35th Seattle International Film Festival (2009)

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I am delighted to welcome you to the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Congratulations to the entire SIFF family on 35 extraordinary years of cinema!

At 25 days, SIFF is the largest American film festival and offers over 400 feature films and shorts from more than 60 countries. Attracting many visitors from around the world, SIFF continues to reach unprecedented attendance, growing each and every year.

I congratulate SIFF on the growth and success of SIFF Cinema, its new state-of-the-art theater in McCaw Hall, which provides a year-round screening facility at Seattle Center. This exciting partnership between the City of Seattle and SIFF is establishing Seattle Center as a hub for the arts.

Festival organizers and volunteers have worked hard to bring this annual cross-cultural event to the people of the Pacific Northwest and all of our visitors. This celebration of the international language of film can only serve to enlighten us and enhance the diversity of our people.

Thank you all for being a part of this year’s Festival, and please accept my best wishes for a successful event.

Sincerely,

Christine O. Gregoire Governor of Washington

GREETINGS FROM THE MAYOR

On behalf of the City of Seattle, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 35th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The city is proud to sponsor this renowned celebration of film. I would like to thank the many organizers, volunteers, staff, filmmakers, and sponsors who worked so hard to bring our city together and the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival to fruition.

For many years, Seattle has been a beacon of light for film lovers all across the Northwest. Much of this success is due to the Seattle International Film Festival’s 35-year presence in the city. SIFF Cinema brings year-round, unique film opportunities to the people of Seattle. This year, the city welcomes exciting news of the SIFF Film Center at the Alki Room in Seattle Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will provide more opportunities for film enthusiasts throughout the year.

As the largest film festival in the country, SIFF is an invaluable resource to our community. I encourage you to take advantage of all the film festival has to offer, from its films and musical performances to its panels and forums.

We are truly happy you are here.

Sincerely,

Greg Nickels Mayor of Seattle

FANS OF JAPANESE SLASHER - COMEDY VÉRITÉ

CAN BE WINNERS TOO! IT’S SIFF BINGO TIME.

HOW TO PLAY:

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Clip out bingo cards.

Distribute to fellow l goers.

Mark squares as you spot l ge s.

erge fro festi al ictorious li p.

SIFF BINGO SIFFSIFF BINGO SIFF

NONLINEAR PLOTLINE

TALKY SCI-FI

VIOLENCE PLAYED FOR LAUGHS

FULL-FRONTAL MAN BITS

HAND-HELD CAMCORDER

PLOT

MENTAL ILLNESS

RUNAWAY TEEN

DIALOG-DRIVEN ACTION FILM

NON-AROUSING NUDITY

NAZIS

STEVE BUSCEMI

BOOM MIC IN THE SHOT

SIGN LANGUAGE RAP BATTLE

SPEEDO

UNHEARD OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

LOVABLE SERIAL KILLER

VAGUE ENDING

HOMICIDAL CLOWN

FIRST-TIME ACTORS POST APOCALYPSE

ENDLESS TRACKING SHOT

LOVABLE SERIAL KILLER

SAME-SEX SEX VÉRITÉ

UNSHAVEN ARMPITS (FEMALE)

TARANTINO WANNABE

RAINFOREST

BOLLYWOOD HOMAGE

UNREADABLE SUBTITLES

SHADOW GOVERNMENT

APRILDECEMBER ROMANCE

TERRIFYING CHILDREN’S FILM

BIG STAR AT SCALE PAY

CONJOINED LEADING MEN

HARPIST BIOPIC DUBAI ENNUI

BUDGET UNDER $5K

THE YEAR: 2087

BERET

SIFF BINGO SIFF

TRANSEXUAL LEADING (WO)MAN

UNCOMFORTABLE HUMOR

AMPUTEE PROTAGONIST

PRETENTIOUS MONTAGE SET TO POP SONG

PET SPIDER

ENVIRO-DOC

BALD SHIRTLESS FAT MAN

AMATEUR AUTEUR

NOAM CHOMSKY

LOOSE ADAPTATION

SHAKESPEARE RE-IMAGINING

DIMLY LIT

VANCOUVER, BC AS U.S. CITY

DUTCH TILT

ORPHANS

OBSCURE POP-CULTURE REFERENCE

CONTINUITY ERROR

AGAINST-TYPE CASTING

ETHAN HAWKE

FILM WITHIN A FILM WITHIN A FILM NEW FRENCH NEW WAVE

RUST-BELT FARCE

SORTA PORNOGRAPHIC

CHILD SOLDIERS

GRAPHIC BIRTHING SCENE

PARKER POSEY

WIRE WORK

MADE ME CRY ... HARD

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

SIFF BINGO SIFF

IRONIC 80s SOUNDTRACK

GAG REFLEX TRIGGERED

FORMER CHILD STAR AS VILLAIN

FUTURISTIC SOUTHERN GOTHIC

SNARKY INGÉNUE

ANIME

SWORDS & SANDALS

META-MUSICAL BASED ON A TRUE STORY LARGE MUSTACHES

URBAN DECAY NOIRISH

CREEPY CHILD ALBINO SUICIDE

INTELLECTUAL BANTER

CELEBRITY EXEC. PRODUCER

UNINTENTIONAL HUMOR

HEAVY DRINKING

ABORIGINES

ODDLY MAINSTREAM

ANNOYINGLY “QUIRKY” EXPATS

WISE OLD FEMALE IMPERSONATOR

SYMBOLIC FIRE

WELL-READ HEROIN ADDICTS

It is a great year for cinema and a very special year for the Seattle International Film Festival as we celebrate our 35th Anniversary. More than ever before, the Festival has expanded its efforts to honor and celebrate the past, present, and future of cinema.

Our archival selections focus on a wide range of genres, styles, and stories. With vital restoration efforts by Gucci and The Film Foundation, we are able to present two of their recently restored classics, A Woman Under the Influence and Le Amiche. Robert Osborne, host of the Turner Classic Movies network, will be on hand to introduce four of his favorite classic films, and we are importing a rare Chinese silent film, Wild Rose, to be presented with live musical accompaniment.

Contemporary international cinema is equally well represented, with more than 260 features and 120 shorts from over 62 countries at this year’s Festival, making SIFF the largest event of its kind in the US. As always, a large number of filmmakers will attend the Festival to present their work and participate in various programs. I’m especially delighted that Spike Lee will be coming to SIFF to accept the Golden Space Needle for Outstanding Achievement in Directing. Later in the Festival, Francis Ford Coppola will be in attendance to present his latest film, Tetro

A vast array of new talent is emerging in the Northwest, redefining the talent pool and providing new opportunities for those not looking to make compromises within the Hollywood system. It is exciting to see this surge in local production and in the sophistication of our homegrown filmmaking talent with our largest celebration of local filmmaking to date.

Documentary filmmaking has seen explosive growth. With more than 1,000 documentary films submitted to the Festival, it was difficult to winnow the selection down to a mere 54 of the best enlightening and, quite often, very entertaining true stories.

SIFF provides the ability to view the world with a fresh perspective and thereby gain a richer appreciation for everyday life. From our laugh-out-loud opening night film, In the Loop, to our closing night film, OSS 117: Lost in Rio—the sequel to OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, which won our audience award in 2006—and everything in between, I invite you to join us in celebrating this great contemporary art form. You might just find something unexpected.

Carl Spence, SIFF Artistic Director

Dear Friends,

I wish all of you could see the Festival from my vantage point. It is a true community celebration in that literally thousands of people make SIFF happen every year. We have almost 100 staff members—some of the most talented and dedicated people I have ever had the opportunity to work with. More than 700 volunteers donate 13,000 hours of their time. Our 2,000 members and hundreds of sponsors and donors generously support our efforts throughout the year. Then, of course, approximately 150,000 of you come to experience SIFF. It remains profoundly humbling and inspiring to be part of such an effort.

Why do we come together to do this every year? We all have our own reasons, but I’ll offer you mine. I believe cultural celebrations like this are essential and even more important in challenging times. Now more than ever we need to resist the temptation to stay at home and numb ourselves to the outside world. We need opportunities to come together and be challenged and inspired by stories from around the world and from right here in our own backyard.

SIFF provides just such an opportunity. Our mission is to foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive through the art of cinema. It is my dearest wish that in these next 25 days we fulfill that mission for each and every one of you.

Deborah Person, SIFF Managing Director

Welcome to the 35th Seattle International Film Festival!

On behalf of the Board of Directors and SIFF staff, I’d like to thank our sponsors, filmmakers, volunteers, and especially our audiences for their support of the Seattle International Film Festival.

SIFF spotlights the best in the world of cinema. With special events, educational programs, discussion groups, filmmaker panels, and celebrity appearances, this year’s programming is richer and more diverse than ever.

While you know us for the Festival, SIFF has been actively growing behind the scenes. We have secured the Alki Room at the Seattle Center as the future home of the SIFF Film Center. The development of the SIFF Film Center, coupled with the opening of SIFF Cinema in 2007, will allow SIFF to bring film to Seattle year-round, as well as extend our reach into the community and serve more people.

We are proud to inform you that we have raised half of our $3 million goal, despite the current economic climate. We hope that, as a friend and fan of SIFF, you will support our efforts to create a permanent home, allowing SIFF to fully achieve its mission and ensure our future sustainability and growth. In celebration of our 35th anniversary, we invite you to join the 35 Club and ask that you consider donating a gift to the SIFF Film Center in the amount of $35, $350, $3,500, $35,000, or more.

Film knows no barriers, and we are truly blessed to have SIFF in our community. This event has had a profound influence on Seattle culture over the years and I, for one, am truly proud and humbled to be a part of it.

Best wishes to everyone for a great Festival.

Sincerely,

Craig Friedson

President, SIFF Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Craig Friedson

President

Ben Margoles

Sara Woolsey

Vice Presidents

Keith Simanton

Secretary

Carl Tostevin

Treasurer

A. Michael Adams

Kraig L. Marini Baker

John W. Comerford

Christopher Conrad

Sharon Conner

Barnaby Dorfman

Rich Fassio

Gary Grina

Scott Lipsky

Darryl Macdonald

Mary Metastasio

Richard Meyer

Charlie Nordstrom

Bill Predmore

Lance Rosen

Board Emeriti

Dan Ireland

Deborah Person

Tom Skerritt

Rick Stevenson

PREMIER SPONSORS

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Consulate General of France, San Francisco

Art Institute of Seattle

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Ellison Center, University of Washington

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The Mayor’s Office of Film + Music

Perugia - Seattle Sister City Coordinating Committee

Projektleitung USA - German Films

Quebec Gov’t Office in LA

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Royal Norwegian Consulate General

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Seattle Center

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ShadowCatcher Entertainment

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WashingtonFilmWorks

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Great films raise our consciousness and inspire new levels of understanding.

Boeing is proud to be a sponsor of the Seattle International Film Festival.

building a new home

at Seattle Center’s Alki Room

“We both take pride in the ambitious and excellent work which SIFF provides to this community. Not only are we huge film buffs, but we love to know that Seattle is an important center for international film. SIFF brings diverse talent and artistry to Seattle and helps make this community a more interesting place in which to live and develop creative thought.”

“Much of what comes out of the movie industry is aimed at homogeny, meaning films that appeal to the widest possible audience. Festivals like SIFF preserve real voices and cultivate budding filmmakers who otherwise may get lost in the studio system. SIFF, itself, has a really cool and cutting-edge spirit which captures the artistic soul of Seattle.”

– Peter Sarsgaard

– Dale and Leslie Chihuly

“No matter what festivals I’ve shown my films at, the screenings I most look forward to as a Seattle filmmaker are those that occur at home: at SIFF. SIFF has been instrumental in helping to create credibility for my work within my own community, which is very important to me as an artist.”

– Lynn Shelton

Join the 35 Club!

In recognition of SIFF’s 35th anniversary, and in support of the SIFF Film Center, you are invited to join the 35 Club. Membership in the 35 Club begins with a gift of $35. “Add a zero” and make a pledge or donation of $350, $3,500, $35,000, or more and receive an invitation to an exclusive celebration at the Alki Room on June 13. Donations and pledges of any amount are welcomed.

The SIFF Film Center will allow us to extend our reach into the community, and will ensure our future sustainability and growth.

BNY Mellon Wealth Management is proud to support the community and those who strive to make it a better place, now and in the future.

We are honored to support SIFF.

Mingle with Festival guests and enjoy lively conversation with other film fans in an intimate and inviting atmosphere.

Show your Festival pass or ticket stub for discounts on rotating food and drink specials!

ContinueyourSIFF experience atSIFF Lounge!

SIFF Lounge at Boom Noodle

12th and Pike, Capitol Hill

Open all 25 days of the Festival!

United Kingdom 2009

Director:

Armando Iannucci

Producers: Kevin Loader

Adam Tandy

Screenwriters:

Jesse Armstrong

Simon Blackwell

Armando Iannucci

Tony Roche

Cinematographer:

Jamie Cairney

Editors:

Billy Sneddon

Ant Boys

Music:

Adem Ilhan with the Elysian Quartet

Cast:

Peter Capaldi

James Gandolfini

Tom Hollander

David Rashe

Gina McKee

Chris Addison

Anna Chulmsky

Mimi Kennedy

Engo Cilenti

Paul Higgins

Alex MacQueen

Johnny Pemberton

Olivia Poulet

Joanna Scanlan

James Smith

Steve Coogan

Zach Woods

Running Time: 109 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

In the Loop

THURSDAY MAY 21 7:00 PM PARAMOUNT

THEATRE

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: intheloopmovie.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Scabrous British wit is applied to biting political commentary in Armando Iannucci’s adaptation of his hit BBC series “The Thick of It.” This profanity-strewn political farce about the road to war through the corridors of power would be terrifying if it were not so downright funny. When British cabinet minister Simon Foster misjudges events in the run-up to a Middle-East-like conflict, he is exiled to Washington, D.C., by his hair-trigger-tempered prime minister. Trying desperately to look important, he forges a series of questionable acquaintances with American politicos, all with their own axes to grind. This sets off a train of misadventures filled with secrets, lies, leaks, and faulty intelligence—and walls—until, as all good farces should, it concludes with a cinematic shuffle, this time around the hallowed corridors of the United Nations. Blessed with a top-notch cast of British comic talent (and James Gandolfini from “The Sopranos” hamming it up as a Pentagon bigwig, visibly enjoying the role), the manic fun leads us behind closed doors to reveal bungling bureaucrats, obsequious aides and an unscrupulous staffer who doctors intelligence because he believes that “in the land of truth, the man with one fact is king.” Packed with killer quotes and filmed appropriately in quasi-verité style, In the Loop introduces Iannucci as a bright star to shine alongside Sacha Baron Cohen, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais et al in the firmament of cutting-edge British comics.

France 2009

Director:

Michel Hazanavicius

Producers:

Eric Altmayer

Nicolas Altmayer

Screenwriters:

Jean-François Halin

Michel Hazanavicius

Cinematographer: Guillaume Schiffman

Editor:

Reynald Bertrand

Music:

Ludovic Bource

Cast:

Jean Dujardin

Louise Monot

Michel Aumont

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source: Gaumont

Film Website: oss117.fr

Selected Filmography: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) Sitcom, A Movie (1999)

OSS 117: Lost in Rio

OSS 117 : RIO NE RÉPOND PLUS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 6:30 PM CINERAMA

Twelve years after his adventures in Cairo, it’s now the groovy 1960s, and agent OSS 117 is back for another mission at the end of the world. Sent on the trail of a microfilm that could compromise the French government, France’s most famous secret agent must team up with Dolores, the Mossad’s sexiest female lieutenant colonel, to capture a Nazi blackmailer. From Rio’s sunbaked beaches to the luxuriant Amazonian forests, OSS 117 takes us on an adventure full of thrills and laughs. No matter the dangers, no matter the challenges or risks, we can count on Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath to come through unscathed. The title character is part James Bond, part Maxwell Smart, and a little Austin Powers thrown in for good measure. Like its predecessor (OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, SIFF 2006 Audience Award winner), Lost in Rio features sparkling production design, a jubilantly retro score, and a genuine flair for using 1960s film and TV vocabulary to revisit colonial arrogance. A recent critical and box-office sensation in France.

USA

2009

Director: Lynn Shelton

Producer: Lynn Shelton

Screenwriter:

Lynn Shelton

Cinematographer: Benjamin Kasulke

Editor: Nat Sanders

Music: Vinny Smith

Cast: Mark Duplass

Joshua Leonard

Alycia Delmore

Lynn Shelton

Trina Willard

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: humpdayishere.com

Selected Filmography: My Effortless Brilliance (2008) We Go Way Back (2006)

Humpday

JUNE 5 7:00 PM

Settling into his marriage with Anna, Ben has a steady job and plans to start a family. But when his old college buddy Andrew shows up unannounced at 1:30 in the morning, the two quickly fall back into their old competitive ways. A decade after college, they each see each other’s lives very differently: Ben thinks Andrew has become an aimless ne’er-do-well, and Andrew thinks Ben has become emasculated by married life. To save Ben from further domestication, Andrew takes him to a party at a sex-positive commune where booze and drugs abound. When talk at the party turns to a local weekly’s amateur porn contest (based on a real competition sponsored by Seattle’s The Stranger), Andrew wants in. With neither man willing to back down from a challenge, they decide that the most groundbreaking porn two heterosexual dudes can make would be having sex together—on camera. It’s beyond gay; it’s an art project, they tell themselves. But how exactly do they do this? And who’s going to tell Anna? Lynn Shelton has created a hilarious film about the complexities and contradictions of the male ego, mixing knowing satire with profound emotional discoveries, and culminating in one of the most uproariously uncomfortable finales in recent memory.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2009 (U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for the Spirit of Independence)

Sweden 2008

Director:

Ella Lemhagen

Producers: Tomas Michaelsson

Lars Blomgren

Screenwriter:

Ella Lemhagen based on the play by Michael Druker

Cinematographer: Marek Septimus Wieser

Editor:

Thomas Lagerman

Music:

Fredrik Emilson

Cast: Gustaf Skarsgård

Torkel Petersson

Tom Ljungman

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation

Format: 35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Svensk Filmindustri, AB

Print Source: Regent Releasing

Film Website: patrikage15.com

Selected Filmography:

Immediate Boarding (2003) If Not (2001)

Tsatsiki, Mum and the Policeman (1999)

Welcome to the Party (1997)

About Em: The Prince of Dreams (1996)

Patrik Age 1.5

Director Ella Lemhagen’s dramatic comedy, adapted from a three-person stage play, hinges on a bureaucratic blunder. After facing discrimination in their quest to adopt a child, Swedish gay couple Goran and Sven finally appear to be cleared to take possession of an 18-month-old boy named Patrik. However, due to a misplaced punctuation mark, the “1.5-year-old” turns out to be 15—and a homophobe with a violent criminal record to boot. This sitcom-like plot point is transformed in Lemhagen’s hands into an intelligent rumination on tolerance and gradual understanding in a country that has been surprisingly slow to accept the idea of same-sex-couple adoption. Initially, all involved are displeased about the situation, especially Sven, who has also had his share of youthful run-ins with the law and knows the violence Patrik is capable of unleashing. The couple eventually coaxes positive qualities out of Patrik that go deeper than the teen’s initial disgust about having to live with “homos.” With strong performances by all involved, Patrik Age 1.5 is a sensitive, quietly funny, and surprisingly affecting take on the theme of a same-sex couple raising an adopted child.

Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle Award for OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING Spike Lee

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Marked by a strong resolve and steadfast confidence from the moment he produced his first-year college project, The Answer, Spike Lee knows how to get people talking. Lee’s “joints” consistently dare audiences to think about the uncomfortable issues most people would rather push aside.

Whether addressing color-ism in 1988’s School Daze or interracial relationships in 1991’s Jungle Fever, Lee exposes the unexplored issues that face the African-American community. His debut film, She’s Gotta Have It, garnered him the 1986 Prix de Jeunesse Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Academy recognized his genius for crafting compelling plots and characters in Do The Right Thing with a 1989 Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Though he never purports to speak for the entire black population, Lee demonstrates a talent for applying racial issues to a broader critique of American society in the belief that an all-black film by a black director can still draw universal appeal.

In 1992, Lee applied his talents to Malcolm X, fighting against Warner Brothers studio’s miserly budget and cries of “exploitation” from public interest groups. The commercial success of the film catapulted the oft-misunderstood civil rights leader to legendary status and propelled Lee to a prominent standing among directors. His historical documentary, 4 Little Girls, which recounts the tragedy of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four young churchgoers, earned an Academy Award® nomination for Documentary Feature. Recently, Lee brought his down-to-earth eye for truth to the lingering physical and emotional destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in his documentary

When the Levees Broke. Lee and his team captured views of a community that’s been through hell and back, but still finds hope and strength as the city fights for its life.

Famously working around the New York Knicks’ home basketball schedule, Lee’s spirited public persona complements his inexorable work ethic. Philip Dusenberry of advertising agency BBDO once said of Lee, “You get the impression that Spike is a devil-may-care kind of guy, but he’s also a shrewd self-promoter.” Lee’s business philosophy comes from Malcolm X’s opinion that African-Americans need to create and advance their own economic interests.

Releasing a “joint” nearly every year since 1986, Lee’s renowned direction continues to exemplify the spirit of American film. In his commercial triumphs, Lee never apologizes, and why should he? In defense of his pioneering work, Lee says, “All I want to do is tell a story. When writing a script I’m not saying, ‘Uh-oh, I’d better leave that out because I might get into trouble.’ I don’t operate like that.”

Lee’s honesty through filmmaking, his ever-present desire to showcase sociopolitical issues, and his unfailing ability to challenge cultural assumptions set him apart as a director, producer, and writer, as he continues to re-create the “norm” and push fellow (and aspiring) filmmakers to new heights.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

Passing Strange (2009)

Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Inside Man (2006)

When the Levees Broke (2006)

She Hate Me (2004)

25th Hour (2002)

Bamboozled (2000)

Summer of Sam (1999)

He Got Game (1998)

4 Little Girls (1997)

Passing Strange

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 FOLLOWING THE SPIKE

TUESDAY JUNE 2 6:30

Get on the Bus (1996)

Girl 6 (1996)

Clockers (1995)

Crooklyn (1994)

Malcolm X (1992)

Jungle Fever (1991)

Mo’ Better Blues (1990)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

School Daze (1988)

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Joe Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983)

Part rock concert, part memoir, part Broadway musical, Spike Lee’s new documentary Passing Strange breaks conventions to tell its story of a young L.A. songwriter’s international journey to selfdiscovery. A profound autobiographical treatise on black identity, told in both past and present time, it places itself more in line with the works of James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison than with traditional film. An amazing cinematic translation of “Passing Strange,” the Tony-award winning musical by singer-songwriter Stew (leader of L.A. band The Negro Problem), the film tells the story of the adult Stew and his younger self, the teenaged “Youth.” An aspiring musician, Youth strains against the complacency and bourgeois aspirations of his mother’s middle-class life, eventually leaving Los Angeles for Europe in his quest for something he calls “the real.” Alternately melancholy and amazed, Stew watches and narrates as Youth fumbles his way to maturity on a European voyage that takes him to the liberations of Amsterdam and the post-punk cabarets of Berlin. One-upping the Broadway show, Lee doesn’t just break down the “fourth wall,” he uses 14 cameras to place you into the onstage performance and immerse you in the backstage creative energy of the live show. Passing Strange is an amazing testimonial to two iconoclastic artists working at the top of their game.

USA

2009

Director: Spike Lee

Producers: Spike Lee

Steve Klein

Cinematographer: Matty Libatique

Editor: Barry Alexander Brown

Cast: De’Adre Aziza

Daniel Breaker

Colman Domingo

Chad Goodridge

Eisa Davis

Stew

Rebecca Naomi Jones

Running Time: 135 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Applecorp Holdings

LEE TRIBUTE EGYPTIAN THEATRE

ENCORE SCREENING

PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Il Fornaio

Mexico

Thai Ginger

Todai

Johnny Rockets

Pike Place Chowder

Gordon Biersch

Sixth Avenue Wine Seller

Barnes & Noble Café

Starbucks Coffee

Taste, meetstyle.

SHOT #1 — Description:

Open on interior of Alaska Airlines flight. A sleeping child has dropped his stuffed animal in the aisle.

SHOT #4 — Description:

<Cue dramatic music.> She springs into action.

SHOT #7 — Description:

The Flight Attendant makes it just in time, saving the toy from the cart

SHOT #10 — Description:

Close up of toy as someone is about to step on it.

SHOT #2 — Description:

Suddenly, a beverage cart rolls down the aisle.

The animal is helpless

SHOT #5 — Description:

The Flight Attendant dives over two passengers’ legs sticking out in the aisle.

SHOT #8 — Description:

She returns the toy to the sleeping child, then returns to serving passengers.

SHOT #11 — Description:

SHOT #3 — Description:

The Flight Attendant senses trouble. She turns and sees the toy in danger’s path

SHOT #6 — Description:

She ducks under two people passing a drink across the aisle, barely missing the cup.

SHOT #9 — Description:

Cut back to child. He unknowingly drops his toy again

ALASKA AIRLINES IS A PROUD

SUPPORTER OF SIFF AND ALL THE DRAMA IT BRINGS.

SHOT #12 — Description:

Strand Anniversary

Strand was created by partners Jon Gerrans, Mike Thomas, and Marcus Hu. The idea began when they came upon the racy Filipino film Macho Dancer and instantly knew that this small foreign film deserved to be seen in the US. They soon discovered how underserved the foreign film market niche was, so in 1989 the trio founded Strand Releasing and instantly a home was born for quality independent and arthouse films from around the world.

Over the past 20 years, their company has flourished, and to this date Strand has released more than 200 films from some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers such as Gregg Araki (The Living End, Mysterious Skin, Totally F***ed Up), Fatih Akin (The Edge of Heaven, Head-On), Hal Hartley (Ambition, Theory of Achievement), and Tsai Ming-liang (The Wayward Cloud). With the release of such films as Party Monster, Late Bloomers, Edge of Seventeen, Burnt Money, and The Bubble, Strand has also established itself as a pioneer for LGBT film and helped propel the New Queer Cinema movement in theaters around the country.

Throughout Strand’s long history, they have been responsible for bringing more than 70 titles to the Seattle International Film Festival. SIFF is proud to honor 20 years of Strand Releasing and their uncompromising commitment to distribute films that not only deserve to be seen by audiences throughout the country but also, in many cases, films that otherwise may never have been seen outside the film festival circuit.

Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans will appear in person to receive the Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema on May 29 at the 7:00pm screening of Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman at the Harvard Exit.

Downloading Nancy (USA, 2008)

Directed by Johan Renck. See page 195.

Egon & Dönci (Hungary, 2008)

Directed by Ádám Magyar. See page 83.

Give Me Your Hand (France, 2009)

Directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent. See page 204.

The Headless Woman

(Argentina, 2008)

Directed by Lucrecia Martel, See page 53.

Kabei – Our Mother (Japan, 2008)

Directed by Yoji Yamada. See page 211.

Sügisball

(Estonia, 2007)

Directed by Veiko Öunpuu. See page 241.

The Wedding Song

(France, 2008)

Directed by Karin Albou. See page 248.

A Woman in Berlin

(Germany, 2008)

Directed by Max Färberböck. See page 251.

STRAND RELEASING AT SIFF OVER THE YEARS

1992

The Living End

Directed by Gregg Araki USA

1993

Crush

Directed by Alison Maclean New Zealand

1994

Grief

1998

Dry Cleaning

Directed by Anne Fontaine France

First Love, Last Rites

Directed by Jessee Peretz USA

Genealogies of a Crime

Directed by Raoul Ruiz France

Directed by Richard Glatzer USA

Totally F***ed Up

Directed by Gregg Araki USA

1995

Postcards from America

Directed by Steve McLean USA

World and Time Enough

Directed by Eric Mueller USA

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Directed by Russ Meyer USA

1996

A Single Girl

Jeanne and the Perfect Guy

Fleeing by Night

Directed by Li-kung Hsu & Chi Yin

Taiwan

Monkey’s Mask

Directed by Samantha Lang Australia

Princesa

Directed by Henrique Goldman Italy/Germany

Twist

Directed by Jacob Tierney Canada

Who Killed Bambi?

Directed by Gilles Marchand France

2005

Cote d’Azur

Directed by Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau France

2002

Directed by Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau France

Lawn Dogs

Directed by John Duigan UK

Directed by Benoit Jacquot France

Stonewall

Directed by Nigel Finch United Kingdom

Vive l’amour

Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang

Taiwan

Under the Domim Tree

Directed by Eli Cohen Israel

Who Killed Teddy Bear?

Directed by Joseph Cates USA

1997

The Delta

Directed by Ira Sachs USA

A Self Made Hero

The Last Day

The Cockettes

Directed by Bill Weber USA

Hush!

Voyage to the Beginning of the World

Directed by Manoel de Olivera

Portugal

1999

Beefcake

Directed by Thom Fitzgerald Canada

Head On

Directed by Ana Kokkinos

Australia

I Stand Alone

Directed by Gaspar Noé

France

Show Me Love

Directed by Lukas Moodysson

Sweden

2000

Criminal Lovers

Directed by Ryosuke Hasiguchi Japan

Lan Yu

Directed by Stanley Kwan

China/Hong Kong

A Self Made Hero

Directed by Jacques Audiard France

Smokers Only

Directed by Verónica Chen Argentina

2003

DarkBlueAlmostBlack

Directed by Daniel Arévalo Spain

Grimm Love

Directed by Martin Weisz Germany

I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone

Directed by Tsai Ming-Liang Taiwan

Love For Sale: Suely in the Sky

Gasoline

Directed by Rodolphe Marconi France

Tony Takitani

Directed by Jun Ichikawa Japan

Tropical Malady

Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Thailand

A Year Without Love

Directed by Anahi Berneri

Argentina

2006

A Soap

Directed by Pernille Fischer Christiansen Denmark

Directed by Karim Ainouz Brazil

The Man of My Life

Directed by Zabou Breitman France

One to Another

Directed by Jean-Marc Barr & Pascal Arnold France

Slipstream

Directed by Anthony Hopkins USA

Syndromes and a Century

Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul Thailand

White Palms

Directed by Szabolcs Hadju Hungary

The Yacoubian Building

Directed by Jacques Audiard France

Timothy Leary’s Dead

Directed by Paul Davids USA

The Tint and the Moon

Directed by Bigas Luna Spain

Directed by François Ozon France

Psycho Beach Party

Directed by Robert Lee King USA

Suzhou River

Directed by Lou Ye China/Germany

The Weekend

Directed by Brian Skeet USA

2001

Borstal Boy

Directed by Peter Sheridan

Ireland/UK

Burnt Money

Directed by Monica Lisa Stambrini

Italy

The Good Old Naughty Days

Directed by Michel Reilhac France

Yossi & Jagger

Directed by Eytan Fox Israel

2004

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi

Directed by Shemi Zarhin Israel

Proteus

Directed by John Greyson Canada

Raspberry Reich

Backstage

Directed by Emmanuelle Bercot

France

Broken Sky

Directed by Julián Hernández

Mexico

Conversations with Other Women

Directed by Hans Canosa USA

Crossing the Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul

Directed by Fatih Akin Germany

Time to Leave

Directed by François Ozon France

Two Drifters

Directed by Bruce LaBruce Canada

Steam: The Turkish Bath

Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek Italy

A Thousand Clouds of Peace

Thailand

Directed by Marwan Hamed Egypt

2008

Before I Forget

Directed by Jacques Nolot France

Cherry Blossoms –Hanami

Directed by Doris Dörrie Germany

The Edge of Heaven

Directed by Fatih Akin Germany

Otto: or, Up With Dead People

Directed by Bruce LaBruce Germany

Saturn in Opposition

Directed by Marcelo Pineyro

Directed by João Pedro Rodrigues

Portugal

2007

Black Irish

Directed by Brad Gann USA

Directed by Julián Hernández Mexico

Directed by Ferzn Ozpetek Italy

A Secret

Directed by Claude Miller France

The Bubble

Directed by Eytan Fox Israel

USA/Argentina 2009

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Producer: Francis Ford Coppola

Screenwriter:

Francis Ford Coppola

Cinematographer: Mihai Malaimare Jr.

Editor: Walter Murch

Music:

Osvaldo Golijov

Cast: Vincent Gallo

Maribel Verdú

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Carmen Maura

Alden Ehrenreich

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in English and Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: American Zoetrope

Film Website: tetro.com

Selected Filmography:

Youth Without Youth (2007)

The Rainmaker (1997) Jack (1996)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

Gardens of Stone (1987)

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

The Cotton Club (1984)

Rumble Fish (1983)

One from the Heart (1982)

Tetro

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Conversation (1974)

The Godfather (1972)

The Rain People (1969)

Finian’s Rainbow (1968)

You’re a Big Boy Now (1967)

Dementia 13 (1963)

Argentina proves an inviting canvas for Francis Ford Coppola’s first original screenplay since 1974. Tetro focuses on an artistically gifted family fractured by an overbearingly successful father and several relocations. Recalling fond memories of his exiled older brother “Tetro,” the ingenuous 17-year-old Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) leaves New York in search of his sibling, but Tetro (Vincent Gallo) has dissociated himself and refuses to work. After being turned away by his brother, Bennie seeks refuge with Tetro’s girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdú) in Buenos Aires’ eclectic La Boca neighborhood and discovers unfinished writing projects in her house that explain the reasons for Tetro’s ostracism. Bennie decides to pen the conclusion to one of the unfinished plays despite warnings from Miranda. Facing violent resistance from his brother, he submits the play to the famed critic “Alone” (Carmen Maura), who selects it as a finalist for the most important literary prize in the country. Striking thematic parallels and Coppola’s intimate direction seamlessly frame this semiautobiographical drama.

USA 2008

Directors:

James D. Stern

Adam Del Deo

Producers: James D. Stern

Adam Del Deo

Editors:

Fernando Villena

Brad Fuller

Music:

Jane Antonia Cornish

Marvin Hamlisch

Featuring:

Charlotte d’Amboise

Jessica Lee Goldyn

Yuka Takara

Jason Tam

Chryssie Whitehead

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: sonyclassics.com/everylittlestep

Selected Filmography: ....So Goes the Nation (2006) The Year of the Yao (2004)

Every Little Step

SATURDAY JUNE 13

7:00

PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Eerily echoing the story of the musical it is about, Every Little Step follows the casting of Bob Avian’s 2006 revival of one of the most widely produced Broadway shows ever, “A Chorus Line.” But this hugely entertaining documentary adds another layer, examining the genesis of the show through the recorded workshop interviews with Broadway dancers that creator-choreographer Michael Bennett used as the basis of that startlingly original work. A treat for anyone who loves musical theater, the film is cause for hip-swaying, highkicking celebration. The filmmakers are granted extraordinary behind-the-scenes access, and the performers give everything they’ve got. Featuring some of the original cast as well as the aspiring dancers who hope to revive those roles—as aspiring dancers—the film mesmerizes with the various interpretations of each character from different generational perspectives. Directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo deftly follow the process from the heartbreak of rejection to the exhilaration of being chosen. Cutting gracefully between Avian’s high-pressure auditions and the archive material, Stern and Del Deo have created a film of nail-biting intensity that matches its subject step for step. “Life imitating art imitating life,” as Variety so aptly put it.

Dedicated to the Memory of Wouter Barendrecht (1965 – 2009)

The sudden death of producer and sales agent Wouter Barendrecht shocked and saddened the international film biz. He was only 43. Barendrecht co-founded Fortissimo Films in 1991 with Helen Loveridge and most recently ran the company with co-president Michael Werner. Barendrecht worked closely with cult director Wong Kar-wai and was instrumental in bringing Wong’s films to international attention.

Over the past decade, Barendrecht and Werner greatly expanded Fortissimo’s reach to productions around the globe, serving as producers, executive producers, or co-producers on films by directors such as John Cameron Mitchell (Short Bus), Patrick Stettner (The Night Listener), Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin), Dylan Kidd (P.S.), and Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Party Monster). Other international filmmakers who have made Fortissimo a significant presence at major film festivals include Tsai Ming-liang, Peter Greenaway, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Alex van Warmerdam, Sergei Bodrov, Clara Law, Tony Ayres, Béla Tarr, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Zhang Yang, Wang Xiaoshuai, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Wouter was a good friend of the Seattle International Film Festival, and we will miss him. Our condolences go out to his family and colleagues around the world.

“Wouter … one light is gone, but not missing. It is traveling somewhere beautiful. You have created and inspired so many lights in cinema. These magic lanterns will accompany you across borders. So I know you will not be lonely. I hope to see you in the future. Don’t forget to say hi.”

—Apichatpong Weerasethakul

USA

1965

Director:

Blake Edwards

Producers: Martin Jurow

Richard Crockett

Screenwriter:

Arthur Ross

Cinematographer:

Russell Harlan

Editor: Ralph E. Winters

Music:

Henry Mancini

Cast:

Jack Lemmon

Tony Curtis

Natalie Wood

Peter Falk

Running Time: 160 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source: Warner Brothers

Selected Filmography: Switch (1991)

The Man Who Loved Women (1983)

Victor Victoria (1982) S.O.B. (1981) 10 (1979)

The Pink Panther (1963) Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

The Great Race

MONDAY JUNE 1 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

SIFF, in cooperation with the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Centennial Celebration, proudly presents a screening of The Great Race. Blake Edwards’ classic tribute to silent-era slapstick chronicles a coast-tocoast road race based partly on a real New York-to-Seattle race that ended at the 1909 A-Y-P Exposition. The Great Race was a product of a time when the movie business was in a race of its own against the nascent monster of television. Hollywood’s plan of attack was to churn out film after film of such size and spectacle that audiences would be compelled to flock to the cinemas. Blake Edwards’ avowed intention, reflected in the film’s tag line, was to create “the laugh fest of all time,” and many contend that he achieved his aim. In a warm tribute to the charms of the cinema of yesteryear, the film was dedicated to Laurel and Hardy, and even included silent movie title cards to identify the cast. Professional daredevil The Great Leslie convinces turn-of-the-century automakers that a round-the-world motor race will help to promote car sales. Leslie’s nemesis, the dastardly yet incompetent Professor Fate, vows to beat Leslie to the finish line at the Eiffel Tower. Meanwhile, Maggie DuBois, a young suffragette activist, cajoles her editor into entering a car with her as the driver. All this is, of course, just a framework for Edwards’ broad farce about good and evil (clue: the hero wears white, the villain is swathed in black) which employs slapstick, double entendres, parody, and abundant absurdity in a lavish cinematic spectacle. An undeservingly half-forgotten treasure from a bygone era, The Great Race is further embellished by contributions from top-drawer Hollywood talent behind the scenes, not least of which is Henry Mancini’s hugely enjoyable score and the ever-inventive costumes of Edith Head.

The International Federation of Film Critics

Festivals offer a most exciting opportunity to become acquainted with world cinema. As film critics, it is our interest and often our pleasure to support, in particular, national cinema in all its forms and diversity, considering it an important part of national culture and identity.

We do this by writing about cinema. And we do it by awarding the best of them the “Prize of the International Critics” (FIPRESCI Prize). This prize is established at international film festivals, and its aim is to promote film-art and particularly to encourage new and young cinema.

FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, has been in existence for more than 65 years. The basic purpose of the organization, which now has members in over 60 countries around the world, is to support cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression. We are cooperating with the European Film Academy and are deciding a “Felix of the Critics,” and have our own “Best Film of the Year” being presented at the opening gala of the San Sebastián Film Festival. Recently, we’re involved in initiatives such as the “Berlinale Talent Campus” to train young critics.

It is with pleasure that we come, for the first time, with a jury to Seattle for the SIFF New Director’s Showcase.

SPECIAL OUTDOOR SCREENING

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

France 2006

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Producers: Eric Altmayer

Nicolas Altmayer

Screenwriter:

Jean-Francois Halin

Cinematographer: Guillaume Schiffman

Editor:

Raynald Bertrand

Music:

Ludovic Bource

Kamel Ech-Cheikh

Cast:

Jean Dujardin

Berenice Bejo

Aure Atika

Philippe Lefebvre

Constantin Alexandrov

Said Amadis

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source: Gaumont

Selected Filmography: OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009) Mes amis (1999)

Each year, faithful SIFF patrons flock indoors to theaters across the Puget Sound region just as the days get warmer and longer. This year, as a reward to those who miss the great outdoors, we’re breaking down not only the “fourth wall” but all the theater walls—and the roof, too—with a special outdoor screening of SIFF 2006 Golden Space Needle Award winner OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. The film is the first of the hilarious “OSS 117” spy-spoof series by Michel Hazanavicius. Before seeing his latest film, OSS 117: Lost in Rio for the Closing Night of SIFF 2009, be sure to see how it all began for France’s answer to 1960s-era James Bond. Admission is free. Donations to benefit SIFF will be accepted.

SATURDAY JUNE 6 SHOW BEGINS AT DUSK JUANITA BEACH PARK, KIRKLAND

Egypt, 1955. French comic favorite Jean Dujardin stars as secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, aka “OSS 117”—James Bond crossed with Maxwell Smart, Austin Powers, and a bit of the The Naked Gun. After a fellow agent is killed, Hubert goes undercover as the head of a Cairo poultry firm while he investigates the murder, monitors the Suez Canal, checks up on the Brits and Soviets, burnishes France’s reputation, quells a fundamentalist rebellion, and brokers peace in the Middle East. “No problem,” replies Hubert, whose suave self-importance is topped only by his phenomenal ignorance and dumb luck. He is met at the Cairo airport by the fetching and brainy secretary Larmina El Akmar Betouche, and during a drive into town filmed entirely with old-fashioned rear projection, Hubert marvels at the amount of sand in Egypt and pooh-poohs Larmina’s assertion that “millions of people” speak Arabic. If Hubert hasn’t heard of something—like Islam—he dismisses it as a silly notion that’ll never catch on. From its re-visiting of 1960s-style hand-to-hand combat to the double cross-festooned finale, the screenplay pays off in the manner of all self-respecting thrillers in which the bad guys only appear to triumph. This film contains adult content and may not be appropriate for children.

Secret Festival

“SECRECY IS THE ELEMENT OF ALL GOODNESS; EVEN VIRTUE, EVEN BEAUTY IS MYSTERIOUS.” — Thomas Carlyle

Psst! Hey buddy. Yeah, you. Can you keep a secret? I mean, can you really keep a secret? Even from your wife, husband, mother, significant other, or innocent, doe-eyed children? Then maybe you’re ready for the next level of “insider information” at SIFF.

I see you looking at this page (yes, we have spies everywhere), so you’re probably intrigued about the idea of a “Secret Festival.” You like knowing something that very few other people know. You even feel a little smug about knowing this privileged information and relish the thought of keeping it from your friends and family. Good. You’re our kind of people.

“THIS AIN’T NO PARTY. THIS AIN’T NO DISCO. THIS AIN’T NO FOOLIN’ AROUND.” —David Byrne

So what will you expect to see at this Secret Festival? Ha! Nice try, buddy, but we’re not telling—and neither will you. Not only will you have to shell out $53 ($43 for SIFF Supporters), you’ll have to sign an irrevocable Oath of Silence. Every Sunday morning during SIFF, your Secret Festival pass will entitle you to private screenings at the Egyptian Theatre. Maybe you’ll see an early release of a new film. Perhaps we’ll come up with some incredibly rare print that may never again see the light of the silver screen. Maybe we’ll give you a look at some work in progress by a cinematic genius. You never know what you’ll find—and we’d like to keep it that way.

“…CONCEAL THAT WHICH IS ENTRUSTED TO YOU, THOUGH PRESSED BOTH BE WINE AND ANGER TO REVEAL IT.” — Horace

Let’s face it. This is a long festival, with plenty of public events that will be overflowing with high-octane gossip and even stronger cocktails. Your mission as a Secret Festival Society member—should you choose to accept it—will be to forego all such chatty activities and remain steadfast, unalterable, and unyielding in your commitment to the Oath of Silence. Be forewarned: We’ll be sending attractive, persuasive decoys after you to test your mettle. And we don’t just mean keep quiet until SIFF 2009 is over. The Secret Festival Society is forever, pal, capice? As in lifetime. All the way. From your first cigarette to your last dyin’ day.

You may ask us why all this fuss over secrecy? After all, Barack Obama is in the White House, “change” has come to America, and anything seems possible. But to the President’s stirring message of “Yes, We Can,” the Secret Festival responds with an absolute “No, You Really Can’t.” Some things will never change.

BUT YOU DIDN’T HEAR IT FROM ME. THIS CONVERSATION NEVER HAPPENED.

Women in Film Women in Film

Every year, the Seattle International Film Festival selects a handful of up-and-coming directors whose unique and original styles stand out among the sea of new filmmakers as powerful voices in cinema.

Before long, these filmmakers’ names are sure to be widespread in the consciousness of audiences around the world. Some past selections in this category have gone on to wide recognition, such as Susanne Bier (After the Wedding), Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), Hans-Christian Schmid (Requiem), Andrucha Waddington (House of Sand), Eytan Fox (Walk on Water), Fatih Akin (The Edge of Heaven), and Erick Zonca (Julia).

Emerging Masters

SOUTH KOREA

Lee Yoon-ki

My Dear Enemy (2008) This Charming Girl (2004)

Lee Yoon-ki was born in Daejeon, South Korea, in 1965. He acquired his master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Southern California. Upon returning to Korea, he began his film career working as a producer and director of several short films. His first feature film, This Charming Girl (2004), won the New Currents Award at the Pusan International Film Festival, attracting attention from major festivals around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. His second feature, Love Talk (2005), was invited to the Korea Panorama at the Pusan International Film Festival and was well received by critics. In 2006, Lee returned to his cinematic roots with the critically acclaimed Ad Lib Night

ARGENTINA

Lucrecia Martel

This year, the three honorees come from three different continents and represent distinct styles of filmmaking. Lee Yoon-ki tells gentle tales of love and loss in a nuanced, emotional, and often awkwardly funny way (My Dear Enemy, This Charming Girl). Lucrecia Martel explores the depths of family and relationships with a quiet and trancelike tone (The Headless Woman, La Ciénaga). Bohdan Sláma’s stories of life in the Czech countryside bring new light to the human condition (The Country Teacher, The Wild Bees).

The Headless Woman (2008)

La Ciénaga (2001)

Born in 1966, Lucrecia Martel studied animation at Avellaneda Experimental and attended the National Experimentation Filmmaking School for several years where she studied Communication Science. She directed a number of short films between 1988 and 1994, including Rey Muerto (Dead King) (1995), which was part of Historias Breves I (Brief Tales I). In 2001, Martel directed the film La Ciénaga (The Swamp), which won awards at Berlin, Havana, Toulouse, and Sundance, among other festivals. In 2004, Martel wrote and directed La Niña Santa (The Holy Girl), which was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or. She was also a member of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival feature films jury.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Bohdan Sláma

The Country Teacher (2008)

The Wild Bees (2001)

Born in 1967 in Opava, Czech Republic, Bohdan Sláma studied feature film directing at the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. His student film, Garden of Paradise, won a number of prizes at student film festivals, and his graduate film, White Acacias, even though only one hour in length, was presented theatrically within the country. His next feature, Wild Bees (2001), won a Golden Tiger at its international premiere in Rotterdam in 2002. His follow-up feature, Something Like Happiness, premiered internationally in 2005 at the San Sebastián Film Festival, winning both the Main Prize and Best Actress Award, and it has been sold in more than 20 territories worldwide.

My Dear Enemy

SUNDAY MAY 24 6:30 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 1:30 PM

Unemployed and single, 30-something Kim Hee-soo is miserable with life. Cash strapped, she tracks down her ex-boyfriend Cho Byoungwoon to collect on the $3,500 he borrowed from her when they were still dating. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any cash at the moment either, but the charming Byoung-woon knows any number of friends from whom he can borrow the money to repay her, or so he thinks. Knowing Byoungwoon well enough not to leave him to his own devices, Hee-soo insists on accompanying him as he makes the rounds trying to raise the money she needs. In a series of humorous, sometimes awkward encounters, they wander the streets of Seoul on a lazy Saturday, growing reacquainted with each other’s virtues and foibles. Fans of Lee Yoon-ki’s previous This Charming Girl (SIFF 2005) will find much to admire here: a strong female character, subtle comedy, and a leisurely charm. But the film truly belongs to the two leads, Jeon Do-yeon and Ha Jung-woo, whose easy onscreen chemistry makes for a delightful day trip.

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

South Korea 2008

Director: Lee Yoon-ki

Producers:

Cho David

Cho Kwang-hee

Oh Jeong-wan

Screenwriters: Lee Yoon-ki

Park Eun-young

Cinematographer:

Choi Sang-ho

Editor: Kim Hyung-joo

Music:

Kim Jung-beom

Cast: Jeon Do-yeon

Ha Jeong-woo

Oh Ji-eun

Running Time: 123 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: FineCut Co.

Print Source: FineCut Co.

Film Website: finecut.co.kr

Selected Filmography: Ad-Lib Night (2006)

Love Talk (2005)

This Charming Girl (2004)

YEOJA , JEONG - HAE

This Charming Girl

MONDAY MAY 25 11:00 AM

Reeling from a failed romantic entanglement and the recent death of her much-loved artist mother, 20-something postal worker Jeong-hae is drifting through life. Through a soft, white haze, she goes about her daily routine of commuting, work, commuting, home, take-out dinners, TV shopping, and caring for a stray kitten—the only source of warmth in her life. Knowing that efforts to heal her psychic and spiritual wounds by herself are futile, she struggles painfully to reconnect with the world while battling an innate fear of it—a fear that has its roots in past tragedies and botched sexual connections. As the heartbreakingly fragile yet quietly simmering Jeonghae, actress Kim Ji-soo is a revelation, and a good foil for the graceful, restrained directorial style of Lee Yoon-ki (with its echoes of Tsai Mingliang and Antonioni). This elegant, multilayered drama from 2004 (which screened at SIFF in 2005) accomplishes the nearly impossible feat of drawing the audience into the emotional life of a solitary character—a remarkable achievement, especially for a debut feature.

HARVARD EXIT

South Korea 2004

Director:

Lee Yoon-ki

Producers:

Yun Il-joong

Lee Seung-jae

Screenwriter:

Lee Yoon-ki

Cinematographer:

Choi Jin-woong

Editors:

Harn Sung-won

Kim Hyeong-ju

Music:

Lee Young-ho

Lee So-yun

Cast:

Kim Ji-soo

Hwang Jung-min

Kim Hye-ok

Lee Dae-yeon

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales:

CJ Entertainment

Print Source:

CJ Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

My Dear Enemy (2008)

Ad-Lib Night (2006)

Love Talk (2005)

MEOTJIN HARU

EMERGING MASTERS

LA MUJER SIN CABEZA

The Headless Woman

FRIDAY MAY 29 7:00 PM

La Ciénaga

HARVARD EXIT

SATURDAY MAY 30 1:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Mirroring the current class struggle in Argentina, The Headless Woman is an elliptical psychological drama about guilt, personal responsibility, and self-deception. Searching for her ringing cell phone, affluent dentist Vero hits something in the road. Is it a dog? A person? She cannot bring herself to look at or report the incident. Part of writer-director Lucrecia Martel’s unique formal style is to follow character relationships that are established with fleeting lines of dialogue, to infer off-screen space through sound, and to question the limits of their own perception. Martel’s style proves particularly well-suited to a film built around a protagonist who’s suffering from something resembling amnesia. Like Vero, we are never quite certain who people are or how the images we see relate to everything we have seen before. As in her previous oblique but mesmerizing studies of family life in fetid, hothouse atmospheres, the aural frequently takes the place of the visual in dramatizing plot or creating a fully realized sense of place. Although none of Vero’s friends are particularly interested in her dilemma, when evidence emerges that she really may have killed something or someone, the men in her life move to protect her secret.

Awards: Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Argentina/ France/Italy/ Spain

2008

Director:

Lucrecia Martel

Producers:

Pedro Almodóvar

Augustin Almodóvar

Esther García

Veronica Cura

Enrique Pineyro

Lucrecia Martel

Marianne Slot

Vieri Razzini

Cesare Petrillo

Tilde Corsi

Screenwriter: Lucrecia Martel

SATURDAY MAY 30 11:00 AM

HARVARD EXIT

Argentina/ France/Spain 2001

Director:

Lucrecia Martel

Producer:

Lita Stantic

Screenwriter: Lucrecia Martel

Cinematographer: Hugo Colace

Editor: Santiago Ricci

Cast: Mercedes Morán Graciela Borges

Martín Adjemían

Leonora Balcarce

Cinematographer: Bárbara Álvarez

Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger

Cast: María Onetto

Inés Efron

César Bordón

Claudia Cantero

Daniel Genoud

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Focus Features

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: aquafilms.com.ar/films_ lamujersincabeza

A group of inebriated middle-aged people lies beside a fetid, stagnant swimming pool. As a storm approaches, the people slowly rise to shuffle inside, carrying their drinks and dragging their lounge chairs noisily behind them. One woman falls, cutting herself deeply, but no one rushes to her aid. This unnerving opening scene of Lucrecia Martel’s 2001 debut sets the languid tone for a story about two branches of an alcohol-ravaged, bourgeois Argentine family that has gone to seed along with their decaying estate. The victim of the fall is Mecha, the family matriarch, who calls for her son, José, and his family to return from Buenos Aires while she recuperates. Joining them are Mecha’s cousin, Tati, and her brood of kids who run unsupervised around the estate. The humid, sticky air of the setting (the word ciénaga is Spanish for “swamp”) seeps into every scene of the film and adds to the overall feeling of malaise. Rather than concoct a plot, Martel stitches together a series of disconnected vignettes to illustrate the family’s dissolution. First seen in Seattle at the 2002 Women in Cinema Film Festival, La Ciénaga is a powerful document of a wealthy family—and, indirectly, Argentina’s middle class—being swallowed up by neglect and dysfunction.

Selected Filmography: The Holy Girl (2004) La Ciénaga (2001)

Running Time:

103 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Cinema Tropical

Selected Filmography:

The Headless Woman (2008)

The Holy Girl (2004)

VENKOVSKÝ UČITEL

The Country Teacher

THURSDAY JUNE 4 7:00 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:30 PM

Petr, the title character of The Country Teacher, turns down a job at a prestigious school in Prague to move to an isolated, rural village to teach natural science. Early on it’s revealed that Petr is gay, but out of fear of persecution in the village and ambivalence about his sexuality, Petr keeps it quiet. After all, he’s left the wild parties and casual hookups of city life behind. When friend and landlady Marie signals her romantic interest, Petr gently demurs, letting her believe that she’s too old for him. Meanwhile Petr tries to repress his secret desire for Marie’s insolent 17-year-old son, Lada, who spends his days making out with his girlfriend in the hayloft. Director Bohdan Sláma’s seemingly simple tale of nature, sexuality, and love slowly reveals layers of complexity within each character. Heading a superb cast, lead actors Pavel Liška and Zuzana Bydžovská portray particularly fine, limning characters that are tender and kind, yet also driven by animal lust—in other words, recognizably human.

Awards:

FilmFestival Cottbus 2008 (Audience Award)

Czech Lion Awards 2009 (Best Screenplay)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Czech Republic/ Germany/France 2008

Director:

Bohdan Sláma

Producers:

Pavel Strnad

Petr Oukropec

Screenwriter: Bohdan Sláma

Cinematographer:

Divi Marek

Editor: Jan Danhel

Music:

Vladimír Godár

Cast:

Pavel Liška

Zuzana Bydžovská

Ladislav Šedivý

Marek Daniel

Tereza Voríšková

Running Time:

113 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Czech, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Wild Bunch

Print Source:

Film Movement

Film Website: countryteacher-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Something Like Happiness (2005)

The Wild Bees (2001) Wild Acacias (1999)

DIVOKÉ VCELY The

Wild Bees

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM

In only his second feature, Emerging Master Bohdan Sláma displayed his talent to blend bittersweet drama with ironic, almost surreal comedy. Set in a northern, rural corner of the Czech Republic, The Wild Bees explores a small village struggling between Communism’s false assurances and capitalism’s promised riches, where the atmosphere of perpetual ennui is broken only by regular doses of peppermint schnapps. Even in such a place, shy and quiet Kaya is an outsider. His father berates him for not thinking “philosophically,” like his brother Petr. Kaya might consider leaving if his thoughts didn’t revolve around the pretty yet unattainable Bozhka. Not only is there a feud between their families, but she is also dating Ladya, the motorcycle-riding, Michael Jackson-loving village celebrity. Hope arises for Kaya when Petr unexpectedly returns just days before the Fireman’s Ball, but Petr is in for a few surprises himself. Together the brothers attempt to fulfill their dreams, blissfully unaware of the eventual repercussions. Deliberately evoking the creative heritage of the Czech New Wave (Forman, Passer, et al.), Sláma crafts a touching, personal film that illustrates how community fuels the wildest hopes and dreams of the individual— sometimes even fulfilling them—if only to keep them safely at home.

Awards:

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2002 (Tiger Award)

HARVARD EXIT

Czech Republic 2001

Director:

Bohdan Sláma

Producers: Viktor Schwarcz

Alice Nemanska

Helena Slaviková

Screenwriter: Bohdan Sláma

Cinematographer: Divis Marek

Editor: Jan Danhel

Music:

Miroslav Simácek

Cast:

Tatiana Vilhelmová

Zdenek Rauser

Pavel Liška

Vanda Hybernová

Marek Daniel

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Czech, with English subtitles

International Sales: Czech Television, Telexport

Print Source: Czech Television, Telexport

Selected Filmography: The Country Teacher (2008)

Something Like Happiness (2005) White Acacias (1999)

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Archival Films

Classic big-screen films presented the way they were meant to be seen.

Each year, as SIFF festival-goers drink in the best new cinema the world has to offer, some of the most anticipated screenings involve movies that have been around for decades—and rightly so. When are you going to have a better chance to see Sergio Leone’s sweeping Western epic Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) in all its restored, wide-screen glory to celebrate its 40th anniversary?

Also on the schedule is Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller The Conversation (1974), which still feels fresh and relevant after 35 years. For a little Hitchcockian suspense, SIFF is also showing So Long at the Fair (1950), a mystery that sends Jean Simmons searching for her missing brother in 1889 Paris. Reaching far back into the vault, we are pleased to present a rare screening of Wild Rose (1932), a silent film by Chinese director Sun Yu about a peasant girl’s entry into Shanghai society, with the score performed live by Donald Sosin.

SIFF will also present a screening of John Cassavetes’ harrowing family drama A Woman Under the Influence (1974) as well as Michelangelo Antonioni’s often-overlooked early masterwork Le Amiche (1955). The screenings are part of the Cinema Visionaries program, a traveling series created to celebrate motion picture classics that have been preserved or restored with funding from Gucci and The Film Foundation

As an added bonus this year, SIFF welcomes Robert Osborne, longtime host of Turner Classic Movies, who will accept a special Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema on behalf of TCM for the network’s commitment to showcasing classic films for a large audience. Osborne will introduce four of his favorites: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodsworth, Sunset Boulevard, and The Third Man.

Don’t miss this chance to see these magical prints the way nature intended.

Cinema Visionaries

Celebrating a rich history influenced by film, Gucci has made a long-term commitment to supporting The Film Foundation’s efforts to save cinematic treasures. Funded by Gucci, the design of this multi-year partnership is to add one film every year to a growing collection of restored titles. In addition to presenting two recently restored classic films, A Woman Under the Influence (1974, d. John Cassavetes) and Le Amiche (1955, d. Michelangelo Antonioni), at the 35th Seattle International Film Festival, Gucci is also currently funding the restorations of Wanda (1955, d. Barbara Loden) and Senso (1950, d. Luchino Visconti).

Cinema Visionaries

To ensure that these great films from the past survive to entertain and inspire future audiences, Gucci and The Film Foundation (TFF) have created Cinema Visionaries, a traveling exhibition screening series of classic films restored by Gucci and TFF. The series honors the work of innovative filmmakers who have made a significant contribution to the history of motion pictures.

The Film Foundation

The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese and several of his fellow filmmakers. The foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history, and provides substantial annual support for preservation and restoration projects at the leading film archives. Since its inception, The Film Foundation has helped to save more than 525 motion pictures. Joining Scorsese on the board are Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Curtis Hanson, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Alexander Payne, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg. The Film Foundation is also aligned with the Directors Guild of America.

We would like to thank Gucci and The Film Foundation for their generous involvement in the 35th Seattle International Film Festival, and for bringing us newly restored prints of Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterwork, Le Amiche, and John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence. Through their Cinema Visionaries series, Gucci and The Film Foundation have made a lasting and significant contribution to cinema by saving historically important works from being lost forever. We are grateful for their shared mission to recover lost works from cinema history and to inspire audiences around the world.

Cinema Visionaries archival presentations:

Le Amiche (Italy, 1955) A Woman Under the Influence (USA, 1974)

Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni

Directed by John Cassavetes

SIFF thanks our Opening Night Gala Catering Partners!

CINEMA VISIONARIES

Le Amiche

A Woman Under the Influence

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:30 PM

Academy Award–winning director Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow-Up, Beyond the Clouds) explores women’s evolving role in Italian society, and the conflict between love and career, in this engrossing drama set in the 1950s. Clelia, a beautiful young woman who lands a dream job in a glamorous Italian fashion house in Turin, finds herself plunged into a cruel world of phony, shallow people. The only honesty in her life is the pure love offered by Carlo, a young, socially impoverished assistant architect. But is it enough?

SIFF CINEMA

Italy

1955

Director:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Producer: Giovanni Addessi

Screenwriters:

Michelangelo Antonioni

Suso Cecchi d’Amico

Alba de Céspedes

Cinematographer:

Gianni Di Venanzo

Editor:

Eraldo Da Roma

SATURDAY JUNE 6 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA

Juggling ten characters with great aplomb, Antonioni and co-screenwriters Suso Cecchi d’Amico and Alba de Céspedes create a rich, interlocking narrative that manages to rise above mere melodrama through careful attention to the ebb and flow of interpersonal relationships and a keen sense of balance. With its fascinating, multilayered story, rich characterizations, and superb performances, Le Amiche remains one of Antonioni’s most beloved works and his only literary adaptation (of a short novel by Cesare Pavese). Restored by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata with funding provided by Gucci and The Film Foundation.

Music:

Giovanni Fusco

Cast:

Eleonora Rossi Drago

Gabriele Ferzetti

Franco Fabrizi

Valentina Cortese

Yvonne Furneaux

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

The Film Foundation

Arguably the supreme masterpiece in the extraordinary canon of maverick writer-director John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence was a landmark film in many ways, not least because it was the first true independent film, booked into college campuses and art houses without recourse to the nationwide web of distributors that normally controlled such activity. It focuses on a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown whose psychotic behavior leads her confused husband to commit her for psychiatric treatment, leaving the family even more dysfunctional than before.

USA

1974

Director: John Cassavetes

Producer: Sam Shaw

Screenwriter: John Cassavetes

Cinematographer: Caleb Deschanel

Editors: David Armstrong

Sheila Viseltear

Music:

Bo Harwood

Cast:

Peter Falk

Gena Rowlands

Selected Filmography:

Beyond the Clouds (1995)

Identification of a Woman (1982)

The Oberwald Mystery (1980)

The Passenger (1975)

Zabriskie Point (1970)

Blow-Up (1966)

Red Dessert (1964)

The Eclipse (1962)

La notte (1961)

L’avventura (1960)

The Lady without Camelias (1953)

Story of a Love Affair (1950)

As Mabel and Nick Longhetti, Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk deliver one of the most devastating portraits of a relationship ever committed to film. The story unspools not through melodrama but in long, painful takes that escalate in intensity as Mabel’s mental instability increases. The project came from an idea by Rowlands, who was interested in being in a play about the problems faced by contemporary women. However, when Cassavetes presented her with the script, Rowlands knew she would never be able to maintain the intensity on stage night after night so it became a film. Cassavetes had to fund the project through loans from family and friends, as the film production establishment feared no one would want to see a film about “a crazy, middle-aged dame.” When it was done this well, they most certainly did. Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding provided by Gucci and The Film Foundation.

Awards: Golden Globes 1975 (Best Actress)

Fred Draper

Lady Rowlands

Running Time: 155 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

The Film Foundation

Selected Filmography:

Big Trouble (1986)

Love Streams (1984)

Gloria (1980)

Opening Night (1977)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)

Husbands (1970)

Faces (1968)

A Child Is Waiting (1963)

Too Late Blues (1961)

Shadows (1959)

Turner Classic Movies

Turner Classic Movies

archival special presentations

The Adventures of Robin Hood (USA, 1938)

Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley

Dodsworth (USA, 1936)

Directed by William Wyler

Sunset Boulevard (USA, 1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder

The Third Man (United Kingdom, 1949)

Directed by Carol Reed

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a Peabody Award-winning network celebrating 15 years of presenting great films, uncut and commercialfree, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 80 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials along with regular programming events that include “The Essentials,” “31 Days of Oscar,” and “Summer Under the Stars.” TCM also produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, along with hosting a wealth of materials at its website, www.tcm.com.

As primetime host and anchor of TCM, Robert Osborne brings viewers out of their living rooms and into the world of classic Hollywood, providing insider information, facts, and trivia for TCM movie presentations. Osborne is also a columnist-critic for The Hollywood Reporter and is known as the official biographer of Oscar®.

Osborne was born in Colfax, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington’s School of Journalism, appearing in local plays in his non-study hours. He eventually went to Hollywood as an actor under contract to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It was Lucy who encouraged him to pursue writing, which he considers “the best advice at the best time” he’s ever been given. His impressive career also includes time as an on-air entertainment reporter and as president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. In 1984, he received the Press Award from the Publicists Guild of America, and on February 1, 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to his hosting duties for TCM, Osborne has also done several specials for the network, including Private Screenings, an hour-long interview series with Hollywood luminaries, and TCM’s Guest Programmer series.

SIFF welcomes TCM and Robert Osborne to the 35th Seattle International Film Festival. TCM has generously contributed four groundbreaking classic films to our program: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dodsworth, Sunset Boulevard, and The Third Man. More importantly, host Robert Osborne will be on hand to introduce each of the films, share his extensive knowledge before each screening, and receive the Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema. TCM’s commitment to preserving and promoting classic films is unparalleled, and we thank them for their kind involvement in bringing four exceptional films to SIFF.

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The Country Teacher Czech Republic

Eldorado Belgium

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES Introduced by Robert Osborne

Dodsworth The Adventures of Robin Hood

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM

HARVARD EXIT

Of the 12 films Errol Flynn made with director Michael Curtiz, The Adventures of Robin Hood is easily their most beloved, and one of the great swashbucklers from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Under the guidance of producer Hal B. Wallis, the film was Warner Brothers’ first Technicolor feature. With a star-studded supporting cast, the film proved to be a huge box office hit, grossing more than $4 million at a time when movie tickets cost less than a quarter. But the film’s true legacy is Errol Flynn’s performance, which has become so iconic that all other actors who play the green-clad archer are judged against him.

USA 1938 Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley Producer: Hal B. Wallis Screenwriters: Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale, Sr. Running Time: 102 minutes Presentation Format: 35mm

SUNDAY MAY 24 1:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

During the 1930s, the Hays Code governed the production of Hollywood films and dictated the standards of morally acceptable content for American movies. Yet in Dodsworth, director William Wyler depicted taboo subjects with such subtlety that he circumvented the code’s strictures. The titular Dodsworth sells his automobile company at his wife Fran’s request so they can move to Europe. Once there, Fran grows intoxicated and ever more flirtatious as they enjoy their new aristocratic lifestyle. Recreating his stage role, Walter Huston’s performance instills a boyish vulnerability into the middle-aged Dodsworth’s struggle with the perplexities of love.

USA 1936 Director: William Wyler Producer: Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriter: Sidney Howard from the novel by Sinclair Lewis Cast: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, David Niven, Paul Lukas, Mary Astor Running Time: 101 minutes Presentation Format: 35mm

The Third Man Sunset Boulevard

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

Released in 1950, Billy Wilder’s masterpiece challenged a number of the accepted conventions of contemporary American cinema. Gloria Swanson and German director Erich von Stroheim both gave richly nuanced performances that drew greatly upon their past experiences in the industry. However, it is the film’s haunting story in which Joe Gillis unwisely helps the narcissistic Norma Desmond write her big comeback vehicle that still captivates film lovers of all generations. Filmed at the moment when the powerful Hollywood studio system was starting to crumble, Sunset Boulevard’s gothic depiction of Golden-Era Hollywood remains unrivaled.

USA 1950 Director: Billy Wilder Producer: Charles Brackett Screenwriters: D.M. Marshman Jr., Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett Cast: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson Running Time: 110 minutes Presentation Format: 35mm

SUNDAY MAY 24 11:00 AM

HARVARD EXIT

The war-ravaged streets of late-1940s Vienna embody post-World War II Europe in all its existential weariness. Into this devastated landscape rides American innocent Holly Martins, who has been invited to Vienna by his old college friend, Harry Lime, but by the time he arrives, Lime is dead—or is he? Holly sets out to find what happened to Harry and in the process descends into circles of deceit and corruption. The Third Man’s evocative zither score and expressionistic camera angles present American naiveté as it collides with modern cynicism. Rialto rescued 11 minutes of footage cut by the film’s American producer, bringing this classic closer to Graham Greene’s original dark vision.

United Kingdom 1949 Director: Carol Reed Producer: Carol Reed Screenwriter: Graham Greene Cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard Running Time: 104 minutes Presentation Format: 35mm

Dale & Leslie Chihuly applaud SIFF and offer their congratulations and appreciation for 35 years of excellence in film

Please visit the Chihuly website at www.chihuly.com for information about upcoming Chihuly shows and exhibitions.

Dale Chihuly

Scorpion Tails and Bamboo, 2008

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona

Photo by Terry Rishel

Wild Rose

“Jin Yan: The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai” tells the remarkable story of the “Emperor of Film,” who dominated the golden age of Chinese silent movies. Jin Yan achieved his greatest stardom in the 1930s, when women literally threw themselves at his feet.

Jin’s life spanned the most turbulent period in modern Chinese history. He survived a childhood escape from Japanese-occupied Korea, a long civil war, the bitter Cultural Revolution, and Deng Xiaoping’s reformation. Married first to the Shanghai actress Wang Renmei, Jin co-starred in several films with “the Goddess” Ruan Ling-yu spurring public demand for more of them together in films made by the leading studio, Lianhua. It was Jin who made Ruan aware of film’s awesome power to portray social problems while evading the censors with melodramatic soap opera formats. For years, Jin embodied China’s New Culture Movement’s ideals, but as politics changed, the Communists cast Jin aside in their campaign to “learn from comrade Lei Feng,” a humble young soldier. As Jin’s second wife Qin Yi rose to new heights in the politically charged film world, the sick and aging star languished in obscurity.

Richard J. Meyer is the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Emeritus Professor of Telecommunications at Ball State University and teaches film at Seattle University.

A central pillar of politically progressive Chinese cinema, director Sun Yu addresses the urban-rural divide, inner-city squalor, and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in Wild Rose. A love story that bridges social class, the film explores the strictures that bind its central couple, Xiao Feng and Jiang Bo. Xiao, a strong-willed, disobedient village girl, captivates Jiang, a wealthy painter from Shanghai. After Jiang attempts to introduce Xiao to his family with mixed results, the couple is cut off, forced to eke out a meager living in a Shanghai slum, and later compelled to separate. Amidst the couple’s love story, the specter of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria looms large, and ultimately determines the couple’s destiny. Wild Rose foreshadows much of Sun Yu’s later career, with its themes of classism and commitment to a national cause. Acclaimed for bringing a previously unknown level of artistry and dramatic cohesion to the filmmaking community of the time, Wild Rose is technically first-rate and an important example of Chinese silent cinema.

Accompanied by a live piano score performed by Donald Sosin.

China

1932

Director:

Sun Yu

Screenwriter:

Sun Yu

Cinematographer:

Yu Xingsan

Editor:

Lu Hanzhang

Cast:

Jin Yan

Wang Renmei

Ye Juanjuan

Zheng Junli

Wei Langen

Running Time:

82 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

China Film Archive

Selected Filmography:

The Legend of Lu Ban (1958)

The Life of Wu Xun (1950)

The Big Road (1935)

Daybreak (1933)

The Conversation

Once Upon a Time in the West

THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRESATURDAY JUNE 13 1:30 PM

This low-budget conspiracy thriller was written, produced, and released by director Francis Ford Coppola before and during the Watergate era—a time of heightened concern over the violation of civil liberties. Its claustrophobic themes of the invasion of privacy, alienation, guilt, voyeurism, justified paranoia, unprincipled corporate power, and personal responsibility effectively responded to growing, ominous 20th century threats to personal freedom. Harry Caul (superbly played by Gene Hackman) is an odd fish in his personal life, but reigns supreme at his chosen occupation as a surveillance expert. Haunted by the death of three people as a result of his work, he discovers while covering a seemingly routine case of marital infidelity that he has become the victim of his own technological profession and intrigue. Naturally big business is behind it all, developing eavesdropping equipment of staggering complexity and efficiency in an elaborate attempt to record anything ever said by anybody at any time, all in the name of financial gain. The film, which subtly posits that technology has gotten out of control, failed at the box office on release, but the continuing relevance of its central issues has kept it alive with cinema lovers everywhere and made it an acknowledged masterpiece of the genre.

USA

1974

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Producer:

Francis Ford Coppola

Screenwriter:

Francis Ford Coppola

Cinematographer:

Bill Butler

Editor: Richard Chew

Music: David Shire

Cast:

Gene Hackman

John Cazale

Teri Garr

Harrison Ford

Alan Garfield

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Paramount

Selected Filmography:

Tetro (2009)

Youth Without Youth (2007)

The Rainmaker (1997)

Jack (1996)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)

Gardens of Stone (1987)

Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)

The Cotton Club (1984)

Rumble Fish (1983)

One From the Heart (1982)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Conversation (1974)

The Godfather (1972)

The Rain People (1969)

Finian’s Rainbow (1968)

You’re a Big Boy Now (1967)

Dementia 13 (1963)

HARVARD EXIT

USA/Italy 1968

Director:

Sergio Leone

Producer:

Fulvio Morsella

Screenwriters:

Sergio Leone

Sergio Donati

Cinematographer:

When Henry Fonda reported to the set of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West, the director was furious with him. Fonda had grown a goatee and wore brown contact lenses to give himself a more sinister appearance, all the better, Fonda thought, to play a sadistic gunfighter. Leone, however, had specifically cast Fonda for his good-guy image, feeling his actor’s blue eyes best reflected the icy, cold nature of the gunfighter Frank. Originally reluctant to follow his masterpiece The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with another western, Paramount offered Leone a generous budget and the services of Henry Fonda to create another horse opera. Leone accepted, primarily for the chance to work with Fonda, and commissioned two Italian film critics—Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento—to conceive a screen story in which two drifters come to protect a beautiful widow from the encroaching railroad company and the gang of hired gunmen instructed to take her land by any means necessary. Presented in its full panoramic glory, Once Upon a Time in the West is every bit the equal of Leone’s previous film.

Tonino Delli Colli

Editor:

Nino Baragli

Music: Ennio Morricone

Cast:

Henry Fonda

Jason Robards

Charles Bronson

Claudia Cardinale

Running Time: 165 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Paramount Pictures

Selected Filmography:

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot (1975)

Lonesome Gun (1973)

Duck You Sucker (1971)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)

The Last Days of Pompeii (1959)

WHAT DO ALL THESE ACADEMY AWARD ® NOMINATED FILMS HAVE IN COMMON ?

EXCELLENCE

THEY ALL WERE SHOT ON KODAK MOTION PICTURE FILM. www.kodak.com/go/motion ©

So Long at the Fair

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:30 PM

Most film aficionados remember Terence Fisher as the top director at England’s house of horror, Hammer Films, where he crafted most of the studio’s most iconic pictures (The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula). Yet fans of Fisher’s latter fright flicks will also find his earlier work, So Long at the Fair, an interesting precursor. Siblings Vicky and Johnny Barton travel to Paris for the 1889 Exhibition and upon arrival check into separate rooms at their hotel. But when Vicky awakens the next morning, she discovers her brother and the room in which he was staying have both mysteriously disappeared. When she inquires into his whereabouts at the front desk, everyone at the hotel claims she arrived alone, and neither the British Consul nor the gendarme believe her story. Only a young artist, George Hathaway, remembers her brother. With his aid, Vicky sets out to solve Johnny’s disappearance. Like much of Fisher’s latter work, So Long at the Fair uses period elegance to lull and comfort the audience only to transmute it, as the suspense builds, into an uneasy, unsettling atmosphere. Unavailable domestically on DVD.

United Kingdom

1950

Director:

Terence Fisher

Producers:

Betty E. Box

Sydney Box

Screenwriters:

Hugh Mills

Anthony Thorne

Cinematographer:

Reginald Wyer

Editor:

Gordon Hales

Music:

Benjamin Frankel

Cast:

Jean Simmons

Dirk Bogarde

David Tomlinson

Marcel Poncin

Honor Blackman

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source: MGM

Selected Filmography:

The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

The Mummy (1959)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

HARVARD EXIT

Planet Cinema

Helping to heal the environment, one film at a time.

Cinema has the power to move us to tears, anger us, and make us laugh. But it can also educate us about the world’s problems and—more importantly—inspire us to do something about it. That’s why SIFF is continuing with its third annual Planet Cinema series, showcasing international films with stories about global climate change, alternative fuels, land conservation, and sustainable farm practices. The documentaries, dramas, and essays selected in this year’s program cover a broad spectrum of environmentally conscious filmmaking, from sobering treatises about what megaagricultural corporations are adding to our food supply to charming tales about neighborhoods working to turn urban blight into productive farmland. We also get a glimpse behind the scenes of eco-activists who are trying to save the biodiversity of the planet’s oceans. With each film, we gain a little more understanding and insight into the complex and evolving relationship between humans and nature.

Films

Back to the Garden,

Flower Power Comes Full Circle (USA, 2009)

Directed by Kevin Tomlinson, see page 115

The Cove (USA, 2008)

Directed by Louie Psihoyos, see page 155

The End of the Line (United Kingdom, 2008)

Directed by Rupert Murray, see page 157

Fig Trees (Canada, 2009)

Directed by John Greyson, see page 159

Food, Inc. (USA, 2008)

Directed by Robert Kenner, see page 159

The Garden (USA, 2008)

Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy, see page 161

Know Your Mushrooms (Canada, 2009)

Directed by Ron Mann, see page 163

Modern Life (France, 2008)

Directed by Raymond Depardon, see page 165

Pirate for the Sea (USA, 2008)

Directed by Ronald Colby, see page 119

School Days With a Pig (Japan, 2008)

Directed by Tetsu Maeda, see page 233

A Sea Change (Norway/USA, 2008)

Directed by Barbara Ettinger, see page 168

The Shaft (China, 2008)

Directed by Zhang Chi, see page 235

What’s on Your Plate? (USA, 2009)

Directed by Catherine Gund, see page 87

FutureWave Feature Films

FutureWave: Expanding Cinema Through Education

offers youth and educators a direct link both to the Festival and to the local filmmaking community.

Celebrating two complementary activities, film viewing and filmmaking, FutureWave includes compelling, relevant, and enjoyable films, and meaningful workshops for youth. Together, these components advance SIFF’s leadership role in creating an audience that is more informed, aware, and alive.

FutureWave workshops include filmmaker visits to school classrooms, special student screenings (both in schools and at SIFF venues), film study and discussion guides, post-film discussions, digital technology classes, SuperFly filmmaking, a professional development workshop for teachers, and our FutureWave Shorts program featuring creative filmmaking from youth under 19 years of age.

Films

*At West of Pluto (Canada, 2008)

Directed by Myriam Verreault and Henry Bernadet

Appropriate for teens 15 and up. Contains strong language and underage drinking. See page 145.

*Ball Don’t Lie (USA, 2008)

Directed by Brin Hill

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 182.

*Daddy Cool (France, 2008)

The FutureWave feature film program invites teens to the cinema for ten great international films that will excite and challenge youth, engaging them in the joy of discovery at the Festival. This year’s selections come from around the world and feature confused parents, blossoming romances, youth music competitions, and another great French spy spoof.

Directed by Francois Desagnat

Appropriate for teens 15 and up. Contains strong language and underage drinking. See page 192.

*I’m Gonna Explode (Mexico, 2008)

Directed by Gerardo Naranjo

Appropriate for teens 17 and up. Contains nudity, underage drinking, and school violence. See page 209.

*Miao Miao (Hong Kong, 2008)

Directed by Cheng Hsiao Tse

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 221.

*My Suicide (USA, 2009)

Directed by David Lee Miller

Appropriate for teens 17 and up. Contains brief nudity, language, and disturbing images. See page 149.

OSS 117: Lost in Rio (France, 2009)

* New this year, SIFF has selected a jury of five high-school-aged students to view eight of the ten FutureWave films and award their favorite film with the Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature. The eight features in competition are marked at the right with an “*”.

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 27.

Paper Heart (USA, 2009)

Directed by Nicholas Jasenovec

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 230.

*Princess of Africa (Spain, 2008)

Directed by Juan Laguna

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 166.

*Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary (United Kingdom, 2008)

Directed by Jamie J. Johnson

Appropriate for teens 13 and up. See page 97.

Young people have lots to say. It’s time for us to listen.

That’s why Adobe Youth Voices, inspiring young people to CREATE WITH PURPOSE,TM is proud to support the Future Wave Shorts program at the 35th Seattle International Film Festival.

Come see the best of youth short filmmaking from across the world, including films by Adobe Youth Voices participants, as they share their perspective on thought-provoking topics, compelling social issues and what inspires them to make a difference.

SCreenings: June 6th

Check the festival schedule for times and locations.

www.adobe.com/go/youthvoices

FutureWave Shorts Program

SIFF is proud to present FutureWave Shorts, a program of new films created by filmmakers younger than 19 years old whose talents celebrate the creative possibilities of the art form.

These inspiring original short films represent some of the best short filmmaking from around the world. Also included in the program will be the J. Michael Award winner from The Seattle Times ThreeMinute Masterpiece digital film contest.

FutureWave Competition Jury

Fly Filmmakers: Tran Quoc Bao, Laura Jean Cronin, Shannon Hart-Reed, and Shawn Telford

Films

The Dreamer

USA, 2009, 11 minutes, director: Mitch Collier

The WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking will be presented to a film chosen in recognition of its artistic and technical achievement. The directors of the 2009 Fly Filmmaking Challenge will determine the award.

Since Earl’s heart attack, he can’t stop dreaming about driving a 1974 Pontiac Catalina.

A Generation of Consolidation USA, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Samantha Muilenberg

A portrait of youth opinions concerning the effects of media consolidation.

The Hysteria

China, 2009, 12 minutes, director: Shuishui Ai

A girl with autism explores her unbelievable world.

If U Want 2 Get Technical USA, 2009, 9 minutes, director: Riaebia Robinson

A celebration of a Brooklyn family with two moms.

Leila’s Eyebrow!

United Kingdom, 2008, 4 minutes, directors: Leila and students of South Camden Community School

A young Iranian woman in London confronts her cultural identity by rediscovering and embracing it.

SIFF FutureWave continues its exciting partnership with Longhouse Media to present the SuperFly Filmmaking Workshop for Youth (page 79). The SuperFly short films will open the FutureWave Shorts program. Cinema lovers of all ages will enjoy this very special film event that gives voice to the future of filmmaking. (95 minutes)

SATURDAY JUNE 6

4:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Messin’ Around USA, 2009, 1 minute, director: Reid Furubayashi Hand-drawn animation takes a journey through the stream of consciousness.

My World

USA, 2008, 2 minutes, directors: Native Lens Puyallup Youth

A moving statement about the interpersonal effects of alcohol abuse.

Recipe for Beauty

USA, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Alex M. and students at West Seattle Elementary School

Tiny Pillows

Youth make a statement about what really makes a person beautiful.

Canada, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Joseph Procopio

A tome to the magic and beauty of snow.

The “Twilight” Zone USA, 2009, 8 minutes, director: Haley Lewis

A group of girls learn the hard reality of literary obsession.

A Work of Fiction USA, 2009, 6 minutes, director: Nate Lessler

Stories within stories. Each has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Don’t they?

SIFF FutureWave: Expanding Cinema Through Education empowers youth to work collaboratively, communicate their ideas, exercise their potential, and take action in their communities. This goal is embodied in the SuperFly Filmmaking Experience, where young filmmakers are asked to comment on their world by using multimedia and digital tools.

FutureWave SuperFly

Starting June 4, youth from around the country will converge on Seattle to participate in SuperFly 2009, SIFF’s 36-hour filmmaking workshop in partnership with Longhouse Media. These 50 young filmmakers will be placed in five teams and given an original script crafted by Princess Lucaj, a Sundance Fellow and Hollywood actress who has appeared in lead roles in such productions as Jericho and the recent film Ghost Town. The script will be a reflective piece that explores the theme of “discovery.” Each team will have less than two days to storyboard, shoot, and edit their films, which will then premiere four hours after completion, at the FutureWave Shorts Program screening on June 6.

Last year’s SuperFly films, based on a script by SuperFly alumni Derek and Aaron Jones, have played at festivals around the country, inspiring other communities to use digital media for education and social activism. The program has caught the attention of youth media organizations and national media centers, including the Smithsonian Institute’s media initiatives, the Sundance Film Festival, and National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival.

Join us on June 6 at 4:00 PM at the Egyptian Theatre for this year’s premiere.

SIFF in the Schools

Students from elementary to high school attend award-winning films from around the world.

Filmmakers visit classrooms across artistic and academic disciplines to share their knowledge of filmmaking and cross-cultural understanding with students around the Puget Sound.

Student Screenings

Films are carefully selected by the SIFF programming team to reach a broad range of learning levels and interests for students and teachers from elementary through high school. Content areas include foreign films produced in countries whose languages are taught in schools, as well as motion pictures that enhance classroom learning about world cultures, civics, science, nature, and the arts. Student screenings are offered free of charge and transportation is provided when possible for schools in need.

Filmmaker Visits

SIFF sees the arrival of more than 100 international filmmakers to the Festival each year. Whenever possible, SIFF FutureWave invites these artists into classrooms and community organizations around the Puget Sound to share their real-world experience. These visits are integrated into a multitude of school subjects and provide professional role models for every age group. In all cases, students get a first-hand opportunity to talk directly with filmmakers, who meet with students, offer constructive suggestions on student projects, use their expertise as a catalyst for discussion, or bring clips from their film to the school for a candid Q&A.

SIFF Classroom: Digital Media Lab —

May 30 and 31

Students of all ages may attend free workshops through SIFF’s Digital Media Lab. These classes give students hands-on experience with computers and filmmaking, as well as skill-building in story construction, cinematography, and editing. There is plenty of time to work with instructors, ask questions, and get immersed in the world of filmmaking. See page 261 for class times and course descriptions.

