Lavallée

Hubert Proulx

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Boutique

Print Source: Films Boutique

Film Website: filmsboutique.com/movies/ghost-town-anthology

Selected Filmography: A Skin So Soft (Doc., 2017)

Boris Without Beatrice (2016)

Joy of Man’s Desiring (Doc., 2014)

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (2013)

Bestiaire (Doc., 2012)

Curling (2010)

Carcasses (2009)

All That She Wants (2008)

Our Private Lives (2007)

Drifting States (2005)

Go Back to China

CHINA/HONG KONG/USA 2019

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 4:00 PM

It’s not turning out to be a great birthday for aspiring L.A. fashionista Sasha Li (Anna Akana). Just out of school, she’s dismayed to realize jobs in the industry aren’t hers for the asking. (Intern?!?!? No way!) Dad (Richard Ng), a toy manufacturer back in China, has lost patience with subsidizing her lifestyle, though; and after a night of partying, Sasha discovers he’s canceled her credit cards. Come back here and work in my factory, he threatens, or the money pipeline’s staying shut off. At this point in writer/director Emily Ting’s gently ambling dramedy, though, you start to sympathize with Sasha, because Dad’s a piece of work: a tantrum-prone tyrant who cut fresh fruit from his factory cafeteria because it cost too much, and who collects new wives and children oftener than some men change socks. Installed in Dad’s gilded mansion with the offspring of wives #1 and #3 and new girlfriend #4, Sasha soon figures out she might be able to put her design skills to use freshening up Dad’s stuffed-animal inventory. There are bumps in the road (unflappable half-sister Carol has her own agenda), but everything gets wrapped up neatly by the end: Dad eases up, Sasha grows up, and they realize the generational and cultural divides between them aren’t as unbridgeable as they thought.

Director:

Emily Ting

Producers: Emily Ting

Sophia Shek

Frederick Thornton

Screenwriter: Emily Ting

Cinematographer: Josh Silfen

Editor: Anthony Rosc

Music:

Timo Chen

Cast: Anna Akana

Richard Ng

Lynn Chen

Kelly Hu

Kendy Cheung

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Chinese, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Unbound Feet Productions

Film Website: gobacktochinafilm.com

Selected Filmography: It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015) Family Inc. (Doc., 2008)

The Good Girls

MEXICO 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 17 9:00 PM ARK LODGE

FRIDAY, MAY 31 9:00 PM SHORELINE CC

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 8:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

With her perfectly coiffed hair, generously attentive husband, and beautifully appointed home in Mexico City’s tony Polanco district, stunning Sofia de Garay (Ilse Salas, SIFF 2015’s Güeros) lives a life that defines early’80s luxury, one of spur-of-the-moment shopping trips to New York City and country-club lunches peppered with effusive compliments and empty praise, and whose biggest challenge is maintaining her queen-bee status when a gaudy nouveau riche newcomer enters her social circle. So when President Lopez Portillo announces serious economic trouble ahead, there’s seemingly little cause for concern. But when a major business deal put together by her husband Fernando falls through, her credit card starts being declined and her loyal servants’ paychecks start bouncing. Soon, Sofia finds herself blindsided by the realization that her life is little more than a house of cards built on shaky credit. Writer/ director Alejandra Márquez Abella—one of Variety 2019’s “10 Directors to Watch”—brilliantly uses closed shots combined with an accelerated score to show the inner workings of a woman’s mind in panic mode and a society pretending to maintain a status and a way of life at all costs. — Hebe Tabachnik

Awards: Málaga Spanish Film Festival 2019 (Best Ibero-American Film, Script, Editing)

Director: Alejandra Márquez Abella

Producers: Rodrigo S. González Ortiz

Gabriela Maire

Screenwriter: Alejandra Márquez Abella

Cinematographer: Dariela Ludlow

Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger

Music: Tomás Barreiro

Cast: Ilse Salas

Cassandra Ciangherotti

Paulina Gaitán

Johanna Murillo

Flavio Medina

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Luxbox

Print Source: Pantelion Films

Film Website: luxboxfilms.com/lasninas-bien

Selected Filmography: Semana Santa (2015) Mal de tierra (Doc., 2011)

Good Kisser

USA 2019 WORLD PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 17 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN SATURDAY, MAY 18 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Jenna (Kari Alison Hodge) and Kate (Rachel Paulson) have been going out for nearly two years, but maybe it’s time to spice up their relationship a little. Though Jenna is nervous for their first date with the mysterious and alluring Mia (Julie Eringer), Kate assures her that everything will be okay. “Baby, it’s fine,” Kate tells her. “You’re ambidextrous!” But when Jenna sets eyes on Mia, she realizes that maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. As the three women share wine, tequila, backgrounds, and stories—Jenna is a struggling writer, Mia is well-traveled and is moving on to Hawaii in just a week—something seems off, though Jenna can’t quite put her finger on it. But when she stumbles onto surprising secrets, the love triangle begins to crack. With Good Kisser, writer/director Wendy Jo Carlton explores the hazy lines of modern dating in a refreshing way, opting to eschew melodrama in favor of letting her characters take their time emotionally and physically feeling each other out.

PRECEDED BY:

Twentynothing

United Kingdom, 2018, 7 minutes, Director: Nathan Miller George’s girlfriend is taken by an ogre, forcing her to embark on a traumatic quest through the surreal universe of the twentysomethings.

