The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is back and we’ve got you covered here on What’s Up NW!!!
For 2019, SIFF will screen 410 films representing 86 countries and will include: 147 features (plus 4 secret films), 71 documentaries, 12 archival films, and 176 shorts. The lineup includes 33 World premieres (12 features, 21 shorts), 42 North American premieres (27 features, 15 shorts), and 19 US premieres (11 features, 8 shorts).
Opening Night
Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 16 with Sword of Trust, written and directed by local filmmaker Lynn Shelton (Outside In, Laggies) and features Marc Maron (Late Show with David Letterman, WTF with Marc Maron, GLOW), Jon Bass (Baywatch, Molly’s Game), Michaela Watkins (Brigsby Bear, Enough Said), Jillian Bell (Workaholics, 22 Jump Street), and Toby Huss (King of the Hill, Halt and Catch Fire). The film made its world premiere at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival to audience acclaim and IFC Films will open the film in July. Lynn Shelton and Marc Maron are scheduled to attend.
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 7:00 PM – Party to follow screening
FILM: MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL
PARTY: FISHER PAVILION
Centerpiece Gala
The annual Centerpiece Gala, Late Night, stars Emma Thompson as a legendary late-night talk show host who, faced with diminishing ratings for her long-running show, is forced to hire her first female staff writer (Mindy Kaling, who also wrote the film’s script). The film will screen on Saturday, June 1, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian.
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30 PM – Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN
PARTY: DAR RAINIER CHAPTER HOUSE
Tribute to Regina Hall
As a part of this year’s celebration of women in comedy, SIFF is delighted to celebrate the work of Regina Hall by presenting her with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview on Sunday, June 2 at 2:00 PM at SIFF Cinema Egyptian. Following Ms. Hall’s tribute, she will introduce Support the Girls, Andrew Bujalski’s film which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA
A Tribute to Regina Hall
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2:00 PM
FILM: Support the Girls
Closing Night
SIFF closes its 45th festival on Sunday, June 9 with The Farewell staring Awkwafina, the flamboyant breakout star of Crazy Rich Asians, who plays a woman traveling back home to China to assist in an elaborate ruse to keep a truth from her terminally ill grandmother. Director Lulu Wang is scheduled to attend.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN
PARTY: MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND INDUSTRY (MOHAI)
Films with Parties
Pity the Lovers, North American Premiere
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening
FILM: MAJESTIC BAY
PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM
Two unlucky-in-love brothers, a veterinarian, a conceptual artist, and two goth 13-year-olds named Danni are just a few of the characters that makes up the ensemble of this charming Icelandic film about longing, love, and growing up. (d: Maximilian Hult c: Björn Thórs, Jóel Ingi Sæmundsson, Sara Dögg Árgeirsdóttir, Sigurður Karlsson, Hafdîs Helga Helgasdótter, Sweden/Iceland 2019, 102 min)
Top End Wedding
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN
PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS
A young Australian couple returns to the Indigenous bride’s Northern Territory hometown to find Mom missing; their hunt takes them through luscious landscapes and cultural-clash humor in this adorable rom-com. (d: Wayne Blair c: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lae, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens, Australia 2018, 103 min)
Non-Fiction
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 8:00 PM – Reception to precede screening
KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER
The struggles of a staid publisher and a rumpled novelist to adopt to the new digital media world, and the impermanence thereof, is complicated (because this is a French comedy) by adultery.
(d: Olivier Assayas c: Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi, Christa Théret, France 2018, 106 min)
“Each year more than 5,000 films come through our submissions process and uncovering emerging themes each time is a satisfying puzzle that ends up being our 25-day festival,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “This year we saw strong female led films, specifically in the comedy genre, and are thrilled that 46-percent of the films in SIFF have female directors, and 56 percent of our competition films are directed by women.”
Full Festival Lineup
SIFF’s film lineup is accompanied by industry forums, film development programs, the SIFF Lounge and a host of other complementary Festival activities, all found at siff.net.
The 2019 Seattle International Film Festival is presented by SIFF, the non-profit arts organization that reaches more than 350,000 annually through SIFF Cinema, SIFF Education, and the annual flagship Festival.
Festival Box Office opened on May 2 online at siff.net and in person at any year round SIFF Box Office. View the full public program here: www.siff.net/festival.