Expanded content and weekend dates give technically minded film enthusiasts more hands-on training at our Digital Media Lab.

Teachers can get their hands dirty with animation, exploring how easy it can be to incorporate the art form into classroom projects with our professional development workshop.

Hands-On Animation Workshop —

June 13 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

TRAINING FOR TEACHERS OF GRADES K THROUGH 12

SIFF and Reel Grrls are delighted to offer a new professional development workshop for teachers of all disciplines. Animation is an easy, creative, and engaging way for students to display their comprehension in any subject. Registration is free and will be limited to 40 educators. A professional animator will instruct teachers in the basics of animating, then participants will put the art form into practice working on real class assignments. Clock hours will be available for all participants.

For more information or to participate in these programs, please contact Educational Programs Coordinator Dustin Kaspar at 206.464.5830 or via e-mail at dustin.kaspar@siff.net.

Films4Families

Join SIFF each Saturday and Sunday throughout the Festival for extraordinary matinee experiences in imaginative programming for children and the young at heart.

Films4Families is a celebration of the whole family enjoying the movies together. Following our successful year-round repertory program at SIFF Cinema, we present an outstanding curated lineup of some of the best children’s films from around the world, showcasing both features and short films in live action and animation. For many of these features, Seattle families will be the first North American audiences to enjoy these creative treasures. Don’t miss them.

Several of the films are presented in their original language. Certain screenings will have the subtitles performed live at the screening, ensuring that all ages can come and enjoy these wonderful films regardless of reading ability.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (USA, 1938)

Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley

Recommended for all ages. This screening will be introduced by Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne. See page 65.

Alisa’s Birthday (Russia, 2009)

Directed by Sergei Seregin

Recommended for ages 5 and above. A virus scene may be challenging for very sensitive youth. Subtitles will be performed live at the June 7 and June 14 screenings.

Egon & Dönci (Hungary, 2008)

Directed by Ádám Magyar

Recommended for all ages.

The Family Picture Show

All ages short film program featuring the new Wallace & Gromit Short. See page 137.

Mamma Moo and Crow (Sweden/Germany/Hungary, 2009)

Directed by Igor Veyshtagin

New this year, the SIFF Films4Families Youth Jury is comprised of five elementary and middle school youth who will watch all of the features to determine their favorite, crowning the winner with the Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature.

Recommended for all ages. Subtitles with be performed live at the May 24 and June 6 screenings.

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends (Germany, 2008)

Directed by Michael Maurus and Thomas Bodenstein

In English, recommended for ages 3 to 9.

Nak (Thailand, 2009)

Directed by Natthaphong Ratanachoksirikul

Recommended for ages 7 and above for ghostly content and some spooky images.

What’s on Your Plate? (USA, 2009)

Directed by Catherine Gund

Recommended for all ages.

Alisa’s Birthday

North American Premiere

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

School is out for summer, but young Alisa is alternately happy and sad about it. She loves summertime in futuristic Moscow, but she has just failed her history test and will have to do the class over again during summer break. Her space zoologist dad is not going to be happy with her. Upon returning home she is delighted to discover her Uncle Gromozeka, a boisterous blue creature with four arms, has an early birthday present for her—a trip to the planet Koleida. He vows to teach her all about history at the planet. Upon arrival at Koleida, they discover that a virus has devastated the planet’s previous society. Luckily, Gromozeka has a time machine to take Alisa on an adventure back to the 1950s to stop the virus at its source. Based on a series of hugely popular children’s science fiction books by Kir Belchev, Alisa’s Birthday overwhelms with surprising creative characters and incredible energy, while the quality of its central story will captivate all audiences. The outstanding cast is a who’s who of Russian voice actors, grounding the serious side of the tale with regular laughs and affecting musical numbers. English subtitles will be read aloud at the June 7 and June 14 screenings. Recommended for ages 5 and above. A virus scene may be challenging for very sensitive youth.

Russia 2009

Director:

Sergei Seregin

Producers:

Vyacheslav Mayasov

Alexander Gerasimov

Screenwriters:

Andrew Zhitkov

Andrew Salomatov

Sergei Seregin based on the original story by Kir Belchev

Editor:

Natalya Abramova

Music:

Dimitry Ryibnikov

Featuring the Voices of: Yasya Nikilaeva

Evgeniy Stychkin

Alexey Kolgan

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: BetaSP, in Russian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Master Film Studio

Film Website: alisaselezneva.ru

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Egon & Dönci

SUNDAY MAY 31 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 5 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

This delightful animated feature from director Ádám Magyar uses sounds and universal gestures, rather than dialogue, to communicate its characters’ thoughts and ideas. The film introduces us to Egon, a would-be scientist and explorer, and his meddling cat Dönci, who are the sole inhabitants of a distant planet. When an unidentified flying object bearing a message from Earth crashes into their planet, Egon concocts an idea about making contact with our strange blue planet. He starts to work immediately on building a spaceship for intergalactic exploration but is continually thwarted by the inquisitive Dönci. Once they set off across the universe, the ship braves an enormous space storm, during which Dönci takes control of the cockpit and makes an unfortunate detour to icy Pluto. Eventually, the duo manages to reach Earth and they get a lesson in life from the first Earthling they meet. This visually striking tale is the first fully computer-generated animated feature to come out of Hungary. Superbly designed, Egon & Dönci will delight children with its antics and provide adults with some thought-provoking themes of communication and understanding from across the heavens. Recommended for all ages.

Hungary 2008

Director:

Ádám Magyar

Producer: Andrea Gálicza

Screenwriter: Elemér Magyar

Cinematographer:

Dániel Magyar

Editors:

Gábor Felföldi

Gergely Gál

Ádám Magyar

Music:

Gábor Balázs

Zsolt Macsinka

Péter Sohajda

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

International Sales: Hungaricom

Print Source:

Strand Releasing

Film Website: egonanddonci.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

David Ward/ WRITER/DIRECTOR

Sleepless in Seattle, The Sting

John Badham/ DIRECTOR

Saturday Night Fever, WarGames

MA IN FILM STUDIES

MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING

MFA IN SCREENWRITING

MFA IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

MFA IN FILM

PRODUCTION: Cinematography • Directing • Editing • Sound Design

JD/MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING

MBA/MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING

Alexandra Rose/PRODUCER

Norma Rae, Frankie and Johnny

Lawrence Paull/ PRODUCTION DESIGNER

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Back to the Future, Blade Runner

MAMMA MU OCH KRÅKEN

Mamma Moo and Crow

North American Premiere

SUNDAY MAY 24 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM ADMIRAL THEATER

Mamma Moo is an extraordinary cow who enjoys doing many un-cow-like things. She wants to learn to ride a bike, climb a tree, and play on a swing. Then she stumbles upon Crow, who is waiting for his birthday party, but unfortunately no one is coming because he doesn’t have any friends. Crow doesn’t understand the value of friendship and doesn’t really want to be friends with such a peculiar cow, but after several seasons with Mamma Moo and her fun adventures he realizes the personal connection that is missing from his solitary life. Igor Veyshtagin’s first animated feature film has been a family hit in Sweden with lots of laughs and absurd situations providing the foundation for life lessons in friendship that will warm a family’s heart. English subtitles will be read aloud for young children at both screenings. Recommended for all ages.

Sweden/ Germany/ Hungary 2008

Director:

Igor Veyshtagin

Producers:

Johanna Bergenstråhle Mattis Johansson

Screenwriter: Jujja Wieslander

Music:

Niklas Fransson Ulf Turesson

Featuring the Voices of: Rachel Mohlin

Johan Ulveson

Running Time: 78 minutes

DER MONDBÄR : DAS GROSSE KINOABENTEUER Moonbeam Bear and His Friends

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM ADMIRAL THEATER

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Svensk Filmindustri

Print Source:

Swedish Film Institute

Film Website: sfinternational.se/mammamoothemovie

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Moonbeam Bear loves watching the moon in the night sky more than anything else. One night, Mr. Moon is knocked from the sky into the forest. Moonbeam Bear finds him and, delighted to meet Mr. Moon, brings him home for refreshments and games. Not everyone is excited about Moonbeam Bear’s new friend. Badger, Woodpecker, Ladybug, and Frog can’t see in the dark and would like Mr. Moon back up in the sky. While they work to come up with a plan, Mr. Moon falls asleep and stops glowing. Unable to wake him up, the animals band together on a great episodic adventure to places they never imagined in search of a sweet song that will return Mr. Moon to his post in the sky. Based on the “Moonbeam Bear” stories enjoyed by children around the world, Moonbeam Bear and His Friends endorses the importance of helping others through cooperation. Animated with a warm storybook quality, the film moves at a pace that is ideal for younger viewers. With splendid woodland characters and a fascinating narrative, Moonbeam Bear and His Friends will enchant young and old as it earns a coveted spot on the family film shelf for years to come. In English, recommended for youth ages 3 to 9.

Germany 2008

Directors:

Michael Maurus

Thomas Bodenstein

Producers:

Frank Piscator

Tania Reichert-Facilides

Eric Welbers

Screenwriters:

Mark Slater

Gabriele M. Walther

based on the book by Rolf Fänger

Editors:

Sascha Wolff-Täger

Michael Krotsky

Marcus Schmidt

Music:

Danny Chang

Featuring the Voices of: Maximilian Belle Angelika Bender-Wilschrei

Eric Brodka

Uli Frank

Julia Haacke

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Beta Cinema

Film Website: mondbaer-derfilm.de

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

MONDAY JUNE 8 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Drawing inspiration from films like The Nightmare

Before Christmas, Nak is a ghoulishly fun, animated musical romp. Set in the present day, Nak features a collection of Thai ghost legends that have grown tired of haunting and moved to the country intent on helping all humanity. One night, at a temple fair, an audience is enjoying an outdoor movie when a ghost comes out of the screen and takes away Tee, a seven-yearold boy. The king of all ghosts plans to use Tee to fulfill his dark plan of world domination. Nak, the most popular ghost legend in Thailand, and her very colorful friends Keaw (a headless ghost), Thong (a doggy ghost), and Eud (a tall demon) come together to help Gam, Tee’s sister, get Tee back. Nak is especially moved by Gam’s plight as her painful past comes to the fore and she fights for someone who was once taken from her. Chock-full of exuberant characters, lively action, and a variety of emotional and toetapping songs, Nak is a film based around ghost legends that is perfect for late-elementary youth and older. The film is also a treasure trove of discovery for adults well-versed in Asian horror, as many famous specters from recent films make cameo appearances throughout the story. Recommended for ages 7 and above for ghostly content and some spooky images.

Thailand 2009

Director:

Natthaphong

Ratanachoksirikul

Producers:

Prachya Pinkaew

Boyd Kosiyabong

Screenwriter:

Saenee Jitsuwanwattana

Cinematographer:

Natthaphong

Ratanachoksirikul

Editor: Natthaphong

Ratanachoksirikul

Music:

Jirapong

Srisukwondwatana

Boyd Kosiyapong

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Thai, with English subtitles

Print Source: Sahamongkolfilm International Co. Ltd.

Film Website: nakmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

What’s on Your Plate?

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

What’s on Your Plate? is a provocative and entertaining documentary capturing two 11-year-old African-American girls as they explore the politics of food in America. Director Catherine Gund (whose daughter Sadie is one of the exploratory duo) knows how important it is to inform the younger generation and understand the way food gets to the family table. With the audience as their companion, the girls talk with each other, farmers, food activists, and their families to learn what ends up on our plates and how it gets there, from cultivation to market. There are revelatory visits to grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and especially the school lunchroom, where they become involved in encouraging their school district to improve their mystery meat in favor of healthier alternatives. In addition to these traditional venues, the girls examine sustainable food systems through farms and community-supported agriculture programs. They quickly discover social awareness has a multitude of positive effects: the environment, jobs for farmers, and affordable local food. With tremendous sophistication and compassion, these culinary enthusiasts inspire hope and active engagement from all members of the family, laying the groundwork for a future of healthy habits and tasty flavors. Recommended for all ages.

USA

2009

Director:

Catherine Gund

Producer:

Tanya Selvaratnam

Cinematographers:

Miklos Buk

Jill Cowburn

John Foster

George Motz

Editor:

Nancy C. Kennedy

Music:

Adam Crystal

Featuring:

Sadie Hope-Gund

Safiyah Kai Russell Riddle

Bryant Terry

Maritza Owens

Running Time: 73 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

International Sales: Cinetic Media Inc.

Print Source: Cinetic Media Inc.

Film Website: aubinpictures.com/woyp

Selected Filmography: Making Grace (2004)

KEXP proudly supports the Seattle International Film Festival

Face the Music

From inspiration and songwriting to performance, SIFF brings you the stories of music and musicians from around the world.

While cinema is an inherently visual medium, it can also be used to bring a new dimension to the aural world of music and performance. This series of films celebrates music in all its forms and genres. For those looking for raw concert power, Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona pretty much says it all—The Boss, rockin’ out in Spain for two and a half hours in high definition and Dolby Digital surround. For a completely different take on music in its far more esoteric forms, there’s Trimpin: The Sound of Invention, about Seattle’s own unclassifiable musical genius, engineer, and sculptor. SIFF also gets a behind-the-headlines look at enormously popular Senegalese tenor Youssou N’dour as he faces political pressure regarding his spiritual beliefs in Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love. Fans of music history will also want to catch Nick Moran’s Telstar, an entertaining biopic about British pop producer Joe Meek, as well as Icons Among Us, the theatrical version of John W. Comerford’s four-part series about the history of jazz, featuring interviews with more than 75 jazz legends. As a decidedly offbeat musical treat, SIFF will also hold a special screening of the classic 1989 film The Bear, with a newly commissioned score from the art-punk duo No Age.

No Age performs The Bear

FRIDAY JUNE 12 7:00 PM, ALL AGES TRIPLE DOOR

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:30 PM, AGES 21+ TRIPLE DOOR

France/USA 1989

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Producer: Claude Berri

Screenwriter:

Gérard Brach based on the novel by James Oliver Curwood

Cinematographer:

Philippe Rousselot

Editor:

Noëlle Boisson

Music:

Philippe Sarde

Cast:

Tchéky Karyo

Jack Wallace

André Lacombe

Running Time:

94 minutes

Presentation Format:

DVD, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: TriStar Pictures

Selected Filmography:

His Majesty Minor (2007)

Two Brothers (2004)

Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

When a rockslide kills a mother bear, her cub Douce becomes an orphan in the threatening Canadian Rockies. Luckily, she encounters Bart, a full-grown male bear on the run from hunters after mauling their pack animals. Though the ill-tempered Bart initially rejects Douce’s companionship, the cub wins his affection by licking Bart’s gunshot wounds. Psychedelic mushroom trips and a rendezvous with Doc (the effeminate male bear who plays Bart’s love interest) are woodland fun at its finest, but the invasive fear of being hunted drives The Bear forward. Staged with trained bears and filmed in the Italian Dolomites, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s film seems like realism in drag as documentary. Yet it’s this feeling that makes The Bear a magical discovery and a welcome departure from the ordinary wildlife exposé. Los Angeles duo No Age will add their musical interpretation to the film by performing original music during the screening.

No Age

No Age is a Los Angeles-based art-punk duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Allen Spunt. Formed in 2005 after the breakup of the punk band, Wives, of which Randall and Spunt were band members, No Age regularly performs at The Smell, an experimental punk/noise venue at the center of the L.A. underground community. Currently signed with the Seattle-based Sub Pop label, the critically-acclaimed band has released two full-length albums—“Weirdo Rippers” (FatCat, 2007) and “Nouns” (Sub Pop, 2008)—and has toured extensively in support of these releases. Known for playing at unconventional venues (such as the banks of the Los Angeles River, an Ethiopian restaurant in Philadelphia, and the Los Angeles Central Library), Randall and Spunt are strong advocates of the All-ages Movement Project, an organization that connects youth to each other and the arts through independent music. Randall and Spunt, both committed vegans, have participated in several vegan-oriented fundraisers, including a performance at Food Fight, a vegan grocery store in Portland, Oregon. The band’s most recent album, “N ouns,” was recently was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. For more information about No Age and upcoming appearances, visit their official blog at noagela.blogspot.com.

2009

Directors:

Michael Rivoira

Lars Larson

Peter J. Vogt

Producers:

John W. Comerford

Theo N. Ianuly

Screenwriters:

Peter J. Vogt

Kristian R. Hill

Michael Rivoira

Cinematographer:

Lars Larson

Editors:

Kristian R. Hill

Peter J. Vogt

David Ilama

Featuring: Ravi Coltrane Medeski, Martin & Wood

Bill Frisell

Robin Kelly

Living Daylights

Running Time:

93 minutes

Print Source:

Paradigm Studio

Film Website: iconsamongus.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

World Premiere Icons Among Us

SATURDAY MAY 30 6:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Jazz is a living thing, a conversation between musicians, their instruments, and the audience.

For Icons Among Us, the filmmakers interviewed 75 jazz artists with high-definition cameras, shot 25 hours of concerts on Super-16mm film, and has thrown in a good portion of archival footage on top of that. The result is a dynamic and engaging document of many of the greatest jazz musicians of today. Subtitled “Jazz in the Present Tense,” it contains interviews and performances from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane, the Bad Plus, and many others. Capturing the spontaneity of performers who have an intimate knowledge of their instruments and a full knowledge of jazz history, the movie—created from four episodes of a cable TV series—shows how the same simple riff can become completely different in the hands of different musicians. The dialogue between older and younger generations takes place with words, of course, but also with music. Anyone from diehard fans to interested novices will find something to take home with them. Like the music itself, Icons Among Us is fresh and constantly surprising, with a spirit and energy that innovates even as it recycles.

Following the film, join filmmakers and musicians at Neumos for a live performance from daKAH Hip Hop Chamber Orchestra and special guests.

The daKAH Chamber Hip Hop Orchestra is a powerful riff on the 60-piece arrangement that has made its mark on music cities around the country. This touring configuration of 22 members includes strings, horns, a banging rhythm section, guitar, DJ, and MCs. Its appearance in Seattle is a direct result of its presence in the SIFF World Premiere of Icons Among Us. The feature-length version of this four hour television film series features unseen footage and connects directly to spirit and vision of the music created by daKAH.

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Special Benefit Screening for SIFF

Benefit for SIFF

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

In 2002, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launched an initial, “barnstorming” leg of their world tour, in which the band played 46 one-night stands in 46 different cities throughout North America and Europe. Any further touring would be based on the turnout at those shows. The response was overwhelming, ultimately prompting the band to perform 120 concerts in 82 cities across the globe. Recorded midway through this barnstorming phase, Live in Barcelona creates the kind of soul-stirring concert experience that transforms Springsteen neophytes and fans alike. On tour to support “The Rising,” Springsteen’s first album with the E Street Band in 18 years, the shows reunite Springsteen with both of his previous lead guitar players, Nils Lofgren and “Miami” Steve Van Zandt, allowing The Boss to expand and toughen the new album’s sound with hard, crisp guitars and pounding drums—presented in high definition with Dolby Digital Sound. Live in Barcelona marks the first time an individual Springsteen concert has been released in its entirety. Containing more than two hours of music, the film captures a brilliant singer-songwriter and a crack band at the top of its game, performing a dream set-list of critically acclaimed new songs, classic hits, audience favorites, and seldom-heard rarities.

and the E Street Band launched an initial, their world tour, in which the band 46 stands in 46 different cities out North America and further be based on the turnout at those shows. The response was ultimately the band to perform 120 concerts in 82 cities across the Recorded midway this phase, creates the kind of concert experience that transforms Springsteen E and “Miami” Steve Van Zandt, the new album’s sound with hard, in high definition with Dolby Digital Sound. marks an concert has been released in its game, new classic hits, audience favorites, and

USA

2003

Director:

Chris Hilson

Producer:

George Travis

Cinematographers:

Scott Lutton

Greg Thorn

Phil Summers

Editor: Thom Zimny

Music:

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

2003 Travis Thorn Phil Bruce & the E Band

Running Time: 180 minutes

Presentation Format: HD

Presentation Format: HD

Print Source: Emerging Pictures

Film Website: brucespringsteen.net

Film Website: brucespringsteen.net

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Favela on Blast All Tomorrow’s Parties

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:30 PM

THURSDAY MAY 28 4:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

NEPTUNE THEATRE

On the eve of its tenth anniversary, the All Tomorrow’s Parties music festival is an ingenious testament to alternative music, communal living, and iconoclastic creativity. Founded by Belle & Sebastian’s Barry Hogan in 1999 as an alternative to larger, more corporate festivals, ATP is a sponsorship-free festival where the organizers, artists, and fans all stay in the same chaletstyle housing complex. Every year the event is curated by a specific artist or band, essentially making each festival a “concert as ultimate mix tape.” This unique concept is mirrored in All Tomorrow’s Parties’ visual approach. The film is created from found or contributed footage from more than 200 filmmakers, fans, and musicians who’ve attended the British All Tomorrow’s Parties festival throughout its history. With interviews and footage of more than 30 bands (ranging from Nick Cave to Animal Collective and from Portishead to Grizzly Bear), this post-punk DIY bricolage uses material filmed in a multitude of formats, including Super8, camcorder, and mobile-phone. The final product, which captures the experience from the perspective of fan, artist, and curator alike, celebrates the uncompromising vitality of this unique festival experience.

United Kingdom 2009

Directors:

All Tomorrow’s People

Jonathan Caouette

Producers:

Luke Morris

Caroline Cooper Charles

Cinematographers: Jason Banker

Vincent Moon

Jonathan Caouette

Editors: Nick Fenton

Daniel Goddard

Running Time: 85 minutes

SUNDAY MAY 24 5:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

MONDAY MAY 25 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Brazil 2009

Directors:

LeandroHBL

Wesley Pentz

Producers: LeandroHBL

Wesley Pentz

Screenwriters: Ricardo Mededff

LeandroHBL

Wesley Pentz

Cinematographer: LeandroHBL

Editor: Ricardo Mededff

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Warp Films

Film Website: ourtrueintent.com

Selected Filmography: Jonathan Caouette: Tarnation (2004)

Over 20 years, a subculture in Brazil has emerged below society’s radar. Fast, heavy, and hypersexual, baile funk (locally known “Funk Carioca” or simply “The Funk”) reflects the area it comes from. One of the most interesting musical movements in the world, it comes from one of the poorest and most violent places—the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Favela on Blast shows the culture surrounding baile funk, a musical rhythm that mixes the Miami bass electronic funk of the 1980s with the most diverse influences of Brazilian music. With their own language, style, and heroes, these artists translate their day-to-day culture into this new nightlife music. Its bombastic rhythms mix with loops and samples to pulse through the tropical nights of Rio. Directors Wesley Pentz (aka internationally famous musician Diplo) and LeandroHBL visited 60 favelas and conducted more than 100 interviews with the MC’s, DJ’s, dancers, and cultural producers who have spent their lives creating this vibrant scene. In doing so, they have created both a portrait of a subculture that defines the youth of Rio’s dismissed population and a snapshot of an art form that’s about to take the world by storm.

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Portuguese, with English subtitles

Print Source: Mosquito Project

Film Website: leandrohbl.com/funkfilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

“For

– Marty Oppenheimer

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:45 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 31 4:45 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Having penned their own songs, bright-eyed European kids ages ten to 15 compete for top prize at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in this warmly comic “popumentary.” There’s tenyear-old Giorgos from Cyprus, who admires George Michael and is bullied at school for his dreams of stardom. Mariam from Georgia has an abundance of national pride and multiple pigtails. Bulgarian Marina, lead singer of girl group Bon-Bon, only wants to know that her estranged father will watch her performance on TV. And then there’s Belgian group Trust, whose 15-year-old members are almost too old for the contest. In his first feature documentary, British director Jamie Jay Johnson follows these kids from their national finals to the big night: a live televised production with extravagant and garishly colorful sets. “I’m wetting myself with excitement!” screams one of the contest’s over-the-top hosts. At times nerve-wracking to watch as these innocent, earnest children bear the anxiety of competition, the film is a tender message of hope and perseverance that is sure to leave a smile on your face and catchy Europop songs in your head. Recommended for ages 13 and above.

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Jamie J. Johnson

Producers:

Elizabeth Karlsen

Stephen Woolley

Screenwriter:

Jamie J. Johnson

Cinematographer:

Jamie J. Johnson

Editor:

Lucien Clayton

Music: Mat Davidson

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in English, Flemish, Bulgarian, Georgian, and Cypriot Greek, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Intandem Films

Print Source: Intandem Films

Film Website: soundsliketeenspiritthemovie.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SATURDAY MAY 30 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

It’s London in the late 1950s and gay, tone deaf songwriter-producer Joe Meek has set up a recording studio of sorts in his two-story apartment over a luggage shop: vocals in the bathroom and instruments in the bedroom. He’s obsessed with Buddy Holly and has a strong interest in spiritualism and the occult. His eccentric, workaholic ways are a trial to his band, his principal backer Major Wilfred Banks (Kevin Spacey), and his landlady Mrs. Violet Shenton, who bangs on the ceiling when the noise gets to be too much. Joe experiments with studio techniques like distortion and sampling, but he can’t play an instrument or write musical notation. When songwriter Geoff Goddard arrives, the two join forces and the hits start to roll. Based on writer Nick Moran’s West End sensation and starring Con O’Neill in a tour-de-force performance as Meek, Telstar is the story of the music as much as it is of the man. The soundtrack for this tribute to the premier pop producer features original recordings of Meek’s biggest hits, including “Telstar,” “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” “Johnny Remember Me,” and “Have I the Right?”

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Nick Moran

Producers:

Simon Jordan

David Reid

Adam Bohling

Screenwriters:

James Hicks

Nick Moran

Cinematographer:

Peter Wignall

Editor:

Alex Marsh

Music:

Ilan Eshkeri

Cast:

Con O’Neill

Kevin Spacey

Pam Ferris

J.J. Feild

James Corden

Running Time:

114 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Fortissimo Films

Print Source:

Fortissimo Films

Film Website:

telstarthemovie.co.uk

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

WE

PROUDLY SUPPORT THE 2009 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL

FILM

FESTIVAL

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love Trimpin: The Sound of Invention

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

MONDAY JUNE 1 4:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Eccentric artist/inventor/engineer/composer Trimpin (he only uses his surname) shuns the hype and hyperbole of the commercial art world, doesn’t have a cell phone or a website, and has never been represented by a gallery, dealer, or manager—yet his freewheeling sculptures and outrageous musical experiments are cherished by museums all over the planet. A Seattle resident since 1980—he moved here from Europe for the area’s greater access to used technological components—his work integrates sculpture and music in ingenious ways, often using computers to create compositions that are unrestricted by any human physical limitations. Filmed over the course of two years, this documentary follows the artist-inventor as he devises a perpetual-motion machine, builds a 20-meter tower of automatic, self-tuning electric guitars for the EMP Guitar Gallery, and collaborates with the Kronos Quartet on an outrageous world premiere. An amazing investigation of an extraordinary creative genius whose selfmade world resembles both Santa’s workshop and Frankenstein’s lab, Trimpin: The Sound of Invention will delight anyone interested in the mysteries, pitfalls, and sheer joys of creative experiment.

USA

2008

Director: Peter Esmonde

Producer: Peter Esmonde

Cinematographer: Peter Esmonde

Editor: Rick Tejada-Flores

Music: Philip Perkins

Running Time: 79 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in German and English, with English subtitles

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY JUNE 14 1:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Senegal/France 2008

Director:

Chai Vasarhelyi

Producers:

Chai Vasarhelyi

Sarah Price

Scott Duncan

Hugo Berkeley

Cinematographers: Nick Doob

Jojo Pennebaker

Scott Duncan

Hugo Berkeley

Editors: Jonathan Oppenheim

Fernando Villena

Print Source: Participant Observer, lLLC

Film Website: trimpinmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Senegalese pop sensation Youssou N’dour spent the last 20 years in the spotlight as a world-renowned musician and iconic “Voice of Africa.” At the height of his career, Youssou became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and composed “Egypt,” a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. It was a critical, careerdefining move that courted controversy. Some Americans disapproved because of their post9/11 tendencies to attribute Islam with violent extremism. Senegalese deejays and radio station proprietors objected, given the odd discomfiture associated with playing religious music about Allah alongside often-racy selections by other acts. Even more significantly, Youssou inadvertently carried this controversy one step further by performing during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, thus infuriating Senegalese religious conservatives. The film witnesses Youssou as he confronts these challenges head-on and, incredibly, surmounts them with ease and finesse. Combining unprecedented images of Senegal’s most sacred Muslim rituals, vibrant concert performances filmed around the world, and intimate access to Youssou and his family, I Bring What I Love chronicles the difficult journey Youssou must undertake to assume his true calling.

Music: Martin Davich

James Newton Howard

Featuring: Youssou N’dour

Fathy Salama

Kabou Gueye

Peter Gabriel

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English, French, Wolof, and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source:

Gwyn Welles

Film Website: ibringwhatilove.com

Selected Filmography A Normal Life (2003)

MIDNIGHT ADRENALINE

You gotta get it into the heart … Yeah, but you gotta bring it down in a stabbing motion … You gotta get through the ribs, thro ugh the breastplate into the heart. Sound familiar? After a long day at SIFF wa tching period pieces, earnest war films, and touchy-feely char acter dramas, coffee j ust doesn’t cut it anymore. And energy drinks? Pfft! Like drinkin’ water at that point. Nope, what you need is good, old-fashioned injection of Midnight Adren aline straight to the heart. And we’ve got all your favorite SIFF genres right here, too. For fans of the Victorian era, follow two grave robbers as their profe ssional livelihood is tested by nasty ghoulies. Your typical war pic Nazi is bad, but Nazi zombies wh o eat snow bunnies—now that’s evil. We’ve even got that touching drama about mothers and daughters you’ve been looking for, just make sure the baby’s been fed. But wait, there’s more: a murderous fashion fanatic, a B laxploitation throwback, the sexy living dead, clairvoyant teens, and so much more. We guarantee a dose of Midnight Adrenaline will pump you right up and won’t l eave you sleepy afterward … besides a little insomnia never hurt anyo ne. Disclaimer: SIFF cannot be held re sponsible for any actions performed under the in fluence of Midnight Adrenaline including, but not limited to the performan ce of strange occult rituals, exploring abandoned asylums, or taking the shortcut ho me through the woods.

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Swiss

Deadgirl Black Dynamite

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SATURDAY JUNE 6 MIDNIGHT EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about? No, not him. I’m talkin’ about Black Dynamite. When “The Man” murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with a secret weapon disguised as Anaconda malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the only hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. He’s a master of kung fu, has a lot of guns, and beds the most beautiful women in the hood. In short, Black Dynamite is every hero you wish you could be. One of the biggest hits to emerge out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Black Dynamite is a pitch-perfect ode to 1970s Blaxploitation movies and television. Director Scott Sanders, along with his co-writer and star Michael Jai White, crafts a scalpelsharp satire of the entire genre, right down to the Naugahyde jackets, casual sexual harassment, and outrageously large Afros. So settle yourself down at the midnight grindhouse, light up a Fred Williamson cigar, and enjoy some Black Dynamite-style ass-kicking set to the most funktastic bouncing beats you’ll ever hear.

USA

2009

Director:

Scott Sanders

Producers:

Jon Steingart

Jenny Wiener Steingart

Screenwriters:

Michael Jai White

Byron Minns

Scott Sanders

Cinematographer:

Shawn Maurer

Editor:

Adrian Younge

Music:

Adrian Younge

Cast:

Michael Jai White

Tommy Davidson

Salli Richardson-Whitfield

Byron Minns

James McManus

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Sony Pictures Worldwide

Acquisitions Group

Film Website: blackdynamite.com

Selected Filmography:

The Last Bandit (2006)

Thick As Thieves (1999)

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:30 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

FRIDAY MAY 29 MIDNIGHT EGYPTIAN THEATRE

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Rickie and JT are high school outsiders, bullied by jocks and despised by the in-crowd. Though both would rather drop out than bear this neverending misery, Rickie chooses to stay, if only to catch fleeting glimpses of JoAnn, his childhood crush and the current girlfriend to the captain of the football team. Then one afternoon, while cutting class, the pair makes a bizarre discovery in the darkest depths of an abandoned hospital—a beautiful young woman, neither living nor dead, strapped to an operating table. Horrified by their find, Rickie flees, while JT stays behind to satiate his darker appetites. Soon, however, the pair’s secret slips out to the worst person imaginable, and what follows is a series of gory confrontations that test Rickie’s loyalty to both JT and JoAnn. Since its premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, no horror film has generated more buzz than Deadgirl, and deservedly so. Co-directors Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel took a script many in Hollywood felt was “too shocking to produce,” yet the finished product is a chillingly complex and accomplished fright flick that skillfully pushes the limits of explicit violence and sexuality without ever slipping into the exploitative.

Preceded by Danse Macabre, Canada, 2008, 8 minutes, director: Pedro Pires In the morgue, a young woman’s corpse performs a ghastly ballet.

USA 2008

Directors:

Marcel Sarmiento

Gadi Harel

Producers:

Marcel Sarmiento

Gadi Harel

Screenwriter:

Trent Haaga

Cinematographer:

Harris Charalambous

Editor:

Phillip Blackford

Music:

Joseph Bauer

Cast:

Shiloh Fernandez

Noah Segan

Candice Accola

Running Time:

101 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

The Collective/XYZ Films

Print Source:

Hollywoodmade

Film Website: deadgirlmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Heavy Petting (2007)

It’s Better to Be Wanted for Murder Than Not to Be Wanted at All (2003)

Grace Dead Snow

SATURDAY MAY 23 MIDNIGHT

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:30 PM PACIFIC

It’s time for fans of international horror films to shift their attention from East Asia to Northern Europe. Over the past few years, Scandinavia has quietly produced some of the most accomplished scare pictures, including such SIFF favorites as Norway’s Cold Prey and Sweden’s Let the Right One In. However, with Dead Snow, Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola replaces the quiet and subtle with Nazi zombies and kamikaze snowmobilers. Eight Norwegian medical students travel to an isolated lodge to enjoy their Easter vacation on the slopes. But on their first night in the lodge, a strange hiker visits them and relates a tale from recent history when the Nazis occupied the local township under the ironfisted Colonel Herzog. After three years of brutal rule, the townsfolk chased Herzog and his men into the mountains where they were believed to have frozen to death. Uh, not exactly. When the friends find a small cache of gold in their lodge … well, is there anything Nazi zombies love more than gold? Now the medical students must flee the slopes while fending off Herzog’s zombie onslaught. By equal measures raucous and terrifying, Dead Snow always provides good bloody (and gory) fun.

Norway 2009

Director:

Tommy Wirkola

Producers:

Tomas Evjen

Terje Strømstad

Screenwriters:

Stig Frode Henriksen

Tommy Wirkola

Cinematographer:

Matt Weston

Editor: Martin Stoltz

Cast:

Vegard Hoel

Stig Frode Henriksen

Charlotte Frogner

Jenny Skavlan

Preceded by Full Employment, Germany, 2008, 12 minutes, directors: Breshna Hamid and Matthias Vogel

In these troubling economic times, Miroslav will take any job he can get … even as part-time, entry-level Zombie Hunter.

Jeppe Beck Laursen

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Norwegian Film Institute

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: deadsnow.com

Selected Filmography: Kill Buljo: The Movie (2007)

FRIDAY JUNE 5 MIDNIGHT

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

A placid surface obscures chilling depths in writerdirector Paul Solet’s squirm-inducing feature film debut, Grace. Living in a quiet suburb, Michael and Madeline Matheson have hopes of starting a family despite a previous miscarriage. When the couple does conceive, Madeline opts for a holistic, pure-body lifestyle under the guidance of her close friend and midwife Patricia Lang. Meanwhile, Madeline’s mother-in-law Vivian, desperate for a grandchild, pushes Madeline to use Dr. Sohn, a highly regarded obstetrician. In the wake of an auto accident, which kills both Michael and her baby in utero, Madeline decides to carry her child to full term, disregarding all professional advice. But mere moments after the birth, a seeming miracle occurs—her newborn daughter cries out. Madeline’s maternal joy is short-lived, however, as she struggles to fulfill baby Grace’s unique and growing appetite. Much like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, Jordan Ladd’s performance as the overwhelmed and isolated Madeline gives the film its sympathetic core, whose innocent, nearly hapless actions sharpen the film’s unsettling atmosphere of impending dread. Ladd’s performance, coupled with Solet’s elegant, almost simplistic imagery makes Grace a consummate chiller that will long crawl under your skin.

USA

2009

Director:

Paul Solet

Producers:

Ingo Vollkammer

Cory Neal

Adam Green

Kevin DeWalt

Screenwriter:

Paul Solet

Cinematographer: Zoran Popovic

Editors: John Coniglio

Darrin Navarro

Music:

Austin Wintory

Cast: Jordan Ladd

Samantha Ferris

Gabrielle Rose

Malcom Stewart

Stephen Park

Running Time:

85 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Film Website: gracehorror.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PLACE CINEMAS

I Sell the Dead The Hills Run Red World Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 12 MIDNIGHT

EGYPTIAN THEATRE SUNDAY JUNE 14 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Tyler is a film student obsessed with the infamous slasher film The Hills Run Red. No known print of the film exists, only a grainy trailer on the internet, and the director Wilson Wyler Concannon disappeared shortly after the only public screening of his lost masterpiece. Having spent the previous few years of his life searching for any bits of footage or persons connected to the film, he finally discovers the whereabouts of the director’s daughter, Alexa, the only surviving person with any connection to the original production. Traumatized from being on-set, she is reluctant to revisit her experiences. Eventually Tyler compels her to guide him and his documentary film crew into the backwoods where the film was shot. However, once there, they realize too late that the film’s principal photography never ended. While the concept of a horror film within a horror film might sound played out, director Dave Parker eschews the postmodern, self-reflexive winks inherent in his set-up—knowing you’re in a horror film won’t help you, it just makes everything much more terrifying.

USA

2009

Director:

Dave Parker

Producer:

Rob Burnett

Screenwriters:

David J. Schow

John Carchietta

John Dombrow

Cinematographer: Ilan Rosenberg

Editor:

Harold Parker

Music:

Frederik Wiedmann

Cast: Sophie Monk

Tad Hilgenbrinck

William Sadler

Running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Warner Premiere/ Dark Castle

Film Website: thehillsrunred.com

Selected Filmography:

The Dead Hate the Living! (2000) Bimbo Movie Bash (1997)

FRIDAY MAY 22 MIDNIGHT

EGYPTIAN THEATRE MONDAY MAY 25 9:30 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

After the execution of his partner Willie Grimes, grave robber Arthur Blake awaits his own shave with the guillotine come morning. But his final night is interrupted by the arrival of Father Duffy, a “gallows chronicler,” who presses Blake to recount his life and times in the resurrection trade. With the encouragement of the good Father’s whiskey bottle, Blake is only too happy to comply. What follows is a series of deliriously ribald vignettes that chart the 15-year course of Blake & Grimes’ ghoulish partnership. Beginning with his apprenticeship under the eccentric yet insidious Grimes—imagine The Shining’s Jack Nicholson crossed with Long John Silver—Blake recounts how the pair’s illicit activities grew increasingly more daring: from stealing jewelry (and later the bodies themselves) from wakes, to dangerous moonlit excavations to satisfy the sardonic Dr. Quint’s appetite for anatomy specimens. During one such dig, the partners discover they have far more to fear from beasties that go bump in the night than from the local constabulary or the rival Murphy gang. Drawing inspiration from Val Lewton’s classic chiller The Body Snatcher, writer-director Glenn Quaid embellishes his wickedly macabre horror-comedy with the perfect blend of vintage Hammer films, 1960s-era Roger Corman and, most notably, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead trilogy.

USA

2009

Director:

Glenn McQuaid

Producers:

Larry Fessenden

Peter Phok

Screenwriter: Glenn McQuaid

Cinematographer:

Richard Lopez

Editor: Glenn McQuaid

Music:

Jeff Grace

Cast:

Ron Perlman

Dominic Monaghan

Larry Fessenden

Angus Scrimm

John Speredakos

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Submarine

Print Source:

Glass Eye Pix

Film Website: isellthedead.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Movies. Celebration. Friends.

See more movies than you ever thought you could. Receive invitations to exclusive free screenings, and substantial discounts on tickets and passes at the Festival and SIFF Cinema.

Delight in knowing your support will enable SIFF to fulfill its mission to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world.

SATURDAY JUNE 13 MIDNIGHT EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 14 9:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

As a little girl, all Bárbara ever wanted was to grow up to be like her favorite childhood toy, the fashion doll Cindy Superstar—beautiful and successful, with a large fashionable wardrobe, and most importantly a hunky boyfriend. Today, she’ll kill anyone for the perfect Cindy Superstar life. As a student at a prestigious medical school, Bárbara spends her days in class or, preferably, shopping, and her nights slashing lecherous professors and peeping toms to shreds with an effervescent bloodthirst. But her search for the perfect boy is about as successful as the authorities’ search for the Campus Killer. That is, until she meets Tomás, a fellow med student assigned to morgue duty. However, Tómas’ real passion lies in developing a secret device to decode brainwaves in hopes of curing migraines. Instead, under the right conditions (just add Ecstasy), his machine visualizes any cadaver’s final image before death. And while his invention could bring the Campus Killer to justice, it might just put a nasty damper on his steamy love life with Bárbara. Director Miguel Martí’s candycolored cinematic confection bleeds charm and camp wit in every scene as it follows a murderous Cosmo cover girl’s quest for true love and homicidal contentment.

Spain 2008

Director:

Miguel Martí

Producers:

Jaume Roures

Tedy Villalba

Screenwriter:

Paco Cabezas

Cinematographer:

Carles Gusi

Editor:

David Pinillos

Music:

Fernando Velázquez

Cast:

Macarena Gómez

César Camino

Alejo Sauras

Ángel de Andrés

Fernando Ramallo

Running Time:

85 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Imagina International

Sales

Print Source:

Imagina International

Sales

Film Website: sexykiller.es

Selected Filmography:

Fin de curso (2005) Slam (2003)

Yes, I Can See Dead People

SATURDAY MAY 30 MIDNIGHT EGYPTIAN THEATRE TUESDAY JUNE 2 9:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:45 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

Fans of the Asian Horror zeitgeist who’ve grown weary with the genre—weakened by too many unimaginative knock-offs and sequels—will find their interest revitalized by Hong Kong’s fresh and funny Yes, I Can See Dead People. Nam is not your typical teenager. Sure, he spends a little too much time on his computer, and tries a little too hard to meet the gorgeous stewardess who lives in his building. But recently three of Nam’s friends have committed suicide, which isn’t all bad since, as the title implies, he sees ghosts. However, these suicides only foreshadow weirder things to come. Soon his brother Tung, along with Chee, his stewardess crush, begin to act strangely, while his visions of ghostly children and other phantoms grow more frequent. With aid from his brother’s girlfriend Charlie, Nam sets out to investigate his haunted building’s past and help these malevolent spirits cross over. With a pinch of Wes Craven and a dash of Hideo Nakata, director David Lee shows an assured hand at mixing extreme terror with moments of sweet, gentle humor in his feature film debut. Oh, and careful with the eyeball.

Hong Kong 2008

Director:

David Lee

Producer:

Albert Lee

Screenwriters:

Frankie Tam

Chun-yu Kom

Philip Lui

Cinematographer:

Chiu-lam Ko

Editor:

Azrael Chung

Music:

Lincoln Lo

Cast:

Steven Cheung

Mandy Chiang

Kathy Yuen

Kris Gu

Running Time:

92 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Cantonese and Mandarin, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Emperor Motion Pictures

Print Source: Emperor Motion Pictures

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Northwest Connections

Our annual celebration of the Pacific Northwest as a breeding ground for new and exciting cinematic talent.

Anyone who’s waited in line at SIFF over the last 35 years knows that the Pacific Northwest is a haven for cinephiles. These days, the region is becoming just as well known for its filmmakers as it is for film lovers. This year, the fertile ground of our thriving film community offers a particularly vibrant crop of features, shorts, and documentaries that have been earning raves on the festival circuit. Seattle’s Lynn Shelton (We Go Way Back, My Effortless Brillance) continues her meteoric arc across the indie universe with her third feature, Humpday, a “bromance” about two dudes who test the limits of straight male bonding via gay porn. Awardwinning short film director and animator David Russo will screen his imaginative debut feature, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, about biochemical engineering gone strangely awry. The Northwest is also becoming an increasingly popular location for Hollywood vehicles. Shot in Wallingford last summer, World’s Greatest Dad is a jet-black comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait, starring Robin Williams as a grieving father who profits from a personal tragedy. To keep up such local creative spirit, SIFF waives submission fees for films that are shot in Washington State and offers a number of programs in support of local filmmakers. Our annual Fly Filmmaking program (see page 255), for example, commissions the creation of ten-minute films from conception to premiere in less than 20 days. SIFF also supports the Seattle Filmmakers Initiative, which gives Northwest filmmakers discounted access to industry events, press screenings, and Festival Forums (see page 254). So, while you’re sampling the vast international offerings at SIFF, be sure to check out these gems from our own backyard.

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

TUESDAY JUNE 2 5:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Twenty years ago, director Kevin Tomlinson traveled to Tonasket, a small town in Eastern Washington, where he interviewed a “healing gathering” of back-to-the-land movement “hippies” practicing peace and love. Forty years after Woodstock, he tracked down the same folks and their children to find out what became of them and their search for environmental utopias. His documentary captures a time-lapse view of their movement through their personal stories. “The world is coming to a start, not to an end,” claimed Jeffery Stonehill in 1988. He left his job as manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel and moved to Lopez Island where he gardens, lives in a school bus, and teaches languages. OnePine grew up in a middle class family and now lives in the house that she built. Skeeter runs a permaculture organic farming business. “I’m still a hippie. I keep changing but my core values of love, being against war, making peace with the earth, are the same.” Not so long ago, these “hippie” communities were on the radical fringe. Today, with the green movement looking to protect the earth for future generations in the midst of global warming, the voices of these flower children are prophetic.

Preceded by Designing the New World: Turning Crisis into Potential, USA, 2008, 11 minutes, director: Alexander Mendeluk We all know the world is warming up, but how we choose to change our lifestyles because of it is the key.

USA

2009

Director: Kevin Tomlinson

Producers: Kevin Tomlinson

Judy Kaplan

Cinematographer: Kevin Tomlinson

Editor:

Tim Cash

Running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

Print Source:

Heaven Scent Films

Film Website: backtothegardenfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Dancing Across Borders World Premiere

MONDAY MAY 25 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

TUESDAY MAY 26 4:15 PM SIFF CINEMA

Sokvannara “Sy” Sar was a dancer on the streets of Cambodia until he caught the eye of filmmaker Anne Bass. Overcome by Sy’s natural talent and raw charisma onstage, Bass felt compelled to nurture his gift by helping him come to America to train in classical ballet. Dancing Across Borders follows Sy’s transformation as he faces the challenges of a Cambodian folk dancer adjusting to the strict laws of Western ballet culture. The film features footage of Sy’s performances, including his performance with legendary musician Phillip Glass at the Vail International Dance Festival. Sy’s journey eventually leads him to our own backyard, where he dances with Peter Boal and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. In her debut feature film, philanthropist and art enthusiast Bass sympathetically chronicles Sy’s ascent to become ballet’s newest, and least likely, rising star. Bass’s film grants audiences a glimpse into the harshly competitive world of classical ballet and how much a young man is willing to endure to make his dream of becoming a professional dancer a reality.

USA/Cambodia 2009

Director:

Anne H. Bass

Producers:

Catherine Tatge

Anne H. Bass

Cinematographers: Robert Elfstrom

Anthony Forma

Tom Hurwitz

Editors:

Mark Sutton

Girish Bhargava

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in English and Khmer, with English subtitles

Print Source:

123 Productions, Inc.

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle Finding Bliss

FRIDAY JUNE 5 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

A year out of film school, aspiring filmmaker Jody Balaban still can’t manage to find work in Hollywood beyond a parking lot attendant position on a movie lot. Desperate for work, she notices an opening for an editor at Grind Productions—a pornography studio. Swallowing her pride, she reluctantly agrees to take the position in the hope that it might quickly lead to something else. But while she’s editing films she abhors, she realizes that the studio has all the equipment she needs to surreptitiously film her own low-budget projects. Soon, however, her plans are discovered and she is forced to collaborate with the studio’s top director, Jeff Drake. Initially, Jody and Jeff are like oil and water, but they soon warm to each other as they discover that they each have something in common: a desire to make “real” movies outside the grindhouse. Can a budding romance be far behind? Director Julie Davis, who used to edit films for the Playboy Channel when she first started in the film business, borrows some plot lines from her own experiences. Filmed in Spokane, this fun romantic comedy has a star-studded cast who are clearly enjoying themselves as they lay on the puns and double-entendres.

USA

2009

Director:

Julie Davis

Producers:

Jeff Rice

Daniel Toll

Rich Cowan

Dave Ornston

Screenwriter:

Julie Davis

Cinematographer:

Peter N. Green

Editor:

David Beatty

Music:

John Swihart

Cast:

Leelee Sobieski

Matt Davis

Denise Richards

Kristen Johnston

Jamie Kennedy

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

North by Northwest Entertainment

Print Source: Cinamour Entertainment

Film Website: findingblissthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

All Over the Guy (2001)

Amy’s Orgasm (2001)

I Love You Don’t Touch Me! (1997)

SATURDAY MAY 23 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:30 PM EGYPTIAN

Local filmmaker David Russo’s debut feature is truly a one-of-a-kind film experience. Simultaneously cynical and life-affirming, Russo’s comedy manages to incorporate biochemical engineering, corporate chicanery, drug addiction, and high-art pretension—all while maintaining an amiable, insouciant charm. After Dory is fired from his corporate job, he’s forced to take a “brown-collar” position cleaning office toilets with a pack of janitorial misfits. Accepting of his search for spiritual and human connection, the group quickly becomes his adoptive family. They make the most of their nights by helping themselves to whatever goodies are left behind by the daytime office staff. But when they unwittingly become the subject of a product-testing experiment by one of the companies in the building, they begin to experience some very unusual hallucinations and other side effects. These visuals provide a great platform for Russo’s innovative visual design and animation skills, as well as those of Dutch animator Rosto. Little Dizzle is a spiritual quest in sheep’s clothing; a complex film of ideas disguised as a shaggy-dog comedy. Beneath its constant visual invention, the film creates a quirky, playful world which questions the lines between trash and treasure, and asks what one should try to hold on to in our increasingly disposable society, and what one should let go.

USA 2009

Director:

David Russo

Producer:

Peggy Case

Screenwriter:

David Russo

Cinematographers:

Neil Holcomb

Benjamin F. Kasulke

David Russo

Editor:

Billy McMillin

Music:

Awesome

Cast:

Marshall Allman

Vince Vieluf

Natasha Lyonne

Tania Raymonde

Tygh Runyan

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Visit Films

Film Website: littledizzlefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

THEATRE

CINEMAS

Independent America: Rising from Ruins

MONDAY MAY 25 6:30 PM PACIFIC

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:45 PM PACIFIC

Chain stores often spell doom and gloom for the American mom-and-pop business. Independent America: Rising from Ruins explores the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and how the moms-and-pops provided hope where corporate America disappointed. Filmmakers

Hanson Hosein and Heather Hughes traveled 13,000 miles through 32 states in their first film, Independent America: The Two Lane Search for Mom and Pop. In a country populated more and more by “big box” and fast food, this time Hosein and Hughes chose to meet the small business owners behind an independent revival. When Hosein heard that small business owners were the first to start rebuilding in New Orleans, he felt another Independent America story needed a voice. Hosein delicately presents the emotional stories of residents in their ongoing struggle to find America amidst the debris. Rising from Ruins avoids over-dramatization, instead choosing to educate audiences about the empowered and hopeful in the New Orleans community.

Canada/USA

2008

Director:

Hanson Hosein

Producer: Tom Powers

Screenwriter: Hanson Hosein

Cinematographer: Hanson Hosein

Editor: Hanson Hosein

Music:

Lead Belly Traglcally Hip Wolfma Washington

Featuring:

Naomi Klein

Dana Eness

Edward Blakely

John Besh

Running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Open Door Co

Film Website: risingfromruins.com

Selected Filmography:

Independent America: The

Two Lane Search for Mom & Pop (2005)

It Takes a Cult

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:30 PM SIFF

THURSDAY MAY 28 5:00 PM PACIFIC

Dressed in robes, long dresses, and flowing hair, members of The Israel Family (aka, The Love Family, Church of Armageddon) were a common sight in Seattle. They started in 1968 as a small communal, religious household on Queen Anne Hill. In ten years, they expanded to a network of communal homes and businesses, and grew to a tribe of nearly 300, led by Paul Erdman, who renamed himself Love Israel. There were no marriages or birthdays (because people are eternal and have no need for those constructs), but there were drugs, sex, and folk music. New members donated all their possessions and their power of attorney. Director Johannsen, who was born in Wisconsin but grew up as part of the Love Family, opens his film at a reunion of young people brought up in the commune. They, along with the older members, talk openly about Love Israel and his special abilities, about chauvinism, multiple relationships, money, poverty, spiritual visions, social shunning, brainwashing, hierarchy, selfishness, drug problems, and bankruptcy. Johannsen brings an insider’s view of what drew the clan together, about the love they shared, and how acceptance into a community is what they all craved, and in most cases, found.

USA 2008

Director: Eric Johannsen

Producer: Eric Johannsen

Cinematographer: Eric Johannsen

Editor: Kamila Kowalska

Calabrese

Running Time: 79 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

CINEMA

PLACE CINEMAS

PLACE CINEMAS

PLACE CINEMAS

Pirate for the Sea

FRIDAY MAY 29 6:45 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SATURDAY MAY 30 11:00 AM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Hero to conservationists and villain to hunters, marine environmentalist Paul Watson commits himself 100 percent to his cause. In this stirring profile, director and narrator Ron Colby explores Watson’s beliefs, blunders, and triumphs. Though Watson helped to found Greenpeace Canada, the organization asked him to leave due to his extremist tendencies, so he started the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He travels from Norway to Costa Rica, standing trial, doing time, and costing various nations millions of dollars by breaking up drift-netting, illegal poaching, and shark-finning operations (the latter campaign was also featured in Sharkwater, SIFF 2007). Actor, activist, and board member Martin Sheen praises him as “truth speaking to power,” while Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore dubs him “the self-styled Rambo of the environmental movement.” The media prefers “pirate,” a term Watson doesn’t dispute, even flying a Jolly Roger-style flag from his ship, but matters turn more serious when he goes after Canadian seal hunters and Japanese whalers. Say what you will about the man, but Colby makes a convincing case that the world’s endangered oceans are better off for the dedicated and controversial efforts of this Friday Harbor-based subject.

Awards: Boulder International Film Festival 2008 (Best Documentary)

USA 2008

Director:

Ronald Colby

Producer:

Ronald Colby

Screenwriter:

Ronald Colby

Cinematographer:

Ronald Colby

Editor: Brian Kowtowski

Music:

Aldo Shllaku

Featuring:

Paul Watson

Farley Mowat

Robert Hunter

Martin Sheen

Patrick Moore

Sharyn Van der Gulik

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Artists Confederacy

Film Website: artistsconfederacy.com/ pirateforthesea

Selected Filmography: Jones Beach Boys (2007)

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Shot in Seattle and produced by local shingle Eke Pictures, director Garrett Bennett merges spy thriller with domestic drama to intriguing effect. After an assignment in East Berlin goes awry, secret agent Thomas Sparrow splits the scene. Twenty-six years later, the retired agent returns to the Pacific Northwest, burdened with guilt and claiming he doesn’t remember what happened that day, but CIA operatives Clay and Kruch find that hard to believe, since a Russian mobster has him in his sights. Friend and ex-spook Robert “Bob” Byrne recommends that he reconnect with his now-divorced artist daughter, Josephine. So while the operatives keep tabs on Tommy, he keeps tabs on Josephine. With her penchant for alcohol and strange men, she may not be the world’s best mother, but she loves her daughter and starts seeing a psychiatrist to get her life back on track. He just happens to be Bob, who helps her out in ways her emotionally constricted father can’t. Eccentric—but effective —attorney Kidd also lends a hand in this sly and surprising film.

USA

2009

Director:

Garrett Bennett

Producers:

Steve Edmiston

Victor Kepler

Lenville O’Donnell

Screenwriter:

Steve Edmiston

Cinematographer:

Julio Ribeyro

Editors:

Bryan Gunnar Cole

Liza McDonald

Cast:

Elisabeth Röhm

Eric Roberts

David Rasche

Running Time:

86 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Hat Factory Studios

Selected Filmography:

A Relative Thing (2003)

Farewell to Harry (2002)

The Spy and the Sparrow World Premiere

Sweet Crude

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

SATURDAY JUNE 13 1:30 PM

Seattle filmmaker Sandy Cioffi and her Seattlebased crew made headlines while shooting this documentary about the Nigerian oil industry when they were taken into custody by the Nigerian military. Ten percent of the U.S. oil supply comes from Nigeria. Oil is big business in the Niger Delta in particular, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been generated from that resource. Of course, big money leads to massive corruption, and 80 percent of the revenues go to just 1 percent of the population. Even worse is the environmental devastation that’s happening to the land. Areas that used to be fishing grounds have been fouled by oil spills, oil has contaminated much of the water supply for the 20 million people who live in the Niger Delta and a large number of residents suffer from oil poisoning. The list goes on. Peaceful protests have been shown to be ineffective in the face of such widespread corruption and militant groups are starting to form to take action against the powerful oil companies, if only to get attention from the rest of the world. Sweet Crude is an attempt to tell the world what’s really happening in the Niger Delta, because it will affect all of us eventually.

USA 2008

Director:

Sandy Cioffi

Producers:

Leslye Wood

Kate Wolf

Screenwriters:

Leslye Wood

Jill Friedberg

Cinematographer:

Sean Porter

Editor:

Jill Friedberg

Music:

Julie Wolf

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Sweet Crude LLC

Film Website: sweetcrudemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature FIlm

True Adolescents

THURSDAY JUNE 4 9:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Washington native Craig Johnson’s insightful debut explodes with the sights and sounds of the Pacific Northwest, starting with a Seattle archetype: the down-on-his-luck rocker (Mark Duplass, The Puffy Chair, Baghead, Humpday). After his girlfriend kicks him out, Sam goes to stay in Woodinville with his aunt, Sharon (Academy Award-nominated Melissa Leo, Frozen River, SIFF 2008). To remain in her good graces, he takes his 14-year-old cousin (Bret Loehr) and a friend (Carr Thompson) camping in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, but they can’t agree on anything. Sam finds the suburban kids judgmental while they disdain his urban slacker lifestyle. After hours of insults, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings, one of the three goes missing, and the remaining two try to put their preconceptions aside to track him down, but confusing trails and spacey hippies (including filmmaker Linas Phillips) make the task more difficult. Johnson incorporates recognizable locations like the Funhouse with music from the Sonics, the Blakes, and other local and indie outfits into an exploration of manliness, maturity, and their various discontents. For all the geographical specificity, he uncovers doubts and fears that reach far beyond the shores of Puget Sound.

USA 2009

Director:

Craig Johnson

Producer:

Thomas Woodrow

Screenwriter:

Craig Johnson

Cinematographer:

Kat Westergaard

Editor:

Jennifer Lee

Music:

Peter Golub

Cast:

Mark Duplass

Melissa Leo

Bret Loehr

Carr Thompson

Running Time:

88 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Furnace Films

Film Website:

trueadolescents.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

GREAT THAI RESTAURANT

SIFF Scavenger Hunt Location

Lunch:

Mon-Fri 11:30-3:00

Walking Distance to Seattle Center.

Just 1 Block West of Queen Anne Ave!

Dinner:

Mon-Sat 5:00-10:00

Closed Sunday

118 West Mercer 206-281-8833

World’s Greatest Dad The Whole Truth

World Premiere

TUESDAY JUNE 2 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Angela Masters is an acting coach with an unusual client list. Instead of catering to Hollywood celebrities, she gives what could be described as personality transplants—“character transformations,” if you will—to accused criminals. By making her clients appear slightly more sympathetic to juries, Angela has become a specialist in securing acquittals for some decidedly shady characters. This lucrative enterprise is interrupted when Angela overhears that a client she helped set free is planning a heinous crime— and that she is a target for murder. Portrayed by Elisabeth Röhm, of “Law & Order” fame, Angela discovers that escaping death and finding out who she really is becomes the most expensive—and rewarding—experience of her life. The plot points resemble those of a pure courtroom thriller, but Seattle director Colleen Patrick, in her feature debut, has turned the genre on its ear to create a fast-paced and hilarious satire about the current state of the legal system. Billing itself as “a screwball comedy—with a twist,” the film contains sharp dialog and strong comic performances. Filmed at various locations around Seattle and Tacoma, The Whole Truth packs in rapid-fire laughs, but also neatly skewers the sorry state of the American “justice” system.

USA

2009

Director:

Colleen Patrick

Producers:

Larry Estes

Jennifer Roth

Colleen Patrick

Screenwriter:

Colleen Patrick

Cinematographer:

Paul Mailman

Editor:

Stephen R. Myers

Music:

Ragnar Rosinkranz

Cast:

Elisabeth Röhm

Sean Patrick Flanery

Eric Roberts

Rick Overton

John Fugelsang

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source:

Heart Break Productionz

Film Website: thewholetruththemovie. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SATURDAY JUNE 6 6:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

This wickedly funny dark comedy stars Robin Williams as a sad-sack poetry teacher who inadvertently finds his greatest opportunity from a freak accident. This latest offering from comedian-turned-director Bobcat Goldthwait couldn’t diverge any further from audience expectations. A restrained Williams stars as Lance, a divorced high school poetry teacher and failed novelist who dreams of one day being a famous writer. To make matters worse, he must suffer the indignities of living with his thoroughly vile, porn-obsessed teenage son, Kyle. After a horrifying and embarrassing freak accident, Lance finds that his life takes a bizarre turn—for the better. By making the best of what life’s given him, he sets a series of events in motion that could make all his dreams come true. Shot in Seattle (Wallingford residents will no doubt recall the film crews shooting in the neighborhood for a few weeks last summer), World’s Greatest Dad is sure to provoke audiences by wringing laughs from personal calamity. But Goldthwait’s jet-black comedy rises above mere shock value with some sharp satirical insights about ambition, deception, and the dangers of wish fulfillment.

USA

2009

Director:

Bobcat Goldthwait

Producers:

Howard Gertler

Tim Perell

Richard Kelly

Sean McKittrick

Screenwriter:

Bobcat Goldthwait

Cinematographer:

Horacio Marquinez

Editor:

Jason Stewart

Cast:

Robin Williams

Daryl Sabara

Alexie Gilmore

Tom Kenny

Geoffrey Pierson

Running Time:

98 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography:

Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)

Shakes the Clown (1991)

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

TUESDAY JUNE 2 9:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA

THURSDAY JUNE 4 10:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

It’s September 2003, and for the residents of the small, idyllic island town of Port Gamble, Washington, the times they are a-changin’. The fishing boats and tourists have all but gone. The town’s mayoral race is heating up as Mayor Burton faces a challenge from Cheryl Banks. Reverend Haggis continues to preach his Sunday morning fire-and-brimstone sermons, but only to a half-filled church. Former resident Tom returns home, with his new boyfriend Lance in tow, for a dinner at his mother’s place, where he has plans to come out. Meanwhile Frida, a Princeton student of Middle Eastern descent, has also returned home to help in her father’s restaurant. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of a zombie virus outbreak. Now the residents of Port Gamble—well, those who don’t desire human flesh—must set aside their differences and start smashing the undead if they hope to make it through the night. Set during the most ultra-patriotic, ultra-paranoid era in recent memory, ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction uses its setting’s isolated time and place to generate as much political and social satire as bloodshed.

USA

2009

Director:

Kevin Hamedani

Producer:

John Sinno

Screenwriters:

Ramon Isao

Kevin Hamedani

Cinematographer:

John Guleserian

Editor: Andrew McAllister

Music:

C. Andrew Rohrmann

Cast:

Doug Fahl

Bill Johns

James Mesher

Cornelia Moore

Ali Hamedani

Running Time:

88 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Typecast Pictures

Film Website:

ZMDthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Alternate Cinema

Beket (Italy, 2008)

Directed by Davide Manuli

California Company Town (USA, 2008)

Directed by Lee Anne Schmitt

FILM IST. a girl & a gun (Austria, 2009)

Directed by Gustav Deutsch

It Came from Kuchar (USA, 2009)

Directed by Jennifer Kroot

Alternate histories that push at the boundaries of reality. Experiments performed in the laboratories of cinema. Film as life and life as film. This is Alternate Cinema—a look into the vastness of cinematic possibility.

These features and short films push the envelope of traditional film culture, exploring unconventional modes of visual, aural, and emotional landscapes. Yet when we examine these works, they seem to be more and more in tune with ourselves, our thoughts, and with the very medium itself. This year’s selections explore essays comprised of archival film clips, take us on a backyard safari, and mix fact with fiction. Documentaries include a look at underground film pioneers George and Mike Kuchar and give us a 16mm look at what’s left behind when planned communities pack up and leave. Then there’s the playful imagining of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.”

“Short In the Dark” is our combo platter of new and old, national and local, and always thought-provoking short films. When you look beyond what traditional cinema presents, you begin to experience what Alternate Cinema can truly offer. Open your mind and let the new ideas flow.

Light Year (Sweden, 2008)

Directed by Mikael Kristersson

Our Beloved Month of August (Portugal, 2008)

Directed by Miguel Gomes

Short in the Dark

Adulte (Mexico, 1998)

7 minutes, director: Carlos Reygadas

Bedtime Story (USA, 2009)

1 minute, director: Sarah Jane Lapp

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack (USA, 2009)

15 minutes, director: Karn Junkinsmith

Dig (USA, 2007)

2 minutes, director: Robert Todd

Garden/ing (Japan, 2007)

6 minutes, director: Eriko Sonoda

Horizontal Boundaries (USA, 2008)

23 minutes, director: Pat O’Neill

Puccini Conservato (Canada/Italy, 2008)

10 minutes, director: Michael Snow

Shu (Blue Hour Lullaby) (Germany/USA, 2007)

12 minutes, director: Philipp Lachenmann

Slow Boat to Thassos (USA, 2009)

7 minutes, director: Jon Behrens

Somewhere (USA, 2009)

4 minutes, director: Salise Hughes

Short in the Dark

With poetic visions of worlds that cease to exist or worlds that spontaneously come about, all imbued with breathtaking beauty, we invite viewers to sharpen their gaze, often in silence. “Short in the Dark” explores anticipated new films from local (Jon Behrens, Salise Hughes, Karn Junkinsmith, Sarah Jane Lapp), national (Pat O’Neill, Robert Todd), and international artists (Michael Snow, Philipp Lachenmann, Eriko Sonoda). Plus, we’re honored to present the Seattle premiere of Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas’ first short film. Inside or outside the norms, these films represent the eternal struggle for new frontiers in the cinematic language. (85 minutes)

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM

NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Adulte Mexico, 1998, 7 minutes, director: Carlos Reygadas

Shot in black-and-white 8mm film, this first short from Mexican enfant terrible Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light) is a Bergmanesque, surrealist story of a man, a coffin, and a cliff.

Bedtime Story USA, 2009, 2 minutes, director: Sarah Jane Lapp

A wonderfully wistful hand-drawn animation involving bats and dreams.

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack

World Premiere

USA, 2009, 15 minutes, director: Karn Junkinsmith

Two skateboarders, Jack and Cleo, are harassed and thwarted by a pack of card-playing, dancing freaks while on their mission to deliver a package.

Dig USA, 2007, 2 minutes, director: Robert Todd

Over the staccato beats of a jackhammer, the filmmaker locks his camera’s gaze on the street in front of his home as it was dug out, paved over, then ripped apart again, revealing a restless array of mysterious geometries.

Garden/ing Japan, 2007, 6 minutes, director: Eriko Sonoda

An examination of the cinematographic space from within and without. A continuously repeating camera movement, like a mantra, leading to new observations and insights.

Horizontal Boundaries USA, 2008, 23 minutes, director: Pat O’Neill

First screened in 2003, this shape-shifting portrait of L.A. examines the “divisions between individual frames arranged one above the other on motionpicture film.” With a fresh soundtrack by Carl Stone and a new 35mm print.

Puccini Conservato Canada/Italy, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Michael Snow

A sound recording of Puccini’s “La Boheme” is paired with a continuous handheld pan, guided by the music, and intercut with shots of flowers and wood fires, exemplifying the lyricism in Puccini’s music.

Shu (Blue Hour Lullaby) Germany/USA, 2007, 12 minutes, director: Philipp Lachenmann

An isolated high-security prison in the Mojave Desert, the Secondary Housing Unit, or SHU, is shown at dusk as searchlights are gradually lit.

Slow Boat to Thassos USA, 2009, 7 minutes, director: Jon Behrens

North American Premiere

A powerful, pulsating “direct animation” in which slide film is processed with ink, instant lettering, and symbols. With music provided by Cabaret Voltaire.

Somewhere USA, 2009, 4 minutes, director: Salise Hughes World Premiere

Somewhere between a 1950s sock hop and the Wild West, two Technicolor lovers meet to belt out a tune from “West Side Story.”

Beket

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:00 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM SATURDAY MAY 23 7:00 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

In the abandoned mines of Sardinia we discover Freak and Jajà, a quixotic pair who inhabit a no-man’s-land outside of time, when mankind no longer inhabits the planet. When the two arrive at a bus stop for a bus that never stops, they start on a journey where they meet a host of bizarre characters, including a mariachi storyteller, two actors reciting the story of Adam and Eve in the middle of a salty lake, a child who appears to be the “magic” voice of Godot, an oracle who lives on the extractor well of an abandoned mine, and finally a solitary girl who lives on a beach, who may or may not be the only person who can help the travelers find their destination. Shot in evocative black and white and loosely based on Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece “Waiting for Godot,” Beket is a surreal journey where apocalyptic images, absurd, repetitive dialogues, and techno beats narrate an unpredictably inventive story of the search for the meaning of existence.

Italy 2008

Director:

Davide Manuli

Producers:

Bruno Tribbioli

Davide Manuli

Alessandro Bonifazi

Screenwriter: Davide Manuli

Cinematographer:

Tarek Ben Abdallah

Editor:

Rosella Mocci

Music:

Miss Kittin & The Hacker

“Freak” Antoni

Alessandra Mostacci

Stefano Ianne

Massimiliano Cigala

Marco Saveriano

Cast:

Luciano Currell

Jerome Duranteau

Fabrizio Gifuni

Paolo Rossi

Simona Caramelli

Running Time:

80 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Italian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Blue Film

Film Website: beket-film.com

Selected Filmography: Girotondo giro intorno al mondo (1998)

California Company Town

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:00 PM

NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM NORTHWEST

Director Lee Anne Schmitt, who studied under pioneering structuralist James Benning, offers an unblinking examination of the life cycle of California’s company towns. Over the past 125 years, dozens of corporations such as Occidental Petroleum, Sierra Pacific, and Borax Energy have bought huge parcels of land to establish their private operations, which included stores, schools, and homes for their workers. In doing so, the companies superseded their role of employer to become the town’s landlord, merchant, and educator as a way to control and placate their employees. When the profits stopped rolling in, the companies sold out or abandoned the properties, leaving detritus: industrial warehouses, dilapidated homes and businesses, clear-cut sterile land, and the occasional tourist trap. The bleached tone of the footage, meditative shots of wrecked landscapes, and the deadpan narration add to the film’s solemnity. As America tiptoes gingerly but optimistically into a new era, the lessons of California Company Town can only gain in relevance as the wheels of progress grind onward and, hopefully, upward.

FILM FORUM

USA 2008

Director:

Lee Anne Schmitt

Producer:

Lee Anne Schmitt

Screenwriter:

Lee Anne Schmitt

Cinematographer:

Lee Anne Schmitt

Editor:

Lee Anne Schmitt

Running Time: 77 minutes

Presentation Format: 16mm

Print Source: Lee Anne Schmitt

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

FILM IST. a girl & a gun

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM SUNDAY MAY 24 9:30 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Taking as a starting point a D.W. Griffith maxim (famously revived by Godard), “all you need to make a film is a girl and a gun,” Gustav Deutsch’s FILM IST. a girl & a gun puts the axiom through the wringer with an ecstatic found-footage odyssey divided into five acts: Genesis, Paradeisos, Eros, Thanatos, and Symposion. Sifted from 11 archives across the world, FILM IST deals with one of the oldest themes of cinematography and humankind: the confrontation of the sexes. Reaching back to the birth of the universe, the film explores the collaboration of—and confrontation between—gods and goddesses of creation, as well as the innocent coexistence of men and women in Paradise. Contrasting the desire, seduction, love, jealousy, and hate of the sexes in the light of Eros with their violent subjugation and exploitation in war and pornography in the mirror of Thanatos, the film moves on to the solutions offered by knowledge, religion, and politics in Plato’s Symposium. Filmic images from the first four-and-a-half decades of cinematography have been sifted through painstaking research and assembled into sequences and visual histories that form a feature-length opus.

Austria 2009

Director:

Gustav Deutsch

Producer:

Manfred Neuwirth

Screenwriter:

Gustav Deutsch

Editor:

Gustav Deutsch

Music:

Christian Fennesz

Martin Siewart

Burkhard Stangl

Running Time:

93 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Sixpack Films

Print Source:

Sixpack Films Americas &

Filmbank New World

Selected Filmography:

FILM IST. 7-12 (2002)

FILM IST. 1-6 (1998)

Pocketcinema (1995)

Wossea Mtotom (1984)

Asuma (1982)

It Came From Kuchar

MONDAY MAY 25 7:00 PM

NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:30 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Filmmakers and twin brothers Mike and George Kuchar began making low-budget, experimental, and hilariously melodramatic films in the 1960s. With an extensive body of work to their credit, the brothers are recognized as legends in today’s film industry. It all started with an 8mm camera and their friends and family, as the twins took to no-budget filmmaking as kids in their 1950s Bronx neighborhood. In the 1960s, they joined Warhol’s New York underground film scene, cementing their skills with those “in the know.” Their bold, uninhibited films inspired some of today’s well-known filmmakers including John Waters, Buck Henry, Guy Maddin, Todd Haynes, and Wayne Wang (all of whom are interviewed in the film). Director Jennifer Kroot entwines humor and sentiment as she explores the brothers’ lives, their fans and their influence on the American underground film scene and on contemporary filmmakers.

USA 2009

Director:

Jennifer Kroot

Producers:

Jennifer M. Kroot

Holly Million

Cinematographer:

Christopher Million

Editor:

Tom Bullock

Music:

Ralph Spight

Featuring: George Kuchar

Mike Kuchar

John Waters

Buck Henry

B. Ruby Rich

Atom Egoyan

Cory McAbee

Wayne Wang

Guy Maddin

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

Print Source:

Tigerlily Pictures

Film Website: kucharfilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Sirens of the 23rd Century (2003)

Light Year

MONDAY MAY 25 9:00 PM NORTHWEST

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:30 PM NORTHWEST

There’s no better tribute to both the beauty and banality of life than Mikael Kristersson’s visually stunning new documentary. Set in and around his garden in the village of Falsterbo, in the south of Sweden, Light Year captures people and creatures in their everyday situations over the course of four seasons. Human activity is but a small part of this community of wasps, spiders, and butterflies. Towards the street on the west are dense lilac bushes; on the northern side a half-timbered house. A raspberry thicket serves as a border to the southern neighbor and a lush honeysuckle grows on the fence to the parkland in the east. There are outhouses, a chicken run, a bricked-in corner for compost and an herb garden. The giant hawthorn lives side by side with the gnarled old apple tree. There are throngs of birds at all times of the year—the residents, the casuals, and the migrants. Kristersson’s knack for stunning images and natural sound makes this dazzling documentary meditation an experience that is at once familiar and extraordinary.

Sweden 2008

Director: Mikael Kristersson

Producer: Lisbet Gabrielsson

Cinematographer: Mikael Kristersson

Editor: Mikael Kristersson

Running Time:

101 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Post Scriptum & Media

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Film Website: sfi.se/en-gb/Swedish-film

Selected Filmography: Kestrels Eye (1997) Pica Pica (1987)

FILM FORUM

FILM FORUM

SUNDAY MAY 24 6:30 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:00 PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Despite a complete lack of financing and cast, driven young director Miguel Gomes is hell-bent on making a film and dives headlong into a cinematic kaleidoscope. With a camera and a small crew, Gomes travels to a remote Portuguese mountainside, where the Pardieiros music festival is under way, and begins filming the townsfolk. While the festival sets one’s eyes ablaze and toes tapping, Gomes finds a narrative slowly and sneakily emerging. Locations, songs, and characters from the documentary are recast as echoes of their former selves. Townspeople are reincarnated as members of a family band and incestuous subplots unfold. These colliding realities beg the question: Is the beginning of the film merely research for following fiction? Is truth a rehearsal for fiction here, or is it the other way around? This one-of-a-kind diptych probes the intersection of documentary and fiction filmmaking, suggesting that story and reality are echoes of one another. Ravishingly photographed and brilliantly assembled, Our Beloved Month of August is a travelogue to get lost in, an indigenous film created by tourists. It’s also a window into a fascinating filmmaking process that continues to unravel long after the credits roll.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2008 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Vienna International Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2009 (Best

Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival 2009 (Special

Portugal/France 2008

Director:

Miguel Gomes

Producers:

Sandro Aguilar

Luís Urbano

Screenwriters:

Miguel Gomes

Mariana Ricardo

Telmo Churro

Cinematographer:

Rui Poças

Editors:

Telmo Churro

Miguel Gomes

Music:

Mariana Ricardo

Cast:

Sónia Bandeira

Fábio Oliveira

Joaquim Carvalho

Manuel Soares

Running Time: 150 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Portuguese and French, with English subtitles

Print Source: o som e a furia

Selected Filmography:

The Face You Deserve (2004)

Golden Space Needle Awards

Make your voice heard!

Each year, thousands of films vie for a spot in the Seattle International Film Festival. We select our favorite few hundred and share them with you, but after the lights go up and the celluloid has run its course, we want to know what your favorites are. Was it the film that made you fall on the floor laughing, the one that left you confounded, or the film that helped you see something from an entirely new perspective?

Exercise your right to vote in the race for the prestigious audiencechoice Golden Space Needle awards in the categories of Best Film, Documentary Feature, Director, Actor, Actress, and Short Film. Although we can’t take all the credit, past winners have gone on to add Academy Awards® and Golden Globe Awards to their shelves. You may be the first to see the film, so let the world know what films and filmmakers they should have on their radar.

Voting is easy. For Best Film or Documentary Feature, simply take a ballot from an usher as you enter the theater. Once the film’s presentation is over, tear your ballot at the appropriate grade listed (from 1 to 5), and give your completed ballot to an usher as you leave. Ballots for each film are tallied throughout the Festival. To vote for Best Director, Actor, Actress, and Short Film, use one of the blank ballots available next to the ballot boxes at each Festival venue. Simply write in your choice for the winner in each of these categories and place your completed ballots in the box.

SIFF 2008 Golden Space Needle Audience Award Winners

Best Film

Cherry Blossoms–Hanami director Doris Dörrie

Best Documentary

The Wrecking Crew director Denny Tedesco

The winners of the Golden Space Needle awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Short Film, and the Lena Sharp Award will receive FrameForge 3D Studio software. Winners will be announced on June 14th. The Best Short Film winner will also receive a brand-new Mac computer fully loaded with the latest in filmmaking software from IrisInk and The Mac Store and $1,000 of motion picture film from Kodak.

Best Director

Amin Matalqa Captain Abu Raed

Best Actor

Alan Rickman

Bottle Shock

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain Jolene

Best

Short Film Felix director Andreas Utta

Lena Sharp Award for Best Film by a Woman Director

Frozen River director Courtney Hunt

Short Films

This past fall, SIFF achieved a goal five years in the making when it became a qualifying festival in the category of short films by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, providing all the other requirements are met. With our new qualifying festival status and the return engagement of ShortsFest Weekend, SIFF’s commitment to films in the short form is stronger than ever. Filmmakers throughout the world—including Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, Jason Reitman, and Martin Scorsese, to name a few—celebrate short films, often their favored form during their apprenticeships. Short films teach filmmakers the lessons of concision, story economy, and how to assemble their footage into a taut, compelling montage of images that, when completed, run 30 minutes or less. It’s more difficult than it looks on paper, but those who accomplish it learn the most important lesson short films can teach— true, unadulterated cinematic passion.

Brangien Davis

Brangien Davis has been the Arts & Culture Editor at Seattle magazine since 2007. Previously, she was a freelance arts writer, contributing articles about movies, dance, visual art, design, and pop culture to The Seattle Times, Seattle magazine, Northwest Home & Garden, ReadyMade magazine, and elsewhere. In 2005 she founded a literary magazine, Swivel, in which she showcased humorous writing by women. At Richard Hugo House, she taught classes in humor writing; at Seattle Central Community College, she taught classes in new media and film writing. She has been a freelance editor for Sasquatch Books and Mountaineers Books, and a senior editor at Amazon.com, where she reviewed films and books. She has served on advisory boards for Bumbershoot and 33 Fainting Spells, and as emcee for many public arts events. The first films she remembers seeing were the Super 8s her dad made as a film student at Columbia University.

Every short film at the Seattle International Film Festival is eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Awards. The Golden Space Needle prize winner will be determined by audience balloting and will receive the latest Mac loaded with filmmaking software from IrisInk and The Mac Store and $1,000 of motion picture film from Kodak.

Our Shorts Competition jurors will choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000—and perhaps even a shot at an Academy Award®.

John Jeffcoat

John Jeffcoat is the founder of the Seattle-based Strangelife Productions. Since graduating from Denison University in 1994, John Jeffcoat has worked in the film industry as a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. After years of working on commercials and industrial productions, Jeffcoat co-wrote Outsourced with George Wing, loosely based on Jeffcoat’s travels in Nepal and India. Jeffcoat went on to direct Outsourced, which won numerous awards, including SIFF’s 2007 Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film and the John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Alessandro Marcionni

Born in Lugano, Switzerland, Alessandro Marcionni first decided to study law but radically changed his collegiate direction and decided to study cinema instead. Meanwhile, he began to work with the Locarno International Film Festival. After several years as coordinator of the festival, he has become head of the “Leopards of Tomorrow” program section, which Locarno dedicates to short and medium-length films. In 2004, he and a group of Swiss filmmakers founded the Swiss-Italian cell of Kino, a movement started in Canada in 1999 that has produced more than 300 short films on a no-budget basis over the last five years.

ShortsFest Opening NightDisclosures

FRIDAY MAY 29 7:00 PM

SIFF’s annual celebration of the short subject kicks off with a dynamically varied program examining the breezy joy and tremendous complexity of the best short films. (87 minutes)

2081

USA, 2008, 28 minutes, director: Chandler Tuttle, World Premiere

In this adaptation of a Kurt Vonnegut story, Harrison Bergeron invades a TV station and throws off his handicaps in challenge to the Handicapper General and the 212th Amendment.

The Bake Shop Ghost

USA, 2009, 17 minutes, director: Lorette Bayle, World Premiere

A deceased baker haunts the inhabitants of her bakery until they can prove their worth.

The Herd

Ireland, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Ken Wardrop

In Ken Wardrop’s newest short film, he chronicles the new addition to the cow herd on his family’s farm.

Love

United Kingdom, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Cristian Solimeno, North American Premiere

Before a moment of extreme compassion and heartbreak, bittersweet memories of Ernest and Angela’s past chart the very depths of their love.

Next Floor

Canada, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Denis Villeuneuve

A dinner party poses challenges to the service when it keeps moving to the next floor.

Photograph of Jesus

United Kingdom, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Laurie Hill

An archivist recounts some of the strange and often downright bizarre inquiries made for photographic images from his agency.

Post-It Love

United Kingdom, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Simon Atkinson

Love and romance as played out with the eponymous office supply.

FRIDAY MAY 29 9:30 PM

Mischief, discoveries, and divulgences mark this collection of short films. (88 minutes)

Dahlia

USA, 2009, 3 minutes, director: Michael Langan

A moving portrait of the bustle and permanence of a city, Dahlia mixes the stable forms and patterns of life with the frenetic behavior of humanity, set to a driving score of vocal percussion.

It’s in the P-I

USA, 2009, 7 minutes, director: Bradley Hutchinson

A heartfelt elegy to the last days of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

James

Northern Ireland/United Kingdom, 2008, 17 minutes, diretor: Connor Clements

With his parents’ marriage breaking apart, James reveals his most personal secret to his teacher and only friend.

Kudan

Japan, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Taskashi Fukumoto, US Premiere

A mysterious bucket transports a father and son into an alternate sci-fi reality.

Love You More

United Kingdom, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Sam Taylor-Wood

Two teens discover love to the soundtrack of the Buzzcocks.

The Spam Job

USA, 2008, 13 minutes, director: Padraic Culham, World Premiere

Four friends. Three suspects. One can of meat. The unbelievably true story of a prank that started at Montana State University, traveled the world, and ended almost a decade later.

Sparks

USA, 2008, 24 minutes, director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

In Golden Space Needle Award winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut, a former rock and roll queen clashes wits with an arson investigator, based on an Elmore Leonard story.

SIFF CINEMA

SIFF CINEMA

The Family Picture ShowThe World of Possibilities

The exuberance of youth is given full display with this energetic set of shorts highlighting Shakespearean construction vehicles, knit animation, and Wallace and Gromit in their new short adventure. (79 minutes)

Babau

Italy, 2008, 4 minutes, directors: Valerio Terranova, Giulio Poretti, Silvia Zappala, and Omar Bianco

A pastoral scene on an alien world blossoms with the creation of a new life.

Crane and Digger

Germany, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Leonore Poth Romeo and Juliet … between construction vehicles.

Dear Fatty

USA, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Hsin-I Tseng

A tender letter from a girl to her traveling hamster.

Elephants

United Kingdom, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Sally Pearce Mom and Dad won’t believe there are elephants in the house.

The Herd

Ireland, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Ken Wardrop

In Ken Wardrop’s newest short film, he chronicles the new addition to the cow herd on his family’s farm.

Ideation

USA, 2008, 2 minutes, director: Jeremiah Dickey

A simple idea takes flight.

Madam President

USA, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Pete List

A young girl dreams of her future.

Maggie and Mildred

USA, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Holly Klein

When Mom is away, two girls explore all the different ways they play together.

Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

United Kingdom, 2008, 29 minutes, director: Nick Park

Wallace & Gromit return—this time as purveyors of the Top Bun Bakery, despite the fact that 12 other local bakers have disappeared in the previous year. Now it’s up to Gromit to solve the mystery while Wallace woos new love interest Piella Bakewell.