Director: Wendy Jo Carlton

Producers:

Wendy Jo Carlton

Gina Mainwal

Anne Hanson

Danny Tayara

Screenwriter: Wendy Jo Carlton

Cinematographer: Ryan Purcell

Editor: Justine Gendron

Music:

Alex Guy

Cast: Rachel Paulson

Kari Alison Hodge

Julia Eringer

Carter Rodriquez

Courtney McCullough

Running Time: 76 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Good Kisser, LLC

Film Website: goodkissermovie.com

Selected Filmography: Jamie & Jessie Are Not

Together (2011)

Hannah Free (2009)

Greener Grass USA 2019

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 3:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In the suburbia of Greener Grass, manners and politeness go way beyond overboard. One day in the neighborhood, Lisa (Dawn Luebbe) notes to Jill (Jocelyn DeBoer) that she wants a baby, to which Jill responds by politely offering her own babe-in-arms. That’s the neighborly thing to do, right? It doesn’t take long for Jill to reassess her decision and want her child returned, but when she’s denied, her world begins to spiral. Adapted from their award-winning short, co-writers and co-stars DeBoer and Luebbe make their feature film debut, this time taking the reins as perfectly paired co-directors. Their Stepford Wives-by-way-of-Lisa Frank characters sport uncomfortable adult braces, surprisingly stylish underwear scarves, and parenting choices that should leave people scratching their collective heads. They’re supported by comedians Beck Bennett (“Saturday Night Live”), Janicza Bravo (Lemon, “Camping”) and Jim Cummings (SIFF 2018 award winner for Thunder Road), who offer monochromatic outfits, anxious energy, and uncomfortable hilarity. Luebbe and DeBoer have fashioned a self-contained absurdist satire that critiques political correctness and social climbing with deftness and oddity. A cult classic defined, it’s like nothing you’ve quite seen before.

— Megan Leonard

Directors:

Jocelyn DeBoer

Dawn Luebbe

Producer:

Natalie Metzger

Screenwriters:

Jocelyn DeBoer

Dawn Luebbe

Cinematographer: Lowell A. Meyer

Editor:

Taylor Gianotas

Music:

Samuel Nobles

Cast:

Jocelyn DeBoer

Dawn Luebbe

Beck Bennett

Janicza Bravo

Neil Casey

Mary Holland

D’Arcy Carden

Jim Cummings

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source: IFC Midnight

Film Website: gulpsplash.com/greenergrass-feature

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

DER BODEN UNTER DEN FÜSSEN

The Ground Beneath My Feet

AUSTRIA 2019 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 3:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Lola (Valerie Pachner) is a jet-setting, highpowered executive business consultant used to having things go her way. No one can compete with her or close a deal like she can. However, Lola lives a double life, and it is going to catch up with her. What happens when you are not grounded? An even better question: What makes a person grounded? Lola has a home, a job, and a budding relationship with her company boss, another accomplished powerhouse of a woman. Looks like success, maybe. On the outside Lola may seem perfect in her business suits and suave smile; however, when she is alone, she deals with a vacuum of emptiness inside and an aching worry occupies her, her needy schizophrenic older sister Conny (Pia Hierzegger). With the death of both her parents, Lola took on the care and responsibility of her mentally ill sister. Does she love her burden? Is she nervous about their shared DNA? The Ground Beneath My Feet is a fascinating portrait of a woman living a double life, hiding the cracks beneath her surface, and walking on the line of love and breaking point. — Maryna Ajaja

Awards: Guadalajara International Film Festival 2019 (Best Performance)

Director: Marie Kreutzer

Producers: Alexander Glehr

Franz Novotny

Screenwriter: Marie Kreutzer

Cinematographer: Leena Koppe

Editor: Ulrike Kofler

Music: Kyrre Kvam

Cast: Valerie Pachner

Mavie Hörbiger

Pia Hierzegger

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Picture Tree International

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: picturetree-international. com/films/details/theground-under-my-feet. html

Selected Filmography:

We Used to Be Cool (2016)

Gruber Geht (2015)

The Fatherless (2011)

Hala

USA 2019

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 2:30 PM

Hala, a Muslim-American teenager sensitively played by Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers), works hard and excels at school: the perfect daughter. She loves making her family proud, but deep down she’s itching to express herself and explore her sexuality. At school, she’s developed a crush on Jesse, a classmate charmingly performed by Jack Kilmer (Palo Alto, The Nice Guys), who shares her passion for poetry and skateboarding, and clearly reciprocates her feelings. But with her father already planning to coordinate an arranged marriage, Hala knows that, as a firstgeneration daughter of Pakistani immigrant parents, higher expectations are placed upon her to comply with traditions. Hala decides to keep her relationship with Jesse a secret, and in doing so discovers cracks in her parents’ foundation and begins to lash out and reject their hypocritical commands. Based on the short film of the same name, writer/director Minhal Baig inserts heart in this Chicago-set semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale about a woman torn between worlds, exploring how to remain faithful to beliefs and family while experiencing young life like any other American teenager. — Megan Leonard

Director: Minhal Baig

Producers: Minhal Baig

Clarence Hammond

Jamal Watson

James Lassiter

Screenwriter: Minhal Baig

Cinematographer: Carolina Costa

Editor: Saela Davis

Music: Mandy Hoffman

Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan

Jack Kilmer

Purbi Joshi

Azad Khan

Gabriel Luna

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English and Urdu, with English subtitles

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source: Apple

Selected Filmography: 1 Night (2016)

Halston USA 2019

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 4:00 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 5:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

”His clothes danced with you,” says Liza— and if you need to ask who Liza is, this may not be the doc for you. Born in Des Moines in 1932, Ray Halston Frowick blazed three trails: His innovations in cut and design gave clothes a new, irresistibly freeing liquidity; a 1973 Versailles show (using primarily runway models of color) put American couture on the map; and he brought fashionistas pop-culture visibility at a movie-star level. From his start as a milliner for Bergdorf Goodman (he gave Jackie her first pillbox), he social-climbed indefatigably—fueled, director Frédéric Tcheng implies, by the determination to overcome homophobia by making himself un-excludable. But Halston’s career was to trace a steep bell curve, beginning its descent as he was driven to overextend himself by designing everything from perfume to luggage, Girl Scout uniforms to costumes for Martha Graham’s dance troupe. A high-profile partnership with stolidly déclassé JCPenney was too much for the fashion haut-monde, and a $1K-a-week coke habit and nights at Studio 54 didn’t help; but the final blow, as for so many at the time, was AIDS, and the designer retreated to the care of his family before his 1990 death. In recapturing this fabulously kitschy era, Tcheng slyly demonstrates that everything has dated except Halston’s clothes themselves, as fresh and body-flattering as the day he imagined them.