Western Spaghetti

USA, 2008, 2 minutes, director: PES

Only the finest vintage materials for this Italian feast.

The challenges of life around the globe are illuminated with fascinating portraits of people and places in pursuit of personal goals. (85 minutes)

Andong

Philippines, 2008, 20 minutes, director: Rommel Tolentino, North American Premiere

A pair of boys struggle to earn 20 pesos.

Atlantic

Ireland, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Conor Ferguson

New hope arrives upon the Atlantic breeze for a remote farmer.

Horn Dog

USA, 2009, 5 minutes, director: Bill Plympton

In Bill Plympton’s newest canine-themed animation, a lonely pooch falls victim to a bad case of puppy love.

Love on the Tundra

USA, 2008, 11 minutes, director: Dana Turken

William travels north by hot air balloon to find his missing ex-lover Alexia. Together they must come to terms with the memory of their friend and lover Anna.

Monsieur Selavy: The Way It Is

Switzerland, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Peter Volkart, US Premiere

Monsieur Selavy’s unique film diary charts his journey through the tangled threads of time and space in the newest short film from Peter Volkart (Terra Incognita, SIFF 2006).

One Night

USA, 2008, 13 minutes, director: Laura Jean Cronin, World Premiere

A misguided girl’s questionable attempt to connect with someone leads to a surprising turnabout.

Ten for Grandpa

Canada, 2008, 8 minutes, director: Doug Kerr

Director Doug Karr directs ten questions to his late grandpa, David Karr—husband, father, White House press reporter, and Soviet agent?

Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall

USA, 2009, 14 minutes, directors: Sam Green and Carrie Lozano

A fascinating and disquieting tour of the world’s largest shopping mall in China, built for Vegas-like spectacles.

SIFF CINEMA

Response Abilities The Cock Collage

This package examines the myriad responsibilities that we face, and how we do and do not accept them. (87 minutes)

Alice’s Attic

USA, 2008, 4 minutes, director: Robyn Yannoukos

Alice faces her fear of the darkness upstairs.

The Archivist

United Kingdom, 2008, 8 minutes, director: James Lees

One man’s attempt to preserve love forever.

Baghdad Express

United Kingdom, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Nimer Rashed

Maya dreams about going to fashion school while working at her father’s Arabic restaurant in London. But when forced to decide, which will come first, her father or her dream?

BOTNIK!

USA, 2008, 11 minutes, director: Jacqueline Smessaert Brennan

A frustrated artist has only hours until his gallery opening where he hopes to impress a sexy beatnik chick. His solution? Go robotic.

Endless Tunnel

USA, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Tommy Thompson

An exploration of a stress-saturated world, created with the use of more than 1,300 handcut stencils and an assortment of in-camera effects.

Let’s Dance

Sweden, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Erick Love Lundqvist, World Premiere

For Håkan, the best gift he can share with someone is a Waltz. That is until he meets Isabel and her brother Emil—Is there something greater he might give?

Push Button House

USA, 2008, 13 minutes, directors: Ryan Silbert and Robert Profusek

An architectural pioneer attempts to create a containerized home that strikes a delicate balance between art and architecture.

Short Term 12

USA, 2008, 22 minutes, director: Destin Daniel Cretton

A caregiver begins to wonder if he’s no better off than the kids he’s trying to help.

From coming out to your Grandma to a one-night stand between two straight men, with an aging dancer’s wallpapering of handmade cock collages for good measure, these films are for the boys. (85 minutes)

575 Castro Street

USA, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Jenni Olson

Harvey Milk’s “Read this in the event of my death” recording played against footage of the Milk set. A dual meditation on the power of history.

Atlantico

Brazil, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Fabio Meira

From an artist’s studio to a distant island, two stranded lovers remember their lives in-between.

The Back Room

USA, 2008, 16 minutes, director: Greg Ivan Smith

Errol’s humdrum life changes when a stranger bursts into his bookstore in search of an intriguing request.

Second Guessing Grandma

USA, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Bob Giraldi

Your boyfriend and mother are pushing you to come out to your Grandma, but her reaction may actually surprise you.

Thirteen or so Minutes

USA, 2008, 14 minutes, director: Brandon Blinn

For Hugh and Lawrence, it’s 13 or so minutes later, and now everything has changed.

Twoyoungmen, UT.

USA, 2008, 17 minutes, director: Sam McConnell

When Will meets Eli in a Salt Lake City gay bar, they take the long road home together.

Yuri

Netherlands, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Willem Baptist, North American Premiere

A 60-something German dancer with a secret desire to sire a child chooses a unique wallpapering style.

The Nightmare Factory

SATURDAY MAY 30 9:30 PM

Unsettling dreams prepackaged for your dire convenience. (84 minutes)

The Blindness of the Woods

Argentina, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Martin Jalfen

Erotic tale of a blind woman, a lumberjack, and a bear whose yarns entangle in the cold Swedish night.

Excision

USA, 2008, 19 minutes, director: Richard Bates

Obsessed by all things surgical, Pauline orchestrates a twisted plan to win her parents’ approval.

Horsefingers 3: Starfucker

USA, 2008, 13 minutes, director: Kirsten Kearse

Appearances can be deceiving in this disquieting account of animal attraction.

Incubus Drone

USA, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Ryan Wetherall

After receiving a mysterious message, a man must use a bizarre device to confront the forces of his long suppressed guilt.

Kanizsa Hill

USA, 2008, 8 minutes, director: Evelyn Lee

A dismembered head and its body travel divergent paths in search of reunification.

Mite

Germany, 2008, 6 minutes, director: Karl Tebbe

Gigantic dust mites threaten Oma Grete’s home and the world, in that order.

Treevenge

Canada, 2008, 16 minutes, director: Jason Eisener

It’s Christmas time and Peace on Earth reigns, until the world’s Christmas trees revolt.

Sensory Overload

SUNDAY MAY 31 11:00 AM

SIFF CINEMA

In the dark, on the screen, through the ear, and in a name, these shorts explore the five senses and more. (85 minutes)

All My Dreams on VHS

United Kingdom, 2008, 14 minutes, director: Timothy X Atack, North American Premiere

If you hoard your dreams, someone is going to want to watch them.

Dark Material

USA, 2009, 7 minutes, directors: Maile Martinez and Lane Stroud

An exploration of shadows and light in art.

Everyday People

United Kingdom, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Enda Hughes

Ever wonder what it’s really like to be Julia Roberts, Tom Jones, or George Lucas?

Field Notes from Dimension X: Oasis

USA, 2008, 5 minutes, director: Carson Mell

Captain Fred T. Rogard’s muses in the isolated planet Oasis.

French Roast

France, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Fabrice O. Joubert

In a fancy Parisian Café, an uptight businessman discovers he forgot to bring his wallet and bides his time by ordering more coffee.

Her Meds

USA, 2008, 17 minutes, director: Matt Cibelli, World Premiere

The best friend and the fiance of a recently deceased woman fight over her memory and her medications.

Lost Paradise

France, 2008, 10 minutes, directors: Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, North American Premiere

In this modern parable of Adam and Eve, a couple spends a passionate night in a cheap hotel, only to find afterwards that clothes make all the difference.

Through the Ear

Brazil, 2008, 18 minutes, director: Joaquim Haickel

After Keyt’s husband is badly hurt, she struggles to maintain the passion that they shared.

SIFF CINEMA

Serenity Prayers

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:30 PM

Nine films about change: the serenity to accept the things you can’t… (86 minutes)

3 Minute Masterpieces

The winning 1 and 3 minute films from The Seattle Times 3 Minute Masterpieces contest.

Boutonniere

USA, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Coley Sohn

Worst. Mom. Ever.

Control Master

United Kingdom, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Run Wrake

Danger comes to Halftone City in the guise of Doctor Moire and his powerful control device. Now Dorothy Gayne and her brave ally must stop him from terrorizing the urban populace.

The Day My Parents Became Cool

USA, 2008, 17 minutes, director: Steve Edmiston

Every teenager’s worst nightmare comes to pass when a strange astronomical phenomenon turns all the parents into wannabe hipsters.

Immersion

USA, 2008, 14 minutes, director: Richard Levien

Ten-year-old Mexican émigré Moises is plunged into an English-only classroom, even though he doesn’t understand the language.

November

USA, 2008, 14 minutes, directors: Benjamin Dobyns and Eric Esau

In a walled city that knows only the month of November, a girl and her grandfather venture into winter.

Pockets

United Kingdom, 2008, 3 minutes, director: James Lees

The director of The Apology Line asks, “What do the contents of your pockets say about you?”

Welgunzer

USA, 2008, 14 minutes, director: Bradford Schmidt

Donald is building a time machine to travel into the future... and murder himself.

What’s Virgin Mean?

United Kingdom, 2008, 3 minutes, director: Michael Davies

How to explain to your young daughter the answer to the eponymous question.

The Inexperienced Generation

SUNDAY MAY 31 4:00 PM

No matter your age, sometimes you just don’t know what to do. (105 minutes)

The Babysitter

USA, 2008, 6 minutes, director: Kristen Gray-Rockmaker, World Premiere

An unhappily married couple arrives home only to stumble upon a terrifying scene.

Lowland Fell

Ireland, 2008, 21 minutes, director: Michael Kinirons

While trying to escape the boredom of the Irish countryside, Lowland Fell comes across two brothers cutting peat. However, a surprise excavation of a bog body leads to a night of further discoveries.

Northern Highway

Mexico, 2008, 10 minutes, director: Rubén Rojo Aura

A member of a poverty-stricken Mexican family makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

Páidí’s Tale

Ireland, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Colm Bairéad

Spurred on by his grandfather and a mysterious hooded figure, Páidí sets out to protect his family from his soon-to-be stepfather—the most evil creature in Irish mythology.

Ralph

United Kingdom, 2008, 14 minutes, director: Alex Winckler

Sixteen-year-old Ralph travels to Marseille on a quixotic quest to declare his love for best friend Clare.

Sigh!

Canada, 2008, 5 minutes, directors: Ben Steiger-Levine and Joe Cobden, US Premiere

Love in the grocery store aisle lasts only as long as a step and a sigh.

Sweet Virginia

USA, 2009, 10 minutes, director: Zach Carver, World Premiere

At a small boutique in Brooklyn, the men line up to profess their love to sweet Virginia.

Thicker than Water

USA, 2008, 11 minutes, directors: Sami Kubo and Camille Kolodziejski

After a night of partying, Abby wakes up to face her new, life changing, reality.

Turn to Black

Spain, 2008, 13 minutes, director: Gerardo Herrero, North American Premiere

When two childhood friends meet in a luxurious house in Madrid, a strange and surprising offer is made.

SIFF CINEMA

SIFF CINEMA

Aussie vs. Kiwi Survival Kit

The two short filmmaking powerhouses of the Southern stars go head to head, proving you don’t need population, just creativity. (82 minutes)

Careful with that Powertool

New Zealand, 2008, 2 minutes, director: Jason Stutter, World Premiere

Ingredients: a boy, a ladder, a buzz saw, and a nail gun.

fOUR

Australia, 2008, 18 minutes, director: Erin White

Two couples with troubled marriages come up with a plan to put the spark back in their relationships, but find that love doesn’t always work out the way it should.

The Funk

Australia, 2008, 6 minutes, director: Cris Jones

Ever have that feeling you can’t seem to shake?

The Graffiti of Mr. Tupaia

New Zealand, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Christopher Dudman

A school janitor answers an enigmatic graffiti message on the girls’ lavatory wall, making a vital connection with the mysterious author.

The Ground Beneath

Australia, 2008, 20 minutes, director: Rene Hernandez Kaden’s troubled world gives way to self-discovery through a young girl and a boy who loiters on his street.

Lessons from the Night

Australia, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Adrian Francis Maia reflects on life, work and cleaning silent, empty buildings as we follow her nightly cleaning round.

This is Her

New Zealand, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Katie Wolfe

As she gives birth to her daughter, Evie reveals her family’s future and the six-year-old bitch who ruined it all.

From being bullied to breaking down to braving strange lands, these shorts show our will to survive against all odds. (86 minutes)

Ahmad’s Garden

Australia, 2008, 15 minutes, director: Aaron Wilson, US Premiere

Sent to a detention camp for Middle Eastern refugees, Afghani Ahmad uses his green thumb to plant new roots.

Asämara

Spain, 2008, 9 minutes, directors: Jon Garaño, Raúl López

“Sent to work” — A poetic ode to the reality children face in Africa.

Blessed Virgin

Mexico, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Carlos Muñoz, North American Premiere

Don Julian makes a sucessful living carving religious figures, but when another facet of his art is revealed, his life dramatically changes.

Butterfly

Ireland, 2008, 13 minutes, director: Cecilia McAlister

A community bake sale proves to be the unlikely site for Helena’s reconciliation with her delicate mother.

CC 2010

USA, 2009, 12 minutes, director: Travis Senger, World Premiere

A young woman travels time and space to reunite with her parents at Seattle’s World’s Fair.

Make My Day

Denmark, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Pelle Møller

While awaiting treatment at a hospital after receiving an injury from a school bully, Peter waits with his Clint Eastwood-obsessed father only to discover his doctor and father share a similar past.

Orgesticulanismus

Belgium, 2008, 9 minutes, director: Mathieu Labaye

Celebrate the ability to move.

Sophia + Anna

USA, 2009, 5 minutes, directors: Joy Andrews and Matt Daniels, World Premiere

Two friends discover something unexpected in the sun-drenched woods.

575 Castro Street

USA, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Jenni Olson

Harvey Milk’s “Read this in the event of my death” recording played against footage of the Milk set. A dual meditation on the power of history.

Plays before City of Borders, Page 155

Danse Macabre

Canada, 2008, 8 minutes, director: Pedro Pires

In the morgue, a young woman’s corpse performs a ghastly ballet.

Plays before Deadgirl, Page 103

Full Employment

Germany, 2008, 12 minutes, directors: Thomas Oberlies and Matthias Vogel

In these troubling economic times, Miroslav will take any job he can get … even as a part-time, entry-level Zombie Hunter.

Plays before Dead Snow, Page 105

La Dolorosa

Brazil, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Odilon Rocha

A lyrical story about a bride, groom, and best man involved in a destructive passion.

Plays before Bluebeard, Page 185

Designing the New World: Turning Crisis into Potential

USA, 2008, 11 minutes, director: Alexander Mendeluk, World Premiere

We all know the world is warming up, but how we choose to change our lifestyles because of it is the key.

Plays before Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes

Full Circle, Page 115

How hard could it be to make a three-minute film? We challenged you to find out.

For three years the Seattle International Film Festival has partnered with The Seattle Times to offer this amazing creative experiment to anyone who can wield a camera. Filmmakers young, old, and in between had the seemingly insurmountable task of creating a family-friendly (i.e. no sex, violence, or profanity) short film with a running time of under three minutes. We are very excited to showcase some of the best in extreme short filmmaking created by people who live here in our own backyard. This competition truly stretches the limits of what it is to create film, and you don’t have to be a professional to do it.

3-MINUTE MASTERPIECES

This year we brought back the J. Michael Rima Award for filmmakers under 18 years old and we have a new category, the 1-Minute Masterpiece, for films one minute or less.

Winning masterpieces are shown on The Seattle Times’ website and at SIFF. The grand-prize winner receives two full-series passes to this year’s Festival. The J. Michael Award is a special prize presented by the Rima family, and the 1-Minute Masterpiece winner gets one weeklong pass to the Festival. The Seattle Film Institute also provides free film classes for the top winners.

Last year we received more than 100 entries and were once again blown away by what people can do with three minutes and a little imagination.

A selection of some of the world’s most promising filmmaking talent.

One of the sublime pleasures to be found at SIFF is to be among the first of any audience to discover and reward emerging directing talent from around the world. This year, SIFF programmers have made the difficult choice of selecting 12 new film auteurs from different countries for their outstanding cinematic achievements, based on original script, striking style, and overall excellence. To be chosen, the films must be the director’s debut or second feature, and must be without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. From this list of gifted finalists, SIFF’s New Directors Showcase jury, composed of film industry professionals and journalists, will choose the award-winning director. On the Festival’s final weekend, the winning filmmaker will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards Brunch and will receive a cash prize of $2,500 and FrameForge 3D Studio software.

New this year, SIFF is partnering with FIPRESCI to jury the New Directors Showcase competition. SIFF is one of three festivals in the United States to host a FIPRESCI jury and award a FIPRESCI prize as part of our New Directors Showcase. FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, has been in existence for more than 65 years, with members in over 60 countries. The purpose of FIPRESCI is to support cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression.

Jury

Andre Roy

Andre Roy has a PhD in French Studies and lives in Montreal, Canada. He is a writer of poetry and short novels, and a film critic. He is an editorial staff member of the magazine 24 images and writes regularly for La Revue de la Cinémathèque Québécoise. He is the author of five books: “Marguerite Duras à Montréal” (1984), “Cent films à voir en video” (1997), “Voyage au pays du cinema” (1999), “Notre-Dames-des-autres. L’œuvre vidéo de Charles Guilbert et Serge Murphy” (2006), and “Dictionnaire général du cinema” (2007). He has been a FIPRESCI member of the jury at international film festivals in Berlin, Bruxelles, Figueira da Foz, Locarno, Montreal, and Valladolid.

NewDirectorsShowcase

At West of Pluto (Canada, 2008)

Directed by Myriam Verreault and Henry Bernadet

Be Calm and Count to Seven (Iran, 2008)

Directed by Ramtin Lavafipour

Everyone Else (Germany, 2009)

Directed by Maren Ade

The Exploding Girl (USA, 2009)

Directed by Bradley Rust Gray

Four Chapters (India, 2008)

Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay

Jonathan Rosenbaum

From 1987 through early 2008, Jonathan Rosenbaum was a film critic for the Chicago Reader. His more recent books (since 2000) are “Dead Man,” “Movie Wars,” “Abbas Kiarostami” (with Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa), “Movie Mutations” (co-edited with Adrian Martin), “Essential Cinema,” and “Discovering Orson Welles.”

Sheila Johnston

Home (Switzerland/France/Belgium, 2008)

Directed by Ursula Meier

Inland (Algeria, 2008)

Directed by Tariq Teguia

Involuntary (Sweden, 2008)

Directed by Ruben Östlund

My Suicide (USA, 2009)

Directed by David Lee Miller

North (Norway, 2009)

Directed by Rune Denstad Langlo

The Other Bank (Georgia/Kazakhstan, 2009)

Directed by George Ovashvili

After completing her PhD about the German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder at the Slade School of Fine Arts, University College London, Sheila Johnston was a founderjournalist for The Independent, for which she covered film for ten years. She now contributes interviews, reviews, and features to the Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Sight and Sound, and other publications.

Rain (Bahamas, 2008)

Directed by Maria Govan

A L ’ OUEST DE PLUTON

At West of Pluto

SATURDAY JUNE 6 7:00 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:30 PM

Reminiscent of Gus Van Sant’s high school movies (Elephant, Paranoid Park), this FrenchCanadian film follows a handful of teenagers over the course of 24 hours. It starts out innocuously enough, with a class presentation by one student on how Pluto lost its status as a planet and a conversation between two cheerleaders about whether or not Quebec should secede. Like a lot of high school movies, it builds to the big house party hosted by the shy kid who wants to impress the cool kids. But the party goes horribly wrong, and the older brother ends up in the car looking for the kids who trashed their house. What elevates this film above similar movies is the editing, which cuts into some scenes later than you’d expect and cuts out earlier in others, allowing the audience to participate in the storytelling. All of the high school archetypes are here, but they don’t all act the way that you’d expect, and the nonprofessional actors give surprisingly polished performances. More than just a movie about high school kids, this is a film for anyone who’s ever gone to high school. Appropriate for teens 15 and up. Contains strong language and underage drinking.

ARAM BASH VA TA HAFT BESHMAR

Be Calm and Count to Seven

US Premiere

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Canada

2009

Directors:

Myriam Verreault

Henry Bernadet

Producers:

Myriam Verreault

Henry Bernadet

Screenwriters:

Myriam Verreault

Henry Bernadet

Cinematographer:

Patrick Faucher

Editor:

Myriam Verreault

Cast:

David Bouchard

Alexis Drolet

Anne-Sophie Tremblay

Lamontagne

Yoann Linteau

Sandra Jacques

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

E1 Entertainment

International

Print Source:

E1 Entertainment

International

Film Website: alouestdepluton.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

This lyrical debut feature from Iran was a deserving recipient of one of the Tiger Awards at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam. Set in little-known but spectacularly beautiful islands in the Persian Gulf, the story revolves around Motu, who belongs to a gang of reckless youth. After receiving contraband goods brought in by smugglers in boats, the gang has to forward the shipments to distant inland destinations. Motu’s father has gone missing while transporting illegal human cargo, leaving his pregnant wife and daughter in the boy’s care. Motu is fearless, and dreams of becoming as rich and famous as his football hero, the Brazilian player Ronaldinho. He befriends the leader of the smugglers, eventually proposing a serious business arrangement, when it finally dawns on Motu that his father is not coming back. Naturally the police are always one step behind and a constant menace. Director Ramtin Lavafipour shot the film in a pure, ultra-realistic style redolent of earlier Iranian films, such as Amir Naderi’s The Runner, and has skillfully fashioned a portrait of a society that is edging toward today’s fast-moving consumer society, leaving behind the ancient traditions of an isolated fishing village.

Awards:

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009 (Golden Tiger)

Iran 2008

Director:

Ramtin Lavafipour

Producer: Ramtin Lavafipour

Screenwriter: Ramtin Lavafipour

Cinematographer: Reza Teymouri

Editor: Ramtin Lavafipour

Music:

Daroush Namdar Zangeneh

Cast:

Hedayat Hashemi

Omid Abdollahi

Mahnaz Talandeh

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Farsi, with English subtitles

Print Source: Aftab e honar afarin

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Everyone Else

North American Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 12 6:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 5:00 PM

On the surface, architect Chris and his girlfriend Gitti seem to enjoy perfect, amorous bliss during a getaway at their Sardinia vacation home. But their playful romps, secret rituals, and silly habits hide an underlying tension. The two are actually polar opposites. Full of verve, the idiosyncratic Gitti is fearless in expressing her love and devotion for Chris, while he is more reserved in his outlook on life and crippled by varying degrees of personal and professional insecurity. When this odd couple casually meets a happier and more successful couple, everything starts to fall apart. Taking a leaf out of the other couple’s book, Chris tries to show his willful girlfriend who’s boss (he thinks it’s him). Gitti attempts to conform to his new ideal, but what begins as a playful experiment soon turns into a quiet struggle with her own personality. Thanks to their newly developed personas, Chris and Gitti take their second chance to discover themselves—and each other. This intimate love story plunges into the depths people go to save a relationship.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Silver Bear–Grand Jury Prize, Silver Bear–Best Actress, Femina Film Prize)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Germany 2009

Director:

Maren Ade

Producers:

Janine Jackowski

Dirk Engelhardt

Maren Ade

Screenwriter:

Maren Ade

Cinematographer:

Bernhard Keller

Editor:

Heike Parplies

Cast:

Birgit Minichmayr

Lars Eidinger

Hans-Jochen Wagner

Nicole Marischka

Running Time:

119 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Film Website: komplizenfilm.net/alleanderen

Selected Filmography: The Forest for the Trees (2003)

The Exploding Girl

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Like many 20-somethings, Ivy’s life is a mixture of inner turmoil and romantic confusion. Ivy is a good and decent young woman who tries desperately to control her epilepsy by containing her emotions. She returns home to Brooklyn for summer break and ends up spending most of her time with her best friend Al. In the meantime, she works to keep the connection with her long-distance boyfriend even as it becomes clear that the two are growing apart. As the summer continues, Ivy’s relationship with her buddy Al begins to deepen, confusing her even further. Writer-director Bradley Rust Gray skillfully portrays a young girl on the edge, using integrity and grace. The film exhibits a quiet strength built around the rich and refined performances given by the two young leads as they bring to life a young girl’s struggle to keep it all together as she negotiates maturity, romance, and her own sanity.

Awards:

Tribeca Film Festival 2009 (Best Actress)

USA 2009

Director:

Bradley Rust Gray

Producers:

So-yong Kim

Karin Chien

Ben Howe

Screenwriter:

Bradley Rust Gray

Cinematographer:

Eric Lin

Editors:

So-yong Kim

Bradley Rust Gray

Music: múm

Cast:

Zoe Kazan

Mark Rendall

Maryann Urbano

Running Time:

79 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Memento Films

International

Print Source:

Memento Films

International

Film Website: soandbrad.com

Selected Filmography: Salt (2003)

Four Chapters

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Based on Nobel Prize-winning Rabindranath Tagore’s novella, Four Chapters is set in colonial Bengal at the turn of the 20th century. The young man Sachish (Subrata Dutta) comes from a divided upper-caste household: his Marxistreformist uncle lives on the top floor of the house and the rest of his strict Hindu family lives on the lower floor. In his quest for life’s meaning, Sachish flees from radical politics to religious mysticism, a search that leads from ecstasy to disillusionment. He can’t come to terms with abstract ideals and the powerful presences of two women in his life. One of them is the abandoned mistress of his brother and the other is Damini, (Rituparna Sengupta) a young, highly educated Hindu widow who lives in Sachish’s guru’s house. The story touches on male-female relationships and women’s social and political position in society. It deals with the war between religion and reason, caste struggles, and the frailty of the human being. Four Chapters weaves a rich and timeless tapestry of crisscrossing desires, moralities, and classical Sufi music into a lean but passionate epic about the eternal struggle between earthly and spiritual love.

India 2008

Director:

Suman Mukhopadhyay

Producers:

Avik Saha

Vishal Jhajharia

Screenwriter: Suman Mukhopadhyay

Cinematographer:

Indranil Mukherjee

Editor:

Arghyakamal Mitra

Music:

Debojyoti Mishra

Cast:

Dhitriman Chaterji

Rituparna Sengupta

Subrata Dutta

Running Time: 125 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Bengali, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Campfire Films

Film Website: chaturangathefilm.in

Selected Filmography: Herbert (2006)

THURSDAY JUNE 11 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Director Ursula Meier has called this a road movie in reverse. Her characters don’t set out on a highway to see what adventures the road can bring. Instead, Marthe and Michel live in a house with their kids, far away from civilized society on the edge of a freeway that was never completed. And then the road comes to them. Without warning, construction workers unexpectedly put the final touches on the long-empty expressway and then open it up to traffic. Their once peaceful home becomes noisy and polluted, and the relationships that were so strong during peaceful times start to fray. With cinematography by Agnès Godard that is alert to widescreen visual gags, Meier’s quirky comedy keeps finding new ways to surprise. Marthe can’t sleep. Daughter Marion becomes obsessed with pollution and creates her own haz-mat suits. The eldest daughter Judith runs away. Michel buys insulation and concrete bricks and imprisons them in their own home during the summer, amplifying the heat, boredom and the smallest sound. Ultimately, the family needs to redefine what “home” means. For audiences, however, Home means an absurd and satisfying comedy.

Switzerland/ France/Belgium

2008

Director:

Ursula Meier

Producers:

Elena Tatti

Thierry Spicher

Screenwriters:

Ursula Meier

Antoine Jaccoud

Raphaëlle Valbrune

Cinematographer:

Agnès Godard

Editor:

Susana Rossberg

Cast:

Isabelle Huppert

Olivier Gourmet

Adélaïde Leroux

Madeline Budd

Kacey Mottet Klein

Running Time:

97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Memento FIlms

International

Print Source: Memento FIlms

International

Film Website: home-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Strong Shoulders (2002)

GABBLA

Inland

North American Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY

CINEMAS

JUNE 6 3:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Malek is a reclusive topographer who accepts a commission to survey a remote part of western Algeria in order to extend the electrical grid. He arrives to find the area has been decimated by religious fundamentalists who have only recently cleared out. Malek meets the local police, the shepherds who are beginning to return, and villagers who invite him to a makeshift party. In the middle of the night, he is awakened by the sound of explosions. “Not to worry,” explains a local man. “When the cicadas land in the sand, it’s enough to trigger off the buried booby-traps.” But as Malek soon realizes, it isn’t cicadas setting off the mines, but refugees trying to reach the coast and a boat for Spain. The next day he finds a young woman, exhausted and terrified, hiding in a corner of his shack. Malek decides to drive her to the border, and together they set out toward some indeterminate vanishing point on the horizon. These present-day realities are interspersed with flashbacks to the idealistic political debates of his youth, and set against a soundtrack that mixes alternative rock, Nigerian Afrobeat, and Algerian Rai. With his minimalist approach to plot and dialogue, and mesmerizing cinematography, director Tariq Teguia has been compared to Antonioni.

Awards:

Venice International Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Algeria 2008

Director:

Tariq Teguia

Producers:

Yacine Teguia

Philippe Carcassonne

Screenwriters:

Tariq Teguia

Yacine Teguia

Cinematographers:

Nasser Medjkane

Hacéne Aït Kaci

Editors:

Rodolphe Molla

Andreé Davanture

Music:

Ina Djakou

Terry Riley

Cast:

Abdelkader Affak

Ines Rose Djakou

Ahmed Benaïssa

Fethi Ghares

Running Time:

138 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Algerian, Arabic, and French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Neffa Films

Print Source:

Neffa Films

Selected Filmography:

Rome Rather Than You (2006)

DE OFRIVILLIGA

Involuntary

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY JUNE 14 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

With an offbeat sense of humor and an uncanny talent for observing the curiosities of interpersonal communication, Involuntary interweaves several parallel plotlines linked by the theme of group dynamics and the urge to overstep taboo. Two teenage girls chat, take pictures, and get drunk; a group of young men experiment with sex; a righteous grade school teacher tries to resolve the problem of a student bullied by another teacher; and a bus driver holds a group of passengers prisoner. In instances where characters face moral dilemmas about speaking up or staying silent, the protagonists often behave illogically to keep from losing face and find themselves in even more complicated situations. Their unpredictable behavior is reflected in the unconventional camerawork and points of view. Writer-director Ruben Östlund’s knack for perverse comedy leaves the audience with questions about lessons to learn, lectures to give, and lines not to cross.

Sweden 2008

Director:

Ruben Östlund

Producer:

Erik Hemmendorff

Screenwriters:

Erik Hemmendorff

Ruben Östlund

Cinematographer:

Marius Dybwad Brandrud

Editor:

Ruben Östlund

Music:

Benny Andersson

Cast:

Leif Edlund

Maria Lundqvist

Cecilia Milocco

Villmar Bjorkman

Lola Ewerland

Running Time:

98 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Swedish, with

English subtitles

International Sales:

The Coproduction Office

Print Source:

Swedish Film Institute

Selected Filmography:

The Guitar Mongoloid (2004)

My Suicide

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 9:30 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

“My name is Archibald Williams and I’m going to kill myself.” Archie, a 17-year-old media student announces that his final school video project will be filming his own suicide. As teachers sound the alarm, calling in shrinks and threatening expulsion, students around the school are alternately repelled by and attracted to Archie as he captures his own postmodern “Catcher in the Rye.” Archie’s video diary of the circus surrounding his announcement exposes the truths of life, which include death, sex, violence, drugs, and the hypocrisy of the modern media, which assaults all teens. Director David Lee Miller spent four years working with his son Jordan and lead actor Gabriel Sunday to create this affecting portrait, which authentically addresses the epidemic of teen suicide. The performances from the young cast are flawless, setting the foundation for My Suicide to celebrate and question Generation YouTube with its calibrated commentary of manipulated footage, animation, and 1950s-styled PSAs. Miller’s film is a lightning bolt into a hot topic that struggles to be understood. Through his command of the variety of media used by teens, he has crafted a film that will be a part of the discussion for years to come. Recommended for ages 17+ (contains brief nudity, language, and disturbing images).

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Generation 14+ Award)

USA

2009

Director:

David Lee Miller

Producers:

David Lee Miller

Larry Janss

Todd Traina

Eric J. Adams

Screenwriters:

David Lee Miller

Eric J. Adams

Gabriel Sunday

Jordan J. Miller

Larry Janss

Cinematographers:

Lisa Wiegand

Angie Hill

Editors:

Gabriel Sunday

Jordan Miller

Music:

Tim Kasher

Cast:

Gabriel Sunday

Brooke Nevin

David Carradine

Mariel Hemingway

Joe Mantegna

Running Time:

105 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Generate/Archie Films

Print Source:

Generate/Archie Films

Film Website: mysuicide.net

Selected Filmography: Breakfast of Aliens (1993)

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Aptly billed as “an antidepressive off-road movie,” the wry comic drama North follows anxious, dejected 30-year-old Jomar as he reluctantly journeys through frigid, arctic landscapes and reconnects with life. With deadpan acting and a quirky economy of style, this fiction feature debut of Norwegian documentary maker Rune Denstad Langlo has the makings of a cult hit. Downhearted ex-skiing ace Jomar works at an isolated ski park near Trondheim and wishes he could return to live at the cozy psychiatric hospital nearby. After belatedly learning that he fathered a son with a former girlfriend who now lives in the Far North, Jomar decides to pay a visit. Setting off on his snowmobile, provisioned only with moonshine and drugs, he meets some unconventional characters along the way. Ultimately, he comes to understand that life is about not giving up. Filmed during the toughest winter months in sparsely populated polar climates, where depression and loneliness are real problems, the ambitious widescreen cinematography allows audiences to experience the contrast between everyday gray twilight and blinding snowy, while the sound designer captures the howling sound of blizzards and sharp cracks of freshly breaking ice.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (FIPRESCI Prize, Europa Cinema Prize) Tribeca Film Festival 2009 (Best New Feature)

Norway 2009

Director:

Rune Denstad Langlo

Producers: Sigve Endresen

Brede Hovland

Screenwriter: Erlend Loe

Cinematographer: Philip Øgaard

Editor: Zaklina Stojcevska

Music: Bent Holm

Ola Kvernberg

Cast: Anders Baasmo

Christiansen

Kyrre Hellum

Marte Aunemo

Lars Olsen

Mads Sjøgård Pettersen

Astrid Solhaug

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Memento Films

Print Source: Norwegian Film Institute

Film Website: nordthemovie.no

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

GAGMA NAPIRI

The Other Bank

North American Premiere

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM HARVARD EXIT

Torn from his father at the beginning of the Georgian-Abkhazia war, slightly cross-eyed 12-year-old Tedo is tired of living the life of a refugee. He works hard at an auto repair shop, and his young mother, Keto, works as a clerk, but it’s not enough to help them get by, so Keto prostitutes herself to help them survive. It’s all too much for Tedo to handle, and he decides to search for his father in war-torn Abkhazia. Warned not to go into this tinderbox, he decides to go anyway. Unable to speak the local language and afraid for his safety, Tedo pretends to be deaf as his odyssey takes him across physical and emotional landscapes and borders where nationalism rules and where the “eye for an eye” mentality dominates. The war-ravaged world he encounters reflects the complex state of affairs wrestling within the boy’s psyche. Director Ovashvili brings together a diverse production team from Russia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic, Israel, and South Korea to create a gripping, unsentimental story of a boy with grown-up cares who finds his own path to living bravely.

Georgia/ Kazakhstan 2009

Director:

George Ovashvili

Producer:

Sain Gabdullin

Screenwriter:

Nugzar Shataidze

Cinematographer:

Amir Assadi

Editor:

Sun-min Kim

Music:

Josef Bardanashvili

Cast:

Tedo Bekhauri

Galoba Gambaria

Nika Alajajev

Tamara Meskhi

Archil Tabukashvili

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Georgian, Abkhazian, and Russian, with English subtitles

Film Website: theotherbank.info

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Rain

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY JUNE 13 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Director Maria Govan’s powerful debut, one of the first films produced indigenously in the Bahamas, shows a darker side of the country that tourists rarely see. A teenager named Rain has lived her entire life with her grandmother on a tiny rural island in the Bahamas. When her grandmother dies, Rain goes to Nassau to find her mother, Glory, whom she has never met. When she arrives, Rain is devastated to discover that Glory lives in a desperately poor, AIDS-ravaged neighborhood called “The Graveyard,” and that she turns tricks to support her drug habit. With no strong maternal role model in her life, Rain must look within for strength and discovers she has a gift for running. Rain receives guidance from her school’s track coach, Ms. Adams, but Rain’s living situation threatens to spoil her dream. Rain displays a striking visual sense that reflects the contrast between the idyllic setting and the harsh realities of Bahamian life. Luxury resorts hover over the blighted neighborhood, tantalizing the residents with a lifestyle they cannot hope to achieve. The film illuminates the beauty in the everyday, and speaks to the experiences of marginalized Bahamians.

Awards:

Pan African Film Festival 2009 (Best First Director, First Film)

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009 (New Voices/New Visions–Special Jury Mention)

Bahamas International Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award)

Bahamas 2008

Director:

Maria Govan

Producers:

Maria Govan

Molly Mayeux

Francis Kuzler

Nathaniel Kohn

Pamela Kohn

Screenwriter:

Maria Govan

Cinematographer:

Martina Radwan

Editor:

Maria Cataldo

Music:

Gerald Brunskill

Cast:

Renel Naomi Brown

Nicki Micheaux

Irma P. Hall

Calvin Lockhart

CCH Pounder

Running Time:

93 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

International Sales:

The Works International

Print Source:

Rain Films Ltd.

Film Website:

rainafilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Documentary Features

Celebrating a new golden age of nonfiction storytelling.

Looking back years from now, film historians may well consider the first decade of the 21st century as a golden age of documentary filmmaking. In the last few Festivals, as low-cost, high-definition video equipment has democratized the filmmaking process, audiences have enjoyed an explosion of nonfiction portraits that celebrate everyday life, telling vivid stories from unusual points of view. When brought to the big screen, quirky family histories become epics. Biographies about the inner lives of famous personalities add context and character to their public personas. In the hands of a gifted documentarian, news stories are given new depth and fresh perspectives that the audience might not have considered. This year is no exception as SIFF offers an engaging lineup of docs covering a wide spectrum of topics—from the triumph of grassroots community activism to inspiring stories of families struggling to overcome illness and financial hardship; from bizarre internet love triangles gone awry to thrilling competition searches for the next pop idol in Afghanistan (watch out, Slumdog Millionaire). Be sure to catch some of these real-life stories filtered through the imaginations of these talented filmmakers.

Documentary Competition

Jury

The very first films ever made were essentially documentaries. Some of the first films coming from directors like August and Louis Lumière captured everyday life and gave audiences the first chance to see their lives permanently imprinted on film and shown to audiences far and wide. Many of these films were simple in nature, depicting shift workers at factories and families at the dinner table. To this day, documentaries continue to reflect their early beginnings, but with advances in technology and travel, documentaries now have the opportunity to tell bigger stories from far-flung corners of the earth. The eight documentaries in this year’s competition come from all over the world and tell a range of stories from intimate human portraits to stories with global impact. SIFF is proud to offer up these fine documentaries that exemplify the proud tradition that is documentary filmmaking.

Defamation (Israel/Austria, 2009)

Directed by Yoav Shamir

El General (Mexico, 2008)

Directed by Natalia Almada

The Fortress (Switzerland, 2008)

Directed by Fernand Melgar

Garbage Dreams (USA, 2008)

Directed by Mai Iskander

Aleksandra Biernacka

Born in 1975, Alesksandra Biernacka is a graduate of the Polish Philology Department and American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw. Since 2000, she has been responsible for Polish Public TV’s productions reaching the international film festival circuit, including feature films like The Big Animal by Jerzy Stuhr, Hi Tereska by Robert Glinski, Katyń by Andrzej Wajda (nominated for a 2008 Academy Award®), children’s programs like The Magic Tree by Andrzej Maleszka (which won an Emmy in 2007), and numerous award-winning documentaries, such as A Life To Live by Maciej Adamek (Golden Gate Prize 2004, 2004 SilverDocs Audience Prize, Best Documentary at the 2004 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and the Flicker Fest National Geographic Prize in 2005), Corpus Christi by Adam Sikora (Best Director at the 2006 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival), and Hercules Ventures into the World by Lidia Duda (2007 WorldFest Houston Platinum Prize, 2007 Banff World TV Fest Special Jury Prize).

Anne Thompson

Anne Thompson launched the daily “ThompsononHollywood” blog in March 2007 when she joined Variety as a columnist and deputy editor of Variety.com. Previously, she was deputy film editor of The Hollywood Reporter, where she wrote the weekly syndicated column Risky Business and the Riskybizblog. She has contributed Hollywood columns for The New York Times, New York Magazine, The London Observer, and Filmmaker Magazine. She has also served as West Coast editor of Premiere, Empire, and Film Comment, and has been a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly.

Kimjongilia (France/USA/South Korea, 2009)

Directed by N.C. Heikin

Manhole Children (Japan, 2008)

Directed by Taro Takahashi

The Red Race (China, 2008)

Directed by Gan Chao

talhotblond (USA, 2009)

Paul Federbush

Paul Federbush is an independent film production, development, and acquisition executive with more than 13 years of experience in both the independent film and studio communities. While Mr. Federbush has spent the majority of his career working within the studio system, he has also served as a conduit between the studios and the worlds of independent and international film. Not only has he built strong relationships with producers and filmmakers, he has also gained a wealth of experience (and has forged numerous strategic partnerships) in the areas of independent financing, international co-production, domestic marketing and distribution, and international distribution. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures, but has also served in similar capacities at Pandora and New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features.

Look for this icon to find Documentary Competition Films

Directed by Barbara Schroeder DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Art & Copy Afghan Star

THURSDAY JUNE 11 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

Afghan Star tells the story of an Afghan version of the “Pop Idol” TV series in which people from across the country compete for a cash prize and record deal. After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, “Afghan Star” takes the nation by storm. More than 2,000 people audition, including three brave women. Viewers vote for their favorite singers by mobile phone. For many, this is their first encounter with democracy. The organizers, Tolo TV, believe the program will move people from guns to music. But in a troubled country like Afghanistan, even music is controversial. Considered sacrilegious by the Mujahideen and banned by the Taliban, music has come to symbolize freedom for the youth. The film follows four young contestants looking for a new life, but things take a terrifying turn when one young woman dances on stage, threatening her own safety and the future of the show.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2009 (World Cinema Audience Award, World Cinema Directing Award)

Afghanistan/ United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Havana Marking

Producer: Havana Marking

Cinematographer: Phil Stebbing

Editor: Ash Jenkins

Music: Simon Russell

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in English, Dari, and Pashto, with English subtitles

International Sales: Channel Four International

Print Source:

Zeitgeist Films

Film Website: afghanstardocumentary. com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 7:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 5 1:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

The 1960s witnessed a creative revolution in advertising, in which idea, image, music, and theater were combined in ways never seen before. Products were described through exciting and often abstract concepts, changing how consumers thought and bought. Art & Copy looks at the impact this revolution had on modern culture, and how images and taglines have become part of our everyday language. Director Doug Pray speaks with the advertising innovators who created “Think Small” (Volkswagen Beetle), “Got Milk?” “Where’s the Beef?” “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “The Me Generation” (Clairol), the brilliant Braniff airline makeover, and even numerous powerful political campaigns (think Reagan’s re-election). Throughout the discussions with these trailblazing men and women, including Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, Hal Riney, George Lois, and Phyllis K. Robinson, Pray integrates footage of communications satellites and billboards as he looks at how advertising is constantly changing.

USA

2009

Director:

Doug Pray

Producers:

Jimmy Greenway

Michael Nadeau

Screenwriter: Timothy J. Sexton

Cinematographer:

Peter Nelson

Editor:

Philip Owens

Music:

Jeff Martin

Featuring:

Lee Clow

Dan Wieden

David Kennedy

Phyllis K. Robinson

Hal Riney

Running Time:

86 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Arthouse Films

Film Website:

artandcopyfilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Surfwise (2007)

Big Rig (2007)

Infamy (2005)

Scratch (2001)

Hype! (1996)

The Beaches of Agnès

SUNDAY MAY 24 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

MONDAY MAY 25 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

One of the leading lights of the nouvelle vague, director Agnès Varda once famously mused, “If you open people, you’ll find landscapes. If you open me, you’ll find beaches.” In this inventive, autobiographical, and eloquent memoir that coincides with her 80th birthday, Varda uses this framing device to explore her life as a child, an artist, a lover, and a mother. She remembers her childhood holiday trips to the seaside, and the family’s wartime exile to the fishing village of Sète, as carefree and sunny. Varda set her remarkable first feature La Pointe Courte (1954) in Sète, and in one of Beaches’ loveliest moments, Varda stages a scene from her debut film involving two young boys. She tracks down the boys—now old men—who re-enact the scene while the original film is projected onto a makeshift screen. And Varda knew tout le monde—from her compatriots in the French New Wave (including her husband Jacques Demy) to the Black Panthers in California. Weaving together photographs, vintage footage, and present-day sequences, Varda proves that her creative powers are undimmed with this fascinating portrait of a life lived to the fullest.

Awards:

Toronto International Film Festival 2008 (Best Documentary) César Awards 2009 (Best Documentary)

France 2008

Director:

Agnès Varda

Producer:

Agnès Varda

Cinematographer: Hélène Louvart

Editors:

Jean-Baptiste Morain

Baptiste Filloux

Music:

Joanna Bruzdowicz

Stéphane Vilar

Paule Lornet

Running Time:

109 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Roissy Films

Print Source:

Cinema Guild

Selected Filmography:

Jacquot de Nantes (1991)

Vagabond (1985)

Les Creatures (1966) Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Burma VJ - Reporting From a Closed Country

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

TUESDAY MAY 26 5:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Raw footage of Burma’s 2007 political uprising flew in the face of the government-imposed media blackout. Nevertheless, a small group of independent video journalists, equipped only with mobile phones and digital cameras, risked torture and imprisonment to report the military junta’s atrocities. Photos, video footage, and other news coverage was smuggled out of the country, where it was then broadcast back into Burma via satellite and offered free to the international media. The documentary follows “Joshua,” an undercover journalist and leader of the Democratic Voice of Burma, who provides insight into high-risk journalism and the inner workings of a police state. Though the world may have seen individual images and clips gathered by the video journalists, director Anders Østergaard pieces these harrowing moments together for the first time, outlining a larger narrative of oppression and censorship. In risking their lives, these brave young men and women of Burma are an extraordinary reminder of the power of journalism.

Awards:

Danish Film Critics’ Association 2009 (Best Documentary Film) Sundance Film Festival 2009 (World Cinema Documentary Editing Award)

Denmark/ Norway 2008

Director:

Anders Høgsbro

Østergaard

Producer:

Lise Lense-Møller

Screenwriters:

Anders Høgsbro Østergaard

Jan Krogsgaard

Cinematographer:

Simon Plum

Editors:

Janus Billeskov Jansen

Thomas Papapetros

Music:

Conny Malmgrist

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Burmese and English, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

First Hand Films World

Sales

Print Source:

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: burmavj.com

Selected Filmography: Gasolin (2006) Tintin and I (2004)

The Cove City of Borders

FRIDAY MAY 29 4:30 PM

SATURDAY MAY 30 1:30 PM

Shushan, a gay bar in Jerusalem, is the unlikely meeting place for the diverse cast of characters featured in Yun Suh’s award-winning documentary City of Borders. Sa’ar Netanel, a secular Israeli, owns the bar and also serves as the first openly gay member of the city council. Palestinian Samira Saraya and her JewishIsraeli lover Ravit Geva navigate what the Israeli occupation means for their relationship, and what their relationship means for their families.

Boody, a devout Muslim, risks his life by sneaking through razor wire from the West Bank and wonders whether it’s possible for him to remain in Ramallah. Settler and former Israeli soldier Adam Russo is stabbed by an Orthodox Jew while marching in Jerusalem’s gay pride parade. Set during the construction of the separation wall between Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jerusalem’s gay community struggles to hold a gay pride celebration in the Holy City while the characters, and the country, contend with internal conflicts. The documentary explores the effort to find and share a sense of community in spite of differences of religion and nationality.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Teddy Award)

Preceded by 575 Castro Street, USA, 2008, 7 minutes, director: Jenni Olson Harvey Milk’s “Read this in the event of my death” recording played against footage of the Milk set. A dual meditation on the power of history.

USA 2009

Director:

Yun Suh

Producers:

Yun Suh

Simone Nelson

Screenwriter: Yun Suh

Cinematographers:

Robin McKenna

Karin Thayer

Editor:

Jean Kawahara

Music:

Shranny

Musa Hanhan

Johnathan Zalben

Ronen Landa

Featuring:

Sa’ar Netanel

Boody

Samira Saraya

Ravit Geva

Adam Russo

Running Time:

67 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in English, Hebrew, and Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: Yun Suh

Film Website: cityofborders.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SUNDAY MAY 24 3:45 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

MONDAY MAY 25 6:30 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

Dolphins are damned smart. Our fellow mammals are capable of much more than somersaulting in unison and fetching fish, and The Cove intends to blow the lid off that tank once and for all. The man who trained Flipper, activist Richard O’Barry, propels this exposé of Japan’s dolphin trade. He has spent time on both sides of the dolphin street—the first ten years in the dolphin captivity industry and the past 38 years against it. Since Earth Day 1970, O’Barry has sought to free captive dolphins that were “viable candidates.” The Cove follows O’Barry to its Japanese namesake, where images of friendly dolphins color the urban landscape. Still, the public is mostly unaware of the extent of the animals’ mistreatment. The crew on this Oceans Eleven-style mission includes filmmaker Louie Psihoyos (a longtime National Geographic photographer and diver) and a team of activists and producers, including one whose credit reads “Clandestine Operations.” O’Barry’s band of outsiders proceeds with anarchic vigor. They thwart and enrage the local authorities in order to get their message on the radar. Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening as it shows exactly what film can do in the hands of those who aren’t afraid to risk it all for their cause.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

USA 2009

Director:

Louie Psihoyos

Producers: Fisher Steves

Paula DuPré Pesman

Olivia Ahnemann

Screenwriter: Mark Monroe

Cinematographer:

Brook Aitken

Editor: Geoffrey Richman

Music:

J. Ralph

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Submarine Entertainment

Print Source:

Roadside Attractions

Film Website: thecovemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

HASHMATSA

Defamation

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 11 7:00 PM

Two generations after the Holocaust, what does anti-Semitism look like? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint, Flipping Out) travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred” and comes up with some surprising revelations. Shamir was inspired to investigate the meanings behind the phrase after being called anti-Semitic in a film review. His exploration includes interviews with Abraham Foxman, the president of the Anti-Defamation League, and with controversial historian Norman Finkelstein. Shamir joins scholars giving a lecture on their book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.” He tags along on a field trip with Israeli teenagers to the Polish concentration camp Auschwitz. He talks to New York Orthodox Jews and their African American neighbors, rabbis, professors, and even his grandmother in Israel. Defamation is a thorny, provocative, surprising, and humorous film that questions our perceptions and terminology, and explores the boundaries between legitimate criticism and anti-Semitism.

Awards:

Tribeca Film Festival 2009 (Special Jury Mention)

Israel/Austria 2009

Director:

Yoav Shamir

Producers:

Karoline Leth

Philippa Kowarsky

Sandra Itkoff

Knut Ogris

Screenwriter:

Yoav Shamir

Cinematographer:

Yoav Shamir

Editor:

Morten Hojbjerg

Music:

Mischa Krausz

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English, Hebrew, and German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Cinephil

Print Source:

First Run Features

Film Website:

defamation-thefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Flipping Out (2008)

5 Days (2005)

Checkpoint (2003)

El General

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY JUNE 14 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

Documentarian Natalia Almada’s award-winning film, El General, investigates two competing narratives arising from personal memoir and political history. Six hours of audio recordings made by Almada’s grandmother, recalling her father, Plutarco Elías Calles, provide the impetus for the film. Calles, a heroic revolutionary general and president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, was known then as “El Bolshevique” and is remembered today as “El Quema-Curas,” or “priest–burner.” The fond memories of his daughter and the historical record of his brutal dictatorship epitomize the failed idealism of the Mexican Revolution and the contradictions that persist throughout Mexico’s turbulent history. Almada’s film combines her grandmother’s recollections with a stunning array of archival and original film footage, historical and original audio recordings, and an extensive library of still photographs that shed light on 100 years of recent Mexican history. A beautifully detailed production, El General is captivating for its director’s unencumbered appraisal of her family’s formative role in her country’s violent past and for its compassionate portrait of Mexico both then and now.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Best Director–U.S. Documentary)

Mexico/USA 2008

Director:

Natalia Almada

Producers:

Daniela Alatorre

Natalia Almada

Screenwriter:

Natalia Almada

Cinematographer:

Chuy Chavez

Editor:

Natalia Almada

Music:

Shahzad Ismaily

John Zorn

Marc Ribot

Running Time:

83 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Louise Rosen Ltd.

Print Source:

Altamura Films

Film Website: altamurafilms.com/ elgeneral

Selected Filmography: To the Other Side (2005)

CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

HARVARD EXIT

The End of the Line

SATURDAY MAY 30 4:00 PM PACIFIC

MONDAY JUNE 8 5:00 PM

In the 1990s, uncontrolled fishing caused the seemingly endless stock of cod in Nova Scotia to run dry. Now nearly two decades later, overfishing threatens to become a global ecological disaster. Director Rupert Murray (Unknown White Male) travels the world to discover who is responsible for the overfishing and what can be done to correct the problem before it’s too late. Enlisting the help of Charles Clover, author of the book of the same name, The End of the Line tackles the complexities of overfishing head on and from all angels. From rural fishing villages where fisherman must now migrate with the fish to survive, to the large corporate fleets fishing beyond accepted quotas, Murray expertly captures the chaotic battle for the future of the world’s oceans. A vibrant travelogue with a powerful message, The End of the Line will forever change the way you think about your next seafood dinner.

United Kingdom 2009

Director:

Rupert Murray

Producers:

Claire Lewis

George Duffield

Screenwriter: Charles Clover

Editor:

Claire Ferguson

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source:

New American Vision

Film Website: endoftheline.com

Selected Filmography: Unknown White Male (2005)

Facing Ali

FRIDAY MAY 29 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY MAY 30 1:45 PM

Muhammad Ali predicted his championship standing long before the world accepted him as arguably the most talented boxer of all time. Beyond his politics and polarizing charisma, Ali demonstrated the speed and grace that have come to define the sport of boxing. Pete McCormack directs this insightful documentary from the perspectives of ten boxers who highlighted Ali’s career through their momentous encounters in the ring. Legendary opponents including Ken Norton, Joe Frazier, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and George Foreman recount how they challenged Ali physically, mentally, and emotionally. At times tragic, the moving chronicle of Ali’s success follows the fighting spirit that some say took him too far. Historical footage and press conferences woven between sincere interviews effortlessly demonstrate the magnitude of Ali’s rise to fame and the enormous respect he earned from his rivals. The standout original music of Schaun Tozer underscores an already compelling film. McCormack dares audiences to witness the Ali that at times divided—but always captivated—the American public.

Canada 2009

Director:

Pete McCormack

Producer:

Derik Murray

Cinematographer:

Ian Kerr

Editor:

Jesse James Miller

Music:

Schaun Tozer

Featuring:

George Foreman

Joe Frazier

Larry Holmes

Ken Norton

Leon Spinks

Running Time:

98 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Lionsgate

Print Source:

Lionsgate

Film Website: facingalimovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Uganda Rising (2006)

See Grace Fly (2003)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PLACE CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

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SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Director John Greyson’s operatic tour-de-force smashes conventional barriers of form and genre to reinvent the documentary. The protagonists of Fig Trees are two of the patron saints of AIDS activism: Tim McCaskell, a founder of the Canadian AIDS Action Now, who has been living with AIDS for 25 years, and Zackie Achmat, who went on a treatment strike in 1989, refusing to take anti-retroviral drugs until they were made generally available in South Africa. The story is a grand-scale narrative of personal heroism in the face of evil as personified by politicians and pharmaceutical company executives, with millions of lives hanging in the balance. The result is a postmodern pastiche of palindromes, queer history, music history, and Catholic theology (with an albino squirrel thrown in for good measure). Riffing off another famously queer opera, Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson’s “Four Saints in Three Acts,” the film features a first-rate score by collaborator David Wall.

Canada

2009

Director:

John Greyson

Producer: John Greyson

Screenwriter: John Greyson

Cinematographers:

Ali Kazimi

Jesse Rosensweet

Editor: Jared Raab

Music: David Wall

Featuring:

Van Abrahams David Wall

Deb Overes

Ezra Perlman

Alexander Chapman

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

Print Source: Vtape

Film Website: yorku.ca/greyzone/ figtrees

Selected Filmography:

The Law of Enclosures (2000)

Uncut (1997)

Lilies (1996)

Zero Patience (1993)

Food, Inc.

SATURDAY MAY 30 4:15 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 31 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

You are what you eat, the saying goes. But do you really know what you eat? Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on the unsavory practices of our nation’s food industry. The film illustrates how the corporate purveyors of food products have literally gotten away with murder—and all with the complicity of our government’s regulatory agencies. As Kenner shows in detail, the food supply in the United States is controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit before health—not only of the consumers of their processed foodstuffs, but the economic health of farmers and food workers, and the health of the environment. Drawing on the works of authors Eric Schlosser (“Fast Food Nation”) and Michael Pollan (“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”), Kenner’s film details the cozy relationship between agribusiness and government—a relationship that allows the corporate behemoth Monsanto to monopolize soybean production and litigate aggressively against small farmers who harvest their own seeds rather than buy Monsanto’s genetically engineered seeds. Food, Inc. paints a vivid picture of the wages of unsustainable food production—obesity, diabetes, and E. coli poisoning. But for all its outrage, Food, Inc. posits a hopeful (and delicious) future, highlighting a burgeoning organic farming movement that has made it all the way to the White House lawn.

USA 2008

Director: Robert Kenner

Producers: Robert Kenner

Elise Pearlstein

Cinematographer: Richard Pearce

Editor:

Kim Roberts

Music: Mark Adler

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: takepart.com/foodinc

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LA FORTERESSE

The Fortress US Premiere

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:00 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:00 PM

In 2007, 10,387 people filed requests for asylum in Switzerland, but only 1,561 were granted refugee status. Recently the process for seeking asylum in the country has become even stricter. Director Fernand Melgar wanted to understand “What was driving us to lock the gates and transform this land of asylum into an impregnable fortress?” The Fortress is a penetrating and visually rich look at a Swiss registration and processing center for asylum seekers. Located in the western town of Vallorbe, the building, surrounded by barbed wire and surveillance cameras, is as much a hotel as a prison, and has a life of its own, divided into two factions: employees and inhabitants. Through the course of a few weeks (a maximum of two months), asylum seekers are provided with necessities as their interviews with government employees are processed. Each individual tells a harrowing story. Can the staff tell the difference between lies and authenticity to select who wins a second chance at life in Switzerland? Director Melgar’s fly-on-the-wall documentary takes a close look into the lives of the residents in the quasipenal atmosphere. With emotion, humor, and compassion, The Fortress peers into the heart of the daily process of sorting human beings.

Awards:

Locarno International Film Festival 2009 (Golden Leopard)

Montreal International Film Festival 2008 (Grand Prize)

Florence Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award)

Garbage Dreams

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Switzerland 2008

Director:

Fernand Melgar

Producer:

Fernand Melgar

Screenwriter:

Alice Sala

Cinematographer: Camille Cottagnoud

Editor:

Karine Sudan

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Accent Films International

Print Source: Climage

Film Website: laforteresse.ch

Selected Filmography: Exit-The Right to Die (2005)

Storm in a C-Cup (2002) Induction Class (1998) Family Album (1993)

TUESDAY JUNE 9 5:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

As jobs go, sanitation worker isn’t high on most teenage boys’ lists. In director-cinematographer Mai Iskander’s feature-length documentary debut, three teenagers spend endless days collecting and sorting trash—and nights sleeping among it. Adham, Osama, and Nabil are three of the 60,000 residents of Mokattam, a “garbage village” on the outskirts of Cairo. For generations, the larger city has depended on the villagers, the zaballeen, to keep order for a community that lacks a formal sanitation system. They don’t just keep order. A staggering 80 percent of the waste they gather is recycled. American-born, halfEgyptian Iskander views the chaotic closeness of her homeland and the creative efficiency of the zaballeen through the eyes of these unique young men. When Cairo’s decision to partially privatize the garbage trade threatens their day jobs, Iskander finds their goofy passions and earnest dreams undiminished. Effervescent and luminous, Garbage Dreams uncovers the boys’ realities as they are forced to make choices that will influence their future and the survival of their community.

USA

2008

Director:

Mai Iskander

Producers:

Mai Iskander

Kate Hirson

Cinematographer:

Mai Iskander

Editors:

Kate Hirson

Jessica Reynolds

Music:

Raz Mesinai

Running Time:

83 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM , in Egyptian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Mai Iskander

Film Website:

garbagedreams.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Gotta Dance The Garden

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY MAY 30 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Constructed just after the devastating 1992 riots in South Central Los Angeles, a 14-acre community garden was built on a former dumping ground at 41st and Alameda Streets. What started as a step in the post-riot healing process soon became the largest urban farm in the United States. This community miracle brought together families and neighbors as they grew their own food and nourished their families, creating a shining light in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. However, only a few years after achieving success and sustainability, the garden’s existence was threatened by a developer’s plans to construct warehouses on the site. In a follow-up to his well-regarded debut documentary, OT: Our Town, director and producer Scott Hamilton Kennedy follows the garden’s mostly Latino farmers over a period of four years as they organize and fight back to save their hallowed patch of ground. The Garden is an emotional and demanding documentary that takes viewers through urban politics, racial grievances, and the lives of ordinary people willing to put up a long fight in order to keep their oasis alive.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Nomination 2009 (Best Documentary) SilverDocs 2008 (Sterling US Feature Award)

USA 2008

Director:

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Producer:

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Screenwriter:

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Cinematographer:

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Editors:

Alex Blatt

Tyson Fitzgerald

Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Music:

Gabriel Tenorio

Doug DeAngelis

Featuring:

Danny Glover

Daryl Hannah

Antonio Villaraigosa

Dennis Kucinich

Joan Baez

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: thegardenmovie.com

Selected Filmography: OT: Our Town (2002)

MONDAY MAY 25 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 4:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Director and Broadway producer Dori Berinstein’s exuberant and warm-hearted documentary opens with a quote from Florenz Zeigfeld (by way of wife Billie Burke): “Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.” While her previous effort, Some Assembly Required, revolved around kids, Gotta Dance focuses on folks 60 and above. Not the kind who putter around the house in slippers all day, but the kind who like to hoof it. In this case, as members of the NETSationals Senior Dance Team, part of the New Jersey Nets entertainment package. The Nets Dancers hold the auditions, which attract hopefuls from all walks of life (including a few dancer grandparents), select 13, and begin rehearsals. As Joe Bianco explains, “The only way that a chubby guy like me would be able to pick up girls is not because of my looks, it’s because of my feet.” The other participants, like 80-year-old grandmother Fanny Militar, have equally compelling stories, and Berinstein delves into their diverse backgrounds while capturing their crowd-pleasing hip-hop performances and the media stardom that follows their first season. As Berinstein says in her director’s statement, “I’ve witnessed ageism and it stinks.” Her inspiring film offers a welcome corrective.

USA 2008

Director:

Dori Berinstein

Producer: Dori Berinstein

Cinematographer:

Leo Lawrence

Editor:

Adam Zucker

Music: Craig Sharmat

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Dramatic Forces

Film Website: gottadancethemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Some Assembly Required (2008)

Show Business: The Road to Broadway (2007)

I’m No Dummy World Premiere

SATURDAY MAY 23 6:45 PM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY MAY 24 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 7:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Informative, engaging, and funny, this whimsical documentary explores the world of ventriloquism, allowing a rare glimpse into the humorous delights and complex creative invention involved in how ventriloquists (or “vents”) do what they do. Featuring performances from established current ventriloquists—such as 2007 Tony Award winner Jay Johnson (of sitcom “Soap” fame), two-time Comedian of the Year Jeff Dunham, and Lynn Trefzger—the film demonstrates how the current vent world is not only creating new, topical, and insightful humor, but may well be in the midst of a rebirth of mainstream popularity. Additionally, director Bryan W. Simon has unearthed a trove of rare performance footage of legendary ventriloquists Edgar Bergen, Jimmy Nelson, Señor Wences, and Paul Winchell—much of which hasn’t been seen in 40 to 50 years. Mixing this performance footage with photos and interviews of legendary vents past and present, the film examines the artistic complexity of venting, the art form’s evolution since it came into national prominence in the 1930s, and the influence of the innovations of those earlier artists on the current generation of performers—all while making you laugh.

USA

2009

Director:

Bryan W. Simon

Producer:

Marjorie Engesser

Screenwriter:

Bryan W. Simon

Cinematographer:

Lloyd Freidus

Editors:

Bryan W. Simon

Larry Stewart

Music:

Elliot Anders

Featuring:

Jeff Dunham

Jay Johnson

Lynn Trefzger

Kelly Asbury

Jimmy Nelson

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Montivagus Productions

Film Website: montivagus.com

Selected Filmography: Along for the Ride (2000)

An Island Calling

MONDAY MAY 25 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

They called him The White Angel. John Scott, director of the Fiji Red Cross, received international acclaim in May 2000 by courageously assisting a group of hostages being held in the Fijian Parliament for 56 days during a political coup. A year later, Scott, a Fiji-born descendent of a European colonial family, and his partner, Greg Scrivener, were found murdered. Scott and Scrivener were a popular, openly gay couple on Fiji, which was unusual for the island. Though a murderer was found (22-year-old Fijian Apete Kaisau), a clear motive was never determined. Was the murder a political assassination or a bad love affair? Was it an act of revenge, guilt, or insanity? Director Annie Goldson and Owen Scott—John’s brother—trace the last four generations of the Scott family on Fiji, and in turn, explore the island’s history of colonialism, revolution, and rising religious evangelicalism. John Scott’s great-grandfather was one of the missionaries who brought the Bible to Fiji in the 19th century; ironically, in 2001 that same book was used by many to justify Scott’s murder. An Island Calling is an unusual and intricate murder mystery, which seeks not to find the killer, but to discover the killer’s motives through a society’s politics and history.

Awards:

Pacific Documentary Film Festival 2009 (Best Film)

Qantas Film and Television Awards 2008 (Best Documentary, Cinematography)

New Zealand/Fiji 2008

Director:

Annie Goldson

Producer:

Annie Goldson

Screenwriters:

Annie Goldson

Owen Scott

Cinematographer:

Wayne Vinten

Editors:

Eric de Beus

Bill Toepfer

Music:

David Long

Calvin Rore

Running Time:

76 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in English and Fijian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

First Run/Icarus Films

Print Source:

First Run/Icarus Films

Selected Filmography:

Georgie Girl (2001)

Punitive Damage (1999)

Kimjongilia

FRIDAY JUNE 5 1:30 PM

KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

FRIDAY JUNE 12 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 13 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Artfully melding dignity with indignation, Kimjongilia opens with the triumphant sounds and images that North Korea presents to the world. Life behind the Kim dynasty’s 60-year façade, however, involves censorship, food shortages, prison camps, and public executions, leading to the deaths of millions. Thirteen defectors who escaped between 1992 and 2006 relate their harrowing experiences, as director N.C. Heikin illustrates their words using state-sanctioned propaganda and the expressive moves of modern dancers. Several speakers grew up thinking of Kim Il-sung, the father of General Kim Jong-il, as an exalted member of their own family, like an all-powerful grandfather. Sent to a camp at nine years of age, Kang Cholhwan took solace in a smuggled copy of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” inspiring him to make his own getaway ten years later. Representing love, peace, wisdom, and justice, the Kimjongilia flower, a red begonia, commemorates the Great Leader’s 46th birthday, but it’s his legacy of injustice that inflames Heikin’s film. As Mrs. Kim (no relation) pleads, “The world has to save North Korea. We have to speak of it.” With generosity and compassion, Heikin gives these brave refugees that chance.

France/USA/ South Korea 2009

Director:

N.C. Heikin

Producers:

N.C. Heikin

Robert Pépin

Young-sun Cho

David Novack

Cinematographer:

Kyle Saylors

Editors: Peterson Almeida

Mary Lampson

Music:

Michael Gordon

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Visit Films

Print Source: Visit Films

Film Website: kimjongiliathemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Know Your Mushrooms

FRIDAY MAY 29 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Veteran documentarian Ron Mann joins the throng of mycophiles (mushroom aficionados) at the Telluride Mushroom Festival for a fascinating look at fungi. Long celebrated as a sliced salad topping or spongy addition to spaghetti sauce, one day the mushroom may just be the savior of the world. Know Your Mushrooms is a playfully informative exploration of these spores’ ability to nourish us, clean up our oil spills, cure illness (possibly cancer), and move our minds closer to seeing God. Mann introduces Larry Evans (the “Indiana Jones of mushrooms”) and former festival president Gary Lincoff, two of the more expert and unforgettable characters of the mycological community. Larry travels from Alaska to Mexico throughout the year searching for the best mushrooms. He isn’t afraid to prove that poisonous mushrooms won’t kill you as long as you don’t swallow and cheerfully leaves fungus as a tip at restaurants. Peppered throughout with fun animated “Fungi Facts,” a neo-psychedelic soundtrack by The Flaming Lips, and clips from absurd entertainment like the 1963 Japanese horror film Attack of the Mushroom People, Mann keeps the tone light while he savors every fascinating facet of the mushroom kingdom. By the end, you might just believe this little fungus could save the world.

Canada

2009

Director:

Ron Mann

Producer:

Ron Mann

Screenwriter:

Ron Mann

Cinematographers:

Brian T. Moore

Andy Keen

Editors: Nick Taylor Simo

Music:

The Flaming Lips

Running Time: 74 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Abramorama

Film Website: sphinxproductions.com

Selected Filmography:

Tales of the Rat Fink (2006)

Go Further (2003)

Grass (1999)

Comic Book Confidential (1988)

Imagine the Sound (1981)

Little Joe North American Premiere

SATURDAY JUNE 6 7:15 PM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Joe Dallesandro became famous in the 1960s as Andy Warhol’s naked muse in several Paul Morrissey movies, and was immortalized in a song by Lou Reed, but, as the documentary Little Joe shows, his life was more than a walk on the wild side. Dallesandro speaks directly to the camera, smoking constantly, telling of his films, marriages, drugs, and drinking. His reminiscences as a misunderstood icon are backed up with abundant archival footage. Despite being almost short enough to be a racing jockey, Dallesandro’s youthfully chiseled features and muscular body—along with his comfort with on-screen nudity—made him an object of lust for men and women alike. His portrayal of a street hustler in the 1968 Morrisey film Flesh established the image cemented in Reed’s lyrics, “Little Joe never once gave it away. Everybody had to pay and pay.” The actor claims that the character in the film is not a true representation of who he really is, despite doing several more Morrissey films for Andy Warhol. It only took about three years for Dallesandro to go from an orphaned troublemaker trolling the streets of Queens to an international star, and he was just getting started.

USA

2009

Director:

Nicole Haeusser

Producers:

Vedra Mehagian

Dallesandro

Joe Dallesandro

Christos Moisides

Nicole Haeusser

Cinematographer:

Christos Moisides

Editors:

Karen Smalley

Nicole Haeusser

Music:

John Frusciante

Gabriel Rowland

Lou Reed

Featuring:

Joe Dallesandro

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Little Joe Productions

Print Source:

Little Joe Productions

Film Website: littlejoeproductions.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Manhole Children

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

The Soviet Union’s fall in the early 1990s forced Mongolia to make a sudden transition to a capitalist economy. This rapid introduction of a free market produced overwhelming economic confusion, causing unprecedented levels of unemployment and plunging nearly half the population into poverty. By the winter of 1998, thousands of abandoned children were living under the streets of the capitol, Ulan Bator. With winter temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero, the manholes provide access to a vast network of steam pipes that heat the city’s homes, allowing the children to survive. Living literally underground in a lawless no man’s land of theft and violence, the children form packs in order to stay alive. Shot over ten years, the film traces the lives of Boldoo, Dashaa, and Oyun, three of these “manhole children,” who reach adulthood while living on the street. Often the best documentaries unwrap themselves, simply observing as layer upon layer of complexity is revealed. With a complexity that can only be achieved through diligence and patience, the film shows how the lives of these three children intertwine in surprising ways, laying bare the intricate webs of dreams, friendships, betrayals, violence, and love that shape their lives.

Japan 2008

Director:

Yoshio Harada

Producer:

Hideya Yamaguchi

Cinematographers:

Satoru Yoneya

Hiroshi Sunayama

Editor:

Yasuo Sato

Running Time:

117 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Japanese, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Efubun-no-ichi, Inc.

Film Website: manhole-children.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Maradona by Kusturica US Premiere

SUNDAY MAY 24 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:45 PM

Serbian director Emir Kusturica’s documentary reveals the many facets of controversial world soccer legend Diego Maradona. Believed by many to be the greatest soccer player of modern times, Maradona is as big a character off the field as on it. Famous for his “hand of God” shot that led to Argentina’s victory over England in the 1986 World Cup, he is just as well known for his fast-lived life, obscured with cocaine and liquor, and for his outspoken dislike of George W. Bush. We learn of his life as a poor child, footballer, addict, teacher, activist, husband, and father. Kusturica’s awe of the man is apparent but his vision is not skewed from the average person’s perspective or from that of the much more powerful. Witnessing conversations with Fidel Castro proves he is just as captivated by the soccer legend as Kusturica. Appropriately scored with the Sex Pistols and the alternative music of Manu Chao, Maradona reveals the man in all his complexity, warts and all.

Spain/France 2008

Director: Emir Kusturica

Producers:

Paula Alvarez Vaccaro

Jose Ibañez

Screenwriter: Emir Kusturica

Cinematographer:

Rodrigo Pulpeiro

Editor:

Svetolik MIica Zajc

Music: Stribor Kusturica

Manu Chao

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Wild Bunch

Print Source:

Wild Bunch

Selected Filmography:

Promise Me This (2007)

Life is a Miracle (2004)

Super 8 Stories (2001)

Black Cat White Cat (1998)

Underground (1995)

Arizona Dream (1993)

Time of the Gypsies (1988)

When Father was Away on Business (1985)

Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (1981)

LA VIE MODERNE

Modern Life

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM

TUESDAY JUNE 2 7:00 PM

As small family farming disappears from the French countryside, the people who have worked the land for generations refuse to give up and let their livelihoods crumble around them. Director Raymond Depardon travels between families and farms, feeling the pressure of the changing times as families attempt to cope with the devastating loss of their lifestyles. Over the course of ten years, Depardon returns to each family to catch up on their stories, allowing the passage of time to play a major role in the film. We meet octogenarian brothers who struggle with the daily task of maintaining their farm despite their age and the evolution of their trade. Depardon takes on the role of filmmaker, interviewer, and narrator, coaxing the traditionally reserved farmers to open up about their lives and feelings of despair over the decline of their industry. Visually astute, Depardon imparts his sincere affection and respect for his subjects through sprawling shots of the countryside’s natural beauty as well as striking images that divulge the naked truth of the situation.

France 2008

Director:

Raymond Depardon

Producer:

Claudine Nougaret

Cinematographer:

Raymond Depardon

Editor:

Simon Jaquet

Music:

Gabriel Fauré

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Film Website: modernlifethefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

The 10th Judicial Court:

Moments of Trials (2004)

Untouched by the West (2002)

Muriel Leferle (1999)

Lumière de Paris (1998)

Malraux (1996)

UPTOWN CINEMAS

HARVARD EXIT

NEPTUNE THEATRE

HARVARD EXIT

Pop Star On Ice

World Premiere

SUNDAY MAY 24 6:45 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

FRIDAY JUNE 5 11:00 AM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Johnny Weir is the most compelling athlete you’ve never heard of. In figure skating circles, Weir is as known for his artistry and skill as he is for his controversial and sometimes baffling behavior. Notorious for his joyfully inappropriate conduct at press conferences and his uncompromising personality and sense of style, Weir’s antics both on and off the ice are hard to ignore.

Pop Star On Ice follows a season of Weir’s uneven trajectory toward top skating honors as he ricochets between flawless performances and absolute failures. The filmmakers effortlessly provide an immediate and comic portrait of the self-assured, chronically inconsistent skater as he struggles to overcome the hangups that keep him from finishing in first place. From his rocky relationship with the trainer who knows him too well, to his inability to fully commit to his talent, this tightly constructed documentary showcases Weir as a fierce competitor who could one day take the gold.

USA/Canada/ Russia/Japan 2009

Directors:

David Barba

James Pellerito

Producers:

David Barba

James Pellerito

Screenwriters:

David Barba

James Pellerito

Cinematographers:

David Barba

James Pellerito

Editors:

David Barba

James Pellerito

Music:

Giovanni Spinelli

Featuring:

Johnny Weir

Priscilla Hill

Paris Childers

Patti Weir

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

Print Source:

Retribution Media

Film Website: popstaronice.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

PRINCESA DE AFRICA

Princess of Africa

THURSDAY JUNE 4 9:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:45 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Princess of Africa introduces the audience to two different princesses and their dreams. Marem is a 14-year-old girl from Senegal who studies dance and dreams of performing in Europe when she is older. Sonia is a professional dancer from Spain who is fascinated by African culture and creativity, and desires to experience an African lifestyle. The two women are by connected in Pap Ndiaye, a master griot (musician) who splits his time between Senegal and Europe. Marem is his daughter, and Sonia has just married Pap in Spain. Both women will find their dreams in the course of the film, but each at a price. When Sonia arrives in Africa, she finds the vibrant colors and rhythms that have inspired her performances are intact, but she is faced with the realization that she is not the only wife of Pap Ndiaye. In fact, she is his third wife and she must come to terms with her expectations of marriage in an African society. Marem sees the other side of the coin. Her vision of Europe is utopian and the actual visit is a surprising revelation for her. A celebrated portrait of African life, Princess of Africa is a beautiful documentary that is full of love between people and ideas while sharing an intoxicating vision of the way music and dance are woven into the cultural aesthetic. Recommended for ages 13 and above.

Spain/Senegal 2008

Director:

Juan Laguna

Producer:

Juan Laguna

Screenwriter:

Juan Laguna

Cinematographers:

Raúl Bartolomé

Hugo Herrera

Gabriel Molera

Borja Pozueco

Editor:

Juan Laguna

Music:

Manu Sanz

Juan Laguna

Featuring: Marem Ndiaye

Pap Ndiaye

Fama Diout

Sunia Sampayo

Kine Seck

Running Time:

77 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Wolof, Spanish, and French, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Producciones Bereberia

Film Website: princesadeafrica.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Films

The Red Race Prodigal Sons

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Early on in this very personal film, the audience learns that the director, Kimberly Reed, was once known as Paul, a star quarterback in high school before her sex-change operation. Reed’s gender reassignment, however, turns out to be a mere side note—and hardly the most surprising one—in this exploration of her family’s bizarre past. While visiting her hometown of Helena, Montana, to attend a high-school reunion, she reconnects with her adopted brother, Marc, whom she hasn’t seen in more than a decade. Growing up, Marc lived in the shadow of his overachieving then-brother Paul (now Kimberly). Since suffering a traumatic brain injury at age 21, Marc is prone to mercurial mood swings and violent behavior. But Marc takes center stage after it is revealed that he is the biological grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. The jawdropping revelations continue as Kimberly and Marc travel to Croatia to visit Welles’ longtime partner Oja Kodar to learn more about Marc’s mysterious origins. The raw emotions and sibling resentments uncovered in Prodigal Sons make it one of the strangest first-person documentaries in recent years and one that is sure to ignite many “nature versus nurture” arguments among viewers.

Awards: Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival 2009 (FIPRESCI Prize)

USA 2008

Director:

Kimberly Reed

Producers: John Keitel

Kimberly Reed

Screenwriter: Kimberly Reed

Cinematographer: John Keitel

Editors:

Shannon Kennedy

Kimberly Reed

Music:

T. Griffin

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: HDCAM

International Sales: Louise Rosen Ltd.

Print Source: Big Sky Film

Film Website: prodigalsonsfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

This observational documentary offers a controversial look into the lives of a group of young Chinese children enrolled in an intensive gymnastics training program. The adults in their lives, whether the parents, foster parents, coach, or the art teacher, all continuously reinforce one ultimate goal: winning a gold medal at the Olympics. The children represent the working-class parents’ aspirations for better lives, a chance for the coaches to prove their worth, and a country’s hope for remaining in the top ranks at the big game. Their path is not an easy one. The pressure on these young boys and girls to grow up to be winning athletes is great as the competitive sport is lauded over learning to read and write for the kindergarten-aged students. Will their rigorous training from a young age make them better athletes? This detailed insight captures the contradictions of modern China and the cost paid for the country’s dreams.

Awards:

Silverdocs 2008 (Special Jury Prize)

Hamptons International Film Festival 2008 (Special Jury Prize)

Shanghai TV Festival 2008 (Best Social Documentary)

China/Germany 2008

Director:

Gan Chao

Producers:

Barbara Biemann

Qiming Ying

Cinematographers:

Gong Wei

Qian Zhu

Editor:

Bas Roeterink

Music:

Battleship Grey: Oscar Klingspor

Pontus Brock

Oskar Andersson

Running Time:

70 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Documentary Channel Shanghai Media Group

Film Website: ganchao.net

Selected Filmography:

Nobody’s Child (2007)

Last House Standing (2005)

Come and Dance Burka (2004)

More or One (2003)

Time Difference (2002)

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM

THURSDAY MAY 28 4:30 PM

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse occupies an unsteady patch of ground, jostled about by the competing labels of documentary, historical re-enactment, art film, conspiracy theory, and police procedural. As writer, director, and presenter, Peter Greenaway leads a forensic investigation of Rembrandt’s “Night Watch,” uncovering clues in the painting that suggest the murderous impulses of the men it depicts. At the same time, the film explores the motivations of the painter himself, whose life and career began to unravel soon after “Night Watch” was completed. A broader indictment emerges from Greenaway’s analysis concerning the present culture’s visual and artistic illiteracy. He pulls meaning and symbolism out of Rembrandt’s masterpiece to emphasize just how much the conventions of film and television have dulled our understanding of art. This is a distinctly atypical yet funny and assured film as much an analysis of cinema as it is an exercise in art history. Viewers should prepare themselves for some self-reflexive mental yoga but can be reassured that they will emerge from the theater more limber for the experience.

SIFF CINEMA

SIFF CINEMA

Netherlands/ United Kingdom/ Poland/Canada

2008

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Producers:

Femke Wolting

Bruno Felix

Screenwriter:

Peter Greenaway

Cinematographer:

Reiner Van Brummelen

Editors:

Elmer Leupen

Irma de Vries

Music:

Giovanni Sollima

Marco Robino

Featuring:

Martin Freeman

Eva Birthistle

Jodhi May

Emily Holmes

Jonathan Holmes

Running Time:

86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

ContentFilm International

Print Source:

ContentFilm International

Film Website: rembrandt.submarine.nl

Selected Filmography: 8 1/2 Women (1999)

The Pillow Book (1996)

Prospero’s Books (1991)

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989)

Drowning By Numbers (1988)

The Belly of an Architect (1987)

A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

A Sea Change

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

TUESDAY JUNE 2 4:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Can you imagine a world without fish? It’s a frightening, cataclysmic premise, and worst of all, it’s happening right now. A Sea Change follows the journey of retired history teacher Sven Huseby on his quest to discover what is happening to the world’s oceans. After reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Darkening Sea,” Sven becomes obsessed with the rising acidity of the oceans and what this “sea change” bodes for mankind. His quest takes him to Alaska, California, Australia, and Norway as he uncovers a worldwide crisis that most people are unaware of. Speaking with oceanographers, marine biologists, climatologists, and artists, Sven eventually discovers that global warming is only half the story of the environmental catastrophe that awaits us. A Sea Change is also a touching portrait of Sven’s relationship with his grandchild Elias. As Sven keeps a correspondence with the little boy, he mulls over the world that he is leaving for future generations. A disturbing and essential companion piece to An Inconvenient Truth, A Sea Change brings home the indisputable fact that our lifestyle is changing the earth, despite our rhetoric or wishful thinking.

Norway/USA 2008

Director:

Barbara Ettinger

Producers:

Sven Huseby

Barbara Ettinger

Susan Cohn Rockefeller

Cinematographer:

Claudia RaschkeRobinson

Editor:

Toby Shimin

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

Print Source: Niijii Films

Film Website: aseachange.net

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

talhotblond

World Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:15 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 13 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

“Love—even pathological love—is incredibly powerful. We talk about people who are addicted to alcohol, people who are addicted to sex… but the biggest human addiction is love. It’s the master addiction that nothing can replace.” This observation early into talhotblond sets the stage for a surprising true-crime tale of identity, obsession, and deceit. Thomas Montgomery, an unassuming machinist in upstate New York with a troubled marriage, meets teenage Jessie (aka “talhotblond”) online. Montgomery tells her that he is Tommy, an 18-year-old boy on his way to Marine boot camp. Their relationship quickly evolves into cybersex and an engagement. Eventually Jessie discovers that Tommy is really 47-year-old Thomas and confirms it through one of his co-workers. When she embarks on another online relationship with Thomas’ co-worker, all three of their real and online lives begin to collide. With sharp psychological insight and an ingenious approach to narration, director Barbara Schroeder weaves interviews together with transcripts of the three lovers’ online conversations to tell the story of a love triangle in which the lovers never meet in face-to-face, but one person ends up dead, another goes to prison, and the families of all three are changed forever.

USA

2009

Director: Barbara Schroeder

Producer: Barbara Schroeder

Screenwriter: Barbara Schroeder

Cinematographer: Per Larrson

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Barbara Schroeder

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

HA - GILGUL

Unmistaken Child

SATURDAY JUNE 13 7:45 PM HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY JUNE 14 11:00 AM HARVARD EXIT

Ever wonder how reincarnations of deceased Buddhist masters are found and recognized?

Unmistaken Child chronicles Nepalese monk Tenzin Zopa’s lengthy search for the new embodiment of Geshe Lama Konchog, a revered rinpoche who died in 2001. Observing rather than explaining ancient traditions, Israeli director Nati Baratz’s fascinating insider’s perspective inspires as many questions as it answers. After signs at “Geshe-La’s” cremation pyre indicate an imminent reincarnation, senior lamas in India consult Taiwanese astrologers and learn there’s a high probability that the baby’s father’s name starts with an “A” and that he will come from a place beginning with “ts.” Those clues take 28-year-old Zopa on a long stay in Nepal’s spectacular Tsum Valley, where he inspects an array of runny-nosed tots to see if they recognize his master’s rosary. While the film is ostensibly about the identification and education of a remarkable child, it also portrays hardworking Zopa’s evolution from shy disciple to resourceful teacher, capturing the beauty in wild nature and timeless, elaborate Buddhist rites and rituals.