Director: Frédéric Tcheng

Producers: Roland Ballester

Frédéric Tcheng

Stephanie Levy

Paul Dallas

Screenwriter: Frédéric Tcheng

Cinematographer: Chris W. Johnson

Editors: Èlia Gasull Balada

Frédéric Tcheng

Music: Stanley Clarke

Featuring: Tavi Gevinson

Liza Minnelli

Marisa Berenson

Joel Schumacher

Pat Cleveland

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: 1091 Media

Film Website: dogwoofsales.com/ halston

Selected Filmography: Dior and I (2014)

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel (2011)

Hat-Trick

IRAN 2018

US PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 24 6:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 31 6:00 PM

Farzad and Lida are married. Their friend Keivan has recently started dating Raha. One night, on their way home from a party, the two couples have a mysterious car accident. They know they’ve hit something, but no one saw exactly what happened, and Farzad, who was driving, is reluctant to investigate too closely. They go back to Raha’s apartment to try to figure out what to do, examining the car’s bumper and calling local hospitals to ask about hit-and-runs. As confusion and fear give way to guilt and blame, the tension rises and fault lines appear. Simmering resentments emerge and secrets and lies are exposed. Farzad cares less about his gambling problem, which threatens both his marriage and his friendship with Keivan, than about the outcome of the Real Madrid game in which he’s backed the underdog. Meanwhile both Keivan and Raha have been hedging their bets in their new relationship. Director Ramtin Lavafi is working with a great ensemble cast in this tense chamber drama about the secrets we keep and the determining role of luck in how life plays out, for better and for worse. — Justine Barda

Awards:

Fajr Film Festival 2018 (Best Actress, Screenplay)

LINCOLN SQUARE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Ramtin Lavafi

Producer: Majid Motallebi

Screenwriter: Ramtin Lavafi

Cinematographer: Morteza Hodaei

Editor:

Hayedeh Safiyari

Cast:

Amir Jadidi

Parinaz Izadyar

Mahour Alvand

Saber Abar

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Persian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Persia Film Distribution

Print Source:

Persia Film Distribution

Film Website: persiafilmdistribution. com/hat-trick

Selected Filmography: Berlin -7 (2013)

Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008)

Here Comes Hell

UNITED KINGDOM 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 MIDNIGHT SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

An evening of cocktail-party revelry descends into chaos and pandemonium when the guests inadvertently open a gateway to Hell! Aristocratic dilettante Victor Hall is the new owner of Westwood Manor, a near-derelict mansion whose last inhabitant was the infamous black magician Ichabod Quinn. Looking for a bit of fun to christen the new place, Victor decides to hold a dinner party, to which he invites his best mates: his vampy sister Christine; old school chum George Walker Jr, a knife-wielding Texas oil millionaire; and dandyish tennis pro Freddie, who brings his naive girlfriend, Elizabeth. Looking to enliven the post-dinner proceedings, Victor also invites a medium, Madame Bellrose, to conduct a séance in the hope of contacting Quinn’s damned spirit. Unfortunately, Madame’s efforts are too successful, as Hell literally breaks loose. Now our heroes must set aside their champagne and caviar if they are to survive against an onslaught of demonic carnage. In his feature film debut, director Jack McHenry puts Agatha Christie, “Downton Abbey,” The Old Dark House, and The Evil Dead into a cinematic blender and spins them into a blood-drenched, gloriously gory horror-comedy. Just remember to keep a stiff upper lip, chap. — Dan Doody

PRECEDED BY:

Sponsored by Anonymous, Babak and Sinikka Parviz, Michael and Neda Nassirian, Nima Foroutan DDS, Follow Your Feet Productions, American Iranian Business Council, ARVR Academy, Mike Moghaddas Realty, Shirin’s Chic Design, The Naini Family Foundation, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department at UW, Iranian American Faculty at UW, Radio Iranshahr, and Seattle Isfahan Sister City Association

Chowboys: An American Folktale Canada, 2018, 9 minutes, Director: Astron 6 Three stupid cowboys are lost in the woods without any food on the coldest night of the year. Will they succumb to the cold, cannibalism, or the Christmas Spirit?

Director: Jack McHenry

Producer: Olivia Loveridge

Screenwriters: Alice Sidgwick

Jack McHenry

Cinematographer: Rory McHenry

Editor: Jack McHenry

Music:

Ben Pearson

Cast:

Jessica Webber

Margaret Clunie

Charlie Robb

Tim Renouf

Tom Bailey

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Trashouse Films

Film Website: trashousefilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Hitch-Hiker

USA 1953

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 7:00 PM

In the classic canon of films noirs that emerged from Hollywood in the 1940s and ’50s, only one, The Hitch-Hiker, was directed by a woman, Ida Lupino. The project was based on a story by Daniel Mainwaring, screenwriter of Out of the Past, inspired by the killing spree of murderer Billy Cook. Lupino co-wrote the screenplay with her producer Collier Young, and while doing so she interviewed both Cook and two of his former hostages to integrate real-life events into the film. The finished work is a marvel of narrative economy from concept to climax: Roy Collins (Edmond O’Brien) and Gilbert Bowen (Frank Lovejoy) have crossed the Mexico border for a fishing trip. Just south of Mexicali, they encounter a stranded driver, Emmett Myers (William Talman), a sadistic psychopath who has committed multiple murders from Illinois to the California border. A desperate Myers takes the two men as hostages, forcing them at gunpoint to drive him further down into Baja on a quixotic journey to escape the ever-encroaching U.S. and Mexican authorities. Restored by the Library of Congress, The Hitch-Hiker is a taut, brutal thriller and a pinnacle achievement of the noir style. —

Awards: National Film Preservation Board USA 1998 (National Film Registry)

Director: Ida Lupino

Producer: Collier Young

Screenwriters: Collier Young

Ida Lupino

Cinematographer: Nicholas Musuraca

Editor: Douglas Stewart

Music: Leith Stevens

Cast: Frank Lovejoy

Edmond O’Brien

William Talman

Running Time: 71 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Kino Lorber Repertory

Film Website: kinolorber.com/film/ thehitchhikerremastered

Selected Filmography: The Bigamist (1953) Hard, Fast, and Beautiful (1951)