Israel 2008

Director:

Nati Baratz

Producers:

Ilil Alexander

Arik Bernstein

Nati Baratz

Screenwriter:

Nati Baratz

Cinematographer:

Yaron Orbach

Editor:

Ron Goldman

Music:

Cyril Morin

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Tibetan, Nepali, Hindi, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Fortissimo Films

Print Source:

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

CINEMAS

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe We Live in Public

SATURDAY MAY 23 7:00 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 11:00 AM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Josh Harris predicted this would happen: We’re all slaves to the internet. We Facebook, Flickr, Tweet, and blazon our lives all over the internet. Director Ondi Timoner documents the tumultuous life of internet pioneer Josh Harris, the Warholian poster child of the dot-com days who made his millions from founding Jupiter Communications and Psuedo.com, the first internet television network. Throwing his money around like “sands in the fingers of time,” he launched a 30-day social experiment in the heart of New York City called “Quiet” in the final days of the last millennium. More than a hundred people participated, agreeing to live under 24-hour surveillance in an underground bunker. They ate, drank, showered, shot guns, had sex, underwent interrogations, and went a little crazy. Harris then turned the cameras on his personal life, installing over 30 cameras throughout the loft he shared with his girlfriend Tanya, webcasting their every move on Weliveinpublic.com. Like Timoner’s previous DIG!, We Live in Public has got guts, fast-paced editing and a well-chosen rock soundtrack (including David Bowie and The Jesus and Mary Chain). Fascinating and relevant, the film, through Harris’ story, displays the effects of our increasingly public lifestyle via the web.

USA 2008

Director:

Ondi Timoner

Producers:

Ondi Timoner

Keirda Bahruth

Cinematographers: Ondi Timoner

Vasco Nunes

Editors:

Josh Altman

Ondi Timoner

Music:

Ben Dector

Marco D’Ambrosio

Featuring:

Joshua Harris

Jason Calacanis

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Submarine Entertainment

Print Source:

Interloper FIlms

Film Website: weliveinpublicthemovie. com

Selected Filmography:

Join Us (2007)

DIG! (2004)

TUESDAY JUNE 2 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

THURSDAY JUNE 4 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Hailed as a hero and condemned as an opportunist, attorney William Kunstler became a media star in the 1960s, defending the Chicago Seven in one of the most controversial trials in U.S. history. This incisive documentary by Emily and Sarah Kunstler is an affectionate, sometimes ambivalent tribute to their father, a man who both defined his times and helped to create them. Getting a taste of political activism while fighting for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., Kunstler subsequently took on cases that were splashed across the front pages of the world, including the Attica prison riots and the standoff at Wounded Knee. He confounded his family and supporters when he shifted to criminal cases in the 1970s, defending admitted murderers, rapists, and Mafia kingpins. His transition from saint to pariah was cemented when he worked for the defendants in the infamous Central Park jogger trial. Interviews with his contemporaries and electrifying footage of the historic events in which he participated make William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe an absorbing history lesson and an intensely personal portrait of a husband and father, providing no easy answers in its deconstruction of a political and cultural icon.

USA 2009

Directors:

Sarah Kunstler

Emily Kunstler

Producers:

Jesse Moss

Susan Korda

Screenwriter:

Sarah Kunstler

Cinematographer:

Brett Wiley

Editor:

Emily Kunstler

Music:

Shahzad Ismaily

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Arthouse Films

Film Website: disturbingtheuniverse. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Yes Men Fix the World

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM NEPTUNE THEATRE

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Gonzo political activists The Yes Men return to the silver screen with their most recent slew of corporate hoaxes and political stunts that target our cynical political and financial overlords. Impersonating corporate luminaries around the globe, Yes Men Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum skewer the greed and corruption behind global free trade. 2003’s The Yes Men showcased outrageously innovative concepts like a scheme to alleviate world hunger by repeatedly “recycling” hamburgers, and the skintight golden leotard—equipped with a three-foot-long inflatable phallus—that allows sweatshop owners to control their workers from afar. This year’s The Yes Men Fix the World takes things a step further, with the team unveiling “SurvivaBall,” an inflatable prophylactic suit (think a blown-up Violet in Wonka’s chocolate factory) that insulates wearers against man-made ecological disasters, and introducing a groundbreaking new biofuel synthesized from the bodies of climate-change victims. A carnivalesque comedy in the face of corporate and political greed, The Yes Men Fix the World is serious in its criticism of capitalism, free trade, and the destruction of our planet. It’s wild entertainment with a pointed purpose.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

TheFilmSchool and Seattle International Film Festival announce:

USA 2009

Directors:

Andy Bichlbaum

Mike Bonanno

Kurt Engfehr

Producers:

Doro Bachrach

Ruth Charny

Laura Nix

Screenwriters:

Andy Bichlbaum

Mike Bonanno

Cinematographer: Raul Barcelona

Editor:

April Merl

Music:

Neel Murgai & Noisola

Featuring: Andy Bichlbaum

Mike Bonanno

Running Time:

85 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

International Sales:

Cinetic Media

Print Source:

The Yes Men

Film Website: theyesmen.org/theyesmenfixtheworld

Selected Filmography: The Yes Men (2003)

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FRONTIER OF DAWN

“An extravagant, heartfelt blend of tenderness, pain and longing.”

— Richard Brody, The New Yorker

Director: Philippe Garrel

Runtime: 1hr, 46min

Festivals: Cannes

Nationality: France

When Carole, a movie star neglected by her husband, falls for Francois, a young photographer, their intense bond soon devolves into madness and mystery.

HOW TO BE

“A brilliant symbiosis of intellect and humor, nurtured along with a healthy dose of British charm.” — Slamdance FF

Director: Oliver Irving

Runtime: 1hr, 25min

Festivals: Slamdance

Nationality: UK

Starring TWILIGHT star Robert Pattinson, HOW TO BE is a wry comedy about a young man’s painfully funny journey to figure out where he belongs in a complicated world.

A L’AVENTURE

“Once again Brisseau looks at the sexual voyage of discovery of young women… It is the start of a boundless and increasingly dangerous experiment.” — Edinburgh FF

Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau

Runtime: 1hr, 42min

Festivals: Montreal/Rotterdam

Nationality: France

In this intense erotic drama, a woman undergoes hypnosis to reach her ultimate sexual fantasy.

HEAVEN’S HEART

“Raw emotion, fearless performances and stylized cinematography make for compelling viewing!” — Alissa Simon, Variety

Director: Simon Staho

Runtime: 1hr, 35min

Festivals: Berlin/San Francisco

Nationality: Sweden

In this Bergman-esque drama, a twenty year marriage is put to the test when a woman finds out that her husband is having an affair with her closest friend.

THE 27 CLUB

“Remarkably convincing! ACROSS

THE UNIVERSE’s Joe Anderson turns in an intense, anguished performance.”

— Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Director: Erica Dunton

Runtime: 1hrs, 25min

Festivals: Tribeca/Seattle

Nationality: USA

The last surviving member of a rock band travels in a drugged-out stupor from LA to his Missouri hometown to carry out his late friend’s final request.

DARK MIRROR

“DARK MIRROR sustains suspense throughout, thanks in part to the tour-deforce performance of Lisa Vidal!”

— Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Director: Pablo Proenza

Runtime: 1hr, 29min

Festivals: New York Latino

Nationality: USA

In this eerie horror film, a photographer moves into a haunted house and finds that everyone she takes pictures of dies.

Contemporary World Cinema

See the world from your theater seat at SIFF’s largest program.

SIFF offers many tasty treats over the course of 25 days, but the Contemporary World Cinema section is truly the main course. These films represent the vast breadth of world cinema, from the latest offerings by cinematic masters to at least three-dozen first features from young up-and-coming filmmakers. France leads the pack, with more than 20 films chosen for this section, but there are other gems to discover from such historically underrepresented countries as Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Cyprus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. This year’s selections serve up light-as-a-feather farces, gripping dramas about racial tensions, tender stories about first love, sweeping war epics, and even a philosophical sci-fi film about clones. Each entry demonstrates how cinematic storytelling differs across the globe, offering fresh perspectives of human interactions from some of the top award-winning films from festivals worldwide to some obscure treasures found right here in the United States. Don’t miss this chance to be the first to check out some of the best international fare of the year.

33 SCENY Z ZYCIA

33 Scenes from Life

TUESDAY JUNE 2 4:30 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM

Julie comes from a close-knit family of artists, the pampered and spoiled one in her quickwitted family. The film opens on a happy night as the family sits dining outside. Julie (played by German actress Julia Jentsch who does not speak Polish but learned the role phonetically) is a talented, internationally acclaimed photographer who is married to Piotr, a famous composer. Director Malgośka Szumowska, a rising star of Polish cinema, creates a poetic string of 33 scenes from life. When her parents die, Julia slips into emotional extremes, crying and laughing at the same time. With a light hand, Szumowska captures how life goes on no matter what happens, especially in the most challenging times. Julia’s professional career goes through a period of crisis and she is forced to reappraise her life, her husband, her estranged sister, and her artistic collaborator Adrian. 33 Scenes from Life is an adeptly produced film with smooth, sophisticated camerawork, impeccable editing, and a strong ensemble cast.

Awards:

Locarno Film Festival (Silver Leopard)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Poland/Germany 2008

Director:

Małgośka Szumowska

Producers:

Raimond Goebel

Teresa Dvorzecka

Karl Baumgartner

Screenwriter:

Małgośka Szumowska

Cinematographer:

Michal Englert

Editor:

Jacek Drosio

Music:

Pawel Mykietyn

Cast:

Julia Jentsch

Peter Gantzler

Maciej Stuhr

Malgorzata Hajewska

Andrzej Hudziak

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

TrustNordisk

Print Source:

Pandora Film

Film Website: 33-szenen.realfictionfilme.de

Selected Filmography: Happy Man (2000)

(500) Days of Summer

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

TUESDAY JUNE 9 4:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn’t. Surprising in its outcome, Marc Webb’s debut feature film is a charming postmodern reflection on crushing, unrequited love and relationships, dispensed in a nonlinear structure. Starting at day 488, the narration jumps back and forth to different days in the 500-day love affair. From day one Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is completely smitten by new co-worker Summer (Zooey Deschanel). He believes in the possibility of soul mates destined to meet, while she believes that true love is only a fairy tale never to be experienced, and so her interest in Tom is purely lighthearted fun. Gordon-Levitt’s and Deschanel’s nuanced portrayals of roller coaster love and the mercurial, ungraspable object of one’s affection almost move this story out of romantic comedy and into tragedy. The comedic tone, vigorous shots, and effervescent music keep it light in the most satisfying way.

USA

2009

Director:

Marc Webb

Producers:

Jessica Tuchinsky

Mark Waters

Steven Wolfe

Mason Novick

Screenwriters:

Scott Neustadter

Michael Weber

Cinematographer:

Eric Steelberg

Editor:

Alan Bell

Music:

Mychael Danna

Rob Simonsen

Cast:

Zooey Deschanel

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Clark Gregg

Minka Kelly

Matthew Gray Gubler

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Fox Searchlight

Film Website: foxsearchlight. com/500daysofsummer

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

$9.99

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:30 PM

THURSDAY MAY 28 4:30 PM

The answer to the meaning of life and why we exist is within your reach, and it’ll only cost you a mere $9.99. Unemployed 28-year-old Dave Peck chips in his money for the answers. The little booklet he receives changes his life, and he sets out on a quest to share his find with the rest of the world—starting with his apartment block neighbors in Tel Aviv. This stop-motion animated feature walks through the daily lives of a quirky cast of characters, including a magician at the mercy of repossessors, a supermodel with a very particular taste in men, a little boy hoping for the latest, greatest toy, and more. Each struggles with the daily twists and turns of life in pursuit of happiness. On the surface the mood is pensive, even gloomy, but lurking just underneath is humor in waiting. This urban fairy tale doesn’t ask or answer a lot of questions, so we can formulate our own conclusion about what makes us happy.

Awards:

Mexico City International Film Festival 2008 (Cinemex Audience Award)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Israel/Australia 2008

Director:

Tatia Rosenthal

Producers:

Emile Sherman

Amir Harel

Screenwriters: Tatia Rosenthal

Etgar Keret

based on short stories by Etgar Keret

Cinematographers:

Susan Stitt

James Lewis

Richard Bradshaw

Music:

Christopher Bowen

Featuring the Voices of:

Geoffrey Rush

Anthony LaPaglia

Samuel Johnson

Claudia Karvan

Joel Edgerton

Ben Mendelson

Barry Otto

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

Fortissimo Films

Print Source:

Regent Releasing

Film Website: 9dollars99movie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

DARBAREYE ELLY

About Elly

SUNDAY MAY 24 11:00 AM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

In his fourth feature, talented writer-director Asghar Farhadi casts a revealing light on the elaborate culture of deceit that’s part and parcel of modern Iranian society with a gripping drama about upper-middle class Tehranis on a catastrophic seaside holiday. Pretty, warm nursery school teacher Elly is an uncomfortable outsider among a group of old university friends. Overly insistent Sepideh, the mother of one of her students, drags her along to the Caspian Sea. Sepideh’s hidden agenda, which soon becomes obvious to the others, is to make a match between Elly and Ahmad, who is newly divorced from a German woman and desirous of an Iranian wife. As the outing progresses, casually told lies accumulate at an alarming rate and ultimately come back to haunt the tellers. Some have to do with tarouf, a sort of faux-politeness embedded in Persian culture; others have to do with the gender roles and class differences. Although the film starts as a comedy of manners, after an alarming incident at the 45-minute mark, Farhadi ratchets up the tension, and the film becomes a mystery thriller that epitomizes the Sir Walter Scott quote, “Oh what a tangled web weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Best Director)

Tribeca Film Festival 2009 (Best Feature)

Iran 2009

Director:

Asghar Farhadi

Producer: Asghar Farhadi

Screenwriter: Asghar Farhadi

Cinematographer: Hossein Jafarian

Editor: Hayedeh Safiyari

Cast:

Golshifteh Farahani

Taraneh Alidousti

Mani Haghighi

Running Time:

119 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Persian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

DreamLab Films

Print Source:

DreamLab Films

Selected Filmography:

Fireworks Wednesday (2006)

Beautiful City (2004)

Dancing in the Dust (2003)

The Admiral

FRIDAY JUNE 12 7:00 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 1:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Can a 20-something man with Asperger’s syndrome, unable to respond to nonverbal signals and unaware of social conventions, offer a woman a satisfying, adult relationship?

Writer-director Max Mayer tenderly and credibly explores this question in Adam, as a couple of unusual characters cautiously navigate a complicated romance. Beth, a smart, attractive writer, who is still emotionally damaged from a past relationship, moves into a New York City apartment building where she meets Adam, the handsome but perplexingly odd electronic engineer in the apartment downstairs. Friendly and engaging by nature, Beth doesn’t quite know what to make of Adam’s initially avoidant nature and awkward communication style. When she learns of Adam’s condition and notices how he’s drawn to her, she decides to give him a chance. But their relationship is endangered in more ways than one when Adam meets Beth’s parents, who harbor understandable reservations. Their rare story takes on obstacles of human intimacy with psychological prowess. The couple’s complicated romance exemplifies something universal: truly reaching another person means bravely stretching into uncomfortable territory, and the resulting shake-up can be liberating.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2009 (Alfred P. Sloan Prize)

US Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 5 7:00 PM

USA

2009

Director:

Max Mayer

Producers:

Leslie Urdang

Miranda De Pencier

Dean Vanech

Screenwriter:

Max Mayer

Cinematographer:

Seamus Tierney

Editor:

Grant Myers

Music:

Christopher Lennertz

Cast:

Hugh Dancy

Rose Byrne

Peter Gallagher

Amy Irving

Frankie Faison

Mark Linn-Baker

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Fox Searchlight

Film Website: foxsearchlight.com/adam

Selected Filmography: Better Living (2000)

ADMIRAL THEATER

TUESDAY JUNE 9 4:15 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

A sweeping historical epic in the tradition of Doctor Zhivago, The Admiral tells the story of Alexander Kolchak (Konstantin Khabensky), one of the White Army’s most controversial commanders. Married to Sofia and with a young son, Kolchak nevertheless falls heavily for Anna, the wife of a friend and fellow officer. Although Kolchak and Anna initially try to resist their passion and are separated in the chaos of the Revolution, they eventually unite in Siberia, where Kolchak is fighting the Bolsheviks on the banks of the Ushakovka River. One of the most expensive Russian films ever made (the budget is reported to have been around $20 million), no expense has been spared on the lavish set pieces, costumes, and full-scale orchestral score. In his portrait of Kolchak as a man clinging to 19th-century values while his country transforms around him, director Andrei Kravchuk (The Italian) has conjured a lost world of grace and beauty.

Russia

2008

Director:

Andrei Kravchuck

Producer:

Anatoly Maximoc

Screenwriters:

Vladimir Valutsky

Zoya Coudrie

Cinematographers:

Igor Grinyakin

Alexei Rodionov

Editor:

Tom Rolf

Music:

Gleb Matvejchuk

Ruslan Muratov

Cast:

Elizaveta Boyarskaya

Konstantin Khabensky

Sergey Bezrukov

Vladislav Vetrov

Running Time:

123 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Russian and French, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Rezo

Print Source:

Rezo

Film Website: admiralfilm.ru

Selected Filmography:

The Italian (2005)

The Christmas Miracle (2000)

American Primitive Against the Current

FRIDAY JUNE 5 7:00 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

With the five-year anniversary of his wife and child’s death rapidly approaching, Paul (Joseph Fiennes) recruits his friends Jeff and Liz to help him realize his all-consuming goal of swimming the length of the Hudson River. Sensing that Paul is hiding something, Jeff discovers that the trip is Paul’s way of saying goodbye to a life that has dealt him too much tragedy. Despite his friends’ efforts to convince him otherwise, Paul is firm in his belief that there is nothing left for him now that his wife and child are gone. As Paul swims closer to Manhattan, Liz and Jeff scramble to change his mind before it’s too late. Justin Kirk turns in a particularly strong performance as Paul’s sarcastic, unsentimental best friend. Appearances from Michelle Trachtenberg and Mary Tyler Moore round out an excellent ensemble cast. Set against the backdrop of the Hudson River Valley in summertime, Against the Current explores the dark landscape of life after loss, and delivers a strong finale sure to stay with you long after the film’s conclusion.

USA

2009

Director:

Peter Callahan

Producers:

Joshua Zeman

Mary Jane Skalski

Screenwriter: Peter Callahan

Cinematographer:

Sean Kirby

Editor:

Michael Taylor

Music:

Anton Sanko

Cast:

Joseph Fiennes

Justin Kirk

Elizabeth Reaser

Mary Tyler Moore

Michelle Trachtenberg

Running Time:

94 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Fortissimo Films

Print Source:

Fortissimo Films

Film Website: againstthecurrent.net

Selected Filmography: Last Ball (2001)

FRIDAY JUNE 12 7:00 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 4:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Teenager Madeline Goodhart hoped for an idyllic coastal life when she and her younger sister, Daisy, moved to a beach town to live with her father, a recent widower looking for a fresh start with a home-based furniture business. But as the two girls begin to make new friends in an unfamiliar high school, they discover a secret that threatens to tear their family apart: an intimate relationship between their father and his male business partner. Set in 1973 and shot on Cape Cod, American Primitive examines the meaning of family and love during a time of social and political upheaval, when homosexuality was an emerging yet still taboo social issue in the national consciousness. This story of a struggle for normality in a generation steeped in change is viewed from Madeline’s perspective and is colored by the personal experiences of director Gwen Wynne, who grew up on Cape Cod. With powerful performances that are alternately comic and moving, American Primitive underscores the complex emotions surrounding an issue that was once shrouded in silence and shame.

USA

2009

Director:

Gwen Wynne

Producers:

James Egan

Adam Rosen

Mary Beth Fielder

Suzan Crowley

Screenwriters:

Gwen Wynne

Mary Beth Fielder

Cinematographer: Christopher Chomyn

Editor:

Joanne D’Antonio

Music:

Alice Nicholas Wood

Cast:

Tate Donovan

Danielle Savre

Skye McCole Bartusiak

Adam Pascal

Anne Ramsey

Josh Peck

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

Print Source:

Cape Cod Films

Film Website:

americanprimitivemovie. com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Amreeka

SATURDAY JUNE 13 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

A regular routine of West Bank checkpoints, a dead-end bank job, and reminders of a failed marriage make Muna Farah’s life an uphill battle. Winning a U.S. green card lottery, Muna capitalizes on the opportunity she’s been waiting for—a chance for her and her son Fadi to start anew. However, their move to America corresponds with the invasion of Iraq and the pair find themselves in a political environment brewing with tension. As they settle in with Muna’s sister and husband, their attempts to acclimate to cookiecutter Chicago suburb go amiss. Fadi suffers the two-fold alienation of being a teenager and an Arab, while Muna’s relentless job searching proves futile. Forced to the brink of financial crisis, the highly experienced and capable Muna secretly takes a job as a fast food employee. Offering an authentic glimpse into the Palestinian situation, director Cherien Dabis filmed the first part of the story in the West Bank. Effortless in its depiction of displacement and the struggles of cultural identity, Amreeka also captures the confusion of first-generation teenagers caught between their parents’ ethnic heritage and the Western world in which they live.

USA/Canada/ Kuwait 2009

Director:

Cherien Dabis

Producers:

Christina Piovesan

Paul Barkin

Screenwriter:

Cherien Dabis

Cinematographer:

Tobias Datum

Editor:

Keith Reamer

Music:

Kareem Roustom

Cast:

Nisreen Faour

Melkar Muallem

Hiam Abbass

Yussuf Abu-Warda

Alia Shawkat

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Maximum Films

Print Source:

National Geographic

Entertainment

Film Website: amreeka.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

LA MUJER DEL ANARQUISTA

The Anarchist’s Wife

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:30 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:30 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

Separated by the Spanish Civil War, concentration camps and years of unrest, Justo and Manuela struggle to keep themselves and their marriage alive. A vocal Spanish loyalist and activist, Justo is forced into hiding and later a concentration camp, where communication with the outside world proves impossible. Despite these lonely years of poverty, the resilient Manuela raises her children, defies the Nationalist Party, and assembles the broken pieces of her former life—motivated by the hope her family will once again be whole someday. When word from Justo comes after the war, Manuela drops everything to be by his side, only to find his political idealism is stronger than ever before. As she comes to terms with her husband’s cause, Manuela works to rebuild their damaged relationship, as well as Justo’s relationship with his daughter. Co-directors Marie Noëlle and Peter Sehr splice archival footage with their harrowing depiction of war-torn Madrid, creating a convincing backdrop of devastation that dominates Justo and Manuela’s enduring love story. Told from their daughter Paloma’s point of view, the story unravels over decades of family drama, tracing the young girl’s understanding of love, politics, and passion.

Spain/Germany/ France

2009

Directors:

Marie Noëlle

Peter Sehr

Producers:

Marie Noëlle

Peter Sehr

Screenwriters:

Peter Sehr

Marie Noëlle

Cinematographer:

Jean-François Robin

Editor:

Luis de la Madrid

Music:

Zacarías Martinez de la Riva

Cast:

María Valverde

Juan Diego Botto

Nina Hoss

Ivana Baquero

Jean-Marc Barr

Laura Morante

Running Time:

115 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French and Spanish, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Selected Filmography:

Love the Hard Way (2001)

Obsession (1997)

Kaspar Hauser (1993)

The Serbian Girl (1991)

The Answer Man

MONDAY MAY 25 11:00 AM

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

NEPTUNE THEATRE

Who is Arlen Faber? He’s the reclusive author of Me and God, a best-selling spirituality guide that changed the lives of an entire generation.

Still the question remains: Who is Arlen Faber?

Despite selling millions of books, it’s been years since anyone except for his one-time editor has seen the reclusive, cantankerous author. All that changes when two very different persons come into his life. First, Arlen throws his back out, and must, quite literally, crawl into Elizabeth’s chiropractic clinic to get help, stumbling upon the one person in New York City who hasn’t heard of him or his book. He becomes instantly smitten with her but is unsure of how to progress their budding relationship. Then there’s Kris, a recovering alcoholic in search of someone to provide him with answers from a higher power. Unfortunately, God isn’t taking Arlen’s calls anymore. Writer-director John Hindman’s feature film debut genially grapples with all the large questions of existence—Why am I here? What should I be doing?—but, like Arlen himself, its charm and levity comes from the very real suspicion that the best possible answer to such questions might just be a carefree shrug.

USA

2009

Director:

John Hindman

Producers:

Jana Edelbaum

Kevin J. Messick

Screenwriter: John Hindman

Cinematographer:

Oliver Bokelberg

Editor:

Gerald B. Greenberg

Cast: Kat Dennings

Lauren Graham

Olivia Thirlby

Jeff Daniels

Tony Hale

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Apron Strings

SATURDAY MAY 30 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 1 5:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:30 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

Samoan-born, New Zealand-raised director Sima Urale stirs the cultural melting pot and dishes up a visually appealing, character-driven drama about food, love, traditions, and things that cause heartburn in the lives of two separate but parallel Kiwi families from racially diverse cultures. At the heart of this often-humorous tale are three outwardly strong but inwardly vulnerable women whose lives and livelihoods revolve around their love of food and family. Beautiful widow Anita hosts a popular TV cooking show but is frustrated by her producer’s repeated attempts to exploit her East Indian ethnicity, a culture with which she no longer identifies. Meanwhile, Anita’s estranged sister, Tara, singlehandedly runs their parents’ no-frills neighborhood curry shop and has unknowingly hired Anita’s 20-year-old son Michael. In another part of Auckland, bakery owner Lorna struggles to come to terms with the racial and cultural changes occurring all around her. At home, her unemployed, deadbeat 35-year-old son, Barry, gambles away every cent she gives him, and her daughter, Virginia, returns home from college— pregnant, unmarried, and a vegan. There are many connections between the individuals, but they will not be realized until all of their secrets are exposed.

New Zealand

2008

Director:

Sima Urale

Producers:

Rachel Gardner

Angela Littlejohn

Screenwriters: Shuchi Kothari

Dianne Taylor

Cinematographer: Rewa Harre

Editor:

Eric De Beus

Music:

Mark Petrie

Cast:

Laila Rouass

Scott Wills

Jennifer Ludlam

Nathan Whitaker

Leela Patel

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in English and Punjabi, with English subtitles

International Sales: New Zealand Film Commission

Print Source: New Zealand Film Commission

Film Website: apronstringsmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

ONLINE AUCTION

Ever dreamed of a walk-on role in a film?

Do you collect vintage posters from around the world?

Would you like to go on an all-expenses paid trip to another festival?

Want to hone your writing or production skills, and learn new techniques?

Are you an autograph collector?

Enjoy dining at fabulous restaurants?

The Baby Formula

TUESDAY JUNE 2 4:30 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:45 PM SIFF CINEMA

The Baby Formula mixes cutting edge science, sexual politics, and a healthy dose of humor to concoct what may be the sleeper hit of the Festival. Lesbian couple Athena and Lilith want a biological child of their own so badly that they convince a scientist in a fertility lab to use an experimental scientific process to impregnate Athena with “female sperm” created from Lilith’s stem cells, but on one condition: the experiment must be kept secret. But when Lilith uses the same method to get pregnant behind Athena’s back, and the parentage of Lilith’s baby is then called into question, the couple is forced to divulge the truth of their experimental conceptions to their families. Full of humor and unexpected twists, the resulting family meeting erupts in a collision of differing views. Shot in an improvisational mockumentary style from the beginning through the final credits, Alison Reid’s film benefits from serendipitous casting (both lead actresses were actually pregnant during shooting) and hilarious improvisational acting. Reid, a veteran stunt coordinator and performer, demonstrates her directing chops with a great ear for family interaction in this film that celebrates love, acceptance, and the gift of life in all its forms.

Canada

2008

Director:

Alison Reid

Producers:

James Mou

Stephen Adams

Alison Reid

Screenwriter:

Richard Beattie

Cinematographer:

Brian Harper

Editor:

Mark Arcieri

Music:

Robert Carli

Cast:

Megan Fahlenbock

Rosemary Dunsmore

Angela Vint

Running Time:

81 minutes

Presentation

DigiBeta

Print Source:

Format:

Free Spirit Films, Inc.

Film Website: thebabyformulamovie. com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

COMME LES AUTRES

Baby Love

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

MONDAY MAY 25 1:45 PM UPTOWN

Lambert Wilson gives an evocative performance as Manu, a 40-something pediatrician who discovers an underlying need to become a father. There is one catch however—Manu is gay. Under French law, same-sex unions are legal while gay adoption remains illegal. When Manu approaches his partner Philippe with his newfound plan, it quickly becomes apparent that they are not on the same page. Manu is forced to choose between his partner and his desire to have a child. Fate intervenes when he runs into Fina, a beautiful South American immigrant who is looking to become a French citizen. The two embark on a plan to make Fina a permanent French resident while helping to fulfill Manu’s wish to have a child. But as in life, nothing is as easy as it seems. This charming French comic drama takes a modern look at love and what it truly means to be a family.

CINEMAS

France 2008

Director:

Vincent Garenq

Producer:

Christophe Rossingnon

Screenwriter:

Vincent Garenq

Cinematographer:

Jean-Claude Larrieu

Editor:

Dorian Rigal-Ansous

Music:

Loïc Dury

Laurent Levesque

Cast:

Lambert Wilson

Pilar López de Ayala

Pascal Elbé

Anne Brochet

Running Time:

90 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Film Website:

marsdistribution.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Ball Don’t Lie

SATURDAY MAY 30 7:00 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE

Based on Matt de la Peña’s popular novel, Ball Don’t Lie follows Sticky, a skinny high school junior with enormous basketball talent, but also an equally daunting number of challenges. Abandoned to the foster care system, and suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder that only vanishes when he’s on the court, he finds his home at a community gym and becomes a star on the basketball court. Incorporating multiple timelines, the film covers a single day in Sticky’s life, as he plays ball at the volatile Lincoln Rec, the legendary Venice Beach court where he is the only white player. Though committed to his schedule of daily games, he’s trying to save up to buy his girlfriend a birthday present. With little money to get a gift that will impress her, he makes a choice that will have a lasting impact on the rest of their lives. In his debut feature, director Brin Hill uses flashbacks and his all-star ensemble—including ESPN’s Grayson “The Professor” Boucher as Sticky—to create a genuine basketball film that mixes rough-andtumble human drama with the humor, energy, and ego of the streetball scene to tell the story of a young man learning to make the right moves. Recommended for ages 13 and above.

CENTER

USA 2008

Director:

Brin Hill

Producers:

Michael Roiff

Jeffrey Smith

Screenwriters:

Brin Hill

Matt de la Peña

Cinematographer:

Matthew Jensen

Editor:

Steven Pilgrim

Music:

Dilated Peoples

Kanye West

Danger Mouse

Pete Rock

Cast:

Grayson “The Professor” Boucher

Nick Cannon

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges

Rosanna Arquette

Running Time:

102 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta

Print Source:

Night & Day Pictures

Film Website:

3stonesback.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

The Beast Stalker

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:00 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

HARVARD EXIT

SATURDAY MAY 30 11:00 AM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Dante Lam made the Hong Kong action hit of the year, elegantly fusing a solid action picture with the depth of an emotional psychodrama. The Beast Stalker grips like a vice from the opening frames: a thrilling car chase that ends with a $200,000 multicar stunt you have to see to believe. The film quickly introduces Tong Fei (a maturing Nicolas Tse) as the young leader of the cops who are chasing a triad boss. Tong mistakenly kills one of the twin daughters of a prosecuting attorney who is trying the boss’ case. Before he can wallow too deeply in pain and guilt, the attorney’s other twin daughter is kidnapped. Tong takes the gamble to get her back at the risk of causing the second daughter’s death. The dark and gritty roots woven by scenarist Jack Ng refuse to release their tense stranglehold on the audience while Nick Cheung embodies the hired kidnapper as a repellent, oneeyed killer-for-hire and turns it into a symphony of sympathy. The story builds its suspense through a variety of wonderfully staged action set pieces and a rhythmic, atmospheric score. Lam gets the adrenaline pumping with his energetic directing, which plays the humanity of the lead performances to full effect.

Awards:

Hong Kong Film Critics’ Society Awards (Best Actor, Supporting Actor)

Hong Kong 2008

Director:

Dante Lam

Producers:

Albert Lee

Cheung Hong-tat

Candy Leung

Dante Lam

Screenwriters:

Jack Ng

Dante Lam

Wai-Lun Ng

Cinematographers: Man-Po Cheung

Chung-To Tse

Editor:

Ki-Hop Chan

Music:

Henry Lai

Cast: Nicholas Tse

Nick Cheung

Zhang Jingchu

Running Time:

111 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Emperor Motion Pictures

Print Source:

Emperor Motion Pictures

Film Website:

thebeaststalker.emp.hk

Selected Filmography:

The Sniper (2009)

Storm Rider: Clash of Evils (2008)

Undercover Hidden Dragon (2006)

Heat Team (2004)

Love on the Rocks (2004)

Naked Ambition (2003)

The Twins Effect (2003) Beast Cops (1998)

LA GUERRE DES MISS Beauties at War

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 31 9:00 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:30 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

The provincial valley town of Charmoussey has always been in the shadow of its neighbor—literally. Upper Charmoussey, a profitable ski resort, sits above it in the snowy mountains. But now the very existence of Charmoussey is in danger as local authorities consider annexing the two. The mayor decides that their only hope of defeating the measure lies in winning the annual local beauty pageant (in which they’ve suffered 22 consecutive losses). But this year they’ve got a secret weapon in the form of prodigal son Franck Chevrel. When local residents spy his picture in the TV guide (albeit as an extra), they decide he’s just the showbiz type they need to coach their amateurs to success. And there’s an added attraction for Chevrel—the girl(s?) he left behind. Benoît Poelvoorde and Olivia Bonamy star in this farcical fable of top dog versus underdog from SIFF favorite Patrice Leconte.

France 2008

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Producer: Franck Chorot

Screenwriters:

Fred Cavaye

Guillaume Lemans

Franck Chorot

Cinematographer: Jean-Marie Dreujou

Editor: Frederic Jupin

Music:

Étienne Perruchon

Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde

Olivia Bonamy

Jacques Mathou

Christian Charmetant

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source:

Gaumont

Film Website: laguerredesmiss-lefilm. com

Selected Filmography:

My Best Friend (2006)

Intimate Strangers (2004)

The Man on the Train (2002)

The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) Ridicule (1996) Monsieur Hire (1989)

LA TERRA DEGI UOMINI ROSSI

Birdwatchers

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 4:30 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 5 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

HARVARD EXIT

KARA KÖPEKLER HAVLAKEN

Black Dogs

Barking

In Mato Grosso do Sul, in the midwest of Brazil, the farmers lead a wealthy and leisurely existence. They have huge fields and hordes of tourists who come for bird watching. The Guarani-Kaiowá, the indigenous people who really own the land, are now confined to a nearby reservation and are paid to stand naked along the shores of the river in face paint to provide thrills for the visitors. Fed up with their officially imposed financial and spiritual impoverishment, which has led to a wave of suicides, tribal leader Nadio and a local shaman organize a protest on former Guarani property that is now occupied by the deeply unsympathetic farmer Moreira and his cruel wife. As the two opposing worlds meet in an uneasy confrontation, a deep bond develops between the shaman’s young apprentice, Osvaldo, and the farmer’s bikini-clad daughter. Casting local nonprofessionals, director Marco Bechis draws out performances that effectively highlight the sharp clash between tyranny and a profoundly spiritual and ancient culture connected to nature.

Italy/Brazil 2008

Director:

Marco Bechis

Producers:

Amedeo Pagani

Marco Bechis

Fabiano Gullane

Caio Gullane

Screenwriters:

Marco Bechis

Luiz Bolognesi

Lara Fremder

Cinematographer:

Hélcio Alemão Nagamine

Editor:

Jacopo Quadri

Music:

Domenico Zipoli

Andrea Guerra

Cast:

Claudio Santamaria

Alicelia Batista Cabreira

Chiara Caselli

Abrisio da Silva Verga

Ambrosio Vilhalva

Running Time:

108 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Portuguese and Guarani, with English

subtitles

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website:

birdwatchersfilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Hijos/Figli (2001)

Garage Olimpo (1999)

Alambrado (1991)

North American Premiere

TUESDAY MAY 26 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Restless and young, best buddies Selim and Çaça struggle to get by while living on the outskirts of Istanbul. By day they raise pigeons on their roof. By night they roam the city streets with their entourage. Selim dreams of marrying his girlfriend and owning his own business with Çaça—if only he can keep the unpredictable Çaça under control. They’re looking for their big break, and figure that their relationship with the local mafia boss will help them open up their own parking-lot business near a high-end shopping mall. But tensions mount when the mall’s security contractor discovers their plans, and the cops start focusing on them in order to gather evidence against the mafia. This dynamic directorial debut does for Istanbul what Scorsese did for Little Italy: It takes an intimate and inventive shooting style and combines it with an authentic ear for that city’s slang to tell the story of two friends who get into deep trouble in a chaotic underground scene. For 15 years, director Mehmet Bahadır Er lived in the neighborhood where Black Dogs Barking is set, and he uses that experience to bring a tremendous realism to the film.

Turkey 2009

Directors:

Mehmet Bahadir Er

Maryna Gorbach

Producer:

Mehmet Bahadir Er

Screenwriter:

Mehmet Bahadir Er

Cinematographer:

Sviatoslav Bulakovskyi

Editors:

Maryna Gorbach

Mehmet Bahadir Er

Music:

Alp Erkin

Çakmak-Baris Diri

Cast:

Cemal Toktas

Volga Sorgu Tekinglu

Erkan Can

Ayfer Dönmez

Taylan Ertugrul

Running Time:

88 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Kara Kirmizi Film

Print Source:

Kara Kirmizi Film

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

BABI BUTA YANF INGIN TERBANG

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly

US Premiere

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:15 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Indonesian filmmaker Edwin takes a bunch of seemingly disparate characters and slowly ties them together over the course of his debut feature. Everyone is initially introduced with their own title cards, like “Vera, the Fragile Badminton Player” and “Linda, the Girl Who Eats Firecrackers.” These segments work like short films, or maybe a tribute to Jean-Luc Godard. Edwin takes his time with the setting, doesn’t tell the audience what to think, and always finds an interesting frame for the action. As more characters are introduced, connections between them become more apparent. The blind dentist is married to the former badminton player. The girl who eats firecrackers so she can get on TV turns out to be his daughter. There’s a subtext about being part of the Chinese minority in Indonesia, but the other element that connects everybody in the film is the Stevie Wonder song “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” The blind dentist loves singing along to a tape of it while waiting for patients, his mistress wants to sing it on “Indonesian Idol,” and the TV editors cut some protest footage to it. It’s the perfect choice for a movie that’s about overcoming a sense of alienation and connecting with others.

Awards: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Indonesia 2008

Director:

Edwin

Producer:

Meiske Taurisia

Screenwriter:

Edwin

Cinematographer: Sidi Saleh

Editor: Herman Kumala Panca

Cast: Ladya Cheryl Pong Harjatmo

Carlo Genta

Elizabeth Maria

Joko Anwar

Running Time: 77 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Indonesian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Global Film Initiative

Print Source: Babibutafilm

Film Website: babibuta.com/the_film

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

BARBE BLEUE

Bluebeard

SUNDAY MAY 24 1:30 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA

In Catherine Breillat’s retelling of this classic tale, two young sisters play together in the attic of their home in 1950s France. Catherine (a standin for Breillat, according to her autobiographical statement) torments her timid sibling Marie-Anne with repeated dramatic readings of “Bluebeard.” As she does, the 17th-century story plays out on screen: Anne and Marie-Catherine, another pair of sisters, are thrown out of school when their father dies and leaves the family destitute. Lacking the money for a dowry, the girls consider marrying local noble Bluebeard, despite the mysterious disappearance of his several previous wives. For his part, Bluebeard is charmed by the plucky Marie-Catherine, who seems completely undaunted by him. Upon their marriage, he asks just one thing of her—that she stay out of the cellar while he’s away. In this stylized and highly literary adaptation, Breillat perfectly captures the pleasures to be had both in being frightened and in facing one’s fears head-on.

Preceded by La Dolorosa, Brazil, 2008, 12 minutes, director: Odilon Rocha A lyrical story about a bride, groom and best man involved in a destructive passion.

France

2009

Director:

Catherine Breillat

Producers:

Jean-François Lepetit

Sylvette Frydman

Screenwriter: Catherine Breillat

Cinematographer:

Vilko Filac

Editor: Pascale Chavance

Cast: Dominique Thomas

Lola Creton

Daphné Baiwir

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Pyramide International

Print Source:

Pyramide International

Selected Filmography:

The Last Mistress (2007)

Anatomy of Hell (2004)

Sex Is Comedy (2002)

Fat Girl (2001)

Romance (1999)

Junior Size 36 (1988)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Boy

North American Premiere

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:30 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:30 PM

Acclaimed Filipino director Aureaus Solito adds to a string of critically successful features that began with his debut, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (SIFF 2006). Boy is the funny, touching story of an up-and-coming poet who becomes smitten by a dancing rent-boy named Aries. Selling his prized collection of comic books and action figures, the poet, who goes unnamed, gathers enough money together that he can bring Aries home on New Year’s Eve. The connection between the two central characters is sweet and fragile in a way that brings a freshness to the film. Boy explores the relationship as a life-changing moment as the sensitive poet learns to grow more confident and assured in his sexuality. Recently banned prior to its intended world premiere in Singapore, Boy demonstrates its director’s growing poise and talent. Anyone who caught Maximo Oliveros (in which a 12-yearold boy from a family of criminals falls in love with a policeman) will know that Boy brings an inventive and delicate sensibility to this authentic gay story.

Philippines 2009

Director:

Aureaus Solito

Producers:

Aureaus Solito

Endi “Hai” Balbuena

Screenwriters:

Jimmy Flores

Arturo Calo

Cinematographer:

Louie Quinto

Editors:

Lawrence Fajardo

Keith Keith

Music:

Isha

Cast:

Aeious Asin

Aries Pena

Madelaine Nicolas

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Filipino, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Wolfe Releasing

Selected Filmography: Tuli (2007)

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005)

Breathless

North American Premiere

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY JUNE 13 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Breathless marks the impressive directorial debut of Yang Ik-june, who also served as the film’s screenwriter, producer, and star. Song-hoon is a foul-mouthed extortionist and enforcer for local gangster Man-shik. Having grown up with a violent father who was responsible for the deaths of his mother and sister, Song-hoon now directs his own seemingly limitless store of violence toward enemies and subordinates alike. Things begin to change when he meets a similarly foulmouthed schoolgirl, Han Yeon-heui. Regularly victimized by her mentally ill father and thuggish brother, she’s not scared by Song-hoon’s hard exterior. Slowly but surely, an unlikely bond develops between the two. But when Yeonheui’s brother joins Man-shik’s gang without his sister’s knowledge, it becomes clear that the crushing brutality of their environment may not allow the fragile emotional connection between them to survive. This often-brutal look at cyclical violence and how love might just redeem a lost soul is a semi-autobiographical story inspired by the director’s family and friends.

Awards: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009 (Tiger Award)

South Korea 2008

Director:

Yang Ik-june

Producers:

Yang Ik-june

Jang Sun-jin

Screenwriter:

Yang Ik-june

Cinematographer:

Yun Jeong-ho

Editors:

Lee Yuen Jung

Yang Ik-june

Music:

The Invisible Fish

Cast:

Yang Ik-june

Kim Kkobbi

Jeong Man-shik

Running Time:

130 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Showbox Inc.

Print Source:

Showbox Inc.

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SIFF CINEMA

Bronson

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:30 PM

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

NEPTUNE THEATRE

Nicolas Winding Refn, the man behind the Pusher trilogy (and SIFF 2006 Emerging Master), returns with this imaginative biography of one of the most enthusiastically violent prisoners in Britain’s penal system. By the time he was 56, Michael Peterson had spent 34 years in prison with 30 of those in solitary confinement. He’s also won awards for his art and poetry, but that’s not what this movie is about. Bronson is about a man who admits in his opening bit of narration, “All my life I’ve wanted to be famous.” Peterson goes by the name Charles Bronson, styling himself after the ’70s tough-guy action star. Portrayed with humor, energy, and impulsive rage by actor Tom Hardy, “Bronson” is the exaggerated persona that the real prisoner wants the outside world to see. Looking like a 19th-century circus strongman, but with the personality of a vaudevillian performer, he gives monologues onstage to an appreciative—and totally imaginary—audience. These fantasies are often cut together with scenes in which he is attacking guards and being violently subdued. With an obvious nod to Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Refn does an amazing job combining disturbing violence, disarming humor, and classical music, yet somehow never endorses the violent behavior.

United Kingdom

2008

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Producers:

Rupert Preston

Daniel Hansford

Screenwriters: Brock Norman Brock

Nicolas Winding Refn

Cinematographer:

Larry Smith

Editor:

Matthew Newman

Music:

Lol Hammond

Cast: Tom Hardy

Amanda Burton

Matt King James Lance Kelly Adams

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Vertigo Films

Print Source:

Magnet Releasing

Film Website: bronsonthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Pusher III: I’m the Angel of Death (2005)

Pusher II: With Blood on my Hands (2004) Fear X (2003) Bleeder (1999) Pusher (1996)

Buddenbrooks

US Premiere

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:15 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 1:30 PM

CINERAMA

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Tragically hindered by personal and public failures, the trials of powerful families are often dutifully chronicled for the critical public eye. In Buddenbrooks, art imitates life. Heinrich Breloer focuses on the fourth generation of the Buddenbrook mercantile family in his adaptation of Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann’s famed novel. The mid-19th-century drama set in the Baltic Sea port city of Lübeck, Germany, follows the family as Tony (Jessica Schwarz) and Thomas (Mark Waschke) reach the age of marriage. Fatefully impeded every step of the way, the Buddenbrooks struggle as economic hardship and personal defeats weigh down family relations. This period film succeeds in exhibiting the distress of living in a crumbling dynasty at the end of an era through its award-winning production and costume design. Exceptional acting elevates Buddenbrooks beyond cliché and highlights the gripping personalities that breathed life into Mann’s work.

Awards: Bavarian Film Festival 2009 (Best Production, Costume Design)

Germany

2008

Director:

Heinrich Breloer

Producers:

Michael Hild

Jan S. Kaiser

Uschi Reich

Winka Wulff

Screenwriters:

Heinrich Breloer

Horst Königstein

Based on the novel by Thomas Mann

Cinematographer: Gernot Roll

Editor:

Barbara von Weitershausen

Music: Hans Peter Ströer

Cast:

Armin Mueller-Stahl

Jessica Schwarz

August Diehl

Mark Waschke

Léa Bosco

Running Time: 140 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Film Website: wwws.warnerbros.de/ buddenbrooks

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Buick Riviera

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 4:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Hasan fled Bosnia 17 years ago in search of a new beginning in America. Still haunted by his past, Hasan grapples with his new life–married to policewoman Angela in North Dakota. His only solace is his 1963 Buick Riviera, in which he is master of his domain. One day his beloved Buick slides off the icy road into a ditch. Hasan flags down a passing car to ask for help and soon discovers that he and the driver, Vuko, a Serbian, speak the same language and are both from the Balkans. As they drive back to town, Vuko tells Hasan the story of his life. Both men long for a “home” and feel displaced in their own way, finding it hard to start life fresh when they can’t get over the old one. Despite their best efforts, old war resentments flare up, bringing the Balkan crisis to the snow-covered Midwest. Goran Rušinović contrasts the men and their cultures through their personal battles with their shared troubled past. Buick Riviera lays bare the exile, loss, and ancient feuds that confirm the old saying that you can run but you cannot hide from yourself.

Croatia/ Bosnia and Herzegovina/ Germany/USA

2008

Director:

Goran Rušinović

Producer:

Boris T. Matic

Screenwriter:

Goran Rušinović

Miljenko Jergovi

based on the book by Miljenko Jergovi

Cinematographer:

Igor Martinovic

Editor:

Vlado Gojun

Miran Miosic

Music:

Brane Živković

Cast:

Leon Lučev

Slavko Štimac

Aime Klein

Running Time:

86 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in English and Bosnian, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Selected Filmography:

The World’s Greatest Monster (2003)

Mondo Bobo (1997)

The Burning Plain

SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE SUNDAY JUNE 14 2:30 PM CINERAMA

In his debut feature as director, Guillermo Arriaga builds on the multithreaded approach to storytelling he brought to his previous scripts (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) to create an engrossing, interconnected study of guilt and consequences across three generations. Shuttling back and forth through time and space, from oppressive, steel-gray Oregon skies to sweeping New Mexico terrain, the film allows its audience to judge each narrative strand as it emerges and develops, before quietly weaving the stories together. Three compelling performances carry The Burning Plain forward, backward, and sideways (as is the norm for an Arriaga script). Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, and teenager Jennifer Lawrence each command the emotional center of their respective worlds. All three are subtle and sophisticated in their characterization, but gradually their emotional ties become apparent. Far from being a formal exercise designed to elicit widespread head-scratching from the audience, The Burning Plain is an affecting and subtle examination of love, guilt, and family.

Lush cinematography from veterans Robert Elswit and John Toll, along with standout performances, contribute to an already-accomplished writer’s powerful first feature.

Awards:

Venice Film Festival 2008 (Marcello Mastroianni Award–Best Young Actor or Actress)

USA 2008

Director:

Guillermo Arriaga

Producers:

Walter Parkes

Laurie MacDonald

Screenwriter:

Guillermo Arriaga

Cinematographers:

Robert Elswit

John Toll

Editor:

Craig Wood

Music:

Hans Zimmer

Omar Rodríguez-López

Cast:

Charlize Theron

Kim Basinger

Jennifer Lawrence

Joaquim de Almeida

Tessa Ia

Running Time:

111 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in English and Spanish, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

2929 International

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: burningplain.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Awards:

Sarajevo Film Festival 2008 (Best Film, Actor, FIPRESCI Award)

Pula Film Festival 2008 (Best Screenplay)

HUID HEEN

Can Go Through Skin

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

SUNDAY MAY 24 11:00 AM

Marieke was a cheerful and socially minded woman with a fancy IT job until a brutal assault completely altered her outlook on life. Ill at ease in her once-beloved Amsterdam, she escapes to the Zeeland countryside for a new start in the solitude of a dilapidated farmhouse, which she renovates by herself. She hopes her new life and new surroundings will wipe out her depression, but the cold and lonely days merely accentuate her paralyzing feelings of fear and helplessness. Spring brings a thaw to the landscape and to Marieke as she cautiously opens up to her neighbor John, who wants to help. Still, Marieke’s sanity teeters dangerously on the edge. She thinks that she has left everything behind, but burying herself in the country is not the only answer. The film’s greatest strength lies in debut director Esther Rots’ gutsy willingness to allow actress Rifka Lodeizen to explore the fear, mistrust, mania, hurt, and loneliness that vie for her character’s attention. Cinematographer Lennert Hillege’s handheld camera intensifies the emotional turmoil of the young woman’s journey to piece her soul back together.

Netherlands 2009

Director:

Esther Rots

Producer: Esther Rots

Screenwriter: Esther Rots

Cinematographer:

Lennert Hillege

Editor: Esther Rots

Music:

Dan Geesin

Cast: Rifka Lodeizen

Wim Opbrouck

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dutch, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Boutique

Print Source:

Films Boutique

Film Website: cangothroughskin.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Captive

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM

SUNDAY MAY 31 9:30 PM

When a convoy of Russian troops gets lost in the mountains during the Chechen War, two soldiers, the experienced Rubakha and the rookie Vovka, capture a handsome young local, Djamal, hoping that he might lead them to safety. As the three men set out together, trekking across the rugged landscape, complex relationships that transcend the dynamics of captor and captive develop between them. The soldiers demonstrate patience and compassion, sharing cigarettes and warm socks, and gradually the prisoner stops trying to escape. But when they find themselves surrounded by a company of Chechen fighters, the fragile bonds among them are tested. Co-written by Vladimir Makanin and based on his own short 1994 story, “A Prisoner of the Caucasus,” the film’s intimate focus on the men makes for a humane and powerful look at the realities of warfare.

Awards:

Cottbus Film Festival 2009 (Best Film)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2008 (Best Director)

Russia/Bulgaria 2008

Director:

Alexei Uchitel

Producer:

Kira Saksaganskaya

Screenwriters:

Vladimir Makanin

Timofei Deki

Cinematographer:

Yury Klimenko

Editors:

Gleb Nikulskiy

Yelena Andreyeva

Music:

Leonid Desiatnikov

Cast:

Vyacheslav Krikunov

Pyotr Logachev

Irakli Mskhalaia

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Russian and Chechen, with English subtitles

International Sales:

New Cinema Distribution

Print Source: Rock Films12, Krukov kanal

Selected Filmography: Dreaming of Space (2005)

The Stroll (2004) His Wife’s Diary (2000)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

KANDOOR

Carmo, Hit the Road

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:30 PM

SATURDAY MAY 30 1:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Carmo is a firecracker of a woman struggling to find her place in the world. While her moods range from playful and sexy to self destructive, she always shows underlying heart and a determined soul. Barely dodging the minefield of sleazy thugs who are after her, she is rescued by Marco, an unlikely and unwilling knight in shining armor. She tries to thank him and is immediately intrigued by his disinterest in her. Unaccustomed to men shunning her advances, she does her best to charm him, but Marco is not easily distracted from his mission. Despite his stubbornness and attempts to leave her behind, the two are drawn to one another as they begin an ill-fated road trip. Marco acts as if he can’t wait to get rid of Carmo, but he can’t let her go. Full of gangsters, chases, adventure, and a little love, the story pulls you in and holds on until the end. Comical and scandalous motley crews of characters mix with an array of live-wire cinematic gestures as Murilo Pasta’s dazzling filmmaking refuels the classic road-trip genre. His fly-bythe-seat-of-your-pants thrill ride through jagged paradise pairs two strangers who find their match and continue to fight destiny tooth and nail.

Spain/Poland/ Brazil

2008

Director:

Murilo Pasta

Producers:

Elisa Alvares

Alberto Aranda

Xavier Granada

Grzegorz Hajdarowicz

Murray Lipnik

Roberto d’Aliva

Screenwriter:

Murilo Pasta

Cinematographer:

Robbie Ryan

Editor:

Nacho Ruiz Capillas

Music:

Zacarías M. de la Riva

Cast:

Fele Martínez

Mariana Loureiro

Seu Jorge

Márcio Garcia

Paca Gabaldón

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Portuguese and Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Imagina International

Sales

Print Source:

Imagina International

Sales

Film Website:

acontraluzfilms.eu

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

FUERA DE CARTA

Chef’s Special

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:00 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 3:30 PM PACIFIC

Maxi is a master chef who wants a Michelin star so badly he can taste it. After years of toiling in his chic Madrid restaurant, he feels he’s on the brink of culinary superstardom—that is, until Maxi’s two estranged children show up on his doorstep. Not only are the children grieving over the recent death of their mother, they must now come to terms with their father’s openly gay lifestyle. To complicate matters further, Horacio, a sexy Argentine ex-soccer star, moves in next door, diverting the attentions of both Maxi and Alex, the restaurant’s unstable maître d’. Firsttime director Nacho G. Velilla’s frothy mix of anarchic comedy and melodrama has earned him favorable comparisons to fellow Spaniard Pedro Almodóvar. Velilla explores dramatic themes of jealousy and fatherhood but leavens most scenes with the farcical antics of Maxi’s stressed-out kitchen staff. Actor Javier Cámara, familiar to American audiences as the nurse in Almodóvar’s Talk to Her, demonstrates extraordinary range with his portrayal of Maxi as a comfortably out-of-the-closet character who tackles complex family issues that transcend mere sexual orientation. After earning raves at its premiere at last year’s Málaga Film Festival, Chef’s Special has become a huge box-office hit in Spain.

Spain 2008

Director:

Nacho G. Velilla

Producer:

Nacho G. Velilla

Screenwriters:

Nacho G. Velilla

Oriol Capel

Antonio Sánchez

David Sánchez

Cinematographer: David Omedes

Editor: Ángel Hernández Zoido

Music:

Juanjo Javierre

Cast:

Javier Cámara

Lola Dueñas

Fernando Tejero

Benjamin Vicuña

Running Time:

111 minutes

Presentation Format: DigiBeta, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source:

TLA Releasing

Film Website: fueradecarta.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PLACE CINEMAS

KURON

WA KOKYO

The Clone Returns Home

THURSDAY JUNE 4 9:30 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 4:00 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

ADMIRAL THEATER

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

When astronaut Kohei Takehara dies in an accident in space, a clone is generated from his DNA as part of a government program designed to restore people killed in the line of duty. But the program is in its infancy, and in addition to the ethical questions that arise (does a clone have a soul?), there are some serious technical glitches. When the clone is brought to life, there is a malfunction with its memory—it has only the memories of Kohei’s childhood, and in particular of the drowning death of Kohei’s twin brother Noburu in a river, which sends the clone in search of its “home.” Part science fiction, part philosophical inquiry, and set against the backdrop of a futuristic dreamscape, The Clone Returns Home engages the defining issues of human experience: our relationships with people we love and those who die, and also with our former selves.

Japan 2008

Director:

Kanji Nakajima

Producers:

Kiyoshi Inoue

Rie Yamamoto

Yoshiaki Tago

Screenwriter:

Kanji Nakajima

Cinematographer:

Hideho Urata

Editor:

Ken Memita

Music:

Yuta Yamashita

Cast:

Mitsuhiro Oikawa

Eri Ishida

Hiromi Nagasaku

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Gold View Co., Ltd.

Print Source:

Agung Inc.

Film Website:

clone-homeland.com

Selected Filmography:

The Box (2002)

Fe (1994)

WOLKE 9 Cloud 9

SUNDAY MAY 31 11:00 AM

TUESDAY JUNE 2 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Cloud 9 stares unblinkingly at lust found later in life. A 60-something and happily married seamstress, Inge, suddenly finds herself randy and in bed with Karl, after delivering his pants. As unexpected as sex scenes involving the elderly may be, director Andreas Dresen treats them matterof-factly, admirably focusing on the emotionally complex repercussions of Inge’s actions. Elder sex is not used as a gimmick or object of curiosity, but as an act that reveals Inge’s late development of self-determination. With a light touch, Cloud 9 exposes the complexity and knot of feelings that arise for Inge, Karl, and Inge’s husband, Werner, after he learns the truth of her affair. With no written dialogue for the actors to work from (only a story outline), the aging cast’s performances flesh out the material and emotional landscape with great subtlety and realism.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Heart Throb Jury Prize)

Germany 2008

Director: Andreas Dresen

Producer: Peter Rommel

Screenwriters:

Andreas Dresen

Cooky Ziesche

Laila Stieler

Jörg Hauschild

Cinematographer: Michael Hammon

Editor: Jörg Hauschild

Cast:

Ursula Werner

Horst Rehberg

Horst Westphal

Steffi Kühnert

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source:

Music Box Films

Film Website: wolke9.de

Selected Filmography: Summer in Berlin (2005)

Grill Point (2002) Night Shapes (1999)

Cold Souls

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 4:30 PM

An entertaining slice of existential whimsy with an Eastern European bent, Cold Souls posits a world in which humans can have their souls extracted and implanted into each other’s bodies. Just as Being John Malkovich allowed Malkovich to spoof himself, so Cold Souls hands its leading actor a similar opportunity. Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, a New York actor who’s preparing for the title role in Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” and finding it increasingly difficult to separate himself from the character. After discovering a New Yorker magazine piece about soul storage, the science of temporarily removing up to 95 percent of a person’s soul and all the emotional burdens that accompany it, the emotionally exhausted performer winds up in the offices of Dr. Flintstein. Wary but desperate, Paul agrees to the operation and is pushed into a giant contraption that resembles a radiotherapy machine. With his soul bottled for safekeeping, he leaves a brand new man. Trouble is, the new man can’t act. Debuting writer-director Sophie Barthes playfully blends science fiction, deadpan absurdism, and sharp social satire.

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

USA

2009

Director:

Sophie Barthes

Producers:

Dan Carey

Elizabeth Giamatti

Paul Mezey

Andrij Parekh

Jeremy Kipp Walker

Screenwriter:

Sophie Barthes

Cinematographer:

Andrij Parekh

Editor:

Andrew Mondshein

Music:

Dickon Hinchliffe

Cast:

Paul Giamatti

Dina Korzun

David Strathairn

Emily Watson

Katheryn Winnick

Lauren Ambrose

Running Time:

97 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Film Website:

coldsoulsthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

15 ANS ET DEMI

Daddy Cool

FRIDAY MAY 29 9:30 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 2 4:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

Philippe Tallec is a successful molecular biologist who has lived in America for 15 years—the entire life of his estranged teenage daughter. When his ex-wife is called out of France for three months, he decides to return to stay with Eglantine in the hope of making up for lost time. But Eglantine has other things on her mind, like girlfriends, parties, and hot boys at school. Philippe, for his part, is out of his depth. Far from bringing them closer together, his heavy-handed approach threatens to drive them further apart. Ever the man of science, he decides to take a course on parenting, which he hopes will enlighten him as to the mysteries of modern adolescence, including texting, heavy metal, belly button rings, and blogs. Daniel Auteuil stars in this hilarious comedy about a father and daughter learning to love and live with each other. Recommended for teens 15 and older.

France 2008

Directors:

Francois Desagnat

Thomass Sorriaux

Producers:

Luc Bossi

Patrice Ledoux

Screenwriter:

Thomas Sorriaux

Cinematographer:

Vincent Mathias

Editor:

Christine Lucas Navarro

Music:

Alexandre Azaria

Cast:

Daniel Auteuil

François Berléand

Juliette Lamboley

François Damiens

Gaumont

Running Time:

94 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Gaumont

Print Source:

Gaumont

Film Website:

15ansetdemi-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

The 11 Commandments (2004)

The Dope (2003)

The Dark Harbor

North American Premiere

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 4:30 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM

Manzo is a fisherman in a small seaside community who lives and works alone, but longs for a relationship and maybe a wife. When a sign is posted advertising a “matchmaking party with city women,” all the men gussy themselves up and videotape themselves for the dating service. Manzo borrows a camcorder and tries his luck, but his rehearsed speech doesn’t go as planned. When showing the videotape to the prospective dates, he discovers something unusual: There is a woman and her son living in one of his closets. Instead of kicking them out, he encourages them to stay and develops a relationship with them that makes the other fishermen jealous. Takatsugu Norito’s feature is full of deadpan, silent film comedy that is inspired in equal parts by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. It makes you remember how much can be said with only facial expressions, small actions and music. Of course, the more we learn about the mother and child, the more fragile the relationship becomes. Like a fairy tale with a bittersweet edge, The Dark Harbor brings you into the world of Manzo and shows you just how charming one lonely fisherman can be.

HARVARD

Japan 2008

Director:

Naito Takasugu

Producer:

Mayumi Amano

Screenwriter:

Naito Kakasugu

Cinematographer:

Kiyoaki Hashimoto

Editor:

Shinichi Fushima

Music:

Akira Matsumoto

Cast:

Shinya Kote

Yuko Miyamoto

Kazuki Hirooka

Akaji Maro

Running Time:

101 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

PIA Film Festival

Print Source: PIA Film Festival

Selected Filmography: Midnight Pigskin Wolf (2005)

Daytime Drinking

TUESDAY MAY 26 4:00 PM

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:45 PM SIFF CINEMA

In this untamed debut feature, writer-directorproducer-editor-composer Noh Young-seok tells the story of Hyuk-jin, a young college graduate and all around nice guy who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. Over rounds of drinks, a group of friends talk him into joining them for a trip to the countryside to console his broken heart. Unfortunately, he’s the only one who shows up on the trip. Alone and unsure, he sets out on an odd road trip, and a series of strange but hilarious encounters follows. One thing remains constant, there’s always time for another round of drinks. Nursing a great hangover and left without his wallet, phone, or pants, Hyuk-jin must find a way to get back home to Seoul. Fresh and passionate, Daytime Drinking skips past the despondency of a broken heart and moves directly to the enchanting, eccentric humor of lost love. With a clean and modest style, Young-seok creates a special work and is a talent to watch.

Awards:

Jeonju International Film Festival 2008 (Audience Critic’s Choice Award)

South Korea 2008

Director:

Noh Young-seok

Producer:

Noh Young-seok

Screenwriter:

Noh Young-seok

Cinematographer:

Noh Young-seok

Editor:

Noh Young-seok

Music:

Noh Young-seok

Cast:

Song Sam-dong

Yuk Sang-yeop

Kim Kang-hee

Running Time:

116 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: FineCut Co.

Print Source:

Eleven Arts Inc.

Film Website: daytimedrinking.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EXIT

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Departures

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

SUNDAY MAY 24 2:00 PM

The surprise winner of this year’s Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film, Departures tells the story of a concert cellist named Daigo who undergoes a transformation following the death of his father and the dissolution of his Tokyo orchestra. Because he spent a fortune on a new cello for his now-defunct ensemble, Daigo retreats, guilt-ridden, to his picturesque hometown in northern Japan to look for work, with his obedient wife Mika in tow. He responds to an ad for a company called “Departures,” thinking it’s a travel agency, but discovers that the company caters to morticians who perform “encoffinments”—highly stylized and meticulous ceremonies to prepare bodies for burial or cremation. Daigo has mixed feelings about working in an industry that carries such taboo in Japan, but he can’t refuse the salary. Soon, he finds pride in helping grieving family members cope with the loss of their loved ones, but he still can’t find the courage to admit to Mika what he does for a living. Inspired by Japanese author Shinmon Aoki’s mortician memoir, “Coffinman,” Departures is a tonally eccentric, lushly scored, moving, and funny drama that uses the rituals of death to foster a greater appreciation of life.

Awards:

Academy Award ® 2009 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Montreal World Film Festival 2008 (Grand Prix des Amériques)

Awards of the Japanese Academy 2009 (Best Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Editing, Screenplay, Sound, Lighting)

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

DESIERTO ADENTRO

The Desert Within

SIFF CINEMA

SIFF CINEMA

Japan 2008

Director:

Yojiro Takita

Producer:

Toshiaki Nakasawa

Screenwriter:

Kundo Koyama

Cinematographer:

Takeshi Hamada

Editor:

Akimasa Kawashima

Music:

Joe Hisaishi

Cast:

Masahiro Motoki

Tsutomu Yamazaki

Ryoko Hirosue

Kimiko Yo

Takashi Sasano

Running Time:

131 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Print Source:

Regent Releasing

Film Website: okuribito.jp

Selected Filmography:

The Battery (2007)

Ashura (2005)

When the Last Sword is

Drawn (2003)

The Secret (1999)

SATURDAY MAY 23 4:00 PM

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Religious fanaticism and protective love collide in this riveting odyssey of a family that seeks God’s forgiveness in order to survive. Following the Mexican Revolution in 1928, the government attempted to ban the Catholic Church and ruled the performance of any of its rituals illegal. Defying the law, Elías, a devout peasant, convinces an unwilling priest to baptize his newborn chiild, unleashing a brutal response from the army upon his hometown. Consumed by guilt, Elías has a haunting vision that his seven remaining children will die prematurely as punishment for his actions. To avoid the wrath of God, he forces the family to live in the isolation of the desert and devote the rest of their lives to the never-ending construction of a church. The Desert Within, which nearly swept the awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival, is director Rodrigo Plá’s first film after his fascinating debut feature, La zona, a dystopian vision of class divisions in Mexico City. The cinematography in The Desert Within transforms the sun-bleached Mexican landscape into a full-blown character—possessive, irrational, and ultimately devastating. Plá’s intriguing use of art and animation to punctuate the drama makes this film a rare jewel.

Awards:

Amiens International Film Festival 2008 (Special Jury Prize)

Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival 2008 (Best Film, Audience Award, Screenplay, Cinematography, Actor, Actress) Havana Film Festival 2008 (Best Cinematography)

Mexico 2008

Director:

Rodrigo Plá

Producers:

Germán Méndez

Rodrigo Plá

Screenwriters:

Laura Santullo

Rodrigo Plá

Cinematographer:

Serguei Saldívar Tanaka

Editors:

Ana García

Rodrigo Plá

Music:

Jacobo Lieberman

Leonardo Heiblum

Cast:

Mario Zaragoza

Diego Cataño

Memo Dorantes

Eileen Yañez

Luis Fernando Peña

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Filmsharks International

Print Source:

Mexican Film Institute

Selected Filmography: La zona (2007)

Don’t Let Me Drown

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM

ADMIRAL THEATER

THURSDAY JUNE 11 7:00 PM PACIFIC

In his directorial debut, Cruz Angeles navigates the rapids of young love. Set one month after 9/11, Don’t Let Me Drown focuses on two Latino families picking up the pieces in the aftermath. Sweet-faced Mexican-American Lalo (E.J. Bonilla, in a refreshingly vulnerable performance) lives in Brooklyn with his uncle, mother, and father, Ramón, who helps clear the debris from Ground Zero. Lalo’s immigrant parents embarrass him, and he’s tired of living hand to mouth. Then he meets Stefanie, a smart-mouthed Dominican-American who lost her sister in the attacks. Stefanie’s mother, Diana, handles the loss as best she can, but her father, Dionisio (Ricardo Chavira, Desperate Housewives), roils with anger—and takes it out on his wife and daughter. Both teens could use a reprieve from the tensions at home, but the closer they get to a relationship, the more circumstances and their own stubborn pride, keep them apart. Angeles never trivializes 9/11, but concentrates his attentions on affairs of the heart, making it hard not to root for these tough kids to let their defenses down and find the love they deserve.

PLACE CINEMAS

USA

2009

Director:

Cruz Angeles

Producers:

Maria Topete

Jay Van Hoy

Lars Knudsen

James Lawler

Ben Howe

Screenwriters:

Maria Topete

Cruz Angeles

Cinematographer:

Chad Davidson

Editor:

Andrew Hafitz

Music:

Daniel Belardinelli

Cast:

E.J. Bonilla

Gleendilys Inoa

Damián Alcázar

Ricardo Antonio Chavira

Gina Torres

Yareli Arizmendi

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Population 2

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Downloading Nancy

SATURDAY MAY 30 9:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY MAY 31 4:00 PM HARVARD EXIT

When Albert Stockwell comes home from work, he finds a note from his wife of 15 years, Nancy, saying she has gone to visit some friends. It’s a lie. After waiting several days, Albert realizes that his wife is missing. Depressed, self-destructive Nancy has met her salvation on the Internet in the form of Louis Farley. Louis’s life, like Nancy’s, has become a twisted quest for redemption via smutty chat rooms and alternative websites. Both wounded and alone, Nancy and Louis take comfort in one another through email, pictures, and promises. With Louis, who has a penchant for violent sex, Nancy goes to a different place, one of liberation and fulfillment. It’s a place where pain is pleasure, and where the end is the beginning. While she pursues the freedom she feels only comes with ultimate liberation, Albert is left to put the pieces together and try to salvage what is left of his life. Built around a fearless performance by Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy portrays a sadomasochistic world of psychological and emotional extremes.

USA

2008

Director:

Johan Renck

Producers:

David Moore

Igor Kovacevich

Cole Payne

Jason Essex

Screenwriters:

Pamela Cuming

Lee Ross

Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle

Editors:

Johan Soderberg

Henrik Hanson

Cast: Maria Bello

Jason Patric

Rufus Sewell

Amy Brenneman

Running Time:

102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source:

Strand Releasing

Film Website: downloadingnancythemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Eldorado

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:30 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 9:00 PM PACIFIC

Landing halfway between the American road-film and Belgian absurdism, the French-language Eldorado strikes both comedic and dramatic chords with its eccentric characters and fastpaced narrative. Yvan catches Elie burglarizing his house and decides, in good faith, to let the young man go free. Trying to believe that Elie, a former junkie, has reformed his life, Yvan offers the bankrupt young man a ride home to the French border. The two encounter a series of unusual personalities across the mostly deserted landscape. The motive behind the usually standoffish Yvan’s kindness unfolds without false pretense, as do plentiful elements of dark comedy. Bouli Lanners’ firm direction skillfully juxtaposes the unpredictable plot, which treads the line of tragedy without miring the film in pointless drama. As the film grows darker, its surrealism and reality don’t promise redemption but maintain a satisfyingly consistent tone that delivers a resolute conclusion.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2008 (Best Foreign Language Film) Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Director’s Fortnight–Best European Film)

HARVARD EXIT

Belgium/France 2008

Director:

Bouli Lanners

Producers:

Jacques-Henri Bronckart

Jerome Vidal

Screenwriter: Bouli Lanners

Cinematographer:

Jean-Paul de Zaeytijd

Editor:

Ewin Ryckaert

Music:

Renaud Mayeur

An Pierle

Koen Gisen

Cast:

Bouli Lanners

Fabrice Adde

Philippe Nahon

Didier Toupy

Franise Chichy

Running Time:

80 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Film Movement

Film Website: eldorado-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Ultranova (2005)

FLUGTEN

The Escape

North American Premiere

THURSDAY JUNE 4 9:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:00 PM HARVARD EXIT

Drawing from Olav Hergel’s novel “The Refugee,” filmmaker Kathrine Windfeld contrasts the plight of a Danish journalist with that of an Afghan terrorist in this carefully observed sociopolitical thriller. Rikke (Iben Hjejle, The Boss of It All, SIFF 2007) hasn’t been in Afghanistan long when the Taliban kidnaps, tortures, and threatens to execute her if Denmark doesn’t withdraw its troops. Rikke suspects that Nazir, who speaks English, sympathizes with her plight, even though Westerners caused the death of his father—and even though his superiors have ordered him to kill her. Because of the film’s title, it’s no spoiler to reveal that Rikke gets away, but the road ahead presents new sacrifices and deceptions. In Denmark, Rikke returns to reporting and rekindles a romance with Thomas, a former flame, while Nazir makes a daring escape of his own, traveling from the Middle East to Scandinavia. What happened in Afghanistan bonds Rikke and her one-time captor, but it could just as easily destroy them both. Often cast in supporting parts, it’s a pleasure to see Hjejle, an actress of subtle strength and conviction, take on a leading role, and she does not disappoint.

Denmark 2009

Director:

Kathrine Windfeld

Producer:

Morten Kaufmann

Screenwriter:

Rasmus Heisterberg based on the novel “The Refugee” by Olav Hergel

Cinematographer:

Jonas Alarik

Editor:

Sofia Lindgren

Music:

Jean-Paul Wall

Cast:

Iben Hjejle

Faigh Zamani

Lars Mikkelsen

Rafi Mohammed Bayan

Henrik Prip

Running Time:

114 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Danish, Dari, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Nimbus Film

Print Source:

Danish Film Institute

Film Website: dfi.dk

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

PLACE CINEMAS

Everything Strange and New

THURSDAY JUNE 4 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

With a job, a wife, two kids, and a house, Wayne is living what some might call the American dream, but to him, it’s more of a nightmare. Not happy with what he has but not motivated to make any real changes, he sleepwalks through his life, wondering what could have been. Writerdirector Frazer Bradshaw, already an established cinematographer, emphasizes Wayne’s trapped existence and addresses the universal concerns and questions of life through still shots of everyday life, friendship, family, and love, combined with thoughtful camera pans, and colors ranging from bleak to the harsh light of day. The film’s recurrent, edgy soundscape reflects Wayne’s emotional state (or lack thereof) with a muted, experimental electro-acoustic score. Bradshaw’s feature debut chronicles a life that is in actuality neither strange nor new, and ponders a bewildered existence in which holding onto what one has is a losing proposition. All coalesce to create a piercing, meditative film that raises uncomfortable questions about the broken promises of the American dream.

Awards:

San Francisco International Film Festival 2009 (FIPRESCI Award)

USA

2009

Director:

Frazer Bradshaw

Producers:

Laura Techera Francia

A.D. Liano

Screenwriter: Frazer Bradshaw

Cinematographer:

Frazer Bradshaw

Editors:

Frazer Bradshaw

Jesse Spencer

Music:

Dan Plonsey

Kent Sparling

Cast:

Jerry McDaniels

Beth Lisick

Luis Saguar

Rigo Chacon Jr.

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source: Lucky Hat Entertainment

Film Website: everythingstrangeandnew.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

DEN DU FRYGTER Fear Me Not

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

TUESDAY JUNE 2 9:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

Is evil inherent in all of us, suppressed by our egos, surfacing when induced, or is it an acquired trait?

Written by Anders Thomas Jensen, the director of Adam’s Apples and The Green Butchers, this psychological thriller chronicles the transformation of Michael, a workaholic, middle-aged family man who takes a sabbatical from his job and signs up for the clinical trials of a new antidepressant. When the pills turn out to have serious side effects, the trials are abandoned. But Michael refuses to give up the newfound sense of calm, self control, and life perspective the pills provide. So he continues the experiment on his own. Much like James Mason in Nicholas Ray’s Bigger Than Life, Michael finds himself playing disturbing mind games with his wife, Sigrid, and teen daughter, Selma. Further ratcheting up the tension, director Kristian Levring locates the action in orderly, sterile settings and underplays its moments of violence.

Denmark 2008

Director:

Kristian Levring

Producer:

Sisse Graum Jørgensen

Screenwriters:

Kristian Levring

Anders Thomas Jensen

Cinematographer:

Jens Schlosser

Editor:

Pernille Bech Christensen

Cast:

Ulrich Thomsen

Paprika Steen

Emma Sehested Høeg

Lars Brygmann

Stine Stengade

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales: TrustNordisk

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: fearmenot.dk

Selected Filmography: The Intended (2002) The King is Alive (2000)

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Fifty Dead Men Walking

SATURDAY JUNE 13 6:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 1:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

In 1988 Belfast, the Brits occupied the streets, the IRA waged an insurgent war, and the innocent were caught in the crossfire. The Irish civil conflict was at its most treacherous, and the British police were recruiting. They brought on 22-year-old Martin McGartland to infiltrate and spy on the IRA. Martin lived his life under constant threat of exposure, torture, and death, yet he continued because the information he collected saved lives. He pegs the intelligence agent tracking IRA activities in Belfast, Fergus (Sir Ben Kingsley), as an ideal informant and knows exactly how to wheedle Fergus’ cooperation. Martin enjoyed the buzz from his job until he was discovered and had to escape against all odds. Fifty Dead Men Walking captures the character of Northern Ireland’s “troubles” with great sensitivity while creating a film that is almost unbearably suspenseful. To watch Martin battle over life-and-death matters with his handler is to understand, on a profound level, how this is the most personal of wars. The real McGartland claims the information he passed on saved at least 50 lives. Today, he still lives in hiding.

United Kingdom/ Canada 2008

Director:

Kari Skogland

Producers:

Peter La Terriere

Kari Skogland

Stephen Hegyes

Shawn Williamson

Screenwriter:

Kari Skogland inspired by the book by Martin McGartland and Nicholas Davies

Cinematographer:

Jonathan Freeman

Editor: Jim Munro

Music:

Ben Mink

Cast:

Sir Ben Kingsley Jim Sturgess

Kevin Zegers

Nathalie Press

Rose McGowan

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

Handmade Films

International

Print Source:

Brightlight Pictures Inc.

Film Website: fiftydeadmenwalkingmovie.com

Selected Filmography:

The Stone Angel (2007)

Chicks with Sticks (2004)

Liberty Stands Still (2002)

Men with Guns (1997)

The Size of Watermelons (1996)

BOUQUET FINAL Final Arrangements

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM

THURSDAY JUNE 11 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

ADMIRAL THEATER

Sick of life as a struggling musician, composer Gabriel decides to get a real job—a decision that is frowned upon by his bohemian sculptor father, played by Gérard Depardieu. With a checkered employment history and no business experience, he runs into a former classmate who offers him a job in the funeral business. Although his new position is in marketing, he’s first sent to train with the bitter Gervais, who had also applied (and been rejected) for Gabriel’s job. The jealous Gervais decides to teach the newcomer a thing or two about the funeral biz, with hilarious results. But even after Gabriel starts to adapt to his new boss and his new job, he still can’t bring himself to tell his new girlfriend, Claire (Berenice Bejo, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies), exactly what it is he does for a living. Michel Delgado’s darkly funny feature debut wrings wry laughs out of the potentially macabre material by showing, in quasi-documentary style, the many behindthe-scenes details needed to sustain the fragile rituals of bereavement.

France 2008

Director:

Michel Delgado

Producer:

Sylvie Pialat

Screenwriter:

Michel Delgado

Cinematographer:

Pascal Gennesseaux

Editor:

Joelle Hache

Music:

Frederic Porte

Cast:

Didier Bourdon

Marc-André Grondin

Berenice Bejo

Gerard Depardieu

Marthe Keller

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Gaumont

Print Source:

Gaumont

Film Website: bouquet-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

FLAMMEN & CITRON

Flame & Citron The Firm Land

SATURDAY MAY 30 6:30 PM

SUNDAY MAY 31 11:00 AM

Combining impish humor with visual poetry, Iran’s Chapour Haghighat introduces a clutch of intriguing characters before revealing how they fit into his story-within-a-story. A middle-aged man looks at the ocean, a young woman gazes into a mirror, and an old woman peers out her window. A traveling salesman arrives on “the firm land” of an unnamed Indian village where his conversation with a potential customer puts the characters into context. He tells of an incurable illness that the holy man blames on lust, so the spiritualist sends six good-hearted men to the city to seek a cure, a task that proves as absurd as it is insurmountable. Like the films of master Senegalese director and fellow novelist Ousmane Sembène, the France-based filmmaker Haghighat never tells the audience when he can show them with lucid visuals. He lambastes bureaucratic indifference (think the International Monetary Fund) at the same time he exalts the ability of these simple peasants, portrayed primarily by untrained professionals, to outsmart, or at least outlast, the worldly incompetents who stand in their way. Drunk on the art of storytelling, Haghighat imbues his parable with empathy, enchantment, and precious moments of grace.

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Iran/France/ India 2008

Director:

Chapour Haghighat

Producers:

Chapour Haghighat

Anne Ferron

Screenwriter:

Chapour Haghighat

Cinematographer:

Mrinal Desai

Editors:

Catherine Quesemand

Chapour Haghighat

Music:

Chandrakan Liamye

Cast:

Mansoor Seth

Prem Datta

Ravi Rekh Rai

Jindar Walia

Change Ji

Abu Lala

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Hindi, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Perspectives Nomades

Selected Filmography:

The Nightly Song of the Travellers (2006)

MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

At $9 million, Flame & Citron is the most expensive Danish production to date, but it has justified its relatively large cost with huge audiences at home and strong sales worldwide. Painting on a much bigger canvas than he has in his previous efforts, director Ole Christian Madsen offers a revisionist examination of the role of the resistance in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II, and he does so in many shades of gray, metaphorically speaking. Flame and Citron are based on two real-life “heroes” of the resistance: the former a borderline sociopath who revels in killing, the latter a morose, alcoholic screw-up. Both men are far from the conventional image of the resistance hero, carrying out covert assassinations with increasing audacity as the Nazis step up their retaliatory executions until their game is played out. In this compelling drama, partially inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic Army of Shadows, Madsen keeps his focus, holding the cast at a high level of nervous intensity, while displaying a fine-tuned awareness of uncomfortable truths, deceit, and betrayal in a story that has unwelcome relevance with parallels to the situation in today’s Iraq.

Denmark/ Czech Republic/ Germany

2008

Director:

Ole Christian Madsen

Producer:

Lars Bredo Rahbek

Screenwriters:

Lars K. Andersen

Ole Christian Madsen

Cinematographer: Jørgen Johansson

Editor: Søren B. Ebbe

Music:

Karsten Fundal

Cast:

Mads Mikkelsen

Thure Lindhardt

Stine Stengade

Running Time:

130 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Danish and German, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: flammenogcitronen.dk

Selected Filmography: Prague (2006)

Angels in Fast Motion (2005)

Kira’s Reason: A Love

Story (2001)

Pizza King (1999)

Forasters North American Premiere

SUNDAY MAY 31 9:00 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 4 9:30 PM

Catalan master Ventura Pons (Life on the Edge, SIFF 2007) expertly weaves together past and present in Forasters. As Josep prepares to purchase his family’s Barcelona flat, sepia-toned memories of his sickly mother Emma (stage veteran Anna Lizaran), strict father Francesc, rebellious sister Anna, and their boisterous Andalusian neighbors come rushing forth. Starting in the late 1960s, the fates of the two families join together. By monstrous and sympathetic turns of events, Emma has a soft spot for sad-eyed Manuel but refuses to let her son and daughter run off with these foreigners. Like cancer, xenophobia and homophobia stalk her clan from one century to the next. In the end, Emma represents a relic of a bygone era, but Lizaran brings this relic into vibrant life. Pons upsets the “sensible” mentality of these traditional individuals and lays bare our reluctance to trust the unknown. Lizaran, who also plays Anna as an adult, won a Gaudí, the Spanish Academy Award, for her indelible performance.

Awards:

Gaudí Awards 2008 (Best Actress)

HARVARD EXIT

SIFF CINEMA

Spain 2009

Director:

Ventura Pons

Producer: Ventura Pons

Screenwriter: Ventura Pons based on the play by Sergi Belbel

Cinematographer:

Joan Minguell

Editor:

Pere Abadal

Music:

Carles Cases

Cast:

Anna Lizaran

Joan Pera

Joan Borrás

Dafins Balduz

Aida Oset

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Catalan, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: forasters.cat

Selected Filmography:

Barcelona (2007)

Life on the Edge (2007)

Wounded Animals (2006)

Idiot Love (2003)

Food of Love (2002)

Ocana, an Intermittent Portrait (1978)

MEI LANFANG

Forever

Enthralled

North American Premiere

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 9:15 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

SATURDAY JUNE 13 3:00 PM CINERAMA

Chen Kaige returns to the theatrical biopic, the cinematic genre that brought him the biggest acclaim of his career in Farewell My Concubine This opulent period drama is the story of Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), a Peking opera singer of such virtuosity that his fame spread worldwide and his admirers included Charlie Chaplin and Sergei Eisenstein, who even filmed him. Descended from an acting family, Mei’s popularity soon made him a rival to veteran actor Swallow 13, and the two face off in a musical “duel” from which Mei emerges the victor. As his fame spreads, the late 1920s see him even performing on Broadway, but disaster sets in with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and Mei’s refusal to sing in public under the occupation proves career-threatening. The film neatly conveys the fragile social position of opera performers of the early party of last century, who were regarded as little better than prostitutes, and is blessed by a handful of outstanding performances amongst the supporting cast representing the singers. But above all it is an engaging portrait of Mei’s amazing talent, which bewitched audiences of the time and made him one of China’s true national treasures.