On Dangerous Ground (1951)

Outrage (1950)

Never Fear (1950) Not Wanted (1949)

Honeyland

MACEDONIA 2019

TUESDAY, MAY 21 7:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 25 11:00 AM SIFF

The plight of declining honeybee populations has worried scientists for years about the possible collapse of the world food supply, so intertwined are these hard-working pollinators with our agricultural system. Honeyland is not about colony collapse disorder, but it is an elegiac homage to a dying way of life. This documentary centers on Hatidze Muratova, one of the last so-called “bee hunters” left on the Balkan peninsula, who raises bees in a minimally invasive manner, based on the sustainability principle of “take half, leave half.” Shot over three years by filmmakers Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, Honeyland contains achingly gorgeous sequences of Muratova tending to her colonies and selling what honey she can in Skopje to care for her elderly mother in a rural Macedonian village without electricity. These rhythms are later thrown into stark relief when a family of itinerant Turkish farmers sets up shop in the village and begins to compete with Muratova’s honey operation, with more emphasis on short-term profit than on the well-being of the bees. Stefanov and Kotevska don’t treat the interlopers as villains, necessarily, but as just another conflicting group struggling to escape poverty. Ultimately, however, Honeyland can be seen as a cautionary tale about how the intrusion of capitalism on a carefully balanced system can have dire consequences.

Awards:

Sundance 2019 (World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change, Cinematography)

Directors: Ljubomir Stefanov

Tamara Kotevska

Producer:

Atanas Georgiev

Cinematographers: Fejmi Daut

Samir Ljuma

Editor: Atanas Georgiev

Music: Foltin

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: NEON

Film Website: honeyland.earth

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

House of Hummingbird

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 11:30 AM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

House of Hummingbird follows 14-year-old Eun-hee as she wanders Seoul and navigates a turbulent year of middle school. (Think Eighth Grade in South Korea.) Eager for validation and direction, Eun-hee—the titular hummingbird—exists in a web of dysfunction; she’s caught between a strict father and exhausted mother, a rebellious sister, and hardworking, though often violent, eldest brother; her classmates vote Eun-hee the top “delinquent” in a class poll and, often, she does not meet familial expectations; she experiments with love, seeking connection and—ultimately—meaning. Who is Eun-hee?

Who should she be? Director Bora Kim’s first feature film sets its sights beyond adolescent anxieties and the awkwardness of middle school romance, existing more as a tender, meditative study on personhood and alienation, asking us to join Eun-hee in carefully observing and making sense of a transient and inscrutable world where friendships sour and love fades. Here, Kim embraces silence and illuminates the uncomfortable (and revealing) spaces between words, with a minimalistic, ambient score. The performances are interior—we must examine the subtleties of face and posture—and the camera dwells on fluttering leaves, the shard from a broken lamp. Kim offers no easy answers, only an intimate window into the profoundly beautiful, mysterious, tragic world Eun-hee inhabits.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2019 (Grand Prix Generation 14Plus) Busan International Film Festival 2018 (KNN Award, NEPAC Award) Istanbul Film Festival 2019 (Grand Jury Prize)

House of My Fathers

SRI LANKA/UNITED KINGDOM 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 8:30 PM

Director:

Bora Kim

Producers:

Cho Zoe Sua

Bora Kim

Screenwriter: Bora Kim

Cinematographer: Kang Gook-hyun

Editor:

Cho Zoe Sua

Music:

Matija Strniša

Cast:

Park Ji-hu

Kim Sae-byuk

Lee Seung-yeon

Jeong In-gi

Running Time: 138 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Contents Panda

Print Source: Well Go USA

Film Website: facebook.com/houseofhummingbird

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LINCOLN SQUARE

TUESDAY, MAY 21 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

This is a tale of two villages—one Tamil, one Sinhalese—who have been at war for a very long time. Unfortunately, the latest life-threatening problem for both villages is infertility. To seek a solution, the shamans decide that a Sinhala man and a Tamil woman, along with the “strange” doctor, must take a journey to find a cure for this dire situation. Some predict that only one will return. This is the basic plot of Suba Sivakumaran’s political, poetic, and gorgeously shot dramatic feature debut. She mixes fantasy with horror in a film about love, betrayal, and coming to terms with the past. Sri Lanka suffered civil war for three decades, one that only ended in 2009; even though Sri Lanka is now a postwar nation, people still carry grievances and baggage. Taking two years to edit, Sivakumaran examines this baggage and exposes the consequences, carefully creating a cohesive yet surrealistic allegorical vision that represents the war’s haunting residues. Even though the past is never dead, her characters are looking for the road to redemption. — Maryna Ajaja

Director: Suba Sivakumaran

Producers: Suba Sivakumaran

Dominique Welinski

Screenwriter: Suba Sivakumaran

Cinematographer: Kalinga Deshapriya

Editor: Nse Asuquo

Music: Forest Christenson

Cast: Bimal Jayakodi

Pradeepa

Steve De La Zilwa

Dharshen Dharmaraj

Dasun Pathirana

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Asian Shadows Sales Ltd.

Print Source: Asian Shadows Sales Ltd.

Film Website: chineseshadows.com/ house-of-my-fathers

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Human Nature

AUSTRALIA/SPAIN/TURKEY/USA 2019

FRIDAY, MAY 17 4:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 25 9:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 27 1:15 PM

“Often you don’t realize you’re in a revolution until after the revolution has occurred,” one bioethicist explains in Adam Bolt’s riveting documentary on CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), an incredibly precise gene-editing tool with farreaching repercussions for human health, the environment, and, hauntingly, human nature. Free our genes of sickle-cell anemia or cancer? Re-engineer the environment to resist climate change? Produce designer babies? Resurrect a herd of woolly mammoths? Drawing on an impressive lineup of leading researchers and ethicists and conveying technically complex explanations through clear, accessible visuals, Bolt situates us at a moment of dramatic transition. With CRISPR, fantasy and science intersect: Our capacity for Huxley’s “Brave New World” is no longer a mere cliché. Bolt counterpoints nightmarish visions of genetically modified soldiers with the unbridled optimism of bioengineers and the anguish of parents who’ve lost children to genetic disease. A throughline in his seven-chapter doc is David Sanchez, a hope-filled boy with sickle-cell, who grounds and humanizes the abstract talk of ethicists and researchers and imbues the doc with urgency. Human Nature is ambitious in its scope, likening CRISPR to the advent of the internet, the nuclear bomb, and, on a much grander scale, agriculture. Walking a tightrope between science and science fiction, Bolt’s treatment of CRISPR is well-balanced, absorbing, and above all thought-provoking.

I Am Cuba

CUBA/SOVIET UNION 1964

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 6:30 PM

Director: Adam Bolt

Producers: Meredith Desalazar

Sarah Goodwin

Screenwriters: Regina Sobel

Adam Bolt

Cinematographer: Derek Reich

Editors: Regina Sobel

Steve Tyler

Music: Keegan Dewitt

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Wonder Collaborative Film Website: wondercollaborative.org/ human-nature-documentary-film

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Soviet propaganda movies were once one of the punch lines of film culture, all tractor ballets and paeans to superhuman productivity on the Volga. But, given carte blanche in 1964 to celebrate the USSR’s new relationship with Cuba just after the island’s revolution, director Mikhail Kalatozov and cinematographer Sergei Urusevsky ran with it. The subject matter is as expected: four short stories outlining the sufferings of Cubans (farmers, a student, a prostitute in the Mafia-run fleshpots of Havana) under Batista’s overthrown rapacious regime. (Which it unquestionably was; it was also U.S.-backed.) But it’s the bravura cinematic technique that makes this a must-see: underwater scenes that use special submarine technology, a camera that whips vertiginously back and forth to follow the hacking of a machete, seemingly endless how-thef-did-he-do-that tracking shots. It’s all in the service of the heart-on-sleeve impact of the four stories, and a throbbingly poetic voiceover turns the emotional screw even tighter. Forgotten for 30 years—Soviets thought it not anti-capitalist enough, Cubans found it patronizing and stereotypical, and hardly anyone else saw it—it was rediscovered and brought back to cinephiles’ attention in the early ’90s by Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, and got a new 4K restoration just this year. It’s visually ravishing, unabashedly melodramatic, and a little bit nuts.

Awards: National Society of Film Critics Awards USA 1996 (Archival Award)

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov

Producer: Mikhail Kalatozov

Screenwriters: Enrique Pineda Barnet

Yevgeni Yevtushenko

Cinematographer: Sergey Urusevsky

Editor: Nina Glagoleva

Music:

Carlos Fariñas

Cast: Luz María Collazo

Sergio Corrieri

Salvador Wood

José Gallardo

Raúl García

Running Time: 141 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Spanish, English, and Russian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Milestone Film & Video

Selected Filmography:

The Red Tent (1969)

Letter Never Sent (1960)

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

The First Echelon (1956)

True Friends (1954)

Hostile Whirlwinds (1953)

Conspiracy of the Doomed (1950)

Moscow Music Hall (1946)

Invincible (1943)

Wings of Victory (1941)

I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Incorporating history, philosophy, and political theory, this bravura tragicomedy by director Rade Jude is an inspiring example of the vitally necessary work film can do. Ioana Jacob gives a captivating performance as Mariana, a theater director hired to create a public art project related to Romania’s past. Her choice? A re-enactment of the notorious 1941 massacre of 25,000 to 34,000 Jews in the Ukrainian city of Odessa after its capture by Romanian troops. Needless to say this isn’t exactly the cheerful show of patriotism city officials had in mind, and Mariana must navigate the politics of government bureaucracy as well as those of her locally recruited nonprofessional cast, whose worldviews may not be so different from those of their grandparents. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking but always deeply engaging, I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians is a powerful indictment of any country’s resistance to come to terms with its own history, with a particular relevance to the parts of the globe where nationalism is on the rise. —

Awards:

Gijón International Film Festival 2018 (Best Director, Production Design)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2018 (Best Film)

Minsk International Film Festival 2018 (Best Film)

Vokovar Film Festival (Best Film)

Official Oscar Submission 2019 (Foreign Language Film)

Director:

Radu Jude

Producer: Ada Solomon

Screenwriter: Radu Jude

Cinematographer: Marius Panduru

Editor: Catalin Cristutiu

Cast: Ioana Iacob

Alexandru Dabija

Alex Bogdan

Ilinca Manolache

Serban Pavlu

Running Time: 140 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Romanian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source:

Big World Pictures

Film Website: betacinema.com

Selected Filmography: The Dead Nation (2017)

Scarred Hearts (2016)

Aferim! (2015)

Everybody in Our Family (2012)

The Happiest Girl in the World (2009)

In Fabric

UNITED KINGDOM 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE FRIDAY, MAY 31 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

The latest from visionary director Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy) is a sumptuously surreal, giallo-inspired horror satire about a blood-red cocktail dress that kills… literally! Divorced bank manager Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste of Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies) has recently entered the world of online dating and, hearing about an unmissable sale at the strangely hypnotic and fetishistic department store Dentley & Soper, heads there in search of a new first-date look. The store’s head saleswoman, perfectly played by Transylvanian actress and frequent Strickland collaborator Fatma Mohamed, is an enigmatic and somewhat macabre creature whose riddle-filled sales pitch convinces Sheila that she absolutely needs a dazzling crimson gown. But once these phantom threads are loose in the world, the dress begins to display some disturbing behavior, and no one who comes in contact with it is safe. Featuring a savagely funny supporting performance from Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”) and a narrative twist too fun and surprising to spoil here, Strickland unleashes his signature dreamy style, eye for bold colors, and lavish sound design to imbue In Fabric with atmosphere a-plenty, making for a dazzling dark comedy that savagely sends up vanity, fashion, and a consumerist world where the sales are till-death-do-us-part final. — Clinton McClung

Director: Peter Strickland

Producer: Andrew Starke

Screenwriter: Peter Strickland

Cinematographer: Ari Wegner

Editor: Matyas Fekete

Music: Cavern of Anti-Matter

Cast:

Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Hayley Squires

Leo Bill

Julian Barratt

Fatma Mohamed

Gwendoline Christie

Steve Oram

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Bankside Films

Print Source: A24

Film Website: film.britishcouncil.org/ in-fabric

Selected Filmography: The Duke of Burgundy (2014)

Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Katalin Varga (2009)

The Innocent

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 9:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 24 4:15 PM

The Innocent, directed by Simon Jaquemet, is a dark and fantastical tale which centers on one woman’s awakening from a life of strictly prescribed religious and patriarchal dogma into the confidence, chaos, and magic unleashed by her own desires. Ruth (portrayed masterfully by Judith Hoffmann) is a scientist who successfully performs head transplants among monkeys. She and her happy, conventional, middle-class Swiss family are members of a highly conservative evangelical Christian sect. When Ruth’s ex-lover, who she thought was dead, shows up on her doorstep, she is overcome by passion and emotion that blast the boundaries of her current existence. When her tryst becomes known, Ruth’s church convinces her that her ex-lover is Satan. Through imprisoning her in the church’s holding cell and forcing her to attend an underground swingers’ party (at which she finds a vast, endless sea of darkness), her husband and her church convince Ruth that she is possessed by the Devil. Jaquemet’s approach to this film is very straightforward; the filmmaking technique is subdued in ways that allows the acting and narrative to lead. Blurring the lines between genre film and slow-burn thriller, The Innocent takes us on a journey which begins with Ruth—in a closed, conventional setting—and slowly expands to an unexpected place where anything can happen. — Colleen O’Holleran

International Falls USA 2019

SATURDAY, MAY 18 8:30 PM ARK LODGE

THURSDAY, JUNE 6 9:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 12:30 PM

Director: Simon Jaquemet

Producers: Tolga Dilsiz

Aurelius Eisenreich

Screenwriter: Simon Jaquemet

Cinematographer: Gabriel Sandru

Editor: Christof Schertenleib

Cast: Judith Hoffmann

Christian Kaiser

Thomas Schüpbach

Urs-Peter Wolters

Naomi Scheiber

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swiss German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source: Greenwich Entertainment

Selected Filmography: War (2014)

“If you want to tell jokes for a living, tell the truth.” This is the advice that grizzled road comedian Tim (Rob Huebel, “Transparent”) offers to Dee (Rachael Harris, SIFF 2011’s Natural Selection), a middle-aged mother who feels trapped in a boring job and a failing marriage in the icy Minnesota border town of International Falls. A self-proclaimed comedy nerd with dreams of getting onstage herself, Dee’s favorite respite is the local hotel lounge’s weekly stand-up show populated by low-level touring acts. Tim also feels trapped, arriving for his headlining gig with a chip on his shoulder after having spent years “grinding it out” on the road and in life. The pair’s instant chemistry, demonstrated more by a shared sense of humor than their bored one-night stand, encourages Dee to finally follow her dream. But it may be too late for Tim, who can’t see a way out of his increasingly crippling depression and announces that the next night’s performance will be his last. Director Amber McGinnis brings playwright Thomas Ward’s story, based on his own experiences as a comedian and filled with sharp, authentic dialogue and unexpected emotional resonance, to life as a showcase for two of indie cinema’s finest comedic actors, exploring how the deeply comic and profoundly sad often sit side by side. — Clinton McClung

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Amber McGinnis

Producers: Amber McGinnis

Nicholas Dunlevy

Screenwriter: Thomas Ward

Cinematographer: Andrew Aiello

Editor: Esin Ozdag

Music: Eric Shimelonis

Cast: Rachael Harris

Rob Huebel

Matthew Glave

Kevin Nealon

Erik Griffin

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source:

Outskirt Media

Film Website: internationalfallsmovie. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

IN DEN GÄNGEN

In the Aisles

GERMANY 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 19 8:30 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 9:30 PM

Christian (Franz Rogowski, Transit) is the new night stockman at a Costco-like retail warehouse in the East German provinces, and the careful way in which he covers up his substantial tattoos indicates a troubled past he’d rather not discuss. All the more reason to keep his head down and productivity up, learning the ropes from the world-weary but sympathetic Bruno (Peter Kurth, SIFF 2017’s A Friend of Mine), but such a façade immediately falls apart once he lays eyes upon Marion (Sandra Hüller, Oscar®-nominee Toni Erdmann), a married woman who works in the sweet goods section. Though they are clearly kindred spirits, and rumors about her abusive husband run rampant, they keep their flirtations to a socially acceptable minimum. But as their relationship grows deeper, they learn that hope can be found anywhere, even in the aisles of a supermarket. In the Aisles is a complex working-class fairy tale about matters of the heart, one that takes its time revealing the ins and outs of this miniature society where people yearn to break free from their pasts and presents. —Marcus Gorman

ARK LODGE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Thomas Stuber

Producers: Jochen Laube

Fabian Maubach

Screenwriters: Clemens Meyer

Thomas Stuber

Cinematographer: Peter Matjasko

Editor: Kaya Inan

Music:

Milena Fessmann

Cast:

Franz Rogowski

Sandra Hüller

Peter Kurth

Andreas Leupold

Michael Specht

Running Time: 125 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Music Box Films

Film Website: musicboxfilms.com/film/ in-the-aisles

Selected Filmography: A Heavy Heart (2015) Teenage Angst (2008)

Invest in Failure (Notes on Film 06-C, Monologue 03)

AUSTRIA 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 20 8:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN THURSDAY, MAY 30 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

A case can be made that British-born actor James Mason played the same brooding, romantic anti-hero in most if not all of his films, and Austrian documentarian Norbert Pfaffenbichler makes that case by creating a portrait of Mason made entirely out of more than 160 clips from his 50-year career. Don’t expect a traditional documentary here; there is no narration, no context, no explanation of where any of the clips are taken from. Instead, they’re organized in chapters that group different actions or attitudes. It starts in Chapter 17, with Mason (both young and old) waking up and getting out of bed, and ends in Chapter One after he’s been shot or otherwise killed. Even then, nothing is straightforward; the countdown itself goes in unexpected directions. Most interesting is Mason’s persona, particularly in how he interacts with women; in Pfaffenbichler’s edit, he comes across with a certain amount of self-loathing and misogyny, and is possibly gay and closeted. Just wait for the montage where he awkwardly kisses women and then slaps them. This is not to say that Mason himself was that way—in fact, he was married twice in real life and had two children—but this is more about his movies than his biography, maybe even his self-perception, and it’s really quite a ride. —

PRECEDED BY:

Copy Shop

Austria, 2001, 12 minutes, Director: Virgil Widrich A man who works in a copy shop meets multiple dopplegangers.