China 2009

Director:

Chen Kaige

Producers:

Han Sanping

Du Jiayi

Screenwriters:

Yan Geling

Chen Guofu

Zhang Jialu

Cinematographer:

Zhao Xiaoshi

Editor: Zhou Ying

Music:

Zhao Jipling

Cast:

Leon Lai

Zhang Ziyi

Sun Honglei

Chen Hong

Running Time:

147 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales:

CMC Entertainment

Print Source: CMC Entertainment

Film Website: meilanfang.sina.com.cn

Selected Filmography:

Wu ji (The Promise) (2005)

The First Emperor (1998)

Temptress Moon (1996)

Farewell My Concubine (1993)

King of the Children (1987)

Four Boxes

FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:30 PM

In this snarky social thriller, three cynical 20-something friends—Trevor, Amber, and Rob—run Go Time Liquidators, a web-based auction business. Trevor is a brooding, cynical, and superstitious dude who also works as a privacy-fence salesman. Amber is a talent-challenged singersongwriter who used to date Trevor and is now with the Red Hot Chili Peppers–loving, pizzaeating Rob. When the trio moves into a dead man’s destroyed suburban house to sell his stuff on eBay, they discover a bookmarked surveillance-cam website called fourboxes.tv. On the site, they discover a creepy on-camera presence called “Havoc” and start freaking out about its apparent plot to kill. In their debut feature, director Wyatt McDill and his wife, producer Megan Huber, take their original conceit of “Rear Window on the internet” and turn it into a wry commentary on the Twitter generation. With its muted colors, claustrophobic setting, and MIDIstyle electronic music, the film conveys themes of paranoia and isolation that are the products of an increasingly internet-based lifestyle. Four Boxes is a thriller with plenty of unexpected twists and delightful creepiness, but it’s also a smart, sharp satire of web-style entertainment for those who consider text messaging a first language.

SIFF CINEMA

SIFF CINEMA

USA 2009

Director:

Wyatt McDill

Producer:

Megan Huber

Screenwriter:

Wyatt McDill

Cinematographer:

Brian Lundy

Editor:

Brett Astor

Music:

Ken Brahmstedt

Cast:

Justin Kirk

Terryn Westbrook

Sam Rosen

Bain Boehlke

David Tufford

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Lake Street Productions

Film Website: fourboxesthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

CLIENTE

A French Gigolo

SATURDAY MAY 23 6:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:45 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

A French Gigolo stars Nathalie Baye as Judith, a chic, single woman in her 50s who regularly hires male escorts. A busy entrepreneur who’s not looking for love, she appreciates the no-muss, no-fuss quality of the arrangement. Marco is an escort whose earnings enable him to take care of his grandmother and support his wife, Fanny, with her dream of owning a hairdressing salon. But when Judith meets the charming, goodnatured Marco, the easy efficiency of her past connections is replaced by something more complicated—especially when Fanny finds out the source of her husband’s income. The three of them are drawn into a romantic triangle and into uncharted territory in which sentiment must be reconciled with economics. Writer-director Josiane Balasko navigates this complex terrain with sensitivity and humor in a candid exploration of the relationship between love and desire, and between independence and connection.

France 2008

Director:

Josiane Balasko

Producer:

Cyril Colbeau-Justin

Screenwriter:

Josiane Balasko

Cinematographer: Robert Alazraki

Editors:

Marie De La Selle

Claudine Merlin

Music:

Kore

Cast:

Nathalie Baye

Josiane Balasko

Eric Caravaca

Isabelle Carré

Running Time:

102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Gaumont

Print Source:

Gaumont

Film Website:

cliente-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Un grand cri d’amour (1998)

French Twist (1995)

My Life is Hell (1991)

The Girl from Monaco Fruit Fly

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:30 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 9 4:30 PM SIFF

Film characters breaking into song feel comfortably at home in the confines of San Francisco’s Castro district. Bethesda, a Filipina-American performance artist, moves into the neighborhood in search of her birth mother. Her residence in a communal artists’ loft introduces an ensemble cast that welcomes her to the neighborhood through the first of several quirky musical numbers, entitled “Fag Hag.” Despite her readiness to shake the moniker, Bethesda accompanies her flatmates to local gay bars, all while pulling together clues to her mother’s identity. Convinced that a successful autobiographical show in the lively San Francisco art scene will catapult her to success, Bethesda covers familiar social territory with her new friends, plotting out a film that cleverly plays on the perceived realities of gay life and the theater world. Fruit Fly’s gifts truly shine in its vivid cinematography and unique point of view that highlights the exuberance of its colorful setting. Absorbing animated sequences bookend an earnest musical comedy about searching for one thing and finding more than was expected.

USA

2008

Director:

H.P. Mendoza

Producers: Donald Young H.P Mendoza

Screenwriter: H.P. Mendoza

Cinematographer:

Richard Wong

Editor: H.P. Mendoza

Music: H.P. Mendoza

Cast:

L.A. Rengen

Mike Curtis

Theresa Navarro

E.S. Park

Aaron Zaragoza

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM , in English and Tagalog, with English

subtitles

Print Source: CAAM

Film Website: fruitflyfilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Initially a breezy screwball comedy in the classic French vein, Anne Fontaine’s latest film veers off into more dramatic territory in its second half. At first, The Girl from Monaco dazzles the audience with a star-studded French cast and, of course, a gorgeous setting. Bertrand is a successful Parisian lawyer who has come to the principality to defend a wealthy woman accused of murdering a man with alleged ties to the Russian mob. To ensure his safety, Bertrand is assigned a bodyguard, Christophe, to shadow him during the case. At first, Bertrand is annoyed by Christophe’s constant intrusion, but the two men eventually develop a kind of friendship. Things quickly change when Bertrand starts receiving overt carnal attention from a local TV-star hottie named Audrey—a free-spirited woman who once had a relationship with Christophe. Bertrand and Christophe’s relationship grows into something more than businesslike when Bertrand makes a sacrifice to aid his bodyguard. Director Fontaine takes the frothy romantic concerns of the movie’s setup and shifts them into darker territory as the main characters’ motivations and loyalties are called into question.

France 2008

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Producers: Bruno Pésery

Philippe Carcassonne

Screenwriters: Anne Fontaine

Benoît Graffin

Cinematographer:

Patrick Blossier

Editor:

Maryline Monthieux

Music:

Philippe Rombi

Cast:

Fabrice Luchini

Roschdy Zem

Louise Bourgoin

Stéphane Audran

Gilles Cohen

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: lafilledemonaco-lefilm. com

Selected Filmography:

Nouvelle Chance (2006)

Entre ses mains (2005)

Nathalie (2003)

How I Killed My Father (2001)

Dry Cleaning (1997)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

CINEMA

LA FILLE DE MONACO

DONNE - MOI LA MAIN

Give Me Your Hand

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 4:45 PM

Upon hearing of their mother’s death, twin brothers Antoine and Quentin decide to walk and hitchhike from their rural French village to the funeral in Spain—even though they have never met the woman before. But Pascal-Alex Vincent’s debut feature is no typical road movie. Starting with a brief Japanese animé-style sequence, the 18-year-olds begin their journey and bicker along the way but don’t say much to each other as they meet a series of increasingly odd and erotic characters. When Antoine sleeps with a girl the brothers meet along the way, the jealous Quentin retaliates with a fistfight. Later, however, Quentin has a homosexual tryst with a hay-baler named Hakim, which infuriates the disapproving Antoine. The film takes a darker turn after Quentin inexplicably vanishes, causing Antoine to search the countryside in a panic. As the characters move forward on their journey, the surrounding landscape changes to fit the mood, with images of sunny rolling farmland contrasting with dark, brooding forests. While technically a road movie, this atmospheric film is more of an analysis about the symbiotic love, rivalry, and jealousy between siblings.

France

2009

Director:

Pascal-Alex Vincent

Producer:

Nicolas Brevière

Screenwriters:

Pascal-Alex Vincent

Martin Drouot

Cinematographer:

Alexis Kavyrchine

Editor:

Dominique Petrot

Music:

Tarwater

Cast:

Alexandre Carril

Victor Carril

Anais Demoustier

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wide Management

Print Source:

Strand Releasing

Film Website: bodegafilms.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

LES BUREAUX DE DIEU God’s Offices

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:30 PM

HARVARD

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:00 PM NEPTUNE

Women of all ages, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds meet in the waiting room of a busy family planning clinic in Paris. They’ve come in search of information, advice, birth control, abortion, or just someone to talk to as they figure out what their sexual activity means for themselves, their partners, and their families. There are the teenagers who can’t talk to their parents about sex, the girl whose boyfriend wants proof that she’s a virgin, the woman who’s afraid her husband will find out about her affair, and the sex worker who always uses contraception with her clients but never with the man she loves. And then there are the counselors who listen to them and consult with one another in between cigarettes on the balcony. Featuring a stellar cast of veteran French actresses (Nathalie Baye, Nicole Garcia, Isabelle Carré, and Béatrice Dalle), God’s Offices is about the very business of life itself.

France 2008

Director:

Claire Simon

Producers:

Richard Copans

Philippe Carcassonne

Philippe Kauffmann

Screenwriters:

Claire Simon

Natalia Rodríguez

Nadège Trebal

Cinematographers:

Philippe Van Leeuw

Claire Simon

Editor:

Julien Lacheray

Music:

Arthur Simon

Cast:

Nathalie Baye

Béatrice Dalle

Isabelle Carré

Rachida Brakni

Nicole Garcia

Emmanuel Mouret

Running Time:

115 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Boutique

Print Source:

Films Boutique

Selected Filmography:

On Fire (2005)

Mimi (2003)

800 km de différenceRomance (2002) A Foreign Body (1997)

EXIT

THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

North American Premiere

SATURDAY JUNE 13 6:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 NOON

Hachiko, the legendary Japanese akita, proves that there is nothing more loyal than man’s best friend in this modern retelling of a cherished true story. It all begins when a college professor adopts an abandoned dog named Hachiko. The two form such a strong bond that Hachiko walks with the professor to the train station each morning and returns to the station each evening to walk the professor home again. The routine continues until one day the professor does not return to the train station. Hachiko, however, does not give up. He returns to the same train station at the same time, faithfully waiting for his owner to return. Hachiko does this for more than nine years, until his own death. This heartwarming tale that is already the stuff of legend in Japan is finally making its way to America by way of prominent director Lasse Hallström. With an equally capable cast, the experience of Hachiko’s unending loyalty is certain to stay with you. Hachiko’s story is one of love, unwavering devotion, and the resounding impact one dog’s affection can make.

CINERAMA

CINERAMA

USA

2009

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Producers: Richard Gere

Bill Johnson

Vicki Shigekuni Wong

Screenwriters:

Stephen P. Lindsey

Kaneto Shindo

Cinematographer:

Ron Fortunato

Editor: Kristina Boden

Music:

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Cast: Richard Gere

Joan Allen

Sarah Roemer

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: Shochiku

Print Source:

Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group

Film Website: hachi-movie.jp

Selected Filmography:

The Hoax (2007)

The Shipping News (2001)

Chocolat (2000)

The Cider House Rules (1999)

What’s Eating Gilbert

Grape (1993)

My Life As A Dog (1987)

HANSEL GUA GRETEL

Hansel and Gretel

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 9:15 PM

FRIDAY MAY 29 3:30 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:30 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

People who love houses made of candy will be disappointed by this version of Hansel and Gretel. All others prepare for an outré, Tim Burton-esque fever dream. On a business trip, Lee Eun-soo drives down a wooded road, talking on his cell phone to his girlfriend. He swerves to avoid a piece of roadkill and ends up crashing his car. Dazed by the accident, he wanders the woods until nightfall, when he meets a mysterious young girl who leads him to her home, the “House of Happy Children,” secluded in the middle of the forest. Once there, the girl’s too-perfect family welcomes him as if he were one of their own. Following breakfast the next morning, Eun-soo tries to get back to his car only to find all the forest’s paths lead back to the House of Happy Children. Taking the tropes from the famous Brothers Grimms’ fairytale, director Yim Phil-sung spins them into his own unique, surreal interpretation of the original, where the kitsch and the creepy mingle together in every scene.

South Korea 2008

Director:

Yim Phil-sung

Producers: Choi Jae-won

Seo Woo-sik

Screenwriters: Kim Min-sook

Yim Phil-sung

Cinematographer: Kim Jee-yong

Editor:

Kim Sun-min

Music:

Lee Byeong-woo

Cast:

Chun Jeong-myoung

Eun Won-jae

Shim Eun-kyoung

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales:

FineCut Co.

Print Source:

FineCut Co.

Selected Filmography: Antarctic Journal (2005)

The Higher Force

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 7:00 PM

Deadpan humor works to wondrous effect in this ultra-cool riff on the mob genre from Olaf de Fleur Johannesson. Slacker David is not quite cutting it in his chosen career as composer of “mind flow” poetry, so he undertakes collections for a bunch of loan sharks. He’s not much use at this either, and is rapidly sliding down the slippery slope of their pecking order. Quite by chance, he hits upon a scheme to earn back respect, diverting attention to his landlord, Harald, claiming he is a dangerous crook thought to have disappeared in Mexico. As the hapless hoods turn their attention to this new target, “Mr. Big” flies in from New York to commend David for his efforts. But as the house of cards of David’s tale begins to fall, he is forced to beat it…but fast. To its credit, The Higher Force never takes itself seriously; the pleasure of the filmmaking is at all times paramount over any notions of plausibility. Johannesson’s motley crew of characters—with special mention to producer Stefan Schaefer as a pedantic German enforcer with a taste for trivia— drolly lay on the fakery and miscommunication, with laugh-out-loud results.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

NEPTUNE THEATRE

Iceland

2008

Director:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson

Producers: Stefan Schaefer

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson

Helgi Sverrisson

Screenwriters:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson

Stefan Schaefer

Thorvaldur Thorsteinsson

Cinematographer:

Rune Kippervik

Editors:

Gudni Páll Sæmundsson

Benedikt Johannesson

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson

Music:

Pavel E. Smid

Karl Henry

Hamilton Cleverdon

Cast:

Petur Johann Sigfusson

Eggert Thorleifsson

Stefan Schaefer

Ingvar E. Sigurdsson

Ilmur Kristjansdottir

Michael Imperioli

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Icelandic and English, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Visit Films

Print Source:

Visit Films

Film Website: poppolipictures.com/ higherforce

Selected Filmography:

The Amazing Truth About Queen Racquela (2008)

Act Normal (2006)

Africa United (2005)

Blindsker: Saga Bubba Morthens (2004)

PESCUIT SPORTIV

Hooked

FRIDAY MAY 22 1:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:15 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 9 4:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SIFF CINEMA

ADMIRAL THEATER

Adrian Sitaru’s debut feature film is a close-up look at a cracked love relationship being wedged apart by a prostitute. Mihai and his lover, Sweetie, embark on a picnic in the countryside to unwind from stress and aid their suffering relationship. Along the way, Sweetie accidentally hits a prostitute, Ana, who was lying in the middle of the road. Complications arise when Sweetie reveals she is married and therefore can’t report the accident because her affair would be discovered. Instead, they decide to dump Ana’s body in the nearby woods. Much to the couple’s surprise, they are shocked to witness dead Ana wake up, claiming she has no memory of the events. Ana masterfully infiltrates their relationship, learns its weaknesses, and exploits them to her heart’s content. Sitaru uses point-of-view, handheld camera shots to change the viewer’s perspective from character to character. We gain insight into each of them, to Sitaru’s credit, though, he refuses to reveal Ana’s motivation for her behavior. It’s unclear if she manipulates out of revenge or pleasure, but it’s clear she intends to harm the lovers’ relationship.

Awards:

Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2008 (Special Jury Prize) Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009 (New Directors Prize)

Romania/France 2008

Director:

Adrian Sitaru

Producers: Adrian Sitaru

Marie-Pierre Macia

Juliette Lepoutre

Screenwriter:

Adrian Sitaru

Cinematographer: Adrian Silisteanu

Editor:

Adrian Sitaru

Music:

Cornel Ilie

Cast:

Adrian Titieni

Ioana Flora

Maria Dinulescu

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Romanian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Rezo

Print Source: Rezo

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Hurt Locker

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY MAY 30 4:00 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Prefaced by a shocking opening sequence and the quote “war is a drug,” The Hurt Locker is possibly the most successful attempt yet to convey the hell of war. Amazingly, director Kathryn Bigelow trumps her male competitors with the sheer physicality in this stirring chronicle of guts under fire. The tight-knit, U.S. anti-bomb squad Bravo Company, led by the experienced Sanborn in one of the more hellish corners of war-torn Baghdad, is joined by James, a swaggering cowboy who has nevertheless successfully disabled 873 devices. But as the unit faces tougher challenges with each new bomb, James’ recklessness instills fear in the men that they will not survive the one remaining month until their tour of duty is complete, and they start to rebel against his bullish methods. Bigelow’s choice of a bomb squad as the focus for the action was inspired, as improvised explosive devices define the Iraq conflict in the way that helicopters defined the Vietnam War. Ratcheting up the tension from the very first scene, the film works effectively as pure thriller, pointedly avoiding political analysis. Timeless in its craft and insight, The Hurt Locker joins the pantheon of great American films about war.

USA

2008

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Producers:

Nicolas Chartier

Greg Shapiro

Kathryn Bigelow

Mark Boal

Screenwriter:

Mark Boal

Cinematographer:

Barry Ackroyd

Editors:

Bob Murawski

Chris Innis

Music:

Marco Beltrami

Buck Sanders

Cast:

Jeremy Renner

Anthony Mackie

Evangeline Lilly

Guy Pearce

Ralph Fiennes

Brian Geraghty

Running Time: 130 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Voltage Pictures

Print Source:

Summit Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

The Weight of Water (2000)

Strange Days (1995)

Point Break (1991)

Blue Steel (1989)

Near Dark (1987)

The Loveless (1982)

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:00 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 7:00 PM

Based on writer-director Justin Kerrigan’s childhood, this tale manages to be both a semiautobiographical homage and an espionage thriller. Set in the 1980s in Bridgend, Wales, the story focuses on 11-year-old Jamie who adores his single dad, Charlie, a smooth operator with cool shades and a flashy car. After an extended summer stay in Amsterdam, the pair moves into Charlie’s old pad on a run-down housing estate, and Jamie starts adjusting to the ups and downs of life at the local comprehensive school. When Jamie discovers that his father is leading a double life as an undercover agent for the British government, it brings the pair even closer together. Soon Jamie is joining Charlie for meetings with his handler, Mr. Fisher. Jamie learns how to spot and shake off a tail, and he helps his father with the occasional package drop. It is all very exciting until Charlie’s final mission doesn’t quite go according to plan, and Jamie is confronted with the reality of his father’s existence and realizes that at least one of them needs to grow up really fast.

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Justin Kerrigan

Producer:

Sally Hibbin

Screenwriter:

Justin Kerrigan

Cinematographer:

Ed Wild

Editor:

Stuart Gazzard

Music:

Guy Farley

Cast:

Robert Carlyle

Arron Fuller

David Bradley

Running Time:

81 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

The Little Film Company

Print Source:

The Little Film Company

Selected Filmography:

Human Traffic (1999)

SATURDAY JUNE 6 11:00 AM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 9:15 PM

Known by the Caesarian moniker “Divo Giulio” for his three-decade reign at the top of Italian politics, former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti is one of the more fascinating figures in a country known for its colorful parade of politicians. Andreotti has been part of the Italian political machine for more than half a century, serving seven terms as prime minister. Despite rumored close ties to the Mafia, he never let a potentially career-ending brouhaha get in the way of yet another comeback. Part Huey Long and part Vito Corleone, Andreotti currently serves as a “senator for life” in Italy’s parliament. Director Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo tackles this political saga with a riveting and fast-paced biopic that recognizes the former prime minister’s immense intelligence as well as his underlying ferocity. The film is anchored by Sorrentino’s rapier-like script, Luca Bigazzi’s camerawork, Christiano Tavaglioli’s staccato editing rhythms, and Toni Servillo’s portrayal of the chameleonlike Andreotti. Following its screening at Cannes last year, Il Divo was described as a “masterpiece.” Sorrentino’s stylized portrait of Andreotti manages to be seriously political but wraps its message in an entertaining package featuring wicked wit and brilliant cinematography.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Jury Prize)

European Film Awards 2008 (Best Actor)

Italy/France 2008

Director:

Paolo Sorrentino

Producers:

Nicola Giuliano

Francesca Cima

Andrea Occhipinti

Screenwriter:

Paolo Sorrentino

Cinematographer:

Luca Bigazzi

Editor:

Cristiano Travaglioli

Music:

Teho Teardo

Cast:

Toni Servillo

Anna Bonaiuto

Giulio Bosetti

Flavio Bucci

Carlo Buccirosso

Running Time:

110 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Beta Cinema

Print Source:

MPI Media Group

Film Website:

luckyred.it

Selected Filmography:

The Family Friend (2006)

The Consequences of Love (2004)

One Man Up (2001)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

CINERAMA

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

UPTOWN CINEMAS

VOY A EXPLOTAR

I’m Gonna Explode

MONDAY MAY 25 1:30 PM

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:30 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

HARVARD EXIT

INJU , LA BÊTE DANS L ’ OMBRE

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow

THURSDAY JUNE 4 6:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:15 PM

Gerardo Naranjo’s exhilarating thriller about two rebels without a cause bristles with the energy of youth. Fifteen-year-old Román is privileged, growing up the only child of a corrupt Mexican politician. Román blames his father for his mother’s untimely death and does everything in his power to make his father’s life miserable. Expelled from all of the best private schools, Román ends up at a public school, where his contribution to the school talent show is a sketch called “See You in Hell,” in which he fakes his own hanging. That bit of nihilism captures the attention of schoolmate Maru, who falls hard for Román and goes along with his plan to run away. They don’t get far. Pitching a tent on the roof of the congressman’s hilltop villa, the two camp out in luxury. Meanwhile, the parents are frantic, fearing the kids have been kidnapped. Although most of the grown-up scenes are played for comedy, there’s always a hint of danger lurking—the sense that this youthful prank might end badly. Like an adolescent revision of Godard’s Breathless, Naranjo’s film explores the tenderness of a first love that belies the bravado and posturing of the young lovers. Recommended for ages 17 and above. Contains nudity, underage drinking, and school violence.

Awards:

Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival 2009 (MEZCAL Award)

Thessaloniki Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Mexico 2008

Director:

Gerardo Naranjo

Producers:

Pablo Cruz

Gerardo Naranjo

Hunter Gray

Alain de la Mata

Screenwriter:

Gerardo Naranjo

Cinematographer:

Tobias Datum

Editor: Yibran Asuad

Music:

Lynn Fainchtein

Cast:

Daniel Giménez Cacho

Maria Deschamps

Juan Pablo de Santiago

Rebecca Jones

Martha Claudia Moreno

Running Time: 106 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Elle Driver

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: voyaexplotar.com

Selected Filmography:

Drama/Mex (2006)

Malachance (2004)

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

UPTOWN CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:15 PM CINERAMA

Barbet Schroeder’s elegant suspense thriller is based on a novel by the great Japanese crime writer Edogawa Rampo (a pen name that pays homage to his American forebear, Edgar Allan Poe). It is a tale of obsession— intellectual and erotic—pitting callow French novelist Alex Fayard against a diabolical Japanese mastermind. Fayard has become famous for writing in the style of the elusive Japanese writer Shundei Oe. When he’s invited to Kyoto on a book tour for his latest bestseller, he decides to provoke the secretive writer into coming out of seclusion. As the leading Western authority on Oe, Fayard is familiar with the violent and disturbing imagery in the master’s work, in which evil often triumphs. When Fayard becomes involved with Tamao, an enigmatic geisha whose traditional dance mesmerizes, he starts having strange dreams and encounters. While he tries to save Tamao from her former fiancé, Fayard finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a deranged underworld. Gorgeously photographed, this stylized nightmare reveals the danger of interweaving fiction and reality.

France 2008

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Producers:

Saïd Ben Saïd

Vérane Frédiani

Franck Ribière

Screenwriters:

Jean-Armand Bougrelle

Frédérique Henri

Barbet Schroeder

Cinematographer: Luciano Tovoli

Editor:

Luc Barnier

Music:

Jorge Arriagada

Cast:

Benoît Magimel

Lika Minamoto

Gen Shimaoka

Ryo Ishibashi

Shun Sugata

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

UGC International

Print Source:

UGC International

Film Website: inju-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Terror’s Advocate (2007)

Murders by Numbers (2002)

Our Lady of the Assassins (2000)

Desperate Measures (1997)

Before and After (1995)

Kiss of Death (1994)

Single White Female (1992)

Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Barfly (1987)

Koko, A Talking Gorilla (1977)

Mistress (1975)

General Idi Amin Dada (1974)

EN TU AUSENCIA

In Your Absence

FRIDAY JUNE 12 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA

SATURDAY JUNE 13 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Pablo is a young boy struggling to grow into maturity while dealing with the loss of his father. As his mother battles to keep the family going, Pablo is tortured by his father’s accidental death. Pablo spends most of his time wandering the lush countryside, accompanied by his best friend, a rambunctious, more sexually experienced tomboy named Julia. One day, Pablo meets a strange man named Paco on the road beside his broken down car and strikes up a conversation with him. Despite warnings about the man’s character, Pablo continues to converse with the man. The discussion soon takes a turn that leads Pablo to discover truths about himself and his family that deeply rattle him, changing him forever. From first-time director Iván Noel comes a fantastic film about coming to terms with one’s self. Set in the gorgeous sun-drenched fields and hills of Southern Spain, Noel uses his exceptional young cast to perfection, playing with audiences’ expectations at every turn. Using the luminous settings and twisting plot, Noel weaves a story about seeking truth that will rock audiences to the core.

Spain 2008

Director:

Iván Noel

Producers:

Iván Noel

Brian R. Way

Screenwriter: Iván Noel

Cinematographers:

Luis Fernández Caula

Ildefonso Corrochano

Editor:

Guy Ducker

Music:

Iván Noel

Cast:

Francisco Alfonsin

Gonzalo Sánchez Salas

Ana Tutor

Anabel Azuar

Juanjo Galiardo

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Yves Noel Productions

Film Website: entuausencia.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Kabei - Our Mother

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 6:45 PM SIFF CINEMA

THURSDAY JUNE 4 7:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

A father’s sudden absence occupies the center of Yoji Yamada’s intricate family drama, adapted from Teruyo Nogami’s bestselling memoir. In prewar Tokyo, after Shigeru “Tobei” Nogami is imprisoned for espousing progressive political views, his wife, known by his daughters as “Kabei,” is left alone to support their family. Helped by the sweet, bumbling student Yamazaki and some of her more anti-authoritarian neighbors, Kabei ekes out a living for her family and struggles through the consequences of Tobei’s anti-Imperialist “thought crime.” Director Yamada, a beloved veteran of Japanese cinema, builds upon the quiet artistry of his recent trilogy of samurai films (The Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, and Love and Honor) and the touching comedy of his epic 48-part Tora San series. Unashamedly emotional without lapsing into sentimentality, Kabei—Our Mother is lightened by a subtle undercurrent of humor and exceptional performances. The film’s meditative approach and impeccable formal construction make it a rewarding exploration of a family’s resilience in the face of distress.

Japan 2008

Director:

Yoji Yamada

Producers:

Hiroshi Fukazawa

Takashi Yajima

Screenwriters:

Yoji Yamada

Emiko Hiramatsu

based on the book by Teruyo Nogami

Cinematographer: Mutsuo Naganuma

Editor: Iwao Ishii

Music:

Isao Tomita

Cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga

Mitsugoro Bando

Tadanobu Asano

Rei Dan

Running Time: 132 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: shochikufilms.com

Selected Filmography: Love and Honor (2006)

The Hidden Blade (2004)

The Twilight Samurai (2002)

A Class to Remember (1993) My Sons (1991)

Final Take: The Golden Age of Movies (1986)

The Village (1975)

Home from the Sea (1972)

Tora San Our Lovable Tramp (1969)

Kaifeck Murder

North American Premiere

SATURDAY JUNE 13 10:00 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 4:30 PM

Drawing inspiration from historical events, Kaifeck Murder weaves thriller and fantasy together into a terrifying amalgam. On assignment in the Bavarian countryside, photographer Marc Barenberg and his son Tyll chance upon the small town of Kaifeck, the site of an infamous, unsolved mass murder. Marc becomes infatuated with the mystery but finds no one in the township willing to talk with him about it, not even the pretty, talkative innkeeper Juliana. Locals believe the derelict farmhouse where the killings took place to be cursed, but Marc finds himself drawn there regardless. Soon after visiting the place, he begins to have bizarre dreams filled with visions and details about the murders that no one could know. When his body starts to spontaneously manifest wounds that mimic those of the legendary slain victims, Marc’s curiosity turns to obsession. Benno Fürmann’s excellent performance as Marc adds a stolid reality to this gothic tale even as director Esther Gronenborn steeps each scene in a dark fairytale atmosphere—the very stuff from which nightmares are made.

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Germany 2008

Director:

Esther Gronenborn

Producer:

Monika Raebel

Screenwriters:

Christian Limmer

Sönke Lars Neuwöhner

Cinematographer:

Chris Valentien

Editors:

Moune Barius

Dirk Grau

Music:

Alexander Hacke

Cast:

Benno Fürmann

Alexandra Maria Lara

Henry Strange

Michael Gwisdek

Erni Mangold

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Film Website: kasky.fi

Selected Filmography:

Berlin Stories (2005) Adil geht (2005)

alaska.de (2000)

The Road to Happiness (1995)

Kanchivaram

SATURDAY JUNE 6 4:00 PM

ADMIRAL THEATER

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:00 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

FRIDAY JUNE 12 1:15 PM CINERAMA

Every Indian bride dreams of wearing a delicate Kanchivaram sari on her wedding day, no matter her caste. On the day of his daughter’s “first feeding,” Vengadam (Prakash Raj) promises her one of the same expensive saris that he weaves daily for the highest caste in India. Despite resistance from the village community and fears that an unfulfilled promise will lead to a curse, Vengadam risks his livelihood to steal individual vivid silk threads from his workplace. Every night, he secretly and patiently weaves his daughter’s sari. As his daughter’s wedding day approaches, a Communist activist initiates strikes against the mill owners, preventing Vengadam from completing the sari and from keeping his promise. Stunning colors punctuate this strong Tamil-language narrative, where the setting acts as another character in the well-woven script. Though history contextualizes Kanchivaram, it’s Vengadam’s strong desire that drives the film’s mystical tone and sensitive approach to the social realities of India’s caste structure.

India 2008

Director:

Priyadarshan

Producer:

Shailendra Singh

Screenwriter: Priyadarshan

Cinematographer:

Thiru

Editor:

Arun Kumar

Music:

M.G. Sreekumar

Cast:

Prakash Raj

Shreya Reddy

Shammu

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Tamil, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Spier Films

Print Source: Spier Films

Film Website: kanchivaramthefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)

Malamaal Weekly (2006)

Garam Masala (2005) Kilukkam (1991)

Poochakkoru Mookkuthi (1984)

The Karamazovs

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:15 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 11:00 AM

The Karamazovs layers Dostoyevsky’s themes of morality, atheism, and their consequences through the interplay of novel, play, film, and “real life.” Based on the novel of similar name, the film shows a theater troupe from Prague in a production of “The Brothers Karamazov” at a Polish steel mill. The stage production brings the father, Fyodor Karamazov, back from the grave to confront his sons about his murder. The play slowly reveals each son’s role in his father’s death, while offstage the characters’ stories interlace and begin to reflect the themes portrayed on stage. Writer-director Petr Zelenka adds depth and accessibility to this complex weave by giving us a view that others in the film do not see. Issues of faith, immortality, and the redemption of man combine both on and off the stage and make us wonder, if there is no God, is everything permitted?

Awards:

Czech Lion Awards 2009 (Best Film, Director)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)

Official Academy Award® Submission 2008 (Best Foreign Language Film)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Czech Republic/ Poland 2008

Director:

Petr Zelenka

Producer:

Čestmír Kopecký

Screenwriter: Petr Zelenka

Cinematographer:

Alexander Šurkala

Editor:

Vladimír Barák

Music: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Cast:

Ivan Trojan

Igor Chmela

Martin Myšička

David Novotný

Rodek Holub

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Czech and Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Prvni Verejnopravni

Print Source: Negativ

Film Website: karamazovi.cz

Selected Filmography:

Wrong Side Up (2005)

Year of the Devil (2002)

Buttoners (1997)

HET ZUSJE VAN KATIA

Katia’s Sister

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:30 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM

Mijke de Jong’s bold new film is a powerful indictment of the inequalities and hardships facing people who migrate to the West from Eastern Europe. Katia’s Sister follows the struggles of 13-year-old Lucia, who tries to retain her childlike optimism in the face of the harsh realities of the adult world. Her story begins when she leaves Russia with her mother and older sister, Katia, hoping to find a better life. But after arriving in Amsterdam, their aspirations are soon deflated. To make ends meet, the girls’ desperately poor mother finds herself soliciting on Amsterdam’s seediest streets and the effervescent but misguided Katia starts stripping. As bespectacled plain-Jane Lucia watches the women’s lives spiral hopelessly downward, she retreats into emotional isolation. She becomes just “Katia’s little sister”—a girl without a name of her own. In a world defined by drugs, prostitution and pornography, the things she values most—optimism and love—have become virtually worthless. Making use of handheld, close-up camera work to capture the nuances of Lucia’s suffering as she tries to keep her family together, de Jong skillfully delineates a portrait of a society where desperation forces decent people into committing otherwise unthinkable acts.

Netherlands 2008

Director:

Mijke de Jong

Producer:

Hans de Wolf

Screenwriters:

Jan Eilander

Jolein Laarman based on the novel by Andrés Barba

Cinematographer:

Ton Peters

Editor: Dorith Vinken

Music:

Leo Anemaet

Cast:

Betty Qizmolli

Julia Seijkens

Olga Louzgina

Running Time:

85 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dutch and Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Media Luna Entertainment

Print Source:

Media Luna Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Tussenstand (2007) All Souls (2005) Bluebird (2004) Lopen (1999) Broos (1997)

Love Hurts (1993)

KARAMAZOVI

SIFF CINEMA

EGYTPIAN THEATRE

Khamsa

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

MONDAY MAY 25 4:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Franco-Tunisian writer-director Karim Dridi’s latest is a poignant tale reminiscent of François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. After fleeing from his foster family, 13-year-old Khamsa returns to the Gypsy camp outside Marseilles where he was born. Not much seems to have changed since he was forced to leave. There are still late night card games, diving in the Mediterranean Sea, and high-stakes rooster fights. Now, however, his beloved grandmother is near death; his father, who sired numerous offspring with countless girlfriends, shows little interest in his welfare; and his dad’s ex-wife hates him enough to denounce him to the police. Only his dwarf cousin Tony and best friend Coyote wholeheartedly welcome him back. Coyote has teamed with an Arab friend, Rachtique, who initiates the Gypsy kids into the endorphin rush of scooter-mounted purse snatching. Khamsa’s innocence begins to vanish when they involve him in a series of increasingly serious crimes.

France/Tunisia 2008

Director:

Karim Dridi

Producers:

Karina Grandjean

Karim Dridi

Screenwriter:

Karim Dridi

Cinematographer:

Antoine Monod

Editors:

Lise Beaulieu

Marie Liotard

Cast:

Marc Cortes

Raymond Adam

Tony Fourmann

Mehdi Laribi

Simon Abkarian

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Rezo

Print Source: Rezo

Selected Filmography:

Pigalle (2004)

Fureur (2002)

Cuba feliz (2000)

Hors jeu (1998)

Bye-Bye (1995)

Kisses

FRIDAY MAY 29 4:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY MAY 31 6:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

A violent and drunken father makes 11-year-old son Dylan (Shane Curry) hit the road—or, in this case, the river—with his neighbor and best friend, ten-year-old Kylie (Kelly O’Neill). What follows is a classic picaresque that morphs from traditional Irish working-class realism into a more fantastical realm as the children search for Dylan’s older brother, Barry. Director Lance Daly’s transition from the washed-out drabness of the children’s home lives to the bright, saturated colors of Dublin bears an unmistakable resemblance to The Wizard of Oz. But that is where the similarity ends as the fantastical image of the city takes a more sinister turn and the protagonists meet up with a host of unsavory characters on Dublin’s gritty streets. Throughout this urban odyssey, however, there are many light moments, such as when young Dylan is introduced to the music of his namesake Robert Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan) by a harmonica-playing boat captain. Despite never having acted before, Curry and O’Neill prove to be natural performers who adeptly handle Daly’s crisp, fast-paced dialogue. Daly takes what could have been a maudlin story of children in peril and elevates it to an unsentimental examination of the difficult journey from adolescence to adulthood.

Awards:

Irish Film and Television Awards 2009 (Best Director, Editing)

Foyle Film Festival 2008 (Best Feature Film)

Galway Film Fleadh 2008 (Best Irish Feature Film)

Ireland/ Sweden 2008

Director:

Lance Daly

Producers:

Lance Daly

Macdara Kelleher

Screenwriter:

Lance Daly

Editor:

J. Patrick Duffne

Music:

GoBlimpsGo

Cast:

Kelly O’Neill

Shane Curry

Stephen Rea

Neilí Conroy

Paul Roe

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation

Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: kisses.ie

Selected Filmography:

The Halo Effect (2004)

Last Days in Dublin (2001)

Krabat

US Premiere

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:15 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:00 PM

ADMIRAL THEATER

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Harry Potter should steer clear of the challenges facing the 14-year-old orphan in this expertly crafted dark fantasy. The effects of the 17th-century Thirty Years’ War have spread disease over a desolate landscape. An unfamiliar voice comes to the homeless Krabat in a dream, luring him to an old mill where he exchanges labor for shelter and food. After he suspects that the other 11 boys working at the mill are hiding a secret, Krabat discovers that the owner of the mill, The Master, practices sorcery in the dark arts. As an initiate of the secret society, Krabat finally feels that he belongs, but when the sorcerer’s plan will inflict harm on his best friend Tordo, Krabat must choose between power and loyalty. Smart use of color and shadow bring the film’s environment alive, heightening the sinister and mysterious atmosphere. Marco Kreuzpainter waves a sure-handed director’s wand over the alluring characters of Otfried Preussler’s classic novel, guaranteed to electrify fans of the genre and draw new members to the “dark side.”

Germany 2008

Director:

Marco Kreuzpaintner

Producers:

Uli Putz

Thomas Wöbke

Jakob Claussen

Bernd Wintersperger

Screenwriters:

Michael Gutmann

Marco Kreuzpaintner

based on the novel by Otfried Preußler

Cinematographer: Daniel Gottschalk

Editor:

Hansjörg Weissbrich

Music:

Annette Focks

Cast:

David Kross

Daniel Brühl

Christian Redl

Robert Stadlober

Paula Kalenberg

Running Time: 120 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Bavaria Film International

Print Source:

Bavaria Film International

Film Website:

krabat-derfilm.de

Selected Filmography:

Trade (2007)

Summer Storm (2004)

Breaking Loose (2003)

EID MILAD LAILA

Laila’s Birthday

MONDAY MAY 25 1:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

TUESDAY JUNE 2 7:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Showing the confusion, frustration, absurdity, and coping mechanisms of life in contemporary Ramallah through the eyes of a taxi driver, wry, comic drama Laila’s Birthday is strong political entertainment leavened with finely tooled irony. The protagonist is former judge Abu Laila who is forced by financial considerations to drive his brother-in-law’s cab. A proud intellectual with a by-the-book sense of law and order, Abu is constantly aggrieved by the chaos and lack of courtesy that surrounds him. From passengers not fastening their seatbelts to disputes over smoking in the cab, Abu survives the course of one long day, as a series of passengers and their destinations highlight internal Palestinian political divisions and persistent problems caused by Israeli occupation. Although symbolizing something more serious, these encounters feature sardonic dialogue and excellent comic timing.

By the film’s pitch-perfect ending, Abu isn’t exactly ready to accept Allah’s justice over situations that are created by man, but he’s become more skilled in the art of accommodation.

Palestine/ Tunisia/ Netherlands 2008

Director: Rashid Masharawi

Producers: Mohamed Habib Attia

Peter van Vogelpoel

Rashid Masharawi

Screenwriter: Rashid Masharawi

Cinematographers:

Tarek Ben Abdallah

Néstor Sanz

Editor:

Pascale Chavance

Music:

Kaies Sellami

Cast: Mohammed Bakri

Areen Omari

Nour Zoubi

Running Time: 72 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Fortissimo Films

Print Source:

Kino International

Selected Filmography:

Attente (2005)

Ticket to Jerusalem (2002)

Haifa (1996)

Hatta Ishaar Akhar (1994)

Like Dandelion Dust

SUNDAY MAY 31 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:00 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

What if you could disappear from a difficult situation as quickly as if you’ve blown the seeds from a dandelion puff? That’s one couple’s predicament in this moving adaptation of Karen Kingsbury’s 2008 novel, “Like Dandelion Dust.” Floridians Jack and Molly Campbell live peacefully with their adopted son, Joey, but their world is upended when Joey’s biological father is released from prison. Rip Porter decides to get his life with estranged, long-suffering wife Wendy back on track. First, Rip seeks a visit with Joey, and then he seeks much more. The ensuing battle between disadvantaged birth parents and wealthier adoptive parents is an examination of the socioeconomic factors that shape families. Kingsbury’s best-selling novel makes for equally volatile cinema. Like Dandelion Dust has been an emotional experience for audiences at this year’s Vail, Sedona, and Sonoma Film Festivals. It simply and effectively taps into parents’ most primal feelings of love and fear for their young.

Awards:

Sedona Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award)

Vail Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award)

Sonoma Film Festival 2008 (Jury Award, Audience Award, Best Actress)

San Luis Obispo Film Festival 2008 (Jury Award)

USA 2008

Director:

Jon Gunn

Producers:

Kerry David

Kevin Downes

Bobby Downes

Screenwriters:

Stephen J. Rivele

Michael Lachance based on a novel by Karen Kingsbury

Cinematographer:

Reynaldo Villalobos

Editor:

Jon Gunn

Music:

Nathan Larson

Cast:

Mira Sorvino

Barry Pepper

Kate Levering

Maxwell Perry Cotton

Cole Hauser

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Lucky Crow Films

Film Website:

likedandeliondust.com

Selected Filmography:

My Date with Drew (2004)

Mercy Streets (2000)

Little Soldier

North American Premiere

SUNDAY JUNE 7 9:00 PM HARVARD EXIT WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 5:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Bristling with repressed rage, a female war veteran drinks to excess to numb her fury. After returning to her provincial Danish hometown, she becomes involved with her sleazy father’s brothel business. For their fourth feature together, director Annette K. Olesen and screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson combine two timely social issues—disturbed former soldiers and prostitution—with a troubled father-daughter relationship drama. Raised by her grandparents after her mother died, tough, mannish-looking Lotte (Trine Dyrholm, Denmark’s biggest female star) clearly has unresolved issues with her unreliable father Kurt, and still longs for his approval and affection. Needing money after abruptly leaving the Danish armed forces in Afghanistan, Lotte asks her dad for a loan. Instead, he offers her work as a driver, and she winds up as chauffeur and protector for Kurt’s gorgeous mistress Lily, one of the Nigerian prostitutes he pimps as a side to his legitimate trucking business. Although Lotte initially displays jealousy over the attention Kurt showers on ultra-feminine Lily, she soon discovers that Lily’s looks and attitude serve as a defensive cover not so different from the façade Lotte had to assume while in the army. Ultimately, the two “little soldiers” form an uneasy bond.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)

Denmark 2009

Director:

Annette K. Olesen

Producer:

Ib Tardini

Screenwriters:

Kim Fupz Aakeson

Annette K. Olesen

Cinematographer:

Camilla Hjelm Knudsen

Editor:

Jacob Thueson

Music:

Kåre Bjerkø

Cast:

Trine Dyrholm

Finn Nielsen

Lorna Brown

Rasmus Botoft

Jens Jørn Spottag

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Danish, English, and Swedish, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

TrustNordisk

Print Source:

Danish Film Institute

Selected Filmography: 1:1 (2006)

In Your Hands (2004)

Minor Mishaps (2002)

LILLE SOLDAT

ZHIVI

I

POMNI

Live and Remember

North American Premiere

SATURDAY JUNE 13 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

During the final frigid months of World War II, Andrei returns from the battlefront, not as a conquering hero, but as a deserter. He is forced to hide near his small, Siberian logging village, concealing his presence from all but his wife, Nastya, who he swears to secrecy, even threatening to kill her if she tells anyone where he is. Forced to carry on a sort of illicit affair with her husband, how will Nastya explain her sudden pregnancy to the village? She must carry on her daily activities and help the hardworking local women keep their village alive and supply wood for the war effort. When V-Day arrives and the men return home from war as heroes, Nastya must find ways to deter the army from finding Andrei. Based on a short story by contemporary Siberian writer Valentin Rasputin, Live and Remember tackles traditional village values and the hard life peasants lead. Striking cinematography in frozen landscapes and powerful performances by some of Russia’s ace actors bring Nastya and Andrei’s small but profound world to life.

Awards:

Kinotavr Film Festival 2008 (Best Director) Russian Nika Award 2008 (Best Actress)

Russia 2008

Director:

Alexander Proshkin

Producers:

Ruben Dishdishian

Youri Moroz

Aram Movsesian

Sergei Danielian

Screenwriters:

Alexander Rodionov

Alexander Proshkin

based on a short story by Valentin Rasputin

Cinematographers: Gennadii Kariuk

Alexander Kariuk

Editor: Natalia Kucherenko

Music:

Roman Dormidoshin

Cast:

Daria Moroz

Mikhail Evlanov

Sergei Makovetski

Anna Mikhalkova

Yevgenia Glushenko

Running Time:

100 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Central Partnership

Print Source:

Central Partnership

Selected Filmography: Trio (2003)

The Captain’s Daughter (2000)

To See Paris And Die (1992)

Cold Summer of 1953 (1988)

AMOROSA SOLEDAD Lovely Loneliness

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SATURDAY JUNE 13 3:45 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Inés Efron, who starred in the SIFF 2008 hit, XXY, is bewitching as a neurotic 20-something stuck between romances in the charmingly funny Lovely Loneliness. Soledad, recently ditched by her fiancé, Nico, swears that she will remain single for three years to avoid another disappointment. However, it seems unlikely that she will stick to her vow as things immediately and unexpectedly take off with a man she has just met—also named Nico. Before she dives into this new relationship, Nico #1 calls and begs to get back together. Beset by her own hypochondriacal tendencies and a profoundly odd pair of parents with their own dysfunctional hangups, Soledad must gather up her courage and make her decision. Directors Victoria Galardi and Martín Carranza draw an engaging performance from Efron, who appears in almost every scene and dazzles at every opportunity. The film rolls along at a rapid pace, while the bright and airy Buenos Aires location contributes a breezy look and feel that perfectly complements the offbeat comedy. Ricardo Darín, who memorably appeared as Efron’s character’s father in XXY, returns as her father here and summarily steals every scene he is in.

Awards:

San Sebastián International Film Festival 2008 (Youth Jury Award)

Argentina 2008

Directors:

Victoria Galardi

Martín Carranza

Producers:

Natacha Cervi

Hernán Musaluppi

Screenwriter:

Victoria Galardi

Cinematographer: Julián Ledesma

Editor: Pablo Barbieri

Music:

Nico Cota

Cast: Inés Efron

Nicolás Pauls

Fabian Vena

Ricardo Darín

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Rizoma Films

Film Website: amorosasoledad.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LA NANA

The Maid Machan

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

In Colombo, Sri Lanka, lifelong friends Manoj and Stanley console each other after their latest visa applications are rejected. For barman Manoj, the recurrent denial of his dream to live in the West is taking a serious emotional toll. Stanley, who works on the street selling fruit, is losing his fight against overwhelming debt. When the two friends discover an invitation to a handball tournament in Bavaria, they see it as a chance to pull themselves out of the slums—permanently. Despite the fact that neither of them knows what handball is, their tournament application is accepted and they round up a ragtag collection of friends to form the Sri Lanka National Handball Team. However, playing actual games is the last thing on their minds. After reading about the exploits of the real 2004 Sri Lankan team, which blended into European society upon arrival in Germany, Italian producer Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty) decided to get behind the camera for the first time to tell their story. With a script that Pasolini co-wrote with Sri Lankan playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera, Machan uses mostly nonprofessional actors from Colombo to provide an authentic feel to this tale of immigration, friendship, and liberation.

Awards:

Venice International Film Festival 2008 (Label Europa Cinemas Award, FEDIC Award)

Sri Lanka/Italy/ Germany 2008

Director:

Uberto Pasolini

Producers:

Prasanna Vithanage

Conchita Airoldi

Uberto Pasolini

Screenwriters:

Ruwanthie de Chickera

Uberto Pasolini

Cinematographer:

Stefano Falivene

Editor:

Masahiro Hirakubo

Music:

Stephen Warbeck

Lakshman Joseph De Saram

Cast:

Dharmapriya Dias

Gihan de Chickera

Dharshan Dharmaraj

Mahendra Perera

Running Time:

109 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Sinhala, with

English subtitles

International Sales:

Beta Cinema

Print Source:

Redwave Films

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

SATURDAY MAY 30 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

After 23 years, frumpy maid Raquel occupies a curious position somewhere between a mere domestic and a member of the Valdes family she has so faithfully served. But she’s also perpetually sullen, borderline antisocial and intensely territorial. Constant clashes with the eldest Valdes daughter, Camila, raise fears that Raquel is overworked, so more help is hired to assist her. Naturally this does not sit well with Raquel, who, feeling usurped, cooks up childish pranks and devious schemes to get rid of the interlopers. Eventually, she meets the spirited young assistant Lucy, who becomes the catalyst for Raquel’s rediscovery of herself. Astonishing in its intimacy, The Maid wrings awkward humor from the alienated Raquel’s mind games, but her evolution is touching. This remarkably astute film is not only a study of class division in the commonplace Latin American practice of domestic servitude, but also an engrossing character study of a singular individual. Unfolding almost entirely within the house’s walls, Sebastian Silva’s second feature achieves and sustains an impressive degree of claustrophobic momentum in scenes churning with passive-aggressive comedy, impeccably observed detail and emotional violence.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2009 (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Special Jury Prize for Acting)

Chile 2008

Director:

Sebastian Silva

Producer:

Gregorio González

Screenwriters:

Sebastian Silva

Pedro Peirano

Cinematographer:

Sergio Armstrong

Editor:

Danielle Fillios

Music:

Pedro Soubercaseaux

Cast:

Catalina Saavedra

Claudia Celedón

Mariana Loyola

Alejandro Goic

Andrea García-Huidobro

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Elephant Eye Films

Selected Filmography: La Vida me mata (2007)

Marcello Marcello

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:00 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

ADMIRAL THEATER

In 1950s Italy, on the small, fictional island of Amatrello, the locals celebrate a curious tradition: when a girl turns 18, the young men of the island all spring into action and compete against each other to find the most elaborate, outrageous gift in order to win a rendezvous with the sought-after maiden. The catch is that the gift must impress not the girl, but her father, as it is he who ultimately decides on his daughter’s sweetheart. When Elena, the mayor’s radiant daughter, returns to the island shortly before her eighteenth birthday, young Marcello sets out to woo both mayor and daughter. In pursuit of the perfect offering, Marcello throws the entire island into turmoil, upsetting the quiet seaside atmosphere and spurring his sleepy neighbors into action on his behalf. Swiss Director Denis Rabaglia accomplishes no small feat with Marcello Marcello, crafting a delightful confection that is equal parts slapstick comedy and romantic quest. Irresistible production design, married with Filip Zumbrunn’s inventive cinematography, makes for a fast-paced caper through a picture-perfect Mediterranean idyll.

Switzerland/ Germany 2008

Director:

Denis Rabaglia

Producer:

Anne Walser

Screenwriter:

Mark David Hatwood

Cinematographer:

Filip Zumbrunn

Editor:

Claudio Di Mauro

Music:

Henning Lohner

Cast:

Francesco Mistichelli

Elena Cucci

Renato Scarpa

Luca Sepe

Luigi Petrazzuolo

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Telepool

Print Source:

C-Films AG

Film Website: marcello-movie.com

Selected Filmography:

Pas de Panique (2006)

Azzurro (2000)

Grossesse Nerveuse (1993)

The Market - A Tale of Trade

SUNDAY JUNE 7 1:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Charismatic, fast-talking Mihram is an idea man. It’s the mid-1990s, and this shady, itinerant entrepreneur in eastern Turkey dreams of going legit with a business deal involving the region’s fastspreading cellular phone system. The catch? He doesn’t have the money to bring it to fruition—he never does. A golden opportunity arrives when the hospital supply truck is robbed and the local doctor gives Mihram money to buy some critically needed medicine on the black market. With plenty of cash in hand, Mihram can’t resist the temptation to use the funds on his own plans first. If all goes well on the cell-phone business, he figures he’ll have money leftover to deliver the urgently needed drugs. Of course, if things don’t pan out, he’ll be an outcast, losing his family and his honor. But Mihram, the indefatigable gambler, forges ahead with his plan, which involves smuggling goods across the Azerbaijani border. The local mafia boss, however, has other plans for him. This award-winning film is both a rollicking road movie and a sobering reminder of how rampant free-market capitalism can easily blur ethical lines and corrupt the soul.

Awards:

Flanders International Film Festival 2008 (Best Film)

Locarno International Film Festival 2008 (Best Actor)

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival 2008 (Best Film, Actor, Screenplay, Costume Design)

Ghent International Film Festival 2008 (Grand Prize of the Flemish Community for Best Film, Special Mention–Actor)

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Ben Hopkins

Producer:

Roshanak Behehst Nedjad

Screenwriter:

Ben Hopkins

Cinematographer:

Konstantin Kröning

Editor:

Alan Levy

Music:

Cihan Sezer

Cast:

Tayanç Ayadin

Genco Erkal

Senay Aydin

Sahin Rojin

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Works International

Print Source:

The Works International

Film Website: market-thefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

37 Uses for a Dead Sheep (2006)

The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz (2000) Simon Magus (1999)

PAZAR – BIR TICARET MASALI

UNE CHANSON DANS LA TÊTE

Melodrama Habibi

MONDAY MAY 25 4:15 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

French crooner Bruno Caprice was a one-hit wonder in the 1970s, but he never found musical success again. Thinking his show-biz days were behind him, he grudgingly takes a job as a hotel receptionist. His unhappy retirement is shattered one day when Lebanese coffee magnate Jamil offers him a gig at a birthday party in Beirut. Jamil’s wife, Randa, says she is Bruno’s biggest—and possibly only—fan, and cherishes the memory of one of his concerts during the 1970s. Bruno has no recollection of ever performing in Lebanon, but he’s not about to pass up his first offer to sing in years. The city of Beirut invigorates Bruno, who feels he’s been given a second chance at life. As its title declares, Melodrama Habibi has its share of exaggerated emotion. It’s unclear, for example, whether Randa’s recollection of Bruno’s concert is only a false memory created to erase the trauma she sustained during the Lebanese civil war. But it’s also an affectionate comedy with a polished look and a fun, kitschy soundtrack. This crowd pleaser shows how music has the power to shape our memories, both real and imagined.

Awards:

Brussels European Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award, RTBF TV Prize for Best Picture)

France 2008

Director:

Hany Tamba

Producers:

Emmanuel Agneray

Jérome Bleitrach

Screenwriters:

Hany Tamba

Emmanuelle Mougne

Michel Kammoun

Cinematographer:

Emmanuel Soyer

Editor:

Marie Jo Audiard

Music:

K. Mouzanar

Cast:

Julia Kassar

Patrick Chesnais

Pierrette Katrib

Gabriel Yammine

Lara Matar

Running Time:

98 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Merry Gentleman

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT SATURDAY MAY 30 3:45 PM HARVARD EXIT

There’s an old adage in Hollywood that every actor wants to direct. Many try, but few succeed as well as Michael Keaton in his feature film debut, The Merry Gentlemen—a heady mix of suspense, gentle romance, and sly humor. Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald) flees from her broken marriage to resettle in Chicago. Staying in relative anonymity, she puts forward a reserved demeanor and avoids talking about her recent life. Maintaining her privacy becomes more difficult, however, after she witnesses a shooting, and an alcoholic detective takes a more-thanprofessional interest in her. But then she meets Frank Logan (Keaton), a kindred spirit who shares both her laconic nature and aversion to the past. Soon their friendship grows into one of necessity and survival for the two lonely souls, but their quiet compact cannot protect them from the lives they’ve left behind. Keaton and Macdonald craft a rich, complex drama from Kate and Frank’s reticent friendship, in which the unspoken promise to redeem and remake one another becomes an unexpected fount of strength for each.

USA 2008

Director:

Michael Keaton

Producers:

Tom Bastounes

Ron Lazzeretti

Steven A. Jones

Screenwriter:

Ron Lazzeretti

Cinematographer:

Chris Seager

Editors:

Howard E. Smith

Grant Myers

Music:

Jon Sadoff

Ed Shearmur

Cast:

Michael Keaton

Kelly Macdonald

Tom Bastounes

Bobby Canavale

Running Time:

110 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

IDP/Samuel Goldwyn

Films

Film Website: themerrygentlemanmovie.

com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts

(PART 1) FRIDAY JUNE 5 9:30 PM

(PART 1) SATURDAY JUNE 6 7:15 PM

(PART 2) SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:45 PM

(PART 2) SUNDAY JUNE 7 3:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Opening with a torrent of gunfire and careening through a series of heists and police pursuits across France, Canada, and the United States, this two-part biopic immerses us in the unhinged 20-year career of French super-criminal Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel). Based in part on the autobiography Mesrine wrote from prison, the two films resist glorifying or forgiving their antihero’s crimes. Instead, they tell his story with brutal honesty and gripping, unsentimental realism. Cassel harnesses his impressive chameleonic abilities to portray the capricious Mesrine, stepping into the skin of France’s “Man with a Thousand Faces” and cementing the character’s position in French criminal mythology. Cassel has been honored at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the French Césars for his role, while director Jean-François Richet (best known for 2005’s Assault on Precinct 13) collected a César for Best Director. Sharp supporting performances from Ludivine Sagnier, Gérard Depardieu, and Mathieu Amalric add sensitivity to a kinetic production that works its 1960s and 1970s setting, plus a host of superb international locations, for a hugely satisfying payoff.

Awards:

César Awards 2009 (Best Actor, Director, Sound)

Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 (Best Actor)

France/Canada/ Italy

2008

Director:

Jean-François Richet

Producer: Thomas Langmann

Screenwriter: Abdel Raouf Dafri based on the autobiography “L’instinct de mort” by Jacques Mesrine

Cinematographer: Robert Gantz

Editor:

Hervé Schneid

Cast: Vincent Cassel

Cécile de France

Gérard Depardieu

Mathieu Amalric Ludivine Sagnier

Roy Dupuis

Gilles Lellouche

Running Time:

Part 1 (110 minutes) Part 2 (132 minutes)

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source:

Senator Entertainment US

Film Website: mesrine-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

All About Love (2001)

Ma 6-T va crack-er (1997)

Inner City (1995)

Miao Miao

North American Premiere

FRIDAY MAY 29 4:30 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 2 7:00 PM

First-time feature director Hsiao-Tse Cheng hits the jackpot with this bright high school romance that is a refreshing antidote to Hollywood’s navelgazing dramas of friendship and sexual identity. Teenaged Miao-Miao arrives in Taiwan as a transfer student from Japan and finds herself a quiet presence in class until Xiao-Ai befriends her and unleashes a fast friendship around the school grounds. It is not long before Miao-Miao is struck with her first love for a sullen CD store owner, Chen Fei, who keeps the world at arm’s length with his headphones. While aiding Miao-Miao in getting the boy’s attention, Xiao-Ai finds herself pulling closer to the realization that she is falling romantically for her best friend. As the tension between the trio mounts, Chen Fei slowly unravels his past and his own romantic feelings, which have shut out people of his world since a horrible tragedy. Miao Miao explores an emotional terrain seldom explored in pop art, bringing to the table tremendous lead performances from the young stars and stylish visions of urban Taipei, courtesy of key personnel from Wong Kar-wai’s Jet Tone Films. Blessed with a youthful spirit and sensitivity to the maturing of its central characters, Miao Miao is a sure-fire crowd pleaser for the teen within us all. Recommended for ages 13 and above.

Hong Kong/ Taiwan 2008

Director:

Hsiao-Tse Cheng

Producers:

Stanley Kwan

Yee-Wah Pang

Screenwriters:

Yi-Fen Tsai

Hsiao-Tse Cheng

Cinematographer:

Pun-Leung Kwan

Editor: Suk-Ping Chang

Music:

Cin-Cin Lee

Cast:

Chia-Yen Ko

Sandrine Pinna

Chih-Wei Fan

Running Time:

83 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Fortissimo Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

L

SIFF CINEMA

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO

Mid-August Lunch

MONDAY JUNE 1 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 7:00 PM

This low-key charmer follows Gianni, a 60-something Roman who lives with his tyrannical 93-year-old mother, Valeria, and suddenly finds himself forced to look after three other elderly ladies. As the late summer holiday of Ferragosto approaches, Gianni (director di Gregorio) is blackmailed by his building manager Luigi into looking after Luigi’s mother for two nights in exchange for forgiving certain tenant debts. But when Luigi comes to the apartment, he’s brought not only his mother Marina, but his aunt Maria as well. Soon after, Gianni’s doctor-friend Marcello pays a call, asking if he can leave his mother, Grazia for “just one night.” The aging women, each with her own strong personality, prove a handful while grudging host Gianni attempts to monitor their pill intake and pacify them with food. Debuting director di Gregorio’s combination of artistry and humanity avoids platitudes and exaggeration as he spins this warm-hearted, humorous tale.

Awards:

London Film Festival 2008 (Satyajit Ray Award)

Venice Film Festival 2008 (Isvema Award, Luigi De Laurentiis Award, Pasinetti Award)

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

Italy 2008

Director:

Gianni di Gregorio

Producer:

Matteo Garrone

Screenwriter:

Gianni di Gregorio

Cinematographer:

Gian Enrico Bianchi

Editor:

Marco Spoletini

Music:

Ratchev & Carratello

Cast:

Gianni di Gregorio

Valeria de Franciscis

Marina Cacciotti

Maria Cali

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fandango Portobello

Print Source:

Fandango Portobello

Film Website: www.pranzodiferragosto.it

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

The Missing Person

FRIDAY JUNE 5 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM PACIFIC

Boasting a top-flight cast and dipped in dusky shades of gold and brown, The Missing Person delivers a stylish new take on the private-eye genre. Miss Charley (Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone) sets the shaggy-dog story in motion when she hires gin-soaked private investigator John Rosow (Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road) to trail a man traveling with a small boy. Rosow tracks his prey by train from Chicago to Los Angeles. Both cities exist in a sort of timeless space, neither in the past nor in the present (Rosow digs old-school jazz, but lives in a world filled with cell phones and Segways). On his journey to the West and back, Rosow uncovers surprising secrets, but turns out to have a few of his own as well. Like Robert Aldrich’s post-war classic Kiss Me Deadly, Noah Buschel conjures up a tone so off-kilter, it sometimes slides into surrealism, like when the dyspeptic detective dreams about a woman who may not actually exist. But Rosow is no Mike Hammer tough guy—he’s smarter and more sensitive than that. Margaret Colin as a sly seductress and John Ventimiglia (The Sopranos) as a Serpicoobsessed cabbie help make this one a must-see for fans of noir films and character pieces alike.

USA 2009

Director:

Noah Buschel

Producers:

Jesse Scolaro

Allen Bain

Screenwriter:

Noah Buschel

Cinematographer:

Ryan Samul

Editor:

Mollie Goldstein

Music:

Jim Black

Cast:

Michael Shannon

Amy Ryan

Frank Wood

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

International Sales:

Visit Films

Print Source:

Visit Films

Film Website:

missingpersonmovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Neal Cassady (2007)

Bringing Rain (2003)

PLACE CINEMAS

La Mission

SATURDAY MAY 30 9:00 PM

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:45 PM

EGYPTIAN

THEATRE

EGYPTIAN

Peter Bratt’s powerful and moving film is an ardent love letter to the vibrancy of San Francisco’s Mission District, and an urgent corrective to the violence that plays out in its streets. Full of affection for its characters and despair for their situations, La Mission is a story of community and family and one man’s struggle to unlearn a lifetime of destructive habits. Che, in a commanding performance by Benjamin Bratt, is an ex-con who has turned his life around and now devotes himself to his lifelong Mission Boyz friends, his passion for building classic lowrider cruisers, and his honor student son Jess (Jeremy Ray Valdez). On the eve of Jess’s graduation, as Che’s new romance with an attractive neighbor (Erika Alexander) starts to bud, a sudden revelation shatters the peace, drawing a brutal reaction from Che. Lashing out at those around him, he finds himself emotionally broken and isolated, before beginning a hard climb toward understanding and acceptance. And it is a hard climb. Handsome, charismatic bad-ass though he may be, Che gets no slack from best friend Rene (Jesse Borrego) or his pals, all of whom are trying to live decent lives in difficult circumstances, and doing a better job of it. The film’s greatest virtue, and the crux of Che’s redemptive journey, is its refusal to accept violence as a necessary outcome of, far less a solution to, troubling conditions. Full of compassion and love, La Mission is not only tough but also hopeful, beautiful, and true.

MAMAN EST CHEZ LE COIFFEUR

Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s

SATURDAY JUNE 6 4:30 PM

THEATRE

USA

2009

Director:

Peter Bratt

Producers:

Alpita Patel

Benjamin Bratt

Peter Bratt

Screenwriter:

Peter Bratt

Cinematographer:

Hiro Narita

Editor:

Stan Webb

Music:

Mark Kilian

Cast:

Benjamin Bratt

Erika Alexander

Jeremy Ray Valdez

Talisa Soto Bratt

Jesse Borrego

Running Time:

118 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

5 Stick Films

Selected Filmography:

Follow Me Home (1996)

HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:30 PM

ADMIRAL THEATER

Canadian filmmaker Léa Pool brings an exacting sensibility to this vivid family drama set in 1960s Quebec. As two parents’ increasingly hostile relationship disintegrates and the mother leaves her family for a job in London, three children are left to make sense of the changes imposed upon them. The film tells its story through teenager Élise who is forced to occupy her mother’s role in the insufferable world of adults and to care for her overwhelmed father and distressed younger brothers Coco and Benoit. Pool draws assured performances from her talented team of child and adult actors to expose the cracks below the surface of the traditional nuclear family and the unbridgeable distance between the worlds of men and women in the pre-feminist setting. Rather than miring itself in domestic melodrama, Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s investigates the inner stories of its characters with a playful and acute sense of humor. Cinematography, art direction, and costume design combine to produce beautifully detailed kitsch interiors, vibrant outdoors, and eye-popping wardrobes that perfectly capture the story’s time and place.

Canada 2008

Director:

Léa Pool

Producers: Lyse Lafontaine

Michael Mosca

Screenwriter: Isabelle Hébert

Cinematographer:

Daniel Jobin

Editor: Dominique Fortin

Music: Laurent Eyquem

Cast:

Céline Bonnier

Laurent Lucas

Marianne Fortier

Gabriel Arcand

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

E1 Entertainment

International

Print Source:

E1 Entertainment

International

Film Website: equinoxefilms.com

Selected Filmography: The Blue Butterfly (2004) Lost and Delirious (2001)

Set Me Free (1999) Desire in Motion (1994)

The Savage Woman (1991)

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:15 PM SIFF

After spending nearly three years alone on the moon overseeing the Lunar Industries mining operations, Sam Bell is ready to leave behind the monotonous isolation of Selene station. With only the base’s computer GERTY for a companion and the occasional taped messages sent to him by his wife and daughter, Sam does everything possible to ensure the continuous flow of Helium-3 (vital for Earth’s clean energy production), while not succumbing to the daily ennui of lunar life. However, with only two weeks to go before his contract expires, the tedium begins to take its toll. Sam begins to experience migraines and hallucinations, which interfere with his work. After one such attack causes him to crash his rover, he awakes in sickbay only to discover his circumstances within the station have radically altered. Buoyed by Sam Rockwell’s emphatic performance, director Duncan Jones’ Moon harkens back to such science-fiction films as Silent Running and Solaris, wherein the futuristic façade falls away to reveal a potent exploration of the humanity trapped within.

CINEMA

United Kingdom 2009

Director:

Duncan Jones

Producers:

Stuart Fenegan

Trudie Styler

Screenwriter:

Nathan Parke

Cinematographer:

Gary Shaw

Editor:

Nicolas Gastor

Music:

Clint Mansell

Cast:

Sam Rockwell

Kevin Spacey

Dominique McElligott

Benedict Wong

Matt Berry

Running Time:

97 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: moonthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Morris: A Life With Bells On

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY MAY 24 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

For those who think the English folk dance Morris is just an innocent pub pastime involving hankywaving and bearded men with staffs, you’ve never seen its politics-laden, ultra-competitive side. Under the auspices of the governing Morris Circle, dance troops throughout England compete against each other in cutthroat tournaments. Follow the fortunes of one such side, Millsham Morris, and its avant-garde leader Derecq Twist, in their pursuit for Morris perfection. In his Morris prime, Derecq is both a traditionalist and an innovator. One the one hand, he is preparing to perform the ultimate move in Morris Dance, the mystical and legendary Threeple Hammer Damson. And yet, on the other hand, he is pioneering an innovative, daringly freeform brand of the dance dubbed “Extreme Morris,” drawing the ire of the more orthodox elements within the Morris dance community. But when Millsham Morris unveils their creation in competition, the Morris Circle bans Derecq from future competition. Devastated by the decision, Derecq embarks on a global odyssey through tragedy and triumph, which gravely tests his passion to Morris.

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Lucy Akhurst

Producers:

Lucy Akhurst

Charles Thomas Oldham

Screenwriter:

Charles Thomas Oldham

Cinematographer:

Roger Chapman

Editor:

Nick Carew

Music:

Richard Lumsden

Cast:

Aidan McArdle

Naomie Harris

Sir Derek Jacobi

Harriet Walter

Greg Wise

Jasper Britton

Running Time:

101 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Twist Films Morris Ltd

Film Website: morrismovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Mothers & Daughters

THURSDAY MAY 28 7:00 PM

FRIDAY MAY 29 4:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

A documentary-style comedic drama about mothers and daughters that is sometimes too close for comfort, Mothers & Daughters asks “What do three moms think about motherhood?” and “What do three daughters think about daughterhood?” Micki (Babz Chulais, Dirty) is a high-strung self-involved pulp romance writer to whom wounded daughter Rebecca remains mysteriously loyal. Psychiatrist Kate is a beautiful and fiercely competitive woman whose mother, Brenda, is so deep in denial that she barely functions in daily life. Celine is a Métis woman and paints houses for a living. She paints Cynthia’s house when Cynthia goes through a crisis. Director Bessai has assembled a cast of respected Canadian actors who spent four months shaping an improvisational narrative based on one simple premise: exploring relationships between mothers and daughters. Shot entirely on location and with a crew so small and unobtrusive that they were often able to interact in real-life situations as they moved through streets, stores, and buildings. The emotional trajectory of mother and daughter relationships is rarely bland or simple. Happy endings may be irrelevant, but nothing takes the place of that maternal touch regardless of how timid or acrimonious.

Canada 2008

Director:

Carl Bessai

Producers:

Carl Bessai

Rod Ruel

Screenwriter:

Carl Bessai

Cinematographer:

Carl Bessai

Editor:

Mark Shearer

Music:

Lullaby Baxter with Bertram Havisham

Cast:

Tantoo Cardinal

Gabrielle Rose

Babz Chula

Camille Sullivan

Tiffany Lyndall-Knight

Running Time:

83 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Raven West Films

Selected Filmography:

Normal (2007)

Unnatural & Accidental (2006)

Severed (2005)

Emile (2003)

Lola (2001)

Johnny (1999)

CE QU ’ IL FAUT POUR VIVRE

The Necessities of Life

SUNDAY JUNE 7 4:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT MONDAY JUNE 8 4:15 PM HARVARD EXIT

Tivii, of the Baffin Island Inuit, quietly supports his family by hunting on the frozen lands of Canada’s Far North until modern society intrudes on his corner of the world. Diagnosed with tuberculosis by Canadian authorities, Tivii is forcibly removed from his family and quarantined in a Quebec City tuberculosis sanitarium. For Tivii (Natar Ungalaaq, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner), everything seems alien—and of course, no one speaks Inuktitut. He manages to establish a connection with Carole, a compassionate nurse, but he eventually slides into depression as he realizes his treatment might last up to two years. Seeing his despair, Carole orchestrates the hospital transfer of Kaki, a similarly afflicted Inuk orphan boy who’s been separated from his native culture for many months. With his feet in both the French-Canadian and Inuit worlds, Kaki acts as Tivii’s translator. Tivii also takes a fatherly interest in Kaki and tries to refresh the child’s lapsed knowledge of traditional Inuit customs and myths. Inspired by a real tuberculosis epidemic that broke out in the Inuit population in the 1940s and 1950s, The Necessities of Life is a profound story of culture shock and barriertranscending human connections.

Awards:

Jutra Awards 2009 (Best Film, Actor, Screenplay)

Montreal World Film Festival 2008 (Special Jury Prize, Audience Award)

Canada 2008

Director:

Benoît Pilon

Producers:

Bernadette Payeur

René Chénier

Screenwriters:

Bernard Émond

Benoît Pilon

Cinematographer:

Michel La Veaux

Editor:

Richard Comeau

Music:

Robert Marcel Lepage

Cast:

Natar Ungalaaq

Paul-André Brasseur

Eveline Gélinas

Vincent Guillaume Otis

Antoine Bertrand

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French and Inuktitut, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Seville Pictures

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: thenecessitiesoflifethemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Nestor and the Forgotten (2006)

3 soeurs en 2 temps (2003)

Rosaire and the PetiteNation (1997)

NORDWAND

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:30 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 10:00 PM

A father’s love for his child is unconditional, a bond that can’t be broken. But sometimes government bureaucracy can interfere. Li Wu-hisung lives in a harbor zone in Taiwan with his small daughter. He doesn’t have a job, so he takes on risky tasks on boats to earn money. When he tries to do the right thing and enroll his daughter in a school, the government decides it’s in the child’s best interest to remove her from his care. The title of the film, which translates to “I can’t live without you,” becomes evident once the man’s daughter is taken from him. He does everything he can to get her back, leading to a desperate standoff in front of the media and the world. Shot with an amazingly controlled sense of composition, actor-turned-director Leon Dai delivers a thoughtful and well-rounded film. With strong visuals filmed in beautiful black and white, this is an emotional and satisfying film. Based on a true story, it conveys a quest of love that knows no bounds. Though it would be easy to judge the father based on his economic standing, the purity of his emotion carries the film and makes him sympathetic to even the most jaded audience member.

HARVARD EXIT

Taiwan 2008

Director:

Leon Dai

Producer: Chen Wen-Pin

Screenwriters:

Leon Dai

Chen Wen-Pin

Cinematographers:

Chang Hsiang-Yen

Chou Yi-Wen

Editor:

Leon Dai

Cast:

Chen Wen-Pin

Chao Yo-Hsuan

Liu Chin-Ju

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin and Taiwanese, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Fames Universal Entertainment Ltd.

Film Website: luminosofilm.com

Selected Filmography: Taipei Twenty Something (2002)

THURSDAY JUNE 11 9:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 13 NOON

Based on a 1936 attempt by two Germans and two Austrians to be the first to scale the nearvertical Eiger North Face, the most dangerous, unconquered rock face in the Alps, this grippingly staged mountain movie boasts plenty of white-knuckle thrills. Pals and passionate climbers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser have always dreamed of conquering the challenging climb. Being the first to scale the North Face would mean not only a longed-for boost in their social standing, but also Olympic gold. As they prepare for the climb, they meet Luise, Toni’s former girlfriend, who plans to use their dangerous adventure to seize her chance to be a journalist. When the pair finally goes for it in mid-July, they are closely pursued and later joined by grizzled Austrians Willy Angerer and Edi Rainer. Meanwhile, at the hotel in the valley below, Luise and her boss Arau, a loyal Nazi Party member, observe the thrilling feat along with other celebrities, bringing a broader social and political context to the climbers’ purely personal obsession.

Austria 2008

Director:

Philipp Stölzl

Producers:

Benjamin Herrmann

Danny Krausz

Rudolf Santschi

Boris Schönfelder

Screenwriters:

Christoph Silber

Philipp Stölzl

Rupert Henning

Johannes Naber

Cinematographer: Kolja Brandt

Editor:

Sven Budelmann

Music:

Mischa Krausz

Cast: Benno Fürmann

Florian Lukas

Johanna Wokalek

Ulrich Tukur

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in German and Swiss German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Beta Film

Print Source:

Music Box Films

Selected Filmography: Baby (2002)

ADMIRAL THEATER

CINERAMA

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Nurse.Fighter.Boy

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM

SATURDAY MAY 23 4:30 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 6 1:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

ADMIRAL THEATER

Jude is a single mother and caregiver living with sickle-cell anemia. Silence is an illegal boxer, struggling to figure out what he’s fighting for, now that he’s past his prime. Ciel is Jude’s 12-yearold son, who dreams of happiness and comfort for his mom. His prayers for her are fanciful and might be magical. Jude is descended from a long line of caregivers who dreams of going back to Zion: St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. During the last week of summer, a late-night brawl finds the fighter in the nurse’s care, intertwining their fates. The urban love story of Nurse.Fighter. Boy explores archetypal characters of nurturer, warrior, and child with a humanizing respect. The performances of Karen LeBlanc (nurse), Clark Johnson (fighter), and Daniel J. Gordon (boy) are understated and deeply felt. Gordon’s Ciel is a complex creature whose eyes show impressive emotion. Shot in high definition, the colors are bold and saturated. Making the film even more vibrant is its excellent soundtrack of classic and contemporary reggae, gospel, and soul.

Canada

2008

Director:

Charles Officer

Producer:

Ingrid Veninger

Screenwriters:

Charles Officer

Ingrid Veninger

Cinematographer:

Steve Cosens

Editor: James Blokland

Music:

John Welsman

Cast:

Clark Johnson

Karen LeBlanc

Daniel J. Gordon

Walter Borden

Running Time:

93 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Rezo

Print Source:

Rezo

Film Website:

nursefighterboy.ca

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

EL TRUCO DEL MANCO

The One-Handed Trick

MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT SATURDAY JUNE 13 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

The One-Handed Trick tells the tale of two friends, Enrique “El Cuajo” Heredia and Adolfo, who make music together in a barrio outside of Barcelona. Cuajo has cerebral palsy but chooses not to resign himself to sitting on the street selling lottery tickets. Adolfo has a heroin problem that he’s been trying to kick and lives with his ill, alcoholic father. After getting kicked out of a recording studio when they run out of money, Cuajo decides they should set up a studio of their own. Adolfo is skeptical, but Cuajo is determined. To finance their plans, Cuajo gets them a gig fencing stolen goods from local gangster Marquito. But when things go wrong with Marquito, their friendship, their dreams, and their lives are all in danger. The film’s crudely makeshift feel brings the coarse realities of multiculturalism to life. Hip-hop singer Juan Manuel Montilla (“Langui”) delivers an explosive performance in this edgy, urban drama.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2008 (Best Director, Breakthrough Actor, Original Music)

Spain 2008

Director:

Santiago Zannou

Producers:

Aitana de Val

Luis de Val

Screenwriters:

Ivan Morales

Santiago Zannou

Cinematographer:

Albert Pascual

Editor:

Jaume Martí

Music:

Woulfrank Zannou

Cast:

Juan Manuel Montilla “Langui”

Ovono Candela

Javier Iglesias “Gordo”

Mala Rodríguez

Juan Navarro

Running Time:

91 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Media Films, S.L.

Print Source:

Media Films, S.L.

Film Website: eltrucodelmanco.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Opium War

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

MONDAY MAY 25 9:15 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

In Siddiq Barmak’s ambitious follow-up to Osama, two American soldiers are stranded after their helicopter crashes in enemy territory in Afghanistan. The soldiers are constantly at odds but must rely on each other to survive. As they cross poppy fields, they lick the poppy essence to bury the pain and anguish of battle. Along the way, they encounter a local family that lives in the shell of a Soviet tank and grows opium to survive. The family, full of wacky characters, is also constantly at each other’s throats. Opium War combines realism with tangents of absurdism and a cast of nonprofessional actors. The dialogue broaches the presence of the U.S. in Afghanistan and the need for large numbers of Afghan families to produce opium in order to earn a living. Adding significantly to the film are the memorable compositions created by cinematographer Georgi Dzulaiev and the score by Daler Nazarov, which consists of traditional Afghan themes.

Awards:

Rome International Film Festival 2008 (Golden Marc’Aurelio Critics’ Award for Best Film)

Afghanistan/ Japan/South Korea/France 2008

Director: Siddiq Barmak

Producers: Siddiq Barmak

Shohreh Golpareian

Screenwriter:

Siddiq Barmak

Cinematographer:

Georgi Dzulaiev

Editor: Michele Hickson

Music:

Daler Nazarov

Cast: Joe Suba

Peter Bussian

Fawad Samani

Marina Golbahari

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Dari, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Cineclick Asia

Print Source: Cineclick Asia

Selected Filmography: Osama (2003)

The Overbrook Brothers

FRIDAY MAY 29 9:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY MAY 31 3:45 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

A comedy of errors about two arch-rival brothers at a ridiculously awkward family Christmas reunion. When Jason brings his girlfriend home for Christmas, his antagonizing brother, Todd, gives him a life-altering surprise. The revelation sends the 30-something ultra-competitive siblings on a sometimes-bizarre road trip that includes everything from flatulence to a venomous snake with a liking for people’s private parts. Writer-director John Bryant spins a hilarious tale of sibling rivalry, family secrets, and a quest for the truth as the brothers kick and scream their way toward adulthood. Shot in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico, and made by a group of Austin-based filmmakers and actors, Bryant has successfully crafted a film that marries an outrageous comedic improvisatory sensibility with broad commercial appeal, while cleverly mixing caustic, yet believable characters, full of compassion and humor.

USA

2009

Director:

John Bryant

Producers: John Bryant

Chris Ohlson

Screenwriters:

John Bryant

Jason Foxworth

Cinematographer: Mike Washlesky

Editor: David Fabelo

Music: Adam Blau

Cast: Nathan Harlan

Mark Reeb

Laurel Whitsett

Steve Zissis

John Jones

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: The Film Sales Company

Print Source: Sixth Street Films

Film Website: theoverbrookbrothers.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

A Pain in the Ass Paper Heart

FRIDAY JUNE 12 7:00 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 4:30 PM

CINERAMA

UPTOWN CINEMAS

France’s master of comedy, Francis Veber, has created another riotous farce that only the French seem to pull off with panache. Based on Veber’s highly successful play, A Pain in the Ass is about a seemingly impossible friendship between Ralf Milan, a professional hit man, and François Pignon, the titular “pain in the ass” who constantly gets in the way of Milan’s coldblooded assignment. Both men have checked into adjoining rooms at a hotel, but for very different reasons. Milan is stalking a key witness in a corruption case, while Pignon wants to kill himself after learning that his wife has left him. When Pignon’s botched suicide attempt partially destroys a hotel bathroom, the alerted hotel authorities force Milan to change his plans. But the harder Milan tries to get rid of Pignon, the stronger Pignon’s attachment to his murderous neighbor becomes. The film is a remake, of sorts, for Veber. He wrote the script for A Pain in the Ass in 1973 for director Edouard Molinaro. (The film was also adapted in 1981 as Billy Wilder’s final film, Buddy Buddy.) Now, after 36 years, Veber has returned to direct his own classic screwball script, proving that farce is indeed timeless.

France 2008

Director:

Francis Veber

Producer:

Patrice Ledoux

Screenwriter:

Francis Veber

Cinematographer:

Robert Fraisse

Editor:

George Klotz

Music:

Jean-Michel Bernard

Cast:

Richard Berry

Patrick Timsit

Michel Aumont

Virgine Ledoyen

Pascal Elbé

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

TF1 International

Film Website: tfmdistribution.com

Selected Filmography:

The Valet (2008)

The Closet (2001)

The Dinner Game (1998)

SATURDAY MAY 23 7:00 PM

SUNDAY MAY 24 4:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Los Angeles-based comedian and actress Charlyne Yi decides to travel the country in search of an answer to the age-old question: does love exist? Remaining the only true skeptic among the various people she interviews (from children on the playground and a psychic to long-married couples and scientists), Charlyne and her friend, director Nicholas Jasenovec (Jake Johnson) search for answers and advice. The pseudo-documentary leads Charlyne into uncharted romantic territory when she crosses paths with fellow actor Michael Cera. The romantic tension between both real-life actors appears genuine, but just how much of the film is scripted and how much is real? This self-aware film walks a quirky line as the characters explore the affection, anticipation, and agitation that often accompany love in modern society. By choosing to make love appear awkward, spontaneous, and enchanting, Paper Heart avoids Hollywood tricks and tries to portray something authentic, whatever that may be. Recommended for ages 13 and above.

USA 2008

Director:

Nicholas Jasenovec

Producers:

Elise Salomon

Sandra Murillo

Screenwriters:

Nicholas Jasenovec

Charlyne Yi

Cinematographer:

Jay Hunter

Editor:

Ryan Brown

Music:

Michael Cera

Charlyne Yi

Cast:

Charlyne Yi

Michael Cera

Jake Johnson

Running Time:

88 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Overture Films

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

LOS PARANOICOS

The Paranoids

FRIDAY JUNE 5 4:00 PM

MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

An aimless, narcoleptic loner who works children’s birthday parties for a living, aspiring screenwriter Luciano, lives in fear—fear of success, STDs, and his doorman, for starters. We meet Luciano on a typical day: He passes out at work, obsessively calls an HIV helpline after a random sexual encounter, and unintentionally sends his best friend to the hospital. Things get even more uncomfortable for Luciano when his childhood friend Manuel, a successful producer, returns from Madrid with his beautiful girlfriend, Sofiá. In town to make an Argentine version of his hit TV show, “The Paranoids,” Manuel wants Luciano to write for it. Especially unnerving is Luciano’s discovery that he’s the inspiration for the show’s main character, who even shares his name. When Manuel suddenly leaves town on business, Sofía stays behind in the apartment—a decision that changes them both. With an understated yet stylized approach, director Gabriel Medina maintains a constant sense of insularity and unease throughout the film, using black humor as occasional relief. This is done so well that when Luciano finally cuts loose at the end—in a brilliant, character-driven dance scene—it feels like a one-man revolution.

Argentina 2008

Director:

Gabriel Medina

Producers:

Sebastian Aloi

Nicolas Tacconi

Screenwriters:

Gabriel Medina

Nicolas Gueilburt

Cinematographer:

Lucio Bonelli

Editor:

Nicholas Goldbart

Music:

Guillermo Guareschi

Cast:

Daniel Hendler

Jazmín Stuart

Walter Jakob

Martín Feldman

Miguel Dedovich

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: aeroplanocine.com/ losparanoicos

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Poppy Shakespeare

TUESDAY JUNE 9 4:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

SUNDAY JUNE 14 9:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

N is a 13-year veteran of a North London psychiatric hospital, and she doesn’t want to change a thing about it. However, a turning point in her life arrives in a new patient, an elegant and temperamental black woman named Poppy Shakespeare who insists she’s not insane. This outstanding drama is an adaptation of Clare Allan’s best-selling novel, which Britain’s Guardian newspaper described as “Catch-22” meets “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” At once comic and tragic, lyrical and absurd, the story takes an inside look at a claustrophobic, upside-down world in which reality intermingles with fantasy and reason with insanity. Poppy Shakespeare takes on great modern themes: madness and sanity, the institution and the individual, and psychotropic medicine and human consciousness. It also addresses the responsibility we relinquish when we allow a body of any kind to dictate the terms of our lives, and the responsibility we undertake when we love someone or are loved by them.

Awards:

Santa Barbara Film Festival 2009 (Best Film)

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Benjamin Ross

Producers: Charles Steel

Alasdair Flind

Screenwriter: Sarah Williams based on the novel by Clare Allan

Cinematographer:

Danny Cohen

Editor: David Charap

Music:

Molly Nyman

Harry Escott

Cast:

Anna Maxwell Martin

Naomie Harris

Adrian Scarborough

Tessa Peake Jones

Jonathan Cullen

Joseph Altin

Running Time:

89 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales:

Contentfilm International

Print Source: Cowboy Films Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Guilty Hearts (2005)

The Young Poisoner’s Handbook (1995)

CAOS CALMO

Quiet Chaos

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 11:00 AM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

What does a Roman husband do when his wife dies suddenly, leaving him to care for their tenyear-old daughter on his own? TV executive Pietro tries to come to grips with his loss while sitting on a park bench, observing the quiet chaos unfold around him. On his daughter’s first school day after his wife’s funeral, Pietro promises to wait at the gate until school is out. He soon finds that it suits his detached frame of mind to linger all day in the lovely tree-lined park opposite her school. As time passes, Pietro gets to know all the regular passers-by, and they get to know him. Even his colleagues start to meet him at his designated park bench instead of having meetings at the office. Although the film is a serious drama, it is not without some gentle comedy (Alessandro Gassman steals the show as Pietro’s cool, younger brother Carlo, an opium-smoking, fashionable jeans designer). The film also boasts a finely balanced soundtrack, including songs by Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, Stars, and a subtle original score by Paolo Buonvino.

Awards:

Chicago International Film Festival 2008 (Silver Plaque Award)

David di Donatello Awards 2008 (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Music, Best Music–Original Song)

Italy 2008

Director:

Antonello Grimaldi

Producer:

Domenico Procacci

Screenwriters:

Nanni Moretti

Laura Paolucci

Francesco Piccolo based on the book by Sandro Veronesi

Cinematographer:

Alessandro Pesci

Editor:

Angelo Nicolini

Music:

Paolo Buonvino

Cast:

Nanni Moretti

Isabella Ferrari

Valeria Golino

Alessandro Gassman

Blu Yoshimi

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fandango

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: armosia.com

Selected Filmography: An Impossible Crime (2001)

Asini (1999)

Nulla ci può fermare (1998)

Bits and Pieces (1995) Juke Box (1985)

RABIOSO SOL , RABIOSO CIELO Raging Sun, Raging Sky

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:15 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 1 3:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Avante-garde filmmaker Julián Hernández’s new film (the final installment in a trilogy that includes A Thousand Clouds of Peace Encircle the Sky and Broken Sky), is a paean to love, desire, and sexuality. This new work tells the story of two men, Kieri and Ryo, and their selfless devotion to one other. When a jealous admirer abducts Ryo, Kieri embarks upon a quest to find him, guided by El Corazón del Cielo, heaven’s heart herself. The lovers’ efforts to reunite are fraught with difficulty. Although Ryo manages to escape, he dies before Kieri can find him. When Kieri learns of Ryo’s fate, he agrees to sacrifice his body to bring about Ryo’s resurrection. So great is their passion for one another that even the gods take notice, and their story lives on in myth. Hernández’s masterful cinematography and his visionary use of color and sound combine to create a powerful, mystical journey.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Teddy Award)

Mexico 2008

Director:

Julián Hernández

Producer:

Roberto Fiesco

Screenwriter:

Julián Hernández

Cinematographer:

Alejandro Cantú

Editor:

Emiliano Arenales Osorio

Music:

Arturo Villela Vega

Cast:

Jorge Becerra

Javier Oliván

Guillermo Villegas

Giovanna Zacarías

Running Time:

191 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Mexican Film Institute

IMCINE

Print Source:

TLA Releasing

Film Website: rabiososolrabiosocielo. com

Selected Filmography:

Broken Sky (2006)

A Thousand Clouds of Peace Encircle the Sky (2003)

SUNDAY MAY 24 1:30 PM

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Husband-and-wife team Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon repeat the formula that made their 2005 film The Iceberg a wide success, stringing together a series of surreal, G-rated—yet unfailingly hilarious—gags with little music or dialogue to deflect from the clever slapstick. This time they play a couple of mild-mannered provincial teachers by day and fun-loving dance freaks at night until the latter activity is curtailed by a nasty car crash, ushering in a train of abjectly miserable events as the couple lose touch. It takes some kind of audacity to elicit laughs from such bathetic subject matter as attempted suicide, severe memory loss, amputations, and burned-down houses. Yet the film, enhanced by delightful pop-art visuals and benefiting from the filmmakers’ years of dance training, is in every respect a celebration of life. Leaning heavily on the comedic styles of Jacques Tati and Aki Kaurismäki, Rumba pursues the eternal question of whether two people can be eternally happy through deliberate and staunch cheerfulness. Abel and Gordon are to be commended for the way they maintain the mood in the face of events that would cast most others into the slough of despondency.

Belgium/France 2008

Directors:

Dominique Abel

Fiona Gordon

Bruno Romy

Producers:

Dominique Abel

Fiona Gordon

Marin Karmitz

Nathaniel Karmitz

Charles Gilibert

Screenwriters:

Dominique Abel

Fiona Gordon

Bruno Romy

Cinematographer:

Claire Childéric

Editor:

Sandrine Deegen

Cast:

Dominique Abel

Fiona Gordon

Philippe Martz

Bruno Romy

Clément Morel

Running Time: 77 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

MK2 International

Print Source:

Koch Lorber Entertainment

Film Website: rumba-film.mk2.com

Selected Filmography:

The Iceberg (2005)

Walking on the Wild Side (2000)

Rosita (1997)

Merci Cupidon (1994)

School Days With a Pig

THURSDAY MAY 28 4:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 31 9:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

A new elementary school teacher who wants his students to learn “the real connection between life and food” has a proposal for his sixth-grade class: They’ll adopt a piglet and care for it over the course of a year, but at the end of the year, the pig will be eaten. The students eagerly accept the challenge. After all, the end of the year is a long way away and the wriggling piglet is right there in the classroom. They name it “P-Chan,” build a special enclosure on the playground, and take turns with the chores of brushing and feeding it. But the more attached they grow to P-Chan, the more difficult the question of the pig’s fate becomes. Based on a true story that became a subject of national controversy in Japan, School Days With a Pig is a thoughtful and warmhearted engagement with the adult issues of consumption, quality of life, and personal responsibility as seen through the eyes of children.

Awards:

Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 (Audience Award, Toyota Earth Grand Prix Jury Award)

Japan 2008

Director:

Tetsu Maeda

Producer: Toshihiro Isomi

Screenwriter: Hirotoshi Kobayashi based on the novel by Yasushi Kuroda

Cinematographer:

Yasuhito Kasai

Editor: Koichi Takahashi

Music:

Shoji Yoshioka

Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki

Mieko Harada

Ren Osugi

Running Time: 106 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Nikkatsu

Print Source:

Nikkatsu

Selected Filmography:

Dolphin Blue: Fuji mou

ichido sora e (2007)

A Cheerful Gang Turns the Earth (2006)

Gakincho rock (2004)

Pole Toppling (2003) Swing Man (2000)

Scratch

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:15 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 11:00 AM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Joanna and Jan, an older academic couple in Krakow, have enjoyed a long and satisfying marriage. But following a party to celebrate their 40-something anniversary, they find a mysterious videotape among their gifts. The tape contains a documentary alleging that Jan was an agent of the Polish People’s Republic secret service in the 1950s and 1960s and that their marriage was initially a sham engineered by Communist surveillance apparatus. Worse still, the purpose of this plot was the gathering of informing about Joanna’s father, a famous prewar politician. Unable to accept that her husband is guilty, Joanna embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. Jan proclaims his innocence, but as a journalist friend reminds her, “Everybody keeps something under wraps,” and the seeds of doubt begin to erode the trust at the heart of the marriage. An intimate drama, Michal Rosa’s Scratch explores the ongoing effects of state intervention in private life from the darkest days of Communist rule.

Poland

2008

Director:

Michal Rosa

Producers:

Henryk Romanowski

Dariusz Sidor

Screenwriter:

Michal Rosa

Cinematographer:

Marcin Koszalka

Editor:

Krzysztof Szpetmanski

Music:

Stanislaw Radwan

Cast:

Jadwiga JankowskaCieslak

Zrzysztof Stroinski

Ewa Telega

Miroslawa Marcheluk

Teresa Marczewska

Running Time:

89 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Polish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Filmcontract Ltd.

Print Source:

The Society for Arts

Selected Filmography:

What the Sun Has Seen (2005)

Silence (2001)

Paint (1997)

Séraphine

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:00 PM

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

EGYPTIAN

The modern primitivist painter Séraphine de Senlis was discovered when the German art collector, dealer, and gay expatriate Wilhelm Uhde visited her rural French village prior to World War I. This transcendent biopic charts the artist’s rise and fall from her lowly station as Uhde’s psychologically unstable, devoutly Catholic maid to her acclaim and fortunes during the Depression and World War II. Writer-director Martin Provost and cowriter Marc Abdelnour explore the mutable boundaries between spirituality, naïveté, genius, and madness, showing how the two outsiders and polar opposites cultivated a mutual understanding. Yolande Moreau gives a vivid performance as the obdurate but impressionable title character, while Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others) adds grace notes as an intellectual patron who is torn between bourgeois rectitude and his own sensuality. Sparse and frankly realized, Provost’s fictionalized portrait of this forgotten painter is a celebration of art and nature, and an acknowledgment of the costs involved in reaching the top.

Awards:

César Awards 2009 (Best Film, Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design Original Score, Costume Design)

THEATRE

France/Belgium 2008

Director:

Martin Provost

Producers:

Miléna Poylo

Gilles Sacuto

Screenwriters:

Martin Provost

Marc Abdelnour

Cinematographer:

Laurent Brunet

Editor:

Ludo Troch

Music:

Michael Galasso

Cast:

Yolande Moreau

Ulrich Tukur

Anne Bennent

Geneviève Mnich

Nico Rogner

Running Time:

121 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Roissy Films

Print Source:

Music Box Films

Film Website: seraphine-lefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Le ventre de juliette (2003)

Tortilla y cinema (1997)

DIXIA DE TIANKONG

The Shaft

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:45 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 6:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

PACIFIC

Unable to find destiny in the coal mines of a post-Communist economy, a tightly knit family reveals the frustration and resolve of western Chinese mining communities. Zhang Chi’s feature film debut follows three family members’ stories through a hypnotic, episodic tale. Linked by the quiet, collective desire to rise above impossible conditions, the characters live trapped between their dreams and the oppressive mines. The first episode follows the relationship between mine safety monitor Jingshui and Daming. When community gossip jeopardizes their relationship, Jinshui must choose between Daming and a new chance at upward mobility. In the second episode, Jingshui’s younger brother Jingsheng likewise battles against his mining future. Dreaming about a singing career that sits painfully out of reach, Jingsheng’s financial and academic disappointments torpedo his hopes for good. The film’s concluding episode revolves around the dread of time running out and the need to settle unfinished business as the siblings’ elderly father moves toward retirement in the wake of illness. The Shaft doesn’t resign itself to criticism or unnecessary heroics. Its frank presentation and comfort with the everyday allows the film to shine against the uninviting futures that face the men and women from Chinese mining towns.

Awards:

Marrakech FIlm Festival 2008 (Jury Prize)

CINEMAS

PLACE CINEMAS

China 2008

Director:

Zhang Chi

Producers:

Hu Guipu

Kang Jianmin

Screenwriter:

Zhang Chi

Cinematographer:

Liu Shumin

Editor:

Zhang Chi

Music: Guo Sida

Cast:

Huang Xuan Luo Deyuan

Zheng Luoqian

Gong Qiyi

Li Chen

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales:

China Film Association

Print Source:

China Film Association

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Shrink

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY MAY 24 1:45 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

Henry Carter (Kevin Spacey) is a Hollywood psychiatrist with an A-list clientele, including a once-famous actress convinced she’s aging into oblivion (Saffron Burrows), an alcoholic film star who prefers to see himself as a sex addict (Robin Williams), a germ-phobic, anal-retentive, obsessive-compulsive agent (Dallas Roberts), and an insecure screenwriter-gardener-valet (Mark Webber) who can’t get anyone other than the agent’s long-suffering assistant (Pell James) to read his script. But the fact is that Henry’s not in such great shape himself. His wife recently committed suicide, and now he’s smoking too much pot, forgetting to change his clothes, and stumbling through his sessions as best he can. Then one day he’s asked to take on a different kind of patient: an inner-city teenager (Keke Palmer) whose mother has recently killed herself and whose only solace comes from the world of movies. Writer Thomas Moffett conjures classic Hollywood types and an all-star cast brings them to hapless, hilarious life in this smash hit of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

USA

2009

Director:

Jonas Pate

Producers: Michael Burns

Braxton Pope

Dana Brunetti

Screenwriter:

Thomas Moffett

Cinematographer:

Lukas Ettlin

Editor:

Luis Carballar

Music:

Brian Reitzell

Ken Andrews

Cast:

Kevin Spacey

Keke Palmer

Mark Webber

Dallas Roberts

Saffron Burrows

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Roadside Attractions

Selected Filmography:

Deceiver (1997) The Grave (1996)

Skin

SUNDAY MAY 24 7:00 PM

TUESDAY MAY 26 4:15 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

NEPTUNE THEATRE

This strange and disquieting real-life story follows the troubled life of Sandra Laing, who was born with black skin in 1950s apartheid-era South Africa. While her skin color alone is enough to give young Sandra second-class status in such a divided society, her lineage complicates the issue: her biological parents, Abraham and Sannie, are whiter-than-white Afrikaners. While her class-conscious parents desperately try to explain that her skin pigmentation is a rare genetic quirk—even taking her case to the Supreme Court to declare her officially “white”— Sandra is caught between two worlds, neither of which she can claim as her own. Young Sophie Okonedo delivers an excellent performance as Sandra in Anthony Fabian’s debut feature, which begins with Sandra at age ten, when she has yet to perceive that she is “different” from the rest of her family. Over the next three decades, we follow the evolution of her identity crisis, from everyday humiliations to gradual acceptance, culminating in 1994, the first time all races in South Africa were allowed an equal vote in national elections. Along the way, Skin recreates and illuminates Sandra’s struggles, thereby reflecting the those of a nation.

Awards:

AFI Dallas International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

Pan African Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award, Jury Favorite)

South Africa/ United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Anthony Fabian

Producers:

Anthony Fabian

Genevieve Hofmeyr

Margaret Matheson

Screenwriters:

Helen Crawley

Jessie Keyt

Helena Kriel

Cinematographers:

Dewald Aukema

Jonathan Partridge

Editor:

St. John O’Rorke

Music:

Hélène Muddiman

Cast:

Sophie Okonedo

Sam Neill

Alice Krige

Tony Kgoroge

Ella Ramangwane

Running Time:

107 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in English and Zulu, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

The Little Film Company

Film Website: skinthemovie.net

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

MIKRO EGKLIMA Small Crime

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 7:00 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 7:00 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

Leonidas, a young, ambitious police officer, is assigned to a remote island in the Aegean Sea. He dreams of solving important, big-city crimes, but there are few to be found in the sleepy beach community where he is reduced to such menial chores as putting up “No Nudism” signs on the beach. Each day at the town café, Leonidas and the other locals watch the beautiful Angeliki, the small island’s most famous daughter, as she hosts a popular talk show on national TV. These dull rituals are shattered when the island experiences what appears to be an actual crime: the island drunk, Zacharias, is found dead at the base of a cliff. Jumping at the chance to do some sleuthing, Leonidas soon finds clues that tie the victim to Angeliki, who returns to the island and joins the investigation. As romance blooms between Leonidas and Angeliki, they learn that everyone on the island has their own version of Zacharias’ death, most of which play out hilariously in Leonidas’ imagination. Cypriot director Christos Georgiou has created a narrative that fits firmly in the romantic-comedy genre but also has fun playing with its characters’ differing interpretations of reality.

Cyprus 2008

Director:

Christos Georgiou

Producers:

Thanassis Karathanos

Konstantinos Moriatis

Christos Georgiou

Screenwriter:

Christos Georgiou

Cinematographer:

Yorgos Giannelis

Editor:

Isabel Meier

Music:

Thanassis Papakonstantinou

Constantis Papakonstantinou

Cast:

Aris Servetalis

Viki Papadopoulou

Rania Ikonomidou

Erricos Litsis

Vangelio Andreadaki

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Greek, with

English subtitles

International Sales:

Twenty Twenty Vision

Print Source:

Hellas Film Greek Film Center

Selected Filmography: Under the Stars (2001)

The Sniper

North American Premiere SNIJEG Snow

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:30 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:30 PM

Films don’t open much better than The Sniper

On a dark, rainy night, two snipers sit perched in a tree, their sights trained on the men inside a hut. The scene shifts and two uniformed cops come upon a suspicious vehicle, turning their attention to the very same hut. In the ensuing stand-off, uniformed cop O.J. displays his superior marksmanship by killing the thug holding his partner hostage with a clean shot through the eye. Impressed by O.J.’s skills, SDU Sniper Team leader Hartman offers him a spot in his unit. Meanwhile, Hartman’s former colleague Lincoln earns his release from prison after serving four years for manslaughter. Believing his conviction to be the result of evidence withheld by Hartman, Lincoln sets out to take revenge on his rival: first, by taking Hartman’s daughter hostage, and then by luring Hartman and new partner O.J. into a re-enactment of his downfall. A deadly triangle soon emerges between the three men as O.J. becomes fascinated with Lincoln’s skills while still bound by Hartman’s rules. Featuring a series of frenetic set pieces choreographed with nail-biting intensity, director Dante Lam continues his mastery over the action flick.

Hong Kong 2009

Director:

Dante Lam

Producers:

Candy Leung

Cheung Hong Tat

Screenwriter: Jack Ng

Cinematographer:

Cheung Man Po

Editor:

Angie Lam

Music: Henry Lai

Cast:

Richie Jen

Huang Xiaoming

Edison Chen

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Media Asia Distribution

Print Source:

Media Asia Distribution

Film Website: mediaasia.com/thesniper

Selected Filmography:

The Beast Stalker (2008)

Storm Rider: Clash of Evils (2008)

Undercover Hidden Dragon (2006)

Heat Team (2004)

Love on the Rocks (2004)

Naked Ambition (2003)

The Twins Effect (2003)

FRIDAY MAY 22 7:00 PM

FRIDAY MAY 29 1:30 PM

The daily hardships of a war-scarred Bosnian village, where all that remains are widows and orphans, are painstakingly documented in this first feature from director Aida Begic. Snow offers insight about the psychological aftereffects of the 1992-95 civil war from a distinctively female point of view without showing any of the brutality or carnage. In the isolated village of Slavno, the surviving women manage to scratch out an existence by farming with rudimentary tools and by shunning the modern world that has taken away so many of their loved ones. The bodies of most of the men and children who were lost in the conflict were never recovered, so the mourning process for the villagers has never reached a point of closure. Young Alma, however, wants to break the village’s self-imposed silence and begin selling her homemade jams throughout the country to raise funds for the town. When two conniving real estate developers show up to buy out the entire village just before the season’s first major snowstorm threatens to deepen their isolation, all of the women are forced to confront their past and their future.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Critics Week Grand Prize)

Fajr Film Festival 2008 (Best Film–International Competition, Best Director–International Competition)

Hamptons Film Festival 2008 (Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution)

Thessaloniki Film Festival 2008 (Women & Equality Award)

Bosnia and Herzegovina/ Germany/France/ Iran

2008

Director:

Aida Begic

Producers:

Benny Dreschel

Karsten Stöter

François D’Artemare

Elma Tataragic

Screenwriters:

Aida Begic

Elma Tataragic

Cinematographer:

Erol Zubcevic

Editor:

Miralem S. Zubcevic

Music:

Igor Camo

Cast:

Zana Marjanovic

Jasna Ornela Bery

Sadzida Setic

Vesna Masic

Emir Hadzihafizbegovic

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Bosnian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Pyramide International

Print Source:

Pyramide International

Film Website: mamafilm.ba

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

UPTOWN CINEMAS

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM

MONDAY JUNE 8 4:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Some lies can save people even if they wound them forever. Clara Planck, a brilliant and famous cellist, returns to Poland 30 years after World War II to visit the places that still haunt her. Clara and her husband, Doctor Artur Planck (Joseph Fiennes), once had a family, home, and a medical practice in Warsaw. When Nazis invaded Poland and herded the Jewish population into the ghetto, their family, including their two young daughters, barely had enough time to flee. They literally ran for their lives. The first “safe” place they sought refuge was in Emilia’s remote farm, where she conceals the Planck family in her attic. Emilia is a Polish woman who sold them vegetables and whose husband is missing in action. But she has ulterior motives hiding underneath her generosity. Spring 1941 is a character-driven story about individuals shocked out of their everyday circumstance and into a world where any wrong movement could be their last. The family faces terror, love, dependency, and betrayal on unimaginable levels. Spring 1941 is the first film about the Holocaust co-produced by Poles and Israelis. Viscerally adapted by director Uri Barbash, the historical drama was shot on location in Lublin and is based on Polish Holocaust survivor Ida Fink’s stories.

Israel/Poland 2008

Director:

Uri Barbash

Producers:

Eviatar Dotan

Rami Damri

Piotr Dzieciol

Screenwriter:

Motti Lerner

Cinematographer:

Ryszard Lenczewski

Editor:

Tova Asher

Music:

Misha Segal

Cast:

Joseph Fiennes

Clare Higgins

Kelly Harrison

Neve McIntosh

Maria Pakulnis

Running Time:

122 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

Print Source:

Shoreline Entertainment

Film Website: praxisfilms.co.il

Selected Filmography:

Salt of the Earth (2006)

Licking the Raspberry (1992)

Beyond the Walls II (1992)

The War After (1991)

Where Eagles Fly (1990)

Unsettled Land (1987)

Beyond the Walls (1984)

Spring Breakdown

FRIDAY MAY 22 9:30 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

SATURDAY MAY 23 4:15 PM NEPTUNE THEATRE

For decades, male geeks have stumbled through comedies from Revenge of the Nerds to Napoleon Dynamite, but Spring Breakdown gives it up for the girls. In the 1992 prologue, Becky (Parker Posey), Gail (Amy Poehler), and Judy (co-writer Rachel Dratch) perform Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” at the school talent show, only to elicit a chorus of boos. The intrepid trio resolves to show those haters they have what it takes to seize life. Flash forward 15 years and they’re still tragically unhip bosom buddies now pushing 40, but these girls still just wanna have fun. They get their chance when Becky’s employer, the Sarah Palin–like Senator Hartman, assigns Becky to keep an eye on her daughter during spring break in South Padre. The threesome heads to Texas for some sisterly bonding, where Judy discovers alcohol and Gail falls in with a band of brainless blondes. Through their flirtation with extreme merrymaking they experience everything they missed the first time around, giving them the courage to finally move forward with their lives. An outlandish, quick-witted romp that leaves no one immune to ridicule, Spring Breakdown chews up our geeky gals and spits them out as triumphant powerhouses—confident that being who they truly are is way cooler than fitting in.

USA

2009

Director:

Ryan Shiraki

Producers:

Rick Berg

Larry Kennar

Screenwriters:

Ryan Shiraki

Rachel Dratch

Cinematographer:

Frank G. DeMarco

Editor:

Tom Lewis

Music:

Deborah Lurie

Cast:

Amy Poehler

Parker Posey

Rachel Dratch

Amber Tamblyn

Jane Lynch

Missi Pyle

Running Time:

84 minutes

Presentation Format:

HDCAM

Print Source:

Code Entertainment

Film Website: myspace.com/spring_ breakdown

Selected Filmography:

Home of Phobia (2004)

The Square

SATURDAY JUNE 6 9:30 PM

MONDAY JUNE 8 4:30 PM

HARVARD EXIT

UPTOWN CINEMAS

In this thrilling neo-noir, a nightmare of unforeseen events takes place after a few fatal missteps are made by adulterous lovers in a bleak Australian town. Construction supervisor Raymond Yale, wishing to flee his monotonous marriage, becomes entangled in a romantic affair with the lovely yet troubled Carla. She presents him with a large chunk of money that her husband Smithy had stolen, suggesting that they keep it for themselves. Like so many other best laid plans, however, things don’t always go as planned. Marking the beginning of a series of deadly errors, the couple hires professional arsonist Billy. Soon enough, a series of blackmail letters begin to appear from a mystery author, setting off a cascade of misunderstandings and tragic consequences. Ray’s morality is pushed to the limit as he tries to hold onto meaningful love but is only dragged deeper into a pit of deception. Written by brother Joel, Nash Edgerton’s directorial debut is an edgy, character-driven thriller that unravels with burning twists and turns, leaving no one unharmed.

Australia 2008

Director:

Nash Edgerton

Producer:

Louise Smith

Screenwriters:

Joel Edgerton

Matthew Dabner

Cinematographer:

Brad Shield

Editors:

Nash Edgerton

Luke Doolan

Music:

Franc Tetaz

Cast:

David Roberts

Claire Van Der Boom

Joel Edgerton

Anthony Hayes

Peter Phelps

Bill Hunter

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Pathé International

Print Source:

Pathé International

Film Website: squarethemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Stella

FRIDAY MAY 22 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY MAY 24 9:15 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

TUESDAY MAY 26 4:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Thanks to the luck of the draw, 11-year-old Stella gets assigned to an upper-class Parisian school. She despises her new classmates whom she perceives to be “sheltered types” who are probably “in bed by 8:30 without watching TV.” At the same time, she longs to fit in. Coming from a working-class neighborhood, Stella’s own life is highly unusual for a kid her age. She lives in a seedy hotel-pub run by her parents, where her feisty, attractive mother is the boss. Stella’s evenings are spent surrounded by her parents’ friends and customers, who happen to be the local tramps and drunks. The parents spend most of their time absorbed with running the pub, and Stella is left to take care of herself. She may know a lot about cocktails, pinball, and the rules of pool, but none of it has prepared her to survive the kids in her new school. She remains a misfit and alone, both at school and at home until she befriends Gladys, the smartest girl in her class. Her new friend provides a relief from the loneliness and introduces her to a new world of possibilities.

France 2008

Director:

Sylvie Verheyde

Producer: Bruno Berthemy

Screenwriter:

Sylvie Verheyde

Cinematographer:

Nicolas Gaurin

Editor: Christel Dewynter

Music:

NousDeux

Cast:

Léora Barbara

Mélissa Rodrigues

Karole Rocher

Benjamin Biolay

Guillaume Depardieu

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Selected Filmography:

Princesses (2000) A Brother... (1997)

ARUITEMO , ARUITEMO

Still Walking

SATURDAY MAY 23 7:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT

FRIDAY MAY 29 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

A Yokohama family struggles with intergenerational tensions as they gather for their annual remembrance of the death of a son, Junpei, who died 15 years before while attempting to save a drowning child. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest meditation on family drama is a quiet masterpiece that seems to originate from a deeply personal yet universal experience of regret. The film’s treatment of modest joys and gentle resentments is actually full of humor, with energetic mother Toshiko ruling the roost from the bustling kitchen as her retired doctor husband flees to the sanctuary of his examining-room for a bit of peace from his rambunctious grandchildren. Son Ryota and daughter Chinami suspect they can never live up to the departed Junpei in their parents’ esteem, and take a dim view of the annual visit by the boy who Junpei was attempting to rescue, now an aimless, unprepossessing young man. Good cheer is the order of the day, but for some of them the festive gathering is an endurance test. Kore-eda handles the family dynamics deftly and infuses the film with much warmth between the discordant notes, creating a bittersweet gem.

Awards:

Toronto International Film Festival 2008 (Best Film)

CINEMAS

Japan

2008

Director:

Hirokazu Kore-eda

Producers:

Kato Yoshihiro

Screenwriter:

Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cinematographer: Yataka Yamasaki

Editor:

Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cast:

Hiroshi Abe

Yoshio Harada

Yui Natsukawa

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Celluloid Dreams

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: aruitemo.com

Selected Filmography:

Hana (2006)

Nobody Knows (2004)

Distance (2001)

After Life (1998)

Maborosi (1995)

TUESDAY JUNE 9 7:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT THURSDAY JUNE 11 4:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Jen (Laurence Leboeuf), a quiet, solitary 16-yearold, lives with her mother Sarah (Marina Hands, Lady Chatterley) in a small town in rural Quebec. She feels alienated from her classmates at school because she doesn’t drink or wear make-up, and also from her mother, Sarah, who projects her regrets about her own life onto Jen. After her father’s suicide, Jen’s taciturn uncle (her father’s half-brother, Ian) comes to stay with them. Estranged from the rest of her father’s family, Jen is drawn to Ian, first as a father figure and gradually as an object of desire. When the local gossip reaches Sarah and she realizes the nature of Ian and Jen’s relationship, her worst fears for her daughter seem to be coming true. She tells Ian to leave, but not before events have been set in motion that will change their lives forever.

Canada/France

2009

Director:

François Rotger

Producer:

Tom Dercourt

Screenwriter:

François Rotger

Cinematographer:

George Lechaptois

Editor:

Yannick Kergoat

Music:

François Rotger

Cast:

Laurence Leboeuf

Marina Hands

Daniel Pilon

Tony Ward

Annie Murphy

Running Time:

110 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Roissy Films

Print Source:

Roissy Films

Selected Filmography: The Passenger (2005)

The Strength of Water

North American Premiere

SATURDAY MAY 23 3:30 PM

MONDAY JUNE 1 9:30 PM

MONDAY JUNE 8 4:30 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

HARVARD EXIT

ADMIRAL THEATER

Childhood, sudden death, Maori culture, and rugged New Zealand scenery make a potent mix in The Strength of Water. This largely naturalistic melodrama taps a restrained undertow of magic realism to tell the story of ten-year-old twin brother and sister, Kimi and Melody, who live on a chicken farm with several other siblings and their hard-working parents in a secluded Maori community. The twins befriend Tai, a solitary young man who moves into the neighboring dilapidated house of his dead grandfather. But when Tai and Melody take refuge from a barking dog, tragedy strikes unexpectedly, sending the film on a surprising course. With its picture of a blue-collar Maori community eking out a hard living, director Armagan Ballantyne’s Sundancedeveloped feature has some things in common with Niki Caro’s Whale Rider, although with more muted tones and less child-friendly fare. The use of local inhabitants instead of professional actors lends the film an authenticity that befits the beautiful and raw nature among which it unfolds.

New Zealand/ Germany 2009

Director:

Armagan Ballantyne

Producers:

Fiona Copland

Karl Baumgartner

Raimond Goebel

Screenwriter:

Briar Grace-Smith

Cinematographer:

Bogumil Godfrejow

Editor:

Elizabeth Kling

Music:

Peter Golub

Warren Maxwell

Cast:

Hato Paparoa

Melanie Mayall-Nahi

Nancy Brunning

Isaac Barber

Pare Paseka

Jim Moriarty

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

International Sales: New Zealand Film Commission

Print Source: New Zealand Film Commission

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Sügisball

MONDAY MAY 25 9:30 PM

WEDNESDAY MAY 27 4:00 PM

HARVARD EXIT

UPTOWN CINEMAS

Set among a complex of Soviet-era tower blocks in Estonia, the people in Sügisball are eager for their lives to change. Jaana is leaving her alcoholic, writer husband, Mati. Architect Maurer is more impressed with modernist Scandinavian design than with his wife, Ulvi, who then takes an eye to a nightclub coat-checker named Theo. Lots of women take an interest in Theo but his social status keeps them from pursuing a deeper relationship. Then there’s Laura, a single mother and factory worker. She loves her daughter and is afraid that the local barber’s interest in her young one has little to do with hair. The interactions in this microcosm are a study in loneliness and yearning. Narcissism adds to the malaise and the slow awakening of a new society. Admissions of love are misconstrued or altogether ignored as confusion permeates the concrete walls. Looming large and stark over the landscape, the tower blocks represent the crumbling past and the daunting challenge of creating a satisfying present. Previously a painter and heavy-metal guitarist, Veiko Öunpuu directs with color and style, and his results are as sophisticated as they are tentatively dark.

Estonia

2007

Director:

Veiko Öunpuu

Producer: Katrin Kissa

Screenwriter:

Veiko Õunpuu

Cinematographer: Mart Taniel

Editors:

Veiko Õunpuu

Tambet Tasuja

Music:

Ulo Krigul

Cast:

Rain Tolk

Taavi Eelmaa

Tiina Tauraite

Running Time: 123 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Estonian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Strand Releasing

Film Website: sygisball.ee

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

Summer North American Premiere

TUESDAY JUNE 9 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SUNDAY JUNE 14 9:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Robert Carlyle gives one of his most finely calibrated performances in the second feature from Kenny Glenaan (Yasmin, SIFF 2005). Glenaan’s slow-burn examination of friendship, guilt, and commitment centers on Shaun, a gas station attendant who shares a council flat with his best mate, Daz, a single father confined to a wheelchair, and Daz’s son, Dan, a chip off the hard-drinking block. Shaun acts as a sort of surrogate mother figure, as he looks after both men, but in his sun-dappled daydreams, he relives the summer he and Daz shared with Katy (Australian actress Rachael Blake), who left the East Midlands for work in the city. As kids, the three shared bike rides and dips in the lake, but Shaun’s learning disabilities and untreated behavioral problems brought an end to their idyll when Daz took a spill and Katy’s parents sent her away. With Daz’s health now in serious decline, Shaun decides to reconnect with their long-lost friend to put the past behind him once and for all.

Awards:

BAFTA Awards Scotland 2008 (Best Film, Director)

Rome International Film Festival 2008 (Best Film–Ages 13-17)

United Kingdom 2008

Director:

Kenny Glenaan

Producer:

Camilla Bray

Screenwriter:

Hugh Ellis

Cinematographer:

Tony Slater-Ling

Editor:

Kristina Hetherington

Music:

Stephen McKeon

Cast:

Robert Carlyle

Steve Evets

Rachael Blake

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

The Works International

Print Source:

The Works International

Film Website: summerthemovie.co.uk

Selected Filmography: Yasmin (2004)

HEURE

’ ETÉ Summer Hours

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA

SUNDAY MAY 24 6:30 PM UPTOWN

In the rambling garden of a country house north of Paris, lecturer Frédéric, designer Adrienne, and sportswear company representative Jérémie, are gathered with partners and kids for a lunch to celebrate the 75th birthday of their widowed mother Hélène. She’s the proudly independent and protective keeper of the flame—and the valuable belongings—of her late uncle, a wellknown artist. Months later, when Hélène herself dies, the three siblings come together once more to decide what to do with the house, its coveted contents, and Hélène’s faithful housekeeper Eloise. Summer Hours is an effortlessly classy and intellectually stimulating piece of work from a director whose work has ranged from the stylish filmmaking satire (Irma Vep) to solemn space-age eroticism (Demonlover) to the tender, talky simplicity (Late August, Early September). Admirably unsentimental in its treatment of grief, the film has echoes of Eric Rohmer in its extended conversational scenes, and a cast of actors who embody their characters with absolute assurance. This is Olivier Assayas’s most fully satisfying film for some time; a warm, wise drama about the tensions and mysteries of family life that is beautifully performed, intelligently written and fluently directed.

CINEMAS

France 2008

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Producers:

Marin Karmitz

Nathanaël Karmitz

Charles Gilibert

Screenwriter:

Clémentine Schaeffer

Cinematographer:

Eric Gautier

Editor:

Luc Barnier

Cast:

Juliette Binoche

Charles Berling

Jérémie Rénier

Edith Scob

Running Time:

102 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

MK2 International

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: summerhours.com.au

Selected Filmography:

Boarding Gate (2007)

Clean (2004)

Demonlover (2002)

Les destinées (2000)

Late August, Early September (1998)

Irma Vep (1996)

Cold Water (1994)

A New Life (1993)

Paris Awakens (1991)

Winter’s Child (1989)

Disorder (1986)

Swimsuit Issue

THURSDAY JUNE 4 7:00 PM

SATURDAY JUNE 6 7:00 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 9:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

ADMIRAL THEATER

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SIFF audiences have always shared a special affinity for Swedish comedy, particularly one filled with as many oddballs as Swimsuit Issue—a tale of courage and triumph in the world of men’s synchronized swimming. Fredrik is ultracompetitive to a fault, having cost him jobs, his wife, and very nearly the relationship with his teenage daughter Sara (he blatantly cheats just to win at foosball). Unfortunately, his only sanctioned competitive outlet is the floorball team he plays on—who are rubbish, losing their practice time when they fail to beat the local high school girl’s team. But one night at a teammate’s bachelor party, the friends perform a drunken synchronized swimming routine. Caught on camera and shown at the wedding, the friends accept a challenge to perform the routine again, this time at a swanky dinner party. That’s it! Fredrik is hooked on synchronized swimming. When he discovers the sport wasn’t always a female-only competition, he convinces his floorball teammates to give up their sticks, join him in the pool, and set their sights on becoming Sweden’s only male team to win the world championship in Berlin.

Sweden 2009

Director:

Måns Herngren

Producer:

Rebecka Hamberger

Screenwriters:

Jane Magnusson

Mans Herngren

Brian Cordray

Cinematographer:

Henrik Stenberg

Editor:

Fredrik Morheden

Music:

The Soundtrack of our Lives

Cast:

Jonas Inde

Amanda Davin

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Coproduction Office

Print Source:

Swedish Film Institute

Film Website: sfi.se/en-gb/Swedish-film

Selected Filmography:

Every Other Week (2006)

The Reunion (2002)

Shit Happens (2000) Adam & Eva (1997)

TAHAAN

TahaanA Boy With a Grenade

THURSDAY MAY 28 4:15 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:30 PM

UPTOWN

Eight-year-old Tahaan will do anything to get his best friend Birbal back. When Tahaan’s grandfather dies, much of the family’s assets are seized, including their pet donkey Birbal. Tahaan embarks on a treacherous journey to regain his beloved friend, one that takes him over the same mountains where his father disappeared three years earlier. Tahaan’s courage is tested as he interacts with eccentric local personalities and is naively pulled into a terrorist plot to sneak a grenade across a military checkpoint. Against the backdrop of the soulful Kashmir Valley, director Santosh Sivan explores the topic of terrorism with an open mind. Sivan focuses on Tahaan’s unfaltering love for his pet donkey and portrays the bravery and innate goodness of a young, innocent boy. Through Tahaan, Sivan captures loyalty and strength, demonstrating that even when in the company of terrorists, the goodness of a young boy can endure.

India 2008

Director:

Santosh Sivan

Producers:

Shripal Morakhia

Mubina Rattonsey

Screenwriters:

Santosh Sivan

Ritesh Menon

Paul Hardart

Cinematographer:

Santosh Sivan

Editor:

Shakti Hasija

Music:

Taufique Qureshi

Cast:

Puray Bhandare

Anupam Kher

Rahul Bose

Rahul Khanna

Victor Banerjee

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Hindi, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Idream Independent Pictures

Print Source:

Idream Independent Pictures

Film Website: idreamproduction.com/ website/tahaan

Selected Filmography: Before the Rains (2007) Navarasa (2005) Asoka (2001)

The Terrorist (1999)

CINEMAS

SIFF CINEMA

Tears of April

North American Premiere

THURSDAY JUNE 4 4:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 7 6:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 11:00 AM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

ADMIRAL THEATER

UPTOWN CINEMAS

It’s 1918 and the end of Finland’s bloody civil war. Victorious government-supported Whites are rounding up and killing the remaining Social Democratic Reds, including the more than 2,000 women who fought among their ranks.

Private Aaro Harjula is shocked to witness one such execution, so when he finds a survivor, a young Red platoon leader named Miina Malin, he decides to personally escort her to a nearby military tribunal where he believes she will receive a fair trial. As they journey together, feelings develop between the two that will cause Harjula to question his loyalty, especially when the tribunal’s judge turns out to be a dissipated libertine in search of amusement for himself and his lascivious wife. As Miina’s fate is taken out of his hands, Harjula realizes he’ll do whatever is necessary to save her. Epic in scope, Tears of April brings a stirring testament to the possibility of human connection under the most inhuman circumstances.

Finland/ Germany/Greece 2009

Director:

Aku Louhimies

Producer:

Aleksi Bardy

Screenwriter:

Jari Olavi Rantala

Cinematographer:

Rane Ronkainen

Editor:

Ben Mercer

Music:

Pessi Levanto

Cast:

Pihla Viitala

Samuli Vauramo

Eero Aho

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Finnish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Wide Management

Print Source:

Wide Management

Film Website: kasky.fi

Selected Filmography:

Man Exposed (2006)

Frozen City (2006)

Frozen Land (2005)

Lovers & Leavers (2002)

Restless (2000)

Tengri:

Blue Heavens

MONDAY MAY 25 4:00 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:45 PM SIFF CINEMA

Director Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville‘s intimate knowledge of central Asia provides an authentic view of the locals and the land that surround Tengri: Blue Heavens. Set in a modern-day Kyrgyz village where yurts and traditional roles for men and women are still the standard, we are swept up in a visually arresting landscape that seems suspended in time. Temur, who has been working abroad, returns to his ancestral village in search of his roots. Though his family is no longer there, the villagers accept him as one of their own. He soon finds himself attracted to a local woman, Amira, who is married to a man fighting with the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Despite trying to resist their attraction, the two are soon lovers. They attempt to hide their affair with failed results. Amira’s husband hears of the betrayal and stops waging jihad to track the lovers through the mountains and steppes. Through folklore, costume, a variety of languages, and rugged scenery, de Poncheville paints the local culture and environment with a rich palette, giving us a drama of forbidden love enriched by its depth and authenticity.

Kyrgyzstan/ France/Germany 2008

Director:

Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville

Producers:

Talaibek Baponov

Emmanuel Schlumberger

Frank Müller

Screenwriters:

Azmat Kadyraliev

Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville

Jean-François Goyet

Cinematographers:

Assan Imanaliev

Sylvie Carcédo-Dreujou

Editor: Catherine Quesemand

Music:

Nikolai Marousitch

Birgit Løkke

Cast:

Albina Imacheva

Ilimbek Kalmouratov

Hélène Patarot

Taalaikan Abazova

Nikolai Marousitch

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Kyrgyz, Russian, and French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

AtrixFilms GmbH

Print Source:

AtrixFilms GmbH

Film Website: tengri-film.com

Selected Filmography:

Molom: A Legend of Mongolia (1995)

Lung Ta: Forbidden Tibet (1990)

FRYGTELIG LYKKELIG

Terribly Happy

FRIDAY MAY 22 4:00 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 7:00 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

A southern Danish village hides as many secrets as the nearby bog in Terribly Happy, a blackly comic thriller about the universal nature of compromise and corruption. Entertaining and full of surprising twists, this vivid tale of a Copenhagen policeman working punishment duty in the provinces plays with genres as expertly as do the Coen brothers or David Lynch. When tightly wound cop Robert is transferred to a small border town where outsiders either adapt or disappear, he finds a place where the clannish locals scorn by-the-book law enforcement, relying instead on their own unique brand of frontier justice. When another outsider, the alluring Ingelise, tries to enlist Robert’s help in escaping from her abusive husband, Jorgen, in scenes that cunningly mirror film noir, the stage seems to be set for a predictable love triangle. However, the smart, tightly constructed script cleverly defies expectations as it knowingly toys with genre conventions. In what represents his best work by far, director Henrik Ruben Genz sustains a unique tone that smoothly incorporates Western, noir, horror, and psychologicalthriller elements without feeling like pastiche.

Awards:

Bodil Award 2009 (Best Danish Film, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Music)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2008 (Crystal Globe, Don Quijote Award–Special Mention)

Valladolid International Film Festival 2008 (Best Screenplay, Music)

Denmark 2008

Director:

Henrik Ruben Genz

Producers: Thomas Gammeltoft

Tina Dalhoff

Screenwriters: Henrik Ruben Genz

Gry Dunja Jensen

Cinematographer: Jørgen Johansson

Editor: Kasper Leick

Music:

Kåre Bjerkø

Cast:

Jakob Cedergren

Kim Bodnia

Lene Maria Christensen

Lars Brygmann

Running Time:

95 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales:

TrustNordisk

Print Source:

Danish Film Institute

Selected Filmography: Chinaman (2005)

Someone Like Hodder (2003)

That Evening Sun

SATURDAY JUNE 6 6:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 8 6:45 PM ADMIRAL THEATER

Eighty-year-old Abner Meecham returns to his Tennessee farm after escaping a nursing home to find that his lawyer son has leased it to a longtime enemy and his white trash family. Fueled by stubbornness and a steadfast loyalty to his land, he moves into an old shack on the property and declares that he won’t leave until the land is rightly his again. New tenant Lonzo Choat refuses to give in and animosities flare, but the abusive Choat’s booze-ridden threats don’t frighten the old man. Guns are fired, beer cans thrown and tensions rise as they come headto-head on the isolated farmland. Meecham’s yapping dog and the sound of crickets add to the simmering tension, and the musical score by Michael Penn accentuates every emotion. That Evening Sun, the directorial debut by Scott Teems, based on a short story by William Gay, “I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down,” is a gem of Southern American cinema with strong performances by Oscar-nominee Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild) and an acclaimed ensemble cast. Amidst the gorgeous, rural Tennessee landscape, this moving film is a timeless meditation on the themes of family betrayal, dignity and loss.

Awards:

Sarasota Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award Best Narrative Feature) South by Southwest Film Festival 2009 (Audience Award)

USA

2009

Director:

Scott Teems

Producers: Laura Smith

Terence Berry

Raymond McKinnon

Walton Goggins

Screenwriter:

Scott Teems based on the short story by William Gay

Cinematographer: Rodney Taylor

Editor: Travis Sittard

Music: Michael Penn

Cast:

Hal Holbrook

Raymond McKinnon

Walton Goggins

Mia Wasikowska

Carrie Preston

Running Time:

109 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Tarwater Pictures, LLC

Film Website: thateveningsun.com

Selected Filmography:

A Death in the Woods (2007)

Le Chase (2006) Root (2004)

Three Blind Mice

MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 9:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Three young Australian sailors have a 24-hour shore leave before shipping out to Iraq. Harry (played by director Matthew Newton) is up for poker and prostitutes, Dean has to see his fiancée, and Sam would just like to avoid trouble. The story appears to be a modern-day, more realistic retelling of On the Town, the granddaddy of the sailors-on-leave-in-the-big-city genre, but this is no musical romp. In the time it takes for the bright lights of the Sydney evening to meld into the dull morning sun, things take an ugly turn as tensions erupt and booze-fueled attitudes arise. The narrative weaves along with the characters as they stumble through the streets of Sydney. At times brutal and gritty, Three Blind Mice also contains comedic touches and moments of tenderness to balance the weight of intense and uncomfortable situations. With its quick dialogue and strong leading performances, Three Blind Mice tells a story from many different perspectives and offers no answers or easy conclusions—just a new day with changed people.

Awards:

London Film Festival (Critics’ Award)

Australia 2008

Director:

Matthew Newton

Producer:

Ben Davis

Screenwriter:

Matthew Newton

Cinematographer: Hugh Miller

Editor:

Gracie Otto

Music:

John Foreman

Cast:

Ewen Leslie

Toby Schmitz

Matthew Newton

Tina Bursill

Running Time:

94 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm

International Sales:

Odin’s Eye Entertainment

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: ifcfilms.com

Selected Filmography:

Right Here Right Now (2004)

Treeless Mountain

SATURDAY MAY 23 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY MAY 24 1:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Treeless Mountain is a delicate, measured, and visually rich story of two little girls, six-year-old Jin and four-year-old Bin, who are forced to navigate life on their own. Their loving but weak mother goes off to search for their father and thrusts the girls on their aunt. “Big Auntie” drinks too much and sometimes forgets to care for the girls. Little sister Bin is unaware of their plight and flutters around in her princess gown. Older sister Jin is not so oblivious. As her anxiety mounts and she fully comprehends their situation, she discovers the resources needed to survive. Together, the sisters explore their aunt’s town, play with the neighbor’s child, who receives regular parental attention, and spend time devising ways to add money to the piggybank left by their mother. When things can’t get worse for the sisters, fate hands them a gift—their sympathetic grandmother who helps change everything for the better. A Korean-American co-production, Treeless Mountain is a simple but penetrating story charged with emotional complexity. It is a testimony to the fragile dignity of children and a look at abandonment from the eyes of a sixyear-old girl.

Awards:

Pusan Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Award)

Adelaide Film Festival 2009 (NATUZZI International Award)

Berlin International Film Festival 2009 (Ecumenical Jury Prize)

Dubai International Film Festival 2009 (Muhr AsiaAfrica Award - Best Film)

USA/South Korea 2008

Director:

So-yong Kim

Producers:

Lars Knudsen

Jay Van Hoy

Ben Howe

Bradley Rust Gray

So-yong Kim

Screenwriter:

So-yong Kim

Cinematographer:

Anne Misawa

Editors:

So-yong Kim

Bradley Rust Gray

Music:

Asobi Seksu

Cast:

Hee-yeon Kim

Mi-hyang Kim

Song-hee Kim

Soo-ah Lee

Running Time:

89 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Memento Films International

Print Source:

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: soandbrad.com

Selected Filmography: In Between Days (2006)

Tulpan Troubled Water

MONDAY JUNE 8 9:30 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 7:00 PM

EGYPTIAN

UPTOWN

After serving his jail sentence for his part in a kidnapping gone wrong, Jan Thomas wants to put his troubled past behind him. He takes a job as an organist at a small church under an assumed name, and soon starts a rewarding, albeit somewhat awkward, relationship with the church’s pastor, Anna. Any hopes of redemption quickly dissolve when Agnes appears at the church and recognizes Jan as the man who killed her son years ago. Troubled Water skillfully unfolds a dual narrative, showing the aftermath of the boy’s death from the perspectives of both the killer and the boy’s mother. Offering little in the way of easy conclusions, Troubled Water finds strength in its ability to empathize with a host of characters struggling in the wake of disaster. Stylish and substantial, this film is considered to be acclaimed Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s best to date.

Awards:

Hamptons

Norway/Sweden 2008

Director:

Erik Poppe

Producers:

Finn Gjerdrum

Stein B. Kvae

Screenwriter:

Harald Rosenlow Eeg

Cinematographer:

John Christina Rosenlund

Editor:

Einar Egeland

Music:

Johan Soderquist

Cast:

Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen

Trine Dyrholm

Ellen Dorrit Petersen

Trond Espen Seim

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Norwegian Film Institute

Print Source:

Norwegian Film Institute

Film Website: deusynlige.no

Selected Filmography:

Hawaii Oslo (2004) Bunch of Fives (1998)

SATURDAY MAY 23 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

SUNDAY MAY 24 6:45 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

Fans of camels, weeping or otherwise, cannot fail to be moved by the priceless image of a bandaged-up camel in a motorcycle sidecar—just one of the arresting sights in Sergey Dvortsevoy’s much-lauded narrative feature debut, Tulpan. Young nomad Asa returns from his military service to join his sister, Samal, and her family in their yurt in the vast Kazakh steppe, his twin aims being to settle down as a herdsman and to get married. Neither endeavor gets off to an auspicious start. His brother-in-law has grave doubts about his ability to herd sheep, and his overtures to his beautiful neighbor, Tulpan, are rebuffed on account of his big ears, despite photographic evidence that they are smaller than those of England’s Prince Charles. His exuberant, tractor-driving buddy, Boni, tries to persuade him to split for the city, but Asa perseveres, earning his brother-in-law’s respect and pressing on with the courtship of Tulpan. As a director, Dvortsevoy certainly knows when to hang back, as with Samal’s three unruly infants and the huge supporting cast of livestock. But he also demonstrates a sure hand, combining a compelling fiction and sly humor with ethnographic observation to immensely charming effect.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Un Certain Regard Award)

Kazakhstan/ Germany/ Switzerland/ Russia/Poland

2008

Director: Sergey Dvortsevoy

Producer: Karl Baumgartner

Screenwriters: Sergey Dvortsevoy

Gennady Ostrovskiy

Cinematographer: Jola Dylewska

Editors:

Isabel Meier

Petar Markovic

Cast:

Tulepbergen Baisakalov

Ondasyn Besikbasov

Samal Yeslyamora

Tazhyban Kalykulova

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Kazakh and Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source:

Zeitgeist Films

Film Website: zeitgeistfilms.com/tulpan

Selected Filmography: Highway (1999) Bread Day (1998)

THEATRE

CINEMAS

Film Festival 2008 (Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award) Norwegian Film Critics’ Award 2009

LE CHANT DES MARIÉES

The Wedding Song Warlords

SATURDAY MAY 23 9:45 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 9:30 PM

NEPTUNE THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Set during the Taiping Rebellion, Warlords opens with the massacre of General Pang Qing-yun’s (Jet Li, in his best role since Hero) battalion, leaving only Pang as the sole survivor. That night, after wandering the desert wounded and exhausted, Pang falls under the care (and into the bed) of Lian, a kindly peasant woman who disappears by morning. He soon encounters Zhao Er-hu (Andy Lau) and Jiang Wu-yang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), as the pair leads their bandit horde in a raid on Taiping forces. Pang saves Jiang’s life, but complications arise when the men return to the bandit’s village, and Pang discovers Lian is Zhao’s wife. Swearing a blood oath to each other, the three friends conscript their outlaw band into the Imperial army, leading to successful raids on Shu City and other rebel outposts. With each victory, the warlords’ prestige and power increases, until the siege upon Suzhou turns into a stalemate. In his follow-up to Perhaps Love (SIFF 2006), director Peter Chan and three of Asian cinema’s biggest stars collaborate to create one of the most impassioned Hong Kong epics to emerge in recent years, filled with panoramic battle sequences, courtly intrigue, and a tragic love-triangle.

Hong Kong/China 2008

Directors:

Peter Chan

Wai Man Yip

Producers:

Andre Morgan

Peter Ho-sun Chan

Huang Jianxi

Screenwriters:

Xu Lan

Chun Tin-nam

Audrey Lam

Huang Jianxin

Jojo Hui

He Jiping

Guo Junli

James Yuen

Cinematographer:

Arthur Wong

Editor:

Wenders Li

Music:

Chan Kwong Wing

Peter Kam

Chatchai Pongprapahan

Cast:

Jet Li

Andy Lau

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Xu Jinglei

Running Time:

126 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Mandarin, with

English subtitles

International Sales:

Media Asia Distribution

Print Source:

Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: warlordsthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Perhaps Love (2005)

The Love Letter (1999)

Comrades: Almost a Love

Story (1996)

SUNDAY MAY 31 6:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

MONDAY JUNE 1 4:30 PM UPTOWN CINEMAS

Unfolding against the dramatic backdrop of the Third Reich’s occupation of Tunis in 1942, the sensual and sexually frank The Wedding Song centers around two teen friends and neighbors, Jewish Myriam and Muslim Nour, who have long desired the other’s life. Although far more interested in love than war, the girls find historical circumstances affecting each of their wedding plans. The occupying Nazis demand “reparation payments” from the Tunisian Jews, which Myriam’s impoverished seamstress mother (played by director Karin Albou) cannot pay. Out of options, she promises Myriam’s hand to wealthy, older doctor Raoul. Meanwhile, Nour is happily betrothed to her handsome cousin Khaled, but her father postpones the wedding until Khaled gets a job. Unfortunately for the girls’ relationship, the Islamist Khaled finds work with the Germans, helping to round up Tunisian Jews. Like Albou’s prizewinning feature debut Little Jerusalem, The Wedding Song highlights her preoccupation with feminine sexuality, as the major and minor elements of Jewish and Arab culture and religion clash. From the inside of the women’s hammam to the preparation for an “Oriental-style” wedding, this gorgeously crafted film takes viewers places they’ve never been before.

France/Tunisia

2008

Director:

Karin Albou

Producers:

Laurent Lavolé

Isabelle Pragier

Screenwriter:

Karin Albou

Cinematographer:

Laurent Brunet

Editor:

Camille Cotte

Music:

François-Eudes

Chanfrault

Cast:

Lizzie Brocheré

Olympe Borval

Najib Oudghiri

Simon Abkarian

Karin Albou

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French and Arabic, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Pyramide International

Print Source:

Strand Releasing

Selected Filmography: Little Jerusalem (2005)

BRÚÐGUMINN White Night Wedding Welcome

SUNDAY MAY 24 4:00 PM

TUESDAY JUNE 2 9:15 PM

A smoothly crafted, emotionally affecting drama driven by powerful performances, Welcome focuses on illegal immigrants trying to reach England from Calais, and the risk taken by the French people who help them. Bilal, age 17, left his native Iraq shortly after his girlfriend emigrated to England, and he is now in the midst of an adventurous journey across Europe in order to see her again. However, his trek comes to an abrupt end on the northern coast of France when he reaches the busiest waterway in the world, the wintry English Channel. Could Bilal join the number of bold swimmers who attempt the frosty crossing? The boy decides to head for the local swimming pool to begin training. There he meets lifeguard Simon, to whom he eventually confides his grand plan. Simon takes Bilal under his wing and secretly teaches the young Kurdish refugee how to do the crawl despite ongoing threats from the police who imprison those who aid illegal immigrants.

Awards:

International

HARVARD EXIT

HARVARD EXIT

France 2008

Director:

Philippe Lioret

Producer:

Christophe Rossignon

Screenwriters:

Philippe Lioret

Emmanuel Courcol

Olivier Adam

Cinematographer:

Laurent Dailland

Editor:

Andrea Sedlácková

Music:

Nicola Piovani

Wojciech Kilar

Armand Amar

Cast:

Vincent Lindon

Firat Ayverdi

Audrey Dana

Derya Ayverdi

Thierry Godard

Selim Akgül

Running Time:

116 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Film Website: marsdistribution.com/film/ welcome

Selected Filmography:

Don’t Worry, I’m Fine (2006)

The Light (2003)

Mademoiselle (2000)

Tenue correcte exigée (1997)

Lost in Transit (1993)

THURSDAY MAY 28 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 9:30 PM KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

An irreverent, uprooting, and updated interpretation of Anton Chekhov’s play “Ivanov” (which director Baltasar Kormákur concurrently produced for the stage as a period piece), White Night Wedding tells the story of Jon, a university literature lecturer who tries to figure out his life and himself during one bright summer night on the island of Flatey, off the coast of west Iceland. The plot unfolds on two parallel lines, both concerning Jon. Once married to a mentally ill artist, Anna, he’s about to become the uneasy bridegroom of a former student, Thora, his junior by at least 18 years. To complicate matters, he owes the bride’s parents a small fortune for renting a piece of land he never used, and his future mother-in-law threatens to call off the wedding if he doesn’t settle the debt. Throw in the bride’s father, who once dreamed of becoming an opera star, a bald priest who is allergic to himself, an insatiable overweight musician who is the groom’s closest friend, and a self-styled local entrepreneur full of loopy ideas, and you see why this bittersweet dramatic comedy set box office records in Iceland last year.

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2008 (Best Foreign Language Film) Icelandic Film & TV Awards 2008 (Best Film, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography)

Iceland 2008

Director:

Baltasar Kormákur

Producers:

Agnes Johansen

Baltasar Kormákur

Screenwriters: Baltasar Kormákur

Ólafur Egill Egilsson

Cinematographer: Bergsteinn Bjorgúlfsson

Editor:

Elisabet Ronaldsdóttir

Music:

Sigurður Bjóla Garðarsson

Jón Ólafsson

Cast: Hilmir Snær Guðnason

Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir

Laufey Elíasdóttir Ólafur Darri Ólafsson

Jóhann Sigurðarson

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format:

DigiBeta, in Icelandic, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Celluloid Dreams

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: blueeyes.is/Films/WhiteNight-Wedding

Selected Filmography:

Jar City (2006)

A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)

The Sea (2002)

101 Reykjavík (2000)

Berlin

Film Festival 2009 (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Label Europa Cinemas)

Wild Field

SATURDAY MAY 23 1:30 PM

MONDAY MAY 25 7:00 PM

Forsaken people and strange goings-on populate the barren Kazakh steppe in Mikhail Kalatozishvili’s acclaimed new film. Mitya, a thoughtful and handsome young doctor, works from a remote outpost amid beautiful desolation, tending to the locals by improvising with rocks, herbs, and whatever else handily augments his meager medical supplies. Through Mitya’s detached perspective, we come to know a crude, hardscrabble community beset by simmering feuds, hobbled dreams, and spiritual despondence. Kalatozishvili—grandson of master filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov, the only Russian director to ever win at the Cannes Film Festival—succeeds in depicting a barely habitable and brutally isolated world, pockmarked by absurdity and ameliorated only by companionship. For Mitya, the wilderness of the steppe holds a lurking sense of existential dread that gradually emerges as a palpable force that he must face. Brilliant cinematography captures the harsh beauty of the landscape, while a host of outstanding performances build a complex picture of the post-Soviet psyche. Wild Field is one of the most important and absorbing releases from contemporary Russian cinema and should not be missed.

Awards:

Russian Golden Eagle Awards 2009 (Best Film, Script, Music)

Venice International Film Festival 2008 (Art Cinema Award) Cottbus International Film Festival 2008 (FIPRESCI Award, Ecumenical Prize, Special Jury Mention)

Russia 2008

Director:

Mikhail Kalatozishvili

Producers:

Mikhail Kalatozishvili

Sergei Snezhkin

Andrei Bondarenko

Screenwriters:

Pyotr Lutsik

Alexei Samoryadov

Cinematographer:

Pyotr Dukhovskoy

Music:

Alexi Aigi

Cast:

Oleg Dolin

Alexandr Ilyin Sr.

Alexandr Ilyin Jr.

Roman Madyanov

Irina Butanayeva

Running Time:

104 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Intercinema

Print Source:

Intercinema

Film Website: dikoepole.ru

Selected Filmography:

I Dream of Hunchbacked

Tiflis (2001)

Mysteries (2000)

The Beloved (1992)

Mechanic (1981)

Wind Blows in the Meadow

North American Premiere

SUNDAY JUNE 7 7:00 PM

SUNDAY JUNE 14 7:00 PM

A simple, colorful, and lively story about Shooka, a spirited, hardworking girl from an Iranian mountain village, and her arranged marriage. Shokrollah, her neighbor with Down syndrome, has been head-over-heels in love with Shooka since they were children, and so Shokrollah’s father buys his son’s way into a marriage deal with Shooka’s father. Enter Rafie the Tailor and his daydreaming assistant Jalil, who falls for Shooka after overhearing her pour her heart out to her family. Determined to be with the brideto-be despite her impending wedding, Jalil follows her over the mountain trails and invents ingenious ways to delay the wedding. His fight to re-arrange Shooka’s arranged marriage is worthy of the Hatfields and the McCoys. And since women don’t usually have a say in their prospective marriage partners, Shooka introduces us to an unusual type of Iranian woman in a mountain melodrama that is all heart, showing that real love can amend a harsh life. Marking the end of a trilogy (Tradition of Killing Lovers and Somewhere Too Far), Wind Blows in the Meadow is Masoumi’s third film dealing with tragic destinies and environmental disasters in the forests of the northern province of Mazandaran in Iran.

Awards: Fajr Film Festival 2008 (Best Film)

Iran 2008

Director:

Khosro Masoumi

Producer:

Jozan Film Co.

Screenwriter:

Khosro Masoumi

Cinematographer:

Nader Masoumi

Editor: Hassan Hassandoust

Music:

Nasser Shokraie

Cast:

Elnaz Shaker Doust

Hossein Abedini

Reza Naji

Jamal Ejlali

Maedah Tahmasbi

Running Time:

91 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Farabi Cinema Foundation

Print Source:

Farabi Cinema Foundation

Selected Filmography: Somewhere Too Far (2006)

Tradition of Killing Lovers (2004)

SIFF CINEMA

HARVARD EXIT

UPTOWN CINEMAS

HARVARD EXIT

AIDE - TOI LE CIEL T ’ AIDERA

With a Little Help from Myself

FRIDAY MAY 29 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 4:30 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

SIFF CINEMA

ANONYMA - EINE FRAU IN BERLIN A Woman in Berlin

SATURDAY JUNE 6 4:15 PM

UPTOWN CINEMAS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 9:30 PM HARVARD EXIT

Director François Dupeyron (Monsieur Ibrahim) keeps the suds and sentiment at bay in his deeply sympathetic, darkly comic passion play about a harried working mother. Laundromat manager and home care aid Sonia (Félicité Wouassi in a tour-de-force performance), an African immigrant living in the projects outside Paris, just wants to watch her daughter get married. But the cops arrest her drug-dealing son Victor (Ralph Amoussou) and her husband Georges (Mamadou Dioumé) informs her he’s gambled away their life savings. Just when things can’t get much worse, the unthinkable happens. Instead of telling her family, Sonia decides to keep it a secret, so everyone can enjoy her daughter’s big day. Though challenges continue to come her way in the weeks to come—including a heat wave, a handsome suitor, and some less-thanenlightened senior clients—the lonely pensioner across the hall (Claude Rich) helps out with her most pressing predicament, for a price. With expert assistance from the radiant Wouassi (La Haine), a vibrant hip-hop and afro-beat soundtrack, and inventive cinematography from Yves Angelo (Un coeur en hiver), who favors golden hues and tilted angles, Dupeyron elicits laughter, tears, and suspense with consummate skill.

France 2008

Director:

François Dupeyron

Producers:

Michele Petin

Laurent Petin

Screenwriter: François Dupeyron

Cinematographer:

Yves Angelo

Editor:

Dominique Faysse

Cast: Félicité Wouassi

Claude Rich

Elisabeth Oppons

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source: Kinology

Film Website: arpselection.com

Selected Filmography: Inguélézi (2004)

Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) Officer’s Ward (2001) C’est quoi la vie? (1999)

Strange Place for an Encounter (1988)

An incendiary, anonymous diary describing Russian soldiers raping and pillaging during the final days of World War II provided the source for the handsome historical drama A Woman in Berlin, the latest work from the director of Aimee & Jaguar. A German journalist-photographer known only as “Anonyma,” spends the fall of Berlin hiding in the basement of her partially damaged apartment with a diverse group of female neighbors. The women develop their own ways of coping with the cruel liberties taken forcibly by the liberators. After being raped repeatedly by a number of coarse Russian soldiers, Anonyma begins complaining to officers and finally finds one, Andrei, who seems willing to not only listen but to help. Against all odds, the two become close. When Anonyma’s soldier boyfriend, Gerd, returns from the Eastern Front, he’s aghast at what has happened and the decisions taken in the name of survival.

Awards:

Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2009 (Best International Feature)

Germany/Poland 2008

Director:

Max Färberböck

Producer:

Günter Rohrbach

Screenwriter:

Max Färberböck

Cinematographer: Benedict Neuenfels

Editor:

Ewa J. Lind

Music:

Zbigniew Preisner

Cast:

Nina Hoss

Evgeny Sidikhin

Irm Hermann

Ruediger Vogler

Ulrike Krumbiegel

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Beta Cinema

Print Source:

Strand Releasing

Film Website: anonyma.film.de

Selected Filmography: September (2003) Jenseits (2001) Aimee & Jaguar (1999)

FRIDAY MAY 29 9:30 PM

SUNDAY MAY 31 3:45 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

UPTOWN CINEMAS

When an ex-con meets a young transvestite hooker, they soon discover they share more than a talent for rewiring lamps. After 15 years in the pen, the trim and muscled Yiorgos settles in Athens to look for his estranged son and winds up in bed with Strella (whose getup looks like a cross between Maria Callas and Cher). The good-hearted Strella sings in a low-rent cabaret, cares for a cancer-ridden queen, and generally looks out for waifs and strays. The plot involves a surprising twist that may shock some. Riffing on Greek mythology, writer-director Panos Koutras improbably defies the taboos of the ancients (and the “curse of every tranny”) to create a happy alternative family. Along the way, this independently made production combines dingy realism, the divine Maria Callas, plenty of nudity, gay sex, and campy dialogue.

Greece

2009

Director:

Panos H. Koutras

Producer:

Panos H. Koutras

Screenwriters:

Panos H. Koutras

Panayiotis Evangelidis

Cinematographer:

Olympia Mitilinaiou

Editor:

Yiannis Chalkiadakis

Music:

Mikael Delta

Cast:

Mina Orfanou

Yiannis Kokkiasmenos

Minos Theoharis

Betty Vakalidou

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm, in Greek, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source:

Films Distribution

Selected Filmography: Real Life (2004)

Zift Wonderful World

FRIDAY JUNE 5 7:00 PM

KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

THURSDAY JUNE 11 7:00 PM

FRIDAY JUNE 12 4:15 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Joshua Goldin’s directorial debut stars Matthew Broderick as Ben Singer, a pot-smoking proofreader, failed children’s singer, lackluster weekend dad, and card-carrying pessimist. His only pleasures in life are regular chess matches and friendly debates about game theory with his Senegalese roommate, Ibou (Michael K. Williams). When Ibou suddenly falls ill and an unfeeling municipal employee exacerbates the situation, Ben’s cynicism seems validated. He channels his frustrations into a lawsuit against the city for depraved indifference. But things change when Ibou’s sister Khadi (Sanaa Lathan) comes to stay. What begins as an awkward living arrangement soon turns into something else entirely. Ben’s usual misanthropy gives way as he realizes that sometimes cynicism is a matter of self-indulgence and that inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places. Goldin’s balance of levity and gravity give texture and depth to this offbeat study of midlife melancholy and its cures.

USA

2009

Director:

Joshua Goldin

Producers:

Miranda Bailey

Matthew Leutwyler

Glenn Williamson

Screenwriter:

Joshua Goldin

Cinematographer:

Daniel Shulman

Editor:

Jeff Canavan

Music:

Craig Richey

Cast:

Matthew Broderick

Sanaa Lathan

Philip Baker Hall

Jodelle Ferland

Ally Walker

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: 35mm

Print Source:

Ambush Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

Debut Feature Film

TUESDAY MAY 26 9:15 PM

HARVARD EXIT

MONDAY JUNE 1 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Moth has been locked up in the Sofia Penitentiary for a murder he didn’t commit and is about to be released on parole. When he’s freed, he plans to set out for the tropics, but before he goes, he wants to visit the grave of his son who was born and died while Moth was in prison. But everything changes at the prison gates: a former associate, Slug (one of his partners in the crime that sent Moth to prison), has some unfinished business to discuss. Their heist, a break-in at the home of Ada’s wealthy employer, seemed like it couldn’t go wrong. But when the employer showed up unexpectedly, he got shot and the diamond disappeared in the chaos. Moth took the rap to protect Ada and their baby-to-be, but now Slug is back in search of the loot. Set in 1960s totalitarian Bulgaria, with a stylized noir aesthetic and a witty script by Vladislav Todorov (based on his own novel).

Awards:

Official Academy Award® Submission 2008 (Best Foreign Language Film)

Bulgaria 2008

Director:

Javor Gardev

Producers:

Ilian Djevelekov

Matey Konstantinov

Georgi Dimitrov

Screenwriter:

Vladislav Todorov

based on his novel

Cinematographer:

Emil Christov

Editor:

Kevork Aslanyan

Music:

Kalin Nikolov

Cast:

Zachary Baharov

Tanya Ilieva

Vladimir Penev

Mihail Mutafov

Djoko Rossich

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format:

35mm, in Bulgarian, with English subtitles

Print Source:

IFC Films

Film Website: ziftthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Festival Forums

The place where the public finds its voice.

Created as a venue for audiences to become more interactive with SIFF, the Forums are where filmmakers are challenged to create, audiences are encouraged to speak out in lively discussion, young filmmakers and film enthusiasts get hands-on training. The opportunity to dig deeper into the world of film with exceptional filmmakers and other artists who are passionate about the cinematic arts provides an avenue that will guide the medium into its future.

With something on the table for everyone, we look forward to seeing you at these special events and hope they offer insight and inspiration to those who make movies as well as the film fan inside us all.

Talking Pictures

SIFF audiences know that their experience with a film doesn’t end when the screen fades to black. Talking Pictures offers an engaging, provocative, and entertaining post-screening forum for opinions, ideas, and understanding through lively debate. Join our Talking Pictures speakers—experts, cultural players, advocates, and critics—as they lead a stimulating discussion of some of the most thought-provoking and challenging films in the Festival.

SATURDAY MAY 23 11:00 AM NEPTUNE THEATRE

The Yes Men Fix the World (USA, 2009)

Directed by Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno, and Kurt Engfehr

See page 171.

MONDAY JUNE 1 7:00 PM EGYPTIAN THEATRE

A Sea Change (Norway/USA, 2008)

Directed by Barbara Ettinger

See page 168.

MONDAY JUNE 8 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

The Red Race (China, 2008)

Directed by Gan Chao

See page 167.

SATURDAY JUNE 13 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE CINEMAS

What’s

on Your Plate? (USA, 2009)

Directed by Catherine Gund

See page 87.

FlyChallengeFilmmaking2009 The Shadows of 16mm

MONDAY MAY 25 4:00 PM

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 4:00 PM

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

This year’s Fly Filmmaking Challenge takes SIFF audiences back to the basics. Three narrative filmmakers will make Serling, Chandler, and Cocteau proud as they expand and hone their expertise, working with classic B&W 16mm film. Adding an extra dimension to the Fly Film experience, this year’s documentarian will capture a stylish, behind-the-scenes perspective about the productions that is uniquely her own.

Don’t miss the results of this annual celebration of Seattle filmmaking.

Arthur Black Coffee

Someone has found out about David’s affair and is blackmailing him. David plans to make the payment to spare his political career, but he’s about to find out he’s been double-crossed.

Laura Jean Cronin, director

Laura Jean Cronin is an award-winning filmmaker, accomplished artist, and educator. Cronin recently wrapped her sixth short film, One Night, while her previous short, Free Parking, played at SIFF 2006. Cronin has served on the Board of Directors for Women in Film Seattle in the capacity of Membership Chair since 2006.

Joshua Bourland, writer

Born in San Jose, California, to film enthusiast parents, Josh has been writing for as long as he can remember. His entry into the Great American Screenplay Competition during SIFF 2008 and scholarship with TheFilmSchool has created new opportunities in the world of writing to which Josh is extremely grateful.

Tran Quoc Bao, director

Tran Quoc Bao started making movies in Hi8 at an early age and developed his visual sense from kung fu movies, silent films, musicals, and Hitchcock. His most recent film, Bookie (SIFF 2008) has been both nominated and awarded Best Short at several film festivals. He is currently developing featurelength projects, including an action fantasy to be shot in Asia.

Timothy Watkins and Charles Forsgren, writers

Seattle filmmakers Timothy Watkins and Charlie Forsgren partnered on the feature Keep Your Day Job, Superstar, with Charlie as producer and Tim as writer-director. Tim also wrote DisHonesty, which was a 2008 IFP Spotlight Award finalist. Black Coffee is their first writing collaboration, but both have feature and short scriptwriting experience.

Fearing that his mother’s accomplices plan to double-cross her following a recent heist, young Arthur Matthews must ensure her safety by any means necessary.

Safe Passage Anatomy of a Fly

Shawn Telford, director

Shawn has written and produced his own solo work for audiences in Seattle and New York while also appearing in the Seattle Fringe Festival and as a member of the Acting Apprentice Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Shawn’s film directing credits include A Night in the Sunlight and Gimme Music, Gimme Shelter

Michael Raymond, writer

Michael Raymond is a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist screenwriter who has pursued his screenwriting career around the world. Michael has a diverse body of screenwriting work that has earned him considerable recognition. When not screenwriting, Michael writes for the Seattle-based Disney Interactive Media Group.

Shannon Hart-Reed, director

After a background in feature film art departments, Shannon made the move to Seattle three years ago. She has turned her attention to creating stylized documentaries on a variety of short and feature length subject matter, including Ladies Who Lunch and My My Hey Hey: A Let’s Talk-U-Mentary (SIFF 2008).

Two arguing friends catch a late-night ride on the Seattle monorail, but the ride isn’t quite what they expected, nor is the destination.

Musca Domestica, the common housefly. Who would have thought such a pesky creature could possess the promise of filmmaking glory? The documentary film cast and crew create a behind-thescenes sneak peek of SIFF’s 2009 Fly Filmmaking Challenge.

Northwest Production Summit

WashingtonFilmWorks and the Mayor’s Office of Film + Music, in partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival, are pleased to present the second annual Northwest Production Summit.

Seattle has always been a place for moviegoers, but WashingtonFilmWorks and the Mayor’s Office of Film + Music strive to make it a home for moviemakers. Dedicated to building our local infrastructure to ensure a long-term, sustainable industry, the Northwest Production Summit gives us the opportunity to position Washington State as an industry destination where creativity flourishes and valuable business is conducted.

The centerpiece of the summit is an intimate, invitationonly, three-day symposium designed to introduce highprofile industry leaders to our creative communities. This exclusive gathering will include work sessions designed to explore the intersection of film, music, and technology as well as profile the depth of our production resources. In partnership with IFP/Seattle, there will be a mentorship program in which two local filmmakers, selected through a competitive process, will be included in symposium events as well as have one-on-one time with our guests.

The local filmmaking community will also be able to witness our industry guests in action when they participate in two panels about the business of film, which will be open to the public.

Pitch Slam

FRIDAY JUNE 12 3:30PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Join IFP/Seattle and the Northwest Screenwriters Guild for an exciting live competition where filmmakers pitch their projects to visiting film industry professionals. The event is a culmination of prior workshops and competitions. This final live round gives the finalists and the audience an insider’s look at the world of the fabled pitch meeting.

Trials and Tribulations: The Reality of Independent Production

FRIDAY JUNE 12 5:00PM NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Tri• al [trahy-uhl, trahyl] The act of trying or testing. Trib • u• la• tion [trib-yuh-ley-shuhn] A state of pain or anguish that tests patience, endurance, or belief.

Listen as producers, directors, and film financiers discuss real-life drama they’ve witnessed on set. Learn what to do and what not to do when faced with the trials and tribulations of independent production.

Moderated by Warren Etheredge.

Exploring Film History

NASTY CINEMA

The not-so-classy side of Classic Hollywood

TUESDAY MAY 26 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Films have both entertained and upset audiences for decades. When enough people were insulted, censorship reared its head. Nasty Cinema features a number of nasty films that span five decades of racist and prejudicial portrayals of minority groups, religious groups, and the women’s rights movement. We will screen brief excerpts from the nasty film, accompanied by a brief history, describing what the producer meant to accomplish and what group or groups demanded the film be withdrawn. The films go back as far as the late 1890s and continue through 1933, when the motion picture industry tried to reign in the call for censorship by self-censoring films. Warning! Nasty Cinema is guaranteed to insult your sensibilities at least once.

ANIMATED ENEMIES

Propaganda with a chuckle

TUESDAY JUNE 2 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

The U.S. government learned how powerful motion pictures can be as a tool for persuasion as far back as the Spanish American War. Over the past century, films were enlisted to help sway audiences, especially during wartime. This is all chronicled in Animated Enemies, which focuses on a select group of cartoons that were created to de-humanize Japanese, Italians, Germans, and other enemies while never losing the wild antics American cartoons are famous for. This presentation features a wide range of famous and infamous animated moments that were guaranteed to make one laugh while beating up, blowing up, and blasting away our various combatants.

ABOUT JAMES FORSHER

Dr. Forsher is an Associate Professor of Communication at Seattle University. Dr. Forsher’s career includes the production of more than 100 nationallyaired documentaries focusing on film history, including the 26-part Hollywood Chronicles for the Discovery Channel, Hollywood Censorship Wars for the A&E Time Machine series, and feature length specials Hollywood Uncensored and Hollywood Ghost Stories that both aired on Cinemax. He is also a collector of all types of motion pictures and over the past 30 years has amassed approximately 3,000 titles.

SIFFClassroom

Plot: More Than Just Beginning, Middle, & End

SATURDAY MAY 30 10:00AM (50 minutes)

Discover how plot really works. Explore three and four act structures and show what goes on in the “second act.” Examine “static” plot points such as story goal, consequence, costs, dividends, and forewarnings.

Instructor: Chris Huntley, co-creator of Write Brothers, Inc. and Movie Magic series software productions. He co-developed the Dramatica theory of story over a 14-year period.

Heroes, Villains, and Dramatica Archetypes

SATURDAY MAY 30 11:00AM (50 minutes)

Stories are populated with heroes, villains, sidekicks, and more. Find out what makes them tick and how to use them in your stories. Explore the basics and go beyond the simple character archetypes to create far more interesting, complex characters.

Instructor: Chris Huntley

TheFilmSchool Presents

Exploring FrameForge 3D

Digital Media Lab

MAY 30 AND 31, ALKI ROOM AT SEATTLE CENTER

Welcome to the new and improved Digital Media Lab. It is a place for filmmaking enthusiasts, both young and old, to come together for courses ranging from screenwriting to digital workflow, taught by industry professionals from around the country. IrisInk and The Seattle Mac Store are stocking the Alki Room (and future SIFF Film Center) with computer workstations. Twelve unique classes will grace our new weekend time, giving everyone the opportunity to learn. Come for one or stay for them all. The classes are free but ticketed reservations are available through the SIFF Box Office. Computer seating is limited but extra seating will be available.

Course offerings run the gamut from beginning to intermediate use of computer applications but all are encouraged to come and be a part of these exciting classes.

Editing 101: More Than Just Learning How To Cut

SATURDAY MAY 30 1:00PM (110 minutes)

It has been said that a film is made three times: when it’s written, when it’s filmed, and when it’s edited. In fact, Quentin Tarantino calls the editing process the “final rewrite.” In this session, we survey the historical development, artistry, and techniques of editing while getting our hands dirty with Final Cut Pro, the new leader in non-linear editing technology.

SATURDAY MAY 30 NOON (50 minutes)

See FrameForge Pre-viz Studio 3, the program that’s redefining storyboarding and previsualization. Hailed by filmmakers of all kinds, including Dean Devlin (Independence Day), this demo will show how every filmmaker can benefit from easy and affordable optically accurate previsualization.

Instructor: Ken Schafer, lead developer and creator of FrameForge 3D

Instructor: Kris Boustedt, filmmaker and Creative Director of First Sight Productions.

From DJ to VJ:

Exploring The Art Of Mixing Visuals To Music

SATURDAY MAY 30 3:00PM (50 minutes)

VJs are multimedia performance artists who compose and present their video work live and in real-time. Their visual imagery comprises aspects of filmmaking, video art, graphic design, and visual music. In this workshop, Punch Drunk VJ Peter Rand takes attendees on a quick tour of VJing with a hands-on tutorial of Modul8, a powerful VJ mixing application.

Instructor: Peter Rand

The Art of Getting the Shot

SATURDAY MAY 30 4:00PM (90 minutes)

Join our panel of outstanding cinematographers and colorists for a candid discussion that explores how to achieve the look you want for your film.

Moderator: Lorette Bayle, Filmmaker and Kodak Representative

Panelists to include: Peter Green, Benjamin Kasulke, Tim Maffia , Paul Mailman

Introduction to Final Cut Pro

SUNDAY MAY 31 10:00AM (50 minutes)

Final Cut Pro created a paradigm shift in the worlds of video and film post-production. This session provides an overview of video formats and standards, a primer of post-production basics, and a walk-through of Final Cut Pro, from importing and editing to transitions, audio mixing, and titling. No video experience is necessary.

Instructor: Kris Boustedt

Advanced Techniques in Final Cut Pro

SUNDAY MAY 31 11:00AM (50 minutes)

This session focuses on topics such as color keying, color correction, and audio finishing. Learn how to utilize Photoshop files in your video projects as well as export for DVD and web distribution.

Instructor: Kris Boustedt

Introduction to Final Cut Studio

SUNDAY MAY 31 NOON (50 minutes)

DVD Authoring with DVD Studio Pro

SUNDAY MAY 31 1:00PM (50 minutes)

DVD Studio Pro integrates seamlessly with Final Cut Pro for a complete DVD delivery workflow. This session introduces the foundations of DVD technology like disc structure and MPEG encoding, then shows you how to create content with Final Cut Pro and Photoshop. Finally, we delve into DVD Studio Pro to learn about compression, menu design, interactive programming, Dolby Digital audio tracks, and DVD-ROM material.

Instructor: Kris Boustedt

Encoding

SUNDAY MAY 31 2:00PM (50 minutes)

With hundreds (if not thousands) of combinations of codecs (“compressor/decompressor”), finding the best option for your film can be painful. In this lecture, we cover the different encoding methods for web and DVD. Learn how to make your film look its best. If you need to export your films digitally, this session is for you.

Final Cut Studio is a post-production factory in a box. Edit your films with Final Cut Pro, create professional DVDs in DVD Studio Pro, compose music and fix audio problems with Soundtrack Pro, color-correct your project with Color, utilize the enterprise-level encoding technology in Compressor, and create 2D and 3D effects in Motion. In this session, you’ll get a taste for how these programs work together and how you can maximize your skill-set.

Instructor: Kris Boustedt

Instructor: Kris Boustedt

Make Workflow: What Every Filmmaker Needs To Know

SUNDAY MAY 31 3:00PM (90 minutes)

A valuable technical discussion covering the specifics of using Digital Intermediate Workflow within your production and postproduction to give you the best final product while saving you time and money.

Instructor: Lorette Bayle, filmmaker and Kodak Representative

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS

94 Stewart ABC Special Event Rentals Bambuza

Billy O Wines

Café Juanita

The Capital Grille

Chez Shea

Choice Organic Teas

Crush Dunham Cellars

Ezell’s Famous Chicken

Gordon Biersch

The Great Northwest Soup Company

Greenroom Decor

Hollywood Lighting

Icelandic Glacial Water

La Medusa

Les Boulangers Associes

McCormick & Schmick’s

Mission

Piecora’s NY Pizza

Ponti Seafood Grill

Pravda Studios Qdoba

FrameForge 3D Studio Partners/ Innoventive Software, LLC

Rosebud Restaurant and Bar

Rover’s Restaurant

Salumi

Serafina Oesteria and Enoteca

Sonrisa Modern Mex

Suess Chocolates

Taberna del Alabardero

Urbane

Golden Globe Transport

Michael Wiese Productions

Shred-It of Western WA

Modern Digital

Alpha Cine

Bad Animals

Bexel NW

Complete Casting IrisInk

The MAC Store

Northwest Locations Professionals

Oppenheimer Cine Rental, LLC

Pacific Grip & Lighting

Pagliacci Pizza

Rocket Pictures

Screen Actors Guild

Seattle Composers Alliance

Seattle Grip and Lighting

Taco Del Mar

Tutta Bella

Artistic Director

Carl Spence

Managing Director

Deborah Person

Festival Founders

2009Festival Staff

Short Film Programmers

Beth Barrett

Clare Canzoneri

Dan Doody

Erica Erfman

Dustin Kaspar

Darryl Macdonald

Dan Ireland

PROGRAMMING

Programming Manager

Beth Barrett

Feature Programmers

Maryna Ajaja

Justine Barda

Beth Barrett

Josselyn Bossennec

Clare Canzoneri

Dan Doody

Ruth Hayler

Julie LaPorte

Helen Loveridge

Julie LaPorte

Anita Monga

Stan Shields

Dustin Kaspar

Anita Monga

Dale Nash

Adam Sekuler

Stan Shields

Carl Spence

Andy Spletzer

Programming Advisors

Caroline Libresco

Darryl Macdonald

Programming Interns

Josselyn Bossennec

Clare Canzoneri

Julie LaPorte

EDUCATION AND FORUMS

Educational Programs Coordinator

Dustin Kaspar

Education Intern

Katherine Brown

Curriculum Interns

Jenny Platz

Kyle Reardon

Education Grants

Lucas Draper

Fly Films Producer

Virginia Bogert

FutureWave Selection Committee

Sean Axmaker

Semih Tareen

Brad Wilke

Youth Advisory Panel

Dana Baumgartner

Montana Dunnell

Nick Farmasonis

Justin Flores

Sean Hendricks

Camille Kolodziejski

Sami Kubo

Curtis Lock

Esther Magasis

Sarah Maloney

Sonny Nguyen

Myka Petines

Kevin Tain

Justin Taylor

Meisean Teurn

Domonique Wilson

Center School Film Students

GUEST RELATIONS

Shanika Davis

Wendy Durant

Danielle Henderson

Matthew Merry

Nathania tenWolde

Sara Wiseman

DEVELOPMENT AND INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Director of Development

Nancy Kennedy

Corporate Sponsorship Manager

Sue Guthrie

Individual Giving Officer

Renee C. O’Donnell

Events Manager

Virginia McFadin

Cyrielle Willa

Events Coordinator

Guest Relations Manager

Rhonda Sable

Guest Relations Coordinator

Carey Christie

Travel Coordinator

Cathy Johnson

Guest Suite Coordinator

Davie-Blue Bacich

Guest Relations Interns

Kelly Clifford

Events Assistant

Katie Parker

Development Coordinator

Christine Exline

Platinum Plus Concierge

Serena Evers

Development Interns

Jessica Baxter

Aurora Gilbert

Lena Saba

Phoebe Hopkins

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Director of Marketing and Communications

Jessica Toon

Communications Manager

Ted Fry

Senior Publicist

Britt Curtis

Publicist

Cal Ledbetter

National Publicity Liasons

Andrea Courtney

Rebecca Fisher

Press Screenings Coordinator

Melanie Christian

Publicity Interns

Charlie Ainslie

Erika Monroe

Benjamin Thomas-Kennedy

Marketing Coordinator

Aubrey Scheffel

Marketing and Outreach Assistants

Brittany D. Friesner

Naomi Salinas-Burton

Marketing and Communications Assistant

Kara Baskett

Marketing and Promotions Interns

Heather Brown

Nate Lessler

Publications Design Manager

Steve Meyer

Publications Editor

Lisa Terry McKeown

Publications Assistant Editor

Randy Woods

Publications Coordinator

Cassidy Dimon

Editorial Staff

Richard Isaac

Publications Interns

Patrick Dominguez

Chelsea Phipps

Renee Shurtz

Lachlan Yeoman

Writers

Maryna Ajaja

Ron Anders

Roberto Azula

Justine Barda

Beth Barrett

Rhoda Belleza

Nik Blahunka

Clare Canzoneri

Cassidy Dimon

Dan Doody

Patrick Dominguez

Kathy Fennessy

Lindsey Johnson

Dustin Kaspar

Laila Kazmi

Helen Loveridge

Lisa Terry McKeown

Anita Monga

Chelsea Phipps

Adam Sekular

Stan Shields

Rachel Shimp

Renee Shurtz

Carl Spence

Andy Spletzer

Randy Woods

Lachlan Yeoman

Festival Media Producer

Les Sterling

SIFFtv

Sunbreak Studios

Smith Harrison, The Vox Office

Photographers

Matt Daniels

Dan Hawkins

Hank Roberto

Ethan Sobotta

Les Sterling

Mark Tomas

Kimberley Ward

Mark Zimmerman

Videographers

Lainy Bagwell

Spencer Crossland

Lisa Epstein

Les Sterling

GALA EVENTS

Facility, Inc. Event Design Management

Producer

Kate Harrison OPERATIONS

Director of Operations

Holden Payne

Festival Operations Coordinator

Katherine Jardine

Information Systems Manager

Kristine Towne

SIFF Cinema Manager

Randy Allmon

Financial Administrator

Catherine Muth

Bookkeeping Assistant

Roy Seliber

Production Manager

Amy Poisson

Production Assistant/ Operations Driver

Greg Palmer

Film Transportation Coordinator

Langford Griffing

Print Traffic Coordinator

Charlotte Franklin

Print Traffic Assistant Coordinator

Lainy Bagwell

Print Traffic Drivers

Sandi Phinney

Laurie Dawson

Tim Lightell

Theater Operations Coordinator

Dana Feder

Volunteer and HR Coordinator

Monica Hinckley

Assistant Volunteer Coordinator

Rebecca Sikes

Front Office Volunteers

Melissa Westbrook

Jennifer Conn

Lisa Knight

Amanda Erven

Kim Bridwell

Kathy Saelee

Suzanne Tedesko

Sabina Tomkins

Anna Tonkonogui

Zaira Arredondo

Mysie Cairns

Venue Managers

Cody Fenton-Robertson

Frances Hall

Alex Hudson

Joel Kvernmo

Wathana Lim

Joseph Steininger

Lily Singer

House Coordinators

Taylor Blanchard

Rick Bodlaendar

Howard Carson

Ginger Daub

Brian Formo

Laura Godshall

Heather Hughes

Sara Kopczynski

Helene Lustane

Kim Madalinski

Tabitha McKinney

Latesha Miller

Helen Palumbarit

Box Office Manager

Holly House

Box Office Coordinating Manager

Joseph Cole

Box Office Staff

Zaira Arredondo

Erin Axt

Jennifer Conn

Caitlin Dundon

Katrina Goeke

Wynne Greenwood

Aaron Gunderson

Chris Hernandez

Amanda Hubbard

Bradley Hutchinson

Aiden Karamanyan

Nichelle Mize

Robert Novotny

Mimi Noyes

Aaron Park

Anthony Radovich

Dawn Roscoe

Michael Zeigler

ADVERTISING AGENCY

WongDoody

PUBLISHING SERVICES

Encore Media Group

Paul Heppner

Ana Alvira

Kristi Atwood

Deborah Choat

Victoria Culver

Robin Kessler

Susan Peterson

Jonathan Shipley

Encore Media Group

Advertising Sales

Gillian Grant-Martin

Sherry Jarvey

Rose Monahan

Brenda Senderoff

Lenore Waldron

Denise Wong

Roldy Ablao II

Jeffrey Abplanalp

Shirley Abreu

Thomas Scott Adams

Joyce Agee

Marie Agnese

Ben Ahrens

Marc Ahrens

Andy Akada

Lisa Alishio

Hillary Allen

Martin Allen

Hilda Allum

Ashley Almon

Rachel Alquist

Yariv Amiad

Carli Anderson

David Anderson

Holly Anderson

Regina Anderson

Rik Anderson

Elle Anneman

Tosin Arasi

Tessa Archer

Steve Arenesen

Keith Auer

Emily Ausema

Michelle Avery

Ashley Bach

Ruth Bagge

Mary Baker

Trina Ballard

Tyler Banks

Mary Barkley

Laila Barr

Camille Barrera

Scot Bastian

Nicole Beaudoin

Kristen Beccia

Rhoda Belleza

Halimah Bellows-Rochfort

Carina Beneventi

Leslie Berry

Victoria Beschenbossel

Julie Beschta

Jean Betzina

Lisa Beutler

Ajay Bhat

Sarah Bickford

Brennen Birch

Andrew Birchall

Seth Birnbaum

Sabine Bischofberger

Kristina Blackman

Larry Blades

Bill Blanchard

Taylor Blanchard

Hillary Blecker

Cathy Bleecker

Stephanie Blum

Rick Bodlaender

Annette Boe

Katherine Boehm

Sarah Bond

Maxwell Bourasaw

Shrie Bradford

Matthew Brady

Kim Bridwell

Jill Briggs

Jasen Britcher

Anna Brokhaug

Brian Brown

Jon Brown

Cyrielle Buffard

Amy Burgess

Michael Burlin

Alexandra Bush

Jeff Butler

Brian Byrd

Brian Bystrom

Mysie Cairns

Tatiana Campbell

Charles Cange

Lilli Cantwell

Richard Carey

Dawn Carl

Howard Carson

Antoin Carter

Shannon Carter

Martin Catudio

Samad Chakour

Amanda Chan

Amanda Chase

Isabelle Che

Parm Cheema

Anatoliy Chermoshmyuk

Tien Cheung

Jim Chin

Kiran Chitluri

Max Cho

Kim Chrapliwy

Carey Christie

Andy Clausen

Topher Click

Linda Clifton

Garrett Cline

Laurie Cogan

Rebecca Cohen

Joseph Cole

Claire Collins

Jennifer Conn

Daron Cook

David Cook

K. Louise Cook

Mod Cook

Pat Cooke

Tim Coons

Sharon Cooper

Elise Cope

Sasha Cornellier

Kevin Cox

Dawn Cozzolino

Martha Craig

Shelby Cramer

Dan Crawford

Erika Custer

Sarah Dabagh

Kirsten Dahlberg

Shane Daley

Al Damon

Matt Daniels

Elora Das

Mark Davidek

Hilary Davidson

Sally Davidson

Lorna Davis

Tucker Dawes

Laurie Dawson

Laurie Dawson

Jonathan Dean

Heidi DeAndrade

Tiffany Defarbus

Yann Defarbus

john Dickson

Rose Dienhart

Cheryl Dillis

Michael Dobbie

Tracy Doherty

Dan Doody

Amy Draves

Janine Drebin

Ksenia Du Van

Heidi Dugan

Pam (Eddy) Dughi

Rebecca Dugopolski

Wendy Durant

Anna Duriez

Joanne Dyer

Lindsay Dygert

Tony Eans

Denise Edwards

Jenny Eish

Tracy Elledge

Danielle Elliott

Ian Elliott

Rebekah Ellis

Lon Elmer

Del Engen

Caroline Ernst

Anita Ertel

Amanda Erven

Marcus Eshtiaghy

Penny Espinoza

Mindi Estus

Susan Evani

Marilyn Evans

Veronica Fadok

Heather Fallon

Kevin Fansler

Pam Farrel

Matilda Fease

Carey Fegel

Amaryllis Ferchl

Johanns Fernandez

Annaliese Fidgeon

India Fitting

Jarrad Fjelstad

Mary Fjelstad

Anna Fleagle

Alex Flenniken

Elise Fogel

Jan Foucault

Anna Franklin

Jonathan Freedman

Alene Freidenrich

Jay French

Heather Fuentes

Bob Fukano

Zoe Furlong

Barbara Gagnat

Catiya Gainor

Monica Gallagher

John Gallup

Clara Ganey

Jessica Gartner

Melora Garza

Julie Gauntt

Antonio Gebran

Jeff Gerson

Aurora Gilbert

Laurie Gogic

Sandi Gold

Alleson Goldfinger

Laure Gonnet

Cory Gooch

Diane Gordon

Beth Goza

Susie Graeb

Sagesse Graham

Mayuli Grajales

Alan Grenon

Cathy Greutert

Asha Gunabalan

Sandy Gutting

Danielle Guyer

Manal Hamad

Beth Hamby

Cathie Hamilton

Chris Hammersley

Brian Hammond

Stephanie Hampshire

Sangeun Han

Paige Hardman

Cheryl Harlick

Sarah Haskell

Kate Haskins

Dan Hawkins

Keisha Heard

Bryan Hendrickson

Karene Hill

Catherine Hinchliff

Miriam Hinden

Carolyn Hitter

Jim Hitter

Wendy Holmes

Roberta Hom

Dylan Hooper

Dave Hovenden

Colin Howells

Carissa Howrey

Chien-Chung Huang

Alex Hudson

Heather Hughes

Natalie Hughes

Elizabeth Hulphers

Hannah Hultine

Kathie Hummel-Berry

Nycole Hyatt

Yuka Iida

David Ikeda

Robert Iwanik

Kazuya Iwasa

Judith Jagsich

Kara Jakobs

Natasha Jaksich

Yesun Jang

Johnny Jeans

Sanghoon Jeon

Eun Young Jeong

Amy Jessberger

Harry Jester

Angie Johnson

Heather Johnson

Holly Johnson

Sarah Johnson

Todd Johnson

Dennis Jones

Dorothy Jones

Lisa Jones

Marissa Jones

Jieun Jung

Rachel Kang

Aiden Karamanyan

Laura Belle Kearns

Jonathan Kellenberg

Oona Kelly

Harriet Kemp

Denise Kester

Noe Khalfa

Dexter Kim

Inmi Kim

Jenny Kim

Mari Kim

Vanessa Kirk

Jeanne Kliewer

David Knight

Carolyn Knopf

Sara Kopczynski

David Krafchick

Paul Kragt

Marian Krewson

Tobias Kuhn

Alexa Kunitsugu

Brenda Ladin

Felice Lam

Lindsay Lamfers

Anna Landa

Dana Landry

Rachel Lanera

Tony Lanera

LIFETIME SUPPORTERS

PLATINUM LIFETIME

($25,000)

Anonymous 3

William Affleck-Asch

Nicole Beaudoin

Lisa Brummel & Celeste

Keaton

Cartmell Holdings, LLC

Christopher Conrad

Erika Cowan

Kenneth Dale

Anita & Jack Dingrani

Dwight Gaut

Elva Gonzalez

Bruce Hawley

Bryan Hendrickson

Paula & Mike Hlastala

Doug Ing

Brian LaMacchia

LIFETIME

($5,000)

Anonymous 3

Russell Bennett

Mrs Robert R Braun, Jr

BeBe Burns

Virginia Callison Dolan

Paul Canniff

Ricardo Ceja

Deb Clark

John W. Comerford

Alice Cunningham

Mark & Andrea Frabotta

Carrie Gorringe

Steve Kelley

Diana Knauf

ANNUAL SUPPORT

PREMIERE

($10,000)

Richie Meyer & Susan Harmon

PRODUCER

($4,999 - $2,000)

Kraig L. & Laura Marini Baker

DIRECTOR

Jeffrey & Rosario Hanna

Andi Hendricks

Donna & Michael James

James Lin

Ian & Margaret Marks

Allison Milliman

Jean & Rich Patton

Owen Richards & Tania

Westby

Jeffrey Sakuma & Ron

Pederson

June Krumpotick

Jerry Luiten

Stephen McCandless

($1,999 - $1,000)

Susan & Eric Benson

Casey Cady

Mark Crowell

John Daise

Anthony Ercolano

Gary & Annie Grina

Mic Hampton

xo larimer

Darlene Lewis

Michael Lockman

Jon Luker III

Kim McIver & John Davis

Brian & Bridget O’Neill

Deborah & Jeff Parsons

Deborah Person

Mina Person

Mary Rainwater

Steve Schonberger

Nancy Shriver

Michael Steiner MD

Heidi Stephens

Lea Sund

Liza & Mark Taylor

Dennis & Peggy Willingham

Stephen Mellander & Daniel

Herda

Judith Mercer

Mary Metastasio

Elizabeth Mitchell

Walter Moore

David Nyberg

Tom O’Brien & Marion Cloutier

June Peters

Kevin Phaup

Dan Poliak

Meredith Potochnic

Jessica Prince & David Wilborn

Robin Reynolds Wilt

Daniel Roben

Leela Sasaki

Rosie Saunders

Dave Sharkey

Heather Smith

Bob & Kathryn Spence

Nan & Neil Sullins

Margaret Taylor & Bob Elliott

Catherine Walker

Michael Weidemann

Laura & Ian Macneill

Christopher Newell

Frederick & Claudia Schwab

Brian & Laurel Smith

ADVOCATE

($999 - $500)

Lynn Dissinger

Mary Lonien & Sandy Smith

PATRON

($499 - $275)

Jerome Arbes & Anne Knight

Eric Bailey

Tom Bayley

William Brody

Amanda Brooks

Ilya Bukshteyn

Corinne Campbell

Tom Skerritt & Julie Tokashiki

Jane Suzick

Sylvester Thomas III

Richard Wasserman

Joe Welinske

Annie Wilson

Bagley & Virginia Wright

Martin Cassidy

Sharon & Darryl Conner

Mary Corrales-Diaz

John Davis

Harvey & Nancy Dean

Shawn Farley

Mary Fjelstad

Christian & Joyce Zobel

BENEFACTOR

($274 - $125)

Anonymous 5

Glenn Abe

Gary Ackerman & Robin

Dearling

Ginger Ahn

Gabriel Aldea & Susan Arnold - Aldea

Maggie Alhadeff

Doug & Layna Andersen

Rik & Holly Anderson

Benjamin Arnette

Betty Jean Arnold

Rosalyn Arntzen

Julia Bahner

Mary Baldwin & Jeanine

Hammond

Craig Bartholomew

Chebon Bass

Steve Bateman & Virginia Lee

Allison & John Bauman

Jason Beaumont

Heidi Beegle

Miguel Garcia Vicente

Heidi Gates

Neige Gil & Christian Huitema

Nancy Guppy

Avi Belinsky & Heidi Kappes

Thomas Belleque

Barbara Benson

Karen Birchfield

Dean Biron

Nicholas Bischoff

Jennifer Blank Hecht

Current as of April 7, 2009

BENEFACTOR, Continued

Teresa & Andrew Bliss

Dina Blum

Katherine Boehm

Barbara Boster-Phillips

Rosemary & Mike Boyle

Amy Bradburd

Aaron Bregel

Joshua Briskey

James Broadus & Lori Stutz

Sara Broetje

David & Kim Brotherton

Seanna Browder

Chris Brucia

Elizabeth Bruning

Lynda Bui

Steven Burdick & Carol Ann

Davis

Timothy Burke

Kit Burns

Dale Callison

Stacy Campbell

Stephen Cancler

Albert Candelaria

Linda & Peter Capell

Pamela Cardone

Caron Carlyon & W G Robinson, Jr.

Carrie Carson & Lori Robb

Darren Caulley

Nick Chou & Audrey

Hendrickson

Todd Clay

Alessandro Contenti

Alyce Conti & Clay Laidig

Wendy Cooley

Linda & David Cornfield

Christopher Coronado

Leonard Costello & Patricia

McKenzie

Garth & Janet Cray

Jerald Crowser

Josh & Elise Daniel

Jessica Darling

Charles de Grasse

Tony Dirksen

Kristin Distelhorst

Trude Donovan

Thomas Donovan

Barnaby Dorfman & Sheri

Wetherell

Amy Draves

Deanna Duff

John Duff & Lee Strohm

Donna & Robert Dughi

David Duntley

Helena Dworakowski

Frank Edmondson & Vickie

Grahn

Jennifer Elf

Bob Elliott & Margaret Taylor

Edmund & Joanne Ellis

Robyn Ellis

Elizabeth Ely

Clarity Euster

Woods & Izumi Fairbanks

Barbara Faubion

Bill Ferris & Marsha Donaldson

Claudia Fiore & Anne

Thompson

Wilhelm Fitzpatrick & Lynn

Rosskamp

Michael Flakus & Susan

Branstiter

Trenton Flock

Spencer Fornaciari

Laura Fournier & Ian Wilmoth

Stephen Friend

Linda Garrido & Dana

Spradley

Brian Gartner

Deborah Gates

Anastasia Giannoulas

Ronni Gilboa

Annette Gililland

Gary Gilligan

Catherine Gleason

Amy Goddard Smith

Laurie Gogic

Sue & Donald Gonzales

Bruce Goodnow

Tom Goodwin & Cate

Goethais

Allen & Carol Gown

Stacy Grano

Catherine Greutert

Doug Griffin & Carol Tompkins

Susan Grinker

Shelley Guidry

Timothy Hale

Dana & Carl Hamry

Charles Hansen & Masafusa

Nakamura

Melodie Hardwick & Keith Tyler

Chris Harmon

Teresa Harvey

Mary Beth Hasselquist

David Owen Hastings

Theresa Haynie & Kathy Wehle

Russell Heglund

David Hellene

Katharine Hershey

Carolyn & Jim Hitter

Kevin Hoffman

Bob Hollowell

Jack Holtman

Robert Holzworth

Roberta & Kyra-lin Hom

Robert Horsley

David Hua & Jason Jordan

Brian & Sara Huey

Mark Hugh

Gary Humble

David Ishii

Amy Jackson

Marilyn Jarrell

Teri Johnson

Jennifer Johnson

Laurie Johnson & Tom Milnes

Christopher Jones

Larry & Mary Jordan

Richard Kamicar

Shel Kaphan & Ericka Lock

Bill Kaye

Jan Gray

Marsha Green

Anne Green

Mariko & Wade Green

Kim & Ben Gregor

Roderick Malcom

Donald Manning

Jill Marchick

Benjamin Margoles

Larry Marion

Craig Martin

Angela & Bob Mattson

Michelle Mauro

Stephen McCallister & Irene

Hrab

Debra & Jerry McKenna

Douglas McNutt

Sarah Meardon

Julia Meinershagen

Melody Melodia

Patricio Mendoza

Jacquelyn Miller

Timothy Moran & Marjorie

Walter

Alana & Peter Morris

Paul Muesegades

Donna Murphy

Ryan Keawekane & William Rowden

Jon Kechejian & Sandy Schoolfield

Sarah Keenan

Kim Kelly

Daniel Kerlee

June Kerr

Maureen & Michael Kerschbaum

Nicholas Kocan

Kathryn & Thomas Koch

Daria Kozlova

S. Kyker Krauss

Herb Krohn

David & Nancy LaFrance

Frank & Molly Lawrence

Joline Lear

Ji Lee

Nick Nelson

Edward Nelson & Julie Pickering

Monica Neumann

Marjorie Newman

Lisbet Nilson

Beth Niznik

Luther Norman

Margaret Lynn Nowelati

Mark O’Kelly

June Ogawa

Cecille Orquieza

Sue Oskowski

Lisa & Mark Palmatier

Joan Parish

Sylvia Peck

Christopher Pelletier

Barbara Perry

Lisa Peters

Karin Link

John Locker & Esther Ott

Jeff & Wendy Loomis

Deron Lord

Paula Lustbader

V Ellen Phillips & Iris Taboh

Carolyn Pietala

Colin & Ronit Plank

David Prokopy

Matthew Putnam

Teresa Rafael

Michael Ramsey

Chas Redmond

Catherine Reed

Harry Reinert & Cecilia Paul

Paul Rice

Leah Richmond

David Rind

Maria Ripley

Kathy Robertson

Vicki Roe

Sherri Roe

Francesca Rogers

Connor & Patricia Rognlin

Jason Ronbeck

Jude Rosenberg

Doug & Casey Rosenberg

Hitomi Ross

Nick Rossi

Anna & Thomas Rudd

Deborah Rustin

Ron & Sandy Ryder

Susan Saks

Jeffrey Sanders

Donna Sandstrom

Paula Schachtel

Chuck Schafer

Susan Segalla

Bill & Babs Selig

Anne Senter

Mehal Shah

Benjamin Shanfelder

Jason Sherrett

Pamela Silimperi

Tharan Silvers

Claudia Smith

Neil Snyder & Lisa Lindstrom

Mary Sobczyk

Meli Solomon

Eric Sorlien

Rachel Speaks

Bart Spellman

Russell Spence

Eben Sprinsock

Allen & Kim Spruill

Jennifer Stanton & Ofer Matan

Kenny Stein

Chuck Stempler & Sally

McKenzie

Jeffrey Stolz & Tim O’Connor

Paul Sturm & Flora Ling

Shelly Sundberg

Paul Sureddin & Melissa

Chadwick

Cindy Sutton

Dean & Susan Tabor

Miles Takahashi & Job Ramirez

Roger Tapp

Michael Taylor-Judd

Margo Terman

Kate Tesar

George Thomas, Jr.

Bill Thorness

Havens Tipps

Matthew Titelbaum

Sarah Tollefson & Emily

Carpenter

Tim Tomlinson

Tina Trenkler

Rick Treston

Tim Tribble

Nicole & Eric Trimble

Philip Tse

Kim Turner

Lauri Ury

Michael VanBuskirk

Carl Wagoner

Lenore Waldron

Walter Wallace

Barbara & John Ward

Ardee & Jerry Warshal

Carolyn Wedekind

Kathy Wehle

Dani Weiss

Brian Weiss & Telved Devlet

Samantha Welte

Joe Weresch

Kathie Werner

Joan & Dennis West

Diane Westergaard

Pat White

Elizabeth Williams

Margaret Williamson & Alexandra Calero

Sarah & Ray Willis

Ray Winninger

Scott Woelfel

Peter Wong

Leslye Wood

Sara & Ted Woolsey

Charles Wright

Kyoko Wright

Thomas Zimmermann

SIFF DEEPLY APPRECIATES ITS 1,416 SUPPORTERS AT THE ENTHUSIAST LEVEL!

“Film is one of the three universal languages, the other two: mathematics and music”

- Frank Capra

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Brad Abrahams

Richard Abromowitz

Judy Ahn

Valeri Ajaja

Lucy Akhurst

Daniela Alatorre

David Allen

Kathleen Allen

Marilyn Allen

Paul Allen

Jody Allen Patton

Mark Allender

Cristina Almeida

Gunnar Almér

Patel Alpita

Arif Amaani

Angela Anable

Eli Anderson

Anna Anderson

Scilla Andreen

Nina Anosheh

Panu Aree

Ed Arentz

Jennifer Arndt-Johns

Sandra at Top Pot

Jonathon Aubry

Debbie Augustavo

PoChu AuYeung

Brianna Babb

Valerie Baheux

Meghan Baker

Heather Bales

Luke Baranouskas

Carole Baraton

Wouter Barendrecht

Michael Barker

Nathan Barr

Beth Barrett

Dave Barrett

Nat Baruch

Nathanial Baruch

Mark Bashore

Anne Bass

Gina Batali

Henry David Baxter

Bethany Beaman

Keith Bean

William (Bill) Beattie

Shannon Beaty

Lynn Beck

John Beemer

Bobby Bellar

Rob Bender

Denise Bennett

Garrett Bennett

Dan Berger

Dori Berinstein

Ingrid Berkhout

Tom Bernard

Bob Berney

Jeanne Berney

Rebecca Berry

Shane Berry

Terence Berry Cheree Best

Paul Buerk

Charlie Blanchard

Kim Blanchette

Leah Bledsoe

Virginia Bogert

Tabetha Bolen

Mike Bonanno

Karen Boschker

Travis Bouker

Lindy and Kris Boustedt

Tony Bove

Deb Bowen

Eamonn Bowles

Kyle Bradshaw

Nate Brend

Matt Brodlie

Fernando Brom

Jane Broom

Brad and Amy Brotherton

Charles Brown

Dan Brown

Heather Brown

Paul Buerke

Ariane Buhl

Lia Buman

Rob Burnett

John Buroker

Gay and Billy Burton

Karin Butler

Stuart Butler

Betsy Callis

Alfredo Calviño

Carri Campbell

Greg Campbell

Jill Campbell

Phyllis Campbell

Alexandra Cannon

Martin Caraux

Carole Carmichael

James A. Carne

Linda S. Carne

Nate Carson

David Castro

Raymond Cha

Ginger Chan

Catherine Chau

Chantal Chauzy

Sophie Cherry

Zhang Chi

Dale and Leslie Chihuly

SJ Chiro

Margaret Chodos-Irvine

Ramy Choi

Yeonghan Choi

Melanie Christian

Wilder Christie

Elizabeth Churchill

Ann Ciecko

Sandy Cioffi

Mark Clark

Anne Clausse

Tougo Coffee

Howard Cohen

Ron Colby

Celeste Cole

Taylor Coleman

Susan Coliton

John Comerford

Liza Comtois

Rebeca Conget

Sharon Conner

Linda Coomas

Elizabeth Coppinger

Andrea Courtney

Matt Cowal

Jack Cowan

Rita Cressman

Geert Criel

Victoria Culver

Carol Cummins

Alice Cunningham

Matt Cunningham

Eric d’Arbeloff

Regina Daigneault

William J. Darkow

Bruce Davis

Jeff Davis

Julie Davis

Denis de la Roca

Cinzia De Luca

Jonathan Dean

Lindsay Dedo

Amy Dee

Aurora Dennis

Esther Devos

Eric Di Bernardo

Rob Diamond

Alejandro Diaz

Ken and Marita Dimon

Eva Doak

Judy Doherty

Karen Donahue Robinson

Brian Douglass

Jesse Douma

Libby Dover

Tamara Dover

Bobby Downes

Shawn Drew

Don Driftmeier

Kathleen Drumm

Fort Dudak

Eric Dunham

Morgan Dusatko

Allison Dvaladze

Abby Dylan

Leigh Eckert

Klaus Eder

Ingrid Eggers

Ken Eisen

Ken Eliott

Dianne Elliott

Stephanie Ellis-Smith

Ramsey El-Moslimany

Marjorie Engesser

Delphine Eon

Udy Epstein

Ceil Erickson

Janelle Erickson

Kristen Erickson

Kati Erwert

Peter Esmonde

Luis Fernando Esteban

Larry Estes

Barbara Ettinger

Nadine Fabbi

Marek Falk

Ron Farris

Rich Fassio

Eric Faulkner

Veronique Fayard

Suzanne Fedak

David Fenkel

Jason Ferguson

Alejandra Fernandez

Anne Ferron

Bret Fetzer

Phil Finger

Rebecca Fisher

Rob Fletcher

Carmen Flores

Lauren Fogerty

Julie Fontaine

John Foreman

Mathieu Fort

Alan Franey

Eroyn Franklin

Félize Frappier

Karen Fried

Lori Fried

Neil Friedman

Francis Josephine Friesner

Brigitte Fuare

Christine Gagliardo

Ryan Gagnier

Christian Gaines

Chao Gan

Joe Garber

Seneca Garber

Dwight Gaut

Anthony Geist

Jon Gerrans

Nancy Gerstman

Scott Giampino

Gary Gibson

Mary Giordano

Darrien Michele Gipson

Rob Glaser

Yanick Godbout

Aurelie Godet

Raimond Goebel

John & Feral Gokcen

Dan Goldberg

Jesse Goldman

Irene Gomez

Maryna Gorbach

Maria Govan

Malory Graham

Lizette Gram Mygind

Lynette C. Grandy

Andy Gray

Katie Gregg

Langford Griffing

Mike Grigone

Katie Grimes

James Grindle

Sarah Grinnell

Mai Groff

Dorotheé Grosjean

David Grosskopf

Candy Gruber

Lissa Gruman

Marie-Therese Guirgis

Shawn Guthrie

Jody Hall

Rachel Hall

Charise Hallberg

Gordon Hamilton

Megan Hammitt

Jeff Hannibal

Greg Hara

Gadi Harel

Shauna Hargrove

Jesse Harris

Angie Harrison

Lotta Hashizume

Margaret Hayes

Ruth Hayler

Julie Healey

Michael Hebb

Sandra Hebron

Matt Henderson

Bryan Hendrickson

Elodie Henneton

Morgan Henry

Paul Heppner

Michael Herbst

Deanna Hernandez

Deborah Hersch

Dan Hiatt

Cheryll Hidalgo

Aaron Hilst

Melissa Hines

Isabella Ho

Mark Hoffman

Lara Holman-Garritano

Emily Honigsfeld

Michelle Hooper

Bert Hopkins

Piper Hopkins

Douglas Horn

Emily Horn

Kim Houston

Tim Howe

John Howie

Marcus Hu

Megan Huber

Ceri Hughes

Sam Hunt

Kate Huntz

Steph Huske

Bradley Jo Hutchinson

Matt Hutchinson

Vicki Infinito

Kiyoshi Inoue

Mai Iskander

Sandra Jackson-Dumont

Ariel Jacobs

John Jacobsen

Rachel Jacobsen

Kate Jaffe

Donna James

Mike James

Eun Jang

Marni Jenkins

Eric Johannsen

Eric Johnson

Lars Johnson

Susan Johnson

Uli Johnson

Gwyneth Johnstone

Marilyn Joslyn

Alicia Jourdan

William Kaspar

Erin Katz

Heidi Kauffman

James Keblas

Bevin Keeley

Suzy Kellett

Jim Kelly

Janel Kempf

Larry Kennar

Pete Kerchinsky

Antoine Khalife

Don Kiele

Michael Killoren

Doe Kim

Heejeon Kim

Laura Kim

Sonya Kim

Yunjeong Kim

George Kindle

Ken King

Justina Kitburi

Steve Klein

Barbara Klepper

Fred Klepper

Marion Klotz

Kevin Knight

Natasha Knudsen

John Kochman

Dianne Koehnen

Slavka Kolbel

Jen Koogler

Tyler Kornelis

Jake Kosseff

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Steve Krause

Andrea Krauss

Donald Krim

Jennifer Kroot

Shannon and Peter Kryzzell

Markus Kunz

Ted Kuoppamaki

Olaf Kvamme

Winnie Kwan

Josh LaBelle

Josh Lackey

Eric Lagesse

Francisco Laguna

Brian LaMacchia

Claudia Landsberger

Sara Lash

Anne Laurent

Ramtin Lavafipour

Matt Lawrence

Cleo Ledbetter

David Lee

John Lee

Sandra Leeming

Nate Lessler

Heather Levine

Amy Lewin

Anna Li

Tony Liano

Caroline Libresco

Marit Ligthart

Jiyoon Lim

Liza Linardou

Ross Lincoff

Erik Lindstrom

Aida Lipera

Bryan Livingston

Mark Livingston

Nancy Locke

Bob Lofland

Vanessa Lotoux

Helen Loveridge

Angelo Luchi

Michael Lumpkin

Tyler Macavoy

Bonnie Main

Kevin Mallon

Davide Manuli

Della Maricich

Dominic Maricich

Sarah Marshall

Jessie Martin

Marina Martin

Krista Martinez Wiens

Ida Martins

Ronald Masnik

Randy Matheson

Patty Mathieu

Vivian Mayer

Mike McAuliffe

Linda McBlaine

Tay McCutchan

Colleen J. McElroy

Brian McFadin

Genevieve McGillicuddy

Ralph McKay

Chris McMullen

Miles McRae

Nasrine Médard de Chardon

Vedra Mehagian Dallesandro

Fernand Melgar

Stephen Mellander

Cindy Messey

Mary Metastasio

Betty and Bill Meyer

Richie Meyer

Virginia Meyer

Charlotte Mickie

Marta Mikkelsen

Nicole Mikuzis

David Miles

Mike Miles

Christopher Miller

Rob Miller

Vince and Lisa Miller

Heather Milllard

Bradley Mills

James Mongrain

Stacey Mooradian

Nate Mooter

Patricia Garduño Morales

Andrew Morgan

Don Morgan

Tara Morgan

Eric Morgret

Luke Morris

John Morrison

Betsy Muguro

Matt Mulder

Christophe Musitelli

David Namura

Tom Nance

Dale Nash

Paula Nechak

Camille Neel

Peder Andreas Nelson

Russell Nelson

Sherrie Newman

Daniel Nguyen

Dr. Anthony Nguyen

Hally Niehaus

Arleigh Nish

Courtney Noble

Ivan Noel

Sarah Nuttal

Jef Nuyts

Dennis O’Connor

Brian and Mary O’Donnell

Shun Ohara

Miki Ohi

Chris Ohlson

Billy O’Neill

Takumi Ono

Stine Oppegaard

Tom Ortenberg

Emily Osborne

Courtney Ott

Shan Ottey

Ksenia Oustiougova

Erin Owens

Ryoko Oyama

Gary Palmucci

Hengameh Panahi

Katie Parker

Jessica Partnow

Kim Pasion

Marijana Pavlich

MJ Peckos

James Pellerito

Paco Pena

Debbie Pennie

Mina Person

Brandon Peters

Susan Peterson

Marie Petit

Kurt Pfeifer

Larry Phillips

Peter Phok

Dan Piecora

Peggy Platt

Jason Plourde

Daniel Poliak

Donna Poppe

Tom Powers

Tom Prassis

Bill Predmore

Larry Price

Celeste Primeau

Jessica Prince

Chris Principio

Jitka Procházková

Ron Purple

Stephen Radcliffe

Pascale Ramonda

Lindsay Randall

Stephen Raphael

Charlie Rathbun

Chris Ratliff

Christal Ratliff

Orly Ravid

Tracy Rector

Kimberly Reed

Isabelle Rega-Hervouët

Alison Reid

Mark Reinhart

Charlotte Renaut

Annie Richards

Morris Richards

Owen Richards

Paul Richer

Scott Rickard

Aaron Ridinour

John Riley

Kyle Risan

Chris Roche

Stan Rodman

Jeanette Rodriquez

Philip Roewe

Stephanie Rondeau

Frederique de Rooij

Leaza Rooney

Steve Rosen

Arndt Röskens

Adam Roston

Jennifer Roth

Ryan Rothermel

Emily Rothschild

Ron Rothstein

Camille Rousselet

Joëlle Rubli

Lewis Rudd

Pete Rush

Rick Russell

Emily Russo

Lindsay Ryan

Avik Saha

Kira Saksaganskaya

Miguel Salinas

Paul Samson

Ilda Santiago

Simon De Santiago Areizaga

Ken Saunderson

Lydia Schmidt

Lee Anne Schmitt

Sarah Schmitz

Barbara Schroeder

Jana Scopis

Weiman Seid

Massimo Seidel

Beatriz Setuain

Neta Shacham

Payal Shah

Justin Shank

Jeff Shannon

James Shapiro

Catherine Sharp

Dave Shaw

Phil Shekleton

Scott Shooman

Sandy Shropshire

Shep Siegel

Arnfridur Sigurdardottir

Ron Simms

Shelley Sink

John Sinno

Joy Skaardal

David Skinner

Elena Smirnova

Mary Smith

Steven Smith

Luciane Sommer

Lynn Souikni

Claudia Souza

Deanne Sowter

Patra Spanou

Kevin Spitzer

Charles Steel

Mayumi Steiner

Michael Steiner

Amber Stevens

Robert Stevens

Richard Stevenson

Chris Stewart

Darcy Stone

Jacob Stone

Alex Stonehill

Norma Jean Straw

Gary Strom

Lane Stroud

Sarah Stuteville

Yun Suh

Johnathan Sundstrom

Aurelia Tahar

Akira Takeda

Meiske Taurisia

Gareth Tennant

Pat Tennant

Nadja Tennstedt

Kristin Terry

Medwin Textor

Kyle Thorpe

Karsten Tietz

Ondi Timoner

Rebecca Timson

Kevin Tomlinson

Wing Yan Tong

Geir Tønnessen

Hoa Tran

Thai Tran

Marina Trushina

Fred Tsui

Mayumi Tsutakawa

Gary Tucker

Kris Tucker

James Tune

Jim Tuohey

Denis Turcotte

Debra Twersky

Minour Uchida

Helen Underwood

Jon Urlie

Mark Urman

Katalin Vajda

Todd Van Cise

Alicia Van Der Veen

Lamar Van Dyke

Jay Van Hoy

Wanda Vanderstoop

James VanNess

Megan VanWechsel

Beth Varner

Kanika Vasudeva

Juliette Veber

Jayne Vidheecharoen

Gisela Viehoever

Natalie Vorobieva

Huong Vu

Janet Wainwright

Sara Wainwright

Tom Waldman

Katie Ward

Monkey Watson

Elke Wauters

Kristin Waymire

Michael Weber

Gwyn Welles

Ruby Wells

Michael Werner

Ryan Werner

Vince Werner

Beatrix Wesle

Erin West

Danielle Westley

Teri White

Sam Whiting

Brian Whitish

Brad Wilke

Hugh Willa

Lorna Williams

Gene Willis

Rusty Willoughby

Gisela Wiltschek

Jeffrey Winter

Seymour Wishman

Jack Wolfe

JoAnn Wolfe

Krista Woltersdorf

Marilee Womack

Jamie Wong

Joy Wong

Tracy Wong

Victor “White Rabbit” Wong

Thomas Woodrow

Meghan Wurtz

Lisa Wylie

Gwendolyn Wynne

Hideya Yamaguchi

Nick Yanity

Donald Young

Christian Zabriskie

Nancy Zamierowski

Karin Zaugg Black

Stephanie Zeitler

Dennis Zook

Keith Zwolfer

Digital Kitchen

Encore Media Group

Flight to Mars

LeandroHBL

Oh, Hello

POP

The Benjamin Exworthy

Extremely Well-Endowed

Foundation

The Sacks

WongDoody

1-800-Rid-Of-It ............................................206

1150 AM KKNW...........................................270

98.1 Classical KING FM ...............................210

98.9 KWJZ...................................................260

ABC Special Event Rentals ...........................93

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...............................................6

Adobe Systems .............................................76

Advantage Graphics ....................................270

Alaska Airlines ...............................................35

Alpha Cine .......................................................1

AM1090 .........................................................92

AMC Pacific Place II.......................................50

American Airlines ...........................................56

Antioch University Seattle............................280

Babeland .......................................................72

Bad Animals ................................................123

Ballet Restaurant .........................................252

Bank of New York Mellon ..............................22

BCSR Computer Rentals ............................198

BIGink, LLC .................................................306

Billy O Wines................................................314

The Boeing company ....................................20

Bombay Grill ................................................252

Book-It Repertory Theatre...........................121

Boom Noodle / Madison Holdings ..............312

The Broadway Grill ........................................30

Brotherton Cadillac Buick Pontiac GMC ...........

Inside Front Cover

Bumbershoot / One Reel ..............................38

Caffe Vita .....................................................308

Capitol Hill Flower and Garden ....................289

Cinerama .......................................................68

Chapman Universtiy ......................................84

Chihuly Studio ...............................................66

Chinoise.......................................................289

City Arts Magazine ........................................46

Clatter & Din ................................................181

Comcast ........................................................42

Crossroads Shopping Center........................44

Cupcake Royale / Verite Coffee...................312

Davis Wright Tremaine ..................................112

Day Wireless Systems .................................289

Desert Wind Winery ......................................22

Digital Forest..................................................52

Digital Kitchen..............................................302

Dilettante Chocolates ....................................80

Disc Makers .................................................288

Don Q Rums ....................................................2

The Drooling Dog ..........................................94

Dunham Cellars ...........................................108

Eastman Kodak .............................................70

EMP|SFP Science Fiction + Fantasy

Short Film Festival ...................................140

EMP|SFP Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame ............................................134

ENSO...........................................................318

Ferrari & Maserati of Seattle .Inside Back Cover

FileMaker .....................................................270

Film Finders, IMDB / Without-A-Box ...........226

Film Movement ..............................................64

TheFilmSchool .............................................171

First Sight Productions ................................260

Forest Ridge School ......................................44

FrameForge 3D Studio / Innoventive Software, LLC ......................104

Freixenet USA .................................Back Cover

GMA Research Corp.

Tim Thai ................................................121

Turner Classic Movies ...................................62

TV5 Monde ..................................................121

Uwajimaya ....................................................111

Vasectomy Clinic .........................................252

Venice Magazine ...........................................98

Via Tribunali ...................................................54

Victorinox/Swiss Army.................................102

Volterra Restaurant ........................................58

W Seattle Hotel ..............................................18

WHERE Seattle..............................................93

Women In Film/Seattle ..................................92

Wong Doody ...................................................8

The Woolly Mammoth .................................252

Write Bros ......................................................78

Zone Perfect ................................................102

This 2009 SIFF catalog was designed and laid out using Apple Macintosh computers and the Adobe Creative Suite. We couldn’t have done it without the help of The Mac Store and Adobe, who supplied us with all the hardware and software that made the magic happen. The creation of this catalog was a collaborative effort on the part of Encore Media Group: Ana, Deb, Jonathan, Kristi, Robin, Susan, and Victoria; the SIFF PubPod: Cassidy, Chelsea, Lachlan, Les, Lisa, Patrick, Randy, Renee, Richard, and Steve; James and the team at Journal Graphics; and the dedicated staff and volunteers of the Seattle International Film Festival.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICES

$11 Regular screenings and panels, except where noted (SIFF Supporters $9, advance purchases only)

$10 Seniors, 62 and older with valid ID

$8 Matinee screenings (1st show of the day before 5:30pm, except where noted) (SIFF Supporters $7, advance purchases only)

$6 Films4Families (SIFF Supporters $5) 11:00am matinees only

$5 Students with valid ID and Teen Tix members can purchase regular screening (or lesser value) discounted tickets at all SIFF venues, day-of-show only

$5 Stimulus matinee (1st two shows of the day before 2:30pm on Fridays. Does not include Cinerama screenings.)

Rush tickets (sold at the venue just before showtime) are cash only, full price.

SPECIAL TICKETS AND PACKAGES

Cinematic Six-Pack: $57 (SIFF Supporters $51)

Includes admission to any six films priced $11 or less, depending on availability. There is a two-ticket limit per film.

Film Buff 20 Pack: $180 (SIFF Supporters $160)

Includes admission to any 20 films priced $11 or less, depending on availability. There is a two-ticket limit per film.

Student and Senior Reel Deals: $35

Includes admission to any five films priced $11 or less, depending on availability, and limited to one ticket per film. Available to all students and seniors (62 and older) with valid ID.

Gift Certificates: Available in $25 denominations. Gift certificates are good for merchandise and tickets, and may be redeemed at the SIFF office, the Festival Box Office, or at any SIFF venue.

PASSES

A generous allotment of seats at every screening are reserved for passholders. While a pass, with the exception of “Platinum” and “Gala” does not guarantee seating, passholders are allowed priority entry up to 30 minutes before showtime or until the passholder seat allotment is reached. Passholders are strongly encouraged to arrive 30 minutes before showtime. All passes are strictly non-transferable and photo ID may be required. Passes may be picked up at the Pacific Place Box Office and SIFF Main Office.

Platinum Pass: $1760 (SIFF Supporters $1485) Includes guaranteed seating to all Festival screenings (with the exception of Secret Festival), all Gala screenings and receptions, the Festival Forums, press screenings, reserved seating area at the Opening and Closing Night Galas, and an invitation for the passholder and guest to a private Festival reception. Quantities are limited.

Platinum Plus Pass: $2750 (SIFF Supporters $2200) Includes all the benefits of the Platinum Pass, plus reserved seating for all screenings and concierge service during the Festival.

Full Series Pass: $850 (SIFF Supporters $750) Includes admissions to all public screenings and press screenings (except Gala screenings, Secret Festival, and special events). Seating is not guaranteed. This pass requires a photo.

Weekly Pass: $325 (SIFF Supporters $275) Includes admission to all public screenings for the specified week. (Excludes Gala screenings, special events, and the Secret Festival).

SPECIAL EVENTS

Opening Night Gala: In the Loop, $50 (SIFF Supporters $45) for both the film and Gala, and includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and two complimentary cocktails. Premium tickets are $100 (SIFF Supporters $90) with benefits including preferred entry into the film and complimentary cocktails all night. VIP tickets are $200. 7:00pm, May 21, Paramount Theatre

Closing Night Gala OSS 117: Lost in Rio, $40 (SIFF Supporters $35) for the film and Gala, includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and two complimentary cocktails. Premium tickets are $80 (SIFF Supporters $70) with benefits including preferred entry into the film and complimentary cocktails all night. 6:30pm, June 14, Cinerama

Secret Festival Memberships: $53 (SIFF Supporters $43) Includes admission to the four Secret Festival Sunday morning screenings. All are required to sign an Oath of Silence promising not to disclose any information about the films shown in the series. Film titles are not announced. Admission to Secret Festival screenings is by membership only. No individual tickets sold.

SIFF Gala Pass: $175 (SIFF Supporters $150) Includes admission to Opening Night, Closing Night, and Centerpiece Gala films and receptions.

ShortsFest Weekend Pass: $100 (SIFF Supporters $75) Includes admission to all ShortsFest weekend screenings. May 29-31, SIFF Cinema.

BECOME A SIFF SUPPORTER

SIFF Supporters enable us to be a premier international film organization supporting initiatives such as hosting filmmakers from around the globe, expanding cinema through education, and producing the largest film festival in the United States. SIFF Supporters receive invitations to free screenings, discounted tickets, and more. Visit www.siff.net and become a SIFF Supporter today!

SIFF BOX OFFICE

Purchase tickets online: www.siff.net

Central Pass & Main Ticketing Box Office: Pacific Place, 600 Pine Street, second level

Centerpiece Gala: Humpday $25 film & reception (SIFF Supporters $23, advance) $13 film only (SIFF Supporters $11, advance) 7:00pm, June 5, Egyptian Theatre

Gay-la: Patrik Age 1.5, $25 film & reception (SIFF Supporters $23, advanced) $11 film only (SIFF Supporters $9, advance) 7:30pm, May 28, Egyptian Theatre

Tribute to Spike Lee/Passing Strange: $200 Tribute event & dinner. $35 Tribute event only (SIFF Supporters $25, advance) Dinner 7:00pm, May 26. Tribute event 7:00pm, May 27, Egyptian Theatre

An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola/Tetro: $125 reception & film, $25 film only (SIFF Supporters $20) 7:00pm, June 10, Egyptian Theatre

Face the Music: No Age performs The Bear $20

Advance/$22 Door. 7:00pm (all ages) and 9:30pm (21+), June 12, The Triple Door

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11:00am – 7:00pm, Sundays and Memorial Day, Noon – 6:00pm. The Main Box Office can process passes, ticket packages, and single ticket orders. Passes may be picked up at the Pacific Place Box Office and the SIFF Main Office.

Purchase tickets by phone: 206-324-9996

How to Buy Tickets

Tickets to any screening or theater may be purchased online, by phone, or at any Festival box office up to 30 minutes before showtime, subject to availability. Thirty minutes prior to showtime, tickets must be purchased at the specific venue for that film or event. Venue box offices open 30 minutes before the first screening of the day and close 15 minutes after the last screening of the day begins. Seating is only guaranteed until 10 minutes prior to screening. No late seating.

Rush Tickets

When advance tickets are no longer available, a limited number of rush tickets may become available at the door five to ten minutes prior to the screening. Rush tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on how many seats are available. Cash only, full price.

THE NOT-SO-FINE PRINT

All programs are subject to change without notice. No refunds or exchanges are given, except in the case of program cancellations.

Each film is shown in its original language with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.

No babes in arms and, with the exception of the Films4Families series, no children under 6 years old. Films are unrated and may not be suitable for ages 16 and under, unless otherwise noted. Parental discretion is advised. Film length does not include introductions or Q&A sessions following the screening.

All audience members must leave the theater following each screening. Leaving belongings and saving seats between shows is not allowed.

Cameras, camera phones, and recording devices are not permitted in the theater. Please silence all cellular phones, pagers, and watches when in the theater.

Due to piracy prevention efforts by our film suppliers, you and your personal property may be subject to a physical search upon entrance to Festival venues. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

SIFF reserves the right to refuse service.

HOW TO FESTIVAL

HOW TO GET TO SIFF 2009

Admiral Theater

2343 California Avenue SW

BUS: Routes 51, 55, 65, 57, 85, 128.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets.

Alki Room

305 Harrison Street, Seattle Center

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 30, 45, 81, 82, 994.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay parking garages.

Cinerama

2100 Fourth Avenue at Lenora

BUS: Routes 19, 24, 27, 33, 56, 57, 82, 121, 152, 162, 170, 174, 202, 210, 216, 550, 554, and many others.

CAR: Metered and paid surface lot parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets.

Egyptian Theatre

805 East Pine Street

BUS: Routes 2, 9, 10, 11, 43, 49, 60, 84.

CAR: Within walking distance of the Northwest Film Forum. Parking is available on the street (metered and zone permit parking) or at the Seattle Central Community College garage, located at Harvard and Pine.

Harvard Exit Theatre

807 East Roy Street at Harvard

BUS: Routes 9, 14, 49, 60.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets, including on 10th Avenue or Broadway, or in nearby pay lots.

Juanita Beach Park

9703 NE Juanita Drive, Kirkland

BUS: Routes 234, 236, 255, 260, 277, 935.

CAR: Free parking is available in a lot within the park.

Kirkland Performance Center

350 Kirkland Avenue

BUS: One block from the Kirkland Transit Center, serving routes 230, 234, 236, 238, 245, 248, 255, 540.

CAR: Free four-hour parking is available in the Municipal Garage underneath the Kirkland Library, just west of the Performance Center.

Neptune Theatre

1303 NE 45th Street at Brooklyn

BUS: Routes 30, 43, 44, 48, 49, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 79, 83, 133, 167, 197, 271, 373, 556.

CAR: Parking is available on surrounding neighborhood streets and in nearby pay lots.

Northwest Film Forum

1515 12th Avenue, between Pike and Pine

BUS: Routes 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, 60, 84.

CAR: Within walking distance of the Egyptian. Street parking is available after 6:00pm, Mon.-Sat.; pay lots also available nearby. Limited free parking for NWFF patrons is available after 9:00pm, at the Richmark Printers lot on 11th and Pine.

Pacific Place Cinemas

(plus SIFF Main Ticketing and Pass Box Office)

600 Pine Street

BUS: Routes 7, 10, 11, 14, 41, 43, 49, 64, 71, 72, 73, 74, 84, 101, 106, 125, 150, 174, 194, 301, 545, 550, and many others within a three-block radius.

CAR: The underground parking garage offers a special rate of $4 for four hours of parking after 5:00pm. Enter from either Sixth or Seventh avenues.

Pan Pacific Seattle Hotel

2125 Terry Avenue

BUS: Routes 5, 8, 17, 26, 28, 70, 71, 72, 73, 98, 191, 358, and others with a three-block radius. Located on South Lake Union Streetcar line.

CAR: Underground pay parking is available, as well as metered street parking on surrounding streets.

Paramount Theatre

911 Pine Street

BUS: Routes 10, 11, 14, 43, 41, 49, 71, 72, 73, 74, 84, 150, 177, 194, 212, 225, 229, 255, and many others within a three-block radius.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay parking garages, including the Grand Hyatt and the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.

SIFF Cinema

321 Mercer Street, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center

BUS: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18, 30, 45, 81, 82, 994.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in adjacent pay parking garages, including one on Mercer, across from the cinema.

SIFF Lounge at Boom Noodle

1121 East Pike Street

Uptown Cinemas

511 Queen Anne Avenue N

BUS: 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 18, 30, 81, 994.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

BUS: 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, 60, 84.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

Triple Door

216 Union Street

BUS: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21, 24, 33, 41, 54, 71, 131, 143, 152, 174, 190, 522, 577, 600, and many, many others.

CAR: Metered and zone parking is available on the street or in nearby pay lots.

Seattle Department of Transportation, general parking info: seattle.gov/transportation/parking Metro bus schedules, FAQs, trip planner: tripplanner.metrokc.gov For

Action / Adventure

The Admiral....................................176

The Adventures of Robin Hood .......65

The Beast Stalker ..........................183

Careful With That Powertool ..........142

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

Fifty Dead Men Walking .................199

Full Employment ............................105

The Hurt Locker .............................207

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ........................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ........................................221

Once Upon a Time in the West ........69

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

The Sniper .....................................237

Tears of April ..................................244

Turn to Black ...................................141

Warlords ........................................248

Africa

Asamara ........................................142

Fig Trees ........................................159

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

Khamsa .........................................214

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Skin ................................................236

Sweet Crude ..................................120

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love .......................99

African-American

Black Dynamite ..............................103

Facing Ali .......................................157

Independent America:

Rising from Ruins ........................117

Nurse.Fighter.Boy ..........................228

Passing Strange .............................33

What’s on Your Plate .......................87

Animals

Babau ............................................137

The Bear ..........................................90

Dear Fatty ......................................137

Elephants .......................................137

The End of the Line ........................157

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story ..................205

The Herd ........................................136

Horn Dog .......................................137

Mamma Moo and Crow ...................85

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends ....85

School Days With a Pig..................233

Animation

$9.99 ............................................175

Alice’s Attic ....................................138

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Babau ............................................137

BOTNIK! .........................................138

Control Master ................................141

Crane and Digger ..........................137

Dahlia .............................................136

Dear Fatty ......................................137

Dig .................................................126

Egon & Dönci ...................................83

Elephants .......................................137

Endless Tunnel...............................138

Field Notes from Dimension X: Oasis ..........................................139

French Roast .................................139

The Funk ........................................142

Horn Dog .......................................137

Ideation ..........................................137

Kanizsa Hill ....................................139

Kudan ............................................136

Madam President ..........................137

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

Mamma Moo and Crow ...................85

Mite ................................................139

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends ....85

Nak ..................................................87

Photograph of Jesus .....................136

Shu (Blue Hour Lullaby) .................126

Wallace and Gromit:

A Matter of Loaf and Death ........137

Western Spaghetti .........................137

Archival

The Adventures of Robin Hood .......65

The Conversation.............................69

Dodsworth .......................................65

FILM IST. a girl & a gun ..................127

The Great Race................................43

Le Amiche ........................................61

Once Upon a Time in the West ........69

So Long at the Fair ..........................71

Sunset Boulevard ............................65

The Third Man..................................65

Wild Rose ........................................67

A Woman Under the Influence .........61

Art/Design Art & Copy .....................................153

BOTNIK! .........................................138

Control Master ................................141

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

Photograph of Jesus .....................136

Push Button House .......................138

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse ..................168

Séraphine ......................................234

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ......99

Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall ...............137

We Live in Public ............................170

Yuri.................................................138

Asian

Andong ..........................................137

The Beast Stalker ..........................183

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly ............185

Boy ................................................186

Breathless ......................................186

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country .......................154

The Clone Returns Home ..............191

Dancing Across Borders.................115

The Dark Harbor ............................193

Daytime Drinking ...........................193

Departures .....................................194

Forever Enthralled ..........................201

Fruit Fly ..........................................203

Hansel and Gretel .........................205

Kimjongilia .....................................163

Kudan ............................................136

Machan ..........................................218

Manhole Children...........................164

Miao Miao ......................................221

My Dear Enemy ...............................51

Nak ..................................................87

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti .....................227

Opium War.....................................229

The Red Race ................................167

The Sniper .....................................237

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade ....243

This Charming Girl ...........................51

Treeless Mountain..........................246

Tulpan ............................................247

Unmistaken Child...........................169

Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall ...............137

Warlords ........................................248

Wild Rose ........................................67

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...........110

Biopic

The Admiral....................................176

Forever Enthralled ..........................201

Il Divo .............................................208

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ........................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ........................................221

Pop Star On Ice .............................166

Telstar ..............................................97

Black Comedy

All My Dreams on VHS...................139

Black Dynamite ..............................103

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly ............185

Boutonniere ...................................139

Bronson .........................................187

Careful With That Powertool ..........142

Daytime Drinking ...........................193

Dead Snow ....................................105

Deadgirl .........................................103

Everything Strange and New ........197

Excision .........................................139

Final Arrangements........................199

French Roast ..................................141

Full Employment ............................105

The Funk ........................................142

The Higher Force ...........................206

Horn Dog .......................................137

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle ..............................116

I Sell the Dead................................107

Kanizsa Hill ....................................139

Kisses ............................................214

My Dear Enemy ...............................51

My Suicide .....................................149

The Paranoids................................231

Poppy Shakespeare ......................231

Rumba ...........................................233

Sexykiller ........................................110

Small Crime ...................................236

Telstar ..............................................97

Ten For Grandpa ............................137

Thirteen or so Minutes ...................138

This Is Her ......................................142

Treevenge ......................................139

Welgunzer .......................................141

White Night Wedding .....................249

With a Little Help from Myself ........251

World’s Greatest Dad ...................122

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...........110

ZMD: Zombies of Mass

Destruction .................................123

Buddy Picture

Captive...........................................189

Humpday .........................................29

I Sell the Dead................................107

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ........................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ........................................221

Miao Miao ......................................221

The One-Handed Trick ..................228

Poppy Shakespeare ......................231

Spring Breakdown .........................238

Chinese Language

The Beast Stalker ..........................183

Forever Enthralled ..........................201

Miao Miao ......................................221

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti .....................227

The Red Race ................................167

The Shaft .......................................235

The Sniper .....................................237

Warlords ........................................248

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...........110

Comedy

All My Dreams on VHS...................139

Andong ..........................................137

The Answer Man ............................179

The Baby Formula .........................181

Baby Love ......................................182

The Back Room .............................138

The Bake Shop Ghost ...................136

Beauties at War .............................183

Black Dynamite ..............................103

BOTNIK! .........................................138

Boutonniere ....................................141

Chef’s Special ................................190

Cold Souls .....................................192

Daddy Cool ....................................192

The Dark Harbor ............................193

The Day My Parents Became Cool .141

Eldorado ........................................196

Everyday People .............................141

Field Notes from Dimension X: Oasis ..........................................139

Finding Bliss ...................................116

fOUR ..............................................142

Four Boxes ....................................202

A French Gigolo .............................202

French Roast ..................................141

Fruit Fly ..........................................203

Full Employment ............................105

The Girl from Monaco ....................203

The Great Race................................43

Horn Dog .......................................137

Humpday .........................................29

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle ..............................116

I’m No Dummy ...............................162

In the Loop.......................................25

Machan ..........................................218

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Melodrama Habibi .........................220

Miao Miao ......................................221

Mid-August Lunch .........................222

Morris: A Life With Bells On ...........224

Mothers & Daughters .....................226

North..............................................149

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies .........45

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ........................27

The Overbrook Brothers ................229

A Pain in the Ass ............................230

Post-It Love....................................136

Ralph ..............................................141

Rumba ...........................................233

School Days With a Pig..................233

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

The Spam Job ...............................136

Sparks ...........................................136

Spring Breakdown .........................238

Swimsuit Issue ...............................243

This Is Her ......................................142

Treevenge ......................................139

True Adolescents ...........................120

Tulpan ............................................247

Turn to Black ...................................141

Wallace and Gromit:

A Matter of Loaf and Death ........137

Welgunzer .......................................141

What’s Virgin Mean? .......................141

The Wild Bees..................................55

Wonderful World ............................253

The Yes Men Fix the World ............171

Coming of Age

American Primitive .........................177

Andong ..........................................137

At West of Pluto .............................145

Baghdad Express ..........................138

Bluebeard ......................................185

Boy ................................................186

Butterfly .........................................142

Daddy Cool ....................................192

Don’t Let Me Drown.......................195

The Ground Beneath .....................142

I’m Gonna Explode ........................209

I Know You Know ..........................208

Immersion .......................................141

James ............................................136

Khamsa .........................................214

Kisses ............................................214

Love You More ...............................136

Lowland Fell ....................................141

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ......223

My Suicide .....................................149

Paper Heart ...................................230

Princess of Africa ...........................166

School Days With a Pig..................233

Second Guessing Grandma ..........138

Short Term 12 ................................138

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

Stella ..............................................239

Story of Jen ...................................240

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade ....243

Ten For Grandpa ............................137

Thirteen or so Minutes ...................138

Treeless Mountain..........................246

True Adolescents ...........................120

Twoyoungmen, UT. ........................138

The Wild Bees..................................55

Cult

Beket .............................................126

Black Dynamite ..............................103

The Blindness of the Woods ..........139

Dead Snow ....................................105

Deadgirl .........................................103

Full Employment ............................105

Grace .............................................105

Hansel and Gretel .........................205

The Hills Run Red ..........................107

Horn Dog .......................................137

Horsefingers 3: Starfucker.............139

Incubus Drone ...............................139

I Sell the Dead................................107

It Came From Kuchar.....................129

Kaifeck Murder ..............................212

Kimjongilia .....................................163

My Suicide .....................................149

Next Floor ......................................136

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ........................27

Páidi’s Tale ......................................141

Sexykiller ........................................110

Thicker Than Water.........................141

Treevenge ......................................139

Zift..................................................253

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction .......................123

Dance

2081...............................................136

Boy ................................................186

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

Dancing Across Borders.................115

Danse Macabre .............................103

Every Little Step ...............................41

Favela on Blast ................................95

Fruit Fly ..........................................203

Gotta Dance ..................................161

Morris: A Life With Bells On ...........224

Orgesticulanismus .........................142

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Rumba ...........................................233

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

Detective/Mystery

The Beast Stalker ..........................183

Sparks ...........................................136

talhotblond.....................................169

Ten For Grandpa ............................137

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death ........137

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...........110 Zift..................................................253

Documentary

575 Castro Street...........................138

Afghan Star ....................................153

All Tomorrow’s Parties .....................95

Art & Copy .....................................153

Asamara ........................................142

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle ........................115

The Beaches of Agnès...................154

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona ..........................93

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country .......................154

California Company Town ..............127

City of Borders...............................155

The Cove .......................................155

Dahlia .............................................136

Dancing Across Borders.................115

Dark Material ..................................141

Defamation ....................................156

Designing the New World: Turning Crisis into Potential .........115

El General ......................................156

The End of the Line ........................157

Every Little Step ...............................41

Everyday People .............................141

Facing Ali .......................................157

Favela on Blast ................................95

Fig Trees ........................................159

Food, Inc........................................159

The Fortress ..................................160

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

The Garden ....................................161

The Herd ........................................136

Icons Among Us ..............................91

I’m No Dummy ...............................162

Independent America:

Rising from Ruins ........................117

An Island Calling ............................162

It Came From Kuchar.....................129

It’s In The P-I ..................................136

It Takes a Cult .................................117

Kimjongilia .....................................163

Know Your Mushrooms .................163

Lessons From The Night................142

Little Joe ........................................164

Manhole Children...........................164

Maradona by Kusturica..................165

Modern Life....................................165

Passing Strange .............................33

Photograph of Jesus .....................136

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

Pockets ..........................................139

Pop Star on Ice ..............................166

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Prodigal Sons ................................167

Push Button House .......................138

The Red Race ................................167

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse ..................168

A Sea Change................................168

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

The Spam Job ...............................136

Sweet Crude ..................................120

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ......99

Unmistaken Child...........................169

Utopia, Part 3: The World’s Largest Shopping Mall ...............137

We Live in Public ............................170

What’s on Your Plate .......................87

William Kunstler:

Disturbing the Universe ..............170

The Yes Men Fix the World ............171

Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love 99

Yuri.................................................138

Drama

$9.99 ............................................175

33 Scenes from Life ........................174

About Elly.......................................175

Adam .............................................176

The Admiral....................................176

Against the Current ........................177

Ahmad’s Garden............................142

All My Dreams on VHS....................141

American Primitive .........................177

Amreeka ........................................178

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Apron Strings .................................179

The Archivist ..................................138

Atlantic ...........................................137

Atlantico .........................................138

The Back Room .............................138

Baghdad Express ..........................138

The Bake Shop Ghost ...................136

Ball Don’t Lie..................................182

Be Calm and Count to Seven ........145

Birdwatchers..................................184

Black Dogs Barking .......................184

Blessed Virgin ................................142

Bluebeard ......................................185

Boy ................................................186

Breathless ......................................186

Bronson .........................................187

Buddenbrooks ...............................187

Buick Riviera ..................................188

The Burning Plain ..........................188

Butterfly .........................................142

Can Go Through Skin ....................189

The Clone Returns Home ..............191

Cloud 9 ..........................................191

The Country Teacher .......................55

Departures .....................................194

The Desert Within ..........................194

Dodsworth .......................................65

Don’t Let Me Drown.......................195

Downloading Nancy ......................195

The Escape ....................................196

Everyone Else ................................146

Excision .........................................139

The Exploding Girl .........................146

Fear Me Not ...................................197

The Firm Land................................200

Flame & Citron ...............................200

Forasters........................................201

fOUR ..............................................142

Four Chapters ................................147

The Funk ........................................142

God’s Offices .................................204

The Graffiti of Mr. Tupaia ................142

The Ground Beneath .....................142

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story ..................205

The Headless Woman .....................53

Her Meds ........................................141

Home .............................................147

Hooked ..........................................207

The Hurt Locker .............................207

I Know You Know ..........................208

I’m Gonna Explode ........................209

Immersion ......................................139

Incubus Drone ...............................139

Inland .............................................148

Involuntary .....................................148

In Your Absence.............................211

James ............................................136

Kabei - Our Mother ........................211

Kanchivaram ..................................212

The Karamazovs ............................213

Katia’s Sister ..................................213

Kisses ............................................214

La Ciénaga ......................................53

Laila’s Birthday ..............................215

La Mission .....................................223

Le Amiche ........................................61

Let’s Dance....................................138

Like Dandelion Dust .......................216

Little Soldier ...................................216

Live and Remember ......................217

Lost Paradise ..................................141

Love ...............................................136

Love on the Tundra ........................137

Love You More ...............................136

Lowland Fell ....................................141

Madam President ..........................137

The Maid ........................................218

Make my Day .................................142

The Market - A Tale of Trade ..........219

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ......223

Monsieur Selavy: The Way It Is ......137

Moon .............................................224

Mothers & Daughters .....................226

Necessities of Life..........................226

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti .....................227

Northern Highway ...........................141

Northface .......................................227

November ......................................139

Nurse.Fighter.Boy ..........................228

The One-Handed Trick ..................228

One Night ......................................137

Opium War.....................................229

Páidi’s Tale ......................................141

The Paranoids................................231

Quiet Chaos ...................................232

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

Rain ...............................................150

School Days With a Pig..................233

Scratch ..........................................234

Second Guessing Grandma ..........138

The Shaft .......................................235

Short Term 12 ................................138

Shrink ............................................235

Skin ................................................236

Snow..............................................237

Sparks ...........................................136

Spring 1941 ...................................238

The Spy and the Sparrow ...............119

The Square ....................................239

Still Walking ...................................240

Story of Jen ...................................240

The Strength of Water....................241

Sügisball ........................................241

Summer .........................................242

Summer Hours ..............................242

Sunset Boulevard ............................65

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade ....243

Ten For Grandpa ............................137

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

Tetro.................................................39

That Evening Sun ...........................245

Thirteen or so Minutes ...................138

This Charming Girl ...........................51

This Is Her ......................................142

Three Blind Mice ............................246

Through The Ear .............................141

Treeless Mountain..........................246

Troubled Water .............................247

Tulpan ............................................247

Turn to Black ...................................141

Twoyoungmen, UT. ........................138

The Wedding Song ........................248

Welcome ........................................249

White Night Wedding .....................249

The Whole Truth ............................122

Wild Field .......................................250

Wind Blows in the Meadow ...........250

A Woman in Berlin .........................251

A Woman’s Way .............................252

A Woman Under the Influence .........61

Wonderful World ............................253

Zift..................................................253

Eastern Europe

33 Scenes from Life ........................174

The Admiral....................................176

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Buick Riviera ..................................188

Captive...........................................189

The Country Teacher .......................55

Egon & Dönci ...................................83

Hooked ..........................................207

The Karamazovs ............................213

Live and Remember ......................217

The Other Bank .............................150

Scratch ..........................................234

Snow..............................................237

Sügisball ........................................241

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

The Wild Bees..................................55

Wild Field .......................................250

Zift..................................................253

Environmental

Back to the Garden, Flower Power

Comes Full Circle ........................115

California Company Town ..............127

The Cove .......................................155

Designing the New World:

Turning Crisis into Potential .........115

The End of the Line ........................157

Food, Inc........................................159

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

The Garden ....................................161

Know Your Mushrooms .................163

November .......................................141

A Sea Change................................168

Epic

Buddenbrooks ...............................187

Forever Enthralled ..........................201

The Great Race................................43

Once Upon a Time in the West ........69

Erotic/Sex

All My Dreams on VHS...................139

Blessed Virgin ................................142

The Blindness of the Woods ..........139

The Burning Plain ..........................188

Cloud 9 ..........................................191

Deadgirl .........................................103

FILM IST. a girl & a gun ..................127

Finding Bliss ...................................116

fOUR ..............................................142

Give Me Your Hand ........................204

Horsefingers 3: Starfucker.............139

Humpday .........................................29

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow ........209

Little Joe ........................................164

Lost Paradise .................................139

Love You More ...............................136

Lowland Fell ....................................141

Sparks ...........................................136

talhotblond.....................................169

Tears of April ..................................244

Through The Ear .............................141

Yuri.................................................138

Zift..................................................253

Experimental/Avant-Garde

Adulte ............................................126

All Tomorrow’s Parties .....................95

Babau ............................................137

Bedtime Story ................................126

Beket .............................................126

Dig .................................................126

The Blindness of the Woods ..........139

California Company Town ..............127

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

Dahlia .............................................136

Danse Macabre .............................103

Endless Tunnel...............................138

FILM IST. a girl & a gun ..................127

The Funk ........................................142

Garden/ing.....................................126

Kanizsa Hill ....................................139

Light Year.......................................129

Mite ................................................139

Monsieur Selavy: The Way It Is ......137

Orgesticulanismus .........................142

Our Beloved Month of August .......131

Puccini Conservato........................126

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

SHU (Blue Hour Lullaby) ................126

Slow Boat to Thassos ....................126

Somewhere ...................................126

Family Friendly

The Adventures of Robin Hood .......65

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Andong ..........................................137

Atlantic ...........................................137

Babau ............................................137

Baghdad Express ..........................138

The Bake Shop Ghost ...................136

The Bear ..........................................90

Crane and Digger ..........................137

Dear Fatty ......................................137

Egon & Dönci ...................................83

Elephants .......................................137

Everyday People .............................141

Gotta Dance ..................................161

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story ..................205

The Herd ........................................136

Ideation ..........................................137

Immersion .......................................141

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends ....85

Nak ..................................................87

Post-It Love....................................136

School Days With a Pig..................233

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

Western Spaghetti .........................137

What’s on Your Plate .......................87

What’s Virgin Mean? .......................141

Fantasy

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

The Blindness of the Woods ..........139

Dear Fatty ......................................137

Hansel and Gretel .........................205

Kanizsa Hill ....................................139

Krabat ............................................215

Kudan ............................................136

Mite ................................................139

Monsieur Selavy: The Way It Is ......137

Nak ..................................................87

Next Floor ......................................136

November .......................................141

Páidi’s Tale .....................................139

SHU (Blue Hour Lullaby) ................126

Thicker Than Water.........................141

Welgunzer ......................................139

Film Noir

The Missing Person ......................222

The Square ....................................239

Sunset Boulevard ............................65

The Third Man..................................65

Zift..................................................253

Film Related

575 Castro Street...........................138

Apron Strings .................................179

The Beaches of Agnès...................154

FILM IST. a girl & a gun ..................127

The Hills Run Red ..........................107

It Came From Kuchar.....................129

Make my Day .................................142

Sunset Boulevard ............................65

Food

Apron Strings .................................179

The Bake Shop Ghost ...................136

Chef’s Special ................................190

Food, Inc........................................159

Know Your Mushrooms .................163

Mid-August Lunch .........................222

Modern Life....................................165

My Suicide .....................................149

Next Floor ......................................136

School Days With a Pig..................233

Wallace and Gromit:

A Matter of Loaf and Death ........137

Western Spaghetti .........................137

What’s on Your Plate .......................87

French Language

At West of Pluto .............................145

Baby Love ......................................182

The Beaches of Agnès...................154

Beauties at War .............................183

Bluebeard ......................................185

Daddy Cool ....................................192

Final Arrangements........................199

The Fortress ..................................160

A French Gigolo .............................202

The Girl from Monaco ....................203

Give Me Your Hand ........................204

God’s Offices .................................204

Home .............................................147

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow ........209

Khamsa .........................................214

Melodrama Habibi .........................220

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ........................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ........................................221

The Missing Person ......................222

Modern Life....................................165

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ......223

Necessities of Life..........................226

Orgesticulanismus .........................142

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ........................27

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies .........45

A Pain in the Ass ............................230

Ralph ..............................................141

Séraphine ......................................234

Stella ..............................................239

Story of Jen ...................................240

Summer Hours ..............................242

The Wedding Song ........................248

Welcome ........................................249

With a Little Help from Myself ........251

Gay/Lesbian

575 Castro Street...........................138

American Primitive .........................177

Atlantico .........................................138

The Baby Formula .........................181

Baby Love ......................................182

The Back Room .............................138

Boy ................................................186

Captive...........................................189

Chef’s Special ................................190

City of Borders...............................155

The Country Teacher .......................55

Every Little Step ...............................41

Everything Strange and New ........197

Fig Trees ........................................159

Fruit Fly ..........................................203

Give Me Your Hand ........................204

James ............................................136

La Mission .....................................223

Little Joe ........................................164

Miao Miao ......................................221

One Night ......................................137

Patrik Age 1.5 ..................................31

Pop Star On Ice .............................166

Prodigal Sons ................................167

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

Second Guessing Grandma ..........138

Tears of April ..................................244

Telstar ..............................................97

Thirteen or so Minutes ...................138

Twoyoungmen, UT. ........................138

A Woman’s Way .............................252

Yuri.................................................138

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction .......................123

German Language

Buddenbrooks ...............................187

Everyone Else ................................146

Kaifeck Murder ..............................212

Krabat ............................................215

Mite ................................................139

North Face .....................................227

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ......99

A Woman in Berlin .........................251

History

575 Castro Street...........................138

The Admiral....................................176

The Adventures of Robin Hood .......65

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

California Company Town ..............127

Defamation ....................................156

Facing Ali .......................................157

Flame & Citron ...............................200

Il Divo .............................................208

I’m No Dummy ...............................162

An Island Calling ............................162

It Takes a Cult .................................117

Kaifeck Murder ..............................212

Kimjongilia .....................................163

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse ..................168

Warlords ........................................248

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ..............170

Horror

The Babysitter ................................141

Danse Macabre .............................103

Dead Snow ....................................105

Deadgirl .........................................103

Excision .........................................139

Full Employment ............................105

Grace .............................................105

Hansel and Gretel .........................205

The Hills Run Red ..........................107

Incubus Drone ...............................139

I Sell the Dead................................107

Next Floor ......................................136

Sexykiller ........................................110

Treevenge ......................................139

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...........110

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction .......................123

Human Rights

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country .......................154

Defamation ....................................156

Fig Trees ........................................159

The Firm Land................................200

The Fortress ..................................160

Four Chapters ................................147

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

Inland .............................................148

Kanchivaram ..................................212

Kimjongilia .....................................163

Machan ..........................................218

Manhole Children...........................164

The Other Bank .............................150

Poppy Shakespeare ......................231

Skin ................................................236

Sweet Crude ..................................120

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

Unmistaken Child...........................169

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ..............170

Wind Blows in the Meadow ...........250

Immigration

Amreeka ........................................178

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly ............185

Don’t Let Me Drown.......................195

The Escape ....................................196

The Fortress ..................................160

Inland .............................................148

Katia’s Sister ..................................213

Machan ..........................................218

Northern Highway ...........................141

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

Welcome ........................................249

Indian

The Firm Land................................200

Four Chapters ................................147

Kanchivaram ..................................212

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade ....243

Indigenous Peoples

Birdwatchers..................................184

An Island Calling ............................162

Necessities of Life..........................226

The Strength of Water....................241

Tulpan ............................................247

Italian Language

Il Divo .............................................208

Le Amiche ........................................61

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Mid-August Lunch .........................222

Quiet Chaos ...................................232

Japanese

The Clone Returns Home ..............191

The Dark Harbor ............................193

Departures .....................................194

It Came From Kuchar.....................129

Kabei - Our Mother ........................211

Kudan ............................................136

School Days With a Pig..................233

Still Walking ...................................240

Japanese Language

The Clone Returns Home ..............191

The Dark Harbor ............................193

Departures .....................................194

Kabei - Our Mother ........................211

Manhole Children...........................164

School Days With a Pig..................233

Still Walking ...................................240

Jewish

City of Borders...............................155

Defamation ....................................156

Lost Paradise .................................139

Spring 1941 ...................................238

The Wedding Song ........................248

Latin America

Birdwatchers..................................184

The Blindness of the Woods ..........139

Carmo, Hit the Road ......................190

The Desert Within ..........................194

El General ......................................156

Favela on Blast ................................95

The Headless Woman .....................53

I’m Gonna Explode ........................209

La Ciénaga ......................................53

Lovely Loneliness...........................217

The Maid ........................................218

The Paranoids................................231

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

Tetro.................................................39

Through The Ear ............................139

Literature 2081...............................................136

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Buddenbrooks ...............................187

Dodsworth .......................................65

Hansel and Gretel .........................205

The Karamazovs ............................213

Live and Remember ......................217

Madam President ..........................137

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends ....85

Poppy Shakespeare ......................231

Spring 1941 ...................................238

That Evening Sun ...........................245

The Third Man..................................65

Middle East

About Elly.......................................175

Ahmad’s Garden............................142

Amreeka ........................................178

Be Calm and Count to Seven ........145

Black Dogs Barking .......................184

City of Borders...............................155

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

Laila’s Birthday ..............................215

Lost Paradise .................................139

The Market - A Tale of Trade ..........219

Melodrama Habibi .........................220

Music

(500) Days of Summer ...................174

Afghan Star ....................................153

All Tomorrow’s Parties .....................95

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona ..........................93

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

Everyday People .............................141

Favela on Blast ................................95

Fig Trees ........................................159

Forever Enthralled ..........................201

Gotta Dance ..................................161

Icons Among Us ..............................91

Love You More ...............................136

Melodrama Habibi .........................220

The One-Handed Trick ..................228

Orgesticulanismus .........................142

Passing Strange .............................33

Somewhere ...................................126

Sophia + Anna ...............................142

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary ............................97

Sweet Virginia .................................141

Telstar ..............................................97

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ......99

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love 99

Musical

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Every Little Step ...............................41

Fruit Fly ..........................................203

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends ....85

Nak ..................................................87

Passing Strange .............................33

Somewhere ...................................126

Sounds Like Teen Spirit : A Popumentary ............................97

Nature

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle .............115

The Bear ..........................................90

Designing the New World:

Turning Crisis into Potential .........115

The End of the Line ........................157

Know Your Mushrooms .................163

Light Year.......................................129

Modern Life....................................165

November .......................................141

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

A Sea Change................................168

Period Piece

The Admiral....................................176

American Primitive .........................177

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle .............115

Bluebeard ......................................185

Buddenbrooks ...............................187

The Desert Within ..........................194

Flame & Citron ...............................200

Four Chapters ................................147

The Great Race................................43

I Know You Know ..........................208

Il Divo .............................................208

I Sell the Dead................................107

Kabei - Our Mother ........................211

Krabat ............................................215

Little Joe ........................................164

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ......223

North Face .....................................227

Séraphine ......................................234

So Long at the Fair ..........................71

Spring 1941 ...................................238

Stella ..............................................239

Tears of April ..................................244

Telstar ..............................................97

Warlords ........................................248

The Wedding Song ........................248

Police/Law/Crime

2081...............................................136

Black Dogs Barking .......................184

Black Dynamite ..............................103

Breathless ......................................186

Bronson .........................................187

The Conversation.............................69

French Roast ..................................141

The Higher Force ...........................206

Il Divo .............................................208

Khamsa .........................................214

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ........................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ........................................221

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

Small Crime ...................................236

The Sniper .....................................237

Sparks ...........................................136

talhotblond.....................................169

Terribly Happy ................................245

Troubled Water .............................247

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ...............................170

Zift..................................................253

Political

Afghan Star ....................................153

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country .......................154

The Conversation.............................69

Defamation ....................................156

El General ......................................156

The Escape ....................................196

Fifty Dead Men Walking .................199

Fig Trees ........................................159

The Firm Land................................200

The Fortress ..................................160

Four Chapters ................................147

The Garden ....................................161

Il Divo .............................................208

In the Loop.......................................25

Independent America:

Rising from Ruins ........................117

Inland .............................................148

In Your Absence.............................211

An Island Calling ............................162

Kimjongilia .....................................163

Madam President ..........................137

Opium War.....................................229

The Other Bank .............................150

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

Scratch ..........................................234

Spring 1941 ...................................238

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade ....243

The Third Man..................................67

The Yes Men Fix the World ............171

ZMD: Zombies of Mass

Destruction .................................123

Religion

Afghan Star ....................................153

Blessed Virgin ................................142

The Desert Within ..........................194

Four Chapters ................................147

It Takes a Cult .................................117

Spring 1941 ...................................238

Unmistaken Child...........................169

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love 99

Road Movie

Beket .............................................126

Buick Riviera ..................................188

Carmo, Hit the Road ......................190

Give Me Your Hand ........................204

The Other Bank .............................150

Romance

Adam .............................................176

All My Dreams on VHS....................141

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Atlantic ...........................................137

Atlantico .........................................138

The Back Room .............................138

The Dark Harbor ............................193

fOUR ..............................................142

Lost Paradise .................................139

Love ...............................................136

Love on the Tundra ........................137

Love You More ...............................136

Lowland Fell ....................................141

The Merry Gentleman ....................220

Paper Heart ...................................230

Post-It Love....................................136

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

Ralph .............................................230

The Shaft .......................................235

Somewhere ...................................126

Sweet Virginia .................................141

talhotblond.....................................169

Tears of April ..................................244

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

Thirteen or so Minutes ...................138

Tulpan ............................................247

White Night Wedding .....................249

Romantic comedy

(500) Days of Summer ...................174

The Answer Man ............................179

Lovely Loneliness...........................217

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Miao Miao ......................................221

Post-It Love....................................136

Ralph ..............................................141

Sweet Virginia .................................141

Russian Language

The Admiral....................................176

Alisa’s Birthday ................................83

Captive...........................................189

Live and Remember ......................217

Wild Field .......................................250

Scandinavian

Dead Snow ....................................105

The Escape ....................................196

Fear Me Not ...................................197

Flame & Citron ...............................200

The Higher Force ...........................206

Involuntary .....................................148

Let’s Dance....................................138

Light Year.......................................129

Little Soldier ...................................216

Make my Day .................................142

Mamma Moo and Crow ...................85

North..............................................149

Patrik Age 1.5 ..................................31

Tune into 88.5 KPLU to hear not just WHAT happened but WHY it happened. KPLU’s Morning Edition, weekdays from 4 to 9 a.m.

Swimsuit Issue ...............................243

Tears of April ..................................244

Terribly Happy ................................245

Troubled Water .............................247

White Night Wedding .....................249

Science Fiction

2081...............................................136

CC 2010.........................................142

The Clone Returns Home ..............191

Control Master ................................141

Egon & Dönci ...................................83

Field Notes from Dimension X: Oasis ..........................................139

Incubus Drone ...............................139

Moon .............................................224

November .......................................141

SHU (Blue Hour Lullaby) ................126

Sophia + Anna ...............................142

Treevenge ......................................139

Welgunzer .......................................141

Seattle

Arthur.............................................256

Anatomy of a Fly ............................257

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle .............115

Bedtime Story ................................126

Black Coffee ..................................256

CC 2010.........................................142

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

Dancing Across Borders.................115

Dark Material .................................139

The Day My Parents Became Cool .141

Endless Tunnel...............................138

Finding Bliss ...................................116

Her Meds .......................................139

Humpday .........................................29

Icons Among Us ..............................91

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle ..............................116

Independent America: Rising from Ruins ...........................................117

It’s In The P-I ..................................136

It Takes a Cult .................................117

November .......................................141

One Night ......................................137

Pirate for the Sea ............................119

Safe Passage .................................257

Slow Boat to Thassos ....................126

Somewhere ...................................126

The Spy and the Sparrow ...............119

Sweet Crude ..................................120

Thicker Than Water.........................141

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ......99

True Adolescents ...........................120

The Whole Truth ............................122

World’s Greatest Dad ...................122

Seniors

Cloud 9 ..........................................191

Gotta Dance ..................................161

Mid-August Lunch .........................222

Second Guessing Grandma ..........138

That Evening Sun ...........................245

With a Little Help from Myself ........251

Spanish Language

Adulte ............................................126

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Blessed Virgin ................................142

The Desert Within ..........................194

El General ......................................156

The Headless Woman .....................53

I’m Gonna Explode ........................209

In Your Absence.............................211

La Ciénaga ......................................53

Maradona by Kusturica..................165

Northern Highway ...........................141

The One-Handed Trick ..................228

The Paranoids................................231

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ................232

Sexykiller ........................................110

Turn to Black ...................................141

Sports/Athletics

Against the Current ........................177

Ball Don’t Lie..................................182

Facing Ali .......................................157

Gotta Dance ..................................161

Machan ..........................................218

Maradona by Kusturica..................165

North Face .....................................227

Pop Star On Ice .............................166

The Red Race ................................167

Swimsuit Issue ...............................243

Welcome ........................................249

Teen Friendly

At West of Pluto .............................145

Baghdad Express ..........................138

Ball Don’t Lie..................................182

The Bear ..........................................90

BOTNIK! .........................................138

Boutonniere ....................................141

Butterfly .........................................142

Careful With That Powertool ..........142

Daddy Cool ....................................192

Dark Material .................................139

The Day My Parents Became Cool 139

The Dreamer ....................................77

The Funk ........................................142

A Generation of Consolidation .........77

God’s Offices .................................204

The Ground Beneath .....................142

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story ..................205

The Hysteria.....................................77

If U Want 2 Get Technical ................77

I’m No Dummy ...............................162

It’s In The P-I ..................................136

Krabat ............................................215

Leila’s Eyebrow ................................77

Marcello Marcello ..........................219

Messing Around ..............................77

Miao Miao ......................................221

Morris: A Life With Bells On ...........224

My World .........................................77

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti .....................227

Orgesticulanismus .........................142

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ........................27

Paper Heart ...................................230

Post-It Love....................................136

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Ralph ..............................................141

Recipe for Beauty ............................77

The Red Race ................................167

Rumba ...........................................233

A Sea Change................................168

Second Guessing Grandma ..........138

So Long at the Fair ..........................71

The Strength of Water....................241

Sweet Virginia .................................141

The Adventures of Robin Hood .......65

Thicker Than Water.........................141

Tiny Pillows ......................................77

The “Twilight” Zone ..........................77

Wallace and Gromit:

A Matter of Loaf and Death ........137

Western Spaghetti .........................137

What’s Virgin Mean? .......................141

A Work of Fiction .............................77

Theatre

2081...............................................136

Beket .............................................126

Cold Souls .....................................192

Every Little Step ...............................41

The Karamazovs ............................213

Passing Strange .............................33

Thriller

The Babysitter ................................141

The Conversation.............................69

Deadgirl .........................................103

Fifty Dead Men Walking .................199

Four Boxes ....................................202

I Know You Know ..........................208

Incubus Drone ...............................139

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow ........209

Kaifeck Murder ..............................212

The Merry Gentleman ....................220

Moon .............................................224

The Sniper .....................................237

So Long at the Fair ..........................71

The Square ....................................239

Ten For Grandpa ............................137

Terribly Happy ................................245

The Third Man..................................65

Treevenge ......................................139

Zift..................................................253

War

The Admiral....................................176

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country .......................154

Captive...........................................189

Flame & Citron ...............................200

The Hurt Locker .............................207

Live and Remember ......................217

Opium War.....................................229

The Other Bank .............................150

Snow..............................................237

Spring 1941 ...................................238

Tears of April ..................................244

Warlords ........................................248

A Woman in Berlin .........................251

Western

Once Upon a Time in the West ........69

SHU (Blue Hour Lullaby) ................126

Woman Director

$9.99 ............................................175

33 Scenes from Life ........................174

575 Castro Street...........................138

American Primitive .........................177

Amreeka ........................................178

The Anarchist’s Wife .....................178

Apron Strings .................................179

At West of Pluto .............................145

The Baby Formula .........................181

The Babysitter ................................141

The Bake Shop Ghost ...................136

The Beaches of Agnès...................154

Bluebeard ......................................185

BOTNIK! .........................................138

Boutonniere ....................................141

Butterfly .........................................142

California Company Town ..............127

Can Go Through Skin ....................189

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ...126

City of Borders...............................155

Cold Souls .....................................192

Crane and Digger ..........................137

Dancing Across Borders.................115

Dark Material .................................139

Elephants .......................................137

El General ......................................156

The Escape ....................................196

Everyone Else ................................146

Fifty Dead Men Walking .................199

Finding Bliss ...................................116

fOUR ..............................................142

A French Gigolo .............................202

Garbage Dreams ...........................160

The Girl from Monaco ....................203

God’s Offices .................................204

The Headless Woman .....................53

Home .............................................147

Horsefingers 3: Starfucker.............139

Humpday .........................................29

The Hurt Locker .............................207

An Island Calling ............................162

It Came From Kuchar.....................129

Kaifeck Murder ..............................212

Kanizsa Hill ....................................139

Katia’s Sister ..................................213

La Ciénaga ......................................53

Little Joe ........................................164

Little Soldier ...................................216

Lost Paradise .................................139

Lovely Loneliness...........................217

Love on the Tundra ........................137

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ......223

Morris: A Life With Bells On ...........224

One Night ......................................137

Patrik Age 1.5 ..................................31

Photograph of Jesus .....................136

Prodigal Sons ................................167

Rain ...............................................150

Rumba ...........................................233

A Sea Change................................168

Snow..............................................237

Somewhere ...................................126

Stella ..............................................239

Sweet Crude ..................................120

talhotblond.....................................169

Thicker Than Water.........................141

This Is Her ......................................142

Treeless Mountain..........................246

The Wedding Song ........................248

We Live in Public ............................170

The Whole Truth ............................122

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ..............170

Women

33 Scenes from Life ........................174

About Elly.......................................175

The Baby Formula .........................181

Bluebeard ......................................185

The Burning Plain ..........................188

Can Go Through Skin ....................189

The Day My Parents

Became Cool...............................141

Elephants .......................................137

Four Chapters ................................147

A French Gigolo .............................202

God’s Offices .................................204

Grace .............................................105

The Headless Woman .....................53

Hooked ..........................................207

Katia’s Sister ..................................213

La Ciénaga ......................................53

Madam President ..........................137

Maggie and Mildred .......................137

The Maid ........................................218

Mid-August Lunch .........................222

Mothers & Daughters .....................226

Poppy Shakespeare ......................231

Princess of Africa ...........................166

Séraphine ......................................234

Sexykiller ........................................110

Snow..............................................237

Spring Breakdown .........................238

Stella ..............................................239

Story of Jen ...................................240

Tears of April ..................................244

Tengri: Blue Heavens .....................244

This Is Her ......................................142

Wind Blows in the Meadow ...........250

Afghanistan

Afghan Star ................................153

Opium War.................................229

Algeria Inland .........................................148

Argentina

The Blindness of the Woods ......139

The Headless Woman .................53

La Ciénaga ..................................53

Lovely Loneliness.......................217

The Paranoids............................231

Tetro* ...........................................39

Australia

$9.99* ........................................175

Ahmad’s Garden ........................142

fOUR ..........................................142

The Funk ....................................142

The Ground Beneath .................142

Lessons From The Night ............142

The Square ................................239

Three Blind Mice ........................246

Austria

Defamation* ...............................156

FILM IST. a girl & a gun ..............127

North Face .................................227

Bahamas Rain ...........................................150

Belgium

Eldorado ....................................196

Home* ........................................147

Orgesticulanismus .....................142

Rumba .......................................233

Séraphine* .................................234

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Buick Riviera* .............................188

Snow..........................................237

Ten For Grandpa ........................137

Tiny Pillows ..................................77

Treevenge ..................................139

Chile

The Maid ....................................218

China

Forever Enthralled ......................201

The Hysteria .................................77

The Red Race ............................167

The Shaft ...................................235

Warlords* ...................................248

Wild Rose.....................................67

Croatia

Buick Riviera ..............................188

Cuba

Atlantico*....................................138

Cyprus

Opium War* ...............................229

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies .....45

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ....................27

Our Beloved Month of August* ..131

A Pain in the Ass ........................230

Rumba* ......................................233

Séraphine ..................................234

Snow* ........................................237

Stella ..........................................239

Story of Jen* ..............................240

Summer Hours ..........................242

Tengri: Blue Heavens* ................244

The Wedding Song ....................248

Welcome ....................................249

With a Little Help from Myself ....251

Youssou N’dour:

I Bring What I Love* ..................99

Georgia

Wind Blows in the Meadow .......250

Ireland Atlantic .......................................137

Butterfly .....................................142

The Herd ....................................136

James ........................................136

Kisses ........................................214

Lowland Fell ................................141

Paídí’s Tale ..................................141

Israel

$9.99 .........................................175

Defamation ................................156

Lost Paradise*.............................141

Spring 1941 ...............................238

Unmistaken Child.......................169

Italy

Brazil

Atlantico .....................................138

Birdwatchers* ............................184

Carmo, Hit the Road ..................190

Favela on Blast ............................95

La Dolorosa ...............................185

Through The Ear ........................139

Bulgaria

Captive* .....................................189

Zift..............................................253

Cambodia

Dancing Across Borders* ...........115

Canada

Amreeka ....................................178

At West of Pluto .........................145

The Baby Formula......................181

Danse Macabre .........................103

Facing Ali ...................................157

Fifty Dead Men Walking*............199

Small Crime ...............................236

Czech Republic

The Country Teacher ...................55

Flame & Citron* ..........................200

The Karamazovs ........................213

The Wild Bees..............................55

Denmark

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country.......................154

The Escape ................................196

Fear Me Not ...............................197

Flame & Citron ...........................200

Little Soldier ...............................216

Make my Day .............................142

Terribly Happy ............................245

Estonia

Sügisball ....................................241

Fiji

An Island Calling* .......................162

Finland

Fig Trees ....................................159

Independent America:

Rising from Ruins.....................117

Know Your Mushrooms .............163

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1)* ...................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2)* ...................................221

Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s ..223

Mothers & Daughters .................226

Necessities of Life ......................226

Next Floor ..................................136

Nurse.Fighter.Boy ......................228

Pop Star On Ice* ........................166

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse* .............168

Story of Jen ...............................240

Tears of April ..............................244

France

The Anarchist’s Wife* .................178

Baby Love ..................................182

The Beaches of Agnès...............154

The Bear ......................................90

Beauties at War .........................183

Bluebeard ..................................185

The Country Teacher* ..................55

Daddy Cool ................................192

Eldorado* ...................................196

Final Arrangements ....................199

The Firm Land* ..........................200

A French Gigolo .........................202

French Roast .............................139

The Girl from Monaco ................203

Give Me Your Hand ....................204

God’s Offices .............................204

The Headless Woman* ................53

Home* ........................................147

Hooked* .....................................207

Il Divo* ........................................208

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow ....209

Khamsa .....................................214

Kimjongilia .................................163

La Ciénaga* .................................53

Lost Paradise .............................139

Maradona by Kusturica* ............165

Melodrama Habibi .....................220

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1) ....................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2) ....................................221

Modern Life................................165

The Other Bank .........................150

Germany

33 Scenes from Life*...................174

The Anarchist’s Wife * ................178

Buddenbrooks ...........................187

Buick Riviera* .............................188

Cloud 9 ......................................191

The Country Teacher* ..................55

Crane and Digger ......................137

Everyone Else ............................146

Flame & Citron* ..........................200

Full Employment ........................105

Kaifeck Murder ..........................212

Krabat ........................................215

Machan*.....................................218

Mamma Moo and Crow*..............85

Marcello Marcello* .....................219

Mite ............................................139

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends 85

The Red Race* ...........................167

SHU (Blue Hour Lullaby) ............126

Snow* ........................................237

The Strength of Water* ..............241

Tears of April*.............................244

Tengri: Blue Heavens* ................244

Tulpan* .......................................247

A Woman in Berlin .....................251

Greece

Tears of April*.............................244

A Woman’s Way .........................252

Hong Kong

The Beast Stalker ......................183

Miao Miao ..................................221

The Sniper .................................237

Warlords ....................................248

Yes, I Can See Dead People .......110

Hungary

Egon & Dönci ...............................83

Mamma Moo and Crow*..............85

Iceland

Babau ........................................137

Beket .........................................126

Birdwatchers..............................184

The Headless Woman* ................53

Il Divo .........................................208

Le Amiche ....................................61

Machan*.....................................218

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1)* ...................................221

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2)* ...................................221

Mid-August Lunch .....................222

Once Upon a Time in the West* ...69

Quiet Chaos ...............................232

Japan

The Clone Returns Home ..........191

The Dark Harbor ........................193

Departures .................................194

Garden/ing.................................126

Kabei - Our Mother .....................211

Kudan ........................................136

Manhole Children.......................164

Opium War* ...............................229

The Higher Force .......................206

White Night Wedding .................249

India

The Firm Land* ..........................200

Four Chapters ............................147

Kanchivaram ..............................212

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade 243

Indonesia

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly ........185

Iran About Elly...................................175

Be Calm and Count to Seven ....145

The Firm Land............................200

Snow* ........................................237

Pop Star On Ice* ........................166

School Days With a Pig..............233

Still Walking ...............................240

Kazakhstan

The Other Bank* ........................150

Tulpan ........................................247

Kuwait

Amreeka* ...................................178

Kyrgyzstan

Tengri: Blue Heavens .................244

Mexico

Adulte ........................................126

Blessed Virgin ............................142

The Desert Within ......................194

El General ..................................156

I’m Gonna Explode ....................209

Northern Highway .......................141

Raging Sun, Raging Sky ............232

Netherlands

Can Go Through Skin ................189

Katia’s Sister ..............................213

Laila’s Birthday* .........................215

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse...............168

Yuri.............................................138

New Zealand

Apron Strings .............................179

Careful With That Powertool ......142

The Graffiti of Mr. Tupaia ............142

An Island Calling ........................162

The Strength of Water ................241

This Is Her ..................................142

Norway

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country* .................................154

Dead Snow ................................105

North..........................................149

A Sea Change ............................168

Troubled Water .........................247

Palestine

Laila’s Birthday ..........................215

Philippines

Andong ......................................137

Boy ............................................186

Poland

33 Scenes from Life ....................174

Carmo, Hit the Road ..................190

The Karamazovs* .......................213

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse* .............168

Scratch ......................................234

Spring 1941* ..............................238

Tulpan* .......................................247

A Woman in Berlin* ....................251

Portugal

Our Beloved Month of August ...131

Romania

Hooked ......................................207

Russia

The Admiral................................176

Alisa’s Birthday ............................83

Captive.......................................189

Live and Remember ..................217

Pop Star On Ice* ........................166

Tulpan* .......................................247

Wild Field ...................................250

Senegal

Princess of Africa*......................166

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love...................99

Swimsuit Issue ...........................243

Troubled Water * ........................247

Switzerland

The Fortress ..............................160

Home .........................................147

Marcello Marcello ......................219

Monsieur Selavy: The Way It Is ..137

Tulpan* .......................................247

Taiwan

Miao Miao* .................................221

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti .................227

Thailand

Nak ..............................................87

Tunisia

Khamsa* ....................................214

Laila’s Birthday* .........................215

It Takes a Cult .............................117

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle .....................115

The Bake Shop Ghost ...............136

Ball Don’t Lie..............................182

The Bear* .....................................90

Bedtime Story ............................126

Black Coffee ..............................255

Black Dynamite ..........................103

The Blindness of the Woods*.....139

BOTNIK! .....................................138

Boutonniere ................................141

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona ......................93

Buick Riviera* .............................188

The Burning Plain.......................188

California Company Town ..........127

CC 2010.....................................142

Kanizsa Hill ................................139

Kimjongilia* ................................163

La Mission..................................223

Like Dandelion Dust ...................216

Little Joe ....................................164

Love on the Tundra ....................137

Madam President ......................137

Maggie and Mildred ...................137

The Merry Gentleman ................220

Messin’ Around ............................77

The Missing Person ..................222

My Suicide .................................149

My World......................................77

November ...................................141

Once Upon a Time in the West ....69

One Night ..................................137

The Overbrook Brothers ............229

South Africa

Skin ............................................236

Breathless ..................................186

Daytime Drinking .......................193

Hansel and Gretel .....................205

Kimjongilia* ................................163

My Dear Enemy ...........................51

Opium War* ...............................229

This Charming Girl .......................51

Treeless Mountain* ....................246

Spain

The Anarchist’s Wife .................178

Asamara ....................................142

Carmo, Hit the Road ..................190

Chef’s Special ............................190

Forasters ....................................201

The Headless Woman* ................53

In Your Absence..........................211

The Wedding Song* ...................248

Turkey

Black Dogs Barking ...................184

United Kingdom

Afghan Star* ..............................153

All My Dreams on VHS...............139

All Tomorrow’s Parties .................95

The Archivist ..............................138

Baghdad Express ......................138

Bronson .....................................187

Control Master ............................141

Elephants ...................................137

The End of the Line ....................157

Everyday People ........................139

Fifty Dead Men Walking .............199

I Know You Know.......................208

In the Loop...................................25

James* .......................................136

Leila’s Eyebrow ............................77

Love ...........................................136

Love You More ...........................136

The Market - A Tale of Trade ......219

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack .........................126

Moon .........................................224

La Ciénaga* .................................53

Maradona by Kusturica..............165

The One-Handed Trick ..............228

Princess of Africa .......................166

Sexykiller.....................................110

Turn to Black ...............................141

Sri Lanka

Machan ......................................218

Sweden

Involuntary .................................148

Kisses* .......................................214

Let’s Dance ................................138

Light Year ...................................129

Mamma Moo and Crow ...............85

Patrik Age 1.5 ..............................31

Morris: A Life With Bells On .......224

Photograph of Jesus..................136

Pockets .......................................141

Poppy Shakespeare ..................231

Post-It Love................................136

Ralph ..........................................141

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse* .............168

Skin* ..........................................236

So Long at the Fair.......................71

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary .........................97

Summer .....................................242

Telstar ..........................................97

The Third Man..............................65

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death .......................137

What’s Virgin Mean? ...................141

USA

2081...........................................136

3 Minute Masterpieces Winners .141

(500) Days of Summer ................174

575 Castro Street.......................138

Adam .........................................176

The Adventures of Robin Hood ...65

Against the Current ....................177

Alice’s Attic ................................138

American Primitive .....................177

Amreeka ....................................178

Anatomy of a Fly ........................255

The Answer Man ........................179

Art & Copy .................................153

Arthur .........................................255

The Babysitter.............................141

The Back Room .........................138

City of Borders ...........................155

Cold Souls .................................192

The Conversation.........................69

The Cove ...................................155

Dahlia .........................................136

Dancing Across Borders .............115

Dark Material..............................139

The Day My Parents Became Cool ...........................141

Deadgirl .....................................103

Dear Fatty ..................................137

Designing the New World:

Turning Crisis into Potential......115

Dig .............................................126

Dodsworth ...................................65

Don’t Let Me Drown ...................195

Downloading Nancy...................195

The Dreamer ................................77

Endless Tunnel...........................138

Every Little Step ...........................41

Everything Strange and New ....197

Excision .....................................139

The Exploding Girl .....................146

Field Notes from Dimension X: Oasis.......................................139

Finding Bliss................................116

Food, Inc. ...................................159

Four Boxes.................................202

Fruit Fly ......................................203

Garbage Dreams .......................160

The Garden ................................161

El General* .................................156

A Generation of Consolidation .....77

Gotta Dance ..............................161

Grace .........................................105

The Great Race............................43

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story ..............205

Her Meds ...................................139

The Hills Run Red ......................107

Horn Dog ...................................137

Paper Heart ...............................230

Passing Strange .........................33

Pirate for the Sea ........................119

Pop Star On Ice .........................166

Prodigal Sons ............................167

Puccini Conservato....................126

Push Button House ...................138

Recipe for Beauty ........................77

Safe Passage .............................255

A Sea Change* ..........................168

Second Guessing Grandma ......138

Short Term 12 ............................138

Shrink ........................................235

Slow Boat to Thassos ................126

Somewhere ...............................126

Sophia + Anna ...........................142

The Spam Job ...........................136

Sparks .......................................136

Spring Breakdown .....................238

The Spy and the Sparrow ...........119

Sunset Boulevard ........................65

Sweet Crude ..............................120

Sweet Virginia .............................141

talhotblond .................................169

Ten For Grandpa*.......................137

Tetro.............................................39

That Evening Sun .......................245

Thicker Than Water .....................141

Thirteen or so Minutes ...............138

Treeless Mountain......................246

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ..99

True Adolescents .......................120

The ”Twilight” Zone ......................77

Twoyoungmen, UT. ....................138

Utopia, Part 3: The World’s

Largest Shopping Mall............137

Welgunzer ...................................141

We Live in Public ........................170

Western Spaghetti .....................137

What’s on Your Plate? ..................87

The Whole Truth.........................122

Horsefingers 3: Starfucker .........139

Humpday .....................................29

The Hurt Locker .........................207

Icons Among Us ..........................91

Ideation ......................................137

If U Want 2 Get Technical ............77

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle ..........................116

Immersion ...................................141

I’m No Dummy ...........................162

Incubus Drone ...........................139

Independent America:

Rising from Ruins* ...................117

I Sell the Dead............................107

It Came From Kuchar .................129

It’s In The P-I ..............................136

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ............................170

A Woman Under the Influence .....61

Wonderful World ........................253

A Work of Fiction..........................77

World’s Greatest Dad ...............122

The Yes Men Fix the World .........171

Youth Winner - 3 Minute Masterpieces ............................77

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction .............................123

* denotes co-production

Some film festivals play to thousands.

Others to an audience of one.

Magnolia Audio Video® salutes those who make and enjoy movies, big and small. With roots in Seattle, we’ve been recreating the very best cinematic experience in homes for over 55 years. Visit one of our Seattle area locations today to see how our System Designers can help you turn the home theater of your dreams into the home theater in your living room. From in-home consultation to installation, you’ll experience the best.

Visit our Roosevelt location at 6308 Roosevelt Way NE • 206-525-1961 or find us online @ MagnoliaAV.com

Magnolia

Dominique Abel ...................233

Maren Ade ..........................146

Shuishui Ai ............................77

Lucy Akhurst .......................224

Karin Albou .........................248

Natalia Almada....................156

Joy Andrews ........................142

Cruz Angeles.......................195

Jean-Jacques Annaud ..........90

Michaelangelo Antonioni .......61

Guillermo Arriaga ................188

Olivier Assayas....................242

Timothy X Atack ..................139

Simon Atkinson ...................136

Mehmet Bahadir Er .............184

Colm Bairéad .......................141

Josiane Balasko ..................202

Armagan Ballantyne .............241

Willem Baptist .....................138

Nati Baratz ..........................169

David Barba ........................166

Uri Barbash .........................238

Siddiq Barmak ....................229

Sophie Barthes ...................192

Anne H. Bass .......................115

Richard Bates, Jr.................139

Lorette Bayle.......................136

Marco Bechis ......................184

Aida Begic ..........................237

Jon Behrens........................126

Garrett Bennett ....................119

Dori Berinstein ....................161

Henry Bernadet ...................145

Carl Bessai .........................226

Omar Bianco ........................137

Andy Bichlbaum ...................171

Kathryn Bigelow ..................207

Oded Binnun .......................139

Branden Blinn .....................138

Thomas Bodenstein...............85

Mike Bonanno ......................171

Frazer Bradshaw ..................197

Peter Bratt ..........................223

Catherine Breillat.................185

Heinrich Breloer ...................187

Benjamin Dobyns .................141

Andreas Dresen ..................191

Karim Dridi ...........................214

Christopher Dudman ............142

François Dupeyron ..............251

Sergey Dvortsevoy ...............247

Nash Edgerton ....................239

Steve Edmiston ....................141

Blake Edwards ......................43

Edwin..................................185

Jason Eisner .......................139

Kurt Engfehr.........................171

Eric Esau..............................141

Peter Esmonde......................99

Barbara Ettinger ..................168

Anthony Fabian ...................236

Max Färberböck ..................251

Asghar Farhadi.....................175

Conor Ferguson ...................137

Terence Fisher ......................71

Craig Johnson .....................120

Jamie J. Johnson ..................97

Cris Jones............................142

Duncan Jones .....................224

Fabrice O. Joubert ..............139

Karn Junkinsmith ................126

Chen Kaige .........................201

Mikhail Kalatozishvili ..........250

Doug Karr ............................137

Kirsten Kearse.....................139

Michael Keaton ...................220

William Keighley ....................65

Scott Hamilton Kennedy ......161

Robert Kenner .....................159

Justin Kerrigan ....................208

So-yong Kim .......................246

Michael Kinirons...................141

Holly Klein ............................137

Camille Kolodziejski ..............141

Baltasar Kormákur .............249

Pelle Moller ..........................142

Nick Moran ...........................97

Samantha Muilenburg ...........77

Suman Mukhopadhyay .........147

Carlos Muñoz .......................142

Rupert Murray ......................157

Kanji Nakajima ....................191

Gerardo Naranjo ..................209

Native Lens Youth, Puyallup ...77

Matthew Newton .................246

Iván Noel..............................211

Marie Noëlle.........................178

Noh Young-seok ..................193

Pat O’Neil............................126

Thomas Oberlies .................105

Charles Officer ....................228

Annette K. Olesen ...............216

Jenni Olson .........................138

Ruben Östlund ....................148

Veiko Öunpuu.......................241

Ryan Silbert ........................138

Sebastian Silva.....................218

Bryan W. Simon ..................162

Claire Simon .......................204

Adrian Sitaru .......................207

Santosh Sivan .....................243

Kari Skogland......................199

Bohdan Sláma.......................55

Jacqueline Smessaert Brennan ..........................138

Greg Ivan Smith ..................138

Michael Snow .....................126

Coley Sohn...........................141

Paul Solet ...........................105

Cristian Solimeno ................136

Aureaus Solito .....................186

Eriko Sonada .......................126

Paolo Sorrentino..................208

Thomas Sorriaux .................192

Ben Steiger-Levine ...............141

Anne Fontaine .....................203

Francis Ford Coppola ......39, 69

Adrian Francis ......................142

Takashi Fukumoto ...............136

Reid Furubayashi...................77

Victoria Galardi.....................217

Jon Garaño ..........................142

Javor Gardev .......................253

Vincent Garenq ...................182

Henrik Ruben Genz..............245

Christos Georgiou................236

Bob Giraldi ..........................138

Kenny Glenaan ....................242

Joshua Goldin .....................253

Annie Goldson.....................162

Bobcat Goldthwait ...............122

Miguel Gomes ......................131

Maryna Gorbach .................184

Fiona Gordon ......................233

Joseph Gordon-Levitt ..........136

Maria Govan........................150

Bradley Rust Gray................146

Kristen Gray Rockmaker .......141

Sam Green ...........................137

Peter Greenaway .................168

Mihal Brezis ........................139

John Bryant ........................229

Noah Buschel......................222

Peter Callahan.....................177

Jonathan Caouette ................95

Martín Carranza ...................217

Zach Carver .........................141

John Cassavetes ...................61

Peter Chan ..........................248

Gan Chao ............................167

Hsiao-Tse Cheng .................221

Zhang Chi ...........................235

Matt Cibelli .........................139

Sandy Cioffi ........................120

Connor Clements ................136

Joe Cobden .........................141

Ronald Colby ........................119

Mitch Collier..........................77

Destin Daniel Cretton ..........138

Laura Jean Cronin ........137, 255

Padraic Culham ...................136

John Greyson ......................159

Antonello Grimaldi ...............232

Esther Gronenborn ...............212

Catherine Gund .....................87

Jon Gunn ............................216

Nicole Haeusser ..................164

Chapour Haghighat .............200

Joaquim Haickel..................139

Lasse Hallström ..................205

Kevin Hamedani ..................123

Yoshio Harada .....................164

Gadi Harel ...........................103

Shannon Hart-Reed.............255

Michel Hazanavicius .........27, 45

Leandro HBL .........................95

N.C. Heikin..........................163

Rene Hernandez ...................142

Julián Hernández ................232

Måns Herngren ...................243

Gerardo Herrero ...................141

Brin Hill ...............................182

Panos H. Koutras ................252

Andrei Kravchuk ...................176

Marco Kreuzpaintner ............215

Mikael Kristersson...............129

Jennifer Kroot .....................129

Sami Kubo ...........................141

Emily Kunstler ......................170

Sarah Kunstler .....................170

Emir Kusturica.....................165

Mathieu Labaye....................142

Philipp Lachenmann ............126

Juan Laguna .......................166

Dante Lam ..................183, 237

Michael Langan...................136

Bouli Lanners ......................196

Sarah Jane Lapp .................126

Lars Larson...........................91

Ramtin Lavafipour ...............145

Patrice Leconte ...................183

David Lee .............................110

Evelyn Lee ..........................139

Spike Lee ..............................33

Lee Yoon-ki...........................51

James Lees .................138, 141

Ella Lemhagen ......................31

Michael Curtiz .......................65

Cherien Dabis ......................178

Leon Dai .............................227

Lance Daly ...........................214

Matt Daniels.........................142

Michael Davies .....................141

Julie Davis ...........................116

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson ..206

Mijke de Jong .....................213

Adam Del Deo ........................41

Michel Delgado ...................199

Rune Denstad Langlo ..........149

Raymond Depardon .............165

Francois Desagnat ..............192

Gustav Deutsch ....................127

Gianni di Gregorio ...............222

Jeremiah Dickey...................137

Laurie Hill............................136

Chris Hilson...........................93

John Hindman ......................179

Kore-eda Hirokazu ..............240

Anders Høgsbro Østergaard 154

Ben Hopkins........................219

Hanson Hosein .....................117

Enda Hughes.......................139

Salise Hughes .....................126

Bradley Hutchinson .............136

Armando Iannucci .................25

Yang Ik-june ........................186

Mai Iskander .......................160

Martin Jalfen.......................139

Marie Jaoul de Poncheville ..244

Nicholas Jasenovec.............230

Eric Johannsen ....................117

Sergio Leone .........................69

Nate Lessler ..........................77

Richard Levien .....................141

Kristian Levring ....................197

Haley Lewis...........................77

Philippe Lioret .....................249

Pete List ..............................137

Raúl López ...........................142

Aku Louhimies ....................244

Carrie Lozano.......................137

Erick Love Lundqvist ...........138

Alex M ..................................77

Ole Christian Madsen ..........200

Tetsu Maeda .......................233

Ádám Magyar .......................83

Ron Mann ...........................163

Davide Manuli .....................126

Havana Marking ..................153

Lucrecia Martel .....................53

Miguel Martí ........................110

Maile Martinez ....................139

Rashid Masharawi ...............215

George Ovashvili .................150

Nick Park .............................137

Dave Parker .........................107

Uberto Pasolini .....................218

Murilo Pasta........................190

Jonas Pate ..........................235

Colleen Patrick ....................122

Sally Pearce .........................137

Wesley Pentz ........................95

All Tomorrow’s People ...........95

PES .....................................137

Yim Phil-sung......................205

Benoît Pilon.........................226

Pedro Pires .........................103

Rodrigo Plá .........................194

Bill Plympton ........................137

Ventura Pons.......................201

Léa Pool..............................223

Erik Poppe ...........................247

Giulio Poretti ........................137

Leonore Poth .......................137

Doug Pray ...........................153

Priyadarshan ........................212

Joseph Procopio ...................77

Rober + Profusek ................138

Alexander Proshkin ..............217

Martin Provost ....................234

Louie Psihoyos ....................155

Denis Rabaglia ....................219

Nimer Rashed .....................138

Natthaphong Ratanachoksirikul ..............87

Carol Reed ............................65

Kimberly Reed.....................167

Nicolas Winding Refn ..........187

Alison Reid ...........................181

Johan Renck .......................195

Carlos Reygadas .................126

Jean-François Richet ..........221

Michael Rivoira......................91

Riaebia Robinson ..................77

Odilon Rocha.......................185

Rubén Rojo Aura ..................141

Bruno Romy ........................233

Michal Rosa ........................234

Tatia Rosenthal ....................175

James D. Stern ......................41

Philipp Stölzl .......................227

Lane Stroud ........................139

Students of South Camden Community School ............77

Jason Stutter .......................142

Yun Suh ..............................155

Malgoska Szumowska ..........174

Naito Takasugu ...................193

Yojiro Takita ........................194

Hany Tamba ........................220

Sam Taylor-Wood ................136

Karl Tebbe ..........................139

Scott Teems ........................245

Tariq Teguia ........................148

Shawn Telford .....................255

Valerio Terranova .................137

Tommy Thompson ...............138

Ondi Timoner .......................170

Robert Todd ........................126

Rommel Tolentino.................137

Kevin Tomlinson ...................115

Bao Tran .............................255

Hsin-I Tseng .........................137

Dana Turken ........................137

Khosro Masoumi .................250

Michael Maurus ....................85

Max Mayer ...........................176

Cecilia McAlister ..................142

Sam McConnell ...................138

Pete McCormack..................157

Wyatt McDill .......................202

Glenn McQuaid ....................107

Gabriel Medina....................231

Ursula Meier ........................147

Fabio Meira .........................138

Fernand Melgar...................160

Carson Mell ........................139

Alexander Mendeluk.............115

H. P. Mendoza .....................203

David Lee Miller ..................149

Benjamin Ross ....................231

François Rotger ...................240

Esther Rots .........................189

Goran Rusinovic ..................188

David Russo .........................116

Scott Sanders .....................103

Marcel Sarmiento ................103

Bradford Schmidt .................141

Lee Anne Schmitt.................127

Barbara Schroeder ..............169

Barbet Schroeder ................209

Peter Sehr............................178

Travis Senger .......................142

Sergei Seregin ......................83

Yoav Shamir ........................156

Lynn Shelton .........................29

Ryan Shiraki........................238

Chandler Tuttle....................136

Alexei Uchitel ......................189

Sima Urale ...........................179

Agnès Varda .......................154

Chai Vasarhelyi .....................99

Francis Veber ......................230

Nacho G. Velilla ...................190

Sylvie Verheyde ...................239

Myriam Verreault .................145

Igor Veyshtagin .....................85

Denis Villeuneuve ................136

Pascal-Alex Vincent ............204

Matthias Vogel ....................105

Peter J. Vogt .........................91

Peter Volkart ........................137

Ken Wardrop .......................136

Marc Webb ..........................174

Ryan Wetherall ....................139

Erin White ............................142

Billy Wilder ............................65

Aaron Wilson .......................142

Alex Winckler .......................141

Kathrine Windfeld................196

Tommy Wirkola ...................105

Katie Wolfe ..........................142

Run Wrake ...........................141

William Wyler ........................65

Gwen Wynne .......................177

Yoji Yamada .........................211

Robyn Yannoukos ................138

Wai Man Yip........................248

Sun Yu ..................................67

Santiago Zannou .................228

Silvia Zappalà.......................137

Petr Zelenka.........................213

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:30-

pm

pm

Summer Hours

Page 242 102 min. 4:30 PM HOUR2209M

Terribly Happy Page 245 95 min. 4:00 PM TERR2209M

Stella

Hooked

am

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention Page 99 79 min. 7:00 PM TRIM2209A

Snow Page 237 99 min. 7:00 PM SNOW2209A

Opium War

The

Departures

Page 194 131 min. 9:30 PM DEPA2209A

Quiet Chaos Page 232 112 min. 9:30 PM QUIE2209A

Can Go Through Skin

Eldorado

Page 196 80 min. 4:30 PM ELDO2209M

Nurse.Fighter.Boy

Page 228 93 min. 7:00 PM NURS2209A

Khamsa

Page 214 110 min. 9:30 PM KHAM2209A

FILM IST. a girl & a gun

Page 127 93 min. 7:00 PM FILM2209A

Beket

am

1111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:30-

Morris: A Life With Bells On Page 224 101 min. 11:00 AM MORR2309M

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention

Page 99 79 min. 1:30 PM TRIM2309A

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle

Page 116 100 min. 4:00 PM IMMA2309A

I’m No Dummy

Page 162 86 min. 6:45 PM IMNO2309A

Modern Life

Page 165 88 min. 11:00 AM MODE2309M

Fig Trees

Wild Field

Page 250 104 min. 1:30 PM FIEL2309A

The Exploding Girl

Page 146 79 min. 1:30 PM EXPL2309A

The Desert Within Page 194 112 min. 4:00 PM DESE2309A

Tulpan

Page 247 100 min. 4:00 PM TULP2309A

Treeless Mountain

Paper Heart

Page 230 88 min. 7:00 PM PAPE2309A

Page 246 89 min. 6:30 PM MOUN2309A

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Page 65 102 min. 11:00 AM ADVE2309M

Sunset Boulevard

Page 65 110 min. 1:30 PM SUNS2309A

Nurse.Fighter.Boy

Page 228 93 min. 4:30 PM NURS2309A

Still Walking

Page 240 114 min. 7:00 PM STIL2309A

Page 126 80 min. 9:00 PM BEKE2209A Beket

Page 126 80 min. 7:00 PM BEKE2309A

The Beast Stalker Page 183 111 min. 4:00 PM BEAS2209M

The Yes Men Fix the World Page 171 85 min. 7:00 PM YESM2209A

Spring Breakdown Page 238 84 min. 9:30 PM SPRI2209A

The Yes Men Fix the World Page 171 85 min. 11:00 AM YESM2309M

The Anarchist’s Wife Page 178 115 min. 1:30 PM ANAR2309A

Spring Breakdown Page 238 84 min. 4:15 PM SPRI2309A

We Live in Public Page 170 90 min. 7:00 PM WELI2309A

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona

Page 93 180 min. 9:30 PM BRUC2309A

Bronson Page 187 92 min. 9:30 PM BRON2309A

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country Page 154 84 min. 9:30 PM BURM2309A

God’s Offices

Page 204 115 min. 9:30 PM GODS2309A

California Company Town

Page 127 77 min. 9:00 PM CALI2309A

Warlords Page 248 126 min. 9:45 PM WARL2309A

BUSY URBAN PROFESSIONAL SEEKS

OUTSTANDING PHYSICIAN, CONVENIENT LOCATION.

Look no further, busy urban professional.

The Polyclinic Downtown offers a team of board-certified family medicine physicians who provide comprehensive care for individuals and families. Our 509 Olive Way location makes it easy to pop in for your appointments, maybe even over your lunch break.

The Polyclinic Family Medicine Downtown 509 Olive Way, Suite 900 • Appointments: 206.860.4700 www.polyclinic.com

We are grateful for the support from and collaboration with our fellow local film festivals.

Cinema K: Children’s Film Festival & Local Sightings Film Festival nwfilmforum.org

Independent South Asian Film Festival isaff.tasveer.org

Irish Reels Film Festival irishreels.org

Langston Hughes African American Film Festival langstonblackfilmfest.org

Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival mifff.org

FIND

National Film Festival for Talented Youth nffty.org

Northwest Asian American Film Festival nwaaff.org

1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershoot bumbershoot.com

Port Townsend Film Festival ptfilmfest.com

Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival empsfm.org

Seattle Jewish Film Festival seattlejewishfilmfestival.org

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival seattlequeerfilm.org

Seattle Polish Film Festival polishfilms.org

Skateboard Film Festival theskateboardfilmfestival.com

10 am

-

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXITNW FILM FORUMNEPTUNE

The Beaches of Agnès

154 109 min. 11:00 AM BEAC2409M

Can Go Through Skin

Page 189 97 min.

11:00 AM CANG2409M

Rumba

Departures Page 194 131 min. 2:00 PM DEPA2409A

Page 233 77 min. 1:30 PM RUMB2409A

Mamma Moo and Crow

Page 85 78 min. 11:00 AM MAMM2409M

Treeless Mountain

Page 246 89 min. 1:15 PM MOUN2409A

Paper Heart

Page 230 88 min. 4:00 PM PAPE2409A

I’m No Dummy

Page 162 86 min. 4:00 PM IMNO2409A

Secret #1

Page 47 120 min. 11:00 AM SEC12409X

Bluebeard

Page 185 80 min. 1:30 PM BLUE2409M

The Cove

Page 155 90 min. 3:45 PM COVE2409A

The Third Man

Page 65 104 min. 11:00 AM THIR2409M

Dodsworth

Page 65 101 min. 1:30 PM DODS2409A

Welcome Page 249 116 min. 4:00 PM WELC2409A

Favela on Blast

Page 95 80 min. 5:00 PM FAVE2409A

Morris: A Life With Bells On

Page 224 101 min. 7:00 PM MORR2409A

Bruce Springsteen: Live in Barcelona

Page 93 180 min. 9:30 PM BRUC2409A

Summer Hours

Page 242 102 min. 6:30 PM HOUR2409A

Tulpan

Page 247 100 min. 6:45 PM TULP2409A

Pop Star On Ice

Page 166 85 min. 6:45 PM POPS2409A

My Dear Enemy

Page 51 123 min. 6:30 PM MYDE2409A

Our Beloved Month of August

Page 131 150 min. 6:30 PM OURB2409A

About Elly

Page 175 119 min. 11:00 AM ABOU2409M

Shrink

Page 235 110 min. 1:45 PM SHRI2409A

Maradona by Kusturica

Page 165 93 min. 4:30 PM MARA2409A

Skin

Page 236 107 min. 7:00 PM SKIN2409A

10 am

3 Minute Masterpieces

Page 143 40 min. 11:00 AM 3MIN2509Z

The Beaches of Agnès

Page 154 109 min. 1:00 PM BEAC2509M

Gotta Dance

Page 161 91 min. 4:00 PM GOTT2509A

Stella

Page 239 102 min. 9:15 PM STEL2409A

Raging Sun, Raging Sky

Page 232 191 min. 9:15 PM RAGI2409A

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle

Page 116 100 min. 9:30 PM IMMA2409A

$9.99

Page 175 78 min. 9:30 PM 999X2409A

FILM IST. a girl & a gun

Page 127 93 min. 9:30 PM FILM2409A

The Anarchist’s Wife

Page 178 115 min. 9:30 PM ANAR2409A

Quiet Chaos

Page 232 112 min. 11:00 AM QUIE2509M

An Island Calling

Page 162 76 min. 11:00 AM ISLA2509M

We Live in Public

Page 170 90 min. 11:00 AM WELI2509M

Wild Rose

Baby Love

Page 182 90 min. 1:45 PM BABY2509A

Laila’s Birthday

Page 215 72 min. 1:15 PM LAIL2509A

Chef’s Special

Melodrama Habibi

Page 220 98 min. 4:15 PM MELO2509A

Page 190 111 min. 3:30 PM CHEF2509A

Page 67 82 min. 1:30 PM ROSE2509A

Fly Filmmaking Challenge 2009 Page 255 45 min. 4:00 PM FLYF2509A

This Charming Girl

Page 51 99 min. 11:00 AM THIS2509M

My Dear Enemy Page 51 123 min. 1:30 PM MYDE2509A

Khamsa

Page 214 110 min. 4:30 PM KHAM2509A

The Answer Man

179 95 min. 11:00 AM ANSW2509M

I’m

Tengri: Blue Heavens

Dancing Across Borders

Page 115 88 min. 7:00 PM DANC2509A

Favela on Blast

Page 95 80 min. 9:30 PM FAVE2509A

I Know You Know

Page 208 81 min. 7:00 PM IKNO2509A

Opium War

Page 229 90 min. 9:15 PM OPIU2509A

Independent America: Rising from Ruins

Page 117 70 min. 6:30 PM INDE2509A

Eldorado

Page 196 80 min. 9:00 PM ELDO2509A

Terribly Happy

Page 245 95 min. 7:00 PM TERR2509A

Warlords

Page 248 126 min. 9:30 PM WARL2509A

Wild Field

Page 250 104 min. 7:00 PM FIEL2509A

Sügisball

Page 241 123 min. 9:30 PM SUGI2509A

It Came From Kuchar

Page 129 86 min. 7:00 PM KUCH2509A

Light Year

Page 129 101 min. 9:00 PM LIGH2509A

The Cove

155 90 min.

PM COVE2509A

I Sell the Dead Page 107 84 min. 9:30 PM ISEL2509A

Dancing Across Borders

Page 115 88 min. 4:15 PM DANC2609M

James Forsher “Nasty Cinema”

Page 258 70 min. 7:00 PM JAMN2609A

It Takes a Cult Page 117 79 min. 9:30 PM CULT2609A

Black Dogs Barking Page 88 min. 4:30 PM DOGS2609M

Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country Page 154 84 min. 5:00 PM BURM2609M

Daytime Drinking Page 193 116 min. 4:00 PM

Rumba

Page 233 77 min. 7:00 PM RUMB2609A

The Desert Within Page 194 112 min. 9:15 PM DESE2609A

Fig Trees

Page 159 104 min. 7:15 PM TREE2609A

Fear Me Not

Page 197 95 min. 9:30 PM FEAR2609A

Buick

Our

Skin Page 236 107 min. 4:15 PM SKIN2609M

The Answer Man

Page 179 95 min. 7:00 PM ANSW2609A

Bronson

Page 187 92 min. 9:30 PM BRON2609A

Sony 4K. Only reality is more realistic.

For the ultimate in HD projection, don’t settle for an HD projector. Go all the way to 4K with Sony SXRD™ projectors. With its 4096 x 2160 resolution, Sony 4K dramatically reduces the lines caused by gaps between the pixels, while Sony’s exclusive Intelligent Smoothing reduces jaggies, for even more lifelike reproduction. Of course, 4K also gives you the real estate to show two or four full-res HD images at a time. And4K protects your investment for next-generation computer and entertainment formats. The cost? Not much more than an HD projector. Enjoy HD sources with better-than-HD performance. High Definition. It’s in our DNA.

4 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm WEDNESDAY, MAY 27

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXITNW FILM FORUMNEPTUNE

Moon Page 224 97 min. 4:15 PM MOON2709M

Sügisball

Page 241 123 min. 4:00 PM SUGI2709M

Independent America: Rising from Ruins

Page 117 70 min. 4:45 PM INDE2709M

Melodrama Habibi

Page 220 98 min. 4:00 PM MELO2709M

Small Crime

Page 236 84 min. 4:30 PM SMAL2709M

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse Page 168 86 min. 7:00 PM REMB2709A

Bluebeard

Page 185 80 min. 9:15 PM BLUE2709A

About Elly

Page 175 119 min. 7:00 PM ABOU2709A

An Island Calling

Page 162 76 min. 7:15 PM ISLA2709A

Black Dogs Barking

Page 184 88 min. 9:30 PM DOGS2709A

Dead Snow

Page 105 90 min. 9:30 PM DEAD2709A

Tribute To Spike Lee/ Passing Strange

Page 33 7:00 PM TRIB2709E

The Beast Stalker

Page 183 111 min. 7:00 PM BEAS2709A

Maradona by Kusturica

Page 165 93 min. 9:45 PM MARA2709A

Short in the Dark

Page 126 87 min. 7:00 PM SHOR2709A

It Came From Kuchar

Page 129 86 min. 9:30 PM KUCH2709A

God’s Offices

Page 204 115 min. 4:00 PM GODS2709M

The Higher Force

Page 206 80 min. 7:00 PM HIGH2709A

Hansel and Gretel

Page 205 116 min. 9:15 PM HANS2709A

THURSDAY, MAY 28

4 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse

Page 168 86 min. 4:30 PM REMB2809M

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade

Page 243 105 min. 4:15 PM TAHA2809M

It Takes a Cult Page 117 79 min. 5:00 PM CULT2809M

School Days With a Pig

Page 233 106 min. 4:30 PM SCHO2809M

$9.99

Page 175 78 min. 4:30 PM 999X2809M

The Hurt Locker

Page 207 130 min. 7:00 PM HURT2809A

Mothers & Daughters

Page 226 83 min. 7:00 PM MOTH2809A

The Garden

Page 161 80 min. 7:00 PM GARD2809A

Carmo, Hit the Road

Tengri: Blue Heavens

Page 244 104 min. 9:45 PM TENG2809A

Page 190 100 min. 9:30 PM CARM2809A

White Night Wedding

Page 249 96 min. 9:30 PM WHIT2809A

Patrik Age 1.5 Page 31 100 min. 7:30 PM PATR2809E

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary

Page 97 93 min. 9:45 PM SOUN2809A

The Merry Gentleman

Page 220 110 min. 7:00 PM MERR2809A

I’m Gonna Explode

Page 209 106 min. 9:30 PM IMGO2809A

Short in the Dark Page 126 87 min. 7:00 PM SHOR2809A

Light Year

Page 129 101 min. 9:30 PM LIGH2809A

All Tomorrow’s Parties Page 95 85 min. 4:30 PM ALLT2809M

Beauties at War Page 183 89 min. 7:00 PM BEAU2809A

Deadgirl

Page 103 101 min. 9:30 PM DEDG2809A

FRIDAY, MAY 29

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:30-

Miao Miao

Page 221 83 min. 4:30 PM MIAO2909M

Mothers & Daughters

Page 226 83 min. 4:15 PM MOTH2909M

Still Walking

Page 240 114 min. 11:00 AM STIL2909M

Snow

Page 237 99 min. 1:30 PM SNOW2909M

Hansel and Gretel

Page 205 116 min. 3:30 PM HANS2909M

City of Borders

Page 155 67 min. 4:30 PM CITY2909M

Pirate for the Sea

Kisses

Page 214 72 min. 4:30 PM KISS2909M

ShortsFest Opening

Night

Page 136 87 min. 7:00 PM FEST2909A

Disclosures

Page 136 88 min. 9:30 PM DISC2909A

With a Little Help from Myself

Page 251 92 min. 7:00 PM WITH2909A

Daddy Cool

Page 192 94 min. 9:30 PM DADD2909A

Facing Ali

Page 157 98 min. 7:00 PM FACI2909A

Page 119 102 min. 6:45 PM PIRA2909A

The Headless Woman

Page 53 87 min. 7:00 PM HEAD2909A

Know Your Mushrooms

1111:3012 am

Page 163 74 min. 9:30 PM KNOW2909A

A Woman’s Way

Page 252 113 min. 9:30 PM WWAY2909A

Deadgirl

Page 103 101 min. Midnight DEDG2909A

The Overbrook Brothers

Page 229 92 min. 9:30 PM OVER2909A

10 am

10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm 10:301111:3012 am

The Family Picture Show

Page 133 79 min. 11:00 AM FAMI3009M

The World of Possibilities

Page 137 85 min. 1:30 PM POSS3009A

Response Abilities

Page 138 87 min. 4:00 PM RESP3009A

The Cock Collage

Page 138 85 min. 7:00 PM COLL3009A

The Nightmare Factory

Page 139 84 min. 9:30 PM NIGH3009A

The Beast Stalker

Page 183 111 min. 11:00 AM BEAS3009M

The Garden

Page 161 80 min. 11:00 AM GARD3009M

Carmo, Hit the Road

Page 190 100 min. 1:30 PM CARM3009A

City of Borders

Page 155 67 min. 1:30 PM CITY3009A

The Hurt Locker

Page 207 130 min. 4:00 PM HURT3009A

The End of the Line

Page 157 90 min. 4:00 PM ENDO3009A

Apron Strings

Page 179 90 min. 7:00 PM APRO3009A

Ball Don’t Lie

Page 182 102 min. 7:00 PM BALL3009A

Telstar

Page 97 114 min. 9:30 PM TELS3009A

The Maid Page 218 95 min. 9:30 PM MAID3009A

Pirate for the Sea

Page 119 102 min. 11:00 AM PIRA3009M

Facing Ali

Page 157 98 min. 1:45 PM FACI3009A

Food, Inc.

Page 159 94 min. 4:15 PM FOOD3009A

Icons Among Us

Page 91 93 min. 6:30 PM ICON3009A

La Mission

Page 223 118 min. 9:00 PM LAMI3009A

La Ciénaga

Page 53 103 min. 11:00 AM LACI3009M

The Headless Woman

Page 53 87 min. 1:30 PM HEAD3009A

The Merry Gentleman

Page 220 110 min. 3:45 PM MERR3009A

The Firm Land

Page 200 95 min. 6:30 PM FIRM3009A

Downloading Nancy

Page 195 102 min. 9:30 PM DOWN3009A

Yes, I Can See Dead People

Page 110 92 min. Midnight YESI3009A

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm

Sensory Overload

Page 141 85 min. 11:00 AM SENS3109M

Cloud 9

Page 191 98 min. 11:00 AM CLOU3109M

Egon & Dönci

Page 83 75 min. 11:00 AM EGON3109M

The Maid

Serenity Prayers

Page 139 87 min. 1:30 PM SERE3109A

Know Your Mushrooms

Page 163 74 min. 1:30 PM KNOW3109A

A Woman’s Way

The Inexperienced Generation

Page 141 105 min. 4:00 PM INEX3109A

Aussie vs. Kiwi

Page 142 81 min. 6:30 PM AUSS3109A

Survival Kit

Page 142 86 min. 9:00 PM SURV3109A

Page 252 113 min. 3:45 PM WWAY3109A

Page 218 95 min. 1:15 PM MAID3109A

The Overbrook Brothers

Page 229 92 min. 3:45 PM OVER3109A

Secret #2

Page 47 120 min. 11:00 AM SEC23109X

The Firm Land

Page 200 95 min. 11:00 AM FIRM3109M

So Long at the Fair

La Mission

Page 223 118 min. 1:45 PM LAMI3109M

Page 71 86 min. 1:30 PM SOLO3109A

Downloading Nancy

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary

Page 97 93 min. 4:45 PM SOUN3109A

Page 195 102 min. 4:00 PM DOWN3109A

The Wedding Song

Page 248 84 min. 6:30 PM WEDD3109A

Like Dandelion Dust

Page 216 100 min. 6:30 PM LIKE3109A

Food, Inc.

Page 159 94 min. 7:00 PM FOOD3109A

Kisses

Page 214 72 min. 6:30 PM KISS3109A

Beauties at War Page 183 89 min. 9:00 PM BEAU3109A

School Days With a Pig

Page 233 106 min. 9:15 PM SCHO3109A

Captive

Page 189 80 min. 9:30 PM CAPT3109A

Forasters

Page 201 105 min. 9:00 PM FORA3109A

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXIT

Enjoy the comforts of home and gracious service at Seattle’s historic MarQueen Hotel. A sweeping, polished mahogany staircase leads to 59 handsomely appointed suites, each outfitted with well appointed kitchens and hardwood floors. Rely on our knowledgeable bell and front desk staff 24 hours a day. Enjoy complimentary amenities including breakfast, downtown attraction shuttle, Wi-Fi internet, and more. Discover Seattle’s best kept secret. The MarQueen family awaits your arrival. 505

600

2 pm

2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm

Zift Page 253 92 min. 4:00 PM ZIFT0109M

The Wedding Song

Page 248 84 min. 4:30 PM WEDD0109M

Apron Strings

Page 179 90 min. 5:00 PM APRO0109M

The Great Race Page 43 160 min. 6:30 PM GREA0109A

Séraphine

Page 234 121 min. 7:00 PM SERA0109A

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle

Page 115 70 min. 7:15 PM BACK0109A

Raging Sun, Raging Sky

Page 232 191 min. 3:00 PM RAGI0109M

Mid-August Lunch

Page 222 75 min. 4:30 PM MIDA0109M

A Sea Change

Page 168 85 min. 7:00 PM SEAC0109A

Marcello Marcello

Page 219 95 min. 7:00 PM MARC0109A

PM DAYT0109A

A French Gigolo

Page 202 102 min. 9:45 PM FREN0109A

Boy

Page 186 80 min. 9:30 PM BOYY0109A

The Sniper

Page 237 90 min. 9:30 PM SNIP0109A

The Strength of Water

Page 241 86 min. 9:30 PM STRE0109A

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention Page 99 79 min. 4:30 PM TRIM0109M

Like Dandelion Dust

Page 216 100 min. 7:00 PM LIKE0109A

Ball Don’t Lie

Page 182 102 min. 9:30 PM BALL0109A

4 pm 4:3055:30-

pm 6:30-

pm

pm MONDAY, JUNE 1 TUESDAY, JUNE 2

William Kunstler:

Disturbing the Universe

Page 170 90 min. 4:30 PM WILL0209M

James Forsher

“Animated Enemies”

Page 258 70 min. 7:00 PM JAMA0209A

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

Page 123 88 min. 9:15 PM ZMDZ0209A

Daddy Cool

Page 192 94 min. 4:30 PM DADD0209M

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes

Full Circle

Page 115 70 min. 5:00 PM BACK0209M

Cloud 9

Page 191 98 min. 7:00 PM CLOU0209A

Laila’s Birthday

Page 215 72 min. 7:30 PM LAIL0209A

Yes, I Can See Dead People

Page 110 92 min. 9:30 PM YESI0209A

The Whole Truth

Page 122 104 min. 9:30 PM WHOL0209A

The Baby Formula

Page 181 81 min. 4:30 PM FORM0209M

Miao Miao

Page 221 83 min. 7:00 PM MIAO0209A

TBA 9:15 PM TBAA0209A

33 Scenes from Life

Page 174 95 min. 4:30 PM 33SC0209M

Modern Life

Page 165 88 min. 7:00 PM MODE0209A

Welcome Page 249 116 min. 9:15 PM WELC0209A

A Sea Change Page 168 85 min. 4:00 PM SEAC0209M

Passing Strange Page 33 135 min. 6:30 PM PASS0209A

Fear Me Not Page 197 95 min. 9:30 PM FEAR0209A

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

4 pm

With a Little Help from Myself

Page 251 92 min. 4:30 PM WITH0309M

Kabei - Our Mother

Page 211 132 min. 6:45 PM KABE0309A

Birdwatchers

Page 184 108 min. 4:30 PM BIRD0309M

The Whole Truth

Page 122 104 min. 4:30 PM WHOL0309M

The Dark Harbor Page 193 101 min. 4:30 PM DARK0309M

Patrik Age 1.5

Page 31 100 min. 4:30 PM PATR0309M

Gotta Dance Page 161 91 min. 4:30 PM GOTT0309M

Small Crime

pm 8:3099:3010 pm

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade

Page 243 105 min. 9:30 PM TAHA0309A

Page 236 84 min. 7:00 PM SMAL0309A

Art & Copy

Page 153 86 min. 7:15 PM ARTC0309A

Sweet Crude

Page 120 90 min. 7:00 PM SWEE0309A

Mid-August Lunch

Page 222 75 min. 7:00 PM MIDA0309A

I’m No Dummy Page 162 86 min. 7:00 PM IMNO0309A

Final Arrangements

Page 199 100 min. 9:30 PM FINA0309A

Prodigal Sons

Page 167 86 min. 9:30 PM PROD0309A

The Sniper

Page 237 90 min. 9:30 PM SNIP0309A

The Karamazovs Page 213 100 min. 9:15 PM KARA0309A

White Night Wedding Page 249 96 min. 9:30 PM WHIT0309A

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXIT

KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

PLACE

pm

Katia’s Sister

Page 213 85 min. 4:30 PM KATI0409M

Tears of April

Page 244 115 min. 4:30 PM TEAR0409M

The Shaft

Page 235 98 min. 4:45 PM SHAF0409M

Séraphine

Page 234 121 min. 4:00 PM SERA0409M

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti Page 227 92 min. 4:30 PM NOPU0409M

pm

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe

Page 170 90 min. 7:00 PM WILL0409A

Forasters

pm

Page 201 105 min. 9:30 PM FORA0409A

Swimsuit Issue

Page 243 100 min. 7:00 PM SWIM0409A

Everything Strange and New

Page 197 83 min. 7:00 PM STRA0409A

Princess of Africa

The Clone Returns Home

Page 191 110 min. 9:30 PM CLON0409A

Page 166 77 min. 9:15 PM PRIN0409A

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow

Page 209 105 min. 6:30 PM INJU0409A

True Adolescents

Page 120 88 min. 9:30 PM TRUE0409A

The Country Teacher

Page 55 113 min. 7:00 PM COUN0409A

The Escape

Page 196 114 min. 9:30 PM ESCA0409A

The Yes Men Fix the World

Page 171 85 min. 4:30 PM YESM0409M

Kabei - Our Mother

Page 211 132 min. 7:00 PM KABE0409A

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction Page 123 88 min. 10:00 PM ZMDZ0409A

am

pm

pm

Boy Page 186 80 min. 4:30 PM BOYY0509M

Machan

Page 218 109 min. 4:30 PM MACH0509M

Egon & Dönci

Page 83 75 min. 11:00 AM EGON0509M

Art & Copy

Page 153 86 min. 1:15 PM ARTC0509M

The Paranoids

Page 231 105 min. 4:00 PM PARA0509M

Marcello Marcello

Page 219 95 min. 4:30 PM MARC0509M

The Escape

Page 196 114 min. 4:00 PM ESCA0509M

Apron Strings

Page 179 90 min. 4:30 PM APRO0509M

Pop Star On Ice Page 166 85 min. 11:00 AM POPS0509M

Kimjongilia

Page 163 75 min. 1:30 PM KIMJ0509M

The Baby Formula

Page 181 81 min. 4:00 PM FORM0509M

pm

The Missing Person

pm

Page 222 95 min. 7:00 PM MISS0509A

Against the Current Page 177 94 min. 7:00 PM AGAI0509A

Finding Bliss

Page 116 98 min. 6:30 PM FIND0509A

Humpday

Page 29 92 min. 7:00 PM HUMP0509G

Birdwatchers

Page 184 108 min. 7:00 PM BIRD0509A

The Admiral

Page 176 123 min. 7:00 PM ADMI0509A

Wonderful World

Page 253 89 min. 7:00 PM WOND0509A

pm

Four Boxes

Page 202 84 min. 9:30 PM BOXE0509A

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1)

Page 221 110 min. 9:30 PM MESA0509A

Inland

Page 148 138 min. 9:30 PM INLA0509A

Black Dynamite

Page 103 90 min. 9:30 PM BLAC0509A

Grace

Page 105 85 min. Midnight GRAC0509A

33 Scenes from Life

Page 174 95 min. 9:30 PM 33SC0509A

Yes, I Can See Dead People Page 110 92 min. 9:45 PM YESI0509A

Deadgirl

Page 103 101 min. 9:30 PM DEDG0509A

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC

EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXITADMIRAL KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:30-

pm

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends

Page 85 72 min. 11:00 AM BEAM0609M

Le Amiche

Page 61 104 min. 1:30 PM LEAM0609A

A Woman Under the Influence

Page 61 155 min. 4:00 PM UNDE0609A

Final Arrangements

Page 199 100 min. 11:00 AM FINA0609M

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow

Page 209 105 min. 1:15 PM INJU0609A

A Woman in Berlin

Page 251 127 min. 4:15 PM BERL0609A

Prodigal Sons

Page 167 86 min. 11:00 AM PROD0609M

Everything Strange and New

Page 197 83 min. 1:00 PM STRA0609A

Inland

Page 148 138 min. 3:30 PM INLA0609A

Il Divo

Page 208 110 min. 11:00 AM ILDI0609M

True Adolescents

Page 120 88 min. 1:30 PM TRUE0609A

FutureWave Shorts

Page 77 71 min. 4:00 PM FUTU0609A

The Wild Bees

Page 55 94 min. 11:00 AM BEES0609M

The Country Teacher

Page 55 113 min. 1:30 PM COUN0609A

Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s

Page 223 90 min. 4:30 PM MOMM0609A

Mamma Moo and Crow

Page 85 78 min. 11:00 AM MAMM0609M

Nurse.Fighter.Boy

Page 228 93 min. 1:30 PM NURS0609A

Kanchivaram

Page 212 117 min. 4:00 PM KANC0609A

pm

Little Joe

Page 164 87 min. 7:15 PM LJOE0609A

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 1)

That Evening Sun

Page 245 109 min. 6:30 PM THAT0609A

Page 221 110 min. 7:15 PM MESA0609A

Grace

pm

11:3012 am

The Baby Formula

Page 181 81 min. 9:45 PM FORM0609A

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2)

Page 221 132 min. 9:45 PM MESB0609A

Page 105 85 min. 9:30 PM GRAC0609A

World’s Greatest Dad

Page 122 98 min. 6:30 PM WORL0609A

At West of Pluto

Page 145 95 min. 7:00 PM ATWE0609A

Swimsuit Issue

Page 243 100 min. 7:00 PM SWIM0609A

JUANITA BEACH PARK

The Burning Plain

Page 188 111 min. 9:30 PM BURN0609A

Black Dynamite

Page 103 90 min.

Midnight BLAC0609A

The Square

Page 239 105 min. 9:30 PM SQUA0609A

Beauties at War

Page 183 89 min. 9:30 PM BEAU0609A

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies

Page 45 99 min. DUSK NEST0609Z

am

1111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm

Nak

Page 87 95 min. 11:00 AM NAKK0709M

Against the Current

Page 177 94 min. 11:00 AM AGAI0709M

Finding Bliss

Page 116 98 min. 11:00 AM FIND0709M

Secret #3

Page 47 120 min. 11:00 AM SEC30709X

The Karamazovs

Page 213 100 min. 11:00 AM KARA0709M

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends

Page 85 72 min. 11:00 AM BEAM0709M

Alisa’s Birthday Page 83 94 min. 11:00 AM ALIS0709M

Four Boxes

Page 202 84 min. 1:30 PM BOXE0709A

The Market - A Tale of Trade

Page 219 93 min. 1:15 PM MARK0709A

Princess of Africa

Page 166 77 min. 1:45 PM PRIN0709A

Humpday

Page 29 92 min. 1:30 PM HUMP0709M

At West of Pluto

Page 145 95 min. 1:30 PM ATWE0709A

Marcello Marcello

Page 219 95 min. 1:30 PM MARC0709A

Sweet Crude

Page 120 90 min. 1:30 PM SWEE0709A

Little Joe

Page 164 87 min. 4:00 PM LJOE0709A

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Part 2)

Page 221 132 min. 3:30 PM MESB0709A

The Missing Person

Page 222 95 min. 4:00 PM MISS0709A

World’s Greatest Dad

Page 122 98 min. 4:00 PM WORL0709A

The Necessities of Life Page 226 102 min. 4:00 PM NECE0709A

Daddy Cool

Page 192 94 min. 4:00 PM DADD0709A

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary

Page 97 93 min. 4:00 PM SOUN0709A

Wind Blows in the Meadow

Page 250 91 min. 7:00 PM WIND0709A

Hooked

Page 207 84 min. 9:15 PM HOOK0709A

Four Chapters

Page 147 125 min. 6:30 PM CHAP0709A

Manhole Children

Page 164 117 min. 6:30 PM MANH0709A

Spring 1941

Page 238 122 min. 6:30 PM 19410709A

Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s

Page 223 90 min. 6:30 PM MOMM0709A

Little Soldier

Tears of April

Page 244 115 min. 6:30 PM TEAR0709A

Be Calm and Count to Seven

Page 145 89 min. 6:30 PM BECA0709A

Forever Enthralled

Page 201 147 min. 9:15 PM ENTH0709A

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly

Page 185 77 min. 9:15 PM BLIN0709A

Fruit Fly

Page 203 92 min. 9:30 PM FRUI0709A

Page 216 100 min. 9:00 PM LITT0709A

Hansel and Gretel Page 205 116 min. 9:30 PM HANS0709A

Rain Page 150 93 min. 9:00 PM RAIN0709A

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXITADMIRAL KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

4

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXIT ADMIRAL

Nak Page 87 95 min. 4:30 PM NAKK0809M

The Square Page 239 105 min. 4:30 PM SQUA0809M

The End of the Line

Page 157 90 min. 5:00 PM ENDO0809M

Spring 1941

Page 238 122 min. 4:00 PM 19410809M

The Necessities of Life

Page 226 102 min. 4:15 PM NECE0809M

The Strength of Water

Page 241 86 min. 4:30 PM STRE0809M

That Evening Sun

The Red Race

Page 167 70 min. 7:00 PM REDR0809A

Kanchivaram

Page 212 117 min. 7:00 PM KANC0809A

Scratch

Page 234 89 min. 7:15 PM SCRA0809A

(500) Days of Summer

Page 174 95 min. 7:00 PM 500D0809A

Cold Souls

Page 192 97 min. 7:00 PM COLD0809A

Page 245 109 min. 6:45 PM THAT0809A

Three Blind Mice

Page 246 94 min. 9:30 PM THRE0809A

Flame & Citron

Page 200 130 min. 9:30 PM FLAM0809A

The Paranoids

Page 231 105 min. 9:30 PM PARA0809A

Troubled Water

Page 247 116 min. 9:30 PM TROU0809A

The One-Handed Trick

Page 228 91 min. 9:30 PM ONEH0809A

A French Gigolo

Page 202 102 min. 9:30 PM FREN0809A

Fruit Fly Page 203 92 min. 4:30 PM FRUI0909M

The Admiral Page 176 123 min. 4:15 PM ADMI0909M

Garbage Dreams

Page 160 83 min. 5:00 PM GARB0909M

(500) Days of Summer

Page 174 95 min. 4:30 PM 500D0909M

Poppy Shakespeare

Page 231 89 min. 4:30 PM POPP0909M

Hooked

Page 207 84 min. 4:30 PM HOOK0909M

The Market - A Tale of Trade

Page 219 93 min. 7:00 PM MARK0909A

Defamation

Page 156 93 min. 7:00 PM DEFA0909A

Alisa’s Birthday

Page 83 94 min. 7:00 PM ALIS0909A

The Girl from Monaco

Page 203 95 min. 7:00 PM GIRL0909A

Story of Jen

Page 240 110 min. 7:00 PM STOR0909A

Don’t Let Me Drown

Page 195 105 min. 7:00 PM DONT0909A

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly

Page 185 77 min. 9:30 PM BLIN0909A

Summer

Page 242 95 min. 9:30 PM SUMM0909A

El General

Page 156 83 min. 9:30 PM GENE0909A

Katia’s Sister

Page 213 85 min. 9:30 PM KATI0909A

The Dark Harbor

Page 193 101 min. 9:30 PM DARK0909A

Krabat

Page 215 120 min. 9:30 PM KRAB0909A

Manhole Children

Page 164 117 min. 4:30 PM MANH1009M

Buick Riviera

Page 188 86 min. 4:30 PM BUIC1009M

Little Soldier

Page 216 100 min. 5:00 PM LITT1009M

Garbage Dreams

Page 160 83 min. 7:00 PM GARB1009A The

Machan

Page 218 109 min. 7:00 PM MACH1009A

Three Blind Mice

Page 246 94 min. 9:30 PM THRE1009A

Be Calm and Count to Seven

Page 145 89 min. 7:15 PM BECA1009A

My Suicide

Page 149 105 min. 9:30 PM MYSU1009A

THURSDAY, JUNE 11

4 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:3099:3010 pm

The Red Race

Page 167 70 min. 4:30 PM REDR1109M

Afghan Star

Page 153 87 min. 6:30 PM AFGH1109A

Four Chapters

Page 147 125 min. 4:00 PM CHAP1109M

My Suicide

Page 149 105 min. 4:30 PM MYSU1109M

Home

Page 147 97 min. 7:00 PM HOME1109A

Don’t Let Me Drown

Page 195 105 min. 7:00 PM DONT1109A

Breathless

Page 186 130 min. 9:15 PM BREA1109A

Krabat

Page 215 120 min. 9:15 PM KRAB1109A

Lovely Loneliness

Page 217 100 min. 9:30 PM LOVE1109A

The Conversation Page 69 113 min. 4:30 PM CONV1109M

Wonderful World

Page 253 89 min. 7:00 PM WOND1109A

Give Me Your Hand

Page 204 80 min. 9:30 PM GIVE1109A

Story of Jen Page 240 110 min. 4:30 PM STOR1109M

Defamation Page 156 93 min. 7:00 PM DEFA1109A

The Other Bank Page 150 90 min. 9:30 PM OTHE1109A

Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s

Page 223 90 min. 4:30 PM MOMM1109M

Final Arrangements

Page 199 100 min. 7:00 PM FINA1109A

North Face Page 227 126 min. 9:30 PM FACE1109A

10 am 10:301111:30-

pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 12

Rain Page 150 93 min. 4:30 PM RAIN1209M

Krabat

Page 215 120 min. 4:00 PM KRAB1209M

Scratch

Page 234 89 min. 11:00 AM SCRA1209M

The Girl from Monaco

Page 203 95 min. 1:30 PM GIRL1209M

What’s on Your Plate?

Page 87 73 min. 4:00 PM WHAT1209M

Kimjongilia

In Your Absence

Page 211 99 min. 7:00 PM ABSE1209A

Adam

Page 176 95 min. 7:00 PM ADAM1209A

Page 163 75 min. 6:30 PM KIMJ1209A

talhotblond

pm

Involuntary

Page 148 98 min. 9:30 PM INVO1209A

North

Page 149 78 min. 9:30 PM NORT1209A

Page 169 83 min. 9:15 PM TALH1209A

Wonderful World

Page 253 89 min. 4:15 PM WOND1209M

The Fortress Page 160 104 min. 4:00 PM FORT1209M

American Primitive Page 177 93 min. 7:00 PM AMER1209A

Swimsuit Issue

Page 243 100 min. 9:30 PM SWIM1209A

Everyone Else Page 146 119 min. 6:30 PM ELSE1209A

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love Page 99 102 min. 9:30 PM YOUS1209A

TRIPLE DOOR

No Age performs

The Bear Page 90 94 min. 7:00 PM BEAA1209E

No Age performs The Bear

Page 90 94 min. 9:30 PM BEAB1209E

Kanchivaram

Page 212 117 min. 1:15 PM KANC1209M

Inju, the Beast in the Shadow Page 209 105 min. 4:15 PM INJU1209A

A Pain in the Ass Page 230 84 min. 7:00 PM PAIN1209A

Buddenbrooks Page 187 140 min. 9:15 PM BUDD1209A

am

The Hills Run Red Page 107 81 min. Midnight HILL1209A

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWNPACIFIC PLACE EGYPTIAN HARVARD EXIT ADMIRAL CINERAMA

Salutes the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival

Billy O Wines proceeds benefit the following non-profit organizations: SIFF CYSTIC FIBROSIS FOUNDATION VARIETY FARE START THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION OF SEATTLE HOPEHEART PONCHO THE MOYER FOUNDATION EVENING FOR ERIN DREAMCATCHERS WATER 1ST INTERNATIONAL RBI CLUBTOYS FOR KIDS THE DETLEF SCHREMP FOUNDATION SEATTLE AQUARIUM SPLASH! BRIAN KEAY BENEFIT GILDA’S CLUB OF SEATTLE SAVE MOSES RELIEF FUND SENIORS MAKING ART FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN KING COUNTY www.billyowines.com

MARTIN cabernet sauvignon

MAZIE

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:30-

pm

7:308 pm 8:3099:30-

pm

1111:3012 am

Afghan Star

Page 153 87 min. 11:00 AM AFGH1309M

North

Page 149 78 min. 11:00 AM NORT1309M

Adam

The One-Handed Trick Page 228 91 min. 1:30 PM ONEH1309A

Page 176 95 min. 1:15 PM ADAM1309A

What’s on Your Plate?

Page 87 73 min. 11:00 AM WHAT1309M

Kimjongilia

Page 163 75 min. 1:30 PM KIMJ1309A

In Your Absence

Page 211 99 min. 4:00 PM ABSE1309A

Lovely Loneliness

Page 217 100 min. 3:45 PM LOVE1309A

talhotblond

Page 169 83 min. 4:00 PM TALH1309A

The Spy and the Sparrow

Page 119 86 min. 11:00 AM SPYA1309M

Sweet Crude

Page 120 90 min. 1:30 PM SWEE1309A

American Primitive

Page 177 93 min. 4:30 PM AMER1309A

The Other Bank

Page 150 90 min. 11:00 AM OTHE1309M

Once Upon a Time in the West

Page 69 165 min. 1:30 PM ONCE1309A

Everyone Else

Page 146 119 min. 5:00 PM ELSE1309A

10 am 10:301111:3012 pm 12:3011:302 pm 2:3033:304 pm 4:3055:306 pm 6:3077:308 pm 8:30-

Rain Page 150 93 min. 7:00 PM RAIN1309A

Fifty Dead Men Walking

Page 199 118 min. 6:30 PM FIFT1309A

Amreeka

Page 178 97 min. 6:30 PM REEK1309A

Every Little Step

Page 41 95 min. 7:00 PM STEP1309A

Unmistaken Child

Page 169 102 min. 7:45 PM UNMI1309A

Breathless

Page 186 130 min. 9:30 PM BREA1309A

Flame & Citron

Page 200 130 min. 9:30 PM FLAM1309A

Live and Remember

Page 217 100 min. 9:30 PM LIVE1309A

The Clone Returns

Home

Page 191 110 min. 9:30 PM CLON1309A

Sexykiller

Page 110 85 min. Midnight SEXY1309A

Kaifeck Murder

Page 212 86 min. 10:00 PM KAIF1309A

North Face

Page 227 126 min. NOON FACE1309M

Forever Enthralled

Page 201 147 min. 3:00 PM ENTH1309A

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

Page 205 104 min. 6:30 PM HACH1309A

El General

Page 156 83 min. 11:00 AM GENE1409M

Home Page 147 97 min. 1:00 PM HOME1409A

Involuntary Page 148 98 min. 3:30 PM INVO1409A

Tears of April

Page 244 115 min. 11:00 AM TEAR1409M

Fifty Dead Men

Walking

Page 199 118 min. 1:30 PM FIFT1409A

A Pain in the Ass

Page 230 84 min. 4:30 PM PAIN1409A

The Hills Run Red Page 107 81 min. 6:30 PM HILL1409A

Troubled Water

Page 247 116 min. 7:00 PM TROU1409A

TBA 9:00 PM TBAC1409A

Summer

Page 242 95 min. 9:30 PM SUMM1409A

Alisa’s Birthday

Page 83 94 min. 11:00 AM ALIS1409M

Live and Remember

Page 217 100 min. 1:30 PM LIVE1409A

Amreeka

Page 178 97 min. 4:00 PM REEK1409A

The Shaft

Page 235 98 min. 6:30 PM SHAF1409A

Secret #4

Page 47 120 min. 11:00 AM SEC41409X

Buddenbrooks

Page 187 140 min. 1:30 PM BUDD1409M

Unmistaken Child

Give Me Your Hand

Page 204 80 min. 4:45 PM GIVE1409A

Telstar

Page 97 114 min. 7:00 PM TELS1409A

TBA 9:15 PM TBAB1409A

Sexykiller

Page 110 85 min. 9:30 PM SEXY1409A

Page 169 102 min. 11:00 AM UNMI1409M

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love

Page 99 102 min. 1:30 PM YOUS1409A

Kaifeck Murder

Page 212 86 min. 4:30 PM KAIF1409A

Wind Blows in the Meadow

Page 250 91 min. 7:00 PM WIND1409A

Poppy Shakespeare

Page 231 89 min. 9:30 PM POPP1409A

Il Divo Page 208 110 min. 9:15 PM ILDI1309A

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

Page 205 104 min. NOON HACH1409M

The Burning Plain Page 188 111 min. 2:30 PM BURN1409A

OSS 117: Lost in Rio Page 27 100 min. 6:30 PM CLOS1409G

TBA 9:30 PM TBAD1409A

#

2081...................................................136

3 Minute Masterpieces Winners ..........139

575 Castro Street ...............................138

A

Adulte .................................................126

Ahmad’s Garden .................................142

Alice’s Attic .........................................138

All My Dreams on VHS .......................139

Anatomy of a Fly .................................255

Andong ..............................................137

The Archivist .......................................138

Arthur .................................................255

Asamara .............................................142

Atlantic ...............................................137

Atlantico .............................................138

B

Babau ................................................137

The Babysitter ....................................141

The Back Room .................................138

Baghdad Express ...............................138

The Bake Shop Ghost ........................136

Bedtime Story ....................................126

Black Coffee .......................................255

Blessed Virgin .....................................142

The Blindness of the Woods ...............139

BOTNIK! .............................................138

Boutonniere ........................................141

Butterfly ..............................................142

C

Careful With That Powertool ...............142

CC 2010 ............................................142

The Chronicles of Cleo and Jack ........126

Control Master ....................................141

Crane and Digger ...............................137

D

Dahlia .................................................136

Danse Macabre ..................................103

Dark Material ......................................141

The Day My Parents Became Cool .....139

Dear Fatty...........................................137

Designing the New World:

Turning Crisis into Potential ..............115

Dig .....................................................126

$9.99..................................................175

A

About Elly ...........................................175

Adam .................................................176

The Admiral ........................................176

The Adventures of Robin Hood .............65

Afghan Star ........................................153

Against the Current .............................177

Alisa’s Birthday .....................................83

All

American

Amreeka

The

Apron

Art & Copy..........................................153

B

Baby Love ..........................................182

Back to the Garden, Flower Power Comes Full Circle .........................................115

Ball Don’t Lie ......................................182

The Beaches of Agnès .......................154

The Bear

The

Beauties

Be

Birdwatchers

Black

Black

Blind

Bluebeard

Boy ....................................................186

Breathless

Bronson .............................................187

Bruce Springsteen: Live

Little Joe.............................................164

Little Soldier ........................................216

Live and Remember ...........................217

Lovely Loneliness ...............................217

M

Machan ..............................................218

The Maid ............................................218

Mamma Moo and Crow ........................85

Manhole Children................................164

Maradona by Kusturica.......................165

Marcello Marcello................................219

The Market - A Tale of Trade ...............219

Melodrama Habibi ..............................220

The Merry Gentleman .........................220

Mesrine: A Film in Two Parts (Parts 1 and 2) .................................221

Miao Miao ..........................................221

Mid-August Lunch ..............................222

The Missing Person ...........................222

La Mission ..........................................223

Modern Life ........................................165

Mommy Is at the Hairdresser’s ............223

Moon..................................................224

Moonbeam Bear and His Friends .........85

Morris: A Life With Bells On ................224

Mothers & Daughters ..........................226

My Dear Enemy ....................................51

My Suicide..........................................149

Pop Star On Ice ..................................166

Princess of Africa ................................166

Prodigal Sons .....................................167

Q

Quiet Chaos .......................................232

R

Raging Sun, Raging Sky .....................232

Rain ....................................................150

The Red Race ....................................167

Rembrandt’s J’Accuse .......................168

Rumba ...............................................233

S

N

Nak ......................................................87

Necessities of Life ...............................226

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti ..........................227

North ..................................................149

North Face .........................................227

Nurse.Fighter.Boy ...............................228

O

Once Upon a Time in the West .............69

The One-Handed Trick .......................228

Opium War .........................................229

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies .............45

OSS 117: Lost in Rio ............................27

School Days With a Pig ......................233

Scratch...............................................234

A Sea Change ....................................168

Séraphine ...........................................234

Sexykiller ............................................110

The Shaft ............................................235

Shrink .................................................235

Skin ....................................................236

Small Crime ........................................236

The Sniper ..........................................237

Snow ..................................................237

So Long at the Fair ...............................71

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: A Popumentary ..................................97

Spring 1941 .......................................238

Spring Breakdown ..............................238

Treeless Mountain ...............................246

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention ............99

Troubled Water ..................................247

True Adolescents ................................120

Tulpan ................................................247

U

Unmistaken Child ...............................169

W

Warlords .............................................248

The Wedding Song .............................248

Welcome ............................................249

We Live in Public ................................170

The Other Bank ..................................150

Our Beloved Month of August.............131

The Overbrook Brothers .....................229

P

A Pain in the Ass ................................230

Paper Heart ........................................230

The Paranoids ....................................231

Passing Strange ..................................33

Patrik Age 1.5.......................................31

Pirate for the Sea ................................119

Poppy Shakespeare ...........................231

The Spy and the Sparrow ...................119

The Square .........................................239

Stella ..................................................239

Still Walking ........................................240

Story of Jen ........................................240

The Strength of Water.........................241

Sügisball .............................................241

Summer .............................................242

Summer Hours ...................................242

Sunset Boulevard .................................65

Sweet Crude ......................................120

Swimsuit Issue....................................243

T

What’s on Your Plate?...........................87

White Night Wedding ..........................249

The Whole Truth .................................122

The Wild Bees ......................................55

Wild Field............................................250

Wild Rose .............................................67

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ....................170

Wind Blows in the Meadow ................250

With a Little Help from Myself .............251

A Woman in Berlin ..............................251

A Woman’s Way .................................252

A Woman Under the Influence ..............61

Wonderful World .................................253

World’s Greatest Dad .........................122

Y

Tahaan - A Boy With a Grenade..........243

talhotblond .........................................169

Tears of April.......................................244

Telstar...................................................97

Tengri: Blue Heavens ..........................244

Terribly Happy.....................................245

Tetro .....................................................39

That Evening Sun ...............................245

The Third Man ......................................65

This Charming Girl ................................51

Three Blind Mice .................................246

Yes, I Can See Dead People ...............110

The Yes Men Fix the World .................171

Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love ....99

Z

Zift ......................................................253

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction ....123

Elevating the Art of Performance.

THE MODERN MASTERPIECE, REDRAWN. INTRODUCING THE NEW 2009 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE AND QUATTROPORTE S.

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NOW AVAILABLE WITH SPECIAL LEASE & FINANCE RATES THROUGH MARCH 15, 2009

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Blending Performance, Luxury and Reliability since 1999 1401 12th Ave (corner Madison), Seattle 98122