Director: Norbert Pfaffenbichler

Producer: Norbert Pfaffenbichler

Screenwriter: Norbert Pfaffenbichler

Cinematographer: Various (found footage)

Editor: Norbert Pfaffenbichler

Music: Various (found footage)

Featuring: James Mason

Running Time: 63 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Sixpack Films

Print Source: Sixpack Films

Film Website: sixpackfilm.com/en/ catalogue/show/2457

Selected Filmography: A Messenger From the Shadows (Notes on Film 06 A/Monologue 01) (2013)

A Masque of Madness (Notes on Film 06-B Monologue 02) (2013) Notes on Film 02 (20052006)

Invisibles

FRANCE 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 18 11:00 AM

SUNDAY, MAY 19 6:30 PM

For the homeless, a safe urban shelter can be the difference between hope and oblivion— even if the refuge is considered “illegal.” This adaptation of a book by Claire Lajeunie follows the daily routines of a group of women who have fallen through the cracks of modernday French society and the social workers who try to get them through each day with dignity. When the local government decides that the shelter, known as “L’Envol” (“The Takeoff),” is not sending enough people back into gainful employment, it is summarily shut down. However, two of the social workers— tough-as-nails Manu (Corinne Masiero) and the slightly naïve Audrey (Audrey Lamy)— decide to keep L’Envol open in secret for as long as they can. There are no Eiffel Towers or idyllic cafes to liven up these streets; shot in a nameless city in northern France, the mise en scène here is perpetually grey and anonymous, illuminated solely by the vivid personalities of the women. Despite its grim subject, writer/director Louis-Julien Petit’s Invisibles is still an uproarious comedy with many of the characters played by real homeless women, who inject the script with a riotous gallows humor and salacious wit that underscore the absurd predicament of this largely unseen, often desperate stratum of society.

IL

TESTIMONE INVISIBLE

The Invisible Witness

ITALY 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 18 8:30 PM

Director:

Louis-Julien Petit

Producer: Liza Benguigui

Screenwriters:

Louis-Julien Petit

Marion Doussot

Claire Lajeunie

Cinematographer: David Chambille

Editors:

Antoine Vareille

Nathan Delannoy

Music:

Laurent Perez Del Mar

Cast: Audrey Lamy

Noemie Lvovsky

Corinne Masiero

Pablo Pauly

Deborah Lukumuena

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Charades

Print Source: Charades

Film Website: en.unifrance.org/ movie/45181/invisibles

Selected Filmography: Carole Matthieu (2016)

Discount (2014)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 9:15 PM MAJESTIC BAY

THURSDAY, MAY 23 4:30 PM

“When I woke up, the nightmare began.” So begins the account of Adriano Doria (Riccardo Scamarcio), a wealthy Italian entrepreneur, describing the murky events of the worst night of his life, when he discovers himself in a resort hotel room with a nasty cut on his forehead and the lifeless body of his young mistress, Laura (Miriam Leone), lying on the floor amidst a pile of scattered banknotes. Though he protests his innocence, Adriano is the obvious prime suspect. With just hours to go before his arrest, he arranges a meeting with Virginia Ferrara (Maria Paiato), a notoriously tough attorney who has never lost a case, to plan his defense strategy and find evidence to exonerate him. Largely told in flashback, this noirish thriller from director Stefano Mordini recreates the days of intrigue that lead up to that terrible night as guilt-ridden Adriano, still in love with his wife, tries to break off the affair with Laura while on a clandestine trip to the mountainous Trentino region—until fate intervenes and forever alters their lives. As more facts are coaxed out by Virginia, the motivations of the characters begin to blur until no one is quite who they first seemed, leading to a pulsepounding conclusion that will leave audiences guessing until the final shot.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Stefano Mordini

Producer: Roberto Sessa

Screenwriters: Stefano Mordini

Massimiliano Catoni

Cinematographer: Luigi Martinucci

Editor: Massimo Fiocchi

Music: Fabio Barovero

Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio

Miriam Leone Fabrizio Bentivoglio

Maria Paiato

Sara Cardinaletti

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: True Colours Glorious

Films

Print Source: True Colours Glorious

Films

Film Website: truecolours.it/catalogue/ the-invisible-witness

Selected Filmography: Pericle (2016)

Steel (2012)

Il confine (Doc., 2007)

Smalltown, Italy (2005)

L’allievo modello (Doc., 2002)

Paz ’77 (Doc., 2001)

Jean-Paul Gaultier:

Freak and Chic

FRANCE 2019

US PREMIERE

SPECIALTY LINEN | GLASSWARE

SPECIALTY LINEN | GLASSWARE

TABLES | CHINA | CUTLERY

TABLES | CHINA | CUTLERY

CHAIRCOVERS | DESIGNER CHAIRS

CHAIRCOVERS | DESIGNER CHAIRS

CATERING EQUIPMENT

CATERING EQUIPMENT

UNIQUE TABLETOP ITEMS

UNIQUE TABLETOP ITEMS

FRIDAY, MAY 17 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, MAY 19 5:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 25 3:30 PM SHORELINE CC

Inspired even as a boy by the Folies Bergère, the legendary Paris cabaret venue (open exactly 150 years, btw, as of May 2), couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier always wanted to stage a show there. “But what story can I tell?” he muses in this doc about the six months of preparation that went into the show. “Mine.” Combining fashion with film, dance, theater, and unapologetic over-the-top-ness, the revue, which opened last October 2, offers a 40-year career retrospective of the designer who is practically never spoken of without using the phrase enfant terrible. Notorious among cinephiles for his costumes for The Fifth Element and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover and among pop fans for Madonna’s pointy cone brassiere, he also incorporated teddy bears and S&M fetish gear as design motifs. In the show, the fanciful and outrageous (a gown with a train so long it has to be rolled along behind the model on a clothes rack) meets the naughtily witty (a skit sending up Vogue dragon lady Anna Wintour) and the poignant (a tribute to his partner Francis Menuge, who died in 1990). It also nods fabulously to the Bergère’s own history: A tribute to ’20s star Josephine Baker features her iconic banana skirt, this time encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

Director: Yann L’Hénoret

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Festival Agency

Print Source: The Festival Agency

Selected Filmography: Emmanuel Macron: les coulisses d’une victoire (Doc., 2017)

Dans l’ombre de Teddy Rinner (Doc., 2016)

Jim Allison: Breakthrough USA

SUNDAY, MAY 19 7:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 20 4:30 PM

70-year-old immunologist Jim Allison, Ph.D., was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of cancer therapies that stimulate the immune system to attack tumor cells. Jim Allison: Breakthrough, a documentary by Bill Haney, will appeal to science novices and enthusiasts alike as it examines Allison’s personal and professional journey that led to him becoming a Nobel Laureate. Allison describes growing up in Alice, Texas, and watching his mother die from lymphoma when he was 11. His father was the town’s “country doctor,” which led to Allison developing an interest in the medical sciences. He recounts his own elementary-school education that forbade the teaching of evolution, which motivated him to push against political systems that limit growth in the medical field. Currently a researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Allison is fighting his own battle with cancer for the third time. Despite his illness, he remains enthusiastic, viewing his research with an artistic eye and a sense of childlike wonder. With narration by Woody Harrelson and music by Willie Nelson—both Texas natives—Jim Allison: Breakthrough explores Allison’s hometown pride; one of the documentary’s most memorable scenes involves Allison accompanying Nelson on the harmonica on “Austin City Limits” as Nelson sings “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”

Director: Bill Haney

Producer: Jennifer Pearce

Screenwriter: Bill Haney

Cinematographers: Graham Talbot

Nelson Talbot

Editor: Peter Rhodes

Music:

Mark Orton

Mickey Raphael

Featuring: Woody Harrelson

James Allison

Sharon Belvin

Rachel Humphrey

Max Krummel

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Dada Films

Selected Filmography: The Last Mountain (Doc., 2011)

The Price of Sugar (Doc., 2007)

A Life Among Whales (Doc., 2005)

Racing Against the Clock (Doc., 2004)

Kifaru

USA/KENYA 2019

TUESDAY, MAY 21 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 4:00 PM

MONDAY, JUNE 3 4:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

It’s no coincidence that “kifaru,” the Swahili word for rhinoceros, is also a military synonym for “tank,” so imposing, armored, and seemingly indestructible are these beasts. However, in Kifaru, David Hambridge’s debut film, the rhino is seen as the epitome of fragility and gentleness, as its native habitat shrinks with every year and poachers seeking their iconic horns for bogus medicinal purposes cull their numbers to the brink of extinction. The star of the documentary is Sudan, a 45-year-old literal example of this brink—the world’s very last living specimen of the northern white rhinoceros subspecies. In depicting the golden years of Sudan’s long and solitary life in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy, Hambridge recounts the tireless efforts to protect Earth’s dwindling megafauna and develop DNA cloning techniques to possibly keep the species alive for future generations. The film also highlights the human caretakers, James and JoJo, who have dedicated their lives to preserving these majestic animals and fighting back against the illegal wildlife hunting trade. Sudan’s lonely life is unavoidably heartbreaking (he finally passed away in March 2018), but his story of pluck in the face of insurmountable adversity brings hope to a hopeless situation, and inspiration to preserve the world’s last remaining wild spaces and prevent the eternity of extinction.

Awards: Slamdance Film Festival 2019 (Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award)

Director: David Hambridge

Producer: Andrew Harrison Brown

Cinematographers: David Hambridge

Andrew Harrison Brown

Editor: Andrew Harrison Brown

Music: Kevin Matley

Featuring: James Mwenda

Joseph “JoJo” Wachira

Running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Swahili and English, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Ragtag Tribe Films

Film Website: kifaruthefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

UN COUTEAU DANS LE COEUR

Knife+Heart

FRANCE/SWITZERLAND/MEXICO 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 17 MIDNIGHT

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, MAY 19 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

French writer/director Yann Gonzalez’s second feature, Knife+Heart, is both a whodunit crime thriller and a story of passion and heartbreak. Set in the late-’70s gay-porn industry in Paris, the film has rightfully been described as William Friedkin’s Cruising if it were directed by Dario Argento. Though Gonzalez’s influences are evident, he is not imitating the giallo style, but rather using it as a contemporary form of filmmaking. The film centers on low-budget porn producer Anne (Vanessa Paradis), heartbroken after a breakup with her longtime lover and film editor Lois (Kate Moran), who has ended their relationship due to Anne’s alcoholism. Meanwhile, a leather-masked murderer is killing off the studio’s actors one by one, using a tool of choice that must be seen to be believed. While investigating the murders herself, Anne is inspired to parody the police investigation in a porno-noir starring her favorite star Archie (Nicolas Maury). Shot on 35mm by Simon Beaufils with occasional split-screen shots accompanied by a retro-sounding score by M83, Knife+Heart is a stylized, celluloid experience reminiscent of the thrillers and horror flicks of the ’70s and ’80s, sensational yet sympathetic in its depiction of its characters. It exhibits dark humor, erotic abandon, and plenty of blood splatter while reveling in the beauty of print film. — Colleen O’Holleran

Director: Yann Gonzalez

Producer: Charles Gillibert

Screenwriters: Yann Gonzalez

Cristiano Mangione

Cinematographer: Simon Beaufils

Editor: Raphaël Lefèvre

Music: M83

Cast:

Vanessa Paradis

Kate Moran

Nicolas Maury

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source: Altered Innocence

Selected Filmography: You and the Night (2013)

Koko-di Koko-da

SWEDEN/DENMARK 2019

MONDAY, JUNE 3 9:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA