44th Seattle International Film Festival (2018)

FROM SIFF’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SARAH WILKE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BETH BARRETT

Welcome to the 44th annual Seattle International Film Festival. We are truly honored to provide this 25-day opportunity for our communities to come together and explore the powerful stories brought alive by the filmmakers and artists in this year’s Festival.

At SIFF, we believe it is our duty to find and show new and diverse stories that would otherwise not be shared in Seattle. We want to advance the work of emerging filmmakers from around the world and to bring these filmmakers together to learn from each other and from our audiences. We think it’s paramount to meet and support filmmakers in the ways and mediums in which they are currently working to ensure that our cultural ecology continues to thrive. For us, film is communal experience, and we thank you for coming out to join us and supporting the Seattle International Film Festival as we work to achieve these impacts.

The 433 films in this year’s Festival represent the work of a diversity of filmmakers from 90 countries. 43 percent are directed by women and ages range from teenage to octogenarian. More than half are first- or second-time filmmakers and we were introduced to over 4,700 films directly through our submissions process. We want to recognize the continued work necessary to bring equitable outcomes to our Festival.

In addition to our growing shorts program, this year we will fully introduce episodic and web content into the Festival. We have also expanded our exploration of VR/AR/360 filmmaking at the VR Zone with our partners WonderTek Labs. Our New Works-In-Progress Forum, Screenplay Competition, 4th World Mentorship Program, the True Productions & Clark Family Legacy Film Grants, and our Forums and education programs serve as development opportunities for both filmmakers and our audiences. The return of our Fly Filmmaking in partnership with WA Filmworks highlights creativity and filmmakers from across our state. We will host over 300 filmmakers and industry specialists, our peers from the Film Festival Alliance, more than 200 sponsors and partners and over 140,000 audience members to join on this journey.

SIFF 2018 will span across our region at seven venues including Ark Lodge Cinemas, Kirkland Performance Center, Cinemark Lincoln Square Cinemas, Majestic Bay Theatres, AMC Pacific Place, Shoreline Community College, and The Triple Door. We are thankful for this year’s filmmakers, all of our long-time partnerships, our generous sponsors, and our engaged audiences for helping us take risks and for truly appreciating film.

We look forward to seeing you at the Festival.

Sarah and Beth

We

are

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

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

The SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is the largest film festival in the United States, with more than 140,000 people attending each year. The 25-day event, held each May and June, is renowned for presenting over 430 features, short films, and documentaries gathered from 90 countries. We receive over 4,700 independent film submissions annually, and screen debut features and shorts alongside works by established master filmmakers and arthouse cinema hits. More than 70% of the films screened at the Festival will not return to theaters, making SIFF an amazing place to discover and celebrate new work from around the world.

Over 200,000 people annually attend SIFF CINEMA to see the best new arthouse and feature films at our three classic movie houses: SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and the SIFF Film Center. Featured also are the latest international works, one-of-a-kind special events, and festivals, including the Noir City film festival, Cinema Italian Style, and French Cinema Now. Through SIFF Cinema, we are dedicated to preserving and enriching the experience of attending the movies while going beyond the screen with filmmaker and panel discussions. SIFF Cinema also hosts SIFFsupports, a program dedicated to supporting, presenting, and highlighting film events and festivals by our local film community.

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

FROM SIFF’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Welcome to the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival!

On behalf of the Board of Directors and our Festival staff, I’d like to thank our sponsors, filmmakers, volunteers, and especially our audiences for making the Seattle International Film Festival what it is--amazing!

Now in its 44th year, SIFF spotlights the best in world of cinema from 90 countries. It is through this lens that we have the opportunity to grow our emotional intelligence as a community. In today’s ever-changing world, this is even more crucial. It allows us to see past the daily rhetoric and have a personal yet shared cultural experience. This is the power of film. This is the magic of SIFF.

Best wishes to everyone for a great Festival. Enjoy the magic!

Sincerely,

Richard Fassio President, SIFF Board of Directors

OFFICERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Richard Fassio, President

David Cornfield, Secretary

Mary Metastasio, Treasurer

Jim Angelo, Vice President Board Development

Amy Fulford, Vice President Board Engagement

Lynn Hubbard, Vice President Strategic Planning

Michelle Quisenberry, Vice President Development

Keith Simanton, Vice President Board Operations

Mary Bass Sharon Conner Christopher Conrad Katherine De Bruyn Craig Friedson

Donna James Brian LaMacchia Scott Lipsky Trish Lum Ian G. J. MacNeil

Diana Knauf Richard Meyer Billy O’Neill Rick Rasmussen Mark Rosencrantz

Brent Stiefel Carl Tostevin Richard von Riesen Sheree Wen Tom Wright

Deborah Person Tom Skerritt

Rick Stevenson

Vivian Gor Brian James

BOARD EMERITI

BOARD FELLOWS

FROM THE GOVERNOR

I am pleased to extend warm greetings to all of those attending the 44th annual Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). For those of you visiting us, it is a privilege to welcome you to the beautiful Evergreen State.

At 25 days, SIFF is the largest film festival in the United States, offering more than 400 feature films, shorts and documentaries from over 80 countries. Attracting many visitors from around the world, SIFF’s attendance continues to grow each year.

Cinema is more than entertainment; it is also a wonderful medium for exploring the human condition and the world around us. This celebration of the international language of film can only serve to enlighten us and enhance the diversity of our people, and I applaud the participating filmmakers and the many SIFF organizers and volunteers who work hard to make this special event possible.

Thank you for coming, and please accept my best wishes for a memorable festival and many years of continued success.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee Governor

FROM THE MAYOR

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the City of Seattle, I am excited to welcome audience members, artists, and organizers alike to the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival! I am grateful that our City has the opportunity each year to host such a prestigious and impressive cultural event.

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

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

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

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

Mayor of Seattle

FROM THE MAYOR OF BELLEVUE

Greetings:

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

John Chelminiak Mayor of Bellevue

FROM THE MAYOR OF KIRKLAND

Kirkland is pleased to host the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) for the tenth year. Our community and Eastside neighbors look forward to a “night on the town” in downtown Kirkland with a treasure trove of entertaining and provocative films. This city prides itself on its art, cultural, and educational offerings, and the film festival is always a mainstay of our art-filled year. As always, Kirkland is pleased to accommodate SIFF at our own downtown Kirkland Performance Center, which provides an intimate and comfortable setting for film watching.

While in Kirkland enjoying great movies, I encourage you to explore our vibrant downtown with a blend of outdoor recreation, art, dining, and boutique shopping. Our beautiful Park Lane, just around the corner from the Performance Center, just won a “Great Street in America” award. One of five streets in the nation to be bestowed with this distinction, Park Lane is a gem of a street will make your evening complete with outside dining, shopping and an outdoor sculpture gallery with works for sale by major regional artists.

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

My best wishes for an enjoyable visit.

Sincerely,

Amy Walen Mayor of Kirkland

FROM THE MAYOR OF SHORELINE

Once again, we are proud to partner with Shoreline Community College in welcoming the Seattle International Film Festival to Shoreline! Shoreline is a diverse community with a long history of celebrating the arts. Being a part of the largest film festival in the country is a natural fit for us.

Bringing the festival to Shoreline is part of the City and Community College’s ongoing collaboration to grow our media production industry. Launched in 2013, the Shoreline Film Office is growing a local film industry, and the talent to support it, by providing affordable resources to film professionals willing to create in an educational context.

Its mission is to make Shoreline a recognized hub of the media industry by providing excellent venues and professional education and training. The Film Office acts as a broker for services, incentives, venues, and production support for local film, gaming, theater, and sound professionals.

Located on the College campus, the Shoreline Film Office includes collaboration space and black-box rehearsal space. Those willing

to provide opportunities for students during their production can, with an educational agreement in place, use film students, equipment, venues, and facilities for filming and post-production at little or no additional cost.

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

For those of you who are coming to Shoreline for the first time or who are unfamiliar with the area, I encourage you to take some time to explore our great city. We have fantastic parks, unique shops, a wide variety of eateries, and a warm, diverse, and welcoming community to offer. To learn more, visit surprisedbyshoreline.com.

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the show!

Sincerely,

Will Hall Mayor of Shoreline

GRAND SPONSORS

OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF SIFF

PRODUCING SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

African Studies Program at UW

Ali Ahmadi

American Iranian Business Council

American Romanian Cultural Society

Anonymous

Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions

Bill Speidel’s Underground Paranormal Experience

Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour

Bill Speidel’s Underworld Tour

Bootstrapper Studios

Canadian Studies Center at UW

Center for Global Studies at UW

Center for Human Rights at UW

Center for West European Studies at UW

Cirque du Soleil – VOLTA

Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest San Francisco

Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles

East Asia Center at UW

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

Epic Team Adventures

Greater Seattle Vietnam Association

Hands on Location Massage

Honorary Consulate of Spain in Seattle

Japan Studies Program at UW

Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UW

Migranti Film Festival – University of Gastronomic Sciences

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

Agave Cocina & Tequilas

American Music

AV Factory

Barboza

barkTHINS

Butler Valet

Capitol Cider

The Commons at Ballard

Daughters of the American Revolution Hall

DJ Paco

Eltana Wood-Fired Bagel Café

The Essential Baking Company Facility, Inc.

MEDIA PARTNERS

AlphaGraphics

Amy Kowalenko

Art Access

Ashlyn Gehrett

Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties

Naini Family Foundation

Nima Foroutan DDS

North Seattle French School

Pagliacci Pizza

Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department

Professional Copy ‘n’ Print

Québec Government Office in Los Angeles

Radio Iranshahr

Sanaz Namdar

Seattle-Christchurch Sister City Association

Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association

Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association

Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association

Seattle-Reykjavik Sister City Association

Seattle Film Institute

Seattle Polish Film Festival

Seattle Turkish Film Festival

Shadi Araghi/Highlands Kids Dentistry

Sinikka and Babak Parviz

South Asia Center at UW

Stroum Center for Jewish Studies at UW

TheFilmSchool

Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington

UW Alumni Association

UW Iranian-American Faculty

Yuen Lui Photography Studio

Hollywood Lights

The House Studios

Il Fornaio

KIND Snacks

Krave Jerky

Les Boulangers Associes

The Maxwell Hotel

Mediterranean Inn

Molly’s Grown to Eat Music Man

Northern Lights Food & Beverage

Nuflours A Gluten Free Bakery

Party On The Rocks

Pedersen’s Rentals

Pel’meni Dumpling Tzar

Petite Galerie

Poppy

Rhein Haus

Rider

RN74

Savor Catering

Sole Repair Shop

Sweet Iron Waffles

Swift and Savory

Tankard & Tun

Triumph Bar

Wild Ginger

Beth Crook

Piper O’Neill

Stephen Mellander & Daniel Herda

Three Imaginary Girls

DONORS

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

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS.

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

INDIVIDUAL DONORS DONATIONS MADE TO THE CINEFUND BETWEEN MARCH 15, 2017 & MARCH 15, 2018.

A special thank you to the members of the Friends of SIFF multi-year giving society!

$25,000 & up

Jill Cook & AJ Ostman

Harold Matzner

Brent & Courtney Stiefel*

Lynn Hubbard & David Zapolsky*

$15,000 - $24,999

David & Linda Cornfield

Mickey McDonough & Carl Tostevin**

Richie Meyer & Susan Harmon**

$5,000 – $14,999

Jill & James Angelo

Sharon Conner

Janet & Christopher Conrad

Katherine & David De Bruyn**

Mary & Rich Fassio

Mark & Andrea Frabotta**

Craig Friedson

Amy Fulford

Donna & Michael James

Susan Kese

Brian LaMacchia**

Ian MacNeil

Mary

Gerard

$1,000

Peter

$250 - $499

Aaron Anderson & Emily Guillen

Ned Backus

Paul Baczewski

James Bianco

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David Buksh

Ricardo Ceja

Erica Chow

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Cheri Cornell

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Michael Dryfoos

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Andrew Estes

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Maura Fallon

Dee Fenton

Kayoko Fujita

Stanley Gartler

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Marvin Glover

Jean Greif

Wanda Herndon

Matthew Hooper

Amy Jackson

Stephen Jalickee

Darlene Johnson

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Rachael Jones

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Everett Seymoure

Meredith & Craig Shank

Patty Smith

Ken Sommers

Julie Speidel

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Andy Tischaefer

James Tisdel

Eunice Verstegen

Nancy Ward

Aliza Wenk

Gregory Whitcomb

David Wilborn

Wanda Wong

Leslie Yamada

$100 - $249

Jenny Abrams

Seth Acker

Lucille Adolphson

William Affleck Asch

Glenda Ahn

Alice Alexander

Ann Allen

Dan Allison

Elizabeth Alpaugh

Claus Andersen

Dave Anderson

Erik B Anderson

Scilla Andreen

Simon Astor

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Thomas Barden

Veronica Barnes

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BENEFACTOR

Glenn Abe

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Frank Branch

Victor Bremson

Cindy Brettler

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Brad Brickman

Dan Bridge

Herb Bridge

Al Briscoe

Heidi Broadhead

James Broadus

Madison Brooks

Meredith Brooks

Lance Brough

Karin Thompson Brown

Katherine Brown

Elizabeth Bruning

Julie Bryant

Jeanette Brynn

Grania Buckley

Martin Buckley

Robin Buerki

Josh Bugenig

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Juliette Dahl

Jeff Dahlgren

Wendy Dahlgren

Jaclyn Dahlvang

John W Daise

Harris Dale

Christopher Daley-Watson

Stephanie Daley-Watson

Deborah Daoust

Scott Davies

Carol Ann Davis

Jeff Davis

Diane Davis

Julie Davis

Stephanie Davis

Darren Dean

Robin Dearling

Christine Deavel

Brad Del Matto

Bev Denny

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Judith Dern

lori Devine

Scott Devore

Carla DewBerry

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Richelle Dickerson

Idalice Dickinson

Liz Diether-Martin

Mara Dillinger

Janice Dilworth

Sam Ditty

Patrice Doerr

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William Donnelly

Kaylee Dorsey

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Roger Downey

Ellen Downey

Michael Dragoni

Matthew Dresden

Susan Drew

Donald Driftmier

Jennifer Drill

Michael Dryfoos

Bill Dubay

Frederic Dubut

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Revelle Dunlop

Charlie Dunmire

Frances Durako

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Lauren Edlund

Mary Edwards

Francisco Eguiguren

Ron Ehlenberger

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Brittany Eisenegger

Carlyn Eisenegger

Jamie Eisenhart

Lynn Eisenhart

Wendy Ellington

Edmund Ellis

Robyn Ellis

Carina Elsenboss

Nadia Eng

Amy Enser

Jacquelyn Ernst

Andrew Espe

Amanda Espinosa-Aguilar

Teresa Eyler

Izumi Fairbanks

Woods Fairbanks

Adrienne Fairhall

Maura G Fallon

Kevin Fansler

H

Dona Farmer

Dorcas Farquhar

Jeff Fellows

Edward Felt

Dee Fenton

Joe Ferrara

Eric Fest

Christopher Fields

Greg Finger

Teri Fischer

Kathleen Fiser

Elliott Fitzgerald

James Fitzmaurice

Wilhelm Fitzpatrick

Christopher Fitzpatrick

Donald Fleming

Cheryl Fluehr

Rob Foley

Marion Folkemer

Ian Ford

Amy Forstrom

Molly Foster

Sarah Foster

Martha Fouts

David Franklin

Julie Fraser

John Freeman

Nancy Freeman

Charlene Freeman

Christopher Frick

Anne Fu

Randal Fuge

Rikke Fulkerson

Jill Fullagar

Jacob Fuller

Gayle Funk

Richard Funk

Jason Furbush

Jodie Futornick

Durwood Gafford

Elizabeth Gallagher

Emily Gallagher

Mimi Gan

Peter Gao

Karina Garcia

Jacob Garcia

Diana Gard

Mark Garneau

Mark Gau

Natalie Gendler

Sergey Genkin

Arden Giangarra

Anastasia Giannoulas

Emily Gibian

Jay Gibson

Brian Giddens

Annette Gililland

Mary Jo Gillis

Carol Ginsberg

Debbie Girard

Richard Girard

Geoffrey Glass

Kate Goddard

Laurie Gogic

Steve Goldstein

Derrick Gomez

Laura Gomez

Gay Goodman

Brien Gorham

Becca Gotz

Allen Gown

Carol Gown

Shannon Grant

Jan Gray

Thomas Grechis

Alia Green

Marsha Green

Chris Greer

Jennifer Greer

Jean Greif

Catherine L Greutert

Jasara Big Boy Gribble

Nathan Grieser

Lorien Gruchalla

Shawn Gudor

Brian Guerard

Kevin Guzowski

Linda Gwilym

Joshua Haddock

Benjamin Hagen

Jonathan Hall

Shelley Hall

M Elizabeth Halloran

Leta Hamilton

Lisa B. Hammond

Michael Hampton

Carl Hamry

Dana Hamry

Elizabeth Hanna

Jeffrey Hanna

Rosario Hanna

Lisa Hanna

Charles Hansen

Richard Hansen

Paige Hansen-Shankar

Mitch Harada

Michael Harbour

Chris Harmon

Bernice Harris

Donald Hartline

Donna Hartmann-Miller

Shuko Hashimoto

James Hastie

William Hawkins

Kathryn Hazzard

Laura Hearsey

Randy Heath

Russell Heglund

David Hellene

Olivia Hernandez

Wanda Herndon

Joshua Hibbard

Timothy Higgins

Sandy Hill

Steve Hill

Holly Hill

Judith Hill

Scott Hinckley

Kimberly Hitchcock

Carolyn Hitter

Jim Hitter

Kristiina Hiukka

Catherine Ho

Patrick Ho

Scott Hodukavich

Diana Hoffer

Kevin Hoffman

Brian Hogan

Valerie Hogan

Susan Hogan

Devin Hollingsworth

Douglas L. Hom

Bahar Honaryar

Eric Honea

Greg Simmons

John Simmons

Priya Singh

Clint Skullerud

Lenna Slingerland

Penny Slonecker

Greg Slyngstad

Mimi Slyngstad

Christine J. Smith

Erin Smith

Gregory Smith

Anna Smoak

Andrew Smullens

Don Sneesby

Linko Sobczak

Mary Sobczyk

Judi Sorensen

Christopher Sorenson

Matthew Sosnow

Siri Southwick-Young

Daron Spektor

Nancy Spragins

Amanda Sproule

Alan Stearns

Avril Steele

Sarah Steinberg

Meredith Stelling

Chuck Stempler

Mary Stevens

Ian Stevenson

Christopher Stewart

Jonathan Stewart

Kenneth Stikkers

Dave Stine

Caroline Stoebuck

Jeff Stolz

Kristin Stone

Poppy Storm

John Stratfold

Mike Strick

Anne Suen

Colleen Sullivan

D Matthew Summy

Shelly Sundberg

Vivika Sundqvist

Susan Susor

David Swan

Judy Swanson

Emilia Sweeney

Susan Swope

Henry Szymonik

Miles Takahashi

Raymond Takeuchi

Emily Tanner-McLean

Perry Tapper

Cody Taylor

Michael Taylor-Judd

Mike Teeny

Beth Terrell

Kelly Testerman

Bonnie Thomas

Douglas Thomas

Sean C. Thomas

Toby Thomas

Jack Thompson

Ovid Thompson

Ryan Thompson

David Thorpe

Rajani Thykkuttathil

Petra Tierney

Rick Timkovich

Havens Tipps

Caroline Tobin

Andreea Tofan

Timothy Tomlinson

Patrick Tompkins

Patrick Tousignant

Margaret Trainer

John Traino

Janis Traven

Timothy Tribble

Karen Trilevsky

Leta Troka

Edward Truong

Laura Trutna

Philip Tse

Cheryl Tseo

Mary Tudor

Dane Tuttle

Lisa Upshaw

Liberty Upton

Sean Usibelli

Melanie Vanderhei

Brian Van Doren

Jenaya Van Horn

Irina Van Patten

John Van Patten

Calvin Van Zee

Margo Vansynghel

Sondra Vasquez

Alan Veigel

Laura Veigel

Peter Verburgt

Eunice Verstegen

Sandra Vigil

Ben Viglietta

Eugenial Vinyar

Val Vinyar

Sarita Viramontez

Anne Nicole Visel

Nikki Visel

George Wagner

Jean Wagner

Paula Wagner

Carl Wagoner

Jessica Wagoner

Andrew Wagster

Robin Walbeck-Forrest

Lenore Waldron

Amanda Walker

Arielle Walker

Susan Wamsley

Grace Wang

Cynthia Ward

Lorraine Warehime

Mark Warehime

Ardee Warshal

Joan Waters

Heather Weihl

Beth Weir

Dorothy Wendler

Dennis West

Joan

Chelsea Whittler

William A Wichgers

Ted Wiedman

Chris Wilcott

Helen Williams-Ginsberg Dan Williamson

Davida Wolf

Richard Wolf

Sally Wolf

Carol Wollenberg

Peter Wong

Tana Wong

Justin Wood

Lisa Woodruff-Miller

James Woods-Palmer

Sara Woolsey

John Wright

Kyoko Wright

Laura Wright

Richard Wurdack

Keiko Yamada

Steven Yee

Jake Ynzunza

Brittney Young

Deborah Young

Freddie Yudin

Amy Yunis

Adam Zacks

Nicole Zarfos

Nicholas Zatkovich

Cindy Zech

Chenmuren Zhang

Anja Ziegler

John Zilavy

William Zimmerman

Mahria Zook

John Zunick

Karl Zwick

Gerard Zytnicki

Pamela Zytnicki

Paula Wissel

Ashleigh Withall

Rebecca Withington

Cathy Wittel

Walter Wittel

Aletheia Wittman

Antoinette Wizenberg

SIFF ALSO THANKS THE 3,961 ENTHUSIAST, 14 FUTUREWAVE, 37 SFI ENTHUSIAST, 1,580 SENIOR, & 273 STUDENT MEMBERS.

SIFF is more than just an annual festival of the world’s greatest films; it’s a community of creative, passionate people who live & breathe cinema. This section is dedicated to our talented team of programmers. These are the people who work & watch movies all year long to curate the best films possible for the Seattle International Film Festival. This year we asked: If you owned a theater & could program the double feature of your dreams, which two films would it consist of? Here are some of our dedicated programmers’ answers:

BETH BARRETT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

My dream double feature is My Neighbor Totoro followed by West Side Story, both films I can watch over & over again. There is such a sense of joy in both—also of loss—that resonates with me at all different times of my life.

ANGELO ACERBI FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Short Cuts by Robert Altman & Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson. Two fundamental films where the whole of humanity is narrated through small private stories & told in a superlative way; two enormously important directors who, each one in his time, marked with their movies a new path in filmmaking.

MARYNA AJAJA SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Norman Jewison’s The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming & Dusan Makavejev’s Montenegro, because these days I need some comedy.

JUSTINE BARDA SENIOR PROGRAMMER

To narrow the scope a bit, here are the festival double features I propose for SIFF 2018: The Gospel According to André / Angels Wear White; My Big Gay Italian Wedding / Naples in Veils; Sansho the Bailiff / The Crime of Monsieur Lange; Eighth Grade / The Most Dangerous Year; Lots of Kids, a Monkey, & a Castle / It Will Be Chaos.

CHRISTOPHER CORONADO FESTIVAL SHORTS PROGRAMMER

Ken Russell’s Lisztomania & Milos Forman’s Amadeus. Separated by nearly a decade, these two films forced classical music into the modern milieu. Lisztomania is a psychedelic tour-de-force biopic adapted for 1970s prog rock grandiosity while Amadeus makes direct links between Mozart & 1980s punk rock. Though stylistically miles apart, these films sing together in harmony.

JAMES DAVIS OPERATIONS & CINEMA PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

I would do a drive-in double feature on a lake with Jaws & Piranha 3D. Hopefully I could get Richard Dreyfuss as a special guest.

SAM DITTY PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT

I dream BIG when it comes to movies so I would want to show in my magic theater a competed print of Orson Welles’s Don Quixote, not the Franco cut. This would then be followed by the third Fantasia film that sadly Disney has yet to make. Fantastical yes, but I guarantee a full house.

DAN DOODY FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

There are so many combinations that run through my head with this question, but I think I would have to go with two personal favorites from 1942—Cat People by Jacques Tourneur & Val Lewton and I Married a Witch by Rene Clair—two noirish, supernatural variations on the theme of love & romance, one dark, the other a light, playful farce.

ILIA GERBER PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT

I would like to honor animation & its power to impact our reality. The Fantastic Planet (1973) by René Laloux, & Joanne Sfar’s Rabbi’s Cat (2011), are two fundamentals of French animation that encompass the understanding of human nature & societal dynamics. These two films take you on a visually enchanting, philosophical journey, which will delight & speak to the souls of the whole family.

LAURA GOOD FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

There are too many double bills that I would love to present, but a few include: In the Mood for Love with Moonlight, La Jetée with Calendar, & The Lobster with Toni Erdmann!

MARCUS GORMAN FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Let’s pretend that I’m launching a new screening program at this theater, so I’d introduce the whole shebang with two very personal stories about writers: the bitter, black heart of Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard and the big bear hug that is Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous

RUTH HAYLER FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

My fantasy double bill is Buster Keaton in Sherlock Jr. (1924) & Jackie Chan in Police Story (1985). In Sherlock Jr., Buster appears, incredibly, to dive right through the chest of his assistant to escape a bad guy; in Police Story Jackie hangs from a speeding bus by a swinging umbrella. I love both these guys: They embody the joy of motion, in motion pictures!

JANE JULIAN FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

If I owned a theater & could program any two films I wanted I would break these rules just a bit. I would declare a Saturday MORGAN NEVILLE DAY! I would start with

Troubadours, then Best of Enemies, 20 Feet From Stardom, The Music of Strangers & finish up with Won’t You Be My Neighbor? He was our Special Guest last September at the Port Townsend Film Festival & I am a huge fan!

DUSTIN KASPAR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS MANAGER

Dracula: Pages of a Virgin’s Diary & All That Jazz. Two great films about the experience of performance; the first reimagines the Winnipeg Ballet performance of Dracula into a silent film which brings the audience onstage of the production, & the second strips bare the creative life into a marriage of all-consuming passion & self-destruction & includes several of the most primal dance performances committed to celluloid.

MEGAN LEONARD FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

I accidentally doublefeatured The Handmaiden & Fat Girl earlier this year & it rocked my world. I want everyone else to experience what I did to myself, because it was sexy yet horrifying.

ALEXANDRA MAREZ PROGRAMMING ASSISTANT

I’m going to go with Victoria by Sebastian Schipper, followed by About Time by Richard Curtis. They are the only two films that can completely break your heart & put it back together at the same time.

KATHLEEN MCINNIS WORKS-IN-PROGRESS CURATOR

My double-feature would be 12 Angry Men (1957, Sidney Lumet) & To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, Robert Mulligan). “Real courage…it’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway & see it through no matter what”-Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird.

CLINTON MCCLUNG FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

Xanadu and Can’t Stop the Music. I’ve written a couple of way-toolengthy essays about how these two failed roller boogie-inspired musicals are the yin & yang of my favorite genre: the cinematic misfire. One is a fantasyland version of LA, the other of NYC, & together they represent the best & worst of both!

COLLEEN O’HOLLERAN FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

The Uninvited (1944) & Drag Me to Hell (2009). Séance scenes make great horror sets. The séance in Drag Me to Hell is loud & violent, in contrast with that of The Uninvited, which is relatively subdued but equally unsettling. I’d love to greet the audience with the dramatic noir of The Uninvited & send them off with the heightened cinematic moment, which takes place in the last seconds of Drag Me to Hell.

CORY RODRIGUEZ PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR

My wicked double feature would start with the 1999 horror classic The Blair Witch Project that would assault your eyes with the found footage style & the discomfort of darkness. Following this would be the trivialized The Lords of Salem (2012) with an aural invasion as the instrumentals & sharp incantations of ‘The Lords’ seep into your mind.

STAN SHIELDS PROGRAMMING MANAGER

A special Valentine’s Day presentation of 500 Days of Summer & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

ANDY SPLETZER FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

I’m going to open my theater for brunch & play Cool Hand Luke with The Shape of Water. Between the screenings, I’ll run a contest where anybody who can eat 50 hardboiled eggs will win a portable record player & hand-drawn “fish man” art. People who don’t join the contest will still be able to buy hardboiled eggs at the concessions stand.

HEBE TABACHNIK SENIOR PROGRAMMER

Full blown drama is front-and-center in my double-feature: first, Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Ran, the period tragedy that reimagines Shakespeare’s “King Lear” with its powerful images, performances, & use of color & music, followed by the fevered characters of Carmen by Carlos Saura in his riveting flamenco story of passion & betrayal inspired on Mérimée’s novella & Bizet’s opera. High-octane emotions run high in this cinematic feast for the senses.

CALEB WARD FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER

I would program a double feature of Sleepaway Camp & The Slumber Party Massacre, simply because I love those movies so much.

WHAT SORT OF FILM DO I FEEL LIKE SEEING TONIGHT?

QUICK GUIDE TO MOODS

With our handy moods groupings, we’ve made it easy to find the type of cinematic experience you’re in the mood for. Instead of using traditional categories, we’ve aimed to connect films with you, the audience, by organizing them into eight areas that match your mood. Mood index begins on pge 285.

Romance and love in all its forms, pleasures, and idiosyncrasies.

Films that tickle your funny bone.

Suspense, thrills, and action—films with a faster pace that might also surprise you when you least expect it!

Prepare to be taken to another place—from far-off lands to vibrant experiences outside of everyday life.

The exploration of artistic endeavors from all disciplines: music, literature, cooking, film, art, dance, and performance. Revealing films and documentaries revolving around history, politics, and contemporary events from around the world.

The most outrageous, mind-blowing, and unexpected tales in genre filmmaking that will stimulate your brain and leave you happily exclaiming “WTF?!”

MEET THE PROGRAMMERS

SIFF is more than just an annual festival of the world’s greatest films; it’s a community of creative passionate people who live and breathe cinema. Here is our talented team of 35 programmers—the people who work and watch movies all year long to curate the best films possible for the continually growing Seattle International Film Festival.

BETH BARRETT

Artistic Director

STAN SHIELDS

Festival Programming Manager

DUSTIN KASPAR

Educational Programs Manager

CORY RODRIGUEZ Programming Coordinator

Senior Programmers

MARYNA AJAJA

JUSTINE BARDA

HEBE TABACHNIK

Festival Programmers

ANGELO ACERBI

CLARE CANZONERI

SUJ’N CHON

CHRISTOPHER CORONADO

JAMES DAVIS

JUAN MANUEL

DOMINGUEZ

DAN DOODY

LAURA GOOD

MARCUS GORMAN

SARAH HARRIS

JANE JULIAN

Mesmerizing dramas and documentaries that explore provocative questions, realities, and topics.

RUTH HAYLER

DUNIA KAYUNGU

MEGAN LEONARD

KATHLEEN MCINNIS

CLINTON MCCLUNG

RITA MEHER

DALE NASH

COLLEEN O’HOLLERAN

TRACY RECTOR

ANDY SPLETZER

MAYUMI TSUTAKAWA

KIM VOYNAR

CALEB WARD

Programming Assistants

CILIN DENG

SAM DITTY

ILIA GERBER

ALEXANDRA MAREZ

An Official Wine of

Director: Isabel Coixet

Producers: Jaume Banacolocha

Joan Bas

Adolfo Blanco

Chris Curling

Screenwriter: Isabel Coixet

Cinematographer: Jean-Claude Larrieu

Editor: Bernat Aragonés

Music:

Alfonso de Vilallonga

Cast: Emily Mortimer

Bill Nighy

Patricia Clarkson

Julie Christie

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Celsius Entertainment

Print Source: Greenwich Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

Proyecto tiempo (2017)

El Espiritu de la Pintura (2017)

Spain in a Day (2016)

Endless Night (2015)

Learning to Drive (2014)

Another Me (2013)

Yesterday Never Ends (2013)

Listening to the Judge (2011)

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)

The Secret Life of Words (2005)

My Life Without Me (2003)

Those Who Love (1998)

Things I Never Told You (1996)

The Bookshop

UNITED KINGDOM/SPAIN/GERMANY 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 7:00 PM

FILM: MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL PARTY: FISHER PAVILION

Who thought opening a bookstore would be so difficult, catering to small-town conservative British folks who aren’t too enthusiastic about reading? Set in 1959, Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop centers on Florence Green (Emily Mortimer), a widow who decides to open a bookstore in the town of Hardborough, Suffolk. The location of the shop is an old abandoned house that local bigwig Violet Gamart (Patricia Clarkson, ice-cold and endlessly calculating) wants to turn into an arts center. Despite the mild-mannered but ruthless opposition she faces from Violet and other stubborn townsfolk, Florence presses on with her underdog business, also striking up a friendship with the local recluse Mr. Brundish (the delightful Bill Nighy), who becomes her best client. Restrained but quietly subversive and bolstered by strong lead performances, The Bookshop is a melancholic celebration of bibliophilia, based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s 1978 novel of the same name, with a strong resonance of the world today, suggesating that a world without books is a nasty place to live.

Director: Boots Riley

Producers:

Nina Yang Bongiovi

Forrest Whitaker

Charles King

George Rush

Jonathan Duffy

Kelly Williams

Screenwriter: Boots Riley

Cinematographer: Doug Emmett

Editor: Terel Gibson

Music: Tune-Yards

The Coup Cast: Lakeith Stanfield

Tessa Thompson

Steven Yeun

Jermaine Fowler

Armie Hammer

Omari Hardwick

David Cross

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source: Annapurna Pictures

Film Website: annapurna.pictures/films/sorryto-bother-you

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Sorry to Bother You USA 2018

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 5:30 PM

FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN PARTY: DAR RAINIER CHAPTER HOUSE

Musician Boots Riley’s debut feature film is an off-the-wall, neon, drug-fueled, dystopian black comedy that doesn’t slow down for a moment for you to catch your breath. Lakeith Stanfield (“Atlanta,” Short Term 12) leads us on this journey as Cassius Green, a down-on-his-luck guy looking for any job that can help lift him out of his situation. When he jumps on an opening at a telemarketing company, he quickly learns that he’ll improve his sales by utilizing his “white voice,” voiced perfectly by David Cross (“Arrested Development,” “Mr. Show”), and proceeds to become a power caller. But what is he even selling? Cassius receives support from Detroit (Tessa Thompson, Selma, Dear White People), Cassius’s activist/artist girlfriend who wears her feelings on her earrings, at least until she learns what Cassius has had to sell to earn the money for their new lifestyle. As Cassius continues his meteoric rise, he catches the eye of the company’s obnoxious cocaine-snorting CEO, played by the normally charming Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name), and things quickly spiral towards an unimaginable end. Riley puts his stamp on the film with surrealist fanaticism and an unforgettable soundtrack from his own band The Coup to create a cinematic experience you won’t soon forget.

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot USA 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 6:00 PM

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

Director: Gus Van Sant

Producers: Charles-Marie Anthonioz Mourad Belkeddar

Steve Golin

Nicolas Lhermitte

Screenwriter: Gus Van Sant

Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt

Editors: David Marks

Gus Van Sant

Music: Danny Elfman

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix

Jonah Hill

Rooney Mara

Jack Black

Beth Ditto

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation

Format: DCP

Print Source: Amazon Studios

Film Website: facebook.com/DontWorryMovie

Selected Filmography: The Sea of Trees (2015)

Promised Land (2012)

Restless (2011)

Milk (2008)

Paranoid Park (2007)

Last Days (2005)

Elephant (2003)

Gerry (2002)

Finding Forrester (2000)

Psycho (1998)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

To Die For (1995)

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Mala Noche (1986)

The first third of cartoonist John Callahan’s life was far from comical. Given up for adoption in infancy, he was molested by a teacher at age eight, began drinking heavily at 13, and became a quadriplegic at 21 following a horrific car crash. From this misery, however, Callahan discovered a knack for crudely rendered, yet savagely funny, pen-and-ink cartooning, giving him a creative outlet and the catharsis he needed to express the dark, brutally honest emotions bottled up inside him. Filmmaker Gus Van Sant and actor Joaquin Phoenix (working together for the first time since 1995’s To Die For) tell the story of Callahan’s journey of redemption from reprobate drunk to sober, successful, politically incorrect cartoonist. Phoenix is mesmerizing as the curmudgeonly Callahan, racing around the streets of Portland in his electric wheelchair with his shock of orange hair and disregard for traffic signals. He is helped along through his many setbacks by his AA sponsor, Donnie (Jonah Hill)—a wealthy, gay, hippie-ish devout Christian and walking contradiction, and Annu (Rooney Mara), a Swedish physical therapist with whom John discovers the joys of romance. This biopic takes an unflinching view of the indignities of paralysis, yet finds humanity in this confrontational artist’s struggle to find dark humor in the most painful circumstances.

Directors: Filip Hammar Fredrik Wikingsson

Producers: Renée Axö Martin Söder

Screenwriters: Filip Hammar

Fredrik Wikingsson

Cinematographer: Simon Rudholm

Editors: Gregers Dohn

Johan Kjellberg

Henrik Källberg

Music: Magnus Palmborg

Cast: Mikael Perssbrandt

Helena Bergström

Agnes Lindström Bolmgren

Tomas von Brömssen

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Swedish Film Institute

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Cake General

SWEDEN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 5:3O PM

FILM: MAJESTIC BAY THEATRES PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM

ENCORE SCREENINGS: SUNDAY, MAY 20, 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN SATURDAY, MAY 26, 3:15 PM SHORELINE CC

In 1984, the small town of Köping is named the most boring town in Sweden by a popular television show, Rekord-Magazinet. Resident Hasse Pettersson (Mikael Perssbrandt, The Hobbit) refuses to allow his new home to become the subject of a national joke and sets off on a mission to drum up some attention-grabbing excitement. A man who struggles with his drinking habits and financial status, Hasse decides to make the world’s largest sandwich cake. By pursuing this goal and realizing his potential for success by any means, Hasse is able to attain a much-needed sense of purpose. A tale of personal fulfillment and resilience, Cake General also stands as the story of a community banding together to prove that no group of people should be cast aside or titled as irrelevant. Former television comedy hosts and debut directors Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson based the film on an outrageous true story. Their work serves as a loving tribute to people who live outside the boundaries of what is considered conventional and set out to relentlessly achieve a meaningful goal, no matter how absurd it may seem.

Director: Morgan Neville

Producers: Caryn Capotosto Nicholas Ma

Cinematographer: Graham Willoughby

Editors: Jeff Malmberg Aaron Wickenden

Music: Jonathan Kirkscey

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Focus Features

Film Website: facebook.com/mrrogersmovie

Selected Filmography: Keith Richards: Under the Influence (Doc, 2015)

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road

Ensemble (Doc, 2015)

Best of Enemies (Doc, 2015)

20 Feet from Stardom, (Doc, 2013)

Troubadours (Doc, 2011)

Johnny Cash’s America (Doc, 2008)

The Cool School (Doc, 2008)

Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: ‘Cowboy’ Jack Clement’s Home Movies (Doc, 2005)

Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A. (Doc, 1995)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS

After half of a century on television sharing countless teachings of love and kindness, Fred Rogers remains a cultural icon and the personification of nostalgia. Among the list of his many identities as a husband, father, educator, minister, and musician, also lies innovator. “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” redefined children’s programming by unabashedly addressing social issues like equity, race relations, disability, divorce, and mental health using puppetry and songs to translate powerful messages that remain relevant to people of all ages. Oscar®-winning director Morgan Neville’s documentary reflects Rogers’ unyielding purity and imagination, and through archival footage paints a more complete portrait than the public has ever seen on their television screens. Teased as a child for his weight, Rogers became a man with zero tolerance for cruelty of any kind, and gained a shameless confidence that was perpetuated through being transparent and unapologetic about his flaws. His famous tenet that everyone should be loved and respected for their authentic selves is the center of Neville’s film, as audiences are made to truly question if they are fulfilling the admirable vision of the American legend and being the best neighbor they can be.

Director: Nick Kelly

Producer: Kate McColgan

Screenwriter: Nick Kelly

Cinematographer: Tom Comerford Editor: Derek Holland

Music: John Gerard Walsh

Cast: Dermot Murphy

Jacob McCarthy

Peter Coonan

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: StudioCanal

Print Source: The Film Sales Company

Film Website: facebook.com/thedrummerandthekeeper

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Drummer and the Keeper

IRELAND/USA 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 PM

FILM AND PARTY: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER

ENCORE SCREENING: FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Gabriel is a talented yet troubled drummer for an up-and-coming Dublin rock band. After years of impulsive, selfdestructive behavior, he is diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic and delusional episodes, the same disease from which his deceased mother suffered. His bandmates, with assistance from his sister, give Gabriel an ultimatum—seek treatment now. Along with new medications, his therapist prescribes physical activity, specifically to join a weekend mixed-ability soccer team. It’s during his first outing on the pitch where he meets Christopher, a 17-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome, obsessed by goalkeeping and all the statistics associated with it. Christopher latches on to Gabriel, despite the latter’s rather cool reception, forging a tenuous bond. But Gabriel and his bandmates soon discover Christopher to be quite useful, particularly for an indie outfit in need of a roadie. However, while Christopher revels in the new freedom and worldliness he’s discovered, Gabriel wrestles with the mind-numbing side effects of his new medication. In his first feature film, director Nick Kelly—whose own son is on the autistic spectrum—fearlessly tackles the difficult struggles of mental health patients with a poignant and comic sensibility that never slips into the maudlin to create a charming bro-com between two odd and lonely souls.

Directors: Francesco Bertolini

Giuseppe de Liguoro

Adolfo Padovan

Screenwriter:

Based on the epic poem by Dante Alighieri

Cinematographer:

Emilio Roncarolo

Music: Raffaele Caravaglios (original 1911 score)

My Goodness (live score for 2018)

Cast:

Salvatore Papa

Arturo Pirovano

Giuseppe de Liguoro

Augusto Milla

Pier Delle Vigne

Emilise Beretta

Running Time: 71 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, Silent, with English intertitles and subtitles

L’Inferno with Live Score performed by My Goodness

ITALY 1911

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 7:00 PM THE TRIPLE DOOR

SIFF’s signature event at Seattle’s premiere live venue The Triple Door features rock band My Goodness, whose expansive blues, garage, and reverb-inspired sound fueled their latest record “Scavengers,” described by VICE as “a deeply atmospheric album...that ebbs and flows seamlessly between euphoria and melancholy.” Their sound is a fitting complement to the groundbreaking silent film L’Inferno, for which My Goodness will perform their own live score. Filmed over the course of three years and released in 1911, the first feature film of Italian Cinema was inspired by Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” and the artwork of Gustav Doré. It begins with Dante and Virgil as they embark a ghoulish, sometimes fetishistic trip through Hell, visiting the poor tortured souls therein, witnessing their punishments, and on occasion hearing the stories of the lives they once had that lead them to eternal damnation. Utilizing gloriously baroque sets, copious nudity, and awe-inspiring Mélièsian special effects, the film stunned audiences and became an international sensation. It remains an outstanding visual achievement that captures an incredibly complex masterwork in surprisingly simple and innovative strokes of macabre genius.

Highlander with Live Soundtrack by DJ NicFit

UNITED KINGDOM/USA 1986

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Producers:

Peter S. Davis

Jean-Luc Defait

Ziad El Khoury

Screenwriter: Peter Bellwood

Cinematographer: Phil Meheux

Editors: Hubert de La Bouillerie

Anthony Redman

Music: Stewart Copeland (original 1986 score)

DJ NicFit (live score for 2018)

Cast: Christopher Lambert

Roxanne Hart

Clancy Brown

Sean Connery

Beatie Edney

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Selected Filmography: Give ‘em Hell Malone (2009)

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Swimming Upstream (2003) Resurrection (1999)

Tale of the Mummy (1998)

Silent Trigger (1996) The Shadow (1994) Blue Ice (1992) Ricochet (1991)

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) Razorback (1984)

“There can only be one!” This is the simple yet inspired premise behind the complex mythology of Highlander, the beloved science fiction/fantasy/action hybrid from 1986 that spawned a franchise that is still going strong today. A secret society of immortal swordsmen have existed throughout history, fighting each other to gain a magical energy known as “The Quickening.” Drawn by destiny, the last remaining Immortals, including medieval Scottish clansman Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), gather in 1980s New York City for their final showdown. Director Russell Mulcahy created a look and feel for the Highlander universe that drew heavily on his years crafting groundbreaking music videos, including the iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and rock icons Queen offered up a handful of new songs to punctuate the film’s kinetic visual style. But the soundtrack to Highlander had room for so much more Queen, and now Seattle-based DJ Nicholas “NicFit” Gilmore is ready to deliver! After years spinning music over the top of his favorite films in a regular series at Naked City Brewery and performances at Northwest Film Forum and SIFF Cinema, DJ NicFit has dug into the decades-spanning catalogue of Queen to provide an all-new Mercury and May driven soundtrack for this rock-tinged adventure, as performed live on two turntables at this special one-of-a-kind event.

Directors: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Producers: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Screenwriters: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Editors: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Featuring: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Found Footage Festival

Film Website: foundfootagefest.com

Selected Filmography: Pickett:

Zany Zingers and Bonked-out Blunders (2010)

Found Footage Festival Volume

4: Live in Tucson (2009)

Found Footage Festival Volume

3: Live in San Francisco (2008)

Dirty Country (2007)

Found Footage Festival Volume

2: Live in Minneapolis (2007)

Prueher:

Volume 3: Live in San Francisco (2008)

Dirty Country (2007)

Found Footage Festival Volume

2: Live in Minneapolis (2007)

Found Footage Festival: Cherished Gems

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

The Found Footage Festival presents a hilarious best-and-worst-of collection of unbelievable discoveries culled from the dark recesses of the vintage VHS vaults. Founders Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher began their lifelong love affair with strange, outrageous, and profoundly stupid videos in high school when they discovered “Inside and Outside Custodial Duties,” a training video featuring a pair of McDonald’s employees who take extreme pride in mopping up grease and cleaning toilets. In 2004, they launched the Found Footage Festival, a guided tour of their vast VHS library punctuated by informative, hilarious commentary and original where-are-they-now segments. Since then, they have toured the world presenting the most regrettable moments ever captured on videotape: bizarre exercise and celebrity advice videos, abandoned home movies, inexplicable public access television, and the expletive-laden commercial outtakes of an angry salesman which became the subject of the acclaimed 2009 documentary feature Winnebago Man. Nick and Joe are also the masterminds behind a series of local morning TV show pranks, most recently appearing as a strongman duo called Chop & Steele, whose regimen for staying in shape includes lifting cinder blocks, chopping sticks in half, and crushing wicker baskets. Their hilariously inept appearances lead to what Prueher describes as “a really stupid First Amendment battle,” all of which will be revealed at this truly one-of-a-kind show.

On view through June 17 THE

Director: Bo Burnham

Producers: Scott Rudin Eli Bush Christopher Storer

Lila Yacoub

Screenwriter: Bo Burnham

Cinematographer: Andrew Wehde

Editor: Jennifer Lilly

Music: Anna Meredith

Cast: Elsie Fisher

Josh Hamilton

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: A24 Films

Film Website: a24films.com/films/ eighth-grade

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Eighth Grade

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

ENCORE SCREENING: SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Most of us didn’t have our lives figured out by eighth grade graduation, despite best efforts to prove otherwise in the face of our classmates. Smart phones and convenient tech have brought the existential dread of not being cool all the way home 24/7 for kids of the current generation. Without the threat of Russian strike, today’s kids have far more intimate—but no less visceral—concerns. Bo Burnham’s directorial debut weeds through the minefield that is modern adolescence through the view of Kayla, a thoughtful 13-year-old girl on the precipice of completing junior high. A social media life coach of sorts, Kayla produces YouTube videos to her imaginary subscribers about self-love and confidence, yet can’t quite put these into practice in her own life. In avoiding typical autobiographical coming-of-age film clichés, Burnham, a renowned 27-year-old male comedian, tells his own empathetic tale through the eyes and voice of a female middle-schooler. Eighth Grade pulls the extraordinary out of the ordinary with a unique story amidst the average teen experience. Whether you’re a current student, or an adult whose middle school years are long gone, Kayla (and Bo’s) tale strikes home for any who have questioned if they belonged.

Awards: SFFILM Festival 2018 (Audience Award)

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T HAN K YOU

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

–Leslie and Dale Chihuly

CHIHULY

A TRIBUTE TO ETHAN HAWKE

CINEMA EGYPTIAN

A modern-day renaissance artist, Ethan Hawke’s creative talent continues to flourish in several realms of expression. An actor, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker, his body of work is as broad as it is deep in a career that now spans three decades. From portraying a rocksteady police sergeant and cowboy, to a sensitive teenage poet and young heart throb, his versatility as an actor is renowned, cementing him as one of the great performers of this generation.

Ethan Hawke was born on November 6th, 1970 in Austin, Texas. For the early years of his life, Ethan moved around the country with his charity-working mother Leslie before settling in Princeton, New Jersey. It was there he took the stage for the first time in a Princeton University production of “St. Joan” at just 13 years old. This would net him an audition for Joe Dante’s 1985 sci-fi comedy Explorers, in which he starred opposite River Phoenix.

In 1989, he had just begun at Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious theater program before nailing his career-igniting role as the sensitive prep-schooler Todd Anderson in the Oscar®winning film Dead Poets Society, directed by Peter Weir and starring opposite the late Robin Williams. From there, he went on to play Ted Danson’s son and Jack Lemmon’s grandson in the critically acclaimed dramedy Dad. His first leading role came in the 1991 adaptation of Jack London’s novel White Fang, playing the rugged, young gold miner Jack Conroy, who befriends the famed titular wolfdog.

The mid-’90s saw him star in romantic and sensitive leads that would establish him as a major American heartthrob as well as garner serious critical acclaim for his performances. His nuanced acting in 1994’s Reality Bites as Troy, a perpetual slacker both gruff and vulnerable, won him praise from audiences and critics alike. It was there he mastered his trademark endearing edginess that would serve him well in so many characters to come. The following year sparked his longtime collaboration with director Richard Linklater in Before Sunrise and two subsequent sequels Before Sunset and Before Midnight, each filmed and taking place nine years after the previous one, and each an astounding dissection of relationships and intimate connection. He maintained his first love of theater and performed in plays over those years as well, including a New York Shakespeare Festival production of “Casanova” and several Broadway and off-Broadway performances, a career that will continue into 2019 with a revival of Sam Shepard’s “True West.”

While taking a brief respite from acting, in 1996 he released his impressive first novel “The Hottest State,” a story of young confused love that met positive reviews. He’d call the experience one of the “scariest and best” things he’d ever done, and there’d be more literature to come. He made his

return to film and the science-fiction genre with 1997’s Gattaca. 1998 was a huge year for Hawke with Alfonso Cuarón’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations opposite Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert De Niro.

With the turn of the century came several firsts for Ethan, including an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Training Day (2001) as rookie cop Jake Hoyt opposite Denzel Washington. The film was both a major box office and critical hit. 2002 saw his directorial debut with Chelsea Walls, a critically successful indie drama about five artists living in the Chelsea Hotel, and his second novel “Ash Wednesday,” which made the New York Times’ Bestseller list. In 2004 he earned his second Oscar® nomination with Before Sunset, this time for Best Adapted Screenplay, again with Linklater at the helm and co-star Julie Delpy. He’d take the director’s chair for the second time in 2007 with The Hottest State, the adaptation of his debut novel. Throughout the decade he starred in several more movies, from gritty thrillers like Brooklyn’s Finest (2009) to a foray into horror with Sinister (2012) and dystopian thriller The Purge (2013).

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

Explorers (1985)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dad (1989)

White Fang (1991)

A Midnight Clear (1992)

Alive (1993)

Reality Bites (1994)

Before Sunrise (1995)

Gattaca (1997)

Great Expectations (1998)

The Newton Boys (1998)

Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)

Hamlet (2000)

Waking Life (2001)

Tape (2001)

Training Day (2001)

Chelsea Walls (Dir. 2002)

Before Sunset (2004)

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

His second Oscar® writing nod came with 2013’s Before Midnight, the final installment of the Before trilogy. He and Linklater would follow that with Boyhood, an immense project filmed over a decade detailing the maturation process of a boy to young man based on interactions with Ethan’s own children, for which he earned his second Oscar® nomination as Best Supporting Actor and fourth nomination total.

Ethan has used his celebrity in the name of several philanthropic causes. Every year, he supports his mother Leslie’s organization

The Alex Fund, a Bucharest-based charity that assists poor Romanian children get into schools. Here in the States, he works with The Doe Fund, a homeless aid organization that offers the tools to help people get back on their feet.

We honor Ethan Hawke—a genuine artist, versatile performer, and an honest writer—with the 2018 Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award. SIFF will screen Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, for which he has been recognized for his spectacular performance, and his most recent directorial effort, Blaze, an indie biopic about legendary blues artist Blaze Foley.

Fast Food Nation (2006)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

The Hottest State (Dir. 2007)

Daybreakers (2009)

Brooklyn’s Finest (2009)

Sinister (2012)

Before Midnight (2013)

The Purge (2013)

Boyhood (2014)

Predestination (2014)

Seymour: An Introduction (Dir. 2015)

Born to Be Blue (2015)

In a Valley of Violence (2016)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

First Reformed (2017)

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Juliet, Naked (2018)

Blaze (Dir. 2018)

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 7:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 3:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA

Blaze Foley was one of those raw musical talents that absolutely refused stardom and reveled in obscurity. Ethan Hawke’s biopic Blaze, based on Foley’s former wife and accomplished playwright Sybil Rosen’s memoir, is a touching ode to the tragically mysterious country-blues artist stretching from their west Georgia forest dwelling days to his untimely death by gunshot in Austin, TX. The two meet working in a hippie-style church commune in the mid-’70s, and they’re an unlikely couple at first sight: He’s a big, oafish country boy with a polio limp, and she (Alia Shawkat, “Arrested Development,” Whip It) is a young no-nonsense Jewish girl rebelling from her parents’ conservative way of living. The story bleeds old country-style counterculture as the two fall fast in love, moving to wall-less treehouse out in the woods with nothing but each other’s company. Eventually, they hitchhike to Austin for a failed attempt at jumpstarting his music career. He rarely sings sober, his drunken stupor dashing any showbiz opportunities that fall his way; this eventually erodes his marriage and sends him back crooning at roadside dive bars, a setting he prefers. Singer/songwriter Benjamin Dickey plays Foley with vocal conviction, portraying a man whose voice wasn’t always pretty, but his soul was always honest as he remembered better days.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting)

First Reformed

USA 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Ethan Hawke

Producers: Jake Seal

John Sloss

Ryan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

Screenwriters: Ethan Hawke

Sybil Rosen

Cinematographer: Steve Cosens

Editor: Jason Gourson

Cast: Benjamin Dickey

Alia Shawkat

Josh Hamilton

Charlie Sexton

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: The Exchange

Print Source: Sundance Selects

Film Website: blazethemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Seymour: An Introduction (doc. 2015)

The Hottest State (2006) Chelsea Walls (2001)

Writer/director Paul Schrader’s (the legendary screenwriter behind Taxi Driver and the director of such films as Blue Collar and Hardcore)

First Reformed is a passionate film, infused with conflicted religious fury, about one man’s crisis of faith and reckoning with environmental decay. That man is Ernest Toller (Ethan Hawke), a former military chaplain still haunted by his son’s death in the Iraq War. He currently leads a dwindling congregation at the First Reformed, a historic abolitionist church in Upstate New York. One of Toller’s parishioners Mary (Amanda Seyfried) comes to him for help. Her disturbed husband Michael (Philip Ettinger) is a radical environmental activist who believes the earth can’t be saved and wants Mary to abort her baby. As Toller is drawn further and further into Michael’s cause, his own beliefs are challenged, and he gradually finds a new sense of purpose. First Reformed combines the poetic austerity of a Robert Bresson film with the explosive intensity and violence of a pulpy genre thriller. Meanwhile, Hawke injects Toller with vivid layers of guilt and discontent, resulting in one of his best performances in years.

Director: Paul Schrader

Producers: Jack Binder

Greg Clark

Gary Hamilton

Victoria Hill

David Hinojosa

Frank Murray

Deepak Sikka

Christine Vachon

Screenwriter: Paul Schrader

Cinematographer: Alexander Dynan

Editor: Benjamin Rodriguez Jr.

Music:

Brian Williams

Cast: Ethan Hawke

Amanda Seyfried

Cedric Kyles

Michael Gaston

Philip Ettinger

Victoria Hill

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: A24

Selected Filmography: Dog Eat Dog (2016)

The Canyons (2013)

Adam Resurrected (2008)

Auto Focus (2002)

Affliction (1997)

Touch (1997)

The Comfort of Strangers (1990)

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Cat People (1982)

American Gigolo (1980)

Hardcore (1979) Blue Collar (1978)

EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

B a sed in Techno l o g y . Powered by Peop l e.

AN AFTERNOON WITH MELANIE LYNSKEY

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2:30PM, SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Sadie USA 2018

WEDNESDAY JUNE 6, 6:45PM

Since making her debut at age 16 opposite a young Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, the New Zealand-born Melanie Lynskey has become one of American cinema’s most reliable character actors. From Ever After: A Cinderella Story to Shattered Glass, The Informant! to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hello I Must Be Going to I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and TV work ranging from HBO’s “Togetherness” and “Animals” and Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall” to 12 years on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” her passionate dedication to her craft has created a class of charismatic characters defined by their grace, sensitivity, quirkiness, and kindness. This afternoon, SIFF will welcome her to the stage for an interview featuring film clips from her career, followed by a screening of one of Lynskey’s latest films, Sadie, directed by Megan Griffiths. There will also be an opportunity for audience questions following the screening.

Seattle filmmaker Megan Griffiths returns with a compelling family drama focusing on 13-year-old Sadie, played with quiet ferocity by Sophia Mitri Schloss (Lane 1974), the troubled daughter of a soldier serving overseas who resorts to extreme measures when her mother (Melanie Lynskey) begins dating another man.

(d: Megan Griffiths c: Sophia Mitri Schloss, Melanie Lynskey, Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale, USA 2018, 96 min)

REPEAT FILM SCREENING

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

THE CLARK FAMILY LEGACY & ÁEGIS LIVING DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT PROGRAM

SIFF is thrilled to award the 2018 Clark Family Legacy Film Grant in the amount of $50,000 to Jordan Schiele for his film The Silk and the Flame and the Áegis Living Film Grant in the amount of $25,000 to Sarah Menzies for her film Afghan Cycles. These grants are awarded to documentary filmmakers who are working with excellence and integrity to bring important human stories to life. Both films will be screened at this year’s Festival.

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

The Silk and the Flame

us premiere

As a teenager, Yao moved from his small village in central China to Beijing, where he embraced life as a gay man. Now approaching middle age, he returns to visit his traditionalist family in this intimate and bittersweet true story told in evocative black and white. (d: Jordan Schiele f: Fuqin, Muqin, Liu Zi Rui, Jordan Schiele, Yao Shuo, USA/China 2018, 100 min)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Afghan Cycles

us premiere

Meet the inspiring women who have come together to fight for their rights—to bicycle. Based in the mountainous province of Bamiyan, the National Cycling Team is Afghanistan’s first women’s racing league, even though the very act of riding is still considered a “morality crime.” (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, 90 min)

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 21, 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 1:00 PM SHORELINE CC

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

With work spanning the world from Palestine to Paraguay, the themes and perspectives of SIFF’s Official Competition explore the scope of emotion and environment.

The nine films in the Official Competition illustrate themes of violent revenge (Garbage), demonic possession (The Devil’s Doorway), and politically scandalous relationships (The Reports on Sarah and Saleem), as well as empathy (Something Useful), musical expression (Team Hurricane), and family (Leave No Trace). These films, as different as they may seem, all ruminate on a common theme of finding yourself and staying true to your convictions. These films represent some of the Festival’s best, and should be at the top of your movie-watching lists.

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

The Devil’s Doorway

United Kingdom 2018

world premiere

Director: Aislinn Clarke

Garbage

India 2018

north american premiere

Director: Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee)

The Heiresses

Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway 2018

us premiere

Director: Marcelo Martinessi

Leave No Trace

USA 2018

Director: Debra Granik

Luna

France 2017

Director: Elsa Diringer

Pig

Iran 2018

north american premiere

Director: Mani Haghighi

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem

Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018

north american premiere

Director: Muayad Alayan

Something Useful

Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2018

north american premiere

Director: Pelin Esmer

Team Hurricane

Denmark 2017

Director: Annika Berg

NEW AMERICAN CINEMA COMPETITION

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

Each of these films may not currently have a distributor, but they have a champion on the programming team; someone who fought to have it included in the group that we would eventually present to our audience as the best and brightest work of our country’s filmmakers. Spanning a range of genres employing innovative storytelling devices, these are stories from both coasts and everything in between: a haunting mother-daughter saga set at a trailer park, a comic portrait of a Texas cop whose life spirals out of control after the death of his beloved mother, an experimental portrayal of an African-American teenager at the moment of her death, a dramatic thriller set in the toxic forests of a distant moon, and an idiosyncratic revisionist biography of Emily Dickinson. Join us on our journey into storytelling in its most modern, dynamic, and engaging form: the moving image.

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

Jinn

USA 2018

Director: Nijla Mu’min

My Name Is Myeisha

USA 2018

Director: Gus Krieger

Noble Earth

USA 2017

us premiere

Director: Ursula Grisham

Prospect

USA/Canada 2018

Directors: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell

Sadie

USA 2018

Director: Megan Griffiths

Thunder Road

USA 2018

Director: Jim Cummings

Tyrel

USA 2018

Director: Sebastián Silva

Wild Nights With Emily USA 2018

Director: Madeleine Olnek

Filmmakers, sponsors, passholders, and industry professionals, show your pass for entry, mingle with other guests, and enjoy complimentary beverages and snacks before, between, and after films!

2

1.

NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION

Be at the cutting edge of world cinema and take a little risk in your viewing. This year, 10 new international voices have been selected for SIFF’s New Directors Competition. To qualify, the films must be a director’s debut or second feature, and without US distribution at the time of SIFF selection. The films are chosen for their original scripts, innovative cinematography, and unique insights into people, places, and story.

From Algeria to Malaysia, from Peru to China, from Kenya to Georgia, these are films that expand the cinematic palate in inventive ways. A handsome Iranian migrant spends every night in pursuit of a woman who will provide him the means to stay in Denmark once his visa expires in The Charmer. A 50-year-old housewifeturned-writer searches for self-expression in a patriarchal society in Scary Mother. A left-wing activist and his daughter flee to the forest hoping to escape extradition back to Italy in After the War. An African village comes together to give a terminally ill nine-year-old girl her final wish of becoming a superhero in Supa Modo. And in Amateurs, a Swedish city council tasks their teenagers with making a film about their hometown, hoping to attract the business of a German superstore conglomerate.

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

After The War

France/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017

Director: Annarita Zambrano

Amateurs

Sweden 2018

Director: Gabriela Pichler

The Blessed

Algeria/France/Belgium 2017

Director: Sofia Djama

The Charmer

Denmark/Sweden 2017

Director: Milad Alami

Dead Pigs

China/USA 2018

Director: Cathy Yan

Retablo

Peru/Germany/Norway 2017

north american premiere

Director: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio

Sashinka

Canada (Québec) 2017

us premiere

Director: Kristina Wagenbauer

Scary Mother

Georgia/Estonia 2017

Director: Ana Urushadze

Shuttle Life

Malaysia 2017

us premiere

Director: Seng Kiat Tan

Supa Modo

Kenya/Germany 2018

Director: Likarion Wainaina

A proud sponsor of the Seattle International Film Festival

IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION

In 2017, films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal once again thrilled the world’s audiences and critics alike, garnering many of the most coveted film festival awards and paving a remarkable path that culminated in this year’s Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film being given to Chile’s A Fantastic Woman, directed by Sebastián Lelio.

SIFF created the Ibero-American Competition to celebrate the power, originality and influence of the storytelling talent in the region. This year, we are proud to be showcasing 22 films from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, with nine narrative features and documentaries in competition. Films hailing from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico, and Spain bring a tapestry of the human experience with stories about redemption, self-sacrifice, love, the pursuit of happiness, the consequences of discrimination, and the transformative power of inclusion.

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

Champions (Campeones)

Spain 2018

us premiere

Director: Javier Fesser

Giant (Handia)

Spain 2017

Directors: Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño

Gold Seekers

Paraguay 2017

Directors: Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schembori

Killing Jesus

Colombia/Argentina 2017

Director: Laura Mora Ortega

Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle

Spain 2017

Director: Gustavo Salmerón

Marilyn

Argentina/Chile 2018

north american premiere

Director: Martín Rodríguez Redondo

Rush Hour

Mexico 2017

Director: Luciana Kaplan

Rust (Ferrugem)

Brazil 2018

Director: Aly Muritiba

Virus Tropical

Colombia/Ecuador 2017

Director: Santiago Caicedo

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

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

From the absurd and terrifying to the inspiring and beyond, documentary art is about showing the world as it truly is, truly was, and how it truly could be. SIFF is extremely proud to present these eight films in 2018’s Documentary Competition as they explore such subjects as the trials and tribulations for female cyclists in Afghanistan with Afghan Cycles, a dissection of China’s online streaming idol worship in People’s Republic of Desire, a lyrical illustration of the LGBTQ experience in the United Kingdom over the past century thanks to Queerama, and Warrior Women paints the unique portrait of Madonna Thunder Hawk, one of the most courageous Indigenous rights activists of our time.

The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receives a cash prize of $5,000.

Afghan Cycles

USA/France/Afghanistan 2018

us premiere

Director: Sarah Menzies

Inventing Tomorrow

USA 2018

Director: Laura Nix

MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.

Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018

Director: Stephen Loveridge

People’s Republic of Desire

China 2018

Director: Hao Wu

Queerama

United Kingdom 2018

Director: Daisy Asquith

The Return

Denmark 2018

us premiere

Director: Malene Choi

Unarmed Verses

Canada 2018

us premiere

Director: Charles Officer

Warrior Women

USA 2018

us premiere

Directors: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King

SHORT FILMS COMPETITION

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

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

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

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

2017 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE & JURY AWARDS

2017 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Film & Best Director

At the End of the Tunnel

Spain | 2016 | 120 minutes | Rodrigo Grande. Wheelchair user and computer geek Joaquin is thrust into a dangerous game of survival, double-cross, and redemption when he discovers his new neighbors, including a single mother whom he has feelings for, are planning a bank heist by tunneling below his home.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Documentary

Dolores

USA | 2017 | 95 minutes | Peter Bratt. Dolores Huerta fought tirelessly alongside Cesar Chavez for racial and labor justice and is among the most important activists in American history, yet she remains little-known. Dolores gives this enigmatic, intensely private, and defiant feminist the spotlight she deserves.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Actress:

Lene Cecilia Sparrok

Sami Blood

Sweden | 2016 | 110 minutes | Amanda Kernell. A coming-of-age drama set in 1930s Sweden, “Sami Blood” is the prejudiced term used to describe an indigenous girl, played by poised newcomer Lene Cecilia Sparrok, who attends a state school that pressures her to break ties with her family and culture.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Actor: David Johns

I, Daniel Blake

United Kingdom | 2016 | 100 minutes | Ken Loach. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the latest from Ken Loach tells the story of a carpenter who suffers a debilitating heart attack and must fight against the bureaucratic welfare system that insists he must return to work even though it may kill him.

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD | Best Short Film

Defend the Sacred

USA | 2016 | 18 minutes | Kyle Bell. An inside look into the heart and soul of indigenous people that stood in solidarity at Standing Rock.

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

Presented by Women in Film–Seattle Step

USA | 2017 | 82 minutes | Amanda Lipitz. An emotional journey through the sisterhood, the struggles, and the heart of three Baltimore high-school students who are planning for college and training for a step-dancing championship, all while social unrest rocks their troubled minority community.

2017 JURY AWARDS

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Official Competition

Sami Blood

Sweden | 2016 | 110 minutes | Amanda Kernell. A coming-of-age drama set in 1930s Sweden, “Sami Blood” is the prejudiced term used to describe an indigenous girl, played by poised newcomer Lene Cecilia Sparrok, who attends a state school that pressures her to break ties with her family and culture.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | New Directors Competition Boundaries

Canada (Québec) | 2016 | 98 minutes | Chloé Robichaud. In Quebecois director Chloé Robichaud’s wry, feminist satire, three women; a political aide, a mediator, and the president of a tiny island nation off the Canadian coast; try to balance their personal lives with the male-dominated world of international politics.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | New American Cinema Award

Lane 1974

USA | 2017 | 80 minutes | SJ Chiro. Based on Clane Hayward’s memoir “The Hypocrisy of Disco” and director SJ Chiro’s own experiences, this authentic diary of girlhood follows a 13-year-old whose 1970s communal life is upended as her mother moves them from one dubious situation to another.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Documentary Award

Becoming Who I Was

South Korea | 2016 | 95 minutes | Chang-Yong Moon, Jin Jeon. After a Buddhist boy in the highlands of northern India discovers that he is the reincarnation of a centuries-old Tibetan monk, his aging godfather takes him on a journey to discover his past in a beautiful story of faith and unconditional love.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Ibero-American Competition

The Winter

Argentina | 2016 | 98 minutes | Emiliano Torres. An aging, resentful ranch foreman discovers that he is being replaced by a younger man, leading to a violent confrontation amid an unforgiving winter, in this visceral thriller whose award-winning cinematography strikingly captures the windswept wilds of Patagonia.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Best Short: Live Action Women&Wine

Norway | 2017 | 21 minutes | Liv Karin Dahlstrøm. When Turid attends her friend’s 50th birthday party, she comes to realize she is no longer one her closest friends, so Turid starts playing games to make sure she’s noticed.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Best Short: Animation

Pussy

Poland | 2016 | 8 minutes | Renata Gasiorowska. A young woman decides to spend the evening alone at home, but not everything goes according to plan.

GRAND JURY PRIZE | Best Short: Documentary

Refugee

USA | 2016 | 28 minutes | Joyce Chen, Emily Moore. The story of a West African woman who left her five children in 2005 in order to come to the US and provide them with a better future.

FILMS4FAMILIES YOUTH JURY AWARD Swallows and Amazons

United Kingdom | 2016 | 96 minutes | Philippa Lowthorpe. Based on the enchanting children’s book, this heartwarming adventure introduces two groups of children camping on an island in the middle of England’s picturesque Lake District who goes from foes to friends in order to foil some skulduggerous spies.

FUTUREWAVE YOUTH JURY AWARD Patti Cake$

USA | 2017 | 108 minutes | Geremy Jasper. Newcomer Danielle Macdonald gives a star-making performance as a big girl with big talent who fights her way through the strip malls and strip clubs of New Jersey, building her crew, battling an army of haters, and honing her rap skills.

AFRICAN PICTURES

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

From the north of the continent comes The Blessed, a contender in SIFF’s New Directors Competition. Dedicated to her parents’ generation, this impressive debut by Algerian director Sofia Djama offers a bittersweet, compassionate look at a society struggling with its past. Looking for Oum Kulthum, directed by Shirin Neshat, chronicles the experience of a contemporary Iranian filmmaker aspiring to tell the story of the legendary Egyptian diva and “Star of the East.” Razzia, by the winner of the 2015 Golden Space Needle Award for Best Director, Nabil Ayouch, is a group portrait of five inhabitants of Casablanca whose stories overlap, even as they reflect very different segments of Moroccan society.

Below the Sahara are seven unique features. The African Storm envisions a fictitious West African country as its ruler stands up to Western business interests that are stealing their resources. Silas is a moving documentary about Liberian activist Silas Siakor and his grassroots fight against deforestation in his country. Maki’la presents an engrossing drama about the experience of a young woman living on the streets of Kinshasa, married to the gang boss.

Supa Modo explores the way a town lifts up the superhero dreams of a young girl with a terminal illness. Cook Off is a delightful romantic comedy about a woman who competes in the Zimbabwean version of “Top Chef.” Ellen dramatizes the reallife events leading up to and court battle after a mother feels it is necessary to kill her drug-addicted son. Finally I Am Not a Witch creates a surreal landscape within which to explore the belief in witchcraft and the allegorical story of a young girl who is accused and sentenced to a witch colony.

We look forward to sharing these films with SIFF audiences and keep an eye out for strong African shorts throughout SIFF ShortsFest.

The African Storm

The Blessed

Cook Off

Ellen

I Am Not a Witch

Looking for Oum Kulthum

Maki’la

Razzia

Silas

Super Modo

ALTERNATE CINEMA

The movies that fall within the category of Alternate Cinema tend to be more experimental in style and subject than a typical festival film. They are often self-referential, movies about movies, where their form says as much as their content. This year is no different.

The most conventional film, The Greenaway Alphabet, has the least conventional subject matter: avant-garde filmmaker Peter Greenaway. It’s a completely enjoyable documentary made by his wife and daughter, who have a deeper understanding of what makes him tick than your typical academic, and often use his own experimental techniques to dig into his psyche.

Another unconventional doc is John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, which takes humorous narration and a bunch of previously unseen educational footage of McEnroe to dissect his physical and psychological playing style in 1984, one of his best years on the court.

Perhaps the least conventional is the Serbian anti-documentary In Praise of Nothing, where 62 cinematographers turned in footage of “nothing” for director Boris Mitić to craft the tale of Nothing as Nothing travels the world, with narration by punk icon Iggy Pop in childish verse. Perhaps the most purely experimental film in the batch is ★, a chronological collection of shots of starry skies—without people or spaceships or text—culled from the history of cinema, 1905 to 2017.

Finally, those who are interested in a tasting menu of experimental films should buy tickets to ALT Shorts, which run the gamut from found-footage collages to surreal narratives.

★

The Greenaway Alphabet

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

In Praise of Nothing

ALT Shorts:

An Afternoon at Oyster Bay

The Beaning

Eldorado

Government House

Ideal Deficiency

Impassenger

Jesus

Light Coins

A Love Letter to the One I Made Up Stabat Mater

Things and Wonders 2022

Trahere

ARCHIVAL FILMS

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

Finally making its way to the USA is Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s epic 1972 miniseries Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day, a decades-spanning, and yes, eighthour-long, character-driven history of postwar Germany. Fans of another outsider auteur, Hal Ashby, are rewarded not only with the new documentary Hal, but with a special screening of Being There, a political satire starring the great Peter Sellers that is wildly even more relevant today than when it was released in 1979.

If you like your film with a dash of live music, join us at The Triple Door as Seattle indie rock favorites My Goodness perform an original soundtrack for the groundbreaking 1911 Italian silent film adaptation of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” (L’Inferno), or come to SIFF Cinema Egyptian for a career-spanning DJ set featuring the music of Queen, spun live by DJ NicFit in a one-of-a-kind accompaniment to the beloved ’80s action fantasy Highlander

Being There

Belle de Jour

The Changeling

The Crime of Monsieur Lange Edward II

Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day Highlander with Live Soundtrack by DJ NicFit

L’Inferno with Live Score by My Goodness

Sansho the Bailiff

Wall to Wall Creativit y

Look beyond the walls of Hong Kong’s famous sk yscraper s to see a Hong Kong with wall-to -wall creativit y From street ar t to fine ar t, fashion to furniture de sign, game animation to film production, music, theatre, dance and more. This is the vibrant creative hub that is OUR HONG KONG Why not make it your s?

Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, San Francisco www hketosf gov hk

ASIAN CROSSROADS

The 2018 Asian Crossroads program continues our tradition of representing several Asian countries, from the hustling metropolises and bright lights of cities like Seoul and Taipei to the quaint countryside villages bubbling with stories to tell.

Two best friends, well into their sixties, trek across the Philippines on the run from the law and their children after one of them decapitates her abusive husband and packs his head in her favorite Louis Vuitton Bag in the absurdly hilarious Chedeng & Apple. When a phasma-phobic magician falls in love with a girl haunted by her dead best friend, he’s forced to face his fear of ghosts and simultaneously convince her he’s boyfriend material in the gut-busting Saigonset romantic comedy Kiss & Spell. From those tropical metropolises we head far north to China’s harshly rural mining country in Wrath of Silence, a brooding noir thriller in which a poor miner goes on a desperate search for his missing son, no matter how many mob cronies he has to punch through to find him. Then it’s southwest to India’s Kashmir region, where a woman must come to grips with the disappearance of her husband and undertake a harrowing journey of healing and empowerment amid the backdrop of the Kashmiri conflict in Half Widow.

Angels Wear White

The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

Chedeng & Apple

Dead Pigs

The Empty Hands

Garbage

Girls Always Happy

Half Widow

I Miss You When I See You

Kiss & Spell

Last Child

Looking For?

Love and Shukla

Love Education

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts

MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.

Nervous Translation

New Turn

No Bed of Roses

People’s Republic of Desire

The Poet and the Boy

Shuttle Life

The Silk and the Flame

The Story of ‘72

Susu

The Taste of Betel Nut

The Third Murder

Village Rockstars

The Widowed Witch

Wrath of Silence

CHINA STARS

Stepping into the third year of the China Stars showcase, the 44th Seattle International Film Festival continues to feature the diverse artistic visions and cultural richness in Chinese cinema by showcasing 10 feature films from Mainland China.

We are proud to have films from five female directors and five first-time directors, with many of the filmmakers scheduled to attend. In addition, we have four North American premieres and two US premieres, bringing the best new Chinese cinema to Seattle audiences.

This year, the China Star Showcase features a wide range of films, varied in theme, style, and genre. From idyllic love story The Taste of Betel Nut to the sharp social commentaries The Widowed Witch and Angels Wear White; from family melodrama Love Education to coming-of-age comedy Girls Always Happy; from the Westerninspired drama Wrath of Silence to psychological thriller Susu, and documentary The Silk and the Flame from our SIFF 2017 works-in-progress screening. This showcase also presents the SXSW Grand Jury Award Documentary Feature Winner, People’s Republic of Desire, that looks into the universe of online idols that has people replacing their human connections for virtual ones, and director Cathy Yang’s debut feature, Dead Pigs, a comedic picture with quirky characters making their way in Shanghai.

The China Stars Celebration and Awards will be held on Friday, June 8 at the Pan Pacific Hotel to raise greater awareness of the excellent filmmaking in contemporary Chinese cinema and to promote cross-cultural exchange with all Festival filmmakers.

The program is co-presented and with curatorial and jury assistance from Mr. Eugene Zhang, of WASA North America Group and made possible with support from Áegis Gardens, Hainan Airlines, and the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Hainan Airlines is proud to partner with SIFF this year, welcoming SIFF guests to enjoy its world-class service to China. Flying nonstop to Beijing and Shanghai, Hainan Airlines can take you all over China, and all travelers can redeem or accrue Alaska MileagePlus™ elite-qualifying miles when flying Hainan.

Angels Wear White

Dead Pigs

Girls Always Happy

Love Education

People’s Republic of Desire

The Silk and the Flame

Susu

The Taste of Betel Nut

The Widowed Witch

Wrath of Silence

China Stars 2018 Awards

Best New Talent: Mingming Yang

Best First Film: Dead Pigs

Best Film: The Taste of Betel Nut

CULINARY CINEMA

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

Some say delicious food and drink are the stuff dreams are made of, and this year at SIFF, we take you around the world to see how your favorites are made and served in restaurants in every country and region, and the immense role food plays in cultures and communities. We travel on a culinary road trip through Cuba (Cuban Food Stories) and hear not only about the amazing food, but the remarkable people of the island. Thirsty? Explore the peat-filled whisky regions in Scotland (Scotch: A Golden Dream) and get inspired to make (or drink) your own beer or cocktails with the documentaries Brewmaster and Schumann’s Bar Talks In Lebanon we’ll follow the women in a refugee camp as they fight to start the first refugee food truck in their community (Soufra). Finally, we’ll scour the world of Michelin chefs and restaurants as we learn the ins and outs of the prestigious Michelin Guide (Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen) and one of the key players in culinary creativity as he changes the world of fine dining (Constructing Albert).

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

Brewmaster

Constructing Albert

Cuban Food Stories

Michelin Stars:

Tales from the Kitchen

Schumann’s Bar Talks

Scotch – A Golden Dream

Soufra

EMOCIÓN PURA: CINEMA FROM SPAIN

A few of the reasons American audiences have long been in love with Spanish Cinema are the elements of surprise, the vivid imagination, and the larger than life characters that define Spanish film. High-end productions and small, intimate stories alike explore the joy and messiness of the human condition with humor, candor, and above all, truth. In these films, everything and everyone is put to the test: races against time, the search for love (or dealing with a lack thereof), and fervently chasing dreams and desires.

Once the screen lights up, something unique and fantastic unravels in front of our eyes and we are swept away by the unconventional comedies, sophisticated historical dramas, delicious culinary treats, and terrifying horror films that Spain makes so, so well.

This year is no exception with 17 features, documentaries, and shorts from the four corners of Spain. From newly celebrated young voices like Carla Simón and her Goya Award-winning (Best New Director) Summer 1993, and Gustavo Salmerón, whose rapturous debut Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle won the Goya Best Documentary Award; to the latest film by acclaimed filmmaking pair Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi (Loreak), the unique and unforgettable historical drama Giant, which swept the Goyas by picking up 10 awards; and Isabel Coixet with her acclaimed, multiple award-winning The Bookshop, featuring Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson; and one of SIFF’s favorites, Carlos Marques-Marcet (10,000 KM), presenting his sly and insightful new comedy Anchor and Hope.

Our Cinema from Spain, 2018 edition, brings an exceptional array of unique marvels waiting for you to discover, dive into, and yes, most likely fall in love with, over and over again.

Feature Films:

Anchor and Hope

The Bookshop

Champions

Constructing Albert

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

Giant

The Last Suit

Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle Summer 1993

Short Films:

The Beetle at the End of the Street

Beyond Money

The Ditch

The Last Virgin Matria

RIP

Triumphers

Xisca

WEBFEST AND EPISODIC

New at SIFF this year is our foray into episodic work and the launch of SIFF WebFest, building on the long success of Seattle Web Fest and the additional partnership with TheFilmSchool and Shoreline Community College.

Over the weekend of June 1-3, SIFF will present a program of award-winning works from SeriesFest in Denver (June 1), new episodic work from WebFest (June 2), a forum on episodic funding mechanisms and the premiere of a locally produced web series, Automata (June 3). Throughout the Festival, Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day, the epic German television series from the Rainer Werner Fassbinder will round out this program. Come see why episodic filmmaking is more than just binging on Netflix!

Automata

Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day

Money Please!: Fundraising for Episodic Content (Forum event)

SeriesFest Award Winners

WebFest at Shoreline

FACE THE MUSIC

When music meets cinema, something special happens in a theater. Two different ways of perceiving the world come together create one big life changing blast. This year’s Face The Music program bathes you in a nice, warm gamma wave, one that will transform you into the most powerful, music-loving superhero that you can be.

As Madonna once stated: “Music makes the people come together.” So then, come together with us to enjoy the hypnotic combination that music and film create when they combine, as wild or as melancholic as they can be, shine on our Festival screens.

Watch the Sri Lankan pop hurricane M.I.A. evolve into one of music’s most controversial icons in MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. Witness the testimony of the multifaceted Latin legend (lawyer, actor, salsa revolutionary, and politician) in Ruben Blades Is Not My Name. Fall in love again with the velvety sounds of Nico in the heartbreaking Nico, 1988. Remember Frank, the papier-mâché-headed star of the 2014 film? Then you should meet the real man behind the mask in Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story—a real-life Jekyll and Hyde story. Making the Grade explores another kind of bond: the relationship between piano students and their teachers. Industrial Accident – The Story of Wax Trax! Records reveals the maelstrom of design, music, and handshake deals (ranging from Ministry to KMFDM to Thrill Kill Cult) that was Wax Trax! and cements its place in music history. Looking for Oum Kulthum reveals the legendary heroine of the Arab music world and her difficult path to stardom in a male-dominated society. And don’t forget to take a moment for an intimate encounter with the Japanese synth-pop superstar in the candid Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story Blaze

Industrial Accident - The Story of Wax Trax! Records

Looking for Oum Kulthum

Making the Grade

MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.

Nico, 1988

Ruben Blades Is Not My Name

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURES AND PROGRAMS

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

Films4Families is a celebration of the whole family coming together to share the movie going and filmmaking experience at SIFF. We are proud to present our outstanding 2018 line up, featuring some of the best children’s features and shorts from around the world. Seattle families will be among the first audiences to enjoy a select few of these creative treasures.

SIFF is also delighted to have the Films4Families Youth Jury back for SIFF 2018. Comprised of seven elementary and middle school youth, the jury will watch all eight of the features to determine their favorite and crown the winner with the Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature at the Golden Space Needle Awards on June 10, 2018.

Films4Families Jury: Duncan Crowley, Ella Bailey, Gabe Schmitt, Hersh Powers, JoJo Drummond, Joris Lee Hutchison, and Suki Kvernenes

Bee Nation

Canada, 2017

Directed by Lana Šlezic

In English. Recommended for ages 6+

Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life

France, 2018

Directed by Clovis Cornillac

In French with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 8+ (Animal related peril and tense sequences)

The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales… France, 2017

Directed by Patrick Imbert and Benjamin Renner

In French with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 7+ (5+ for French speakers)

The Family Picture Show (Short

Film Program)

Recommended for all ages.

See page 135

Little Tito and the Aliens

Italy, 2017

Directed by Paola Randi

In Italian and English with English Subtitles. Recommended for ages 9+ (Contains adult situations, discussion of death, adult kissing, and a brief bar brawl)

Moomins and the Winter Wonderland

Finland/USA, 2017

Directed by Ira Carpelan, Jakum Wronski, and Bartosz Wierzbieta

In English. Recommended for ages 4+

Supa Modo

Kenya/Germany, 2018

Directed by Likarion Wainaina

In Swahili, Kikuyu, and English with English Subtitles.

Recommended for ages 9+ (Contains discussions of death/terminal illness, a couple of tense situations)

Zombillenium

France/Belgium, 2017

Directed by Arthur de Pins and Alexis Ducord

In French with English subtitles.

Recommended for ages 8+ (Contains animated violence and some spooky situations)

Zoo

Ireland, 2017

Directed by Colin McIvor

In English. Recommended for ages 9+ (Contains discussion of WWII, animals are killed off screen but discussed, and intense situations)

FLY FILMMAKING CHALLENGE

SIFF, in partnership with Washington Filmworks, welcomes back audience favorite, the Fly Filmmaking Challenge after a three-year hiatus. This year’s program documents why creativity matters and how it impacts the world we live in for the better.

Each filmmaker chose a creative professional living in their community as the subject of their documentary film. From a fashion professional to a creative technologist, from a woodworker to a literary artist, SIFF audiences will experience an intimate look inside each artisan’s creative process and understand how their work benefits the quality of life in the city which they live and work.

Given only 10 weeks to plan, produce, and complete a short 5-7 minute documentary short within the creative challenges, filmmakers must think on their feet to present the most compelling film.

The final program features six short films by filmmakers from across the state, intended to shine a light on Washington’s far-reaching and inspired creative industries.

World Premiere Screening: Monday, May 28 3:30pm

SIFF Cinema Uptown

Encore Screening:

Wednesday, June 6 3:30pm

SIFF Cinema Uptown

Impekable

For Peka Grayson, the fingernail is her canvas. With undeniable artistic prowess, these ornate fingernails herald a unique popular culture fashion trend.

Myisa Plancq-Graham, director

Myisa, a San Francisco native, began her photography career exploring the streets of Atlanta in 2011. Her growing appreciation for photography and videography culminated in the creation of Annie Graham Imagery. Creating content by, about and for Black people is her primary filmmaking incentive. Myisa serves as lead director, videographer, and editor for documentary short series UNCODE, highlighting people and stories of the African Diaspora.

Parker and Greta: Nerdy Girls

In rural Ellensburg, two young sisters are helping girls learn the skills to build and code robots in an effort to change the world.

Graham Bourque, director

Graham is a filmmaker living in Ellensburg, Washington. He graduated from Central Washington University in 2017 with a degree in Film Production, and has produced a number of short films, documentaries, and commercials. During his senior year, he produced Todd’s Vlog which won 1st place in the narrative short film category at the BEA Festival of Media Arts 2017

The Pink Tablet

A visual poem revolving around the words of Spokane poet Ellen Weckler, whose newest collection creatively came to life in the form of a feral opera.

Kendra Ann Sherrill, director

Kendra Ann is an award-winning filmmaker from Spokane, WA. Many of her short films have screened at several local Pacific Northwest film festivals. She is a graduate of the Eastern Washington University’s Film Program, where she received the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards, and was a finalist for the DGA Student Film Awards. Kendra also serves as the Assistant Director for the Spokane International Film Festival and works full time as an editor and producer for the Emmy award-winning television series Washington Grown.

The Resilience of King Khazm

King Khazm’s rich family history informs his transformative work as a community leader, educator, and artist in Seattle’s hip hop scene.

Elliat Graney-Saucke, director

Elliat is a documentary filmmaker focused on equity and cultural knowledge exchange. Currently acting President of the Seattle Documentary Association, Elliat is completing her second feature documentary Boys on the Inside, about ‘boy’ culture in women’s prisons. She is also completing the documentary Art Heart: Children of Riot Grrrl with Celeste Chan, about coming of age in riot grrrl, queercore culture. After seven years in Berlin producing content in eight countries, she is back in Seattle as an organizer and teacher at Northwest Film Forum and Director of Elliat Creative, LLC.

Tacoma Uncubed

Despite the ups and downs of a city in the middle of tremendous changes, four Tacoma visual artists discuss their commitment to art and community.

Masahiro Sugano, director

Masahiro, a Sundance Film Festival alumnus, is an award-winning filmmaker whose accolades stretch from a Student Academy Award nomination in 1997 to his most recent 2016 Documentary Award given by the National Asian American Journalists Association. As co-founder of artist-run media lab Studio Revolt, Masahiro creates short films on a variety of societal issues such as deportation and is a pioneering force in the art of spoken word videos. Masahiro currently resides in Tacoma, WA and serves as an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington, Bothell.

The Woodcarvers: Shaping Worlds

Two Indigenous woodcarvers explore their international collaboration to creatively find balance when charged with creating a building that should be both Maori and Coast Salish.

Jeff Barehand, director

Jeff is an enrolled citizen of the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona. He studied at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory in Washington, DC and filmmaking at the American Indian Arts Institute’s intensive filmmaking workshop sponsored by ABC/Disney. He is a founding member of the non-profit Olympia Film Collective, a South Sound premiere filmmaking hub. He is co-owner of Sky Bear Media, producing media for Tribes, Native organizations, and Tribal youth programs. He is a Sundance Native Lab fellow and the current Board Chair of Red Eagle Soaring, Seattle’s only Native youth theatre program.

FUTUREWAVE FEATURES

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

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

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

Films with an * are eligible for the FutureWave Jury Award.

2018 FutureWave Jury: Caleb Lee, Dashiell Barnett, Jakob Marston-Galarza, Josiah King, Mikaela Peizer, Nikos Campbell, and Rose Shipley

Breath

Australia, 2017

Directed by Simon Baker

Appropriate for ages 17+

Eighth Grade

USA, 2018

Directed by Bo Burnham

Appropriate for ages 13+

Fake Tattoos*

Canada (Quebec), 2017

Directed by Pascal Plante

Appropriate for ages 15+

FutureWave Shorts

Directed by Youth Aged 18 and Under Appropriate for ages 13+

Gold Seekers*

Paraguay, 2017

Directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori

Appropriate for ages 13+

Inventing Tomorrow*

USA, 2018

Directed by Laura Nix

Appropriate for ages 13+

Jinn*

USA, 2018

Directed by Nijla Mu’min

Appropriate for ages 13+

Luna*

France, 2017

Directed by Elsa Diringer

Appropriate for ages 17+

The Miseducation of Cameron Post USA, 2018

Directed by Desiree Akhavan

Appropriate for ages 17+

My Name is Myeisha*

USA, 2018

Directed by Gus Krieger

Appropriate for ages 13+

A Rough Draft*

Russia, 2018

Directed by Sergey Mokritskiy

Appropriate for ages 15+

Sadie

USA, 2018

Directed by Megan Griffiths

Appropriate for ages 13+

Skate Kitchen

USA, 2018

Directed by Crystal Moselle

Appropriate for ages 15+

Team Hurricane*

Denmark, 2017

Directed by Annika Berg

Appropriate for ages 17+

Virus Tropical

Colombia/Ecuador, 2017

Directed by Santiago Caicedo

Appropriate for ages 17+

FUTUREWAVE SHORTS

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

The WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking will be presented and a single filmmaker will be presented with a Prodigy Camp scholarship, a filmmaking camp for the most talented filmmakers presented in the Pacific Northwest.

Bearon Old Coyote

USA 2018, 4 min, Director: Miya Smith

A young man explores his Suquamish heritage and his own connection to composing and performing Indigenous songs.

Building Solutions

USA 2017, 9 min, Director: Krystelle Kurz

All of humanity is at stake when conventional and green buildings battle for control of the construction industry.

Carhop

USA 2017, 7 min, Director: Alexander Puga, Monica Matute

The story of a girl who, as she says it, doesn’t know how to “boy.”

Forever Below

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Healey Koch

Several creatures construct enormous spires and will push their machines to the brink to be the tallest.

Goodbye Sam

USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Theo Taplitz

A boy says goodbye to a beloved friend.

Hygge

Ireland 2017, 8 min, Director: Rachel McGill

An Irish boy and Syrian girl break down the societal barriers and find themselves as best friends.

iRony

Australia 2017, 8 min, Director: Radheya Jegatheva

A cell phone excoriates the relationship between man and technology.

Joya Mia

USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Ella Warner

Julia has a special relationship with her grandfather, but each time she comes to visit he’s lost more of his memory.

Missing Piece

USA 2017, 9 min, Director: Grace Gallagher

A lonely poet boy meets a badass rollerskating girl.

The Night I Lost My Favorite Jacket

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Jenna Krumerman

A teen loses her favorite jacket and a little of herself while meeting new people and just trying to get by.

Phú

USA 2017, 7 min, Directors: Troy Charbonnet, Omeed Farsoni

62-year-old Dinh Van Phú explores the value of knowledge and inner beauty that help him overcome his challenging birth defects.

Roommate

USA 2017, 6 min, Director: Jinho Rhee

A student moves into her new dorm, but she faces an unexpected presence.

Sok Dina

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Leah Jester

A young woman navigates the worlds between her adoptive white family and Khmer birth family.

String

United Kingdom 2017, 4 min, Director: Chris Pugh

A slave to his predetermined path, a man follows his string with no idea if he will ever be untethered.

Unknown Sender

Ireland 2017, 4 min, Director: Johnathan Connolly

Snapchat takes a sinister turn when the anonymous photos received are coming from inside the house.

SPONSORS OF THE SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

African Studies Program

Canadian Studies Center

Center for Global Studies

Center for Human Rights

Center for West European Studies

East Asia Center

Japan Studies Program

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program

Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies

South Asia Center

Southeast Asia Center

Stroum Center for Jewish Studies

Taiwan Studies Program

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

HENRY M. JACKSON SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

PROUD

LATIN-AMERICAN CINEMA

Today more than ever, Latin America exists as an abundant and varied region, rich with innovative ideas. Yet it is also an untouched wellspring of stories that have long been waiting to be told and are now starting to come out and take their place among the world’s storytelling traditions.

Bolstered by a record-breaking number of films in production, it is exciting to witness a whole new generation of talented filmmakers and producers coming from long-underrepresented countries such as Guatemala, Panama, Peru, and Paraguay, all contributing their poignant and unique visions to the long traditions of storytelling in their respective regions.

This year, Latin America cinema shines again with its uncompromising, entertaining, and emotionally charged features and documentaries. SIFF 2018 is proud to present a collection of some of the most acclaimed films from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Let these 15 new films from Latin America lead you to the heart, mind, and soul of one of the most vital, surprising, and prolific regions of the world.

Cuban Food Stories

Gold Seekers

Good Manners

Hard Paint

The Heiresses

Killing Jesus

The Last Suit

Marilyn

Nona

Retablo

Rubén Blades Is Not My Name

Rush Hour

Rust

Tigers Are Not Afraid

Virus Tropical

NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

Seattleites see more films per capita than the residents of any other American city, and a growing number of these selections have their roots in the fertile Pacific Northwest film community. Each year, SIFF honors the many ways in which the Puget Sound region contributes to the world of cinema, whether as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or as inspiration for local filmmakers ready to strut their stuff.

With The Faces of Zandra Rhodes, travel the world with the titular, pink-bobbed British fashion designer, meet her muses, and get a behind-the-scenes look at her work on some of the Seattle Opera’s grandest shows. Join director Vlada Knowlton and her fight against anti-transgender legislation in The Most Dangerous Year Strap on a helmet and join the National Cycling Team, Afghanistan’s first women’s racing league, in Afghan Cycles. And Return to Mount Kennedy with the sons of legendary mountaineers Jim Whittaker and Robert Kennedy, featuring music from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

Some people go to the movies to escape reality, and for you, we have a pair of stories filmed or set in our beautiful Pacific Northwest. Go intergalactic with Prospect, about a father-daughter cosmonaut team who travel to the toxic forests of a distant moon, only to run afoul of fellow treasure seekers. And if you want your science fiction a little more hardboiled, we have Automata, about a private detective and his automaton partner on the case in a dystopian alternative version of Prohibition-era New York City. Or if you like your movies more in the social realism vein, experience life in a trailer park with Sadie and her mother in this dark comingof-age drama from Seattle’s own Megan Griffiths.

Feature Films

Afghan Cycles

Automata

The Faces of Zandra Rhodes

The Most Dangerous Year

Prospect

Return to Mount Kennedy

Sadie

Short Films

An Afternoon at Oyster Bay

Always

Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale

Bearon Old Coyote

Building Solutions

Eldorado

Fly Filmmaking Challenge

Forever Below (Short Film Program)

Frankenfish, A Farmed Atlantic Salmon Story

Galaxy Girl

Geoduck

Her Room By the Kitchen

How To Love and Be Loved

Impekable

I See Through You

It Takes an Island

Jesus

Legends of the PNW (Short Film Program)

Light Coins

Mehndi

Parker and Greta, Nerdy Girls

The Pink Tablet

The Posies – Unlikely Places

The Real Santa

Reel Grrls/Tapestry 360 Youth Filmmaking Showcase

The Resilience of King Khazm

The Right Ingredients

Sanctuaries of Silence

Shell No

Sok Dina

Strowlers: Pilot

Tacoma Uncubed

Trahere

Us Against the World: A Washington Rowing Legacy

William Tell’s Goin’ to Hell

The Woodcarvers: Shaping Worlds

THE SECRET FESTIVAL

Note: the following document was found among the belongings of a John Doe, deceased; his real identity has yet to be determined. For your safety, selected words and phrases have been redacted.

TO: sadklghsagkjlashdlasgd Executive Director, fadskfdsafhjdsakfhsdajkhsadfhsadj

FROM: fdsafdsahjhjh

Field Agent

SUBJECT: SIFF Secret Festival

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

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

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

*Eligible for the Films4Families Jury Award.

SIFF VR ZONE

This year, SIFF is excited to debut a new Festival venue: The SIFF VR Zone at Pacific Place. Produced by Seattle’s WonderTek Labs, the program showcases a tightly curated selection of immersive and interactive storytelling from Seattle and around the world. The diverse slate includes a 360 African Storytelling section with innovative pieces from Senegal and Kenya; Greenland Melting, a new work from “Godmother of VR” Nonny de la Peña; breathtaking new experimental pieces from South Korea, China, and Australia; immersive 360 music videos from Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) and The Posies, and compelling new works by Seattle-based VR developers and artists. A 360 Youth section will showcase Tapestry 360, a slate of new 360 films recently created by seven Seattle youth, alongside 360 films created by a group of Syrian youth living in a refugee camp in Jordan, produced by Al Jazeera.

The SIFF VR Zone at Pacific Place will include both 360 Storytelling stations, presenting arthouse-level 360 video content and an Interactive Gallery featuring interactive experiential content in 8-10 individual booths.

Tickets for the VR Zone at Pacific Place will be sold in 90-minute blocks on the following schedule:

May 18 - June 10, 2018

Monday - Thursday (except Memorial Day)

3:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 9:00 PM

Friday - Sunday (plus Memorial Day)

11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM,5:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 9:00 PM

Tickets will be available for purchase on siff.net as well as at SIFF Box Offices (including at the VR Zone).

PROGRAMMED CONTENT

360 OUTER SPACE

Space Explorers: A New Dawn

d. Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael | Canada

360 OUT OF AFRICA

The Other Dakar

d. Selly Raby Kane | Senegal

Nairobi Berries

d. Ng’endo Mukii | Kenya

Let This Be a Warning

d. Jim Chuchu | Kenya

360 EXPERIMENTAL STORYTELLING Summation of Force

d. Narelle Autio, Trent Parke & Matt Bate | Australia

Space X Girl

d. Mihnyuk Che | South Korea

Everything Flows

d. Yumeng Du | China

The Cabiri: Anubis

d. Bogdan Darev & Fred Beahm | USA

Homecoming: Seduction

d. Lance McDaniel | USA (WonderTek Labs Showcase)

360 NARRATIVE STORYTELLING U-Turn

d. Nathalie Mathe | USA

The Visigoths

d. Rory Mitchell | USA

360 DOCUMENTARY

Sun Ladies VR

d. Celine Tricart  | USA, Iraq

The Journey

d. Charlotte Mikkelborg  | UK, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad

Sanctuaries of Silence

d. Emmanuel Vaughn Lee, Adam Loften  | USA

360 ART & MUSIC

The Posies - Unlikely Places

d. Nathaniel Luke Pinzon, Kim Voynar | USA (WonderTek Labs Showcase)

Rone

d. Lester Francois  | Australia

Unraveled - The Future of Music with Virtual Reality and 360 Media

d. Yao Wang, Berklee College of Music | USA

YOUTH 360 SHOWCASE

7 Stories for 7 Years

d. Zahra Rasool | Jordan

Dreaming in Za’atari: Stories After Syria d. Zahra Rasool | Jordan

Tapestry 360

p. Reel Grrls, WonderTek Labs | USA

Fairy Tale d. Layla Alameda

Dreams d. Ayanna Ali

BUD-E d. Luka Allen

The Stranger d. Jocelyn Ayenew

Isolation d. Ariana Fiol

Are You Yeti for It? d. Alexandria Hennessey Perspective d. Aarushi Sahai

INTERACTIVE VR PROGRAM

Aeronaut

d. David Liu, Rob Ruffler | USA

Greenland Melting

d. Nonny de la Peña | USA, Greenland

Mono: Blackwater

d. Ben Wolstenhome | USA, India

World One

d. Scobot | USA

Epic Snowday Adventure d. Evie Powell | USA

UpLift VR - Maiden Voyage (Hot Air Balloon Ride)

d. Julia Jackson, Larry James | USA

Where Thoughts Go

d. Lucas Rizzotto | USA

SIFF LOUNGE

SIFF Lounge, now in its second year, is a place for filmmakers, sponsors, passholders, and industry professionals to make connections. This year, the SIFF Lounge pops up at W. Roy Street and Queen Anne Avenue N. in Lower Queen Anne, just a short walk from SIFF Film Center and SIFF Cinema Uptown. "SIFF films inspire discussion and we want to facilitate the conversations," said Executive Director Sarah Wilke. "We are thrilled to have our lounge so close to the theaters so that passholders and industry can connect before and after films."

SIFF Lounge will be open to passholders beginning Friday, May 18, and will run Monday through Friday 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Saturday, Sunday, and Memorial Monday, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Day passes are available for $10 at the door.

WILD, TERRIFYING, FANTASTIC

Werewolves, mermaids, aliens, zombies, witches, and the Devil himself await you in this year’s collection of diverse, global genre films guaranteed to make you howl with joy and scream with fear—often at the same time.

This year’s WTF lineup features a record number of eight women directors, talented new voices at the forefront of the modern horror renaissance who offer diverse perspectives on classic genre styles. With buckets of blood, Revenge combines the New French Extremity with old-fashioned grindhouse action for a savage revenge thriller told through the female gaze. Blue My Mind teeters on the edge of reality for the dreamlike fable of a teenage girl’s surprising physical transformation. Tigers Are Not Afraid is the del Toro-esque dark fairytale of a commanding young girl who joins a band of children struggling to survive the social wreckage caused by the Juarez drug cartels. Good Manners presents an engrossing tale of lycanthropic love between two women, and between a mother and her...pup? And a pair of priests suspect that evil is lurking deep within a home for “wayward women” in the spine tingling Irish mystery The Devil’s Doorway. Speak of the devil, a man outwits his literal demons in Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil, a kinetic horror comedy based on a Basque folktale. And speaking of folktales, don’t miss the psychedelic witch-out Hagazussa - A Heathen’s Curse or the incredible new anthology The Field Guide to Evil, which brings together eight global genre talents to interpret their homeland’s most notorious fables. Finally, things get wild in the playful slasher film Ruin Me, in which a horror campout leads to unexpectedly bloody surprises, and things get weird in the anarchistic animated film Mutafukaz, where aliens invade the hip-hop streets of Dark Meat City.

Blue My Mind

Bodied

The Devil’s Doorway

The Field Guide to Evil

Good Manners

Hagazussa - A Heathen’s Curse

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

Mutafukaz

Revenge

Ruin Me

Tigers Are Not Afraid

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS

NEW WORKS-IN-PROGRESS @ SIFF FILM CENTER

In a collaboration that highlights the Festival’s reputation for unearthing global voices and recognizes its revered, cinephile audience, the New Works-in-Progress forum will bring selected audience members into the creative process and add a dynamic, next-level component at a critical junction in the filmmaker’s journey. This initiative, held June 6-9, 2018, will comprise two fictional narratives and two documentaries culled from around the globe.

Also included in the program are mentors from filmindustry sectors such as distribution, acquisitions, press, and representation, adding a wide breadth of diverse and independent voices to the conversation as an additional launch pad for the filmmaker’s work. All four SIFF 2017 New Works-in-Progress projects return this year as finished films: A Good Week For Democracy, Julia Blue, Retablo, and The Silk and the Flame.

This program is perfect for anyone who believes deeply in cinema—come be an active part of the creative process of visual storytelling.

GRAND PRIZE SCREENPLAY READING: YOUTH DECAY

SIFF Screenplay Competition puts the writer first by focusing on connecting strong scripts with independent directors and producers, all of whom are successful alumni of our SIFF New American Cinema Programming.

The winning screenplay for 2018 is Youth Decay by Brandon Hall, a film about a teenage punk singer from Olympia, Washington who gets her bandmates to agree to hit the road on a fake summer tour so she can secretly confront her estranged father in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Youth Decay will be presented in a live read-through at 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 7 at the SIFF Film Center, performed by SAG actors.

SIFF EDUCATION: YOUTH

AT THE FESTIVAL:

SIFF Youth Juries

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

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

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

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

Upcoming Dates:

Crash Kids – October 20, December 8

Crash Student – September 22, December 1

School Break Camps

Students (ages 9 -12) explore filmmaking with exciting five-day sessions with master filmmaking educators. These camps are held from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM and are limited to 25 students. With a master film educator and four supporting mentors, students receive an immersive experience in the craft of filmmaking. Aftercare is available at the SIFF Film Center camps.

2018 Summer Camps:

Rainier Arts Center

June 25 – June 29

Animation I

July 9 – July 13

Superheroines, Superheroes, and Villains

July 16 – July 20

Fairy Tales

July 23 – July 27

Mysteries

July 30 – August 3

Animation II

August 6 – August 10

Exploring Other Worlds

August 13 – August 17

Magic of Green Screen

August 20 – August 24

SIFF EDUCATION: EDUCATORS

FILMMAKER VISITS

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

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

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

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

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

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

SIFF EDUCATION: FILM APPRECIATION

CINEMA DISSECTION

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

Inspired by Roger Ebert’s annual Cinema Interruptus in Boulder, CO, Dissection attendees will participate in a scene-by-scene, and sometimes shot-by-shot, deconstruction of the featured film. While the facilitator will certainly share their thoughts, anyone in the audience may call out ‘Stop’ and either ask a question of the group or make an observation around a certain shot, theme, or perfectly crafted moment in the film.

APPRECIATION CLASSES

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

Upcoming Classes:

In the Realm of Guillermo

Thursdays, September 20 – October 11, 7:00 PM

This four-week class will journey into the fantasy worlds of Guillermo Del Toro, starting with the early Mexican horror film Cronos (1993) and ending with the recent award-winning film, The Shape of Water. Taught by John Trafton

Wonder Woman: Herstory of a Heroine on Screen

Sunday, October 14, 1:00 PM

Spend an afternoon diving into the history of the world’s most iconic superheroine with pop culture historian and local geek girl, Jennifer K. Stuller.

4TH WORLD –INDIGENOUS MEDIA LAB

4TH WORLD - INDIGENOUS MEDIA LAB AND EVENTS

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

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

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

SIFF has a long history of supporting innovative Indigenous film, education, and workshops, most notably the nine year formerly-annual SuperFly Filmmaking Experience in partnership with Longhouse Media and local Coast Salish tribes. We remain committed to nurturing, highlighting, and raising up diverse talent and voices. 4th World Media Lab is our commitment to showcasing and strengthening the media making talent across the borders within First People communities. In our fourth year of programming, we are excited to present a public FREE screening of Dawnland followed by a robust panel discussion at the Seattle Central Library on May 26. In addition, the 4th World Fellows will be workshopping their treatments and learning from engaging presentations with Seed&Spark, NBC/Universal Talent Infusion Programs, and ITVS.

EVENTS

Dawnland Screening and Panel

May 26th @ 1:30 PM, Seattle Central Library

Join us for the Seattle premiere of Dawnland in partnership with the Seattle Central Library. Following the screening will be a robust panel discussion around the themes of the film and Indigenous women in activism. FREE to the public.

4th World - Indigenous Media Lab - May 25-28th

In this fourth annual cohort training, our filmmakers will join together to learn about pitching and funding projects across the industry.

The 2018 fellows are: Colleen Thurston, Christen Hepuakoa Marquez, Alex Lazarowich, Ramona Emerson, Shaandiin Tome, Ivy MacDonald, Deidra Peaches, Courtney Montour, Razelle Benally, and Alycia Ortiz.

INDIGENOUS PRODUCED FILMS AT SIFF 2018

Bee Nation (Canada) – See page 153

Dawnland (USA) – See page 173

Luk’Luk’I (Canada) – See page 213

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (USA) –See Page 219

Sweet Country (Australia) – See Page 259

Through Her Indigenous Eyes (Short Film Program) –See page 140

Waru (New Zealand) – See page 269

Warrior Women (USA) – See page 268

Seattle Turkish Film Festival

Cinebago Nordic Lights Film Festival

48 Hour Film Project

Seattle Polish Film Festival Town Hall Seattle

Serving filmmakers, artists, nonprofit organizations, and community film festivals by supporting them and making our cinemas available for a variety of events is a big part of our mission to create experiences that bring people together around film.

Disability Rights Washington

Qurb Media TWIST: Seattle

Seattle Jewish Film Festival

Queer Film Festival

Romanian Film Festival

Wild & Scenic Film Festival

FESTIVAL FORUMS

Our Festival Forums set the stage for engaging discussions about issues that affect filmmakers and audience alike. Don’t miss these great opportunities to deepen your connection to the art of cinema.

All panels are $10 / $5 for SIFF members unless stated otherwise. Visit SIFF.net for expanded descriptions and panelists announcements.

TUESDAY, MAY 22

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Finding the Perfect Collaborators: Demystifying Unions In Film Production

The Pacific Northwest is home to a diverse array of experienced film professionals. Tap into this pool of talented union members as we walk you through the various unions of the filmmaking crafts. Films both large and small, can work with SAG-AFTRA, The DGA and IATSE. Bring your questions.

Presented by SAG-AFTRA and IATSE Local 488

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Money Please!: Fundraising for Episodic Content Industry leaders in feature and episodic fundraising and distribution discuss the advantages and challenges of producing for episodic platforms, and the various ways that each employ traditional and nontraditional strategies to finance their projects.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

The Synergy of Editor & Director in Documentary Film Documentaries are a powerful medium that can entertain and affect social change. Editing the footage requires a keen sense of story telling and the ability to see possibilities. Experts discuss the collaborative role of editor and director, how the editor shapes a story, interprets the director’s vision, and determines what stays and what gets cut.

Presented by Women in Film - Seattle

FESTIVAL FORUMS

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Grand Prize Screenplay Reading: Youth Decay by Brandon Hall

The winning script of the SIFF Screenplay Competition receives a live read with SAG Actors. The reading will be followed by an engaging conversation with Wendy Kram (Producer and Owner of L.A. for Hire) about taking your great script and making connections in the industry.

About Youth Decay: After discovering that the father she’s never met lives 1500 miles away in Albuquerque, NM, a teenage female punk singer from Olympia, Washington lies to her bandmates about an upcoming competition in Albuquerque in order to get them to agree to run away from home on a summer tour that will ultimately put the punk singer in front of her hated father, once and for all.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Festival Diversity: How are Festivals Serving Underrepresented Communities

A panel of festival programmers, press, and filmmakers explore the responsibility of film festivals in leading the way for diversity in their programming and their audience engagement.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

#Disruption #Inclusion: The Film Industry’s ‘new’ landscape after #MeToo #TimesUp Women from varied industry backgrounds discuss the important ways our industry has changed during these social movements and highlight their vision for continued evolution toward gender equity. Sponsored by Seattle University Film Studies

SHORTSFEST WEEKEND SHORT FILMS

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

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

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

*not true.

ShortsFest Opening Night Adventures in the Unknown

THURSDAY, MAY 24 7:00 PM

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

Emergency

USA 2017, 12 min, Director: Carey Williams

Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police.

Let Me Dance

France 2017, 17 min, Director: Valérie Leroy

North American Premiere

Mylène is spending her birthday evening at work, just like any other day. But this night has more than one surprise in store for her.

On Monday of Last Week

USA/Ghana 2018, 14 min, Director: Akosua Adoma Owusu

Based on a short story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kamara, a Nigerian woman, finds herself on a journey to self-realization.

The Tesla World Light

Canada 2017, 8 min, Director: Matthew Rankin

The world’s greatest inventor ponders a revolutionary new concept of electricity while fantasizing about a feathery visitor to his windowsill.

The Velvet Underground Played at My High School

USA 2017, 8 min, Directors: Robert Pietri, Tony Jannelli

An animated remembrance about a 1965 Velvet Underground gig in a very unlikely venue.

Wave

Ireland 2017, 14 min, Directors: Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton

A man wakes up from a coma speaking a fully formed but unrecognizable language, baffling linguistics experts from around the globe.

Zion

USA 2017, 10 min, Director: Floyd Russ

Zion Clark was born without legs, but nothing will get the way of his dreams to be a competitive wrestler.

SATURDAY, MAY 26 2:30 PM

Seven short films that explore what happens when people step off of the traditional path and enter uncharted territory.

Beyond Money

Spain 2017, 18 minutes, Director: Kike Maíllo

North American Premiere

In the future where people can sell and buy experiences from their memory, a woman has the life we all want to have.

The Climb

USA 2017, 7 minutes, Director: Michael Covino

Kyle and Mike go for a weekend bike ride but Mike has something to say that might ruin the ride.

Cross My Heart

Jamaica/USA 2017, 14 minutes, Director: Sontenish Myers

An American teen visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves.

Farewell Meu Amor

Tanzania/USA 2017, 10 minutes, Director: Ekwa Msangi

Love is lost when a man’s wife and son finally receive visas to join him in the USA.

Fauve

Canada 2018, 16 minutes, Director: Jérémy Comte

Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent game, with Mother Nature as the sole observer.

Kleptomami

Germany 2017, 10 minutes, Director: Pola Beck

US Premiere

When a department store security guard searches a mother’s stroller he finds more than he could ever have imagined.

Still Water Runs Deep

USA/Nigeria 2017, 15 minutes, Director: Abbesi Akhamie

A father must withstand his emotions and preserve his pride when his estranged son mysteriously disappears.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

ALT Shorts Animation4Adults

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:15 PM

A grab bag of experimental expressions and rhythmic abstractions, of found footage flickers and unresolved images, with a little

An Afternoon at Oyster Bay

USA 2018, 5 min, Director: Jon Behrens

World Premiere

Strong colors over found footage, often split and mirrored on the diagonal, with a soundtrack that puts you at ease like you’re on a beachside vacation.

The Beaning

USA 2017, 9 min,

Director: Sean McCoy

An archival history of the NY Yankees and the sacrifices they made (to the devil!) to become a winning team.

Eldorado

USA 2018, 4 min,

Director: Salise Hughes

World Premiere

Real estate disasters are in the background as people try to strike it rich against impossible odds, in this electronically painted found footage film.

Government House

Austria/Russia 2018, 11 min,

Director: Herwig Weiser

North American Premiere

After a time-lapse from day to night, we see ghostly figures flicker through darkened hallways with plastic tracers and a horror film vibe.

Ideal Deficiency

Austria 2017, 7 min,

Director: Dagmar Schürrer

North American Premiere

Computer-generated constructivism in which shapes, slashes, and repeated images combine with words that may as well come from avant-garde Facebook memes.

Impassenger

Austria 2017, 6 min,

Director: Ben Pointeker

North American Premiere

Looping and repeated footage help create the poetic and isolated mood of a Shanghai noir.

Jesus

USA/Brazil/Colombia 2018, 3 min,

Director: Eric Ostrowski

World Premiere

An aggressive digital soundtrack sets the tone for a layered, painted, architectural film that eventually peeks through to a statue of Jesus with His arms outstretched.

Light Coins

USA 2018, 4 min, Directors: Caryn Cline, Jon Behrens, Luke Sieczek

World Premiere

Coin-sized holes in a matte box are commandeered by three different filmmakers for a remarkably unified film.

A Love Letter to the One I Made Up

Israel 2017, 6 min,

Director: Rachel Gutgarts

Striking primary colors of red and blue against white, with a female-narrated story about longing for an imaginary “perfect” man.

Stabat Mater

Austria 2016, 16 minutes,

Director: Josef Dabernig

North American Premiere

Two very different stories, one without words, somehow intertwine through striking black and white images at a seaside location straight out of an Antonioni film.

Things and Wonders 2022

Austria 2017, 4 min,

Director: Anna Vasof

Everyday objects and idiomatic expressions are translated into images, from intellectual ping pong to a play on the William Tell myth.

Trahere

USA 2018, 3 min, Directors: Caryn Cline, Linda Fenstermaker

World Premiere

Layers of flowers and farm life, sounds of bees and nature, and through it all the tractor carves its own path.

FRIDAY, MAY 25 9:00 PM

This year’s animation package plunges you into secret worlds, teeming with ancient rituals, Nazi hunters, and a certain father’s secret stash.

Deyzangeroo

Canada 2017, 4 min, Director: Ehsan Gharib

A ritual to ward off evil spirits and retrieve the moon.

The Driver Is Red

USA 2017, 15 min, Director: Randall Christopher

An incredible true story of espionage, tragedy, and the triumph of justice.

Five Years After the War

France 2017, 17 min, Directors: Samuel Albaric, Ulysse Lefort

Tossed around by the great upheavals of the modern times, Tim tries as hard as he can to find his place in the world.

The Fruits of Clouds

Czech Republic 2017, 10 min, Director: Katerina Karhánková

Furry’s friends are afraid of the scary woods, but he’s tired of doing nothing but waiting.

Jeom

South Korea 2017, 4 min, Director: Kangmin Kim

A strange and wonderful story about the connections between three generations of men.

Mecanic

France 2017, 6 min, Directors: Julia Baurens, Sofia Bernardo, Naïti Escot, Nicolas Jacomet, Ariane Lissajoux, Antoine Verney-Carron

Forced to work on an island ruled by a tyrannical crane, the two friends will do anything to escape.

My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes

Canada 2018, 14 min, Director: Charlie Tyrell

Charlie seeks to better understand his father through the objects he left behind, including a stack of tacky, 1980s pornography.

Threads

Norway/Canada 2018, 9 min, Director: Torill Kove

A woman and a small child are brought together in this touching look at the ties that bind.

Totem

USA 2017, 7 min, Director: Alex Cannon

A boy in an ancient tribe confronts a terrifying beast in the wild.

humor thrown in for good measure.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The Family Picture Show Futurewave Shorts

SATURDAY, MAY 26 11:30 AM

CINEMA

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

Becky

Cameroon 2018, 9 min,

Director: Victor Viyuoh

12-year-old Napo is afraid to talk to Becky on the playground but after some friendly encouragement, he makes a decision that will change his life.

Between the Lines

Russia 2017, 5 min,

Director: Maria Koneva

A Zebra thinks she is completely alone in a world where everyone has a partner, until she finds another Zebra.

C.A.T.

USA 2017, 4 min,

Director: Sandra Boynton

A wry homage to classic film noir movies and a celebration of the infuriating glory of cats.

FILL and Moo

Japan 2017, 8 min,

Director: Toshiko Hata

A mushroom-like sprite dwells on the forest floor until he is pulled into the colorful world of cinema.

Galaxy Girl

USA 2018, 4 min,

Director: Richard Grover

A pizza delivery girl runs into an unexpected customer that will change her fate forever.

Inclusion Makes the World

More Vibrant

Australia 2017, 3 min,

Director: Genevieve Clay-Smith

US Premiere

A little boy and his mother experience an art gallery together in very dramatic way.

I Think My Dad’s a Superhero

USA 2018, 9 min,

Director: Joseph Barton

US Premiere

When nine-year-old Kevin begins to suspect that his dad is the town superhero, he sets out to secretly capture him on video to prove his theory.

JessZilla USA 2017, 7 min, Director: Emily Sheskin

Don’t tell Jesselyn Silva what she can or can’t do. She wants to be a professional boxer.

Polychrome

Iran 2017, 3 min,

Director: Negareh Halimi

A set of paints spring to life to create new masterpieces.

Post No Bills

Canada 2017, 5 min,

Directors: Robin Hays, Andy Poon

The characters featured in a wall of posters come to life and work together to avoid being painted over by the city’s clean-up crew.

Sherbert Rozencrantz, You’re Beautiful

Australia 2018, 11 min,

Director: Natalie van den Dungen

Milly’s best friend is her guinea pig but her mother is trying to find her a ‘real’ friend.

Shoot for the Moon

USA 2017, 4 min, Directors: Lauren Hoekstra, Doug Turner

A girl discovers what can happen when you reach for the stars while she attends a summer science camp.

Tiger, Tiger

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Rhea Dadoo

A family takes a wrong turn in the jungle and that might be a Bengali tiger in the shadows.

Wishing Box

USA 2017, 6 min,

Directors: Wenli Zhang, Nan Li

A greedy pirate attempts to force his foodobsessed monkey to wish for gold to come out of the magical box.

MONDAY, MAY 28 3:00 PM

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

Bearon Old Coyote

USA 2018, 4 min, Director: Miya Smith

A young man explores his Suquamish heritage and his own connection to composing and performing indigenous songs.

Building Solutions

USA 2017, 8 min, Director: Krystelle Kurz

World Premiere

All of humanity is at stake when conventional and green buildings battle for control of the construction industry.

Carhop

USA 2017, 7 min, Director: Alexander Puga, Monica Matute

The story of a girl who, as she says it, doesn’t know how to “boy.”

Forever Below

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Healey Koch

Several creatures construct enormous spires and will push their machines to the brink to be the tallest.

Goodbye Sam

USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Theo Taplitz

A boy says goodbye to a beloved friend.

Hygge

Ireland 2017, 8 min, Director: Rachel McGill

An Irish boy and Syrian girl break down the societal barriers and find themselves as best friends.

iRony

Australia 2017, 8 min,

Director: Radheya Jegatheva

A cell phone excoriates the relationship between man and technology.

Joya Mia

USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Ella Warner

Julia has a special relationship with her grandfather, but each time she comes to visit he’s lost more of his memory.

Missing Piece

USA 2017, 9 min, Director: Grace Gallagher

A lonely poet boy meets a badass roller-skating girl.

The Night I Lost My Favorite Jacket

USA 2017, 4 min,

Director: Jenna Krumerman

A teen loses her favorite jacket and a little of herself while meeting new people and just trying to get by.

Phú

USA 2017, 7 min, Directors: Troy Charbonnet, Omeed Farsoni 62-year-old Dinh Van Phú explores the value of knowledge and inner beauty that help him overcome his challenging birth defects.

Roommate

USA 2017, 6 min, Director: Jinho Rhee

A student moves into her new dorm, but she faces an unexpected presence.

Sok Dina

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Leah Jester

A young woman navigates the worlds between her adoptive white family and Khmer birth family.

String

United Kingdom 2017, 4 min,

Director: Chris Pugh

A slave to his predetermined path, a man follows his string with no idea if he will ever be untethered.

Unknown Sender

Ireland 2017, 4 min,

Director: Johnathan Connolly

Snapchat takes a sinister turn when the anonymous photos received are coming from inside the house.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF

UPTOWN

SPECIALTY LINEN | GLASSWARE

SPECIALTY LINEN | GLASSWARE

TABLES | CHINA | CUTLERY

TABLES | CHINA | CUTLERY

CHAIRCOVERS | DESIGNER CHAIRS

CHAIRCOVERS | DESIGNER CHAIRS

CATERING EQUIPMENT

CATERING EQUIPMENT

UNIQUE TABLETOP ITEMS

UNIQUE TABLETOP ITEMS

Global Frames Keep It In the Family

Get a new perspective with some of the best international shorts from around the world.

Fire In Cardboard City

New Zealand 2017, 9 min, Director: Phil Brough

When Cardboard City catches fire, it’s up to the local fire chief and his brave deputies to save its citizens from impending doom.

For Nonna Anna

Canada 2017, 14 min, Director: Luis De Filippis

Chris must care for her grandmother, though she knows her grandmother doesn’t approve of her.

Manila Death Squad

Philippines/USA 2017, 13 min, Director: Dean Colin Marcial

She’s in way over her head.

Men Online

South Africa 2018, 16 min, Director: Jack Markovitz

World Premiere

An Alt-Right twitter celebrity finds himself drawn into an online conversation with one of his critics.

Premonition

Chile 2017, 13 min, Director: Leticia Akel

Guided by his strange dreams, Javier fights against prejudice to win his place.

Sirene

Netherlands 2017, 26 min, Director: Zara Dwinger

North American Premiere

After meeting a new friend, teenage Key’s life is thrown into confusion.

Sticking with your family is what makes it a family.

Baby Brother

USA 2017, 14 min, Director: Kamau Bilal

Here’s what happens when baby brother moves back home.

Botanica

Netherlands 2018, 13 min, Director: Noël Loozen

A garden-center employee fears of his possible infertility even as his lover’s pregnancy wish continues to grow.

Creme de Menthe

Canada 2017, 23 min, Directors: Jean-Marc E. Roy, Philippe David Gagné

Following his death, Renée clears out her hoarder father’s house only to discover a multitude of memories.

First Bloom

China/USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Tingting Liu

Having grown up together, the emperor’s daughter and a palace servant embark upon a forbidden love affair.

Frog

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Dani Johnson

World Premiere

A young girl growing up in East Texas struggles to maintain her innocence as she watches her parent’s marriage fall apart.

A Gentle Night

China/France 2017, 15 min, Director: Yang Qiu

A mother must navigate officials’ indifference and her own guilt when her daughter goes missing.

Nerd Cave

Denmark 2017, 11 min, Director: Mads Reuther

After the power goes out one day, a mother looks to reconnect with her video game-obsessed son.

Under Mom’s Skirt

France 2017, 12 min, Director: Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix

A young woman accompanies her mother for a routine medical check-up but some things should just remain private.

FRIDAY, MAY 25 3:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 25 1:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The Kids Are Alright? Legends of the PNW

SUNDAY, MAY 27 12:30 PM

From wrestling matches to Sex Ed, this package shines a light on the struggles and triumphs of youth from around the world.

About the Birds and the Bees

Finland 2017, 12 min, Director: J.J. Vanhanen

A quiet farmer father and his son set out on a trip to the pharmacy after the teen has a little accident with his girlfriend.

The Beep Test

Canada (Québec) 2017, 16 min, Director: Maxime Aubert

A high schooler stands up to his bullies with a dominant performance in the beep test.

Cheer Up Baby

USA 2017, 13 min, Director: Adinah Dancyger

A beautifully observed look at one woman’s struggle for emotional and physical autonomy that is particularly resonant in the wake of #metoo.

State of Emergency Motherfucker!

Belgium 2017, 6 min, Director: Sébastien Petretti

Two friends casually joke about their conquests while being stopped, frisked, and detained without cause in this darkly comedic, and frighteningly timely, critique of the police state mentality.

Tweener

Sweden 2017, 16 min, Director: Julia Thelin

North American Premiere

A heart-pounding coming-of-age film about two girl friends who hit the wrestling mats at a turning point in their friendship.

War Paint

USA 2018, 17 min, Director: Katrelle N. Kindred

A young African-American girl encounters various types of prejudice over the course of the 4th of July holiday in this stirring drama, exploding with fireworks and injustice.

Wicked Girl

France/Turkey 2017, 8 min, Director: Ayce Kartal

A visually arresting animation that provides a window into the most private memories, dreams, and nightmares of an imaginative young girl.

MONDAY, MAY 28 12:00 PM

Ten exceptional short films from across Washington State shine a light on the diverse stories, historical and fanciful, that provide the foundation of our society.

Always

USA 2018, 14 min, Director: Angela DiMarco

US Premiere

A mother’s strength brings life into the world, but how will she overcome the agony of death.

Anaiyyun: Prayer for the Whale

USA 2017, 8 min, Director: Kiliii Yuyan

Whaling is a cultural cornerstone of Iñupiaq identity and the harvest of the bowhead whale is considered a gift.

Frankenfish A Farmed Atlantic Salmon Story

USA 2018, 8 min, Director: Annie Crawley

World Premiere

Lummi Island fishermen scramble to contain a spill of farmed Atlantic salmon in north Puget Sound before they tarnish local waters.

Her Room By the Kitchen

USA 2018, 12 min, Director: Romina Romero-Hermoso

World Premiere

A young woman from Mexico questions whether her expectations of the US will match its realities while working as an au pair in Seattle.

How To Love and Be Loved

USA 2017, 6 min, Director: Ned Rodat

A digital romance between two projected lovers.

I See Through You

USA 2018, 5 min, Director:

Lael Rogers

World Premiere

A dreamy, musical landscape hides mysterious secrets beneath the surface.

It Takes An Island

USA 2017, 16 min, Directors: Tashi Litch, Bob Friel

Kaj and Tashi Litch are musical brothers finding the unique support of growing up in an island community.

Mehndi

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Sudeshna Sen

At an Indian bridal shower, two young girls pass a secret designed to alter their lives forever.

Us Against the World: A Washington Rowing Legacy

USA 2018, 10 min, Director: David Faddis

World Premiere

In Hitler’s 1936 Olympic Games, an unlikely rowing team of Americans take on the pride of the Third Reich in one final race.

William Tell’s Goin’ to Hell

USA 2018, 6 min, Director: Bogui Adjorlolo

World Premiere

An amateur archer has to live with himself after he accidentally murders his sister.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SeriesFest Award Winners Post-Gay Everyday

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:00 PM

The Contract

USA/Spain 2017, 16 min, Director: Pablo Gómez Castro

North American Premiere

A Spanish couple’s search for a surrogate mother in Russia leads to surprising choices in their relationship.

Manivald

Canada/Croatia/Estonia 2017, 13 min, Director: Chintis Lungren

Manivald the fox is still living at home with his retired mother. The day before his 33rd birthday, a hot young wolf comes to fix their washing machine...

Pre-Drink

Canada (Québec) 2017, 23 min, Director: Marc-Antoine Lemire

Warming up with a few drinks before going out to a party, two best friends have sex together for the first time.

Set Me As a Seal Upon Thine Heart

Israel 2017, 13 min, Director: Omer Tobi

A gay sauna encounter between a young man and an older man becomes an unexpected lesson about love.

With Thelma

Belgium 2017, 13 min, Directors: Ann Sirot, Raphael Balboni

A volcano has blocked air traffic and Thelma’s parents are stuck overseas. Until planes start flying again, uncle Jean and Vincent share the same roof with little Thelma.

Join us for an exclusive screening of this collection of award-winning pilots from our friends at SeriesFest, a premier festival which showcases the best independent television from around the world.

Disengaged - Marriage for All

USA, 2016, 9 minutes, director: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock

When the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage is announced, Sidney and Jules are faced with the age-old question of “get married or break up?”

Disengaged - Wedding Planner

USA, 2016, 7 minutes, director: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock

Jules and Sidney argue about hiring an emotionally unstable wedding planner. Although initially reluctant to work with the planner, Jules quickly begins sympathizing with her after learning more about her situation.

Public Housing Unit

USA, 2017, 48 minutes, director: Daniel Willis

Set in the late 1980’s, three police officers take on both lawmakers and lawbreakers as they work to protect the people of Chicago’s infamous public housing projects. These cops, the finest the city has to offer, have their morals pushed to the brink as they fight to serve a fragmented community, broken by an unjust system.

Urbance

Canada (Québec), 2016, 9 minutes, director: Joël Dos Reis Viegas, Sébastien Larroudé

In this strict dystopian society, sex is outlawed. Dare to disobey, you’ll most likely meet an untimely death right on the spot. Women and Men are divided, and not allowed to interact per city ordinance. COEVO is the omniscient company trying to “cure” the public and keep things in order. But they can’t keep Kenzell and Lesya away from one another, setting off a chain of dangerous events.

Five snapshots about life, love, and sex… They just happen to be gay life, gay love, and gay sex.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

¡Tapas!

SATURDAY, MAY 26 5:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Get a taste of this year’s best and boldest batch of Spanish short films.

The Beetle at the End of the Street

Spain 2018, 19 min, Director: Joan Vives

US Premiere

When a psychic fishmonger foresees Amadeo’s death, his fellow villagers rally to give him the best final seven days for which one could ask.

The Ditch

Spain 2017, 6 min, Director: Begoña Vicario

They killed Euxebi’s father before she was born. Eighty years later, they finally find the grave where he is buried.

The Last Virgin

Spain 2017, 18 min, Director: Bárbara Farré

13-year-old Sara feels the pressure of growing up, but she might be growing up too fast.

Matria

Spain 2017, 21 min, Director: Álvaro Gago Diaz

Faced with a challenging daily routine, Ramona tries to take refuge in her relationships with her daughter and granddaughter.

Triumphers

Spain 2017, 7 min, Director: Joseba Alfaro

What if you could come back as somebody else?

Xisca

Spain 2018, 21 min, Director: Sergi Lara

World Premiere

When a sheep appears on his doorstep one day, Ramon decides to take a trip around the countryside to find its owner.

Terror Internationale

SATURDAY, MAY 26 9:30 PM

The language of fear is universal.

Blood Shed

United Kingdom 2017, 13 min, Director: James Moran

Jack loves a bargain, but when he buys a suspiciously cheap garden shed, it becomes a bloody nightmare.

The Girl in the Snow

Switzerland 2017, 7 min, Director: Dennis Ledergerber

A day in the life of a foley artist.

Hombre

Chile 2017, 22 min, Director: Juan Pablo Arias

On a snowy hunting trip, a father and son discover a monster in the forest.

I Love Eva Marsh

France 2017, 24 min, Director: Rémy Rondeau

What would you do for Eva Marsh? Ben accepts her dare to seek a mysterious creature hidden under a nearby lake’s pontoon.

Little Donnie (The Ten Inch Terror)

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Chel White

An evil doll stalks his victim in the age of Trump.

Milk

Canada 2018, 10 min, Director: Santiago Menghini

On a late-night visit to the kitchen for a glass of milk, a boy encounters his sleepless mother and soon realizes things are not as they seem.

RIP

Spain 2017, 17 min, Directors: Albert Pintó, Caye Casas

US Premiere

A woman prepares her husband’s funeral with the utmost care, but then he comes back to life, threatening to undo all her hard work.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Coming in September 2018

Through Her Indigenous Eyes

SUNDAY, MAY 27 3:00 PM

Indigenous women have held a leadership role in storytelling since time immemorial, and these cutting-edge films herald new voices to the diversifying dialogue on Indigenous issues.

Abnormal Freedom

Canada 2018, 7 min, Directors: Kiyari McNab, Andrea Cessna

US Premiere

A teen excavates her difficult past, which leaves her suspended between memory and ambition.

Birds in the Earth

Finland/Norway 2018, 11 min

North American Premiere

Two Sámi ballet dancers perform the contradiction between nature and modern lifestyle.

Geoduck

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Tracy Rector

World Premiere

An indigenous fisherwoman reveals the exceptional challenges of harvesting geoduck.

I Like Girls

Canada 2017, 8 min, Director: Diane Obomsawin

First love is an intoxicating experience, but with it can come excruciating awkwardness, unrequited emotions, and confusing issues of identity.

Laundry

New Zealand 2017, 10 min, Director: Becs Arahanga

When a happily married couple with young kids struggles to find intimacy, orgasmic pleasure is found in the most unlikely of places.

Mud

USA 2017, 10 min, Director: Shaandiin Tome

On her last day, Ruby faces the inescapable remnants of alcoholism, family, and culture.

Nuuca

Canada/USA 2017, 13 min, Director: Michelle Latimer

The oil boom in North Dakota has brought tens of thousands of new people and with that has come an influx of drugs, crime, and sex trafficking.

Three Thousand

Canada 2017, 14 min, Director: Asinnajaq

The past, present, and future of Inukjuak, Quebec are uniquely expressed through a collage of archival and contemporary material.

Webfest At Shoreline

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

SHORELINE CC

SIFF launches its new Episodic Content category with this exciting, diverse collection of outstanding new pilots and webisodes. Ranging from absurdist comedies to surprising dramas, this collection captures the excitement of this flourishing new format.

Apartment

Argentina 2017, 11 min, Director: Jasmin Stuart

North American Premiere

Ramon, a mediocre worker with an even more mediocre salary, watches his whole life crumble when his rent increases.

Arun Considers

USA 2017, 2 min, Directors: Dave Dorsey, Jordan Ledy

Arun thinks too much. These are the things that he decided not to say out loud.

The Big Nothing

Australia 2018, 8 min, Directors: Lucy Campbell, Pete Ninos

Detective Lennox is sent to investigate a murder on an isolated mining outpost near Saturn.

Other People’s Children

USA 2017, 6 min, Directors: Brad Riddell, Anna Hozian

A new second grade teacher endures the worst parent/teacher conferences ever.

Otis

USA 2017, 11 min, Director: Alexander Etseyatse

A mentally unstable young man struggles to win his old life back.

The Passage

USA 2017, 22 min, Director: Kitao Sakurai

Phil is forced to go on the run in order to keep one step ahead of a pagan cult.

Strowlers: Pilot

USA 2018, 12 min, Directors: Ben Dobyns, L. Gabriel Gonda

World Premiere

In a world where magic is real and regulated by the government, everyone with talent must either register or run.

Unspeakable

USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Milena Govich

In a desperate situation, a young woman’s only chance to avoid discovery is to claim to be a girl who disappeared years ago as a child.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Who Runs The World

FRIDAY, MAY 25 7:00 PM

Women have it on lock. The feminist anthem shorts program 2018 has been waiting for—welcome.

Agua Viva

USA 2018, 7 min, Director: Alexa Lim Haas

A Chinese manicurist in Miami describes feelings for which there are no words.

#barewithme

Finland 2018, 9 min, Director: Ulla Heikkila

Come along with a girl squad on an emotionally and physically revealing revenge adventure.

Caroline

USA 2017, 12 min, Directors: Celine Held, Logan George

When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.

Counterfeit Kunkoo

India 2018, 15 min, Director: Reema Sengupta

In a city that houses millions, Smita finds herself fighting to rent a house in middle-class Mumbai due to a strange prerequisite.

A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl

Australia 2017, 20 min, Director: Tilda Cobham-Hervey

North American Premiere

Twelve children provide a study into the creature known as the 12-year-old girl.

Juck [Thrust]

Sweden 2018, 17 min, Directors: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira

Juck, the Swedish word for “hump,” depicts an all-female dance group whose groudbreaking appearance pushes the boundaries of femininity and masculinity.

An Uncertain Future

USA 2017, 11 min, Directors: Iliana Sosa, Chelsea Hernandez

In Austin, Texas, two expectant mothers—one undocumented and one US citizen—must contend with increased ICE raids and mounting hostility towards immigrants under President Trump.

WTF?!

SUNDAY, MAY 27 9:00 PM

Do you ever feel as though the deepest corners of the internet aren’t enough for you? Is your viewing content feeling stale or uninspired? Come feast your eyes on this cornucopia of weird delights.

86’d

USA 2018, 13 min, Director: Alan Palomo

World Premiere

Five seedy stories transpire over the course of one late-night order at a 24-hour deli.

Coyote

Switzerland 2018, 10 min, Director: Lorenz Wunderle

When a coyote loses his wife and children by attacking wolves, he succumbs to sadness, delusions, and an evil possession.

Great Choice

USA 2017, 7 min, Director: Robin Comisar

A woman gets stuck in a Red Lobster commercial.

Hair Wolf

USA 2018, 12 min, Director: Mariama Diallo

A gentrification horror comedy set in a black hair salon, where the salon staff fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.

Julkita

Mexico 2017, 18 min, Director: Humberto Busto

The superherione on her period, Julkita, will rule if she can just best her own household struggles.

LaZercism

USA 2017, 5 min, Director: Shaka King

Ask your doctor if LaZercism is right for you.

[O]

United Kingdom 2017, 7 min, Directors: Mario Radev, Chiara Sgatti

A film that mimics nature, depicting cycles in a world entirely based on sound frequency and vibration.

Punch Me

USA 2018, 5 min, Director: Jeanne Jo

World Premiere

A relationship is challenged when three hired goons interrupt dinner.

The Right Ingredients

USA 2017, 3 min, Director: Brendan McDonnell

An inventive young chef perfects his new tasting menu.

Untitled Groping Revenge Fairytale

New Zealand 2017, 9 min, Director: Catherine Bisley

A woman comes out of the forest, pitches a tent, and starts to collect men.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Shortsfest Closing Night

MONDAY, MAY 28 6:00 PM

CINEMA UPTOWN

Shorts Before Features

Cats Cradle

USA, 2018, 12 minutes, Director: Jonathan Napolitano

Shortly after retiring, Bruce and Terry Jenkins transformed their home into a hospice and senior living facility for cats.

Screens before Catwalk: Tales From the Cat Show Circuit

The Dark of Night

USA 2017, 9 min, Director: Robin Wright

The night turns deadly when a woman seeks refuge from a storm in an isolated diner.

I Heart NY

USA 2017, 4 min, Director: Andre Andreev

A man struggles to find love for NYC during a trying decade until he creates an iconic logo.

Salamat from Germany

Lebanon/France 2018, 21 min, Directors: Una Gunjak, Rami Kodeih

Desperate to escape Lebanon and settle in Europe, Lillo buys himself a Syrian passport and prepares to appropriate the Syrian identity. What he’s not ready for is everything that comes with being a Syrian refugee.

Stealing Silver

United Kingdom 2017, 20 min, Director: Mark Lobatto

A young woman (Maisie Williams) is forced to confront painful memories when she discovers just how wrong she’s been about the old man across the road.

The Victory of Charity

Austria 2017, 24 min, Director: Albert Meisl

North American Premiere

When a devoted musicologist realizes his original stage outfit of a 1960s Viennese beat group ends up at the charity shop, he will stop at nothing to get it back.

Wind in the Night

USA 2018, 15 min, Director: Jesse Harris

World Premiere

When a man working as a drug mule for a Mexican cartel is ordered to become a drug receiver in America, he must face the inner struggle of right and wrong to protect his family.

Dummy

China, 2016, 20 minutes, Director: Yongliang Chang

North American Premiere

When an Opera troupe visits their village, young teenager Dummy finds himself deeply attracted to a beautiful female character, who is played by a man.

Screens before Looking For?

Holy Angels

Canada, 2017, 14 minutes, Director: Jay Cardinal Villeneuve

US Premiere

Canada’s colonialist history is recaptured through impressionistic images and the fragmented language of a child.

Screens before Dawnland

Landline

United Kingdom, 2017, 12 minutes, Director: Matt Houghton

After a chaplain from Cheshire set up a helpline for gay farmers, their calls unveil the realities of their tough lives.

Screens before Queerama

The Real Santa

USA, 2018, 9 minutes, Director: Robert O’Twomney

World Premiere

What if Santa was an assassin, and the only way you got to him was through a kid that had already used him?

Screens before Ruin Me

Shell No

USA/Coast Salish Territory, 2018, 7 minutes, Director: Tracy Rector

World Premiere

The protests against oil production from Standing Rock to Seattle’s oil rig are invigorated by the music of Khu.éex’.

Screens before Warrior Women

Uktena and Thunder

USA/Cherokee Nation, 2017, 9 minutes, Director: Joseph Erb

Based on a Cherokee legend, two boys feed a small starving snake and it grows up to be a large Uktena that fights Thunder.

Screens before Bee Nation

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

SIFF

Known around the world for the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema also programs mini-festivals throughout the year.

FRENCH CINEMA NOW

SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 4

Featuring the best of French language films from around the world.

KINO FEST

OCTOBER 19-21

A showcase of the best of German language films this year.

CINEMA

ITALIAN STYLE

NOVEMBER 8 - 15

Una settimana straordinaire di film Italian!

NOIR CITY

FEBRUARY 15-21, 2019

Co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation

Noir City takes cinephiles to the darkest and most dangerous places a film lover can go!

FEATURE FILMS FROM A TO Z

For 44 years, SIFF has had the honor of curating films from around the world, giving Seattle audiences the international cinematic experience they crave. This is the power of film, where an audience can be transported from a darkened theater in the Pacific Northwest to anywhere on Earth in just a few minutes. All you need is a ticket, a place to sit, and an open mind.

Elsewhere in this catalog, we have broken down our feature film listings by genre (see Moods, page 33) and grouped them in traditional subject categories (see Film Programs, beginning on page 65). On the following pages, however, we’re offering you the whole world of cinema at once with our alphabetized list of feature films.

AUSTRIA 2017

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

SIFF FILM CENTER

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 3:30 PM SIFF FILM CENTER

In the cinematic universe, a starry sky is something to stare at while dreaming of being somewhere else. According to Jiminy Cricket, when you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you. It’s no wonder that soon after the birth of cinema, filmmakers were trying to capture the night sky. The thing is, stars don’t photograph all that well, so most of the images that contain them are animated in some way or another. For ★, structural filmmaker Johann Lurf collected all the filmed images of starscapes he could find from high quality sources and assembled them in chronological order, rejecting the clips that had trees or people or spaceships or text. The result is a hypnotic journey through film history starting in 1905 and going all the way through 2017. The earliest clips are silent, of course, but as we travel through time (and space) we see the advances of the cinematic form as the images expand, gain color, and hand-drawn animation becomes computer generated. He also keeps the sound from the clips, which go from silent to mono to stereo to surround sound, and start and stop in random spots, blaring music or narration or nothing at all. It’s a supercut of starry skies that’s perfect for the dreamer in all of us.

Director: Johann Lurf

Producer: Johann Lurf

Screenwriter: Johann Lurf

Editor: Johann Lurf

Music: Nils Kirchhoff

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in various languages, with English subtitles

International Sales: sixpackfilm

Print Source: sixpackfilm

Film Website: sixpackfilmdata.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

1985 USA 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE THURSDAY, MAY 31 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

It’s 1985, and Adrian (Cory Michael Smith, Carol) has returned home to Fort Worth for Christmas, his first visit in three years. He’s been in New York pursuing a career in advertising, but as far as his family is concerned, he moved away as quickly as possible to escape their conservative values. They have a point: his Vietnam vet dad (Michael Chiklis, “The Shield”) constantly sweeps through younger son Andrew’s room and throws out any secular music, and mom (Virginia Madsen, Sideways) is always listening to the local Christian radio station. On Christmas morning, the family is surprised to receive expensive presents from Adrian, and he remains tight-lipped as to why. But when Adrian impulsively decides to contact a former flame (Jamie Chung, “Once Upon a Time,” SIFF 2012’s Eden) the truth becomes clear; not only is Adrian hiding his sexuality, but he is terminally ill. 1985 is an understated but emotionally devastating story that reminds us of a time, one that is frustratingly recent, where ignorance of the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ culture destroyed an entire generation of people, leaving countless families and friends shattered and confused under Reagan’s watch. Shot in stark black-andwhite 16mm, writer/director Yen Tan’s film gracefully investigates the past to tell us that, while many things have changed, our country still has a long way to go.

Director: Yen Tan

Producers: HutcH

Ash Christian

Screenwriter: Yen Tan

Cinematographer: HutcH

Editor: HutcH

Yen Tan

Music: Curtis Heath

Dutch Rall

Cast:

Cory Michael Smith

Virginia Madsen

Michael Chiklis

Jamie Chung

Aidan Langford

Ryan Piers Williams

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Film Website: 1985thefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Pit Stop (2013)

Afghan Cycles

USA/FRANCE/AFGHANISTAN 2018

US PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 21 4:00 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 27 1:00 PM

Imagine being cursed, dodging hurled rocks, and avoiding angry cars all while catching death threats just for getting on your bike. That’s what the women featured in Afghan Cycles withstand as they pursue their cycling passions. Seattle-based filmmaker Sarah Menzies’ first feature-length documentary follows the Afghan National Women’s Cycling team and young riders in the northwest Bamyan Province as they navigate the societal forces working against them. Their story shines a light on the struggles many Afghan women face on a regular basis; discrimination and abuse is commonplace in their lives, but still they continue to ride despite the cultural barriers and powerful attempts to stop them. Sometimes, obstacles prove insurmountable and women are forced to quit riding: Frozan, a leader of the national team, decides to defect as they arrive in France for competition; without a home, friends, or a bike, it’s all she can do to try to figure out how to seek asylum. Shot gorgeously with many of Afghanistan’s serene mountain ranges acting as a backdrop, this film is sure to move audiences with its powerful source material and inspire belief in the struggle for human rights under the harshest of circumstances.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SHORELINE CC

Director: Sarah Menzies

Producers: Sarah Menzies

Jenny Nichols

Shannon Galpin

Caryn Capotosto

Anna Brones

Cinematographers: Sarah Menzies

Jenny Nichols

Editor:

Tony Hale

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Dari, with English subtitles

Print Source: Let Media

Film Website: afghancycles.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

L’ORAGE AFRICAIN: UN CONTINENT SOUS INFLUENCE

The African Storm

BENIN/FRANCE 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM ARK LODGE

THURSDAY, MAY 24 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Audiences cheered this year over the release of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther for its rare depiction of a black superhero that drew boxoffice-busting crowds. But nearly a year before that milestone, this Benin film, about triumphing over the outdated policies of Africa’s colonial past, has had a similarly galvanic effect on festival audiences. Directed, produced, and starring Sylvestre Amoussou, The African Storm tells the story of the fictional African nation of Tangara, which had been under the influence of Western governments for centuries until the current President (Amoussou) decides to break the cycle of exploitation by nationalizing its businesses, especially those that control the nation’s vast diamond-mining operations. Despite aggressive resistance from the Western corporations, the President and his constituents rally together and take even bolder steps toward economic freedom by establishing ties with Russia and China, rejecting the “CFA franc” currency, a relic of the French colonial past in West Africa, and denouncing the disastrous policies of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. This crowd-pleasing fable, which won the Silver Stallion Award at last year’s Pan African Film and Television Festival, breaks the shackles of what Amoussou calls the “miserable Africa” style of political filmmaking by presenting a rousing, uplifting solution to the racist policies that led to corruption and poverty across Africa.

Awards: FESPACO 2017 (Silver Stallion Award)

Director: Sylvestre Amoussou

Producers: Sylvestre Amoussou

Sandrine Bulteau

Screenwriters: Sylvestre Amoussou

Sauvil Sandrine Bulteau

Cinematographer: Carine Bancel

Editor:

Tchoko Tchoko 7ème Art

Music: Mohamed Oussama

Cast: Sylvestre Amoussou

Sandrine Bulteau

Eriq Ebouaney

Philippe Caroit

Laurent Mendy

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Tchoko Tchoko 7th Art

Film Website: lorageafricainlefilm.com

Selected Filmography:

Un pas en avant - Les dessous de la corruption (2011) Africa paradis (2006)

DOPO LA GUERRA

After the War

FRANCE/ITALY/BELGIUM/SWITZERLAND 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 19 12:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 26 5:45 PM SHORELINE CC

In her narrative feature debut, Annarita Zambrano dovetails the personal and the political in this charged family drama. Former ex-left-wing activist and father Marco Lambetti fled Italy for France in 1981 after assassinating a judge but is now forced to go back into hiding after the Mitterand doctrine, which allowed such terrorists to live in exile without fear of extradition, is rescinded 20 years later. At the same time, a political assassination by a group claiming to carry on Lambetti’s former organization has reopened Italy’s wounds from the “years of lead,” a decade-plus period of vicious political turmoil. Italian police and tabloids grill his sister and ailing mother who are unable to find reprieve from his old crimes, and his daughter Viola, at the precipice of secondary school graduation, has her life upended as Marco tears her from school to go on he run. Marco’s ardent defense of himself and his political cause comes at a heavy price to those closest him, even if he’s the only one willing to pay it. Expertly paced, After the War is an emotionally intelligent story that poses questions of of country and family.

Director:

Annarita Zambrano

Producers:

Stéphanie Douet

Tom Dercourt

Screenwriters: Annarita Zambrano

Delphine Agut

Cinematographer: Laurent Brunet

Editor:

Muriel Breton

Cast:

Giuseppe Battiston

Barbora Bobulova

Charlotte Caire

Running Time: 93 minutes

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

International Sales: Pyramide Films

Print Source: Pyramide International

Film Website: pyramidefilms.com

Selected Filmography: L’anima del Gattopardo (doc, 2014)

AMATÖRER

Amateurs

SWEDEN 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 29 6:30 PM SHORELINE CC FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE SATURDAY, JUNE 2 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The fictional town of Lafors, Sweden is in a downward trend and unemployment is high. Known primarily for its leather, textiles, and its drunken western weekend fairs, it’s in desperate need of an economic boost. Enter Billytown, a German-owned brand of superstores, who wants to open their newest location in Sweden, and they’re looking for applicants. Lafors seems like the perfect place for a store that could bring in upwards of a thousand new jobs, and the town council decides to create a tourism video. But with little money at their disposal, they turn to a local high school and task the students with the filmmaking project. Teenagers film everything and always have their phones at the ready, they reason, so why not kill two birds with one stone? Enter Aida (Zahraa Aldoujaili) and Dana (Yara Aliadotter), teens of color from different classes, who take the project the most seriously, shooting footage from Aida’s motorbike and capturing snippets of real life. But their vision of their hometown is too real for the council, and when they hire an outside videographer to make what essentially amounts to a lie, the two projects vie for the community’s attention. Amateurs is a gem of a movie, smartly weaving through its many themes—gentrification, industrial collapse, immigration, working class woes—without ever losing its charm.

Awards: Goteborg International Film Festival 2018 (Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film)

Director: Gabriela Pichler

Producer: Anna-Maria Kantarius

Screenwriters: Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Gabriela Pichler

Cinematographer: Johan Lundberg

Editors: Andreas Nilsson

Gabriela Pichler

Johan Lunborg

Cast:

Zahraa Aldoujaili

Yara Aliadotter

Fredrik Dahl

Shada Ismaeel

Maria Nohra

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swedish, English, German, Arabic, Bosnian, Kurdish, Rmani, Romanian, and Tamil, with English subtitles

International Sales: Level K

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Film Website: filminstitutet.se/en

Selected Filmography: Eat Sleep Die (2012)

American Animals USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

While watching such caper films as Ocean’s Eleven or The Asphalt Jungle, have you ever thought to yourself: could I ever pull off a heist? The crime movie-loving protagonists in Bart Layton’s (The Imposter, 2012) American Animals think so, and fashion a heist of their very own. Based on a (mostly) true story, Layton’s film revolves around best friends Spencer (Barry Keoghan, Dunkirk) and Warren (Evan Peters, “American Horror Story”), two intelligent but aimless young Kentucky college students. With the help of their fellow Transylvania University peers Chas (Blake Jenner, Everybody Wants Some!!) and Eric (Jared Abrahamson, Hello Destroyer), they decide to rob the Special Collections Library at their school simply because they can. What begins as an outlandish exercise of their imaginations and a testament to their organization skills, eventually turns into the real thing, and the group of young men realize they may be in over their heads. Layton’s feature debut is a stylish and cleverly self-reflexive ode to American crime cinema. In exploring its characters arrogance and restlessness, emphasized by smart dialogue and a unique narrative structure, American Animals emerges as an engrossing reflection on young male privilege.

Director: Bart Layton

Producers: Derrin Schlesinger

Katherine Butler

Dimitri Doganis

Mary Jane Skalski

Screenwriter: Bart Layton

Cinematographer: Ole Bratt Birkeland

Editors:

Nick Fenton

Chris Gill

Music: Anne Nikitin

Cast:

Evan Peters

Barry Keoghan

Blake Jenner

Jared Abrahamson

Ann Dowd

Udo Kier

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Print Source: The Orchard

Selected Filmography: The Imposter (doc, 2012)

ANA, LJUBAVI MOJA

Ana, mon Amour

ROMANIA/GERMANY/FRANCE 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 31 9:15 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 9:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 7:30 PM

Devout love and debilitating mental illness elope in this gripping romantic drama about two Romanian lovers. At the film’s onset, university lit students Toma and Ana are discussing Nietzsche while flirtatiously assessing one another. Soon, things continue in the bedroom, but then Ana suffers a shocking panic attack. Instead of hightailing for more stable pastures, Toma stays to comfort Ana and helps her find a doctor with better prescriptions. So begins a taut love affair told over conjoining timelines that bends traditional chronology. Ana takes Toma to her family home with her country bumpkin mother and stepfather, a visit that reveals past abuses Ana vehemently denies suffering. In the reverse scene with Toma’s middle-class family, he is berated by his father for financially supporting a mentally unstable person, but the tumultuous family relations only strengthen the couple’s resolve. Ana slowly overcomes her ailments and they become pregnant, but as she gains a career and personal independence, Toma’s world begins shuttering as his insecurities fester under the light of Ana’s success. Neither can seem to live without the other, even if they may lead each other to ruin.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2017 (Silver Bear)

LINCOLN SQUARE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Cãlin Peter Netzer

Producers: Oana Iancu

Cãlin Peter Netzer

Screenwriters:

Cãlin Peter Netzer

Cezar Paul Badescu

Iulia Lumanare

Cinematographer: Andrei Butica

Editor: Dana Bunescu

Cast: Mircea Postelnicu

Diana Cavallioti

Carmen Tanase

Adrian Titieni

Vlad Ivanov

Running Time: 125 minutes

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

International Sales: Beta Cinema

Print Source: Beta Cinema

Film Website: betacinema.com

Selected Filmography: Child’s Pose (2013)

Medal of Honor (2009) Maria (2003)

TIERRA FIRME

Anchor and Hope

SPAIN/UNITED KINGDOM 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 12:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

After his debut feature film 10.000 Km (SIFF 2014) became an international success, Carlos Marques-Marcet returns with this alternative dark rom-com about diverging needs in a relationship. Young gay couple Kat (Natalia Tena, the Harry Potter series) and Eva (Oona Chaplin, “Game of Thrones”) enjoy a simple bohemian existence on a tightly packed riverboat chugging its way along London’s channels, a life inspired in no small part by Eva’s former commune-living mother. Enter Roger, Kat’s jovial bumbling friend from Barcelona who, along with his good humor, also brings sperm (his “little fishies”) needed to create a human that Kat herself can’t provide. A hasty drunken agreement is made, some little fishies are artificially inseminated, and Eva’s longawaited pregnancy begins. One problem: No one—not a boat remodeler, nor a part-time salsa instructor, nor a general vagabond, is sure of what role they want or are capable of playing in the baby’s life, their confidence waning to dire levels as the gravitas of a child looms large. Smart yet accessible, Kat and Eva’s emotional trip offers a genuine meditation on modern love and family.

Director:

Carlos Marques-Marcet

Producers:

Sergi Moreno

Tono Folguera

Sophie Venner

Screenwriters:

Carlos Marques-Marcet

Jules Nurrish

Cinematographer: Dagmar Weaver-Madsen

Editors:

Juliana Montañés

David Gallart

Carlos Marques-Marcet

Music: Merche Blasco

Cast:

Natalia Tena

Oona Chaplin

David Verdaguer

Geraldine Chaplin

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English and Spanish, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

Visit Films

Print Source:

Visit Films

Film Website: facebook.com/ TierraFirmePeli

Selected Filmography: 10.000 KM (2016)

JIA NIAN HUA

Angels Wear White

CHINA/FRANCE 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Orphaned teenage girl Mia (Vicky Chen, also featured in this year’s The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful) works as a cleaner in a remote seaside town hotel. One day, she takes a shift for a reception co-worker and checks in on a man in the company of two schoolgirls. At night, Mia sees him force his way into the hotel room on the surveillance camera; feeling queasy, she records this scene on her phone. The next day, the schoolgirls are found sexually assaulted, consequently causing disturbance in the hotel and with their families. The suspect, however, is a high-ranking commissioner who has ways of making sure there is no evidence to prove his misconduct…save for the key evidence in Mia’s possession. In its exploration of a terrible event’s aftermath, Angels Wear White looks deeply into the lives of the primary school girls, the young workers, and the mothers. This difficult topic and complex story about systemic sexism and institutional corruption is masterfully handled with elegance, just as the title indicates, in Vivian Qu’s second feature.

Director: Vivian Qu

Producer: Sean Chen

Screenwriter: Vivian Qu

Cinematographer: Benoît Dervaux

Editor: Hongyu Yang

Music: Zi Wen

Cast:

Qi Wen

Meijun Zhou Ke Shi

Le Geng

Weiwei Liu

Jing Peng

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: KimStim

Film Website: wildbunch.biz/movie/ angels-wear-white

Selected Filmography: Trap Street (2013)

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco

USA 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 24 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

FRIDAY, MAY 25 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Exploring the energy and intrigue of the seventies through the narratives of industry legends, Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco paints a portrait of a man whose lust for life was transcendent. As a fashion illustrator, his renderings of reality inspired a space where beauty and expression reigned supreme. Director James Crump’s documentary outlines Lopez’s massive influence that remains palpable decades after his passing in 1987. Shattering boundaries of sexuality, fashion, diversity, and culture across the world, Lopez represents the pinnacle of twentieth century liberation. Set to a soundtrack of disco hits and incorporating archival footage and iconic images, Crump beautifully depicts a counterculture posse of designers and their it-girls that ran the streets of New York City and Paris. With decadence, glamour, and lack of inhibition illustrated as the recipe for trendsetting, audiences will be transported to St. Tropez swimming with Karl Lagerfeld, Max’s Kansas City dancing with Andy Warhol, and Lopez’s Carnegie Hall studio being painted beside the likes of Jerry Hall and Grace Jones. Like stepping into a time machine, Crump’s feature is a love letter to the incomparable nature of the late sixties and seventies and the man whose life’s work defined it. Immerse yourself in the discoera world of Puerto Rican-born fashion icon Antonio Lopez, who upended the industry with his vibrant illustrations while painting the town with friends and lovers including Karl Lagerfeld, Grace Jones, Jessica Lange, and Jerry Hall.

Automata USA 2017

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 6:30 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 7:00 PM

Director: James Crump

Producers: James Crump

Ronnie Sassoon

Screenwriter: James Crump

Cinematographers: James Crump

Robert O’Haire

Editor: Nick Tamburri

Featuring: Jessica Lange

Bill Cunningham

Jerry Hall

Grace Coddington

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: sexfashiondisco.com

Selected Filmography:

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art (2015)

Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe (2007)

Putting a science-fiction twist on the classic hardboiled detective drama, Automata explores a dystopian alternative version of Prohibition-era New York City, similarly shaped by moral panic even though the alcohol flows freely here. In this universe, Prohibition doesn’t ban drinking, but the further production of sapient androids that have become prevalent by the 1920s. As a result, the existing androids, called automatons, are shunned by society, relegated to an untouchable caste of servants despite their near-human thought capability, and are frequently subjected to hatred and violence. It’s in this oppressive setting that human private detective Sam Regal (Basil Harris, “Grimm”) and his automaton partner Carl Swangee (Doug Jones, The Shape of Water) work together to solve cases for both communities, learning to see humanity in one another while trying to prove that justice is still worth serving. Originating as a popular webcomic published by Penny Arcade, director Van Alan has received nearly half a million dollars from fans on Kickstarter to set this story into motion. Their efforts show great potential to yield an intricate plot of intrigue and obfuscation in a well-realized and bleak setting, ultimately shedding light on human nature in the presence of “the other.”

Director: Van Alan

Producers: Jonathan Caso

Will Lummus

Screenwriter: Van Alan

Cinematographer: Nacime Khemis

Editor: Robyn Scaringi

Music: Daniel L.K. Caldwell

Cast: Basil Harris

Jen Taylor

Doug Jones

Jen Taylor

Dylan Smith

Running Time: 52 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Automata LLC

Film Website: vanalanfilm.com/ automata

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

PACIFIC PLACE

Ava

IRAN/CANADA/QATAR 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 24 3:00 PM

Winner of this year’s Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature Film, Ava recounts the coming of age of an upper-middle class Tehran teenager. Despite her somewhat regimented routine of school, violin lessons, and curfew, Ava’s personal preoccupations aren’t that different from those of girls her age around the world. She has a crush on the boy who accompanies her on the violin, and a bet with her friend that she can get him to go out on a date with her. But when Ava’s mother discovers this plan, she goes from overprotective to paranoid and controlling, forcing Ava to see a gynecologist to prove she’s still a virgin, and imposing ever-more rigid restrictions on her daughter’s freedom. The consequences for their relationship are dire as Ava’s rebels against these constraints, constraints that are only reinforced by her school environment, and by extension, the larger society. “You are under continual assessment,” the headmistress warns her students ominously over the school loudspeaker. Based on director Sadaf Foroughi’s own adolescent experiences, Ava offers a powerful exploration of exactly what that means.

Awards:

Toronto International Film Festival 2017 (FIPRESCI Prize)

LINCOLN SQUARE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Sadaf Foroughi

Producers:

Sadaf Foroughi

Kiarash Anvari

Screenwriter: Sadaf Foroughi

Cinematographer: Sina Kermanizadeh

Editor:

Kiarash Anvari

Cast:

Mahour Jabbari

Bahar Nouhian

Leili Rashidi

Vahid Aghapour

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales: Mongrel International

Print Source: Grasshopper Film

Film Website: grasshopperfilm.com/ film/ava

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Sponsored by Anonymous, Sinikka and Babak Parviz, Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions, American Iranian Business Council, Nima Foroutan DDS, Shadi Araghi/ Highlands Kids Dentistry, Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties, Naini Family Foundation, Radio Iranshahr, Professional Copy ‘n’ Print, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department, and UW Iranian-American Faculty

Ballet Now

USA 2018

WORLD PREMIERE

MONDAY, JUNE 4 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN TUESDAY, JUNE 5 4:30 PM

A tip and a tap, the spin and pirouette, live orchestra melodies ebb and flow with the bodies of the stage performers, thus a dance performance made up of several individual pieces and moving parts comes together as a symbiotic whole. This was “Ballet Now” at the Los Angeles Music Center last summer. Dozens of dancers from ballet, hip-hop, and tap from around the world came together for a weekend-long program, the kind of project typically curated by, well, a curator. Lead dancer Tiler Peck, principal performer of the New York City Ballet, spearheaded the immense project on her own. Steven Cantor’s graceful documentary follows Peck on her journey in this all-encompassing role as director and lead performer. From recruiting dancers to discussing the finer points of musical cohesion with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor, her task is typically undertaken by several people, but out of sheer talent and determination, she proves it more than possible. Her modern program runs the gamut of contemporary dance and even clownship in a duet with famed Emmywinning actor, clown, and “Sesame Street” regular Bill Irwin. Ballet Now is a pure tribute to the raw talent, ingenuity, and passion of artists from so many disciplines working together to create a profound act of harmony.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Steven Cantor

Producers:

Paul G. Allen

Steven Cantor

Jamie Schutz

Jannat Gargi

Victoria Morris

Tiler Peck

Elisabeth Moss

Editor:

Anna Pinchuk

Music: B.C. Smith, featuring music by Sylvan Esso

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: Vulcan Productions

Selected Filmography: Satori (doc, 2018)

Dancer (doc, 2016)

No One Dies in Lily Dale (doc, 2011)

James Blunt: Return to Kosovo (doc, 2007)

What Remains (doc 2005), Endsville (2000)

Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope (doc, 2000)

Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (doc, 1994)

Beast

UNITED KINGDOM 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 8:00 PM

ARK LODGE

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Someone on the windswept island of Jersey (the British territory, not the American state) has been murdering a series of young women, leaving the small population edgy and wary of strangers. Amid this uneasy atmosphere, one resident, Moll (Jessie Buckley), chafes against her cold, controlling mother (Geraldine James), whom she still lives with, along with her Alzheimer’s-stricken father, and is constantly upstaged by her betterliked siblings. Seeking escape, Moll meets a mysterious French outsider, Pascal (Johnny Flynn), and doesn’t let his criminal past, his gruff manner, or his brandishing of a hunting rifle, interfere with their budding romance. As the two rebellious misfits are drawn to each other, suspicions increase about Pascal’s involvement in the murders, and about dark secrets revealed from Moll’s past. Writer/director Michael Pearce, a Jersey native known chiefly for British TV dramas, based the story loosely on an infamous string of murders that occurred in Jersey in the ’60s. In Beast, his feature film debut, Pearce exhibits a mastery of cinematic horror, turning the spooky, graygreen setting into a menacing character all its own. This psychological thriller relies more on the subtleties and taut dialogue than on easy jump-cuts to ratchet up the suspense, leading to an explosive finish that will leave audiences guessing about who the true beast of the title really is.

Director: Michael Pearce

Producers: Kristian Brodie

Ivana MacKinnon

Lauren Dark

Screenwriter: Michael Pearce

Cinematographer: Benjamin Kracun

Editor: Maya Maffioli

Music: Jim Williams

Cast:

Jessie Buckley

Johnny Flynn

Geraldine James

Trystan Gravelle

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Protagonist Pictures

Print Source: Roadside Attractions

Film Website: straybearfilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Bee Nation

CANADA 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 1:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 28 4:00 PM

In 2016, children from Saskatchewan’s indigenous tribes strode into history competing in Canada’s first ever province-wide First Nations Spelling Bee. In her first feature-length documentary, director Lana Šlezić follows the paths of six young competitors, from their studies on their reserves to the big day and beyond. Facing both structural and personal hurdles, these youths and their families remain inspired to prove themselves and their communities to the world, with the winners at the provincial Bee getting to compete in the National Championships in Toronto. Although driven by determination towards this goal, the film’s true emphasis is on the journey, illustrating how family, friends, and communities came together to push for achievement. Šlezić expertly distills each contestant’s character, with their values, hopes, struggles, and perseverance coming to life in every scene. We get an intimate glimpse into their lives on the reserve, showing how their families and friends guide their pursuit to better themselves and capturing profound moments of love and support in triumph and adversity alike. It’s because of these personal perspectives that Bee Nation resonates so well as a testament to the power of supporting our children’s dreams, no matter the obstacles.

PRECEDED BY:

Uktena and Thunder USA/Cherokee Nation, 2017, 9 minutes, Director: Joseph Erb Based on a Cherokee legend, two boys feed a small starving snake and it grows up to be a large Uktena that fights Thunder.

SHORELINE CC

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Lana Šlezić

Producer: Lana Šlezić

Screenwriter: Lana Šlezić

Cinematographers: Lana Šlezić

Pawel Dwulit

Marta Iwanek

Editor:

Mahi Rahgozar

Music: Casey Manierka

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Film Website: beenationfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story

MONDAY, MAY 28 9:00 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 31 4:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In 2014, SIFF audiences were smitten by a Lenny Abrahamson film called Frank, about an experimental British-American band fronted by a lead singer (Michael Fassbender) who can only perform wearing a large papiermâché cartoon head. While Frank was fiction, the main character was based on a real-life, one-of-a-kind Mancunian artist named Chris Sievey, who delighted music and television fans in Manchester, England, for more than 25 years. However, almost no one knew who Sievey was until his death in 2010. Instead, they knew him as “Frank Sidebottom,” who appeared at many U.K. concerts and TV shows in the 1980s, and later had his own chat show, “Frank Sidebottom’s Proper Telly Show in B/W,” always wearing a cartoon head painted to look vaguely like Pee-wee Herman crossed with Betty Boop. Although Chris rarely took off the mask in public, the film does, revealing the sadness behind his clownish alter ego. Through interviews with Sievey’s family, friends, and band members, plus rare footage from TV performances, filmmaker Steve Sullivan paints a portrait of a troubled artist who sought respect for his music, but battled alcoholism as he retreated into the Frank persona that forever limited him to novelty-act status.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Steve Sullivan

Producer:

Steve Sullivan

Screenwriter:

Steve Sullivan

Cinematographer: Ezra Byrne

Editor:

Steve Sullivan

Music:

Frank Sidebottom

Chris Sievey

Featuring:

Jon Ronson

John Cooper Clarke

Paula Sievey

Martin Sievey

Ross Noble

Johnny Vegas

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Piece of Cardboard

Productions Ltd

Film Website: beingfrankmovie.com

Selected Filmography: Happy Hours (2013)

Being There USA 1979

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 12:00 PM

Coming off a near-unprecedented string of critical successes—including Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973), and Bound for Glory (1976)—director Hal Ashby closed out the 1970s with the delightful, resonant satire Being There. In his penultimate performance, Peter Sellers stars as Chance, a childlike gardener who has spent his whole life inside a wealthy man’s townhouse in Washington, D.C. Chance has never ventured further than the garden he tends to, and his knowledge of the outside comes entirely from what he watches on television. But when the wealthy old man dies, Chance is evicted. While wandering the streets of America’s capitol, he is struck by a car owned by mogul and presidential adviser Ben Rand (Melvyn Douglas, whose performance won an Oscar®). Mistakenly believing that he is a wise, downon-his-luck businessman named Chauncey Gardiner, Ben and his young wife Eve (Shirley MacLaine) bring the injured gardener to their palatial estate to recover and quickly take to his congenial personality. Chance is soon welcomed with open arms into the uppercrust world of politics, and though he is illiterate, his musings about horticulture and popular culture are taken as brilliant political advice and launch him into national celebrity. Based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski, Being There is a true American classic with one of cinema’s greatest final shots.

Director: Hal Ashby

Producer: Andrew Braunsberg

Screenwriter: Jerzy Kosinski

Cinematographer: Caleb Deschanel

Editor: Don Zimmerman

Music: Johnny Mandel

Cast:

Peter Sellers

Shirley MacLaine

Jack Warden

Melvyn Douglas

Richard Dysart

Richard Basehart

Running Time: 130 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Warner Brothers

Selected Filmography: 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)

The Slugger’s Wife (1985)

Let’s Spend the Night

Together (doc. 1982)

Lookin’ to Get Out (1982)

Second-Hand Hearts (1981)

Coming Home (1978)

Bound for Glory (1976)

Shampoo (1975)

The Last Detail (1973)

Harold and Maude (1971)

The Landlord (1970)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

BELLE

Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life

FRANCE 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 11:30 AM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 1:00 PM KIRKLAND PC

In previous installments of this charming boyand-his-dog film trilogy, the titular Pyrenean mountain dog and her best friend have conspired to defeat Nazis in the French Alps and rescue the freedom-fighting Angélina (Margaux Chatelier), a mother figure to the orphaned Sebastian. In the trilogy’s final installment, it is Belle herself who needs rescuing. The film opens in the late 1940s, two years after the previous film, as the 12-year-old Sebastian (Félix Bossuet) is living an idyllic small-town life with Belle, who is now caring for her three adorable puppies, under the roof of their grizzled guardian, César (Tchéky Karyo), his daughter Angélina, and her boyfriend, Pierre (Thierry Neuvic). Trouble begins, however, when a dark, menacing figure named Joseph appears, claiming to be the previous owner of Belle and forcibly demanding to take back the dog. From that point Sebastian is determined to do whatever is necessary to rescue Belle and her family from the heartless stranger. Director Clovis Cornillac, who plays the blackclad Joseph with a satisfyingly sinister scowl, hews closely to the themes of heroism and the importance of family ties from the first two films. By also making clever use of the stunning alpine setting during heart-pounding chase sequences, he delivers audiences a thrilling adventure for the whole family.

Belle de Jour FRANCE 1967

MONDAY, MAY 28 6:30 PM

Director: Clovis Cornillac

Producers: Clément Miserez

Frédéric Brillion

Matthieu Warter

Screenwriters: Juliette Sales

Fabien Suarez

Cinematographer: Thierry Pouget

Editor: Jean-François Elie

Music:

Armand Amar

Cast: Félix Bossuet

Tchéky Karyo

Clovis Cornillac

Thierry Neuvic

Margaux Chatelier

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source: Gaumont

Film Website: gaumontpresse.fr/

Selected Filmography: Blind Date (2015)

Luis Buñuel, famous for co-writing the disturbing surrealist film Un Chien Andalou with Salvador Dali in 1929 and wickedly taking down the upper class nearly fifty years later in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, explores the duality of sadism and shame, fantasy and fidelity, in 1967’s Belle de Jour. Based on the 1928 novel by Joseph Kessel, this erotically charged story follows bored Parisian housewife, Séverine (Catherine Deneuve, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), as she makes the fateful choice to become a high-class prostitute while her husband is at work during the day. Achingly aware of the distance between her and her husband, both emotional and physical, Séverine embraces her wild daydreams of fetishistic pleasure, BDSM, and gratification through humiliation. She becomes enchanted by her new life as a call girl at a brothel downtown, finally finding sexual fulfillment and even a risky new relationship with local silver-toothed ruffian Marcel (Pierre Clémenti). However, Séverine’s indulgence doesn’t come without a price, and soon she must decide where to draw the line between real life and her persona as the confident and rebellious “Belle de Jour.” Buñuel’s languid and seductive tale comments on gender relations and the pressures of societal influence, as well as the sweet control one can find in fantasy.

Restored in 4K from the original negative by Studiocanal, in partnership with the CNC, La Cinémathèque Française, the Franco-American Cultural Fund and the house of Yves Saint Laurent.

Director: Luis Buñuel

Producers: Raymond Hakim

Robert Hakim

Screenwriters: Joseph Kessel

Luis Buñuel

Jean-Claude Carriére

Cinematographer: Sacha Vierny

Editor: Louisette Hautecoeur

Cast: Catherine Deneuve

Jean Sorel

Michel Piccoli

Geneviève Page

Pierre Clémenti

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in French, with English subtitles

Print Source: Janus Films

Film Website: janusfilms.com/ films/1504

Selected Filmography: That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)

The Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoise (1972) Tristana (1970)

The Milky Way (1969) Simon of the Desert (1965)

The Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)

Exterminating Angel (1962)

Viridiana (1961) Los Olvidados (1950)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

LE GRAND MÉCHANT RENARD ET AUTRES CONTES...

The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales...

FRANCE 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 27 11:00 AM

PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Cunning and ruthless, a fox descends upon his helpless prey, three newly hatched chicks huddled in the night…and decides that they’re too darn cute to eat. Adapting from his own graphic novel, co-director Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine) presents this and two other animated short stories starring talking farm animals that often defy their stereotypical natures. A stork indifferent to delivering babies provides the premise for “A Baby to Deliver,” where the listless stork outsources to a rabbit, a pig, and a duck that hates water. The eponymous second act features a meek fox who is constantly scared off by his hen prey. With the evil wolf’s advice, he resolves to eat the hen’s eggs, but they hatch first. When the newborn chicks mistake the fox for their mother, he finds himself confounded between being a nurturer and a hunter. Closing the film is “The Perfect Christmas,” in which the animals, convinced they harmed Santa, panic to find a replacement before anybody finds out. The wacky, jocular tone of these stories is complemented by over-the-top voice acting and zany, handdrawn animation that mixes delicate landscapes with erratic motion. The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales... proves a silly, eccentric, but also tender, cartoon film for all ages.

Awards:

Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Animated Feature)

Directors:

Patrick Imbert

Benjamin Renner

Producers:

Damien Brunner

Didier Brunner

Vincent Tavier

Screenwriters:

Benjamin Renner

Jean Regnaud

Editor:

Benjamin Massoubre

Music:

Robert Marcel Lepage

Voices:

Kamel Abdessadok Jules Bienvenu

Guillaume Bouchède

Guillaume Darnault

Jean-Loup Horwitz

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Studiocanal

Print Source:

GKids

Film Website: gkids.com/films/the-bigbad-fox-other-tales

Selected Filmography:

Imbert:

Debut Feature Film

Renner:

Ernest & Celestine (2012)

PTAKI ŚPIEWAJA W KIGALI

Birds Are Singing in Kigali

POLAND 2017

MONDAY, MAY 28 8:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 12:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Birds Are Singing in Kigali is a multi-level drama of two women who survived the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Polish ornithologist Anna Keller (Jowita Budnik) and Rwandan Claudine Mugambira (Eliane Umuhire). Anna has been working in Rwanda with Claudine’s father, a professor of ornithology studying the decline of vultures in Africa, but when the Hutus decimate the Tutsi population and murder Claudine’s family, Anna must help her escape. Both women, deeply suffering, engage in a complex and piercing psychological process of healing and restoration of their daily lives, a strange pair engaged in a love-hate relationship. This film was shot on location in Rwanda, Kenya, and Poland by the Polish filmmaking duo Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze (My Nikifor, SIFF 2016), who lived in Africa for several years. When they finally began to shoot the film, Krzysztof passed away, and Joanna later completed the project. This film is about the lasting trauma of genocide, what it means to forgive, to reconcile, to remember, and to mourn. The other main character in the film is nature itself, ever changing, eroding, and renewing.

Directors:

Joanna Kos-Krauze

Krzysztof Krauze

Producer:

Joanna Kos-Krauze

Screenwriters: Wojciech Albinski

Joanna Kos-Krauze

Krzysztof Krauze

Cinematographers: Krzysztof Ptak

Marcin Kulakowski

Józefina Gocman

Wojciech Staroń

Editor: Katarina Lesniak

Music: Pawel Szymanski

Cast: Jowita Budnik

Eliane Umuhire

Witold Wielinski

Ciza Remy

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Polish, with English subtitles

Film Website: birdsaresinginginkigali.eu

Selected Filmography:

Kos-Krauze: Papusza (2017) Saviour Square (2006)

Krauze: Papusza (2013)

Saviour Square (2006)

My Nikifor (2004)

The Debt (1999)

Street Games (1996)

Nowy Jork, czwarta rano (1988)

Jest (1984)

The Bleeding Edge

USA 2018

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 7:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 3:15 PM

Blaze Foley was one of those raw musical talents that absolutely refused stardom and reveled in obscurity. Ethan Hawke’s biopic Blaze, based on Foley’s former wife and accomplished playwright Sybil Rosen’s memoir, is a touching ode to the tragically mysterious country-blues artist stretching from their west Georgia forest dwelling days to his untimely death by gunshot in Austin, TX. The two meet working in a hippie-style church commune in the mid-’70s, and they’re an unlikely couple at first sight: He’s a big, oafish country boy with a polio limp, and she (Alia Shawkat, “Arrested Development,” Whip It) is a young no-nonsense Jewish girl rebelling from her parents’ conservative way of living. The story bleeds old country-style counterculture as the two fall fast in love, moving to wall-less treehouse out in the woods with nothing but each other’s company. Eventually, they hitchhike to Austin for a failed attempt at jumpstarting his music career. He rarely sings sober, his drunken stupor dashing any showbiz opportunities that fall his way; this eventually erodes his marriage and sends him back crooning at roadside dive bars, a setting he prefers. Singer/songwriter Benjamin Dickey plays Foley with vocal conviction, portraying a man whose voice wasn’t always pretty, but his soul was always honest as he remembered better days.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting)

Director: Ethan Hawke

Producers: Jake Seal

John Sloss

Ryan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

Screenwriters: Ethan Hawke

Sybil Rosen

Cinematographer: Steve Cosens

Editor: Jason Gourson

Cast: Benjamin Dickey Alia Shawkat

Josh Hamilton

Charlie Sexton

Running Time: 127 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: The Exchange

Print Source: Sundance Selects

Film Website: blazethemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Seymour: An Introduction (doc. 2015)

The Hottest State (2006) Chelsea Walls (2001)

MONDAY, MAY 28 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

America has the most technologically advanced health care system in the world. Through research and development, our quality of life has drastically improved, from the advent of pacemakers to bionic limbs. However these same life saving technologies may also killing us at alarming rates as medical error ranks in the top five causes of death in the United States. Most high-risk devices don’t even require a single clinical trial. In their chilling new documentary The Bleeding Edge, filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering (The Hunting Ground, Twist of Faith) uncover the dark side of the $400 billion medical device industry. They follow the personal stories of victims affected by medical technology gone awry, giving voice to injured victims that have no reprieve while shining a spotlight on frightening instances of corporate abuse and the convoluted legal loopholes that have allowed companies to continue operating. We are indeed living in the future, where we might subject our bodies to a seemingly harmless sterilization device, a sinister robotic surgeon or something more frightening. The Bleeding Edge is an angering, enlightening expose that ultimately calls on us to demand change and accountability.

Director: Kirby Dick

Producers: Amy Ziering

Amy Herdy

Editors: Andy McAllister

Derek Boonstra

Music: Jeff Beal

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Netflix

Selected Filmography: The Hunting Ground (doc, 2015)

The Invisible War (doc, 2012)

Outrage (2009)

This Film is Not Yet Rated (doc, 2006)

Twist of Faith (doc, 2004)

Derrida (doc, 2002) Chain Camera (doc, 2001)

Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (doc, 1997)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

LES BIENHEUREUX

The Blessed

FRANCE/BELGIUM 2017

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 8:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 12:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In Algeria’s coastal capital city, Amal and Samir are celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary. But while their connection to each other is still strong, their country has not fared so well. It is a few years after the end of the decade-long civil war and the aftereffects of the conflict are everywhere, in the form of corrupt security forces, moralizing imams, loved ones killed or gone into exile. Likewise, the question of whether to remain in the troubled country is always present, whether at a party with friends or when they head out together for drinks and dinner. Amal is worried about their son, Fahim, as she watches the repercussions of the war play out for the next generation. She believes passionately that their only option is to move abroad; Samir is just as passionate in his refusal to give up on their country. As they wander the city in search of a restaurant that will serve them drinks with their dinner, they mourn their lost illusions and wonder what the future holds. Dedicated to her parents’ generation, the powerful debut film of director Sofia Djama offers a warm, intimate, and compassionate look at a society struggling with its past.

Awards:

Venice Film Festival 2017 (Best Actress)

Dubai International Film Festival 2017 (Best Director)

Director:

Sofia Djama

Producers:

Patrick Quinet

Serge Zeitoun

Screenwriter: Sofia Djama

Cinematographer: Pierre Aïm

Editor:

Sophie Brunet

Cast:

Sami Bouajila

Nadia Kaci

Faouzi Bensaidi

Amine Lansari

Lyna Khoudri

Adam Bessa

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

International Sales: BAC Films

Print Source: BAC Films

Film Website: bacfilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Blindspotting

USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 4:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Just three days from the end of his parole, Oakland citizen Collin (Tony Award-winner Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton”) is just trying to get through the day without getting into trouble, knowing one false step could drop him back in jail. But hanging with his reckless childhood friend Miles (spoken word artist Raphael Casal, “Def Poetry”) doesn’t make that task any easier. The pair work together as movers, complaining about their situation while recognizing their city’s changing scene, often breaking out into freestyle as their characters’ fierce passion for hip-hop underlines the narrative. Each night, Miles pushes Collin into more law traverse situations he’d rather avoid, a dynamic that simmers through their friendship and slowly pushing them to a ferocious yet humanizing confrontation. Both Diggs and Casal, who also co-wrote the film, are Oakland natives, weaving semi-autobiographical storylines to deliver a funny yet harshly sincere film that expertly incorporates meditations on class and race. Blindspotting is an absorbing look at East Bay life with all-too-real implications about living in a rapidly gentrifying city, a thrilling buddy comedy in a world that won’t let it be one.

Director: Carlos Lopez Estrada

Producers: Keith Calder

Jess Calder

Rafael Casal

Daveed Diggs

Screenwriters: Rafael Casal

Daveed Diggs

Cinematographer: Robby Baumgartner

Editor: Gabriel Fleming

Music: Michael Yezerski

Cast:

Daveed Diggs

Rafael Casal

Janina Gavankar

Jasmine Cephas Jones

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales:

Endeavor Content

Print Source:

Lionsgate

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

PETIT PAYSAN

Bloody Milk

FRANCE 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 28 3:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Reserved 35-year-old Pierre Chavanges (Swann Arlaud, The Anarchists) seems to single-handedly run his family’s dairy farm. Preferring to do the work manually, his milk is ranked #1 in terms of quality, much better than the high-production, machineusing farms in his region. And though his parents are constantly trying to set him up with a comely local baker, Pierre is content to have his work be his life. When one of his cows falls ill, he turns to his veterinarian sister Pascale (Sara Giraudeau) and tells her he’s certain it’s a contagious and incurable bovine disease that is sweeping through Europe. Pointing to her own expertise and his overreliance on conspiracy theory-driven YouTube channels, she tells him not to worry. But as Pierre’s paranoia increases to the point of desperation, he turns to violent means to stave off the alleged epidemic and protect his herd. But a missing cow in this society doesn’t go unnoticed, and as the noose tightens around him, Pierre goes to extreme lengths to cover up his tracks. With his directorial debut, Hubert Charuel has created a psychological thriller unique in its vision of northeast France and in its documentary-like details. (The film is shot at his parents’ dairy farm.) This is a rural noir that’ll get under your skin.

Director: Hubert Charuel

Producers: Stéphanie Bermann

Alexis Dulguerian

Screenwriters: Hubert Charuel

Claude Le Pape

Cinematographer: Sébastien Goepfert

Editors:

Lilian Corbeille

Julie Lena

Grégoire Pontécaille

Music: Myd

Cast: Swann Arlaud

Sara Giraudeau

Isabelle Candelier

Bouli Lanners

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: Pyramide International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Blue My Mind

SWITZERLAND 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 8:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 28 8:30 PM

Dealing with the agonies and ecstasies of adolescence, Blue My Mind follows Mia (newcomer Luna Wedler) as she navigates her first year at a new high school. Rebelling against her workaholic mother, her changing body, and her heightened emotions, Mia befriends the confident yet defiant Gianna (Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen), and takes on both peer pressure and popularity contests previously foreign to her. As her friendship with Gianna and her self-destructive behavior deepen, the changes to her body become more extreme, and Mia begins to realize that her metamorphosis into a woman isn’t a typical one. A violent thirst for salt water, a peculiar webbing between the toes, and peeling, scaly skin isn’t something they teach in the puberty chapter of sex-ed. Partying, drugs, and sex become Mia’s world as she desperately tries to ignore the overwhelming and increasingly obvious transformation that’s taking over. Director Lisa Bruhlmann reflects on the monstrosity and otherness of the female body when it becomes a powerful, sexual being. Her surreal debut film is still very much grounded in the reality of teenage girlhood, making the graphic body horror and fantasy elements even more emphatic and devastating.

Awards: Swiss Film Awards 2018 (Best Fiction Film, Screenplay, Actress) Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018 (Jury Prize)

Director: Lisa Brühlmann

Producers: Stefan Jäger

Katrin Renz

Screenwriter: Lisa Brühlmann

Cinematographer: Gabriel Lobos

Editor: Noemi Katharina

Preiswerk

Music: Thomas Kuratli

Cast: Luna Wedler

Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen

Regula Grauwiller

Georg Scharegg

Lou Haltinner

Running Time: 97 minutes

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

International Sales: Be For Films

Print Source: Dark Star Pictures

Film Website: bluemymind.ch/en

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

ARK LODGE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Bodied

USA 2017

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director Joseph Kahn—most known for his decades-spanning music video career working with artists like Britney Spears (“Toxic”), Destiny’s Child (“Say My Name”), Taylor Swift (“Bad Blood”), and many more— steps into the underground realm of Oakland hip-hop in his latest feature, executive produced by Eminem, that’s a satirical exploration of the rap battle scene. Adam (Calum Worthy, Netflix’s “American Vandal”) is a white “progressive” college student writing a paper on the different uses of the “N word” in battle rap, and as he begins his research at different bouts, he quickly gets swept up in the excitement and becomes a battler himself, much to the chagrin of his white girlfriend (Rory Uphold, SIFF 2015’s Circle). Teaming up with battle rap king Behn Grymm, fastidiously played by Jackie Long (Atl, Idlewild), Adam dives further into the world of battle rap, neglecting his personal and professional life of living in his successful professor father’s shadow (Anthony Michael Hall, The Breakfast Club). Winner of the audience awards at TIFF Midnight Madness and the 2017 Fantastic Fest, Bodied challenges the mindsets of a new America with each breathless verse.

Awards:

Toronto Film Festival 2017 (Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award)

Fantastic Fest 2017 (Audience Award Winner)

Director: Joseph Kahn

Producers: Eminem

Jil Hardin

Paul Rosenberg

Adi Shankar

Screenwriters: Joseph Kahn

Alex Larsen

Cinematographer: Matt Wise

Editor:

Chancler Haynes

Music:

Brain Mantia

Melissa Reese

Cast:

Calum Worthy

Jackie Long

Rory Uphold

Running Time: 121 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Paradigm

Print Source:

YouTube Red

Selected Filmography: Detention (2011) Torque (2004)

The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful

TAIWAN 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 8:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SATURDAY, MAY 26 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MONDAY, MAY 28 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN XUE

Winner of the 2017 Golden Horse Award for Best Picture, The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful is a delicious story of corruption, double-crosses, and depraved family secrets. Legendary actress Kara Wai stars as Madame Tang, a leader of a Taiwanese syndicate who brokers illegal land speculation deals between politicians and deep-pocketed businessmen. Seemingly lost in the hubbub are her two daughters: adult-aged Ning (Wu Ke-Xi), who is notorious for her hard-partying, harddrinking ways, and 14-year-old Chen-Chen (Vicky Chen), who can do little but observe her mother’s shady dealings and hope to stay emotionally grounded amid this highstakes world. Things seem to be going well for the all-female clan, but when a councilman and his family are found massacred the day after one of her dinner parties, Madame Tang’s criminal enterprise threatens to implode spectacularly. With police detectives on their tail and several high-profile clients wondering what happened to a spectacularly large sum of money that has gone missing, how far will this family go to hold it all together? A female-driven Taiwanese crime melodrama as twisted as it is cautionary—the film is framed as an allegory of greed and karma, narrated by two Lynchian musicians who cackle at the machinations of our lead characters—this is an audacious, ruthless bit of manipulation.

Awards: Golden Horse Film Awards 2017 (Best Film, Actress, Supporting Actress, Audience Award)

Director: Yang Ya-che

Producer: Liu Weijan

Screenwriter: Yang Ya-che

Cinematographer: Chen Ko-chin

Editor: Chen Chun-hung

Music: Blaire Ko

Cast: Vicky Chen

Kara Wai

Wu Ke-Xi

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Japanese with English subtitles

International Sales: Mandarin Vision

Print Source: Mandarin Vision

Selected Filmography: Girlfriend Boyfriend (2012)

Orz Boyz (2008)

The Bookshop

THURSDAY, MAY 17 7:00 PM

Who thought opening a bookstore would be so difficult, catering to small-town conservative British folks who aren’t too enthusiastic about reading? Set in 1959, Isabel Coixet’s

The Bookshop centers on Florence Green (Emily Mortimer), a widow who decides to open a bookstore in the town of Hardborough, Suffolk. The location of the shop is an old abandoned house that local bigwig Violet Gamart (Patricia Clarkson, ice-cold and endlessly calculating) wants to turn into an arts center. Despite the mild-mannered but ruthless opposition she faces from Violet and other stubborn townsfolk, Florence presses on with her underdog business, also striking up a friendship with the local recluse Mr. Brundish (the delightful Bill Nighy), who becomes her best client. Restrained but quietly subversive and bolstered by strong lead performances, The Bookshop is a melancholic celebration of bibliophilia, based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s 1978 novel of the same name, with a strong resonance of the world today, suggesting that a world without books is a nasty place to live.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2018 (Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay)

Director: Isabel Coixet

Producers: Jaume Banacolocha

Joan Bas

Adolfo Blanco

Chris Curling

Screenwriter: Isabel Coixet

Cinematographer: Jean-Claude Larrieu

Editor:

Bernat Aragonés

Music:

Alfonso de Vilallonga

Cast: Emily Mortimer

Bill Nighy

Patricia Clarkson

Julie Christie

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Celsius Entertainment

Print Source: Greenwich Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

Proyecto tiempo (2017)

El Espiritu de la Pintura (2017)

Spain in a Day (2016)

Endless Night (2015)

Learning to Drive (2014)

Another Me (2013)

Yesterday Never Ends (2013)

Listening to the Judge (2011)

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)

The Secret Life of Words (2005)

My Life Without Me (2003)

Those Who Love (1998)

Things I Never Told You (1996)

The Bottomless Bag

RUSSIA 2017

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 8:30 PM

MONDAY, JUNE 4 4:30 PM

Enter into a shimmering black and white fairytale world of riches in the palace of the Czar of Russia. There, a lady-in-waiting tells a metaphysical fairytale, set in the medieval 13th century revolving around the mysterious murder of the Tsar’s son and the disappearance of the princess. But the lady-in-waiting is only one narrator, as the fable’s characters are witnesses to the crime and narrate different versions of the events. The Bottomless Bag is the Russian version of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) and is based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short story, “In a Grove.” Instead of Japan, director Rustam Khamdamov sets his story of doubt in Russia in a world of forests, soldiers, thieves, and royalty. With Khamdamov, the plot is less important than the visual environment, which is meticulously full of rich fabrics, costumes, and lush landscapes—the palace scenes are shot on location in an abandoned palace on the banks of St. Petersburg’s Neva River. Winner of the Silver St. George Prize and the Russian Film Critics Award at the 2017 Moscow International Film Festival, The Bottomless Bag revels in a sumptuous quality that returns us to the aesthetics of the silent film era.

Awards: Moscow International Film Festival 2017 (Russian Film Critics Award, Silver St. George Prize)

Director: Rustam Khamdamov

Producers: Rustam Khamdamov

Lubov Obminyanaya

Tikhon Pendyurin

Screenwriter: Rustam Khamdamov

Cinematographers: Pyotr Dukhovskoy

Tim Lobov

Editor: Irina Ochina

Cast: Svetlana Nemolyaeva

Anna Mikhalkova

Sergey Koltakov

Elena Morozova

Andrey Kuzichyov

Running Time: 104 minutes

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

International Sales: Reflexion Films

Print Source: Reflexion Films

Film Website: reflexionfilms-russia.com/ international-sales

Selected Filmography: Vokaldy Paralelder (2005) Anna Karamazoff (1991) Nechayannye Radosti (1972)

MCCAW HALL

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

MESHOK BEZ DNA

Boundaries

USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Laura (Vera Farmiga) is a bundle of neuroses, so afraid of abandonment she can’t resist adopting every stray animal she sees. Her itinerant father, Jack (Christopher Plummer), barely a presence in her childhood, now finds himself kicked out of his senior-care facility for dealing weed. Her son, Henry (Lewis McDougall), got expelled from school for making lewd portraits of the teachers. Sounds like this family needs a therapeutic road trip! Faster than you can say Little Miss Sunshine, Laura, Jack, and Henry are cruising from Portland to Los Angeles so Jack can move in with Laura’s sister JoJo (Kristen Schaal), on the condition that Jack pays Henry’s private school tuition. To make this funding possible, Jack meets up with some aging-hippie pals (Christopher Lloyd and Peter Fonda) along the way to secretly unload his epic marijuana stash. This quintessentially American story of an estranged family struggling to connect is breathed with new life by writer/director Shana Feste, who coaxes out edgy performances that play against type—the normally cool, confident Farmiga shows some endearing vulnerability and the effortlessly debonair Plummer lets loose to play a scruffy-bearded ne’er-dowell. Boundaries doesn’t try to resolve all of the characters’ deep-rooted resentments, but it shows how even dysfunctional families can find new ways to heal, even if the individuals are traveling in opposite directions.

Director:

Shana Feste

Producers:

UPTOWN

Brian Kavanaugh-Jones

Chris Ferguson

Screenwriter: Shana Feste

Cinematographer: Sara Mishara

Editors:

Marie-Hélène Dozo

Dorian Harris

Music:

Michael Penn

Cast:

Vera Farmiga

Christopher Plummer

Lewis MacDougall

Bobby Cannavale

Kristen Schaal

Christopher Lloyd

Peter Fonda

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Stage 6 Films

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: sonyclassics.com

Selected Filmography: Endless Love (2014)

Country Strong (2010)

The Greatest (2009)

Breath

AUSTRALIA 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 25 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 8:15 PM KIRKLAND PC

The camera has long had a love affair with surfing’s death-defying acrobatics, but rarely has the lifestyle survived the demands of gripping drama on dry land. Breath, based on Aussie author Tim Winton’s 2008 novel, breaks through the clichés of the “Zen of surfing” genre to tell a naturally acted comingof-age story about budding masculinity, set in the 1970s on the wild beaches of Western Australia. The narrative centers on 13-yearold Bruce (Samson Coulter), whom his friends know as “Pikelet,” and his daredevil best mate, “Loonie” (Ben Spence). When the boys first catch a glimpse of surfers riding monster waves, they become instantly hooked. Soon the teens’ enthusiasm is noted by a crusty, enigmatic “surfie” named Sando (Simon Baker, from the American TV series, “The Mentalist”), who takes the kids under his wing. But tensions mount as Loonie and Sando take increasingly risky chances on the deadly waves, leaving Pikelet behind, where he learns other life lessons with Sando’s unhappy girlfriend, Eva (Elizabeth Debicki). In his feature directorial debut, Baker plays the polar opposite of his TV persona, with a scruffy beard and an air of melancholy. Told with voiceover narration from author Winton himself, the film hews closely to its source material with the dreamlike underwater cinematography from Rick Rifici, and sun-drenched honey hues from Marden Dean on land.

Director: Simon Baker

Producers: Simon Baker

Jamie Hilton

Mark Johnson

Screenwriters: Simon Baker

Gerard Lee

Cinematographers: Marden Dean

Rick Rifici

Editor: Dany Cooper

Music: Harry Gregson-Williams

Cast: Samson Coulter

Ben Spence

Simon Baker

Elizabeth Debicki

Richard Roxburgh

Rachael Blake

Jacek Koman

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: FilmRise

Film Website: filmrise.com/film/breath

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Brewmaster

USA/CZECH REPUBLIC 2018

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 1:45 PM

Every day in America, three new breweries open for business, and there are now more breweries in the United States than institutions of higher learning. By all accounts, the past two decades have been a renaissance period for smaller craft beers. In Brewmaster, director Douglas Tirola delves into the craftsmanship, passion, and innovation thriving within the American beer and brewing industry. Strange as it sounds, the seeds of today’s craft brewing revolution were planted during Prohibition—alcohol’s illegality meant that beer lovers had to turn to home brewing. This led the way to such personalities as Garrett Oliver, Jim Koch, Vaclav Berka, and Sam Calagione, each of whom turned their homebrew hobby into craft brew career. Their success inspires two of the film’s subjects: Drew Kostic, who gave up a promising legal career in order to pursue a startup brewery, and Brian Reed, a Milwaukee based educator studying to become a Master Cicerone, the beer equivalent of a sommelier, of which only 16 people hold this prestigious title. However, exuberance turns to caution as many in the industry wonder when this unprecedented boom will inevitably go bust. Brewmaster creates a cinematic portrait of beer, those who love it, those who make it, and those who are hustling to make their own mark upon it.

Director: Douglas Tirola

Producer: Susan Bedusa

Screenwriter: Douglas Tirola

Cinematographer: Emilie Jackson

Editor: Danny Dorst

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Cinetic

International Sales: Cinetic

Film Website: brewmasterfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Drunk Stoned Brilliant

Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (2015)

Hey Bartender (2013)

All In: The Poker Movie (2009)

An Omar Broadway Film (2008)

A Reason to Believe (1995)

KELEBEKLER Butterflies

TURKEY 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 8:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Adult siblings Cemal, Kenan, and Suzan haven’t stayed in touch. But when their father issues a mysterious summons, the three reunite for a road trip that will take them back to their home village, into the origins of their estrangement, and toward a possible reconciliation. Cemal is an astronaut long settled in Germany; Kenan, a hapless actor reduced to dubbing cat videos; and Suzan, a teacher ready to leave her self-centered husband. It is Cemal who seeks out his younger siblings and, overcoming their resistance, convinces them to make the journey. Aided by booze and music from their youth, they get to know one another again, reviving old arguments, but also the pleasures of a shared past. Although none of them have seen their father in 30 years, it is their reconnection with each other that is at the heart of the film. Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, this affecting and infinitely relatable story of family dysfunction is enhanced by the absurdist humor that director Tolga Karaçelic finds both in their familial dynamic and in the world that surrounds them.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema)

Director:

Tolga Karaçelik

Producers:

Tolga Karaçelik

Diloy Gülün

Metin Anter

Screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik

Cinematographer: Andaç Sahan

Editor:

Evren Lus

Music:

Ahmet Kenan Bilgic

Cast:

Tolga Tekin

Bartu Küçükçaglayan

Tugçe Altug

Serkan Keskin

Hakan Karsak

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Boutique

Print Source: Films Boutique

Film Website: facebook.com/kelebeklerfilmi

Selected Filmography: Ivy (2015)

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011) Toll Booth (2010)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TÅRTGENERALEN

Cake General

SWEDEN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 5:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, MAY 26 3:15 PM SHORELINE CC

In 1984, the small town of Köping is named the most boring town in Sweden by a popular television show, Rekord-Magazinet. Resident Hasse Pettersson (Mikael Perssbrandt, The Hobbit) refuses to allow his new home to become the subject of a national joke and sets off on a mission to drum up some attentiongrabbing excitement. A man who struggles with his drinking habits and financial status, Hasse decides to make the world’s largest sandwich cake. By pursuing this goal and realizing his potential for success by any means, Hasse is able to attain a much-needed sense of purpose. A tale of personal fulfillment and resilience, Cake General also stands as the story of a community banding together to prove that no group of people should be cast aside or titled as irrelevant. Former television comedy hosts and debut directors Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson based the film on an outrageous true story. Their work serves as a loving tribute to people who live outside the boundaries of what is considered conventional and set out to relentlessly achieve a meaningful goal, no matter how absurd it may seem.

Directors: Filip Hammar

Fredrik Wikingsson

Producers:

Renée Axö

Martin Söder

Screenwriters: Filip Hammar

Fredrik Wikingsson

Cinematographer: Simon Rudholm

Editors:

Gregers Dohn

Johan Kjellberg

Henrik Källberg

Music: Magnus Palmborg

Cast:

Mikael Perssbrandt

Helena Bergström

Agnes Lindström

Bolmgren

Tomas von Brömssen

Running Time: 101 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swedish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Swedish Film Institute

Print Source: Swedish Film Institute

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Captain

FRIDAY, MAY 25 9:15 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 27 3:30 PM

The closing weeks of World War II may be remembered today as a long-awaited relief, but for the average German soldier, the nightmare was just beginning. Writer/ director Robert Schwentke’s The Captain depicts these terrible final days in April 1945 through the eyes of Private Willi Herold (Max Hubacher), an insignificant grunt in the crumbling Wehrmacht, first seen running for his life as German officers give chase, assuming he’s a deserter. After barely escaping, Herold discovers an abandoned officer’s car with a captain’s uniform boxed up neatly in the backseat. Amazingly, the clothes fit, so the desperate private transforms himself into “Hauptmann Herold.” In the chaos of the retreat, no one dares to ask for proof of identity, so Herold claims he is on a “secret mission” ordered by the Führer himself. While living in constant fear that he could be exposed as an imposter, Herold gradually takes on the hauteur of a true officer, berating subordinates and eventually executing deserters—any of whom could have been himself just days earlier. Based on true events and shot in luminous, widescreen black-and-white format, The Captain may be the most harrowing portrayal of the aftermath of Nazi atrocities seen in a German-language film—one that explores the depths to which humanity can plummet when ordinary people are given the authority of a uniform.

Awards:

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2017 (Jury Prize for Best Cinematography)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Producers: Frieder Schlaich

Irene von Alberti

Screenwriter: Robert Schwentke

Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus

Editor: Michal Czarnecki

Music: Martin Todsharow

Cast: Max Hubacher

Milan Peschel

Frederick Lau Bernd Hölscher

Waldemar Kobus

Alexander Fehling

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Alfama Films

Print Source: Music Box Films

Film Website: musicboxfilms.com/ thecaptain

Selected Filmography: Allegiant (2016)

Insurgent (2015)

R.I.P.D. (2013)

RED (2010)

The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

Flightplan (2005)

The Family Jewels (2003)

Tattoo (2002)

Heaven! (1993)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SHORELINE CC

DER HAUPTMANN

Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit

SATURDAY, MAY 19 3:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 3:30 PM SHORELINE CC

In a world where one spontaneous hairball can throw everything off balance, and the toughest guys in the game have names like “Mr. Sandman,” there can only be one true champion. This is the world of Canadian competitive cat shows. “Bobby,” a stunning Turkish Angora, and his owner Kim have been a prizewinning team for years. Kim even has a room in her house covered wall to wall in ribbons— and not the ones Bobby can swat at—but ones he’s earned by portraying an ideal temperament and impeccable grooming. Kim and Bobby are an unbeatable team, holding first place in the Canadian Cat Associate circuit. That is, until “Oh La La” and her owner Shirley step back onto the scene after years of retirement. A veteran, Oh La La is a gorgeous Red Persian with cloud-like fur and the most kissable squishy face. As they start to sweep up award after award, Bobby’s place on the throne is put in peril. Taking us behind the scenes at several cat shows across Canada, Catwalk reveals the highs, lows, dramas and celebrations of a different type of pageant mom, and their little clawed competitors who seem pretty indifferent to the whole thing.

PRECEDED BY:

Cat’s Cradle USA, 2018, 12 minutes, Director: Jonathan Napolitano Shortly after retiring, Bruce and Terry Jenkins transformed their home into a hospice and senior living facility for cats.

Directors: Michael McNamara

Aaron Hancox

Producers: Judy Holm

Michael McNamara

Aaron Hancox

Screenwriter: Michael McNamara

Cinematographers: John Choi

Aaron Hancox

Editor: Kyle Gregory Sanderson

Music: Kenny Neal Jr.

Featuring: Kim Langille

Shirley McCollow

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Markham Street Films Inc.

Print Source: Markham Street Films Inc.

Film Website: facebook.com/catwalkdoc

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LE SENS DE LA FETE

C’est la vie!

FRANCE/CANADA/BELGIUM 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM

SHORELINE CC

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN SUNDAY, JUNE 10 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

From the directors of international sensation The Intouchables comes the biggest party of the year. Max Angély (Jean-Pierre Bacri, The Taste of Others) is an aging, beleaguered caterer at the end of his rope, hoping to sell his business any day now. But first, he has to get through one last, minefield of a dinner party, a high-profile wedding at a 17th century French chateau just outside of Paris. And if anything can go wrong, everything will go wrong: the photographer yells at any guest who dares use their cameraphone in his space; the lastminute hire of a DJ keeps making up lyrics to very popular songs; the waiters refuse to wear their ridiculous, period-piece valet costumes and unhygienic powdered wigs; and somebody may be trying to sabotage the meat. On top of everything, Max is navigating a romantic relationship with one of his employees, even though he has yet to leave his estranged wife. As a hectic day moves into a treacherous night, Max must do his best to keep everything “sober, chic, and elegant,” all while the specter of an audit looms over his less-than-legal business practices. Not content with being solely a slapstick ensemble comedy, C’est la vie dips into themes of class, race, and capitalism with skill, cleverly whipping it all up into an irresistible confection.

Directors: Olivier Nakache

Eric Toledano

Producers: Nicolas Duval Adassovsky

Laurent Zeitoun

Yann Zenou

Screenwriters: Olivier Nakache

Éric Toledano

Cinematographer: David Chizallet

Editor: Dorian Rigal-Ansous

Music: Avishai Cohen

Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri

Jean-Paul Rouve

Gilles Lellouche

Vincent Macaigne

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source: Gaumont

Film Website: gaumontpresse.fr

Selected Filmography: Nakache/Toledano: Samba (2014)

The Intouchables (2011) Tellement proches (2009)

Those Happy Days (2006) Let’s Be Friends (2005)

Champions

SPAIN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 9:00 PM KIRKLAND PC

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 6:15 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 3:00 PM

For assistant pro basketball coach Marco (Javier Gutiérrez, The Olive Tree), life is a game that’s played hard and played to win at any cost. With a hair-trigger temper and an arrogance that has estranged him from his beautiful wife Sonia (Athenea Mata), Marco’s big mouth quickly gets him into a courtside brawl that costs him his job, followed by a boozy night of self-pity and the inevitable DUI. But even with everything falling apart around him, he’s thrown an unexpected lifeline: to coach Los Amigos, a team of basketball players who are intellectually disabled, including neurotic meter reader Marin (Jesus Vidal), smelly hydrophobe Juanma (Jose de Luna), mama’sboy metalhead Jesus (Jesus Lago) and ballbusting Collantes (Gloria Ramos). Working out of a gym that’s seen better days, Marcos soon realizes that his perpetually underfunded “not normal” team just might have what it takes to make it to the national championships—and perhaps even an overdue reckoning with his own disability—in this hilarious and heartfelt spin on the classic underdog tale that’s Spain’s newest box office smash, courtesy of writer/director Javier Fesser.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Javier Fesser

Producers:

Luis Manso

Álvaro Longoria

Javier Fesser

Gabriel Arias-Salgado

Screenwriters: David Marqués

Javier Fesser

Cinematographer: Chechu Graf

Editor:

Javier Fesser

Music:

Rafael Arnau

Cast:

Javier Gutierrez

Sergio Olmos

Julio Fernández

Jesús Lago

Jesús Vidal

José De Luna

Running Time: 120 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: latidofilms.com/ champions

Selected Filmography: Mortadelo y Filemon (2014)

Camino (2008)

The Miracle of P Tinto (1998)

The Changeling

CANADA 1980

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 6:30 PM

In the canon of haunted house classics, only gothic horror chiller The Changeling, whose story is based on reports of paranormal events experienced at Denver’s Henry Treat Rogers mansion, has made it to the best-of lists of both Stephen King and Martin Scorsese. The incomparable George C. Scott stars as classical composer John Russell, who is still grieving the tragic death of his family when he relocates to Seattle for a teaching position at the University of Washington. Searching to rent a quiet home where he can focus on his work, a representative of the Seattle Historical Preservation Society (Trish Van Devere, Scott’s real-life wife) recommends a palatial Victorian mansion that’s been left vacant for the past decade. Soon after moving in, John begins hearing strange noises and experiencing unsettling visions, leading him on a mission to uncover the buried secrets from the house’s past. Academy Award®-nominated director Peter Medak (The Ruling Class) utilizes sweeping camera movements and superbly orchestrated set pieces, including a famously hair-raising séance, to create moments of slowly building dread. While primarily filmed in Vancouver, Seattle itself is well represented through several key scenes set at Rainier Tower, Lake View Cemetery, and the UW Campus, all shown in their late-’70s glory and looking better than ever in this dazzling new 4K restoration.

Director: Peter Medak

Producers: Joel B. Michaels

Garth H. Drabinsky

Screenwriters: Russell Hunter

William Gray

Diana Maddox

Cinematographer: John Coquillon

Editor: Lilla Pedersen

Music: Rick Wilkins

Cast: George C. Scott

Trish Van Devere

Melvyn Douglas

John Colicos

Jean Marsh

Helen Burns

Madeleine Sherwood

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Arrow Films

Print Source: AGFA

Film Website: americangenrefilm.com/ releases/the-changeling

Selected Filmography: Let Him Have It (1991) The Krays (1990) The Ruling Class (1972)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

CHARMØREN

The Charmer

DENMARK/SWEDEN 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 27 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Handsome Iranian migrant Esmail is a man on a mission. He spends every night at the same upscale Copenhagen wine bar in pursuit of a woman who will provide him the means to stay in Denmark once his visa expires. With his one nice suit and his faulty Danish, he embarks on relationship after relationship, always aware that time is running out. But his mission becomes even more complicated the night he approaches a young blonde, only to be told off by Sara, her Iranian Danish friend who sees exactly what Esmail is up to. Perhaps surprisingly, this honesty forms the basis for a relationship of their own, one that only grows as Sara’s mother welcomes Esmail into their small family. Despite the pressure of navigating the social intricacies of Denmark’s Iranian community while trying to maintain the connection, via truncated Skype sessions, with his family back home, it seems like Esmail’s goal may at last be within reach. What he hasn’t take into account, however, are the vagaries of the human heart, neither those of the women he pursues, nor his own.

Awards:

San Sebastian Film Festival 2017 (Fedeora Award) Göteborg International Film Festival 2018 (Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award)

Director: Milad Alami

Producer: Stinna Lessen

Screenwriters: Ingeborg Topsøe

Milad Alami

Cinematographer: Sophia Olsson

Editor: Olivia Neergaard-Holm

Music:

Martin Dirkov

Cast: Ardalan Esmaili

Lars Brygmann

Morten Hee Andersen

Stine Fischer Christensen

Boie Kratfeldt

Running Time: 100 minutes

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

International Sales: ALMA Cinema

Print Source: ALMA Cinema

Film Website: goodcompanyfilms.com/ film/charmoren

Selected Filmography: Nordic Factory (2014)

Sponsored by Anonymous, Sinikka and Babak Parviz, Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions, American Iranian Business Council, Nima Foroutan DDS, Shadi Araghi/ Highlands Kids Dentistry, Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties, Naini Family Foundation, Radio Iranshahr, Professional Copy ‘n’ Print, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department, and UW Iranian-American Faculty

Chedeng & Apple

PHILIPPINES 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 2:00 PM SIFF

Absurdist yet dry cutting humor envelops this part buddy-comedy, part lesbian-romance from Filipino directors Fatrick Tabada and Rae Red. Retired school principal Chedeng is pretty relieved when her demanding elderly husband passes away. She decides it’s time to come out to her remaining family and rekindle her first love, a girl named Lydia who she hasn’t seen in decades. Happy to help is Chedeng’s best friend Apple, who in a fit of justifiable rage murders her own abusive husband. Off with his head! …and into Apple’s favorite Louis Vuitton bag. Off they go across the country to find Lydia, only soon they are running from the law once the body is found. At least they still have his head in a bag. Hunted by Apple’s stepdaughter and Chedeng’s oblivious sons, the duo stumble, laugh, and step in dog excrement on their quest for Lydia, which leads to some unexpected consequences. Perhaps there’s more to this lifelong friendship than either of them realizes. Unbending in its hilarity, audiences will find much to root for between these two criminals.

Directors: Rae Red Fatrick Tabada

Producer: Bianca Balbuena

Screenwriter: Fatrick Tabada

Cinematographer: Don Gerardo Frasco

Cast: Elizabeth Oropesa

Gloria Diaz

Editor: Charliebebs Gohetia

Presentation Format: DCP, in Tagalog with English subtitles

Print Source: Epicmedia Productions Inc.

Film Website: epicmedia.ph/si-chedengat-si-apple

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SI

The Children Act

FRIDAY, MAY 18 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 12:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

A tale of principle cruelly challenging morality, director Richard Eyre’s The Children Act begs an essential question: Is a life with great passion worth crippling consequence? Family court judge Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) toils with a marriage on the fringe, all the while managing the weight of a ruling handling the mortality of infant children. As her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci) confesses his desire for a sexual affair, she must also decide between letting two conjoined twins die or go forth with a surgical separation that lets only one of them live. With a tortured fate, another case presents an alternative reality: A 17-year-old Jehovah’s Witness Adam (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk), who is diagnosed with leukemia, will die without a blood transfusion but denies the procedure on account of his religious beliefs. Though possessing a brilliant mind, Adam is still three months away from legal adulthood, which puts his fate in Fiona’s hands. While her past verdicts serve as a reflection of her internal struggles, her professional life soon becomes even more precariously intertwined with her emotions. Based on Ian McEwan’s 2014 novel of the same name, the story presents characters whose vulnerable and tireless psyches are constantly a factor. Their transparency mirrors the universal struggle of longing for more, and what is considered when opportunities for a perceived better life become available.

GATTA CENERENTOLA

Cinderella the Cat

ITALY 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director:

Richard Eyre

Producer:

Duncan Kenworthy

Celia Duval

Jack Browne

Screenwriter: Ian McEwan

Cinematographer:

Andrew Dunn

Editor:

Dan Farrell

Music:

Stephen Warbeck

Cast:

Emma Thompson

Stanley Tucci

Fionn Whitehead

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales: FilmNation

Print Source: A24

Selected Filmography: The Other Man (2008)

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Stage Beauty (2004)

Iris (2001)

Loose Connections (1985)

The classic fairytale gets a dark, stylized re-do in this Italian animated tale by directorial quartet Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri, and Dario Sansone. Set almost entirely on an old ship in a dystopian Naples, this story wrings together cabaret numbers, drugs, and everyone’s favorite: teen marriage. Mute 17-year-old Mia is to be married off to the egotistical Salvatore, the lead singer of the ship’s nightclub and an international drug kingpin. Salvatore dreams of turning Naples into the criminal enterprise capitol of the world. Naturally there’s an evil stepmother named Angelica with cabaretdancing daughters all fixated on making Mia’s quiet existence as miserable as possible; Angelica is in love with Salvatore, a lust that fuels her cruelty towards Mia. In comes Primo, a policeman and former bodyguard of Mia’s late father, who seems to be the only one with Mia’s wellbeing at heart, and will do everything in his power to thwart Salvatore’s diabolical plans for her. Robust 3D animation amidst 2D watercolor backdrops creates a beautifully surreal experience, allowing this film to appeal to our eyes as much as our hearts.

Awards: Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Animated Feature)

Directors:

Alessandro Rak

Ivan Cappiello

Marino Guarnieri

Dario Sansone

Producers: Luciano Stella

Maria Carolina Terzi

Screenwriters: Alessandro Rak

Ivan Cappiello

Marino Guarnieri

Dario Sansone

Editors: Marino Guarnieri

Alessandro Rak

Music: Antonio Fresa

Luigi Scialdone

Voices:

Massimiliano Gallo

Maria Pia Calzone

Alessandro Gassmann

Mariano Rigillo

Renato Carpentieri

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

Print Source: Rai Com

International Sales: Rai Com

Film Website: facebook.com/ gattacenerentola

Selected Filmography: Cappiello: Debut Feature Film

Guarnieri: Debut Feature Film

Rak: L’arte della felicità (2013)

Sansone: Debut Feature Film

Constructing Albert

SPAIN 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 4:30 PM

KIRKLAND PC

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Seven years after its closing, there is little that can be added to the mythology of Spain’s legendary elBulli that hasn’t already been articulated. With three Michelin stars, five Restaurant Magazine World’s Best Restaurant awards, and over a million reservation requests per year, elBulli catapulted its head chef, Ferran Adrià, into the rarified space of global celebrity, spearheading the molecular gastronomy movement and earning him the distinction of being the World’s Greatest Chef. Yet behind Adrià’s success was a lesserknown if equally important element: the drive and passion of his younger brother Albert, often called the World’s Most Underrated Chef. With elBulli’s heyday long behind him, Albert works furiously to establish his own culinary identity, opening five wildly varied Barcelonaarea restaurants in a single year-and winning a pair of Michelin stars in the process. Yet even fresh accolades and a newly minted reputation of his own aren’t enough: Seeking nothing less than a radical redefining of the dining experience itself, the younger Adrià sets out to articulate the paradigm-shifting culinary vision he’s always strived for with bold new restaurant Enigma, driving himself to the brink of emotional and financial collapse in this no-holds-barred look at a modern visionary from directors Laura Collado and Jim Loomis.

Cook Off

ZIMBABWE 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 28 5:30 PM SHORELINE CC

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:15 PM

Directors: Laura Collado Jim Loomis

Producer: Laura Collado

Screenwriter: Laura Collado

Cinematographer: Jim Loomis

Editor: Jim Loomis

Music: Arian Levin

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Juno Films

Print Source: Juno Films

Film Website: constructingalbert.com/en

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Take “Iron Chef” and sauté it with a healthy dose of romantic comedy and you’ve got Cook Off, Zimbabwean director Tomas L. Brickhill’s first feature film. Anesu’s life has come to a standstill with a dead-end cooking job, no romantic prospects, and a mother criticizing her every move. As a school dropout and single mother, she constantly feels the weight of her mother’s judgment. But everyone else in town loves her cooking. So her young son Tapiwa and grandmother enter her name in a competitive cooking TV show “Battle of the Chefs,” based on an actual Zimbabwean program of the same name. Of all 16 competitors, Anesu is the only non-professional chef, a fact many are quick to remind her, but everything starts perking up as she cooks her way through round after round of elimination. Some chefs are upset with the amateur upstart with the exception of Prince, who begins to fall for her. With some devious external forces working against her, Anesu has the chance to change her life and Tapiwa’s forever. This populist rom-com is sure to endear audiences and elicit ravenous appetites.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Tomas L. Brickhill

Producer: Joe Njagu

Screenwriter: Tomas L. Brickhill

Cinematographer: Sebastian Lallemant

Editor: Colt Wentworth

Cast: Tendie Chitima

Tehn Diamond

Eddie Sandifolo

Jessesi Mungoshi

Eugene Zimbudzi

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Mufambanidzo Film Company

Print Source: Mufambanidzo Film Company

Film Website: facebook.com/pg/ mufambanidzo

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Crime + Punishment

USA 2018

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 3:00 PM

In 2010, the state of New York banned policing quotas as a method of collecting summons and propping up arrests numbers. But as Stephen Maing’s telling and outright blood-boiling documentary reveals, the practice is still commonplace in the NYPD. Police quotas are a set number of arrests and summons officers must meet for the month less they face severe punishment from the department. But when there simply aren’t enough crimes to fit the quotas, the result is countless arrests and summons— overwhelmingly in communities of color—that are routinely dismissed in court. With unprecedented access and hidden camera footage, Maing follows the “NYPD 12,” a dozen minority officers who filed a Class A lawsuit against the NYPD for their unofficial quota practices and its clearly racist underpinnings. But it’s an uphill battle against the department—the NYPD can punish their officers internally, particularly those of color, with virtual impunity, and these consequences rose to cruelty after the 12 spoke on a televised interview; for example, officer Felicia Whitley, five months pregnant at the time and suffering early contractions, had her commanding officer attempt to revoke her medical leave. Revealing, infuriating, and downright relentless, this film still inspires hope as good officers refuse to give up the fight against a corrupt monolith of a system.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Award for Social Impact Documentary)

Director: Stephen Maing

Producers: Stephen Maing

Ross Tuttle

Eric Daniel Metzgar

Cinematographer: Stephen Maing

Editors: Stephen Maing

Eric Daniel Metzgar

Music:

Sarah Bromberg

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: The Film Collaborative Film Website: crimeandpunishmentdoc. com

Selected Filmography: High Tech, Low Life (2012)

LE CRIME DE MONSIEUR LANGE

The Crime of Monsieur Lange

FRANCE 1936

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 2:00 PM

Amadee Lange (René Lefèvre, the every-man hero of René Clair’s 1931 musical comedy Le Million) is a naïve daydreamer in love with pulp westerns, and the author of the corny but incredibly popular “Arizona Jim” serial stories. His unscrupulous publisher, Batala (a sublimely slimy Jules Berry), is making a fortune off of them, but keeps that his own little secret. He is also getting a fat fee to insert frequent mention of Ranimax pills into the stories as the hero’s favorite supplement. When Batala flees with his ill-gotten gains and is presumed dead, leaving the publishing house bankrupt, the workers decide to join together in a commune to save their jobs and keep the business going. But can their good fortune last? Demonstrating Jean Renoir’s trademark warmth and humanity, The Crime of Monsieur Lange is also one of his funniest films, full of charm and optimism, despite the title crime (murder). The only collaboration between Renoir and Jacques Prévert, the famed screenwriter of Le Jour Se Lève (1939) and Children of Paradise (1945), the film salutes the ideals of the leftist Popular Front, then at its height. Unjustly one of Renoir’s lesser-known films, The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) was made just before his masterpieces Grand Illusion (1937), La Bête Humaine (1938), and The Rules of the Game (1939), and deserves to stand in their company. Shown in a beautiful new digital restoration.

Director: Jean Renoir

Producer: André Halley des Fontaines

Screenwriters: Jacques Prévert

Jean Renoir

Jean Castanier

Cinematographer: Jean Bachelet

Editor: Marguerite Renoir

Music: Jean Wiener

Cast: René Lefèvre Florelle

Jules Berry

Marcel Lévesque

Odette Talazac

Henri Guisol

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Studiocanal

Print Source: Rialto Pictures

Film Website: rialtopictures.com/ catalogue/the-crime-ofmonsieur-lange

Selected Filmography: The Elusive Corporal (1962)

Picnic on the Grass (1959)

Le testament du Dr. Cordelier (1959)

Elena and her Men (1956)

The Woman on the Beach (1947)

The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946)

The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943)

Rules of the Game (1939)

La bete humaine (1938)

La marseillaise (1938)

Grand Illusion (1937)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Cuban Food Stories

CUBA/USA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:30 PM

MONDAY, MAY 28 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

THURSDAY, MAY 31 6:30 PM SHORELINE

“The food we cook not only makes us human, but is a primal element in understanding who we are as a culture.” So narrates director Asori Soto, whose family left Cuba for New York when he was only five yeas old. Now he returns “to his homeland, hoping to connect to his roots and embarking on a quest to discover what Cubans of all classes do to overcome hardship and keep their culinary heritage alive.” Not simply a culinary road trip, Cuban Food Stories captures the political upheaval of a complicated country and how revolution affects food, from fluctuating resources to industrial influence to the rise of international tourism. But oh, what a culinary road trip it is: a fisherman who “learned to swim before I could talk” speaks fondly of his daily routine of capturing swordfish and preparing ceviche for his crew; a middle-aged couple, deeply in love, will serve an incredible lunch to anybody who stops by their humble farm in the Escambray Mountains; a man famous for his smoked meats sells his wares at the Las Parrandas de Remedios, one of the island’s most popular festivals. As the Latino proverb goes, “Love enters through the kitchen,” and this film is Soto’s plea to preserve the flavors, literally and figuratively, that make Cuba worth fighting for.

Director:

Asori Soto

Producers: Asori Soto

Screenwriter: Asori Soto

Cinematographer: Gilliam de la Torre

Editor:

Kristin Sprague

Music:

Kyle Newmaster

Running Time: 83 minutes

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

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Easy Mondays

Film Website: cubanfoodstories.com

Selected Filmography: Vedado (2008)

Dark River

UNITED KINGDOM 2017

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 9:15 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 9:30 PM

Grey, gritty pastorals, dark emerging clouds, and obscure undertones—these all exemplify the tense, sharp, and volatile film Dark River, a story about childhood abuse that reaches treacherously into adulthood. Ruth Wilson (Anna Karenina) is Alice Bell, a weary drifter who has moved from farm to farm through England’s Yorkshire countryside as a sheep shearer. When Alice hears news of her father’s sudden passing, she returns home to claim the house and property. Her irascible brother, however, Joe Bell (Mark Stanley), refuses to give up the land, spending much of his time in anger, drunk, and then angry again. While Alice does her best to work with her brother, unspoken differences between the two slowly begin bursting outward, causing intense sibling conflict. This rivalry between brother and sister is further exacerbated when Alice’s past gradually comes to light: Alice was sexually abused by her father as a little girl; and Joe, her older brother, did nothing to stop it. Dark River is a vividly shot film that captures the haunting beauty of the Yorkshire countryside. It is, moreover, an intense film with two extraordinary actors playing two very broken characters who are plagued with ghosts from the past. It’s a film that will get under your fingernails and deep into your skin, perfectly defined as a psychological-drama-thriller.

Director: Clio Barnard

Producer: Tracy O’Riordan

Screenwriter: Clio Barnard

Cinematographer: Adriano Goldman

Editors: Luke Dunkley

Nick Fenton

Music: Harry Escott

Cast: Ruth Wilson

Mark Stanley

Sean Bean

Esme Creed-Miles

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Protagonist Pictures

Print Source: FilmRise

Film Website: filmrise.com/film/ dark-river

Selected Filmography: The Selfish Giant (2013) The Arbor (2010)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

CC

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

Dawnland USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 26 1:30 PM

SEATTLE CENTRAL LIBRARY

For much of the last century, the United States government maintained a genocidal policy that forcibly removed Native American children from their homes and placed them into white communities. Many of them faced traumatic physical and emotional abuse by white adults in effort to erase their cultural identity and history. Dawnland is a heart-bleeding documentary that reveals the untold narrative of Indigenous child removal in the United States. Recently, Maine became the first state to sanction a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), with the sole purpose of recording the actual history of this policy, its devastating effects on Indigenous people, and the formulation of a more genuine healing process. The film follows both native and non-native commissioners as they travel across the state speaking to tribes of the Wabanaki people. These recorded meetings, the first state government sanctioned of their kind, produce intimate and harrowing moments of truth and reconciliation. But they soon discover these atrocities are more than just history, as current state policy continues to shatter Wabanaki families and threaten the tribe’s very existence. What begins as a learning process evolves into a modern fight for a people’s inalienable human rights.

PRECEDED BY:

Holy Angels Canada, 2017, 14 minutes, Director: Jay Cardinal Villeneuve U.S. Premiere Canada’s colonialist history is recaptured through impressionistic images and the fragmented language of a child.

Directors: Adam Mazo

Ben Pender-Cudlip

Producers: Adam Mazo

N. Bruce Duthu

Cinematographer: Ben Pender-Cudlip

Editor: Kristen Salerno

Music: Jennifer Kreisberg

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: Blu Ray

Print Source: Upstander Project

Film Website: dawnland.org

Selected Filmography: Mazo: Coexist (2014)

Pender-Cudlip: Get Out of the Road (2010)

HAI SHANG FU CHENG

Dead Pigs

CHINA/USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

China’s growth in the early 21st century is often regarded as a headlong pursuit of wealth at the expense of tradition, yet this effervescent first feature film by Chinese-American writer and director Cathy Yan argues that the unifying symbol of the world’s biggest economy is pork. Told in five intersecting narratives, often based on true events, Dead Pigs takes a deliberately uneven, hyperkinetic look at the wrenching changes affecting greater Shanghai. The characters in this brightly colored circus include Candy Wang (Vivian Wu), a beauty salon owner who lives defiantly in the last wooden house on her razed block and refuses to sell to developers, led by opportunistic American architect, Sean (David Rysdahl). Meanwhile, Candy’s brother (Yang Haoyu) is a pig farmer struggling with a mysterious disease decimating the local swine population. The farmer’s son, Wang Zhen (Mason Lee) pretends to be a successful businessman but is secretly just a waiter. Yo-yoing from serious to screwball—with a few musical numbers thrown in—and bristling with social commentary, Dead Pigs is both a dizzying comic delight and a love letter to the intrepid, pragmatic Chinese who are coping with the inexorable vicissitudes of “progress.”

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (World Cinema Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting)

Director: Cathy Yan

Producers: Jane Zheng

Clarissa Zhang

Zhangke Jia

Screenwriter: Cathy Yan

Cinematographer: Federico Cesca

Editor:

Alex Kopit

Music: Andrew Orkin

Cast: Vivian Wu

Haoyu Yang

Meng Li

Mason Lee

David Rysdahl

Running Time: 130 minutes

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

International Sales: Media Asia

Print Source: Seesaw Entertianment Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

MOT HAMESHORERET

Death of a Poetess

ISRAEL 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:30 PM

ARK LODGE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

On a fateful evening in Tel Aviv, the lives of two women—and their powerful stories—intersect. Lenny, a 50-year-old Israeli filled with regret, has just completed a manuscript titled “Death of a Poetess.” This achievement seems to have given her some relief, but also carries with it a certain finality. Yasmin, a 30-something Palestinian, works as a nurse, and regularly leaves her husband and young daughter to come to a gay-friendly bar on the beach. When they meet, they strike up an intense and wide-ranging conversation—about poetry, about motherhood, about their lives. While in many ways very different people, the two have more in common than one might expect, and the evening grants them a moment of unexpected intimacy. When that moment has passed and the women have gone their separate ways, Yasmin finds herself at a police station being interrogated by an officer who seems determined to make her confess to a crime she didn’t commit. Shot in black and white, this chamber drama offers a poignant evocation of the ways in which human beings connect with and diverge from one another, never fully knowing what the impact might be.

Directors:

Dana Goldberg

Efrat Mishori

Producer:

Dana Goldberg

Screenwriters: Efrat Mishori

Dana Goldberg

Cinematographers:

Asi Oren

Irit Sharvit

Editor:

Katia Shepeliavaya

Music:

Henree & Nikka Moshe and Sandra Choresh

Kolibris

Efrat Mishori

Cast:

Evgenia Dodina

Y. Goldberg

Samira Saraya

Running Time: 75 minutes

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

subtitles

Print Source: Dakota Productions

Film Website: dakota.productions/portfolio/death-of-a-poetess

Selected Filmography:

Goldberg:

Love Letter to Cinema (2014)

Alice (2012)

Mishori: Debut Feature Film

The Devil’s Doorway

UNITED KINGDOM 2018

WORLD PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 25 MIDNIGHT SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN SATURDAY, MAY 26 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

In October of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton are sent by the Vatican to investigate a statue of the Virgin Mary weeping blood in a rural Irish convent, a “Magdalene laundry” that serves as a religious asylum for prostitutes, the mentally disabled, and unmarried pregnant women. In hopes of capturing photographic evidence of this apparent miracle, Father Thornton films their inquiry with a portable 16mm camera. However, the resident Mother Superior denies knowledge of any supernatural phenomenon. In addition, her impious views toward her wards, and the nuns cruel treatment of them, shock both priests. When the priests finally gather indisputable evidence of a potential miracle, it leads to an exhaustive search of the convent’s grounds, where they discover Kathleen O’Brien, a 16-year-old pregnant girl exhibiting signs of demonic possession, leading the priests to question whether the omens witnessed have been the work of God or Satan. The first horror film directed by a woman to be produced in Northern Ireland, The Devil’s Doorway is best described as a mélange of The Exorcist, The Magdalene Sisters, and The Blair Witch Project, a fantastic found-footage Gothic chiller where evil, both divine and mundane, profane and the sacred.

Director: Aislinn Clarke

Producer: Martin Brennan

Screenwriters: Martin Brennan

Aislinn Clarke

Michael B. Jackson

Cinematographer: Ryan Kernaghan

Editor:

Brian Philip Davis

Music:

Andrew Simon McAllister

Cast: Lalor Roddy

Ciaran Flynn

Helena Bereen

Running Time: 76 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Kew Media

Print Source: Kew Media

Film Website: kewmedia.com/film/ catalogue/the_devils_doorway

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Disobedience

UNITED KINGDOM/USA/IRELAND 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:45 PM

MONDAY, MAY 21 6:30 PM

Forbidden love, repressed passion, and a longing for freedom—these phrases all represent Academy Award® winner Sebastián Lelio’s latest film, Disobedience. Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener) is a non-practicing Orthodox Jew who has dismissed her religious upbringing to live as a lone photographer in New York. When her father, a powerful rabbi in the Orthodox Jewish community, passes away, Ronit reluctantly flies back to London to pay her respects and claim his inheritance. Once there, however, she happens to meet rabbi Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola, You Were Never Really Here) and his wife, Esti (Rachel McAdams, Spotlight). Dovid and Esti were once Ronit’s childhood friends. Esti, however, shares a more special and delicate relationship with Ronit: the two women were once young lovers. As the days progress, Ronit’s and Esti’s desire for each other continue to grow and burn, threatening to harm their existence within the strict, rigid, and quiet Orthodox community. Dovid’s marriage is put into peril as well, as Esti soon finds herself with the courage to speak from her heart about her love. Melancholic and nuanced, Lelio’s Disobedience is a somber narrative of the hidden desires kept within close-knit communities under impossible laws. It is, moreover, a subtle film that hints upon the urges of human freedom and love.

Director: Sebastián Lelio

Producers: Ed Guiney

Frida Torresblanco

Rachel Weisz

Screenwriters: Sebastián Lelio

Rebecca Lenkiewicz

Cinematographer: Danny Cohen

Editor: Nathan Nugent

Music: Matthew Herbert

Cast: Rachel McAdams

Rachel Weisz

Alessandro Nivola

Anton Lesser

Allan Corduner

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Bleecker Street

Film Website: bleeckerstreetmedia.com/ disobedience

Selected Filmography:

A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Gloria (2013)

The Year of the Tiger (2011)

Christmas (2009)

The Sacred Family (2005)

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot USA 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 6:00 PM

The first third of cartoonist John Callahan’s life was far from comical. Given up for adoption in infancy, he was molested by a teacher at age eight, began drinking heavily at 13, and became a quadriplegic at 21 following a horrific car crash. From this misery, however, Callahan discovered a knack for crudely rendered, yet savagely funny, penand-ink cartooning, giving him a creative outlet and the catharsis he needed to express the dark, brutally honest emotions bottled up inside him. Filmmaker Gus Van Sant and actor Joaquin Phoenix (working together for the first time since 1995’s To Die For) tell the story of Callahan’s journey of redemption from reprobate drunk to sober, successful, politically incorrect cartoonist. Phoenix is mesmerizing as the curmudgeonly Callahan, racing around the streets of Portland in his electric wheelchair with his shock of orange hair and disregard for traffic signals. He is helped along through his many setbacks by his AA sponsor, Donnie (Jonah Hill)—a wealthy, gay, hippie-ish devout Christian and walking contradiction, and Annu (Rooney Mara), a Swedish physical therapist with whom John discovers the joys of romance. This biopic takes an unflinching view of the indignities of paralysis, yet finds humanity in this confrontational artist’s struggle to find dark humor in the most painful circumstances.

Director: Gus Van Sant

Producers: Charles-Marie Anthonioz

Mourad Belkeddar

Steve Golin

Nicolas Lhermitte

Screenwriter: Gus Van Sant

Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt

Editors:

David Marks

Gus Van Sant

Music:

Danny Elfman

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix

Jonah Hill

Rooney Mara

Jack Black

Beth Ditto

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Amazon Studios

Film Website: facebook.com/DontWorryMovie

Selected Filmography:

The Sea of Trees (2015)

Promised Land (2012)

Restless (2011)

Milk (2008)

Paranoid Park (2007)

Last Days (2005)

Elephant (2003)

Gerry (2002)

Finding Forrester (2000)

Psycho (1998)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

To Die For (1995)

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Mala Noche (1986)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

ARK LODGE

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Doubtful

ISRAEL 2017

US PREMIERE

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, JUNE 4 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Assi, a screenwriter and a poet, is sentenced to community service following a motorcycle accident. The form of this community service?

Teaching cinema to a group of juvenile delinquents in a southern Israeli town. He might have had an easier time in jail. With their riotous energy and cheerful insolence, the kids exist in an environment of barely controlled chaos. But with the help of the program’s long-suffering director, Assi begins to break down their defenses as he teaches them to express themselves through film. He develops an especially close relationship with one boy, Eden, as full of potential as he is troubled. As he assumes the role of Eden’s mentor, and becomes increasingly involved in the boy’s life, the two will discover together the limitations and possibilities of rehabilitation. Striking in its realism and honesty, Doubtful is based on actual events that took place in the director’s life; the juvenile actors have no former experience and bring a freshness and lively charm to their cinematic debut. Winner of the awards for Best First Film and Best Cinematography at the Jerusalem Film Festival (the film’s cinematographer Shai Goldman is best known for The Band’s Visit), Doubtful was also nominated for nine Ophir Awards (the Israeli Academy Awards) including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Film.

Awards: Jerusalem Film Festival 2017 (Best First Film, Cinematography)

Director: Eliran Elia

Producer: Oren Rogovin

Screenwriter: Eliran Elya

Cinematographer: Shai Goldman

Editor:

Arik Lahav Leibovich

Cast: Ran Danker

Adar Hazazi Gersch

Yaakov Aderet

Osher Amara

Liron Ben-Shlush

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Hebrew, with English subtitles

International Sales: Go2films

Print Source: Go2films

Film Website: mutalimbesafek.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Drummer and the Keeper

IRELAND/USA 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 31 8:00 PM

KIRKLAND PC

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Gabriel is a talented yet troubled drummer for an up-and-coming Dublin rock band. After years of impulsive, self-destructive behavior, he is diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic and delusional episodes, the same disease from which his deceased mother suffered. His bandmates, with assistance from his sister, give Gabriel an ultimatum— seek treatment now. Along with new medications, his therapist prescribes physical activity, specifically to join a weekend mixed-ability soccer team. It’s during his first outing on the pitch where he meets Christopher, a 17-yearold with Asperger’s Syndrome, obsessed by goalkeeping and all the statistics associated with it. Christopher latches on to Gabriel, despite the latter’s rather cool reception, forging a tenuous bond. But Gabriel and his bandmates soon discover Christopher to be quite useful, particularly for an indie outfit in need of a roadie. However, while Christopher revels in the new freedom and worldliness he’s discovered, Gabriel wrestles with the mindnumbing side effects of his new medication. In his first feature film, director Nick Kelly—whose own son is on the autistic spectrum—fearlessly tackles the difficult struggles of mental health patients with a poignant and comic sensibility that never slips into the maudlin to create a charming bro-com between two odd and lonely souls.

Awards:

Galway Film Fleadh 2017 (Best First Film)

Cleveland International Film Festival 2017 (Audience Award)

Director: Nick Kelly

Producer: Kate McColgan

Screenwriter: Nick Kelly

Cinematographer: Tom Comerford

Editor: Derek Holland

Music:

John Gerard Walsh

Cast: Dermot Murphy

Jacob McCarthy

Peter Coonan

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: StudioCanal

Print Source: The Film Sales Company

Film Website: facebook.com/thedrummerandthekeeper

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Edward II

UNITED KINGDOM/JAPAN 1991

TUESDAY, MAY 22 8:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 25 12:30 PM

Ye olde historical record shows that Piers Gaveston, a “favorite” at the court of English king Edward II (1284–1327), achieved a much higher pinnacle of power than his humble birth warranted. Historians still debate why; were Gaveston and Edward lovers or only friends? But for filmmaker Derek Jarman, a pioneer in the New Queer Cinema movement of the ’90s, there was no question. His adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s 1594 play made a splash with its combination of matter-of-fact homoeroticism, contemporary costumes, and stark, stagelike sets, all dirt floors and walls. The animosity raised among the nobility by the bratty Gaveston (played by Andrew Tiernan like a cousin to Malcolm McDowell’s taunting Alex in A Clockwork Orange) convinces Edward to banish him, but Edward’s wife Isabella of France (in the role that launched Tilda Swinton’s career as cinema’s supreme ice queen) lures him back in a sinister keepyour-enemies-closer ploy. Visually, Jarman meticulously constructed Edward II out of shadows and candlelight, male skin, flashes of bloody violence, Isabella’s couture gowns, and the porcelain planes of Swinton’s face. Except for a few scenes, his style is more rough trade than camp; his anger over Thatcher’s Britain heats up the film’s taut, elegant stylization, even portraying a pro-Edward army as a placard-bearing crowd of gay-rights protesters.

Director: Derek Jarman

Producers: Steve Clark-Hall

Antony Root

Screenwriters: Ken Butler

Derek Jarman

Stephen McBride

Christopher Marlowe

Cinematographer: Ian Wilson

Editor: George Akers

Music: Simon Fisher-Turner

Cast: Steven Waddington

Kevin Collins

Andrew Tiernan

Tilda Swinton

John Lynch

Nigel Terry

Running Time: 87 minutes

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

Print Source: Film Movement

Selected Filmography:

Will You Dance with Me? (2014)

Blue (1993)

Wittgenstein (1993)

The Garden (1990)

War Requiem (1989)

The Last of England (1987)

Caravaggio (1986)

The Tempest (1979) Jubilee (1978)

ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG

Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day

GERMANY 1972

SATURDAY, MAY 19 10:00 AM MARATHON SIFF FILM CENTER

WEDNESDA Y, MAY 23 6:30 PM PT 1 & 2 SIFF FILM CENTER

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 7:00 PM PT 3 & 4 SIFF FILM CENTER

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 7:00 PM PT 5 SIFF FILM CENTER

Rainer Werner Fassbinder was one of the most prolific filmmakers in history. At the forefront of the New German Cinema movement, he wrote and directed over forty films in fifteen years. He also made two TV series and directed 24 plays. Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day is one of those series—a five-part miniseries that was shown on West German televisions in 1972 and 1973. This multilayered, character-driven saga centers on the Kruger family along with their lovers, in-laws, and friends. We follow skilled worker Jochen (Gottfried John) as he navigates a romantic relationship with Marion (Hanna Schygulla) and fights for better working conditions with his co-workers. Meanwhile, Grandma (Luise Ullrich), the kooky, strong-willed matriarch of the family fights to turn a closed-down library into a daycare center. All of this activity is captured via fluid camera zooms and pans, as well as Fassbinder’s dynamic blocking. The late director gracefully examines both domestic relationships and labor relationships through a dramatic, often comedic lens. Previously unreleased in the U.S. until now, this brand new restoration played at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival.

Digitally restored from the reversal positive by ARRI, under the direction of Juliane Maria Lorenz.

Funded By: MoMA / FFA / ARRI / RWFF / RWF Werkschau / Verlag der Autoren

Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Producer: Peter Märthesheimer

Screenwriter: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Cinematographer: Dietrich Lohmann

Editor:

Marie Anne Gerhardt

Music:

Fuzzy (Jens Wilhelm Pedersen)

Cast: Gottfried John Hanna Schygulla

Irm Hermann

Luise Ullrich

Werner Finck

Running Time: 478 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

Print Source: Janus Films

Selected Filmography: Veronika Voss (1982) Querelle (1982) Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)

The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)

Fox and His Friends (1975)

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)

World on a Wire (1973)

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Eighth Grade

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

Most of us didn’t have our lives figured out by eighth grade graduation, despite best efforts to prove otherwise in the face of our classmates. Smart phones and convenient tech have brought the existential dread of not being cool all the way home 24/7 for kids of the current generation. Without the threat of Russian strike, today’s kids have far more intimate— but no less visceral—concerns. Bo Burnham’s directorial debut weeds through the minefield that is modern adolescence through the view of Kayla, a thoughtful 13-year-old girl on the precipice of completing junior high. A social media life coach of sorts, Kayla produces YouTube videos to her imaginary subscribers about self-love and confidence, yet can’t quite put these into practice in her own life. Avoiding typical autobiographical coming-of-age film clichés, Burnham, a renowned 27-year-old male comedian, tells his own empathetic tale through the eyes and voice of a female middleschooler. Eighth Grade pulls the extraordinary out of the ordinary with a unique story amidst the average teen experience. Whether you’re a current student, or an adult whose middle school years are long gone, Kayla (and Bo’s) tale strikes home for any who have questioned if they belonged.

Awards:

SFFILM Festival 2018 (Audience Award)

Director: Bo Burnham

Producers: Scott Rudin

Eli Bush

Christopher Storer

Lila Yacoub

Screenwriter: Bo Burnham

Cinematographer: Andrew Wehde

Editor:

Jennifer Lilly

Music:

Anna Meredith

Cast: Elsie Fisher

Josh Hamilton

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

Print Source: A24 Films

Film Website: a24films.com/films/ eighth-grade

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Ellen

SOUTH AFRICA 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 8:30 PM

SIFF

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 4:00 PM PACIFIC

Ellen enshrines the true story of Ellen Pakkies, a loving mother brought to commit an unspeakable act upon her son by the forces of addiction. When her doting son Abie, already facing behavioral issues in school, finds out he is a product of rape, all hopes of a peaceful life are shattered. Desperate to find belonging, Abie becomes addicted to crystal meth as it ravaged the low-income communities around him in Cape Town, South Africa. All that was good in Ellen’s son slowly erodes as he becomes a mere husk of himself, doing whatever it takes to score the next hit, and often by violent means. Eventually curtains are burned, money is stolen, and blood is spilled between mother and child. Daryne Joshua’s second feature film conjoins two timelines, following Ellen post-incarceration and trial, as well as her son’s burgeoning meth addiction that would ultimately force her breaking point. Ellen Pakkies’ emotionally imposing tale lives and breathes through visceral performances from the principal cast. How far must a mother go to protect her child before protecting herself? When the system fails its people, particularly those of a certain skin tone and economic disposition, what avenues are left?

Director: Daryne Joshua

Producers: Schalk Willem Burger

Paulo Areal

Screenwriter: Amy Japtha

Cinematographer: Zenn van Zyl

Editor: C.A van Aswegen

Music: Quin Lubbe

Cast: Jill Levenberg

Jarrid Geduld

Elton Landrew Amrain Essop

Clint Brink

Ilse Klink

Running Time: 123 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Afrikaans, with English subtitles

Selected Filmography: Noem My Skollie: Call Me Thief (2016)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

UPTOWN

CINEMA UPTOWN

PLACE

The Empty Hands

HONG KONG 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 5:30 PM

MONDAY, JUNE 4 4:30 PM

Quiet and reserved with particular charm, The Empty Hands is less about martial arts than it is about a woman struggling to accept herself. Mari Hirakawa (Stephy Tang) lives an idle life. When her father (Yasuaki Kurata) passes away, Mari delightfully plans to cash in on his karate dojo and renovate it into an apartment. However, complications arise when Mari learns that part of the dojo has been given to her father’s former student, Chan Kent (Chapman To). Chan offers to release the dojo to Marie if she can prove her mettle in a fighting ring. Embittered, Mari rekindles her fighting spirit but soon learns that there is more to life than just selfish desires. Filled with bright, vibrant colors, this film is a nice balance between quirky characters and unique camerawork that moves steadily back-and-forth within scenes without sudden cuts. Actor-director Chapman To is known for his work in comedic Hong Kong films such as Let’s Eat! Despite this being a dramatic piece, To manages to insert his humor with particular music during moments audiences would least expect, giving the film a self-aware, sardonic persona. With bits of wry humor and portrayals of fun characters, The Empty Hands is sure to entertain.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Chapman To

Producers: Chapman To Tang Wai But

Screenwriters: Erica Lee

Chapman To

Cinematographer: Tam Wai Kai

Editor:

Allen Leung

Music: Veronica Lee

Cast: Stephy Tang

Chapman To Stephen Au

Dada Chan

Yasuaki Kurata

Running Time: 87 minutes

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

International Sales: Golden Scene

Print Source: Golden Scene

Film Website: facebook.com/TheEmptyHands2017

Selected Filmography: Let’s Eat (2016)

ERREMENTARI

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

SPAIN 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 27 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

From producer Álex de la Iglesia comes Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil, an unholy new horror-comedy that harkens back to The Day of the Beast (SIFF 1998). Eight years after the First Carlist War, Alfredo Ortiz, a meek official from Madrid, arrives in a remote Basque village to investigate a cache of gold that disappeared during the conflict. His inquiries center around Paxti, a masked, hermit-like blacksmith, who resides in a forbidding, heavily fortified forge on the village outskirts. It is here that Usue, an impetuous orphan girl, goes in search of her favorite doll’s head, pitched over the wall by a trio of bullies. Instead, she finds a grimy boy imprisoned in a wrought iron cage, who begs for her to free him. Usue agrees to help, unaware of the child’s fiendish true nature; meanwhile, the villagers gather outside the smithy’s gate to demand the missing gold from the ogreish blacksmith, all of which leads to a confrontation that will culminate at the gates of Hell. Beautifully weaving together elements of dark fairy tale, Faustian legend, and the Gothic, director Paul Urkijo Alijo’s feature film debut evokes Ibero-historical horrors such as The Devil’s Backbone and The Orphanage, but with a wicked, sardonic wit all its own.

Director: Paul Urkijo Alijo

Producers:

Álex de la Iglesia

Luis de Oza

Carolina Bang

Gorka Gomez Andreu

Kiko Martinez

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Ortzi Acosta

Paul Urkijo Alijo

Screenwriters: Paul Urkijo Alijo

Asier Guerricaechevarría

Cinematographer: Gorka Gómez Andreu

Editor: Paul Urkijo Alijo

Music: Pascal Gaigne

Cast: Kandido Uranga

Eneko Sagardoy

Uma Bracaglia

Ramón Aguirre

Gorka Aguinagalde

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Old Basque, with English subtitles

International Sales: Filmax International

Print Source: Filmax International

Film Website: errementari.com/eu

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

IKITIE

The Eternal Road

FINLAND 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:15 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

When the Great Depression destroyed the western world’s economy, thousands of American and Canadian citizens came to the Soviet Union under Stalin’s promise of building a true worker’s paradise. But Jussi Ketola (Tommi Korpela, The Other Side of Hope) and his family have chosen to return from America to his homeland of Finland, a country currently embroiled in a bloody civil war that has divided its citizens into Reds and Whites. One night, a group of men break into Jussi’s farm, accuse him of being a socialist, and violently transport him over the border. Now trapped in Petrozavodsk in the Soviet Union, Jussi is accused of being a Finnish spy and told that, should he wish to remain alive, he must assume a new identity, infiltrate a farm collective, and inform his handlers of any suspicious activity. Now, with his family back home thinking him dead, Jussi begrudgingly accepts his missions and finds solace in an American widow named Sara (Sidse Babett Knudsen, “Westworld”). But as the increasingly paranoid communist regime takes hold of Europe, Julli discovers that any semblance of happiness can be ripped away at any moment. Winner of Best Film at the 2018 Jussi Awards, Finland’s equivalent to the Academy Awards®, The Eternal Road is an epic story of one man’s struggle to survive.

Awards:

Jussi Awards 2018 (Best Film, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography)

Director:

AJ Annila

Producers: Ilkka Matila

Screenwriters:

AJ Annila

Antti Tuuri

Aku Louhimies

Cinematographer: Rauno Ronkainen

Editor:

Tambet Tasuja

Music:

Ian Person

Kalle Gustafsson

Jerneholm

Panu Aaltio

Tuomas Kantelinen

Cast:

Tommi Korpela

Sidse Babett Knudsen

Irina Björklund

Hannu-Pekka Björkman

Ville Virtanen

Running Time: 103 minutes

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

subtitles

International Sales: Eyewell

Print Source: Finnish Film Foundation

Film Website: facebook.com/ikitie

Selected Filmography: Sauna (as AJ Annila) (2008)

Jade Warrior (2006)

Every Act of Life USA 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 31 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 11:00 AM

If playwright Terrence McNally’s upbringing were itself a play, you might ask for rewrites on the grounds of cliché: repressive ’50s, Texas backwater; Mom drank, Dad hit; writing was an escape and New York City was Mecca. If his parents never really got him (“Here’s a teenager producing operas in our garage,” reminisces McNally’s brother), they did travel annually to see Broadway musicals, bringing back with them the bug that bit their son and eventually turned him into one of our busiest and most important and honored playwrights and librettists. Jeff Kaufman’s documentary follows his career in tandem with his, and America’s, burgeoning gay identity: from premiere to premiere, lover to lover (Edward Albee, for starters), Tony to Tony, and milestone to milestone, including hits like “Love! Valour! Compassion!,” “Master Class,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” and “Ragtime.” Talking heads include a theater queen’s dream lineup—Rita Moreno, Angela Lansbury, Nathan Lane—all eloquent on the wit, passion, emotional intensity, and desire for human connection that run through McNally’s work. At 79, he’s still active, with his latest premiere, “Fire and Air,” offBroadway this past February.

Director: Jeff Kaufman

Producers: Jeff Kaufman

Marcia Ross

Screenwriter: Jeff Kaufman

Cinematographers: Jordan Black

Autumn Eakin

Anthony Lucido

Editor: Asher Bingham

Music: Laura Karpman

Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum

Featuring: Rita Moreno

Meryl Streep

Bryan Cranston

Christine Baranski

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Selected Filmography: Father Joseph (2015)

The State Of Marriage (2015)

The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America (2012)

Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman (2007)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

The Faces of Zandra Rhodes

USA 2018

WORLD PREMIERE

THURSDAY, MAY 24 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 3:30 PM

Travel the world with a fashion icon whose textiles and styling are as eccentric as her signature hot pink bob. Revolutionizing the industry with dramatic prints and uninhibited silhouettes, London native Zandra Rhodes’ exuberance has extended to runways, museums, opera houses, and the influence behind the work of countless contemporary designers. Archival footage shows career highlights and innovative looks that unapologetically rebelled against conventional trends. Known for bringing London to the forefront of international fashion and designing ages ahead of her time, Zandra consistently beat luxury brands to styles that became the embodiment of generations. Beyond an exhibition of her pieces and lifetime of artistry, director David Wiesehan offers an inside look to her meticulous creative process, using behindthe-scenes footage of costume design for the Seattle Opera’s production of “The Magic Flute.” This colorful documentary feature also depicts Zandra Rhodes as a devotee to art in all forms, with a bevy of muses including local glassblowing legend Dale Chihuly; the two meet at Chihuly’s private studio and share their vision and techniques, shedding light on the fluidity between inventive forms of expressions.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: David Wiesehan

Producers: David Wiesehan

Rebecca Cole Wiesehan

Joan Agajanian Quinn

Screenwriter: David Wiesehan

Cinematographer: David Wiesehan

Editor: David Wiesehan

Music:

The Human Experience

Saqi

Kytami The Crowned Crow

Featuring: Zandra Rhodes

Joan Agajanian Quinn

Anjelica Huston

Pat Cleveland and The Seattle Opera

Michael Chow

Dale Chihuly

Kytami

Running Time: 81 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Wiesehan Media Group

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LES FAUX TATOUAGES

Fake Tattoos

CANADA (QUÉBEC) 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 20 3:30 PM ARK

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM

It’s his 18th birthday, and Theo (Anthony Therrien), looking solemn with an unruly head of dark curly hair and Dead Kennedys T-shirt, is alone at a diner post-metal show. It’s there he meets the talkative and self-assured Mag (Rose-Marie Perreault), whose presence and persistent conversation begin to coax Theo out of his shell. After what appeared to be a simple one-night stand, they start to stumble through the obstacle course of modern dating—talking about their favorite bands, dealing with tricky bra-clasps, watching funny YouTube videos in bed—and Mag and Theo develop a connection that surpasses both their initial expectations. It seems too good to lose, but their summer romance has an expiration date. Because of a mysterious incident in his not-so-distant past, Theo will soon be leaving town to move in with his older sister four hours away. These teenage punk rockers come to an understanding to make the most of their time together, and what blooms is an authentic and contemporary portrait of young love. Therrien and Perreault give convincing performances and have a natural chemistry that makes their story come alive. Filmed on the streets of Montreal, and pairing languid hangout imagery with an upbeat punk soundtrack, Fake Tattoos is a sincere and empathetic love story by first time feature director Pascal Plante.

Awards:

Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montréal 2017 (Best Canadian Feature) Slamdance Film Festival 2018 (Honorable Mention)

Director: Pascal Plante

Producer: Katerine Lefrançois

Screenwriter: Pascal Plante

Cinematographer: Vincent Allard

Editor: Pascal Plante

Music: Dominique Plante

Cast: Anthony Therrien

Rose-Marie Perreault

Lysandre Nadeau

Brigitte Poupart

Nicole-Sylvie Lagarde

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Seville International

Print Source: Seville International

Film Website: sevilleinternational.com/ film/fake-tattos

Selected Filmography: Generation Porn (doc, 2014)

LINCOLN SQUARE

LODGE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Falling

UKRAINE/ITALY 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 8:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The heart of Marina Stepanska’s debut seems to be a simple post-revolution love story that takes place in a small Ukrainian town. However, the film deals with addiction, with love, with a rapidly changing country, and with getting back up again. Magnetic Anton (Andriy Seletskiy), a talented musician, has finished his treatment at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic. His overprotective grandfather (Oleg Mosijchuk), a self-made man raised in the Soviet era, picks Anton up at the clinic and they drive to their home in the countryside. Anton, however, is young and restless and wants to test his newfound willpower and finds himself at his old hangouts with all the familiar temptations; having grown up in this town, he thinks he knows them all. Fortunately for him, he meets Katya (Dasha Plahtiy), a young beauty about to leave the country with her German boyfriend. It was director Stepanska’s intention to make a film that would represent normal, everyday people who have to face drastic changes. The characters in Falling live life in the moment, our two young leads are people who happen to meet at a crucial time in their existence. As others try to break free of roots, they, like grandfather, try to hold on to the little that is familiar of new love and their own patch of earth.

Director:

Marina Stepanska

Producers:

Volodymyr Filippov

Olena Yershova

Alla Ovsiannikova

Screenwriter: Marina Stepanska

Cinematographer: Sebastian Thaler

Editors:

Boris Peter

Music:

Mykyta Moiseiev

Cast:

Andriy Seletskiy

Dasha Plahtiy

Oleg Mosiychuk

Christian Boris

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Ukrainian, with English subtitles

International Sales: TVCO

Print Source: TVCO

Film Website: tvco.eu/falling

The Field Guide to Evil

AUSTRIA/GERMANY/GREECE/HUNGARY/INDIA/POLAND/ TURKEY/USA 2018

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film FRIDAY, JUNE 1 MIDNIGHT SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN MONDAY, JUNE 4 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

From the producers of the cult horror anthology series The ABCs of Death comes a phantasmagorical exploration of myths, lore, and folktales featuring nine of the most talented international filmmakers working in genre film today. Revealing the stories created to explain mankind’s darkest fears, The Field Guide to Evil tasked each talented director with revealing a folktale that has captivated and frightened their homeland and interpreting it in their own unique style. Representing Austria are Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (SIFF 2015’s Goodnight Mommy), who tell of an ancient demon that punishes those who engage in the cardinal sin of forbidden love. Agnieszka Smoczynska (SIFF 2016’s The Lure) presents Poland’s “The Kindler and the Virgin,” grotesquely illustrating a man’s quest for power, while Calvin Reeder (The Rambler) reveals America’s cannibalistic humanoids known as “Melonheads.” India’s Ashim Ahluwalia (Miss Lovely) takes a black-andwhite journey inside a palace of horrors, while British-born, Hungary-based Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy) tells a fetishistic story of lust and envy in the style of a silent film made using 1960s Kodachrome film stock. Finally, there are twisted tales from the depths of Hell that feature a Christmas goblin from Greece’s Yannis Veslemes, a mouse demon from Germany’s Katrin Gebbe, and a devilish goat from Turkey’s Can Evrenol.

Directors:

Veronika Franz

Severin Fiala

Peter Strickland

Agnieszka Smoczynska

Katrin Gebbe

Can Evrenol

Calvin Reeder

Ashim Ahluwalia

Yannis Veslemes

Producers: Tim League

Ant Timpson

Andrew Starke

Vinayak Nagesh

Dora Nedeczky

Esther Turan

Müge Büyüktalas

Robert Dehn

Can Evrenol

Nia Kingsley

Carl W. Lucas

Maggie Ronan

Bora Yuksel

Cinematographers: Meryem Yavuz

Kuba Kijowski

Márk Györi

Editors:

Jaroslaw Kaminski

Matyas Fekete

Music:

Jeremy Barnes

Nicholas Brawley

Stefan Will

Cast:

Sarah Navratil

Birgit Minichmayr

Jilon VanOver

Lili Epply

Claude Duhamel

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Greek, Dutch, Indian, Austrian, Polish, and Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: CAA

Print Source:

Fantastic Fest

Film Website: fieldguidetoevil.com

First Reformed

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Writer/director Paul Schrader’s (the legendary screenwriter behind Taxi Driver and the director of such films as Blue Collar and Hardcore)

First Reformed is a passionate film, infused with conflicted religious fury, about one man’s crisis of faith and reckoning with environmental decay. That man is Ernest Toller (Ethan Hawke), a former military chaplain still haunted by his son’s death in the Iraq War. He currently leads a dwindling congregation at the First Reformed, a historic abolitionist church in Upstate New York. One of Toller’s parishioners Mary (Amanda Seyfried) comes to him for help. Her disturbed husband Michael (Phillip Ettinger) is a radical environmental activist who believes the earth can’t be saved and wants Mary to abort her baby. As Toller is drawn further and further into Michael’s cause, his own beliefs are challenged, and he gradually finds a new sense of purpose. First Reformed combines the poetic austerity of a Robert Bresson film with the explosive intensity and violence of a pulpy genre thriller. Meanwhile, Hawke injects Toller with vivid layers of guilt and discontent, resulting in one of his best performances in years.

Director: Paul Schrader

Producers: Jack Binder

Greg Clark

Gary Hamilton

Victoria Hill

David Hinojosa

Frank Murray

Deepak Sikka

Christine Vachon

Screenwriter: Paul Schrader

Cinematographer: Alexander Dynan

Editor: Benjamin Rodriguez Jr.

Music:

Brian Williams

Cast:

Ethan Hawke

Amanda Seyfried

Cedric Kyles

Michael Gaston

Philip Ettinger

Victoria Hill

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: A24

Selected Filmography: Dog Eat Dog (2016)

The Canyons (2013)

Adam Resurrected (2008)

Auto Focus (2002)

Affliction (1997)

Touch (1997)

The Comfort of Strangers (1990)

Mishima: A Life in Four

Chapters (1985)

Cat People (1982)

American Gigolo (1980)

Hardcore (1979)

Blue Collar (1978)

Found Footage Festival: Cherished Gems USA 2018

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 9:15 PM

The Found Footage Festival presents a hilarious best-and-worst-of collection of unbelievable discoveries culled from the dark recesses of the vintage VHS vaults. Founders Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher began their lifelong love affair with strange, outrageous, and profoundly stupid videos in high school when they discovered “Inside and Outside Custodial Duties,” a training video featuring a pair of McDonald’s employees who take extreme pride in mopping up grease and cleaning toilets. In 2004, they launched the Found Footage Festival, a guided tour of their vast VHS library punctuated by informative, hilarious commentary and original where-arethey-now segments. Since then, they have toured the world presenting the most regrettable moments ever captured on videotape: bizarre exercise and celebrity advice videos, abandoned home movies, inexplicable public access television, and the expletive-laden commercial outtakes of an angry salesman which became the subject of the acclaimed 2009 documentary feature Winnebago Man Nick and Joe are also the masterminds behind a series of local morning TV show pranks, most recently appearing as a strongman duo called Chop & Steele, whose regimen for staying in shape includes lifting cinder blocks, chopping sticks in half, and crushing wicker baskets. Their hilariously inept appearances lead to what Prueher describes as “a really stupid First Amendment battle,” all of which will be revealed at this truly one-of-a-kind show.

Directors: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Producers: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Screenwriters: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Editors: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Featuring: Joe Pickett

Nick Prueher

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Found Footage Festival

Film Website: foundfootagefest.com

Selected Filmography:

Pickett:

Zany Zingers and Bonked-out Blunders (2010)

Found Footage Festival Volume 4: Live in Tucson (2009)

Found Footage Festival Volume 3: Live in San Francisco (2008)

Dirty Country (2007)

Found Footage Festival Volume 2: Live in Minneapolis (2007)

Prueher: Volume 3: Live in San Francisco (2008)

Dirty Country (2007)

Found Footage Festival Volume 2: Live in Minneapolis (2007)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

ENRICH THE CULTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU SIFF. AND HERE’S TO ANOTHER GREAT FESTIVAL.

Freaks and Geeks

USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 19 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MONDAY, MAY 28 3:15 PM SHORELINE CC

It seems absolutely insane in retrospect, but a TV show starring James Franco (The Disaster Artist), Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”), Linda Cardellini (“ER”), Busy Phillips (“Cougar Town”), John Francis Daley (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Samm Levine (Inglourious Basterds), and Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), and created by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) and Paul Feig (Ghostbusters), was not a huge hit back when it premiered on NBC on September 25, 1999. In fact, it aired only 12 of its 18 episodes before being unceremoniously canceled. But from its soon-to-befamous cast to its insistence on riding the line between comedy and drama, “Freaks and Geeks” is now one of the most beloved and influential television shows of the past 20 years. Documentarian Brent Hodge (SIFF 2016’s The Pistol Shrimps) gets the gang back together 19 years later for a retrospective on a show that dared to break conventions, to tell stories of high school kids that hadn’t been represented on television before and revealing that adolescent humiliations and heartbreaks are vital parts of our lives. “The show is about failing and how you survive failure,” explains Apatow in one of the film’s many revealing interviews, mixed in with remarkable behindthe-scenes and audition footage, in a documentary about the show’s long-lasting impact on pop culture and its plethora of extremely talented people.

Director: Brent Hodge

Producers: Ally Kelly

Matthew Galkin

Cinematographer: Joseph Schweers

Editors: Austin Andrews Lewis Bennet

Music:

Cayne McKenzie

Andrew Huculiak

David Menzel

Running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: A&E

Selected Filmography: The Pistol Shrimps (2016)

I Am Chris Farley (2015)

A Brony Tale (2014)

What Happens Next?: The Dan Mangan Documentary (2012)

Garbage

INDIA 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 9:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 21 8:30 PM SIFF

“Although the events are dangerously true,” Garbage’s opening legend intones, “this is a work of fiction.” With a pulsing energy and a ferocious call to arms to dismantle the world of violent men, this taboo-breaking thriller from Indian provocateur Q (2010’s Gandu, infamously banned in its country of origin) refuses to play nice. Phanishwar (Tanmay Dhanania) is a Goa-based taxi driver who leads a sick secret life: he spews vile bits of hate speech online, all in the name of a controversial guru and cult leader, and keeps a mute female slave (Satarupa Das) chained up in his apartment to serve his every need. One day, the driver stops by the airport and picks up Rami (Trimala Adhikari), a medical student who’s arrived at this coastal party town to escape her life. After stalking her on social media, Phanishwar discovers what has her so frazzled—her ex-boyfriend has posted a sex tape, starring her and two men, and it’s going viral on social media—and a downward spiral begins, pulling everything into the driver’s pathetic, destructive orbit. Garbage is an assaultive, psychedelic experience that dismantles everything from India’s religiousmilitary right to a sex-obsessed media, marking Q as one of his country’s wildest, most unpredictable filmmakers.

Director:

Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee)

Producers:

Shaailesh R. Singh

Hansal Mehta

Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee)

Screenwriter:

Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee)

Cinematographer: Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee)

Editor:

Hina Saiyada

Music: Neel Adhikari

Rogue Atari

Cast: Tanmay Dhanania

Trimala Adhikari

Satarupa Das

Gitanjali Dang

Shruti Viswan

Running Time: 105 minutes

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

International Sales: Wide Management

Print Source: Wide Management

Film Website: widemanagement.com/ garbage

Selected Filmography: Brahman Naman (2016)

X: Past Is Present (2015)

Ludo (2015)

I Want to Be an American (Doc) (2013)

Tasher Desh (2012) Gandu (2010)

Love in India (Doc) (2009) Bishh (2009)

LINCOLN SQUARE

CINEMA UPTOWN

GAUGUIN - VOYAGE DE TAHITI

Gauguin

FRANCE 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, MAY 31 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

You can take the boy out of France, but you can’t take French 19th century hidebound morality out of the boy—even when that boy is Paul Gauguin, and even when he’s traveling to the other side of the globe to try to leave it behind for the sake of his art. Edouard Deluc’s biopic covers the painter’s (Vincent Cassel, Black Swan) first sojourn (1891–93) in Tahiti, where his colorful canvasses of island scenes became his signature works and modernist landmarks in art history. At first, it’s just the paradise he sought: verdant hills, sparkling pools, welcoming natives, daily life of Edenic serenity (though while food may grow on trees, art supplies sure don’t). Gauguin falls in with a Tahitian woman, Tehura (Tuheï Adams), who after the briefest and simplest betrothal in cinema history becomes his muse—but is she later making eyes at the hunky dude who’s studying woodcarving with him? There’s a very grim humor to the way the last 15 minutes of the film replicates the first: Trapped in bourgeois domesticity with a dissatisfied wife and art that fails to sell (while conventionally unimaginative stuff flies off the shelf, or rather, out of the village market stall), escape is the only option.

Director:

Edouard Deluc

Producer:

Bruno Levy

Screenwriters:

Thomas Lilti

Étienne Comar

Cinematographer: Pierre Cottereau

Editor: Guerric Catala

Music:

Warren Ellis

Cast: Vincent Cassel

Malik Zidi

Marc Barbé

Samuel Jouy

Tuheï Adams

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

International Sales: Studiocanal

Print Source: Cohen Media Group

Film Website: gauguin-film.com

Selected Filmography: Welcome to Argentina (2012)

Genesis

HUNGARY 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 11:00 AM

MONDAY, JUNE 4 9:00 PM SIFF

Director Árpád Bogdán presents us with a three-pronged story: one of a Roma boy, one of a teenage archer, and one of a young lawyer, three people from completely different parts of Hungarian society that are connected by a racially motivated murder. Roma boy Ricsi, whose father is in prison, endures bullying at school; his mother tries to take care of everything but there is a strange man who always seems to be around. Archer Virag, a teenage girl, is serious about her sport and is beginning to be serious about Misi, a young man who raises dogs. Young female lawyer Hanna, under pressure from her superiors, takes on the defense of one of the young men facing trial for the part he allegedly played in the murder. Bogdán presents us with stories that are biblical in scope, moral dilemmas and depictions of sin based on real events that took place in Hungary during the 2008-09 attacks by Hungarian neo-Nazis on Roma villages. The three protagonists are, one way or another, affected by these events, which change their lives fundamentally.

PACIFIC

Director: Árpád Bogdán

Producers: Andrea Taschler

Gábor Ferenczy

Screenwriter: Árpád Bogdán

Cinematographer: Tamás Dobos

Editor: Péter Politzer

Music: Mihály Víg

Cast: Milán Csordás

Anna Marie Cseh

Eniko Anna Illesi

Running Time: 120 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Hungarian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Hungarian Film Commission

Print Source: Hungarian Film Commission

Film Website: miragefilm.hu/project/ genesis-2

Selected Filmography: A Happy Life (2007)

PLACE

CINEMA UPTOWN

HANDIA

Giant SPAIN 2017

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 6:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 3:00 PM

Living a bare-bones existence as tenant farmers in the small Basque village of Altzo, Antonio (Ramon Agirre, Amour) and his sons Martin (Joseba Usabiaga) and Joaquin (Eneko Sagardoy) live a simple life of modest ambitions and mounting debts. When the hand of fate plucks Martin to fight in the First Carlist War, the elder brother gets a welcome taste of the world outside his impoverished community, though the war’s end sends him back to Altzo and face-toface with a shocking new reality: afflicted with gigantism, his brother Joaquin has grown into an unnaturally enormous size. Soon local huckster Jose Antonio (Inigo Aranburu) convinces Martin to capitalize on his brother’s condition, craft a mythology and hit the road, where the pair quickly become the toast of Spain and beyond. But while Martin realizes his dream of lifting his family out of poverty— and climbing his country’s social ladder in the process—the once indestructible bond between brothers is tested, forcing Martin to consider the human being inside the body. This stirring, gorgeous film is based on an incredible true story, and is the winner of 10 Goya Awards including Best Cinematography and Screenplay.

Awards: Goya Awards 2018 (Best New Actor, Original Screenplay, Special Effects, Editing, Cinematography, Original Score, Makeup and Hairstyles, Costume Design, Production Design, Production Manager)

Girls Always Happy CHINA

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Directors: Jon Garaño

Aitor Arregi

Producers: Inaki Gomez

Inigo Obeso

Xabi Berzosa

Screenwriters: Jon Garaño

Aitor Arregi

Andoni De Carlos

Jose Mari Goenaga

Cinematographer: Javi Agirre Erauso

Editors: Laurent Dufreche

Ravi Lopez

Music: Pascal Gaigne

Cast: Eneko Sagardoy

Joseba Usabiaga

Inigo Aramburu

Ramon Agirre

Aia Kruse

Running Time: 115 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish and Basque, with English

subtitles

International Sales: Film Factory Entertainment

Selected Filmography:

Arregi:

Lucio (2007)

Cristobal Molón (2006)

Glup, una aventura sin desperdicio (2004)

Garaño:

Flowers (2014)

For 80 Days (2010)

Perurena (2010)

Sahara Marathon (2004)

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 3:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 6:00 PM

“The only debt that can’t be repaid in this world is a mother’s love.” That sounds like a nice sentiment, but not when it’s used as a guilt-inducing barb in the middle of an argument between mother and daughter. Deep within one of Beijing’s remaining hutong neighborhoods—one of narrow alleys and courtyard houses that seem lost in time amidst the ever-modernizing city—live Wu (writer/director Yang Mingming) and her mother (Nai An). Both are writers—a screenwriter and a poet, respectively—but neither has anything to show for it other than financial and emotional precariousness. Wu’s father having long since gone, every aspect of this pair’s mutual hostility seems to come from their seeming disappointment with the hand life has dealt them. As Wu navigates a relationship with a divorced film professor, and mother struggles to take care of Wu’s ever-weakening grandfather in the hopes of being written into his will, the two do their best to stay afloat, but their circumstances pit them against each other just when they most need affection and understanding. And yet this film finds endless moments of comedy, camaraderie, and love, painting a perfect and universal picture of the complexity of family. A bittersweet debut feature from Yang, Girls Always Happy is a bracingly honest film about the many roles women must play in society.

Awards: Hong Kong International Film Festival 2018 (FIPRESCI Prize, Firebird Award)

Director: Yang Mingming

Producer:

Yang Jing

Screenwriter: Yang Mingming

Cinematographer: Shen Xiaomin

Editor: Yang Mingming

Cast:

Nai An

Yang Mingming

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Parallax Films

Print Source: Parallax Films

Film Website: facebook.com/ girlsalwayshappy

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

ROU GING SHI

Godard Mon Amour

FRANCE 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 7:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:00 PM

While shooting his 1967 film La Chinoise, internationally respected French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (Louis Garrel, The Dreamers) falls for lead actress Anne Wiazemsky (Stacy Martin, Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1). The granddaughter of Nobel Prizewinning conservative author François Mauriac and eager to shed her bourgeois upbringing, the 19-year-old philosophy student is drawn to his anti-establishment ways, and they marry soon thereafter. But reeling from the film’s eventual critical and commercial failure, Jean-Luc tires of “amusing the middle class” and reassesses his place in art, country, and politics. “This man, who had revolutionized film 10 years earlier, had shaken up my life, too, and was about to revolutionize himself,” Anne narrates. As the 1968 Paris student riots come to fruition, Jean-Luc renounces his former films and sets out to redefine the purpose of cinema as one of activism, regardless of who he pushes away and how it affects Anne’s life and wellbeing. Based on Wiazemsky’s autobiography “Un a après” (”One Year Later”) and directed with a playful energy by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (2011’s The Artist), Godard Mon Amour is a smart, funny, audacious biopic— chock-full of stylistic homages to the director’s work and possessing a clear eye toward the destruction narcissistic geniuses leave in their wake—that will please Godard aficionados and neophytes alike.

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Producers: Florence Gastaud

Michel Hazanavicius

Riad Sattouf

Screenwriter: Michel Hazanavicius

Cinematographer: Guillaume Schiffman

Editor:

Anne-Sophie Bion

Cast: Louis Garrel

Bérénice Bejo

Stacy Martin

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Cohen Media Group

Film Website: wildbunch.biz/movie/ redoubtable

Selected Filmography:

The Search (2014)

The Artist (2011)

OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)

Mes amis (1999)

RETT VEST

Going West

NORWAY 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

SATURDAY, MAY 19 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 9:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

A Norwegian quilting competition and an estranged father-son relationship make up the premise of Henrick Martin Daslsbakken’s silly and heartfelt road movie Going West. Kasper (Benjamin Helstad, SIFF 2016’s The Last King) is a recently unemployed music teacher who receives some big news from his transgender father Georg (Ingar Helge Gimle, SIFF 2012’s King Curling): Kasper’s late mother was an avid quilter, and her last quilt has qualified for a major quilting competition. In an attempt to mend their tense relationship, Kasper and Georg head out for the competition on the back of a rusty motorcycle. The two have odd encounters and mini-adventures along the way; at one point they visit one of Georg’s old flames, and later Kasper gets caught up in a store robbery. Going West is a mostly playful affair with splashes of drama and everyday tragedy. Daslsbakken cheerfully avoids the most tired clichés associated with the road movie genre, while his approach to Georg’s transgender identity is honest and refreshing. By the end, you’ll find yourself wishing you could stay in this film’s tender, quirky world a little longer.

Director: Henrick Martin Daslsbakken

Producer: Henrick Martin Dahlsbakken

Screenwriter: Henrick Martin Dahlsbakken

Cinematographer: Oskar Dahlsbakken

Editor: Vidar Flataukan

Music: Silje Katralen

Cast: Benjamin Helstad

Ingar Helge Gimle

Iben M. Akerlie

Anne Krigsvoll

Reidar Sørensen

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: LevelK

Print Source: Norwegian Film Institute

Film Website: levelk.dk/films/goingwest/3529

Selected Filmography: Late Summer (2016)

Cave (2016)

Returning Home (2015)

PACIFIC PLACE

MAJESTIC BAY

LOS BUSCADORES

Gold Seekers

PARAGUAY 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 29 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Good-natured and clever to a fault, newspaper delivery boy Manu (Tomas Arredondo) dreams of a life of opulence and wealth, one far removed from the realities of La Chacarita, the shantytown outside Asunción where he’s stuck living with his overworked mother, baby sister, and fussy grandparents. Given a book on his nation’s history by his once-thrill-seeking grandfather, Manu discovers a weathered treasure map hidden within, quickly realizing that riches beyond his wildest dreams might be closer than he’d ever imagined. Enlisting the help of manic best friend Fito (Christian Ferreira) and cautious local café owner Elio (Mario Toñanez), the trio set out to uncover a hidden fortune of silver, the mythical “Plata Yvyguy,” but quickly discover that Paraguay— as well as a colorful cast of locals just as desperate to escape poverty—does not give up secrets easily. A fast-paced, funny, and thrilling follow-up to their breakout sensation 7 Boxes (SIFF, 2013), writer/directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori’s clever heist movie is old-fashioned entertainment—a “Paraguayan Indiana Jones,” if you will—in the best sense of the phrase.

Directors:

Juan Carlos Maneglia

Tana Schémbori

Producers:

Juan Carlos Maneglia

Tana Schémbori

Christian Chena

Screenwriters:

Juan Carlos Maneglia

Mario González Martí

Cinematographer: Richard Careaga

Editor:

Alfredo Galeano

Cast:

Tomás Arredondo

Cecilia Torres

Christian Ferreira

Mario Toñanez

Sandra Sanabria

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

International Sales: Film Sharks

Print Source:

HBO Latino

Film Website: losbuscadores.com.py

Selected Filmography: 7 Boxes (2012)

AS BOAS MANEIRAS

Good Manners

BRAZIL/FRANCE 2017

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN SUNDAY, JUNE 10 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Clara, a lonely Brazilian woman living in a São Paulo favela, can barely pay her rent. However, her fortunes improve when she answers an ad to be a live-in nanny for the wealthy and beautiful Ana. Despite a bungled interview on Clara’s part, Ana decides to hire her. Clara moves in even though the baby’s birth is still weeks away. Soon she begins to perform all of the household’s domestic duties, as a friendship develops between the two, slowly deepening into something more intimate. Yet, all is not well with Ana. She walks in her sleep, her appetite grows and wanes with the full moon, and mysterious circumstances shroud her baby’s conception and the father’s identity. When Ana finally delivers her child, Clara must make an irrevocable decision, one that will forever alter her life. Co-written and directed by Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, Good Manners is a dark, gothic fairy tale— drawing equal parts inspiration from Angela Carter, Jacques Tourneur, and John Landis— meticulously blending reality and fantasy into an unforgettably chimerical film while also exploring the economic and social inequalities endemic throughout modern day Brazil.

Awards:

Locarno International Film Festival 2017 (Special Jury Prize)

Sitges International Film Festival 2017 (Jury Award, Special Mention for Best Actress)

Rio International Film Festival 2017 (Best Film, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, FIPRESCI Award, Felix Award for LGBTQ Film)

Directors: Marco Dutra

Juliana Rojas

Producers: Sara Silveira

Maria Ionescu

Clément Duboin

Frédéric Corvez

Screenwriters: Juliana Rojas

Marco Dutra

Cinematographer: Rui Poças

Editor: Caetano Gotardo

Music: Juliana Rojas

Marco Dutra

Guilherme Garbato

Gustavo Garbato

Cast: Isabél Zuaa

Marjorie Estiano

Miguel Lobo

Cida Moreira

Andrea Marquee

Running Time: 135 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Portuguese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Urban Distribution

International

Print Source: Distrib Films US

Film Website: urbandistrib.com/films/ good-manners

Selected Filmography:

Dutra:

The Silence of the Sky (2016)

When I Was Alive (2014) Hard Labor (2011)

Rojas: Necropolis Symphony (2014) Hard Labour (2011)

EN BRA VECKA FÖR DEMOKRATIN

A Good Week for Democracy

SWEDEN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 11:30 AM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director Cecilia Björk has created an arresting visual time stamp of society and democracy in her feature film debut, A Good Week for Democracy. Shot over three years during Sweden’s famous annual summertime political-fest known as Almedalen Week, Björk set out to chronicle the pride of Swedish democracy in its most dense microcosm where anything goes and the candidate with the loudest presence wins. Looking for new images of politics, beyond the live broadcasts and sensational headlines, Bjšrk asked, “How is society formed by the images media creates?” as she trained her camera on the performance aspect of politics when media attention is the currency of the day.

Employing a less-is-more approach, Björk’s minimalistic style is at once both critical and humorous. allowing her subjects to speak for themselves through actions instead of sound bytes, entertainment instead of format, and popularity rather than punditry. A shockingly raw examination of modern democracy, A Good Week for Democracy was produced in collaboration with Producers Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck of Plattform Produktion (The Square, Cannes Palm D’Or Winner, 2017, Force Majeuer, 2014). A Good Week for Democracy is a SIFF New Worksin-Progress Forum 2017 documentary.

Director: Cecilia Björk

Producers:

Maximilien Van Aertryck

Axel Danielson

Screenwriter: Cecilia Björk

Cinematographers:

Maximilien Van Aertryck

Axel Danielson

Editors:

Maximilien Van Aertryck

Cecilia Björk

Running Time: 75 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swedish, English, Finnish, and Swedish Sign

Language with English

subtitles

Print Source: Plattform Produktion

Film Website: plattformproduktion.se

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Gospel According to André USA 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 3:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Inspired by the effortless glamour of his late grandmother and the grandeur of traditional church wear, a boy growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South became one of the first black voices in fashion and an icon of taste making. Featuring rare archival footage as well as narratives from industry legends like Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, and Valentino, Kate Novack’s The Gospel According To André pays tribute to a man whose influence spans decades and continents. Well known for his fabulously imaginative one-liners, this intimate documentary feature dives much deeper into the reflective, sentimental and elegant soul that is André Leon Talley. As a black man standing over six feet tall, he stood out like a sore thumb at runway shows. Yet, through a career marked by his signature lovable exuberance and talent that earned him a position as editorat-large at VOGUE, he shamelessly left his mark on fashion history and paved the way for countless others to do the same. Influenced by Talley’s own words, “I don’t live for fashion, I love for beauty and style,” Novack’s film is much less a showcase of decades of legendary runway moments than a humanizing look into the behind-the-scenes of couture and the trailblazer that inspired so much of it.

Director: Kate Novack

Producers: Kate Novack

Andrew Rossi

Roger Ross Williams

Cinematographer: Bryan Sarkinen

Editors: Andrew Coffman

Thomas Rivera Montes

Music:

Ian Hultquist

Sofia Hultquist

Featuring: André Leon Talley

Marc Jacobs

Anna Wintour

Tom Ford

Diane von Furstenberg

Will.i.am

Whoopi Goldberg

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Magnolia Pictures

International

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: thegospel accordingtoandre.com

Selected Filmography: Eat This New York (2004)

Green Days by the River

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 8:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 21 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:30 PM

It’s 1952 in the coastal village of Mayaro, Trinidad, and although he doesn’t know it, young Shellie’s (Sudai Tafari) life is on the verge of change. Due to his father’s worsening illness, he and his mother are on the verge of poverty, leaving this shy, worry-stricken 15-year-old little time to be with his peers, getting in trouble and courting young “janes.” Luck arrives in the form of Mr. Gidharee, a local wealthy Indian farmer who takes a shine to Shellie and trains him to pick fruit and cocoa on his plantation. Even luckier, Shellie is quite fond of Gidharee’s daughter Rosalie and is ecstatic to find that she returns his affection. All seems well until Shellie meets city girl Joan at a local dance, and what seems like an innocuous love triangle turns more complicated and sinister with each passing day, forcing Shellie to learn bittersweet lessons of life and love that will define his future forever. Based on the beloved 1967 novel by Michael Anthony, Green Days by the River artfully handles weighty issues of race, class, servitude, and lost innocence, giving SIFF audiences a vision of Trinidad and its history they’ll not soon forget.

Awards:

Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2017 (Best Trinidad & Tobago Feature Film Award, People’s Choice Award)

Barbados Independent Film Festival 2018 (The Carmichael Award for Exceptional Storytelling)

The Greenaway Alphabet

NETHERLANDS 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 8:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF FILM CENTER

Director:

Michael Mooleedhar

Producer:

Christian James

Screenwriter:

Dawn Cumberbatch

Cinematographer: Andressa Cor

Editors:

Michael Mooledhar

Christian James

Music:

Laura Karpman

Cast:

Sudai Tafari

Anand Lawkaran

Che Rodriguez

Dara Healy

Vanessa Bartholomew

Nadia Kandhai

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

Film Website: greendaysbytheriver.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 8:30 PM SIFF FILM CENTER

Artist and filmmaker Peter Greenaway is a collector. He collects images and ideas, and then arranges them into cinematic encyclopedias. His movies can come across as cold and calculating, but only if you don’t realize how personal they actually are. Saskia Boddeke’s artfully built portrait of the man unlocks his life by exploiting a technique he might have used himself: the alphabet. In a series of interviews, he reacts to different letters with surprisingly intimate results. A is for Amsterdam, where he lives after spending 32 years in London. B is for Birds, which leads to an extended section about his father, an amateur ornithologist, who is the reason he included birds in so many of his early films. In lesser hands, this could have ironically been a rigid and overly intellectual documentary, but Boddeke happens to be his wife, and he’s joined onscreen by his teenage daughter Zoë. Not only do they have a solid understanding of his work and legacy, they know him as a person and refuse to allow him to bullshit. The result is a playful documentary that works as an effective primer on his work. Whether you’ve seen just a few or all of his films, The Greenaway Alphabet will inspire you to visit or revisit them with fresh eyes.

Director: Saskia Boddeke

Producer: Julia Emmering

Cinematographers: Ruzbeh Babol

Sander Snoep

Saskia Boddeke

Editor: Gys Zevenbergen

Running Time: 68 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales: Wide House

Print Source: Wide House

Film Website: widehouse.org/film/thegreenaway-alphabet

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Guilty

FRIDAY, MAY 18 7:00 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 25 9:30 PM

Asger (Jakob Cedergren) is a former street cop relegated to dispatch duty for reasons murky throughout the film yet not unrelated to his personal psyche. While passively answering the routine call center riff-raff, he’s strung to attention by a call from a woman evidently kidnapped by her volatile ex-husband with two children left alone. Asger works against the clock as he pieces together what happened and tries to determine the woman’s location with cryptic information, and with a reputation for acting on impulse and piercing boundaries, the slightest mistake could be catastrophic. Set almost exclusively in one room, the film’s insistence on the power of voice is emboldened through caller Iben (Jessica Dinnage), who is never seen but still gives an impactful, chillingly reverberant performance. Without the typical violence or turbulent car chases of its crime thriller counterparts, instead relying on Cedergen’s performance achieved almost entirely through close-ups, The Guilty demands attention with crisp, building tension that puts the audience’s imagination to work. Remember your calm breathing techniques for this resounding and tightly wound feature debut from Gustav Möller.

Awards:

Sundance

Hagazussa - A Heathen’s Curse

GERMANY 2017

MAJESTIC BAY

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Gustav Möller

Producer: Lina Flint

Screenwriters: Gustav Möller

Emil Nygaard Albertsen

Cinematographer: Jasper J. Spanning

Editor: Carla Luff

Music: Carl Coleman

Caspar Hesselager

Cast: Jakob Cedergren

Jessica Dinnage

Johan Olsen

Omar Shargawi

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Nordisk Film

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: dfi.dk

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 9:00 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In 15th century Austria, a cold winter lies heavy upon the Alps, while superstition reigns unquestioned over the local peasantry. In a remote alpine hut, Albrun and her mother live upon a meager subsistence, herding goats and foraging the nearby forest for food. But when her mother dies of a mysterious illness, leaving Albrun orphaned at an early age, she is left traumatized and alone, all but shunned by the nearby villagers—a situation only made worse, some twenty years later, when she bears her own child out of wedlock. However, one villager, the mysterious Swinda, lures Albrun into an uneasy friendship, tempting her with sensual delights. Meanwhile, outside, the eerie voice of her mother calls from the dark, gloomy woods. Are these the nightmarish cries of a deluded mind or a true force of supernatural evil? In his feature film debut, director Lukas Feigelfeld delivers an engaging, meditative piece of the Fantastique, filled with atmospheric, gothic imagery and a lush, evocative sound design. While reminiscent of 2016’s The Witch, Hagazussa also draws upon such cult masterpieces as The Company of Wolves and Eraserhead to formulate a unique art-house chiller with a macabre, psychedelic climax.

Awards: Fantastic Fest 2017 (Best Picture, Next Wave Features)

Director: Lukas Feigelfeld

Producer: Lukas Feigelfeld

Screenwriter: Lukas Feigelfeld

Cinematographer: Mariel Baqueiro

Editor: Jörg Volkmar

Music: Jörg Volkmar

Cast: Aleksandra Cwen

Celina Peter Claudia Martini

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Raven Banner Entertainment

Print Source: Raven Banner Entertainment

Film Website: facebook.com/HagazussaFilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Film Festival 2018 (World Cinema Audience Award) International Film Festival Rotterdam (Audience Award, Youth Jury Award)

Hal

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

“The film will tell you what to do.” Hal Ashby, the rebellious, humanistic, obsessive director, made some of the greatest films of the ’70s, although his name is rarely mentioned in the same breath as his New Hollywood peers. Still, his perfect nine-year run of seven stellar movies—The Landlord (1970), Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975), Bound for Glory (1976), Coming Home (1978), and Being There (1979)—had an enormous effect on modern cinema, evidenced by the murderers’ row of talented interview subjects in this documentary, including David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, Judd Apatow, Allison Anders, and Lisa Cholodenko. Amy Scott makes her directorial debut with Hal, tracing Ashby’s beginnings as a high school dropout from Ogden, Utah, through his fruitful partnership with director Norman Jewison (Ashby won an Oscar® for editing 1967’s In The Heat of the Night) and into his near-unprecedented string of critical successes. But his anti-authoritarian mindset clashed with studios over even his most beloved films—clashes detailed here in marijuana-fueled memos and letters narrated by actor Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)— and the changing cinematic landscape of the 1980s essentially killed his career before he succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Told with a propulsive energy, Hal is a worthy tribute to one of American cinema’s greatest troublemakers.

Half Widow

INDIA 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 27 8:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 11:00 AM

Director:

Amy Scott

Producers:

Christine Beebe

Jonathan Lynch

Brian Morrow

Lisa Janssen

Cinematographers:

Jonathan Narducci

Adam Michael Beker

Alexandre Naufel

Editors:

Amy Scott

Sean Jarrett

Brian Morrow

Music:

Heather McIntosh

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Cinetic

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: halashbymovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

A young Kashmiri woman, Neela is enjoying her new marriage. Her doting husband Khalid has welcomed her little brother Zakir into their home. But outside their walls, the Kargil War of 1999 rages, and suddenly Khalid is kidnapped by paramilitary forces in the middle of the night. So begins Neela’s journey as a half-widow, held in limbo without her husband and unable to start a new life. The search for Khalid consumes her. Times passes, as does the war, and yet still Neela learns nothing. Her sorrow becomes a shackle and apathy for life settles in. Neela’s sense of self is all but lost, consumed with the fact she is without her husband, a man she loved. But after Zakir is arrested defending her from police, a new light of hope flickers as she recognizes the importance of family sacrifice, igniting inside her a new quest for meaning and fulfillment. Director Danish Renzu brings a jarring authenticity to the film, having witnessed stories like Neela’s while growing up in the Kashmir Valley. Half Widow delivers an emotional realism that powers the film as Neela pulls herself from the depths of despair and takes on the challenge of creating a new life.

Director: Danish Renzu

Producers: Danish Renzu

Gaya Bhola

Screenwriters: Danish Renzu

Gaya Bhola

Cinematographer: Antonio Cisneras

Editor: Nitin Baid

Music: Alokananda Dasgupta

Cast: Neelofar Hamid Shahnawaz Bhat Mir Sarwar

Yasmeena Wani

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Urdu, with English subtitles

Print Source: Renzu Films

Film Website: facebook.com/HalfWidow

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LINCOLN SQUARE

PACIFIC PLACE

CHRONIA POLLA

Happy Birthday

GREECE 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 8:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Yiorgos (Dmitris Imellos), an officer of the law, is celebrating his birthday in a mobile police unit, decked out in riot gear as he blows out his candles. A Molotov cocktail hits the van and the team ceases the celebration, scrambling into the street to subdue the violent demonstration. Through the tear gas, Yiorgos spies a teen girl peeking around the corner… his daughter, Margarita (Nefeli Kouri). Happy birthday, Yiorgos. Back at home, the cop and the young anarchist go at each other’s throats, only to be stopped by Margarita’s mother Sofia (Mirto Alikaki), who demands that they take a trip out to their country home to hash out their disagreements. The trip seems to be a bust as both parties are unwilling to compromise on even the most basic level, an impasse symbolized by the abandoned houses and shuttered businesses of this once-vibrant community. When Margarita’s revolution-focused boyfriend Konstantinos (Vasilis Magouliotis) stops by for a visit, and Yiorgos’ cop friends overstep their occupational boundaries, anger turns to vandalism and destruction, forcing the embattled father and daughter to find mutual understanding. Happy Birthday starts with a literal blast, then spends the rest of its running time burning as strongly as the riots that continue to hit this economically ravaged country.

Director: Christos Georgiou

Producers: Christos Georgiou

Thanassis Karathanos

Costas Lambropoulos

Birgit Kemner

Screenwriter: Christos Georgiou

Cinematographer: Yorgos Giannelis

Editor: Aliki Panagi

Music: Kostantis Papakonstantinou

Cast: Mirto Alikaki

Dimitris Imellos

Nefeli Kouri

Vasilis Magouliotis

Running Time: 88 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Greek, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Moonshot Company

Print Source: The Moonshot Company

Selected Filmography: Children of the Riots (2012)

Small Crime (2008)

Under The Stars (2001)

TINTA BRUTA

Hard Paint

BRAZIL 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Living in the shadow of a devastating nightclub attack and its ongoing legal aftermath, emotionally withdrawn Pedro (newcomer Shico Menegat) finds connection to the outside world as “Neon Boy,” an online erotic performer whose neon paint-slathered blacklight dances have won him a legion of adoring fans. But when his older sister Luiza (Guega Peixoto) leaves him alone in their Porto Alegre apartment in order to take a job in another city, and Pedro discovers “Boy25” has stolen his trademark performing techniques, the shy twentysomething must venture far outside his comfort zone in order to defend his space as a performer. He soon discovers a shared connection with the outgoing and ambitious Leo (Bruno Fernandes) and an unexpected tenderness in the heart of an unforgiving city. In this Berlinale Teddy- and CICAE awardwinning film, co-directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marco Reolon perfectly portray the loneliness of diversity and the suffocation of a dehumanizing landscape, combining urban thriller elements with a love story that slowly and sweetly reveals itself and never leaning too far into the morbidity that often needlessly accompanies sex worker narratives.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2018 (Teddy Award for Best Feature) Guadalajara International Film Festival 2018 (Maguey Award for Best Feature)

Directors: Filipe Matzembacher

Marcio Reolon

Producers: Filipe Matzembacher

Jessica Luz

Marcio Reolon

Screenwriters: Filipe Matzembacher

Marcio Reolon

Cinematographer: Glauco Firpo

Editor: Germano de Oliveira

Music: Felipe Puperi

Cast: Shico Menegat

Bruno Fernandes

Guega Peixoto

Sandra Dani

Frederico Vasques

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Portugese, with English subtitles

International Sales: m-appeal

Print Source: Wolfe Releasing

Film Website: m-appeal.net/hard-paint

Selected Filmography: Seashore (2015)

Other Than (2012)

Hearts Beat Loud

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 1:00 PM MAJESTIC BAY

In this joy-inducing drama, Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) plays Frank, a childish single widower coming to grips with his only daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemmons, SIFF 2015’s Dope) prepping for UCLA’s medical school. He dresses thirty years younger than he’s supposed to and runs an ailing record store in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood. The only thing left connecting him to his daughter’s world is their shared love of music and his dreams to start a father-daughter rock band. Most coming-of-age flicks pin the weight on their teenage protagonists, only this time it’s dad’s turn to grow up as Sam’s career goals come into focus. As rent rises and younger crowds populate the sidewalks, the home Frank once knew seems on its way out after Sam. Writer/director Brett Haley continues his streak of critically acclaimed films after I’ll See You in My Dreams (2015) and The Hero (2017) both screened at SIFF. Supported by Ted Danson, Toni Collette, and Blythe Danner populating a renowned cast, Offerman’s ever-amiable teddy bear of a character endears audiences and elicits empathy for the wannabe rock star in everyone.

Director:

Brett Haley

Producers:

Houston King

Sam Bisbee

Sam Slater

Screenwriters: Brett Haley

Marc Basch

Cinematographer: Eric Lin

Editor:

Patrick Colman

Music:

Keegan DeWitt

Cast:

Nick Offerman

Kiersey Clemons

Ted Danson

Sasha Lane

Blythe Danner

Toni Collette

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales: Sony Pictures Worldwide

Print Source: Gunpowder & Sky

Selected Filmography: The Hero (2017)

I’ll See You in My Dreams (2015)

The New Year (2010)

LAS HEREDERAS

The Heiresses

PARAGUAY/URUGUAY/GERMANY/BRAZIL/ NORWAY/FRANCE 2018

US PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Once proud members of Paraguay’s upper crust, brittle spirit Chela (Ana Brun, Silver Bear Award-Best Actress, Berlin Film Festival) and her longtime partner/caregiver Chiquita (Margarita Irún) live a cloistered life in a cluttered home whose grandeur has long fallen into disrepair. Selling off their fortune piece by piece in preparation for Chiquita’s upcoming prison stint, Chela receives an unexpected lifeline when gossipy neighbor Pituca (María Martins) asks the shy recluse to drive her to her daily bridge game. Soon, Chela finds herself a not-so-reluctant chauffer to a gaggle of aging gossips, but when she’s introduced to earthy, sensual Angy (Ana Ivanova), Chela finds herself in the thaw of self-renewal as the sexually open Angy slowly draws her out of her shell, getting Chela in touch with her body—and a willingness to participate in life’s messiness and unpredictability. The Heiresses (or Las Herederas) is a sly, subtle, and brave feature debut—framed by a compelling sociocultural commentary—from writer/director Marcelo Martinessi, winner of both Silver Bear-Alfred Bauer Prize and the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2018 (Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize, Silver Bear for Best Actress, FIPRESCI International Critics Prize)

Director: Marcelo Martinessi

Producer: Sebastián Peña Escobar

Screenwriter: Marcelo Martinessi

Cinematographer: Luis Armando Arteaga

Editor: Fernando Epstein

Music:

Fernando Henna

Cast:

Ana Brun

Margarita Irún

Ana Ivanova

Nilda Gonzalez

María Martins

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Luxbox

Print Source: Distrib Films US Film Website: luxboxfilms.com/lasherederas

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Highlander with Live Soundtrack by DJ NicFit

UNITED KINGDOM/USA 1986

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

“There can only be one!” This is the simple yet inspired premise behind the complex mythology of Highlander, the beloved science fiction/fantasy/action hybrid from 1986 that spawned a franchise that is still going strong today. A secret society of immortal swordsmen have existed throughout history, fighting each other to gain a magical energy known as “The Quickening.” Drawn by destiny, the last remaining Immortals, including medieval Scottish clansman Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), gather in 1980s New York City for their final showdown. Director Russell Mulcahy created a look and feel for the Highlander universe that drew heavily on his years crafting groundbreaking music videos, including the iconic “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and rock icons Queen offered up a handful of new songs to punctuate the film’s kinetic visual style. But the soundtrack to Highlander had room for so much more Queen, and now Seattle based DJ Nicholas “NicFit” Gilmore is ready to deliver! After years spinning music over the top of his favorite films in a regular series at Naked City Brewery and performances at Northwest Film Forum and SIFF Cinema, DJ NicFit has dug into the decades-spanning catalogue of Queen to provide an all-new Mercury and May driven soundtrack for this rock-tinged adventure, as performed live on two turntables at this special one-of-a-kind event.

Hot Mess

AUSTRALIA 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 3:00 PM MAJESTIC BAY

SATURDAY, MAY 26 8:00 PM SHORELINE CC

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Producers: Peter S. Davis

Jean-Luc Defait

Ziad El Khoury

Screenwriter: Peter Bellwood

Cinematographer: Phil Meheux

Editors:

Hubert de La Bouillerie

Anthony Redman

Music: Stewart Copeland (original 1986 score)

DJ NicFit (live score for 2018)

Cast: Christopher Lambert

Roxanne Hart

Clancy Brown

Sean Connery Beatie Edney

Running Time: 116 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Clinton McClung, SIFF Programmer

Selected Filmography:

Give ‘em Hell Malone (2009)

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Swimming Upstream (2003)

Resurrection (1999)

Tale of the Mummy (1998)

Silent Trigger (1996)

The Shadow (1994)

Blue Ice (1992)

Ricochet (1991)

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

Razorback (1984)

Loz (Sarah Gaul) is 25 years old, a budding playwright, a college dropout, and a complete screw-up. She has a chance to be the resident writer at a local youth theatre, but she’s more interested in writing songs about toxic shock syndrome, plays that reference her desire to make photo collages of her private parts as a half-assed political statement against former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and staying home and watching “Pretty Little Liars” until she passes out. And she hasn’t had sex in over a year, barely remembering her last tryst with “Barbecue Chicken Guy.” With nothing working out for her and a disapproving mother breathing down her neck, she sets her sights on sweet-seeming divorcé Dave, hoping that an upswing in her dating life will translate to a boost to everything else she’s failing at. Soon, she learns how hard it is to balance this new relationship with her small circle of friends— the only people willing to put up with this hot mess. Writer/director Lucy Coleman makes her feature debut with this ribald, distressingly relatable slacker comedy out of Australia, featuring a terrific lead performance from comedian/playwright Gaul.

Director: Lucy Coleman

Producers: Sheila Jayadev

Martin Thorne

Lyn Norfor

Screenwriter: Lucy Coleman

Cinematographer: Jay Grant

Editors:

Lara Benwell

Rolando Olalia

Music: Jack Hambling

Tom O’Dea

Cast: Sarah Gaul

Marshall Campbell

Julia Robertson

Kendra Murphy

Zoe Carides

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

Print Source: Emerald Productions

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

I Am Not a Witch

ZAMBIA/FRANCE/UNITED KINGDOM 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 22 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Shula, a nine-year-old Zambian girl, is accused of being a witch after a woman blames her for tripping and spilling over a water bucket. Unwilling to defend herself at the local magistrate, Shula is sent to a witch camp. A human zoo of sorts, the witch camp is a ricketyfence prison where the “witches” are tethered to spindles to prevent their flying escape. Meanwhile, tourists gawk and ogle from the outside with excruciating obliviousness. Attracting the attention of the camp director, Shula is shopped around by the camp director Tembo as a thief identifier and magical egg producer. Without any powers to speak of, the due process of law is outweighed by belief and superstition. Although she has no spoken dialogue, actress Margaret Mulubwa commands attention and empathy as Shula. Engrossing cinematography enshrines her silence with a sense of wonder throughout the entire film, her plight darkly absurdist but ultimately humanizing. Part-anthropological dissection, part-social satire, I Am Not a Witch is a genre-splicing tour de force from first-time director Rungano Nyoni.

Awards:

BAFTA 2018 (Best British Debut)

Africa International Film Festival 2017 (Best Film)

Stockholm International Film Festival 2017 (Best Directorial Debut)

Director: Rungano Nyoni

Producers:

Juliette Grandmont

Emily Morgan

Screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni

Cinematographer: David Gallego

Editor:

George Cragg

Cast:

Margaret Mulubw

Henry B.J. Phir

Nancy Mulilo

Margaret Sipaneia

Gloria Huwiler

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, Bemba, and Nyanja, with English subtitles.

International Sales: Kinology

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: rungano.com/witch

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

I Miss You When I See You

HONG KONG 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 18 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN SATURDAY, MAY 19 2:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Jamie (Bryant Mak), on his way to visit his uncle in Melbourne, stops by Sydney to see his old secondary school friend Kevin (Jun Li), who lives in a group home due to crippling depression. It’s been over a decade since they last saw each other back in Hong Kong— there are fleeting mentions of Kevin’s “hospitalization”—but the two have a lovely night out as if no time has passed. Though they part just as quickly as they reunited, Jamie gives Kevin an open offer to visit him in Hong Kong anytime, an offer Kevin cannot refuse. Now back in his homeland, Kevin quickly overstays his welcome, and his presence causes a rift between Jamie and his suspicious girlfriend Elaine (Candy Cheung). Through it all, the true reason for Jamie and Kevin’s estrangement hangs over them like a raincloud, a reason further elucidated in a series of flashbacks to their confusing, treacherous school years. As the two troubled friends circle each other, and Kevin catches the eye of one of the teen male students at his tutoring job, they must make a choice between following their heart or subscribing to the suffocating normality of heterosexual society. Using a stark digital cinematographic style, director/co-writer Simon Chung’s I Miss You When I See You navigates a tense landscape of modern masculinity.

Director: Simon Chung

Producers: Simon Chung

Sophia Shek

Screenwriters: Simon Chung

Dana Fukazawa

Cinematographer: Bowen Chung

Editor:

Nose Chan

Music: Ellison Lau

Cast: Bryant Mak

Jun Li

Candy Cheung

Yuen Ho Yeung

Kevin Ip

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Cantonese, with English subtitles

International Sales: m-appeal

Print Source: m-appeal

Film Website: m-appeal.net/imywisy

Selected Filmography: Speechless (2012) End of Love (2009) Innocent (2005)

First Love and Other Pains (1999)

In Praise of Nothing

SERBIA/FRANCE/CROATIA 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 25 7:00 PM

SIFF FILM CENTER

SATURDAY, MAY 26 7:00 PM SIFF FILM CENTER

Inspired by Erasmus’s 1511 satirical essay

“In Praise of Folly,” where Folly travels the world trying to convince people how folly and foolishness is more important than piety and wisdom, Boris Mitic’s In Praise of Nothing follows Nothing after Nothing runs away from home. The story is told on many levels— through images and text and music and narration, where these elements often conflict with each other. The narration is written in simplistic rhymes read by none other than punk icon Iggy Pop, who says things like, “We will skip talking heads and expert analysis, special effects and cultural paralysis.” Meanwhile, intertitles interrupt the footage to tell the story about how Nothing ran away because it was tired of being misunderstood. Then there’s the footage itself. Mitic gave an assignment to 62 cinematographers from around the world to “shoot nothing.” The result is alternatingly mundane and beautiful, at odds with the underlying story when it’s not complementing it. In a sense, the movie is a reaction to contemporary documentaries, which can be either catastrophic or idealistic and often get trapped in a web of good intentions. Here, according to Mitic’s director’s statement, Nothing is a cinematic response to the everything and the anything that we are so confusingly running after.

Director: Boris Mitic

Producer: Boris Mitic

Screenwriter: Boris Mitic

Cinematographers: 62 cinematographers incl. Roman Bondarchuk

Vitaly Mansky

Michael Glawogger

Alicia Cano

Nedzad Begovic

Teco Wong

Talal Khoury

Niklas Kullström

Editor: Boris Mitic

Music: Pascal Comelade

The Tiger Lillies

Featuring: Iggy Pop

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, with English subtitles

Print Source: Dribbling Pictures

Film Website: nothing.exposed

Selected Filmography: Goodbye, How Are You? (2009)

Unmik Titanik (2004)

Pretty Dyana (2003)

Industrial Accident - The Story of Wax Trax! Records

USA/BELGIUM/CANADA/GERMANY 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 8:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:00 PM SHORELINE CC

Seeking the freedom to reinvent their lives around days filled with live music, alternative culture, and their own romantic relationship, music obsessives Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher moved their small indie record shop Wax Trax! Records from sleepy Denver, Colorado to Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1978. Their passion for discovering groundbreaking artists combined with their embrace of a community of punks, artists, weirdos, and drag queens, quickly made Wax Trax! an internationally recognized home base for the counterculture. After helping to build rabid fanbases for underground musicians ranging from Bauhaus to Divine, Jim and Dannie discovered a musical raconteur named Al Jourgensen, whose experimental dance demos they decided to release under the name Ministry. Thus began Wax Trax! the label, whose name quickly became synonymous with a piledriving new electronic music genre known as Industrial thanks to their groundbreaking roster of artists that included Front 242, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Meat Beat Manifesto, Underworld, Revolting Cocks, and KMFDM. Industrial Accident tells this exhilarating and cacophonous story through a mountain of archival photos, concert fliers, and video footage, plus reflections from the pioneering artists, former employees, and the musicians touched by the world of Wax Trax!, including Trent Reznor, Steve Albini, Jello Biafra, Ian MacKaye, and Dave Grohl.

Director: Julia Nash

Producer: Julia Nash

Screenwriter: Mark Skillicorn

Cinematographer: Brian Schilling

Editor: Drew Angle

Featuring: Richard Jonckheere

Al Jourgensen

Franke Nardiello

Paul Barker

Trent Reznor

Jello Biafra

David J

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Wax Trax! Films

Film Website: waxtraxfilms.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Inventing Tomorrow

USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 11:30 AM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Laura Nix’s uplifting science documentary is sure to elicit old memories of high school Bunsen burners and dissecting small organs. The story follows several budding teenage scientists from around the globe as they put forth their inventions at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles. With climate change deniers holding key White House positions and EPA rollbacks falling one after another, Inventing Tomorrow delivers raw hope for science to regain its foothold in American and global discourse. The inventions are as diverse as the young scientists themselves: Three boys from Monterrey, Mexico develop a photocatalytic paint that kills two major air pollutants and releases nutrients for plants and soil when it rains; Sahithi Pingali’s hails from Bangalore, India once known as the city of “1,000 Lakes,” only now there are just 93 and his project aims to monitor water quality and empower locals to share the data. (Bangalore is presumed dead if nothing is done over the next 25 years.) Youngest of all is 15-year-old Jared Goodwin from Hilo, Hawaii whose developing a tsunami debris tracking system. Unfortunately, not everyone can win at the fair, but they’re unified by the desire and potential to make their world a better place, a wholesome victory for Mother Earth in itself.

Director:

Laura Nix

Producers:

Diane Becker

Melanie Miller

Laura Nix

Cinematographer: Martin Radwan

Editor:

Helen Kearns

Music:

Laura Karpman

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Fishbowl Films

Film Website: inventingtomorrowmovie. com

Selected Filmography:

The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014)

The Light in Her Eyes (2011)

The Politics of Fur (2002)

It Will Be Chaos

USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 26 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 28 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

On Rome’s Via Collatina, the husk of a disused government building stands precariously, threatening to collapse at any moment on Eritrean migrant Aregai Mehari and his aunt. But Aregai only feels relief staying here; he can go by his own name instead of a number on his wrist, no longer sharing three mattresses with eight others at a detention center. Here is but a fleeting stop in one of the harrowing refugee journeys depicted in It Will Be Chaos, following from start to finish the migrations of Aregai and his cousins from Eritrea, and of the Orfahli family from Syria. These migrants find themselves locked in constant zero-sum dilemma, forced each day to forgo a different basic necessity so they can continue their path to asylum. Making matters worse, they find this thinking mirrored in many locals, unwilling to aid migrants in the face of their own economic woes. Slated to air on HBO on World Refugee Day in June, It Will Be Chaos goes beyond statistics to illustrate the impossible decisions people and communities face daily with the ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis, underscoring the imperative— increasingly less considered with the rise of right-wing populism—for unified international efforts to mitigate this tragedy.

Directors: Lorena Luciano

Filippo Piscopo

Producers: Filippo Piscopo

Lorena Luciano

Cinematographer: Filippo Piscopo

Editor: Lorena Luciano

Music:

Andrew Byrne

Matthew Rohde

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, Arabic and German, with English

subtitles

Print Source: HBO Documentaries

Selected Filmography:

Luciano/Piscopo: Coal Rush (2012)

Urbanscapes (2006)

Dario Fo and Franca

Rame: A Nobel for Two (1998)

USA 2018

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

It’s senior year for Summer Dawson (Zoe Renee), an African-American 17-year-old living in Los Angeles’ Baldwin Hills neighborhood, and she’s counting down the days until she can get into CalArts and pursue a career in dance. She seems content to fill her days with social media, talent show rehearsal, and her deep, unabiding love of pepperoni pizza, but a change is on the horizon; her meteorologist mother (Simone Missick, “Luke Cage”) reveals that she wants to convert to Islam. Though Summer simply doesn’t understand her mother’s newfound religious interests, she tries her best to be supportive and joins her at their local masjid. Not only does she find a welcoming community for the both of them, but also that one of the mosque’s attendees is none other than Tahir (Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Mudbound), an attractive high school classmate. As both mother and daughter balance their newfound faith with their previously secular lives—Summer runs afoul of her skeptical best friends; Jade wears a hijab during a news broadcast—they must also contend with their own oft-competing desires and spiritual priorities. Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Writing at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival, writer/director Nijla Mu’min considers the social, political, and familial changes that come with being an African-American Muslim in this day and age.

Awards: SXSW 2018 (Special Jury Recognition for Writing)

Director: Nijla Mu’min

Producers: Avril Speaks

Elton Brand

Maya Emelle

Nijla Mu’min

Screenwriter: Nijla Mu’min

Cinematographer: Bruce Francis Cole

Editor: Collin Kriner

Music: Jesi Nelson

Cast: Zoe Renee

Simone Missick

Kelvin Harrison, Jr. Hisham Tawfiq

Kelly Jenrette

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Souce: Sweet Potato Pie

Productions

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Selected Filmography: Jessica’s Mom (or the Science of Triangles) (2012)

L’EMPIRE DE LA PERFECTION

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

FRANCE 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 11:00 AM

John McEnroe was at the height of his career when he competed in the finals of the 1984 French Open. This “instructional film meets Andy Warhol screen test” captures not only his tennis form, but also his explosive attitude. The footage comes from the archives of Gil de Kermadec, who began by making instructional tennis films before realizing that perfect form went out the window during match play. He decided to start recording not just the matches of the French Open, starting in 1969, but also to create portrait films of the best players. His final portrait was of John McEnroe, and the fact that the footage focuses solely on McEnroe and not his opponents is reminiscent of the fascinating 2006 soccer film, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait While working at the National Sport Institute in Paris, director Julien Faraut discovered a treasure trove of unseen footage of McEnroe. From that, he derived this compelling look at McEnroe’s excellence as well as his outbursts and how they may have been a strategy to psych out his opponents. Opening with the Jean-Luc Godard quote, “Cinema lies, sport does not,” this combination of cinema and sport may not lie, per se, but may exaggerate a bit. The portrait ends with McEnroe’s match against Ivan Lendl in the finals of the 1984 French Open, which is gripping as the match comes down to the wire and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Awards: Berlin International Film Festival 2018 (Grand Jury Prize - Forum)

Director: Julien Faraut

Producer: William Jéhannin

Cinematographer: Julien Faraut

Editor: Andrei Bogdanov

Music: Serge Teyssot-Gay

Featuring: John McEnroe

Iran Lendl

Running Time: 95 minutes

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

International Sales: Film Constellation

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: filmconstellation.com/ portfolio-items/intherealmofperfection

Selected Filmography: Un regard neuf sur Olympia 52 (doc., 2013)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

Julia Blue

UKRAINE 2018

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 8:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 3:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director Roxy Toporowych’s feature film debut, Julia Blue, is a love story for a new generation and a new century. Inspired to study photography by the protest scenes she witnessed in Kiev during the 2014 revolution, Julia (Polina Snisarenko) has now set her sights on a future outside her beloved Ukraine. As she awaits news from the prestigious photography school in Germany, Julia volunteers at the military hospital for injured soldiers coming directly from the front. Julia brings a carefree happiness to their ward until the day she meets English (Dima Yaroshenko), who has arrived with easily mended surface wounds and deeply set emotional scarring. A gentle relationship emerges that draws the two of them closer together, but each has withheld something vital from the other. When Julia decides to bring English home for a family wedding, the cost of their secrets threatens more than their relationship. A beautiful allegory for the freedoms of our modern world that seem all too fleeting, Julia Blue reminds us not just of the costs of love and war, but of the sometimes painful choices freedom demands. Julia Blue is a SIFF New Works-in-Progress Forum 2017 narrative.

Director: Roxy Toporowych

Producer: Nilou Safinya

Screenwriter: Roxy Toporowych

Cinematographer: Sashcko Roshchyn

Editor: Ben Kim

Music:

Alex Brown Church

Cast: Dima Yaroshenko

Polina Snisarenko

Running Time: 99 minutes

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

Print Source: LaiLon Productions

Film Website: juliabluethemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Folk! (2010)

A Kid Like Jake

USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 26 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE SUNDAY, MAY 27 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Trans filmmaker Silas Howard presents a poignant film on navigating parenthood, relationships, and acceptance in A Kid Like Jake. Brooklyn couple Alex (Claire Danes, “Homeland”) and Greg (Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”), face the anxiety-inducing plight of New York parents that is the competitive school admissions process. Without the means to afford the astronomical cost of a prestigious private school, mutual friend and educator Judy (Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer, The Help) advises them to capitalize on their four-year-old son Jake’s (Leo James Davis) gender-role deviance to give him a competitive edge in the pool of scholarship applicants. While the pair have always supported Jake’s preference for princesses and dress-up, they are forced to analyze their true sense of progressivism and flexibility in the face of Jake’s educational and social future, as he is already beginning to face scrutiny from his peers. Thus, Alex and Greg are made to question the ethical dilemma of whether to assign their child a label he has not requested nor can understand, with the pure intention providing him a quality education. This film touches profoundly on the ways socialization shaves down the layers of our identity from fear of rejection, when through the eyes of a child a fluid existence is a comfortable one.

Director: Silas Howard

Producers:

Jim Parsons

Todd Spiewak

Eric Norsoph

Paul Bernon

Rachel Song

Screenwriter: Daniel Pearle

Cinematographer: Steven Capitano Calitri

Editor:

Michael Taylor

Music: Roger Neill

Linda Cohen

Cast: Claire Danes

Jim Parsons

Octavia Spencer

Priyanka Chopra

Ann Dowd

Amy Landecker

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Bankside Films

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: ifcfilms.com/films/a-kidlike-jake

Selected Filmography: More Than T (2017)

Valencia (2013)

Sunset Stories (2012) By Hook or by Crook (2001)

MATAR A JESÚS

Killing Jesus

COLOMBIA/ARGENTINA 2017

MONDAY, JUNE 4 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Inspired by her social activist father Jose Maria (Camilo Escobar), tomboyish university student

Paula (Natasha Jaramillo) balances her days between studying photography and organizing against Colombia’s deeply corrupt legal establishment. But when she witnesses Jose Maria’s assassination in broad daylight, Paula is thrown into a state of shock, fear, and the nightmare of dealing with an inept and uncaring police force. Lost in a daze of sadness and rage, she unexpectedly catches a glimpse of her father’s killer, brooding young thug Jesus (Giovanny Rodriguez), in a nearby club, setting the young student on a path of revenge, of exacting any form of justice she can. Soon, Paula finds herself immersed inside of Jesus’ aimless, poverty-stricken world, quickly discovering that they might both be victims of the same broken system. Can she go through with her self-imposed mission, or will her shifting conscience alter her priorities? In this thrilling and powerful semi-autobiographical first feature, co-writer and director Laura Mora Oretega (the award-winning TV miniseries

“Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal”) deftly handles a freestyle cinematographic style and a cast of non-professionals to create something deeply personal and brazenly political.

Awards:

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2017 (EROSKI Youth Award ) Palm Springs International Film Festival 2018 (Best Ibero American Film) Guadalajara International Film Festival 2018 (Best Ibero American Film, Actor)

Director: Laura Mora Oretega

Producers: Juan Pablo García

Diego F. Ramírez

Ignacio Rey

Maja Zimmermann

Screenwriter: Laura Mora Ortega

Alonso Torres

Cinematographer: James L. Brown

Editor: Leandro Aste

Music: Sebastián Escofet

Cast: Natasha Jaramillo

Giovanny Rodríguez

Camilo Escobar

Carmenza Cossio

Juan Pablo Trujillo

José David Medina

Juan Camilo Cárdenas

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Latido Films

Film Website: latidofilms.com/ killingjesus

Selected Filmography: Código Origen (2016) Antes del fuego (2015)

The King

USA/GERMANY/FRANCE 2018

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 5:00 PM

MONDAY, JUNE 4 3:45 PM

America the bold, America the beautiful, America the empire in decline. Analogous to that sentiment is the life of Elvis Presley, from guttural blues artist and cultural icon to commercial King, then dead on a toilet. That’s the story in acclaimed documentarian Eugene Jarecki’s (Why We Fight, The House I Live In) latest film. While driving a winding route across the country in Elvis’s own ’63 Rolls Royce, Jarecki illuminates the life, career, and downfall of America’s most famous musician amid the backdrop of American history and modern politics. Jarecki’s backseat interviewees are as varied as the artists Elvis took from and gave to: From Emmylou Harris, Alec Baldwin, Chuck d, and residents of his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, the conversation stretches from the gamut of religious-like reverence to derision. Elvis’s life is inexorably tied to the mythos of the American dream, his health and career deteriorating under commercial exploitation from a raging manager while America’s sheen faded with a corporate paint job, unironically culminating in the turbulent election of a realestate magnate to the highest office in the land. Do the similarities end there? This film dreams of an American recovery, unlike the sad fate of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

Director: Eugene Jarecki

Producers: Steven Soderbergh

Eugene Jarecki

David Kuhn

Christopher St. John

Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki

Cinematographers: Tom Bergmann

Christopher Frierson

Étienne Sauret

Editors: Simon Barker

Alex Bingham

Èlia Gasull Balada

Laura Israel

Featuring:

Alec Baldwin

Chuck D.

Emmylou Harris

Ethan Hawke

Van Jones

Mike Myers

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Selected Filmography:

The House Live In (2012) Reagan (2011)

Why We Fight (2005)

The Trials of Henry Kissinger (2002)

The Opponent (2000)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

YÊU ĐI, ĐỪNG SỢ!

Kiss & Spell

VIETNAM 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 25 9:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Spellbinding hilarity ensues when a magician, who is deathly afraid of ghosts, falls for a girl haunted by them in this surreal Vietnamese romcom from late writer/director Stephane Gauger (Saigon Electric, SIFF 2011), who tragically passed away during post-production. Tung is at the height of his career making audiences believe in ghosts, ironically his own phobia. He’s smitten by a member of his staff, Phuong, who’s quietly lonely and refuses to go out with the production team; instead of friends, she has dinner parties at home with a giant teddy bear while FaceTiming her mother and fitness-obsessed sister. After Tung and crew finally coax Phuong out for drinks, she drunkenly reveals that ghosts haunt her everyday life and everyone close to her, hence her hermit ways. Tung laughs her story off…until Phuong’s ghosts start following him to scare him off from his romantic pursuits. In a quirky clash of fear and attraction, Tung and Phuong embark on a quest to free her from the ghosts of friendships past and their curse of loneliness. A re-make of the Korean hit Spellbound, this jovial comedy-horror-romance delivers heart and laughter by the bellyful.

Director:

Stephane Gauger

Producer:

Thanh Huyền Hoàng

Screenwriters: Nguyễn Thái Hà

Stephane Gauger

Cinematographer: Dominic Pereira

Editor:

Stephane Gauger

Music:

Timo Chen

Cast: Kiến Huy Ngô

Phương Nhã

Minh Tuấn Kiều Hạ Anh Lê

Running Time: 113 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Vietnamese, with English subtitles

International Sales: CJ E&M

Print Source: CJ Entertainment

Film Website: facebook.com/ yeudidungsomovie

Selected Filmography: Cheetah: The Nelson Vails Story (Doc) (2014) Saigon Electric (2011) Owl and the Sparrow (2007)

L’Inferno with live score by My Goodness ITALY 1911

THURSDAY, MAY 31 7:00 PM

SIFF’s signature event at Seattle’s premiere live venue The Triple Door features rock band My Goodness, whose expansive blues, garage, and reverb-inspired sound fueled their latest record “Scavengers,” described by Vice as “a deeply atmospheric album...that ebbs and flows seamlessly between euphoria and melancholy.” Their sound is a fitting complement to the groundbreaking silent film L’Inferno, for which My Goodness will perform their own live score. Filmed over the course of three years and released in 1911, the first feature film of Italian Cinema was inspired by Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” and the artwork of Gustav Doré. It begins with Dante and Virgil as they embark a ghoulish, sometimes fetishistic trip through Hell, visiting the poor tortured souls therein, witnessing their punishments, and on occasion hearing the stories of the lives they once had that lead them to eternal damnation. Utilizing gloriously baroque sets, copious nudity, and awe-inspiring Mélièsian special effects, the film stunned audiences and became an international sensation. It remains an outstanding visual achievement that captures an incredibly complex masterwork in surprisingly simple and innovative strokes of macabre genius.

TRIPLE DOOR

Directors: Francesco Bertolini

Giuseppe de Liguoro

Adolfo Padovan

Cinematographer: Emilio Roncarolo

Music: Raffaele Caravaglios (original 1911 score)

My Goodness (live score for 2018)

Cast: Salvatore Papa

Arturo Pirovano

Giuseppe de Liguoro

Augusto Milla

Pier Delle Vigne

Emilise Beretta

Running Time: 71 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Silent, with English intertitles and subtitles

Print Source: Clinton McClung, SIFF Programmer

Last Child

SOUTH KOREA 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 3:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 9:00 PM SHORELINE CC

How does one replace a child taken far too soon? That is one of the wrenching questions explored in this debut feature film by writer/ director Shin Dong-seok about a grieving set of parents, Sungcheol (Choi Moo-seong) and Misook (Kim Yeo-jin), who lost their teenage son in a drowning accident six months before. As the devastated middle-aged couple attempts to cope by focusing on their interior decorating business, Misook attempts (and fails) to conceive once again by artificial insemination. One day, Sungcheol notices a boy being harassed by bullies and discovers that the victim is Kihyun, the boy that the couple’s son had saved from drowning on the day he died. Moved by the connection to his son, Sungcheol decides to become a mentor to Kihyun and take him on as an apprentice, over the objection of the distraught Misook. Over time, Kihyun succeeds in the business as the couple gradually begins treating him as their own. But Sungcheol and Misook soon realize that performing a makeover in their lives is more complicated than rearranging furniture, as Kihyun reveals shocking news about what really happened to their son. Director Shin skillfully navigates the weighty subjects of death, guilt, and reconciliation in this subtle study of the myriad ways that grief can bring people together, and also drive them apart.

Director: Shin Dong-seok

Producer: Je Jeong-joo

Screenwriter: Shin Dong-seok

Cinematographer: Lee Zi-hoon

Editor: Lee Young-lim

Music: Kim Hae-won

Cast: Choi Moo-seong

Kim Yeo-jin

Seong Yu-bin

Running Time: 124 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Finecut Co., Ltd.

Print Source: Finecut Co., Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

EL ÚLTIMO TRAJE

The Last Suit

ARGENTINA/SPAIN 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 25 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 6:00 PM KIRKLAND PC

Cranky, crafty, and always immaculately dressed, aged master tailor Abraham Bursztein (Miguel Ángel Solá) finds himself facing his winter years in a retirement home after discovering his children have sold his home out from under him. Not one to go quietly and feeling the pressure of a secret lifelong debt bearing down on him, Abraham unexpectedly sets out from Buenos Aires. His destination? Poland—a country whose name he refuses to utter—in order to deliver a suit to childhood friend Piotrek, who once saved Abraham’s life during the waning days of the Nazi occupation. From an unexpected setback in Madrid, where he makes a connection with sexy hotel owner/torch singer Maria (Ángela Molina, Broken Embraces), to the train station in Paris where he faces the reality of having to travel through Germany, a land he swore never to set foot in, Abraham slowly comes to face a lifetime of choices often made in anger, leading to an emotional reckoning with his past in this funny and deeply tender new film from Argentinian writer/director Pablo Solarz.

Awards:

Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2018 (Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema)

Miami International Film Festival 2018 (Audience Award)

Director: Pablo Solarz

Producers: Mariela Besuievsky

Julia Di Veroli

Juan Pablo Galli

Gerardo Herrero

Screenwriter: Pablo Solarz

Cinematographer: Juan Carlos Gomez

Editor: Antonio Frutos

Music: Federico Jusid

Cast: Miguel Ángel Solá Ángela Molina

Martín Piroyansky

Natalia Verbeke

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Latido Films

Print Source: Outsider Pictures

Film Website: outsiderpictures.us/ movie/the-last-suit

Selected Filmography: Together Forever (2011)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Leave No Trace

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

In 2010, director Debra Granik spotlighted the disintegration of an Ozark community ravaged by the meth trade and launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence. Eight years after Winter’s Bone, Granik focuses on the ripple effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and introduces us to another promising young talent—New Zealand-born Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie.

McKenzie plays Tom, a teenager who has been raised not just “off the grid” but apart from society, living in a tent with her traumatized military veteran father, Will (Ben Foster), in the damp, dark parklands outside Portland. Each day, the pair forage for food, practice survival drills, and make occasional forays into small towns so Will can sell his PTSD meds for cash. Tom, who knows of no other life, is an obedient and curious daughter who constantly seeks the approval of her intense and suspicious, but loving, father. All this comes crashing down when Will and Tom are discovered as squatters by park officials and forced to re-enter society, with the help of a patient and respectful social worker (Dana Millican). But Will’s illness and the culture shock of joining the alien world of teenage life proves to be a difficult road for both. This vivid example of hardscrabble realism empathizes with PTSD sufferers and shows how psychological trauma can have far-ranging consequences for all it touches.

Director:

Debra Granik

Producers:

Anne Harrison

Linda Reisman

Anne Rosellini

Screenwriters: Debra Granik

Anne Rosellini

Cinematographer: Michael McDonough

Editor:

Jane Rizzo

Cast:

Ben Foster

Thomasin Harcourt

McKenzie

Jeff Korber

Dale Dickey

Running Time: 108 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source: Bleecker Street

Selected Filmography: Stray Dog (doc, 2014)

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Down to the Bone (2004)

Lemonade

ROMANIA/CANADA/GERMANY/SWEDEN

2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:15 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 8:30 PM SIFF

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 4:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Think what it feels like to enter a new country on a temporary visa and try to fit in. However, you cannot fit in without papers and you cannot get papers unless you follow the Green Card guidelines. Lemonade begins with 30-year-old Romanian Mara at a US airport waiting for her 10-year-old son Dragos to arrive from Romania. Mara has been living on a temporary visa and has recently married Daniel, an American who works in construction. In her quiet way, Mara has followed the Green Card guidelines. But as her situation intensifies, a palpable feeling of unease builds up, and her plans veer off in drastically unexpected directions. Faced with abuses of power on every level, Mara is forced into action and into answering a dark question about herself—how far will she go to get what she wants? Debut director Ioana Uricaru’s film deals directly with xenophobia, exploitation, and abuse of power. Moreover, she demands her character answer for herself as well as examines societal expectations. Lemonade stars Malina Manovici (2016’s Graduation) in the lead role, and was produced by Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu (2007’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).

Director: Ioana Uricaru

Producers: Cristian Mungiu

Yanick Létourneau

Eike Goreczka

Christoph Kukula

Sean Wheelan

Anthony Muir

Screenwriters: Ioana Uricaru

Tatiana Ionascu

Cinematographer: Friede Clausz

Editor: Mircea Olteanu

Music: Oliver Alary

Cast: Malina Manovici

Steve Bacic

Dylan Scott Smith

Milan Hurduc

Ruxandra Maniu

Running Time: 88 minutes

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

subtitles

International Sales: Pluto Film

Print Source: Mongrel Media

Film Website: plutofilm.de

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

LINCOLN SQUARE

CINEMA UPTOWN

Let The Sunshine In

FRANCE 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 4:00 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:30 PM

Trying to find The One can be an exhausting, nearly impossible task. Just ask Isabelle, the protagonist of Let the Sunshine In. Helmed by the masterful French filmmaker Claire Denis (White Material, Beau Travail), Let the Sunshine In is an intimate, eccentric relationship movie all about the fragility and perseverance of the heart. Through a series of loose, seriocomic fragments, we follow the recently divorced Isabelle (Juliette Binoche) as she searches for another shot at love. She dates an array of deeply flawed men that include a handsome actor, an ungentlemanly banker, and a sensitive artist. Though none of these beaus seem to be for her, so she is left to decide between continuing her search for The One and enjoying life alone. Denis’ screenplay (which she co-wrote with playwright Christine Argot) identifies the fleeting joys and devastating lows we all experience in the dating chase with modesty and elegance. On the acting front, Binoche plays Isabelle with a sympathetic combination of passion and vulnerability. What may appear on the surface to be a conventional romantic comedy is actually a much deeper, more insightful exploration of the complexities of love.

Director: Claire Denis

Producer: Olivier Delbosc

Screenwriters: Christine Angot

Claire Denis

Cinematographer: Agnès Godard

Editor: Guy Lecorne

Music: Stuart A. Staples

Cast: Juliette Binoche

Xavier Beauvois

Philippe Katerine

Josiane Balasko

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Distribution

Print Source: Sundance Selects

Film Website: advitamdistribution.com/ films/un-beau-soleilinterieur

Selected Filmography: Bastards (2013)

White Material (2009)

35 Shots of Rum (2008)

Towards Mathilde (2005)

The Intruder (2004)

Friday Night (2002)

Trouble Every Day (2001)

Beau Travail (1999)

Nenette and Boni (1996)

Boom-Boom (1994)

I Can’t Sleep (1994)

No Fear, No Die (1990)

Chocolat (1988)

TITO E GLI ALIENI

Little Tito and the Aliens

ITALY 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 7:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 4:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Inside a shipping container cluttered with electronics in the middle of the desert, a widowed Italian scientist known only “the Professor” (Valerio Mastandrea, The Place) has been fiddling mysteriously with knobs, headphones, and antennae for years. Some say he’s contacting alien lifeforms, which is understandable given that he lives near Nevada’s infamous “Area 51.” The only conduit he has to the outside world is Stella (Clémence Poésy, the Harry Potter series), a nearby French ex-pat who entertains sci-fi enthusiasts with alien-themed weddings. The Professor’s extreme isolation is pierced when he receives a video from his brother in Naples, saying that he has died and is sending his two children, teenager Anita (Chiara Stella Riccio) and seven-year-old “Little Tito” (Luca Esposito), to live with the Professor. When the kids show up, expecting the glitz of Las Vegas and Lady Gaga, they are disappointed to find a crazy uncle in a lunar landscape. While Anita bonds with Stella and seeks escape, Tito is fascinated by his uncle’s gadgets and discovers that the Professor is obsessed not with contacting aliens but with something closer to home—the spirits of the dead. With Spain’s otherworldly Tabernas Desert standing in for Nevada, director Paola Randi’s Little Tito reveals poignant truths about humanity’s need for contact right here on Earth.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Paola Randi

Producers: Angelo Barbagallo

Matilde Barbagallo

Screenwriters: Paola Randi

Massimo Gaudioso

Laura Lamanda

Cinematographer: Roberto Forza

Editor:

Desideria Rayner

Music: Giordano Corapi

Fausto Mesolella

Cast: Valerio Mastandrea

Clémence Poésy

Luca Esposito

Chiara Stella Riccio

Miguel Herrera

Running Time: 92 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Italian and English, with English

subtitles

International Sales:

True Colours Glorious Film

Print Source:

True Colours Glorious Film

Film Website: mymovies.it/film/2017/ titoilpiccolo

Selected Filmography: Into Paradiso (2010)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

PACIFIC PLACE

The Long Dumb Road

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 7:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Nathan (Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel) is a freshman photography student from L.A. on the hunt for the “real” America. You know, the black-and-white shots of old movie theaters, rundown storefronts, and grazing cattle. Not that he’d ever pull over to a hole-inthe-wall joint for some “real” American chow, just as long as his photos give off the right impression. But when his van breaks down in the metropolis of eight thousand people that is Fort Stockton, Texas, he’s stuck in the real America. That’s when a drifting alcoholic mechanic, played with unrelenting humor by Jason Mantzoukas (“The League,” Sleeping with Other People) offers to help in exchange for companionship on the road. Soon, the pair are off on a disastrously hilarious road trip through the American Southwest. It’s pure buddy comedy delight as they face varying encounters with a pair of hard-partying sisters, a slicker-than-oil con man, and a bear-fighting park ranger. Eventually, the normcore yuppie and roving deadbeat find there’s more to each other than meets the eye as an obvious class division underlies their budding bromance. After all, the road is long, but easier traveled when the company is good.

Director:

Hannah Fidell

Producers: Jacqueline E. Ingram

Jonathan Duffy

Kelly Williams

Hannah Fidell

Screenwriters: Hannah Fidell

Carson Mell

Cinematographer: Andrew Droz Palermo

Editor:

Zach Clark

Music: Keegan DeWitt

The Cookhouse Boys

Cast: Tony Revolori

Jason Mantzoukas

Taissa Farmiga

Grace Gummer

Pamela Reed

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Print Source: Long Dumb Road LLC

Selected Filmography: 6 Years (2015)

A Teacher (2013)

We’re Glad You’re Here (2010)

Looking For?

TAIWAN 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 22 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

So what are you looking for? It’s a question often asked in dating apps of all kinds. But there’s hardly ever an easy answer; perhaps a quick one, but one that rarely leads to any certainty. When filmmaker Tung-yen (Yen) Chou was asked the question four years ago, he had no idea. Thus began his journey to find out, eventually leading to 60-plus interviews with gay men from around the world discussing experiences of love, lust, and loss in the dating world. They come from different backgrounds and cultures with varying degrees of social acceptance for homosexuality, some keeping their identities secret. By asking this fundamental question, he received answers running the gamut of friendship, to a one-time hook-up, to marriage. None, however, were sure of their answers: As one Chinese interviewee said in response, “Everything, because everything is possible.” And for Yen, what began as a simple curiosity project morphed into an odyssey of self-discovery. This serene and kind-hearted documentary will elicit empathy and compassion beyond all else, with Yen trying to discern what he’s looking for.

PRECEDED BY:

Dummy

China, 2016, 20 minutes, Director: Chang Yongliang

North American Premiere

When an Opera troupe visits their village, young teenager Dummy finds himself deeply attracted to a beautiful female character, who is played by a man.

Director: Tung-yen Chou

Producer: Wu Ting-Chien

Screenwriters:

Chou Tung-Yen

Cinematographers:

Chou Tung-Yen

Kuo Hsing-Yin

Huang Chia-Wen

Lu Adiong

Chen Ki-Yan

Wang Cheng-Yi

Hyperreality Mer

Ho Chi

Sun Yu-Ning

Huang Debbie

Chen Kuan-Yu

Lin Po-Hsun

Editor: Huang Chia-Wen

Music:

Lu Lu-Ming

Running Time: 60 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English and Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Very Mainstream Studio

Print Source: Very Mainstream Studio

Film Website: vmstudio.tw/looking-for

Selected Filmography: Voyage in Time (2011)

Looking for Oum Kulthum

GERMANY/AUSTRIA/ITALY/LEBANON/QATAR

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

This film within a film chronicles the experience of a contemporary Iranian filmmaker aspiring to tell the story of the legendary Egyptian diva Oum Kulthum. Eschewing a more conventional approach, acclaimed visual artist Shirin Neshat accesses one woman’s story through the other’s. In a movie about two icons, one a director, the other a singer, Neshat explores the struggles and sacrifices involved in succeeding as a woman artist in male-dominated societies. The filmmaker journeys back in time to depict the singer’s childhood in the rural Nile Delta, her rise to fame during Egypt’s independence, and a career that lasted half a century and made her a star—the “Star of the East”—across the Arab world. Meanwhile in the present, Neshat faces her own challenges: a sexist actor, producers who doubt her vision, and the guilt she feels over the competing demands of her family and her career. In seeking to understand the experience of Oum Kulthum, the woman as well as the artist and the legend, she seeks to better understand her own. The film recreates the songs sung by Oum Kulthum, re-recording them in Cairo, with musicians who played with her in her later years, using vintage microphones and period recording techniques in a studio where she used to work, to share her magic with a new generation.

Sponsored by Anonymous, Sinikka and Babak Parviz, Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions, American Iranian Business Council, Nima Foroutan DDS, Shadi Araghi/ Highlands Kids Dentistry, Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties, Naini Family Foundation, Radio Iranshahr, Professional Copy ‘n’ Print, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department, and UW Iranian-American Faculty

CASTLE MUCHOS HIJOS, UN MONO Y UN CASTILLO

Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle

SPAIN 2017

MONDAY, MAY 28 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Director: Shirin Neshat

Producers: Martin Gschlacht

Gerhard Meixner

Roman Paul

Bruno Wagner

Antonin Svoboda

Screenwriters: Shoja Azari

Shirin Neshat

Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht

Editor: Nadia Ben Rachid

Music: Amine Bouhafa

Cast: Neda Rahmanian

Yasmin Raeis

Mehdi Moinzadeh

Kais Nashif

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English, Farsi, and Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source:

The Match Factory

Film Website: lookingforoumkulthum. com

Selected Filmography:

Women Without Men (2009)

All she wanted out of life was to have lots of kids, a monkey, and a castle. For 70-something Julita, the spirited mother of Spanish actor and first-time filmmaker Gustavo Salmerón (SIFF 2010’s Carlitos and the Chance of a Lifetime), all those dreams came true, yet there was always room for just a little bit more. In love with a world that didn’t always return the feeling, Julita’s cluttered, raucous life has been one filled with the adoration of her six children and oft-exasperated husband, yet a piercing sadness brought on by childhood experiences during the Spanish Civil War has never quite faded. Now spending her autumn years ensconced in a real castle outside Madrid and obsessed with locating a pair of her beloved grandfather’s vertebrae, Julita discovers that her country’s broken economy is forcing her to give up her home, bringing her colorfully dysfunctional family together for one last triumphant hurrah. Spliced from 14 years of footage—Super 8, digicam, and iPhone video mix together beautifully—Salmerón creates a poignant, touching, and often hysterical love letter to an unforgettable, larger-than-life woman.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2018 (Best Documentary)

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2017 (Grand Prix Documentary Winner)

Director: Gustavo Salmerón

Producer: Gustavo Salmerón

Screenwriters: Beatriz Montañez

Gustavo Salmerón

Raœl de Torres

Cinematographer: Gustavo Salmerón

Editor:

Raœl de Torres

Music:

Mastretta

Cast: Julieta Salmerón

Gustavo Salmerón

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Dogwoof

Film Website: dogwoofglobal.com/ lotsofkidsamonkeyandacastle

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Love and Shukla

INDIA 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:30 PM

KIRKLAND PC

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 8:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Raised in Mumbai in the tradition of the Brahmin caste, rickshaw driver Shukla (Saharsh Kumar Shukla) has never experienced romance with a woman prior to his impending arranged marriage. As his family weds him to a beautiful but extremely shy girl named Lakshmi (Taneea Rajaway), they both find themselves struggling for intimacy while living with his family in the confines of their one-room chawl. Only a wall of suitcases provides them privacy from Shukla’s overbearing mother (Aparna Upadhyay) and silent father (Loknath Tiwari). To complicate matters further, his sister Rupa (Hima Singh) moves back in as her own struggling marriage takes a traumatic turn. Longing to discover love, Shukla and Lakshmi, two total strangers, must find a way to know and love each other personally amidst the stifling lack of personal space. Through its claustrophobic framing, nuanced acting performances, and conspicuous long pauses in dialogue, the film brilliantly underscores the new couple’s frustrations and growing pains in trying to connect and to live for themselves and each other. Love and Shukla provides an evocative portrait of the material realities of love and family in an overcrowded metropolis of 18 million-plus.

Director:

Siddhartha Jatla

Producers:

Siddartha Jatla

Amanda Mooney

Screenwriters:

Amanda Mooney

Siddartha Jatla

Cinematographer: Siddartha Jatla

Editors:

Siddartha Jatla

Amanda Mooney

Srijan Chaurasia

Music:

Karl Heortweard

Cast:

Saharsh Kumar Shukla

Sambhaji Shivaji Sasane

Hima Singh

Taneea Rajawat

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Hindi, with English

subtitles

Print Source: Amanda Mooney

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

XIANG AI XIANG QIN

Love Education

CHINA/TAIWAN 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 1:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

THURSDAY, MAY 31 6:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:30 PM KIRKLAND PC

Director Sylvia Chang is well-known for carving out the nuanced sentimentality experienced by women, and her latest film is of no exception. Revolving around high school teacher Huiying’s (Sylvia Chang) plan to relocate her father’s grave so that it’s next to her mother’s resting place, the film looks at the love stories of three generations of women in her family. Huiying’s request to relocate is bluntly stopped by her father’s long-estranged first wife Nana (Wu Yanshu); although Huiying’s father and Nana’s arranged marriage was not legally recognized, Nana has been looking after his grave for many years after his death. Meanwhile, Huiying’s persistence in trying to control everything finally drives her and her husband’s (Tian Zhuangzhuang) marriage to a fragile stage. And Huiying’s daughter, Weiwei, finds this particular family story interesting material for her work at a television station. As she connects with the grandmother to gain insight into the story, she can’t help but suspect that her boyfriend is having an affair with another woman. In this engaging and bittersweet journey, these women learn what love looks like, feels like, and perhaps how it should have been.

Awards: Golden Horse Awards 2017 (Piaget Award)

Director:

Sylvia Chang

Producers: Patricia Cheng

Victoria Hon

Screenwriters: Sylvia Chang

Xiaoying You

Cinematographer: Mark Ping-Bin Lee

Editor:

Matthieu Laclau

Music:

Kay Huang

Cast: Sylvia Chang

Zhuangzhuang Tian

Yueting Lang

Ning Song

Yanshu Wu

Le Geng

Sitar Tan

Running Time: 122 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Beijing Hairun Pictures Co.Ltd

Print Source: Beijing Hairun Pictures Co.Ltd

Film Website: hairunpictures.com

Selected Filmography: Murmur of the Hearts (2015)

Run Papa Run (2008) 20:30:40 (2004)

Princess D (2002)

Tempting Heart (1999)

Tonight Nobody Goes Home (1996)

Siao Yu (1995)

The New Age of Living

Together (1994)

Mary From Beijing (1993)

Sisters of the World Unite (1991)

Love, Gilda

USA 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 24 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, MAY 26 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Comedy may provide a light against dark clouds, a shield before the blades of bullying and mockery, or the raft that keeps one afloat amidst their inner demons. Love, Gilda highlights the story of comedic legend Gilda Radner and the many roles comedy played in her life beyond her career and fame. A synthesis of interviews, home videos, journal entries, personal recordings, and performance clips carve a window into Gilda’s world. Former “SNL” castmates Laraine Newman and Chevy Chase along with Amy Phoeler and Bill Hader contribute to the film with their unique insights into Gilda and her work. This documentary follows a child struggling with body image before eating disorders entered the public lexicon, a force of hilarity becoming a household name in the late ‘70s on “Saturday Night Live,” and a subsequent battle with ovarian cancer. These dovetailing narratives comprise her personal battles and triumphs with an inspiring undertone. Shots of her handwriting intersperse the film, painting her thoughts at major points in her life and revealing a tender yet indomitable character. Gilda’s story is wonderfully absurd, yet relatable to the human in all of us.

Director: Lisa D’Apolito

Producers: Lisa D’Apolito

Bronwyn Berry

Meryl Goldsmith

James Tumminia

Cinematographers: Rob Featherstone

Nick Higgins

Editors: Anne Alvergue

David Cohen

Kristen Nutile

Music: Miriam Cutler

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: 3 Faces Films

Film Website: lovegilda.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Luk’Luk’I

CANADA 2017

US PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 8:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MONDAY, MAY 28 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Vancouver, Canada, is a town perhaps best known for disguising itself as other cities, appearing as the setting for countless films and TV series. So when it stood in the spotlight for two weeks to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, local director Wayne Wapeemukwa decided to expose parts of the city that will never make it onto a tourist brochure. Luk’luk’i (pronounced “luck, lucky”) is a hallucinatory narrative/documentary hybrid, focusing on five distinct personalities living in the city’s Downtown Eastside, many of whom portray fictionalized versions of themselves. On the closing day of the Olympics, we are introduced to Angel, a mother and part-time sex worker; Ken, a disabled actor, who tries to get to see the Gold Medal hockey finals; “Ms. Rollergirl” (Angela Dawson), a transgender street celebrity who tangles with both rowdy hockey fans and violent police officers; Eric, a heroin addict and struggling landscaper; and Mark (Joe Dion Buffalo), a First Nations man who is plagued by disturbing visions of pursuing UFOs. In a setting that celebrates international competition, Luk’luk’i is a wholly original kaleidoscopic essay on the legacies of colonialism in the Great White North; such as economic inequality, racism, addiction, and misogyny that run counter to the squeaky-clean image of Canada as a progressive social democracy.

Awards:

Toronto International Film Festival 2017 (Best Canadian First Feature)

Director: Wayne Wapeemukwa

Producers: Matt Drake

Spencer Hahn

Wayne Wapeemukwa

Screenwriter: Wayne Wapeemukwa

Cinematographer: Jeremy Cox

Editor: Wayne Wapeemukwa

Music: Daniel J.K. Ross

Featuring: Angel Gates

Eric Buurman

Joe Dion Buffalo

Ken Harrower

Angela Dawson

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: White Hart Post

Film Website: luklukifilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Luna

FRANCE 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 4:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 7:00 PM MAJESTIC BAY

After a violent booze-soaked party goes wrong, teenager Luna (Laëtitia Clément) decides to try and distance herself from the testosteronefilled, party subculture she’s been surrounded by for so long. Fed up with being ignored and exploited by her egotistical boyfriend, she separates from the group and focuses on her work at a local greenhouse where she receives her NVQ (National Vocational Qualification). There she begins a relationship with Alex (Rod Paradot), a local graffiti artist and trumpeter, whose sensitivity and kindness is the opposite of everything Luna has previously associated with romance. But of course starting over is never this easy. Luna realizes she’s met Alex before, under dark circumstances at the same party that made her step back from her old life. Once Alex realizes who she used to be it could change everything, and so Luna must weigh the consequences and confront her past, deciding if honesty is worth risking it all. Director Elsa Diringer provides an honest and realistic window into the life and struggles of a teenage girl learning to take back control of her own life, accompanied by authentic performances from newcomer Clément and Paradot.

Director:

Elsa Diringer

Producer:

Muriel Meynard

Screenwriters:

Elsa Diringer

Claude Mouriéras

Cinematographer: Elin Kirschfink

Editor:

Sarah Ternat

Music:

Sébastien Souchois

Cast:

Laetitia Clément

Rod Paradot

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: Pyramide International

Film Website: inter.pyramidefilms. com/pyramidefilmsinternational-catalogue/ luna.html

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Mademoiselle Paradis

AUSTRIA/GERMANY 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 1:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, MAY 27 8:30 PM SHORELINE CC

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 7:00 PM

The year is 1777, and Vienna is in the midst of Mozart’s takeover as high society obsesses over new melodies and compositions. A small concert hall is enthralled by a young and blind harpsichordist with unabashed skill. That musician is the famed Maria Theresia von Paradis, whose story comes to life in this exquisitely detailed period piece from Austrian filmmaker Barbara Albert. Maria’s parents take her to doctor Frank Mesmer, the man who coined the term “animal magnetism,” in the hopes of curing her blindness. At first scared of her new environment, Maria finds safety and an empowering sense of self-worth insulated from society’s mockery about her disability. But as Maria’s health improvements appear dubious after a miraculous beginning and her skill falters, her newfound comfort is threatened as Mesmer is ostracized as a fraud. The film’s 18th century set design and costumes, as well as the classically driven score, leave no detail untouched. Maria Dragus (Graduation) is mesmerizing as Maria Theresia, who undergoes raw sensory overload when she regains partial sight only to lose it again in a melodious journey of self-discovery. Albert’s work is a dramatically imposing film from beginning to end, one that refuses to show Habsburg Austria through a rose-colored lens.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Barbara Albert

Producers: Nikolaus Geyrhalter

Michael Kitzberger

Martina Haubrich

Wolfgang Widerhofer

Screenwriters: Kathrin Resetarits

Alissa Walser

Cinematographer: Christine A. Maier

Editor: Niki Mossböck

Music: Lorenz Dangel

Cast: Maria Dragus

Devid Striesow

Lukas Miko

Katja Kolm

Maresi Riegner

Running Time: 97 minutes

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

International Sales: Films Distribution

Print Source:

First Run Features

Film Website: mademoiselle-paradis. com

Selected Filmography: The Dead and the Living (2012)

Falling (2006)

Free Radicals (2003)

State of the Nation: Austria in Six Chapters (2002)

Nordrand (1999)

Slidin’ - Alles bunt und wunderbar (1998)

Und raus bist du (1992)

Der andern eine Grube gräbt (1991)

Maki’la

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO/FRANCE 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM

ARK LODGE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 3:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Maki’la is never sure where her next meal will come from and it often takes some petty crime to obtain it, whether it’s duping a storefront owner or grabbing something from a stall. Such is the life of a Kinshasa street urchin, where theft, drugs, and prostitution are commonplace in the ghetto. She’s able to leave some of that behind after marrying fellow delinquent Mbingazor, and together the couple become a power on the streets, hiring children to run and thieve for them in exchange for protection and food scraps. But it’s only a matter of time before their marriage built upon violence and exploitation deteriorates, and Maki’la grows more frustrated with her situation, finding a place to sleep on a broken truck bed in an abandoned garage. After taking in a particularly sad, parentless girl named Acha, who reminds her of her younger self, Maki’la decides to permanently leave Mbingazor in the hopes of a better future. But tragic consequences follow, and soon Maki’la is forced back into the life she thought she had left behind. Macherie Bahango’s debut feature is an intimate portrait of poverty, femininity, and survival within the underbelly of the sprawling Congolese metropolis.

Director: Machérie Ekwa Bahango

Producers: Emmanuel Lupia

David Kessler

Rufin Mbou Mikima

Akaz Mamba

Screenwriter: Machérie Ekwa Bahango

Cinematographer: Jimmy Tissanabo

Editor: Philippe Raboux-Bazzini

Music: Jonny Ekwa

Cast: Amour Lombi

Fideline Kwanza

Serge Kanyinda

Deborah Tshisalu

Plotin Dianani

Running Time: 78 minutes

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

International Sales: DIFFA

Print Source:

Orange Studio

Film Website: facebook.com/MAKILAFilm-959289644183924

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Making the Grade

IRELAND 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 26 11:00 AM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 1:00 PM KIRKLAND PC

You might remember the clunky key hits and embarrassing missed notes when first learning an instrument. In Ireland, over 30,000 students prepare for piano exams each year in a system where they are graded from the elementary level Grade 1 up to Grade 8, considered to be a pinnacle achievement. And while many of the students enjoy learning the instrument for its own sake, the examination process can still be a daunting experience, even for the most talented and ambitious practitioners. Making the Grade invites audiences into the living rooms, music studios, and churches where these lessons take place to explore the bond between teachers and their pupils, all of whom are utterly delightful in their musical dedication. In age, the students range from young children to adults, including a “heavy metalist” between bands and a woman who, self-avowedly, has no rhythm. But regardless of ability or potential, the pupils and their teachers all exemplify the film’s opening quote from Ludwig van Beethoven: “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” And while you may hear a few of the former, there is absolutely no shortage of passion on display in Ken Wardrop’s melodious documentary. Full of warm, joyous humor and delightful personalities, Making the Grade lays bare the transformative power of music.

Director: Ken Wardrop

Producer: Andrew Freedman

Screenwriter: Ken Wardrop

Cinematographer: Ken Wardrop

Editor: John O’Connor

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Venom Films

Film Website: makingthegrade.ie

Selected Filmography: Mom and Me (2015) His & Hers (2009)

A Man of Integrity

IRAN 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 3:45 PM

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 22 4:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MAJESTIC BAY

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

“In this country, you are oppressed or you are the oppressor.” This is the lesson that the title character in Mohammad Rasoulof’s powerful new film is struggling not to learn. Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, A Man of Integrity tells the story of Reza, a former academic expelled from his college for protesting unjust working conditions at a local factory. He leaves Tehran for a remote village to become a goldfish farmer. But the problems of systemic corruption and injustice are not unique to the city; when a shadowy organization in control decides it wants the farm’s land for itself, Reza finds that he has very few options. The more he resists, the more his troubles seem to multiply. In his uncompromising determination to hold on to his principles, he risks losing everything else. SIFF regular Rasoulof (White Meadows, Goodbye, Manuscripts Don’t Burn) is one of Iran’s most prominent and outspoken directors. Prohibited from making films, he works with a suspended prison sentence hanging over his head (A Man of Integrity was shot in secret in the north of the country). Upon returning from the film’s U.S. premiere at Telluride in September 2017, his passport was confiscated by the Iranian authorities, effectively banning him from leaving the country.

Awards:

Cannes Film Festival 2017 (Un Certain Regard Prize)

Director:

Mohammad Rasoulof

Producer:

Mohammad Rasoulof

Screenwriter: Mohammad Rasoulof

Cinematographer:

Ashkan Ashkani

Editors:

Meysam Muini

Mohammadreza Muini

Music:

Peyman Yazdanian

Cast:

Reza Akhlaghirad

Soudabeh Beizaee

Nasim Adabi

Zeinab Shabani

Missagh Zareh

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English and Persian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

The Match Factory

Print Source:

The Match Factory

Film Website: the-match-factory.de

Selected Filmography:

Manuscripts Don’t Burn (2013)

Goodbye (2011)

The White Meadows (2009)

Head Wind (2008)

Iron Island (2005)

The Twilight (2002)

Sponsored by Anonymous, Sinikka and Babak Parviz, Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions, American Iranian Business Council, Nima Foroutan DDS, Shadi Araghi/ Highlands Kids Dentistry, Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties, Naini Family Foundation, Radio Iranshahr, Professional Copy ‘n’ Print, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department, and UW Iranian-American Faculty

Marilyn

ARGENTINA/CHILE 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 8:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 28 1:30 PM

With an affection for women’s dresses and a naturally sensitive demeanor, Marcos (newcomer Walter Rodríguez in an astonishing debut) knows he was not made for a life as a tenant rancher, tending livestock and fending off poachers in the beautiful, unforgiving Argentinian countryside. Starved for connection and finding release just once a year during carnival, Marcos has an unexpected ally in his kindly father Carlos (Germán de Silva, Las Acacias, Wild Tales), who pushes his son toward education and a future outside their small, provincial town. But when Carlos dies suddenly, responsibility quickly falls on Marcos and his older brother Carlitos (Ignacio Giménez) to assume their father’s role, learning the trade, keeping the troubled ranch afloat—and placating their stern, demanding mother Olga (Catalina Saavedra, The Maid). With financial and social pressures mounting, Marcos finds a ray of light in a budding relationship with Federico (Andrew Bargsted, SIFF 2016 award winner You’ll Never Be Alone, SIFF 2017’s Bad Influence) yet finds himself unable to escape forces keeping him from being the person he was meant to be, leading to an unforgettable conclusion in this powerful debut feature from co-writer/director Martín Rodríguez Redondo, based on the incredible true story.

Director: Martín Rodriguez

Redondo

Producers: Paula Zyngierman

Giancarlo Nasi

Martín Rodríguez

Redondo

Screenwriters: Mariana Docampo

Mara Pescio

Martín Rodríguez

Redondo

Cinematographer: Guillermo Saposnik

Editor: Felipe Gálvez

Music: Kumbia Queers

Laurent Apffel

Cast: Walter Rodríguez

Catalina Saavedra

Germán de Silva

Ignacio Giménez

Germán Baudino

Andrew Bargsted

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Film Factory Entertainment

Print Source: Film Factory Entertainment

Film Website: facebook.com/ MarilynFilmMartin

RodriguezRedondo

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

MARLINA SI PEMBUNUH DALAM EMPAT BABAK

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts

INDONESIA/ FRANCE/ MALAYSIA/ THAILAND 2017

MONDAY, MAY 28 11:00 AM

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 9:15 PM PACIFIC

For her third feature, Indonesian director Mouly Surya has created a dark, wickedly funny, feminist western that surprises in its unique mixture of haunting imagery, gallows humor, and gender politics. Recently widowed Marlina lives alone on the eastern Indonesia island of Sumba, and her precarious state of mourning is interrupted when a man shows up on motorcycle and lays out what’s about to happen: In 30 minutes, some of his friends are going to show up, take her livestock, eat her food, and have their way with her. Marlina methodically manages to take care of the gang by serving them a poisoned pot of chicken soup, then fells the leader with a machete, mid-coitus. With a decapitated head in one hand and the murder weapon in the other, Marlina makes her way into town to file a police report, but soon discovers that the rigid rules of this arid, rural island’s patriarchal system are hard to break. No ordinary revenge thriller, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts subverts several genres at once, every corner of the story dripping in irony and earthiness and backed up by gorgeous cinematography and an excellent, instantly classic score by Zeke Khaseli and Vudhi Arfani.

Director: Mouly Surya

Producers: Rama Adi

Fauzan Zidni

Screenwriter: Mouly Surya

Cinematographer: Yunus Pasolang

Editor: Kelvin Nugroho

Music: Zeke Khaseli

Vudhi Arfani

Cast: Marsha Timothy

Dea Panendra

Egi Fedly

Yoga Pratama

Rita Matu Mona

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Indonesian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Asian Shadows

Print Source: KimStim

Film Website: Kimstim.com/marlina. html

Selected Filmography: What They Don’t Talk

About When They Talk

About Love (2013)

Fiksi (2008)

MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.

SRI LANKA/UNITED KINGDOM/USA 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 24 6:30 PM

The Sri Lankan Tamil songwriter Maya Arulpragasam, better known by her nom de guerre M.I.A., rose from a refugee upbringing in London to become one of popular music’s most subversive voices. Inextricably linking her electronic-infused hip-hop to militant solidarity with the world’s displaced and oppressed, M.I.A. has consistently broken norms and courted controversy. Cutting together decades of footage often recorded by Arulpragasam herself, director Stephen Loveridge captures a near autobiographical record of the rapper’s genesis, artistry, and politics. The daughter of a leading Tamil nationalist guerrilla, some of Maya’s earliest footage shown depicts her embrace of the struggle that also forced her family to flee Sri Lanka. We see how her rise to stardom never abandons this revolutionary spirit, creating friction as the roiled music industry and media attempt to rein her in. Variously accused of sympathizing with terrorists, and appropriating rebellion for shock value, the film captures the frustrating focus on M.I.A. to stay in her lane even as the injustices she confronts also play out on screen. All these vignettes are presented out of chronological order and juxtaposed jarringly, counter intuitively allowing her musicianship and message to unite as so many gatekeepers sought to prevent it. MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. is no mere biopic, but a powerful manifesto of an artist’s all-too relevant battle to speak her truth.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award)

Director: Stephen Loveridge

Producers:

Lori Cheatle

Andrew Goldman

Paul Mezey

Editors: Marina Katz

Gabriel Rhodes

Music: Tracy McKnight

Dhani Harrison

Paul Hicks

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof International

Print Source: Cinereach

Film Website: MIAdocumentary.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

ARK LODGE

PACIFIC PLACE

PLACE

McQueen

UNITED KINGDOM 2018

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 4:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

For years the enigmatic life and work of famed British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been an inspiration for photographers, designers, and filmmakers alike. His love and commitment to perfect tailoring and design catapulted his career after his teenage years as an apprentice. His experimental style and divine haute couture collections soon placed him as the top designer for Givenchy, before launching his own label and collecting several British and international awards in the industry. McQueen is the first holistic portrait of his life: from his humble beginnings as an apprentice for the Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shepherd, to becoming one of the fashion world’s most celebrated and controversial figures, to his tragic death. Director Ian Benhôte takes several unique approaches to pay his respects to McQueen, and his documentary defies traditional methods. Benhôte makes deft use of recreated scenes, in depth interviews, stunning visuals, archival footage, and music to create an exhilarating experience, analogous to how Alexander McQueen lived, before tragically taking his own life in 2010 after long battles with depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. As thrilling and visually arresting as it is endearing and honest, McQueen is a genuine ode to the legend that is Alexander McQueen.

Directors:

Ian Bonhôte

Peter Ettedgui

Producers:

Nick Taussig

Paul Van Carter

Ian Bonhôte

Andee Ryder

Screenwriter:

Peter Ettedgui

Cinematographer: Will Pugh

Editor:

Cinzia Baldessari

Music:

Michael Nyman

Running Time: 111 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Embankment

Print Source: Bleecker Street

Film Website: bleeckerstreetmedia.com/ mcqueen

Selected Filmography: Alleycats (2016)

Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen

DENMARK 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 6:00PM

LINCOLN SQUARE WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

You might think that the hole-in-the wall burger joint down the street or even your grandmother’s kitchen create food so unmistakenly delicious that they deserve to be Michelin Star rated. But what exactly are the requirements for this age-old, controversial rating system?

As of 2016 there are 119 3 Michelin Star restaurants, and each of them have proven to provide an unforgettable dining experience. This documentary visits several starred restaurants around the globe and dives tastebuds-first into the unique characteristics that help them take the cake: consistency, quality of ingredients, mastery of technique, harmony in flavor, and food that portrays the unique personality of those that cook it. Chefs from Paris, New York City, Tokyo, and Copenhagen among others reveal what being Michelinrated means to their career and culinary identity, and the importance of experience and emotion in fine dining. Delicious and beautiful behind-the-scenes footage at restaurants such as Noma and Narisawa are paired with discussions on the politics of these reviews, from those who have maintained the coveted Stars and those who try, year after year, to earn one.

Director: Rasmus Dinesen

Producer: Jesper Jarl Becker

Screenwriters: Rasmus Dinesen

Jesper Jarl Becker

Carsten Holst

Cinematographers: Rasmus Dinesen

Jesper Jarl Becker

Editors:

Martin Munck Schmidt

Thomas Papapetros

Music: Rune Funch

Featuring: Guy Savoy

Alain Ducasse

Andoni Luis Aduriz

Victor Arguinzoniz

Rene Redzepi

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, French, Spanish, Danish, and Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Juno Films

Print Source: Juno Films

Selected Filmography: Hugo På Bas (2016)

Verdens bedste kok (2011)

Det forbudte landshold (2003)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post USA

FRIDAY, MAY 25 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 3:00 PM

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Desiree Akhavan’s second feature may take place in the recent past, but its relevance is all too real. It’s 1993, and Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass) is in trouble—discovered having sex with her girlfriend in the back of a car outside of her homecoming dance, she’s now the newest “disciple” at God’s Promise, a gay conversion camp in upstate New York. “There’s no such thing as homosexuality,” program director Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle, “Pride and Prejudice”) intones during one of Cameron’s first therapy sessions, “only the same struggle with sin we all face.” Cameron does her best to dodge such religion-based lessons— plus hokey spiritual sing-alongs courtesy of Reverend Rick (Tony winner John Gallagher, Jr., “The Newsroom”)—and finds solace in her fellow disciples: rebellious Jane (Sasha Lane, American Honey); Minnesota Vikingsobsessed Erin (Tony nominee Emily Skeggs, “Fun Home”); “Native-American David Bowie” Adam (Forrest Goodluck, The Revenant); and good-hearted Mark (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times). But nothing good comes out of programming people to hate themselves, and soon the disciples start acting out in ways both triumphant and destructive. Adapted from the novel by Emily M. Danforth, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a film both charming and disturbing, a clear-eyed look at the effects of this controversial, horrific pseudo-psychological practice.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Grand Jury Prize)

Mobile Homes

CANADA/FRANCE 2017

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Desiree Akhavan

Producers: Michael B. Clark

Cecilia Frugiuele

Alex Turtletaub

Jonathan Montepare

Screenwriters: Desiree Akhavan

Cecilia Frugiuele

Cinematographer: Ashley Connor

Editor:

Sara Shaw

Music: Julian Wass

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz

Sasha Lane

Forrest Goodluck

Jennifer Ehle

Emily Skeggs

Tony Gallagher Jr.

Owen Campbell

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Elle Driver

Print Source: FilmRise

Selected Filmography: Appropriate Behavior (2014)

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:00 PM

ARK LODGE MONDAY, MAY 28 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

When director Vladimir de Fontenay witnessed the unexpected sight of a prefabricated home being towed down the highway, it inspired him to make this deeply felt, visually exquisite first feature. Ali (Imogen Poots, Green Room), her boyfriend Evan, and their son Bone lead an itinerant life along the American-Canadian border. Crashing in cheap motels and regularly skipping out on restaurant bills, the trio earn a subsistence livelihood hustling small-time drug deals, selling birds for cockfights, and sheer luck. Evan builds grand fantasies about building a successful future, but his habitual irresponsibility worries Ali. After one frighteningly close brush with the law, Ali and Bone hideout for a night in an empty mobile home, unaware it is set to be removed to a new camp. Come morning, mother and son find themselves possessed of an opportunity to create their lives anew. Based on the director’s short film of the same title, which played SIFF 2013, Mobile Homes is an uncompromising yet beautifully empathic portrait of those vulnerable individuals living a rootless existence within society’s margins, resiliently striving to achieve what many of us simply take for granted.

Director: Vladimir de Fontenay

Producers: Frédéric de Goldschmidt

Eric Dupont

Mike MacMillan

Screenwriter: Vladimir de Fontenay

Cinematographer: Benoït Soler

Editors:

Nicolas Chaudeurge

Maxime Pozzi-Garcia

Andonis Trattos

Music: Matthew Otto

Cast:

Imogen Poots

Callum Turner

Callum Keith Rennie

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Mongrel Media

Print Source: Dark Star Pictures

Film Website: mobilehomesfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Memoria (2015)

The Doorman (doc, 2009)

A Moment In the Reeds

THURSDAY, MAY 31 9:00 PM

JUNE 1 3:30 PM

Generational and cultural divides lay the foundation for this calming love story, the first Finnish feature film to be released with a gay character in the lead role. Literature student Leevi (Janne Puustinen) returns to his father Jouko’s (Mika Melender) summer cottage in central Finland to help with renovations before it’s up for sale. It’s obvious from the onset Jouko doesn’t approve that his son is gay, but regardless requires his help to get the project done. Matters complicate when Tareq (Boodi Kabbani), a Syrian refugee, is hired by an agency to assist in the project, and a summer affair ensues between the two young men. A widower, traditional Jouko struggles to grapple with the progressiveness of Finnish mainstream culture evidenced by his son and the handyman sent to his front steps. Leevi, meanwhile, is desperate to detach from his father and his old way of life, but Tareq views Finland as a beacon of hope and fears his conservative family’s arrival to the new country and culture. From opposing perspectives, they yearn for a common ground. Enchanting melodies enhance the Finnish countryside in ethereal ways, entrenching their story with a sense of place in director Mikko Makela’s debut film.

Director: Mikko Makela

Producers: Mikko Makela

Jarno Pimperi

James Robert Watson

Screenwriter: Mikko Makela

Cinematographer: Iikka Salminen

Editor:

Mikko Makela

Music:

Sebastian Kauderer

Luke Richards

Cast: Janne Puustinen

Boodi Kabbani

Mika Melender

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in English and Finnish, with English subtitles

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Film Website: amomentinthereeds.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

MUUMIEN TAIKATALVI

Moomins and the Winter Wonderland

FINLAND/UNITED STATES 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:00 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

SUNDAY, MAY 20 11:30 AM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN MONDAY, MAY 28 1:00 PM SHORELINE CC

Originating in a children’s book series by Finnish author Tove Jansson, the anthropomorphic family called the Moomins, denizens of the picturesque Moomin Valley, are arguably Finland’s most cherished cultural exports. Their tales have touched families the world over across countless media. In this latest stop motion film, as winter falls upon the valley and the Moomins prepare to hibernate, young Moomintroll (voiced by Bill Skarsgård) can only wonder what the season actually brings when they’re asleep. His curiosity is piqued further when he learns a mysterious guest named Christmas is on his way, soon to be knocking on their door. And so Moomintroll clambers out his window into a strange, unpredictable, sometimes harsh, but hauntingly beautiful new world. Moomintroll soaks in the sights and creatures while preparing the valley for Christmas’ arrival, soon joined in this endeavor with his parents Moominpappa (Stellan Skarsgård) and Moominmamma, and by friends such as the rambunctious Little My (Alicia Vikander) and the insightful Too Ticky. As they work together to please their incoming visitor, they gradually unravel what it all means as they learn valuable lessons about community, friendship, and kindness, and discover the warmth of their presence is truly Christmas’ greatest gift. With its wholesome spirit, and its cut-out animation style evoking childlike wonder, Moomins and the Winter Wonderland is sure to bring out the inner child in even the most cynical hearts.

Awards: Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Animated Feature)

Directors: Ira Carpelan

Jakub Wronski

Bartosz Wierzbieta

Producers: Tom Carpelan

Ira Carpelan

Rick Romano

Screenwriters: Ira Carpelan

Tove Jansson

Piotr Szczepanowicz

Editors: Przemyslaw Chruscielewski

Piotr Szczepanowicz

Music: Lukasz Targosz

Voices: Stellan Skarsgård

Alicia Vikander

Bill Skarsgård

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, dubbed in English

International Sales: Global Genesis Group

Print Source: Global Genesis Group

Film Website: globalgenesisgroup. com/portfolio-view/ moomins-and-the-winterwonderland

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY,

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The Most Dangerous Year

WORLD PREMIERE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 1:00 PM

In 2016, a wave of discriminatory anti-transgender legislation swept the nation along with an uptick in violence against LGBTQ people, making it one of the most deadly years for the community in recent history. Local filmmaker Vlada Knowlton’s documentary details her family’s initial journey as they combat Washington state bill SB6443, a discriminatory measure intended to force all people to use the public restroom that coincides with their birth sex. From there, the legislature is bombarded with initiatives meant to replace the bill, but they didn’t fight alone as several families with transgender children would join the statewide movement for their civil liberties. Knowlton’s youngest daughter Annabelle steals hearts as a trans girl simply learning to be a kid, while Aiden Key, a nationally renowned Seattle-based transgender rights activist and educator who also produced the film, connects audiences with his work helping the Snohomish School District develop transfriendly policies. Instead of shaming those unsure of or against transgender rights, Knowlton’s team invites a conversation. As Washington state senator Joe Fain points out, we lose the battle for understanding when we stop speaking with one another.

The Most Unknown

BELGIUM/COSTA RICA/ITALY 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Vlada Knowlton

Producers: Lulu Gargiulo

Vlada Knowlton

Screenwriter: Vlada Knowlton

Cinematographer: Lulu Gargiulo

Editors: Vlada Knowlton

Eric Frith

Music: Chadd Knowlton

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Marymoor Productions

Film Website: themostdangerousyear.com

Selected Filmography: Having It All (2015)

Science has illuminated many mysteries of the universe, such as how the human body works, the laws of motion, and the fundamental forces of nature. But as this latest documentary by the Peabody Award-winning Ian Cheney (King Corn, 2008) suggests, we’ve barely scratched the surface regarding the greatest mysteries, such as the nature of time, the origins of life, the existence of extraterrestrial life, and what lurks at the bottom of our oceans. Rather than come up with answers, The Most Unknown is concerned with the process of discovery itself. This globetrotting documentary follows the exploits of nine scientists who are working independently on elusive topics such as detecting “dark matter,” defining human consciousness, and exploring extremely hostile environments that are still capable of harboring microbial life. To Cheney, the most fascinating aspect of science is the initial drive to lay a finger on the intangible. “Perhaps putting aside the usual questions— What’s the answer? What does this mean for me?—provides a strange new window into what propels scientists so deep into the unknown,” Cheney told the film’s producers at Motherboard/Vice Media. Filled with stunning visuals that illustrate the esoteric concepts being investigated, The Most Unknown, created with the help of advisor filmmaker Werner Herzog, will carry viewers on an epic journey of discovery that will long outlast the film’s running time.

Director: Ian Cheney

Producer: Ian Cheney

Cinematographers: Emily Topper

Michael James Murray

Editors: Daniel Quintamilla

Ian Cheney

Running Time: 88 minutes

Music: Simon Beins

Ben Fries

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Abramorama

Selected Filmography: Bluespace (2015)

The Search for General Tso (2014)

The City Dark (2011)

Truck Farm (2011)

The Greening of Southie (2008)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SHORELINE CC

Mountain

AUSTRALIA 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 7:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM

Just a few centuries ago, mountain ranges of the world were to be feared and revered, not climbed and surveyed. Believed to be the home of all things both terrifying and holy, humans respectfully avoided their peaks. But as urbanization underscored our species and we insulated ourselves from nature, the mountains called us back out to the world. Fascination replaced trepidation, and obsession soon followed, eventually to nature’s detriment. Yet despite our best efforts to control their paths, mountains remain unbeholden to the whims of humanity, evidenced by climbing and mountaineering accidents that will never fully disappear. Mountain follows the love story between the human species and the sky-tearing mountains of the world as it’s developed in recent history. A cinematic marvel, this documentary is an artistic collaboration between filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), deftly narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Willem Dafoe. Rock and ice towers populating the world from Switzerland to Nepal to Papau New Guinea are featured with sharp aerial shots spanning wide expanses. ACO’s music flows through the film like a mountain river giving life to each scene in a way no script could provide. If transcendentalist writers stove to articulate the sublime with their words, knowing the task nigh impossible, Mountain comes as close as our imaginations will allow.

Director: Jennifer Peedom

Producers: Jo-Anne McGowan

Jennifer Peedom

Screenwriters: Robert Macfarlane

Jennifer Peedom

Cinematographer: Renan Ozturk

Editors: Christian Gazal

Scott Gray

Music: Richard Tognetti

Australian Chamber Orchestra

Narrator: Willem Dafoe

Running Time: 74 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: Greenwich Entertainment

Film Website: madmanfilms.com.au/ mountain

Selected Filmography: Sherpa (2015)

Solitary Endeavour on the Southern Ocean (2008) Miracle on Everest (2008)

Mutafukaz

FRANCE/JAPAN 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 29 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

THURSDAY, MAY 31 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Based on the popular French comic book, Mutafukaz is a crazy blend of wild Japanese animation, French moodiness, American anarchism, and pure, violent, wicked fun. Roundheaded pizza boy Angelino lives a typical, meager life in the chaotic Dark Meat City—a place that he dubs as “desperate, miserable, and crap.” When a scooter accident leaves him with a head injury, Angelino begins seeing disturbing images of monsters, tentacles, and shadowy black-suited men. Government soldiers are suddenly on his tail, and with his flaming skull-headed pal Vinz, Angelino must hurry and discover the meaning behind his visions while unearthing a large-scale, apocalyptic, government conspiracy—all before the aliens invade and before getting shot up by gangsters. Mutafukaz is lurid, hyper-kinetic, fast-paced, and infused with ballistic action sequences. It hurls audiences through gruesome violence and impresses with its catchy, head-bobbing hip-hop tracks. Shoujirou Nishimi, known for his stupendous work in Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) and the legendary Akira (1988), helms the film’s animation department and offers audiences striking visuals of vibrant, graffiti-strewn streets with 2D renderings. Aesthetically pleasing, hyper-inventive, and mildly self-aware with faint commentary on the dystopian nature of modern governments, Mutafukaz is a fun mess of gang-banging, guns, corpses, and solid, wild entertainment.

Directors: Shôjirô Nishimi

Guillaume Renard

Producers: Frédéric Puech

Anthony Roux

Screenwriter: Guillaume Renard

Editors:

Ivy Buirette

Marie-Laure Vanglabeke

Music:

Guillaume Houzé

The Toxic Avenger Band

Voices: Orelsan

Gringe

Redouanne Harjane

Féodor Atkine

Julien Kramer

Emmanuel Karsen

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams, Planet

Nemo Animation

Print Source: GKids

Film Website: facebook.com/realmutafukaz

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

MAJESTIC BAY

UOI BACIARE LO SPOSO

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

ITALY 2018

MONDAY, JUNE 4 7:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 4:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

It was love at first sight for happy couple Antonio (Cristiano Caccamo) and Paulo (Salvatore Esposito), and they now live peacefully in a Berlin apartment with their quirky and musical landlord Benedetta (Diana Del Bufalo). On the day of their engagement, their new roommate arrives, the depressed cross-dressing Donato (Dino Abbrescia), and they all embark on a journey to finally reveal their relationship to their families. Their first stop is the exquisite old Italian village Civita di Bagnoregio, where Antonio’s father Roberto (Diego Abatantuono) is the mayor and his mother Anna (Monica Guerritore), the headstrong matriarch. In a whirl of surreal yet sentimental chaos, Anna provides the couple with stringent conditions related to their wedding ceremony, and the group sets out on a quest to make a city founded on religious tradition understand that love is love. Director Alessandro Genovesi’s (2015’s What a Big Surprise) lively comedy tackles social issues in a unique and unforgettable setting, with characters that are far from one-dimensional, and explores the obstacles that come with breaking traditions and gaining acceptance.

Director:

Alessandro Genovesi

Producers:

Maurizio Totti

Alessandro Usai

Screenwriters:

Giovanni Bognetti

Alessandro Genovesi

Cinematographer:

Federico Masiero

Editor:

Claudio Di Mauro

Music:

Giovanni Arcadu

Cast:

Salvatore Esposito

Cristiano Caccamo

Diego Abatantuono

Monica Guerritore

Beatrice Arnera

Diana Del Bufalo

Dino Abbrescia

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: True Colours Glorious Film

Print Source: Breaking Glass Pictures

Film Website: truecolours.it/project/mybig-gay-italian-weddin

Selected Filmography:

What a Beautiful Surprise (2015)

Soap Opera (2014)

The Worst Christmas of My Life (2012)

The Worst Week of My Life (2011)

My Name is Myeisha

USA 2018

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 1:45 PM PACIFIC PLACE

“This ain’t gonna be one of them feel-good shows.” It’s December 28, 1998 in Riverside, California, and 19-year-old Myeisha’s car has a flat tire. After her friend Kai and cousin Roni call for roadside assistance, they return to find the car locked and Myeisha passed out in the driver’s seat, a .38 in her lap. Minutes later, police arrive and open fire, killing Myeisha instantly. But that’s just the beginning of this experimental story, and in the moment of her death, Myeisha crosses over into a dreamscape and contemplates her life; what it was and what it could have been. Based on the internationally renowned play “Dreamscape” by Rickerby Hinds—itself a fictionalized retelling of the police shooting of Tyisha Miller—My Name is Myeisha uses hip-hop, spoken word poetry, and dance to dig into the life of a single African-American teenager “born and raised in the IE;” as the medical examiner beatboxes his way through describing each of the 12 bullets that entered her body, Myeisha launches into soliloquies about black hair culture, her high school sports career, and when she lost her virginity. Rhaechyl Walker (winner of the 2018 Slamdance Acting Award) and John “Faaz” Merchant reprise their roles from the theatrical two-hander, creating a fierce, ferocious, and unforgettable tale of a lost life.

Awards:

Slamdance Film Festival 2018 (Best Actress, Audience Award) Boston Underground Film Festival 2018 (Best Feature)

Director:

Gus Krieger

Producers: Paulette Brown-Hinds

Joshua Bunting

Robert Dehn

Michael Glassman

Rickerby Hinds

Scott Hyman

Carl W. Lucas

Gus Krieger

Screenwriters: Rickerby Hinds

Gus Krieger

Cinematographer: Jeff Moriarty

Editor: Matthew Herrier

Music: James Raymond

Cast: Rhaechyl Walker

John Merchant

Dominique Toney

Dee Dee Stephens

Yvette Cason

Gregg Daniel

Running Time: 85 minutes

Print Source: Gersh Agency

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Gersh Agency

Film Website: mynameismyeisha.com

Selected Filmography: The Binding (2016)

Naila and the Uprising

PALESTINE/USA 2017

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 6:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 12:00 PM

In her second documentary feature, director Julia Bacha chronicles the compelling story of Naila Ayesh and her role in the nonviolent Palestinian uprising known as the First Intifada. This story begins when she is eight years, growing up in Ramallah on the West Bank. One day at school, she and her sisters hear an explosion, only to discover later that their home has been demolished by the Israeli authorities. Living in Gaza in the late 1980s when the protests first broke out, she joined an underground network of women who led a resistance movement that would bring the Palestinian quest for self-determination to the world’s attention. With many men having been deported or arrested, women took the lead in the political and social organizing that would eventually lead to the Oslo peace talks. (Despite their contributions, these women found themselves largely supplanted by men when Yasser Arafat returned from exile to form the Palestinian Authority in 1994.) The film recounts their struggle and their sacrifices as well as their successes, exploring the often-high personal cost of their political activism. Creatively combining animation, archival imagery, and personal interviews, Naila and the Uprising tells a powerful story that, until now, has remained largely untold.

Director: Julia Bacha

Producers: Rula Salameh

Rebekah Wingert-Jabi

Cinematographer: Talal Jabari

Editor: Rebekah Wingert-Jabi Flavia de Souza

Music: Tristan Capacchione

Featuring: Naila Ayyesh

Zahira Kamal

Sama Aweidah Rabeha Diab

Terry Boulata

Running Time: 76 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: Just Vision Media

Film Website: nailaandtheuprising.com

Selected Filmography: Budrus (2009) Encounter Point (2006)

Nancy USA 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 7:00 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 25 4:30 PM

The title character in Christina Choe’s debut feature longs to escape the drab, lifeless world in which she finds herself—35 years old, working a dull temp job, and still living with her indifferent mother (Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”). To pass the time, Nancy (Andrea Riseborough, Birdman) makes up fanciful stories, such as an alleged vacation to North Korea, to seem more interesting. When she sees a TV news report about a couple, Leo and Ellen (Steve Buscemi and J. SmithCameron), who say they have been searching for their daughter who was kidnapped from a mall 30 years ago, Nancy suddenly gets a flash of recognition. Could the missing girl really be her? Nancy bears some resemblance to the digitally aged sketch of what Brooke might look like now. When she calls Leo and Ellen, saying she might be their daughter, Nancy sets off a chain of events that blur the line between reality and fantasy in this gripping psychological thriller. The decent, desperate couple is willing to project their hopes and aspirations onto the blank canvas that is Nancy’s face. At the same time, by assuming Brooke’s identity, Nancy can try to make her dream of being part of a caring family a reality. Is Nancy faking it? More importantly, the films asks, does the truth really matter?

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award)

Director: Christina Choe

Producers:

Amy Lo

Michelle Cameron

Andrea Riseborough

Screenwriter: Christina Choe

Cinematographer: Zoe White

Editor: David Gutnik

Music: Peter Raeburn

Cast: Andrea Riseborough

J. Smith-Cameron

Steve Buscemi

Ann Dowd

John Leguizamo

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Cercamon

Print Source: Samuel Goldwyn

Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

NAPOLI VELATA

Naples in Veils

ITALY 2017

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

KIRKLAND PC

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Naples plays the pivotal role of an additional storyteller in this tense thriller of love and murder from director Ferzan Ozpetek (Loose Cannons, SIFF 2010). Esteemed pathologist Adriana (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) lives a life suspended between mystery and magic, a life that is suddenly subverted by an unexpected love and a sudden death. After an unforeseen encounter and a night of intense passion, Adriana goes to work the next day to find out that the body lying on the slab is no stranger to her, and a journey into the mysteries of her city and her new life begins. The veils Ozpetek lifts disclose an unknown and surprising Naples, one of a carnal and visceral atmosphere; he tells the secrets of a city that is gold and dust, a city that is pagan and sacred at the same time, in a film where our eyes are taken by its beauty. The film is an invitation to release ourselves to passion and to our senses, just like the lead character does, a visual and personal voyage to discover potential new sides of our lives.

Director: Ferzan Ozpetek

Producers: Tilde Corsi

Gianni Romoli

Screenwriters: Gianni Romoli

Valia Santella

Ferzan Ozpetek

Cinematographer: Gian Filippo Corticelli

Editor:

Leonardo Alberto

Moschetta

Music:

Pasquale Catalano

Cast: Giovanna Mezzogiorno

Alessandro Barghi

Anna Bonaiuto

Peppe Barra

Lina Sastri

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: True Colours Glorious Film

Print Source: True Colours Glorious Film

Film Website: truecolours.it/#/naplesin-veils

Selected Filmography: Red Istanbul (2017)

Fasten Your Seatbelts (2014)

A Magnificent Haunting (2012)

Loose Cannons (2010)

A Perfect Day (2008)

Saturn in Opposition (2007)

Sacred Heart (2005)

Facing Windows (2003)

His Secret Life (2001)

Harem Suare (1999)

Steam: The Turkish Bath (1997)

Nearest and Dearest

RUSSIA 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, MAY 31 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN BLIZKIE

Being a teenager is not easy in small-town Russia. On the other end of the age spectrum, being old in rural Russia is no bed or roses either. This emotionally realistic drama reflects a hard but accurate look at a lower middle-class family of five—mother, father, son, daughter and grandmother—living on the outskirts of Moscow. Set in the winter amongst patches of snow and naked trees in a Soviet-type apartment, they are trapped in their own strong personalities and fight to be independent yet remain deeply and bitterly tied together. However, the teenage angst presented in Nearest and Dearest is most likely the same anywhere in the globe, as youngsters search for their way to fit into their home and school worlds. In addition, parents anywhere in the world perhaps struggle to support and understand their kids. What brings this family together in a softer way is what happens with their grandma, a tragedy that will take them through a belated catharsis. This debut feature from Ksenia Zueva is produced in collaboration with Katerina Mikhailova’s VEGA Film Company.

Director: Ksenia Zueva

Producers: Katerina Mikhailova

Vladislav Pasternak

Igor Fokin

Screenwriter: Ksenia Zueva

Cinematographer: Mikhail Vikhrov

Editors: Ksenia Zueva

Boris Mnykhin

Andrey Cherkasov

Music: Maria Zhulanova

Cast: Andrei Stoyanov

Elena Chekmazova

Nadezhda Ivanova

Danila Mozhaev

Larisa Morozova

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Intercinema

Print Source: Intercinema

Film Website: intercinema.ru/nearestanddearest

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Nervous Translation

PHILIPPINES 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 27 7:30 PM

Amid the backdrop of the Philippines’s Peoples Power Revolution of the 1980s and its resolution, this encapsulating story is told through the eyes of eight-year-old Yael. Intoxicated by her own small world, Yael lives with her absent mother in Manila while her dad is away from the family working in Riyadh. The banality of everyday life is made entrancing by Yael’s precocious imagination. Most of her time is spent writing alone and observing the people around her as opposed to interacting with them. She plays recorded cassette tapes from her father over and over again as they simultaneously fuel her sense of wonder and longing. Her rock star uncle tries his best to play fill-in dad, only Yael’s mutable code is tough to crack as she refuses to open up. Yael and her mother deal with the separation from her dad in conflicting ways that highlight the power of Yael’s imagination and underlay the film’s overarching tension. When a massive typhoon threatens the country, Yael deals with it in the only way she knows how, buying a magic pen that, according to her dreams, can write off all of her problems. Director Shireen Seno’s quietly colorful tale celebrates the quirky wisdom unique to children, as they try to make sense of the turbulent world around them.

Awards: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018 (NETPAC Award)

Never Steady, Never Still CANADA 2017

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF FILM CENTER

Director: Shireen Seno

Producers: John Torres

Ronald Arguelles

Screenwriter: Shireen Seno

Cinematographers: Albert Banzon

Jippy Pascua

Dennese Victoria

Editors:

John Torres

Shireen Seno

Music:

Itos Ledesma

Cast: Jana Agoncillo

Angge Santos

Sid Lucero

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Filipino, with English subtitles

International Sales: Reel Suspects

Print Source: Reel Suspects

Film Website: reelsuspects.com/ portfolio-item/nervoustranslation

Selected Filmography: Big Boy (2011)

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Judy (Shirley Henderson, Okja, Meek’s Cutoff) lives in bucolic northern British Colombia with her supportive husband Eddie (Nicholas Campbell, “Da Vinci’s Inquest”) and shy teenage son Jamie (Théodore Pellerin, It’s Only the End of the World). Theirs is a family built on love and the men seem to be up to the challenge of caring for Judy, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, but it’s just about time for 18-year-old Jamie to go out and get a good paying job. Finding work as an oil field driller, the aimless teen is dropped into a brutal, insular society of unchecked masculinity, finding he needs to shape up immediately or succumb to the treachery of this testosterone-fueled world. And then tragedy strikes. As Jamie contends with the violence of Alberta’s oil field work camps as well as his own sexual confusion, Judy struggles to take control of her life as her degenerative disorder intensifies. Never Steady, Never Still, the first feature film from writer/director Kathleen Hepburn, is a nuanced, compassionate, and carefully rendered study of grief and identity, cinematically shot among the mountains and lakes of Canada’s west coast with a soft palette and keen eye for composition.

Director: Kathleen Hepburn

Producers: Tyler Hagan

James Brown

Screenwriter: Kathleen Hepburn

Cinematographer: Norm Li

Editor: Simone Smith

Music: Ben Fox

Cast: Shirley Henderson

Théodore Pellerin

Nicholas Campbell

Mary Galloway

Lorne Cardinal

Jared Abrahamson

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Level K

Print Source:

LevelFilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

New Turn

HONG KONG/TAIWAN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 3:15 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, MAY 28 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

“God created the world in seven days. I hope I will re-create myself in ten days.” So resolves New Turn’s young protagonist, A-lan, at the outset of her sojourn to Taiwan. Hoping to traverse the entire island on bicycle, the twentysomething editor from Hong Kong seeks to discover herself in more ways than one. Two months earlier, she learned she may have a lost identical twin in Taiwan who had made a similar bike trip, and A-lan is determined to find her, or at least follow in her path. This path quickly unites her with three strangers, pedaling at her side as each pursues their own journey. The loquacious art director Qingtian, left reeling when her fiancé suddenly calls it quits, joins on a whim. They are soon joined by Zhenting, a mysterious free spirit making the trip to bond with his brother, and Guang, a sheltered young man suddenly eager to experience the world and build confidence. The four riders, just as in their lives before, encounter many wrenches in their spokes along the way, but find themselves growing through their unexpected friendship and the kindness they encounter throughout Taiwan. With a rich color palate and a spontaneous, jubilant spirit, New Turn is an endearing travelogue exploring the power of embracing twists and turns in the road for their own sake.

Director:

Doris Wong

Producers:

Wei Te-Sheng

Dora Ku

Screenwriter:

Ruby Chen

Music:

Day Tai

Cast:

Cherry Ngan

Zhang Ting-Hu

Huang Yao

Bo Zhi Jio

Weber Yang

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Cantonese and Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Edko Films

Print Source: Edko Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Nico, 1988

ITALY/USA 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 9:00 PM SIFF

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 8:30 PM SIFF

Telling the life story of an icon is never an easy task, but writer/director Susanna Nicchiarelli manages to melt her own adoration into a perfect biopic on the last years in the life on Christa Päffgen, a.k.a. Nico: lead singer of the iconic band The Velvet Underground, a muse to Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, and a beauty all her own. The final two years of her life are told as a road movie—from Prague to Paris, from Manchester to Rome, and finally to Ibiza—as she struggles with addiction, tours scruffy concert venues, and tries to reconnect with her long-absent, at-risk teenage son. Trine Dyrholm (Festen, Love is All You Need) embodies the infamous woman that has left her “goddess of darkness” fame behind, a woman who finally finds relief and happiness in her art only after losing her stunning beauty. A deeply feminine film, Nico, 1988 lets the music lead the narrative, relaying the legacy of a spectacular but strange life. We must be thankful to Nico –and to Nicchiarelli—for such a gift.

Director: Susanna Nicchiarelli

Producers: Marta Donzelli

Gregorio Paonessa

Joseph Rouschop

Valérie Bournonville

Screenwriter: Susanna Nicchiarelli

Cinematographer: Crystel Fournier

Editor: Stefano Cravero

Music: Gatto Ciliega

Cast: Trine Dyrholm

John Gordon Sinclair

Anamaria Marinca

Sandor Funtek

Thomas Trabacchi

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: Per tutta la vita (2014) La scoperta dell’alba (2012)

Cosmonaut (2009)

The Last Sentry (2007) Uomini e zanzare (2005) Il terzo occhio (2003)

CINEMA UPTOWN

CINEMA EGYPTIAN

No Bed of Roses

BANGLADESH/INDIA 2017

US PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 28 5:45 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, JUNE 4 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Sustained with pale, gray, and neutral tones, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s sixth feature film, No Bed of Roses is a heartrending film that depicts one man’s tragic attempt to safeguard his loved ones while thoughtlessly abdicating his heart to another woman. Javad Hasan (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi) is a famed movie director experiencing a midlife crisis: Unable to love his kind but acquiescent wife, Maya (Rokeya Prachy), Hasan marries a high school youth who happens to attend the same school as his daughter. As news of Hasan’s relationship with Nitu (Parno Mittra) trickles into the public, Hasan’s daughter, Saberi (Nusrat Imrose Tisha), pivots between sorrow and grief while Maya retreats further and further away from the world into embittered silence. Hasan struggles to mend the severed ties he’s created with his family, transforming him into a man that is hurt, broken, and above all else, helpless. Filmed with deliberate and intentional pacing against the metropolitan sprawl of Dhaka and the lush landscapes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, No Bed of Roses is not only visually beautiful, but is also filled with multiple subtleties expressed through refined moments of silence and distilled colors. Farooki once again utilizes his masterful skills as filmmaker to explore themes of individual frailty that’ll leave audiences breathless and mesmerized.

Awards: Moscow International Film Festival 2017 (Jury Prize)

Noble Earth

USA 2017

Director:

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Producers: Abdul Aziz

Ashok Dhanuka

Himanshu Dhanuka

Screenwriter: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Cinematographer: Sheikh Rajibul Islam

Editor:

Momin Biswas

Music:

Pavel Arin

Cast: Irrfan Khan

Nusrat Imrose Tisha

Parno Mittra

Rokeya Prachy

Rahad Hossain

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Bengali and English, with English

Subtitles

Selected Filmography:

Piprabidya (2013)

Televsion (2012)

Third Person Singular

Number (2009)

Mad_e in Bangladesh (2007)

Bachelor (2004)

US PREMIERE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:00 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 4:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE

After being fired from her job in New York, Emma travels to Florence to discover herself anew. Enamored by the beauty of the city, Emma drifts until she finds herself being wooed by a young Italian man, Tancredi, who invites her into a world unknown; that of hermetic nobility. Entranced and in love, Emma eagerly accepts an invitation of marriage by Tancredi, but upon their engagement, the reality of the lifestyle she’s giving her life to sets in and her excitement begins to wane as the gloss fades. The longer Emma stays with the family, the more she becomes involved with their politics and witnesses the flaws of their blind privilege. Having lived as a working-class citizen, Emma cannot help but feel like an outsider whose perspective is undervalued and dismissed. How long can she remain in the place that her new family expects of her before her perspective on the world spills out? Director Ursula Grisham shines in her debut feature by creating an atmospheric tension that naturally propels her Emma towards self-agency.

Awards: Oaxaca Film Festival 2017 (Best Emergent Feature)

Director: Ursula Grisham

Producers: Lorenzo Fiuzzi

Melinda Prisco

Ursula Grisham

Screenwriter: Ursula Grisham

Cinematographer: Kasper Wind

Editors:

Nadia Ben Rachid

Carlos Marqués-Marcét

Music: Martin Velez

Cast: Daisy Bevan

Elia Cittadini

Pierangelo Menci

Bettina Giovannini

Running Time: 79 minutes

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

International Sales: Film Republic

Print Source: Filmatique

Film Website: filmatique.com/nobleearth

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Nona

GUATEMALA/HONDURAS/MEXICO 2017

THURSDAY, MAY 31 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 3:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

“I paint the dead,” Nona (Sulem Calderon) tells an unseen interrogator in segments that frame her story. “I make them beautiful.” A young woman living in a shantytown in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, mortality surrounds her: she works as a morgue cosmetologist, her brothers and father are all dead, and she grew up thinking it was normal to see a murdered body in the street. “I am not afraid of death,” she reasons. “I believe it saved me.” Enter Hecho (Jesy McKinney), a handsome traveler who claims to be nursing a broken heart. Intrigued by his carefree wanderlust, she takes him up on his offer to leave Honduras behind and head toward the United States, where she can finally reunite with her mother. As the pair travels north by car, by bus, by boat, and by foot through Guatemala and Mexico, Nona’s world seems to gloriously open up, one filled with opportunity and happiness just a few countries away. But the world is also an unforgiving place, and when Hecho’s true intentions slowly become clear, her journey turns perilous. With Nona, American director Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho, Northfork) has created a harrowing, compassionate thriller that puts a face to Central America’s human trafficking industry, drawing us in with a lush travelogue that carries deeply sinister undertones with each mile they travel.

Director:

Michael Polish

Producers:

Kate Bosworth

Michael Polish

Jennifer Sulkess

Screenwriter:

Michael Polish

Cinematographers:

Michael Polish

Aidan Haley

Editor:

Aidan Haley

Music:

Stuart Matthewman

Cast: Sulem Calderon

Jesy McKinney

Giancarlo Ruiz

Kate Bosworth

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP in Spanish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Make Pictures

Selected Filmography: Hot Bot (2016)

90 Minutes in Heaven (2015)

Amnesiac (2014)

Big Sur (2013)

For Lovers Only (2011)

The Astronaut Farmer (2006)

Northfork (2003)

Jackpot (2001)

Twin Falls Idaho (1999)

NUMÉRO UNE

Number One

FRANCE/BELGIUM 2017

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 5:30 PM SIFF CINEMA

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA

Intelligent, sharp, and incredibly revealing of the dynamics of white collar gender politics, Number One is a sophisticated film that points out all the unfortunate truths of sexism in the French corporate world. Emmanuelle Devos is Emmanuelle Blachey, a strong-willed, sensible, and career-centered woman who holds a rare, powerful position as the only female executive at a prestigious French firm. She is approached by Adrienne (Francine Bergé), who believes that the times are ripe for a female CEO to enter France’s CAC 40—the equivalent of the Dow Jones. If successful, Blachey would become the first female in French history to hold such immense and corporate power. Backed by a group of female lobbyists, Adrienne tells Blachey that their target is Jean Beaumel (Richard Berry), a retiring CEO of a major water distribution company called Anthea. While Blachey hesitates, a series of events leads her to change her position, forcing her to choose between career, identity, and ideals. Intelligent in dialogue and keen in performance, Number One is a film that showcases the twists and turns that all successful female leaders must endure. The film is full of nuanced moments of casual sexism that we all take for granted for not seeing, a film that, indeed, should be seen not for just its impeccable acting, but also for its message.

Director:

Tonie Marshall

Producers: Tonie Marshall

Véronique Zerdoun

Jacques-Henri Bronckart

Olivier Bronckart

Screenwriters: Tonie Marshall

Marion Doussot

Raphaëlle Bacqué

Cinematographer: Julien Roux

Editor: Marie-Pierre Frappier

Music: Mike Kourtzer

Fabien Kourtzer

Cast: Emmanuelle Devos

Suzanne Clément

Richard Berry

Sami Frey

Benjamin Biolay

Francine Bergé

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Pyramide International

Print Source: Pyramide International

Film Website: inter.pyramidefilms. com/pyramidefilmsinternational-catalogue/ number-one

Selected Filmography: The Missionaries (2014)

Off and Running (2008)

France Boutique (2003)

Nearest to Heaven (2002)

Venus Beauty (1999)

Bastard Brood (1996)

Pas très catholique (1994)

Pentimento (1989)

UPTOWN

EGYPTIAN

SHABAB SHEYAB

On Borrowed Time

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 26 3:45 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Four old men resigned to their retirement home routines catch one last hoorah when one of them receives an unexpected inheritance in this humanizing buddy comedy. Each a character in their own right, the quartet make an unlikely crew of rule-breakers with the help of their beleaguered nurse Khalid: Abu Hassan is a wannabe astrologer and ringleader; Abu Hamad is wheel chair bound but still dreams of recording a vocal album; General Talaat is a retired general who speaks with military precision but hides a tender side; “The Pharmacist,” as he’s known throughout the film, deals prescription meds to his fellow retirees. After the General suddenly inherits 50 million dirhams, Abu Hassan believes they should spend the money and live life fuller with what time they have left. Only problem is the elderly aren’t allowed to leave the premises; not that it would deter them. From a music studio to a nightclub with kids a quarter of their age, they stumble and laugh their way through a night of absurdity. Yasir Al Yasiri’s short story-based film is quick to remind us it’s never too late to live out your dreams and pursue a little self-reinvention.

Director: Yasir Al Yasiri

Producer: Rami Yasin

Screenwriter: Yasir Al Yasiri

Cinematographer: Adrian Silisteanu

Editor: Shahnaz Dulaimy

Music:

Jerry Lane

Cast: Salloum Haddad

Saad Alfaraj

Fouad Ali

Mansour Alfeeli

Marie Alhalyan

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Cinetic

Print Source: Image Nation

Abu Dhabi

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

On Chesil Beach

UNITED KINGDOM 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 7:30 PM

SHORELINE CC

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 3:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

It’s the summer of 1962 in England along the beautiful seashore of Chesil Beach, and Florence Ponting (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward Mayhew (Billy Howle) have come together to embark on their honeymoon. The conflict? Both Florence and Edward are virgins in every sense of the word: timid, shy, sexually inexperienced—and unfamiliar with how to maintain everlasting relationships. Offered with light humor initially to relate the awkwardness that all young lovers experience, Florence and Edward’s inability to love each other soon hint at a more realistic and poignant truth: that no matter how affectionate the smile, the heart cannot be forced to love. Told through multiple flashbacks, it’s revealed that Florence and Edward are from two different worlds, with Florence coming from an upscale middleclass family and with dreams of becoming a prominent violinist. Edward, on the other hand, has a mind for history but must subordinate his desires because of his countryside upbringing. While these differences seem small at first, they, along with other subtler distinctions, become profound and acute, eventually defining Florence and Edward’s inability to love. On Chesil Beach is British theater director Dominic Cooke’s film debut, and it is a wonderful, sensitive, and emotionally telling piece of what it means to love—as well as what it means to let love go.

Director: Dominic Cooke

Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen

Stephen Woolley

Screenwriter: Ian McEwan

Cinematographer: Sean Bobbitt

Editor: Nick Fenton

Music: Dan Jones

Cast: Saoirse Ronan

Billy Howle

Emily Watson

Anne-Marie Duff

Samuel West

Adrian Scarborough

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Rocket Science

Print Source: Bleecker Street

Film Website: bleeckerstreetmedia.com/ onchesilbeach

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

On Her Shoulders

USA 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Alexandria Bombach gives audiences a rare and honest glimpse of what it means to be the public face of a community’s tragedy in the documentary On Her Shoulders. Nadia Murad’s village, Kocho, located in northern Iraq and composed primarily of an ethnic and religious minority known as Yazidis, was raided by ISIS in 2014. Over 700 villagers were slaughtered with just 15 survivors remaining—Nadia is one of those survivors. This documentary follows Nadia and her attempts to raise awareness of the massacre while also showcasing the emotional burden of this particular kind of fame. Nadia is intelligent, self-aware, and eloquent when she speaks—and yet, as a public figure, she also understands the masks she must wear in order to campaign for her cause, a role that causes her some discomfort. She sighs when the cameras on her are turned off; her eyes turn grim when journalists praise her for her strength; and her lips press faintly together whenever audiences express their sympathies. Bombach does a tremendous job of showing Nadia as someone who has endured indescribable horrors, yet she never depicts Nadia as a martyr, choosing instead to show her as an honest, strong-willed individual. On Her Shoulders is worth watching not just for its insightful depiction of its heroine, but also for the story she seeks to tell.

Awards:

Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Directing Award: U.S. Documentary)

One of These Days

LEBANON/QATAR 2017

Director:

Alexandria Bombach

Producers: Hayley Pappas

Brock Williams

Screenwriter: Alexandria Bombach

Cinematographer: Alexandria Bombach

Editor:

Alexandria Bombach

Music:

Patrick Jonsson

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Cinephil

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: facebook.com/OnHerShoulders

ReadingSeries

Selected Filmography: Frame By Frame (2015)

US PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 21 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Beirut is experiencing yet another terrorist attack resulting in street demonstrations and police checkpoints. But for this generation that has known war since birth, it’s sadly just another day. Against this backdrop of civil unrest, war, and weapons, Maya, Yasmina and Rami, all between 17 and 22 years old, are just trying to live their lives, navigating a minefield of heartbreak, confusion, drugs, music, boredom, love, and fear. Yasmina is a young woman who has just escaped from a stint in rehab for heroin addiction and is trying to find her way back to a more innocent time. In this quest, she hangs out with her young friend Maya, returning to the band she used to sing in and to her former boyfriend Rami, the band’s leader. What is most striking is the evident contrast between the characters’ youthful longing for life and the omnipresence of death around them. Functioning as a metaphor for the country and its inhabitants, the film follows the trio and their friends and lovers over one 24-hour period in the beautiful, traumatized, electric city they call home.

Director: Nadim Tabet

Producers: Georges Schoucair

Wadih Safieddine

Screenwriter: Nadim Tabet

Cinematographer: Pascal Auffray

Editors:

Julia Gregory

Pascale Hannoyer

Music:

Charbel Haber

Cast: Manal Issa

Yumna Marwan

Reine Salameh

Walid Feghali

Panos Aprahamian

Nicolas Cardahi

Julian Farhat

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Pascale Ramonda

Film Website: abboutproductions.com/ Abbout

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

YOMANIE OSLO

The Oslo Diaries

ISRAEL/CANADA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 27 4:00 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Peace Accords, and in the context of Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, comes an in-depth documentary on a small group of Israelis and Palestinians who met in Norway— secretly and against the law—to try to bring an end to one of the most intractable conflicts of our time. As the meetings were never officially sanctioned, they were chronicled principally in the negotiators’ diaries; filmmakers Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan use these diaries to create reenactments of the meetings. In addition to the re-enactments, there is never-before-seen archival footage as well as interviews with survivors, including the chief Palestinian negotiator, Abu Ala, and Yitzhak Rabin’s second-in-command, Shimon Peres. The participants reflect on their involvement and speak openly and honestly about the difficulties they faced and the hopefulness that kept them engaged. The results provide new insights into why the negotiating process failed and acts as a poignant retrospective on a moment more than two decades ago when it seemed possible that peace could be within reach.

Directors: Mor Loushy

Daniel Sivan

Producers: Hilla Medalia

Ina Fishman

Screenwriter: Mor Loushy

Cinematographer: Avner Shahaf

Editors:

Daniel Sivan

Mor Loushy

Music: Francois Jolin

Mira Awad

Featuring: Shimon Peres

Yossi Belin

Saeb Barakat

Bill Clinton

Yasser Arafat

Yitzhak Rabin

Running Time: 94 minutes

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

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: Docs for Education

Film Website: medaliaproductions.com/ portfolio-item/the-oslodiaries

Selected Filmography:

The Patriot (2017)

Loushy, Censored Voices (2015)

Poisoned (2011)

The Life and Death of Gotel Botel (2009)

Loushy, Israel Ltd. (2009)

Monkey Business (2006)

DRUGA STRANA SVEGA

The Other Side of Everything

SERBIA 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 7:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 22 3:30 PM

What can a locked door inside a Belgrade apartment tell us about the past? Filmmaker

Mila Turajlić uses a door that was sealed shut for 70 years to explain the breakup of Yugoslavia. Like many large apartments under communism, her family home in the city center was divided to accommodate other families. The Turajlićs never opened that door and never knew their neighbor. “The more I stare at the locked doors that I have been faced with all my life, the more I realize how much about Serbia can be understood by talking about divided spaces.” Turajlić focuses with an Agnès Varda-like eye on her family apartment, the objects within, and the major historical activities that occurred outside the tall windows of her building. However, the film is really a fascinating portrait of her radical mother Srbijanka Turajlić, a university professor and a dynamic staunchly committed dissident who played a main role in resistance movements during the 1990s and in the first democratic government in 2000. In both a homey and political family chronicle, Director Turajlić manages to illuminate some of the most complicated issues of her country.

Awards: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2017 (Best Documentary)

Director: Mila Turajlić

Producer: Carine Chichkowsky

Mila Turajlić

Screenwriter: Mila Turajlić

Cinematographer: Mila Turajlić

Editors: Sylvie Gadmer

Aleksandra Milovanovic

Music: Jonathan Morali

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Serbian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Dribbling Pictures

Print Source: Icarus Films

Film Website: othersideofeverything. com

Selected Filmography: Cinema Komunisto (2010)

SIFF FILM CENTER

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

People’s Republic of Desire

CHINA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 3:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

As an entire generation has come of age on social media, virtual relationships are slowly replacing real-life human connection. This modern cultural shift is especially prevalent in China, where live-streaming has become the most popular form of entertainment, online or off, for hundreds of millions. Hao Wu’s informing documentary takes audiences into the lives of these online celebrity performers and their fans, from the rich financial patrons to the migrant working poor just looking for a cheap way to be entertained and feel connected. We meet Shen Man, a singer making thousands upon thousands a month for her online shows; in a reversal of fortune, she financially supports her live-in father and stepmother. Then there’s “Big Li,” a former migrant worker turned virtual celebrity and actual millionaire for his skits and song parodies. Yet despite the constant love and gifts pouring in through their chat rooms, a pervasive sense of loneliness and societal isolation circulates their daily lives. As fast as fortunes and fandom may come, they can disappear quickly in a dizzying array of online hatred and humiliation should the court of public opinion ever shift; for a streamer whose sense of self-worth is a based on virtual gratification, that can have catastrophic real-world impact.

Awards: SXSW 2018 (Grand Jury Prize: Documentary)

Director:

Hao Wu

Producer:

Hao Wu

Screenwriter: Hao Wu

Cinematographers: Hao Wu

Jingyang Cheng

Bo Huang

Editor: Hao Wu

Music:

Michael Tuller

Featuring: Jiang Congyong

Shen Man

Li Xianliang

Running Time: 95 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Cinetic Media

Print Source: Cinetic Media

Film Website: desire.film

Selected Filmography: The Road to Fame (2013) Beijing or Bust (2005)

Pick of the Litter

USA 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 4:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY MONDAY, JUNE 4 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

This crowd and pup-pleasing documentary follows a litter of five Labrador puppies on their training quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Slowly but surely, the playful young puppers grow into intelligent doggos apt for a person in need. They begin with their puppy raisers, volunteers who raise them until they’re 16 months old, and then it’s onto the big leagues at the 10-week guide dog course. But it’s not always smooth sailing, as training occasionally hits ruff waters and not everyone graduates to service. Not that there’s anything wrong with the playful life of a treatdevouring civilian. First, we have Potomac, a rambunctious black lab quick to lunge at any loose pinecones on the ground. Perhaps too quick. Then there’s yellow lab Primrose: calm, collected, and ready for any task. Black lab Patriot, tallest of the siblings, is all energy and focus. Little sister Poppet is sweet as can be, capable of all instructions thanks to her experienced raisers. Last but not least is Phil, a yellow lab underdog determined to prove he’s up to snuff. It’s a dog-eat-kibble world out there, and we’re just here to enjoy the show.

Awards:

Cinequest Film Festival 2018 (Best Documentary, Audience Award)

Directors: Don Hardy Jr.

Dana Nachman

Producers:

Don Hardy Jr.

Dana Nachman

Screenwriter:

Dana Nachman

Cinematographer: Don Hardy Jr.

Editors: Don Hardy Jr.

Dana Nachman

Jacob Stein

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: IFC Films

Film Website: pickofthelittermovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Nachman:

Batkid Begins (2015)

The Human Experiment (2013)

Love Hate Love (2011)

Witch Hunt (2008)

Hardy Jr.:

Theory of Obscurity: A

Film About the Residents (2015)

The Human Experiment (as Don Hardy 2013)

Love Hate Love (2011)

Witch Hunt (2008)

Sound Man: WWII to MP3 (2006)

KHOOK

Pig

IRAN 2018 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 2:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 3:15 PM KIRKLAND PC

Mani Haghighi, of the SIFF 2017 smash hit A Dragon Arrives, is back with Pig–SIFF 2018’s smash hit-to-be. A serial killer is stalking directors in Tehran, decapitating them, and carving the word “pig” into their severed heads. This is alarming to Hasan, himself a director, albeit an out-of-work one, thanks to a government blacklist. He fears for his life and the lives of his friends. But as film luminaries go down one after another (including one much-regretted “Mani Haghighi”), Hasan starts to wonder, “Why not me? What have they got that I don’t?” In fact, the killer’s neglect occasions a massive crisis of self-doubt—Hasan has been reduced to making commercials for bug spray, and his actress girlfriend (Leila Hatami, A Separation) has just agreed to star in the latest film by his biggest rival. Hasan’s mother reassures him that the killer’s just saving the best for last, but when rumors start to circulate that he himself may be the killer, he’s driven to take matters into his own hands. A strobe-lit, pop art-colored black comedy about artistic vanity run amok!

Director: Mani Haghighi

Producer: Mani Haghighi

Screenwriter: Mani Haghighi

Cinematographer: Mahmoud Kalari

Editor: Meysam Molaei

Music:

Peyman Yazdanian

Cast: Hassan Majooni

Leila Hatami

Parinaz Izadyar

Mina Jafarzadeh

Leili Rashidi

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Farsi, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Films Boutique

Print Source:

Films Boutique

Selected Filmography:

A Dragon Arrives (2017) 50 Kilos of Sour Cherries (2016)

Modest Reception (2012)

Canaan (2008)

Men at Work (2006)

Abadan (2004)

Sponsored by Anonymous, Sinikka and Babak Parviz, Baabak Nassirian at FYF Productions, American Iranian Business Council, Nima Foroutan DDS, Shadi Araghi/ Highlands Kids Dentistry, Mike Moghaddas with Avenue Properties, Naini Family Foundation, Radio Iranshahr, Professional Copy ‘n’ Print, Sanaz Namdar, Ali Ahmadi, Persian & Iranian Studies at UW Near Eastern Languages & Civilization Department, and UW Iranian-American Faculty

The Place

ITALY 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 9:30 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 24 8:45 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

How far would you go to get what you want?

The title refers to a nondescript restaurant where a mysterious man sits every day at the same table, granting his visitors’ biggest wishes and assigning them peculiar tasks to accomplish in return, forcing each of these 10 visitors to consider the limits of their dreams and capabilities. Based on the American TV series “The Booth at the End,” director Paolo Genovese (Perfect Strangers) has created a film where everything is told but never seen, still managing to keep the tension ratcheted up. Despite the simplicity of its cinematography and the restrictions of the narrative, we as viewers are caught in the web of these stories and the crescendo of the visitors’ interweaving tragedies. The man at the table could be the devil, but sometimes the people who sit in front of him—an all-star cast of some of Italy’s biggest actors—are even more terrifying. Riveting and captivating, this is a merry-goround of desperate tales and terrible assignments, a film with a huge emotional impact and a disturbing but fascinating beauty.

Awards:

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Prize)

Director: Paolo Genovese

Producer: Marco Belardi

Screenwriters: Isabella Aguilar

Paolo Genovese

Cinematographer: Fabrizio Lucci

Editor: Consuelo Catucci

Music: Maurizio Filardo

Cast: Valerio Mastandrea

Marco Giallini

Alba Rorhwacher

Vittoria Puccini

Rocco Papaleo

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales:

True Colours Glorious Film

Print Source: True Colours Glorious Film

Film Website: facebook.com/The PlaceILFilm

Selected Filmography: Perfect Strangers (2016) Ever Been to the Moon? (2015)

Tutta colpa di Freud (2014)

Una famiglia perfetta (2012)

Immaturi - Il viaggio (2012)

The Immature (2011)

The Santa Claus Gang (2010)

Questa notte è ancora

nostra (2008)

Sorry, You Can’t Get Through! (2005)

A Neapolitan Spell (2002)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

LINCOLN SQUARE

SI-E-NUI SA-RANG

The Poet and the Boy

SOUTH KOREA 2017

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 8:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Thirty-something poet Hyon is running out of inspiration while he coasts through a peaceful and uneventful existence on the beautiful Jeju Island. Lucky for him, his wife supports them both and his art financially. Their childless marriage is chided by their friends much to his wife’s chagrin; the problem being Hyon’s passion for a family is as diminished as his poetry, and a low sperm count certainly doesn’t help matters. But a chance meeting with a young boy working a donut shop changes everything for the poet. An unlikely friendship ensues and emotional riptides swirl as Hyon is forced to recognize a part of himself, his sexuality long dormant. Soon. a first casual infatuation begins bordering on dangerous obsession. As his personal life shutters with uncertainty, his art flourishes in ways he had only dreamed of before. The trope of an older artist finding passion in a youthful beauty is given new life with a subtly engrossing performance by Korean actor Yang Ik-june as Hyon. Kim Yang-hee’s impressive directorial debut asks intelligent questions about life, suppressed love, and artistic fulfillment.

Director: Kim Yang-hee

Producers: Seo Jung

An Young-jin

Screenwriter: Kim Yang-hee

Cinematographer: Choi Yun-man

Editor: Lee Young-lim

Music: Koo Ja-wan

Cast: Yang Ik-june

Jeon Hye-jin Jung Ga-ram

Running Time: 110 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP in Korean, with English subtitles

International Sales: Finecut Co.

Print Source: Altered Innocence

Film Website: alteredinnocence.com/ poet

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Poetess

GERMANY/SAUDI ARABIA 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 21 6:30 PM

SIFF

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

“When you isolate women, you isolate the soul of the whole society,” says Saudi writer Hissa Hilal and subject of The Poetess. Hilal drew worldwide attention as a contestant on the popular Arab TV talent show “Million’s Poet,” which airs across the region to regular audiences of more than 70 million people. Similar to shows like “American Idol” but for poetry, “Million’s Poet” offers a top prize of over a million dollars, and its contestants attain celebrity status. Hilal is not in it for fame or fortune, however: “My poetry destroys and destroys seriously.” Her confrontational verses critique patriarchal society and religious extremism, protest laws segregating women from men, and urge a tolerant Islam. A self-taught writer with Bedouin roots and a married mother of four, Hilal risks her personal safety to spread her message; her appearances draw death threats. In a country where women need their guardian’s consent for any major activity—including travelling, obtaining a passport, getting married or divorced, or signing contracts—Hilal’s experience on “Million’s Poet” is nothing short of groundbreaking. And as thrilling as her experience is, the warm reception it draws is equally inspiring. In the words of one fan, “[What] I’m seeing is a lot of courage out there, a lady, she’s speaking out and she’s in niqab. That’s something amazing for me.”

Directors: Stefanie Brockhaus

Andreas Wolff

Producer: Andreas Wolff

Screenwriters: Stefanie Brockhaus

Andreas Wolff

Cinematographers: Tobias Tempel

Stefanie Brockhaus

Editors: Hansjorg Weissbrich

Anja Pohl

Music: Sebastan Zenke

Featuring: Hissa Hilal

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Cat & Docs

Print Source: Cat & Docs

Film Website: facebook.com/thesaudipoetess

Selected Filmography: Brockhaus:

Some Things are Hard to Talk About (2016)

On the Other Side of Life (2009)

Wolff:

The Captain and His Pirate (2013)

On the Other Side of Life (2009)

CINEMA UPTOWN

Prospect

USA/CANADA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

THURSDAY, MAY 24 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 6:30 PM SHORELINE CC

The best science fiction stories inspire the imagination to fill out an incredible universe, and Prospect succeeds with memorable characters inhabiting a believable lush green moon (an unrecognizable Olympic National Park) with a toxic golden-hued atmosphere.

Cee (newcomer Sophie Thatcher) and her father Damon (Jay Duplass, Outside In) are on a risk-filled mission to mine a unique mineral inside an organic sac called Aurelacs. Once their secondhand spaceship lands, it becomes apparent they are going to need another way off the planet. Damon has heard of a cluster of Aurelacs known as the “Queen’s Lair,” but with other prospectors around it won’t be easy to quietly mine it and buy their way back into space. To make matters worse, the two get into an altercation with a pair of brothers, forcing Cee to reluctantly ally with Ezra (Pedro Pascal, “Game of Thrones”), a bottom feeder who can never quite be trusted. Directors Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell have fused this low-budget sci-fi with a western lens that deepens the desperation of their characters within a world void of rules. Both Duplass and Pascal are strong as father figures, but it’s Thatcher who ably reveals herself as the strongest character in the film as she struggles to stay alive and figure out a way back to her orbiting ship.

CUORI PURI

Pure Hearts

ITALY 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:15 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, JUNE 4 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Directors:

Zeek Earl

Chris Caldwell

Producers: Andrew Miano

Chris Weitz

Scott Glassgold

Dan Balgoyen

Garrick Dion

Matthias Mellinghaus

Screenwriters: Zeek Earl

Chris Caldwell

Cinematographer: Zeek Earl

Editor: Paul Frank

Music: Daniel L.K. Caldwell

Cast: Sophie Thatcher

Pedro Pascal

Jay Duplass

Andre Royo

Sheila Vand

Anwan Glover

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source:

Depth of Field

Film Website: prospectthefilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

This is a film about love and redemption; nothing new, you’d say, but Roberto De Paolis tells it in a way no one has never done before. In the outskirts of Rome, where the glamour of the Eternal City does not shine at all, Agnese has just turned 18; she lives with a very strict and pious mother, and as a result is ready to commit to a vow of chastity before marriage. Stefano, 25, is a man with a troubled past who works as a security guard in a huge parking lot next to a Romani settlement. Upon their first meeting, their encounter creates an unbreakable bond, and soon the purity in their hearts will force them to make life-altering and grave choices. De Paolis’ first feature finds its strength in its superb storytelling, refusing to ever over the top; the two lead actors participated in the writing, bringing their own sincerity and sentimental purity to film’s overwhelming narrative success. Using only a handheld camera, De Paolis gives his actors complete freedom from the constrictions of classical shots, allowing the film to flow naturally, clear of clichés and stereotypes, with two beautiful, truthful performances at its center.

Director: Roberto De Paolis

Producers: Carla Altieri

Roberto De Paolis

Screenwriters: Luca Infascelli

Carlo Salsa

Greta Scicchitano

Roberto De Paolis

Cinematographer: Claudio Cofrancesco

Editor: Paola Freddi

Music: Emanuele De Raymondi

Cast: Selene Caramazza

Simone Liberati

Barnora Bobulova

Stefano Fresi

Edoardo Pesce

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Italian, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Puzzle

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 6:45 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 4:15 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Assembling a jigsaw puzzle is an activity most people do only when there is absolutely nothing better to do. In Marc Turtletaub’s latest film, the jigsaw is the unlikely catalyst to a middle-aged woman’s awakening to new passions in her colorless domestic world. The heroine, Agnes (Kelly Macdonald, Trainspotting), is first seen performing all the chores in her Connecticut household, including preparing the meal, baking a cake, serving the guests, and doing all the dishes afterward for a birthday party that, we only realize later, was in her honor. One of the gifts, however, is a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, which, to her astonishment, she completes—twice—in just a few hours. Feeling the need to explore this latent talent, she spots an ad from a “puzzle champion” in need of a worthy partner. That’s how Agnes meets Robert (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi), a recently divorced man who shares her temperament and gift for spatial relations. Although Agnes still loves her sweet-butmostly-clueless husband (David Denman, “The Office”), she finds herself inexorably drawn to her fellow puzzle master. But how far will it go? Based on the 2009 Argentine film Rompecabezas, by Natalia Smirnoff, Puzzle manages to mine drama, emotion, and inspiration from the dullest of pastimes, proving that it’s never too late to find the missing pieces in one’s life.

Director:

Marc Turtletaub

Producers:

Wren Arthur

Peter Saraf

Guy Stodel

Screenwriters: Oren Moverman

Natalia Smirnoff

Cinematographer: Chris Norr

Editor:

Catherine Haight

Music: Dustin O’Halloran

Cast: Austin Abrams

Mandela Bellamy

Myrna Cabello

Sebastian Chacon

Helen Coxe

Running Time: 103 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Memento Films

International

Print Source: Sony Pictures Classics

Film Website: sonyclassics.com

Selected Filmography: Gods Behaving Badly (2013)

Queerama

UNITED KINGDOM 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:00 PM

ARK LODGE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

With unprecedented access to a treasure trove of footage from the archive of the British Film Institute, award-winning documentary filmmaker Daisy Asquith compiles an emotional history of the homosexual experience over the past century in the United Kingdom, encompassing all its beauty and brutality. Starting with 1919’s Different from Others, featuring the first gay relationship shown on film, Queerama offers iconic moments from the LGBTQ canon—including Sunday Bloody Sunday, The Naked Civil Servant, The Killing of Sister George, Young Soul Rebels, and the Terence Davies Trilogy—and seamlessly blends them with vintage newsreels and previously unseen underground films from throughout the decades. Lyrical is an especially apt adjective for Queerama, representing not only the film’s unique montage editing style but also the pulsating musical score featuring music by Hercules & Love Affair, Goldfrapp, and primarily John Grant. The former leader of indie rock sensation The Czars, Grant’s luscious songs are tender, beautiful, and transgressive works of frank poetry, the perfect accompaniment to the unfolding scenes of love, lust, pain, and selfloathing. Together, the music and imagery of Queerama illustrate a lifetime of persecution and prosecution, love and desire, sexual liberation and pride, to create a celebration of gay life and a reminder of the broken lives and hearts that have paved the way towards equality.

PRECEDED BY:

Landline

United Kingdom, 2017, 12 minutes, Director: Matt Houghton After a chaplain from Cheshire set up a helpline for gay farmers, their calls unveil the realities of their tough lives.

Director: Daisy Asquith

Producer: Catryn Ramasut

Editors: Kenny McCracken

Alan Mackay

Daisy Asquith

Music: John Grant

Goldfrapp

Hercules & Love Affair

Running Time: 70 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Syndicado Film Sales

Print Source: Syndicado Film Sales

Film Website: queerama.co.uk

Selected Filmography: After the Dance (2015) Clowns (2008) Fifteen (2001)

Racer and the Jailbird

BELGIUM/FRANCE/NETHERLANDS 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 3:45 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 9:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Actors Adèle Exarchopoulos and Matthias Schoenaerts let the erotic sparks fly in this adrenaline-soaked love story of two daredevils—one a professional racecar driver, the other a bank robber—trying to make their relationship work, though it is built upon deceit and lawlessness. When Gigi (Schoenaerts) first sees Bibi (Exarchopoulos), he is as impressed with her curves on the track as he is with the curves under her bodysuit. They act upon their mutual attraction but keep each other at arm’s length—the no-nonsense Bibi tells him “no flowers” for their first date, while Gigi conceals his criminal history and won’t even invite her to his home. But Gigi’s ruse doesn’t last long when everything goes south during the next intricate heist, which director Michaël R. Roskam and cinematographer Nicolas Karakatsanis stage in an audacious, heart-pounding action sequence on a Belgian highway involving an armored truck, automatic weapons, and a shipping container tumbling from a bridge. True to the film’s title, Gigi is caught and sent to prison as the film shifts gears, but Bibi refuses to give up on him, even when more complications threaten to tear them apart. Edited in three distinct acts, the film is filled with lies, betrayals, and unexpected plot twists that will keep viewers guessing until the final screech of the tires.

Awards:

Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film)

Razzia

FRANCE/MOROCCO/BELGIUM 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 1:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

TUESDAY, MAY 29 6:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Director: Michaël R. Roskam

Producers: Pierre-Ange Le Pogam

Bart Van Langendonck

Screenwriters: Thomas Bidegain

Noé Debré

Michaël R. Roskam

Cinematographer: Nicolas Karakatsanis

Editor: Alain Dessauvage

Music: Raf Keunen

Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts

Adèle Exarchopoulos

Eric De Staercke

Jean-Benoît Ugeux

Nabil Missoumi

Running Time: 130 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: NEON

Film Website: facebook.com/lefidelefilm

Selected Filmography: The Drop (2014) Bullhead (2011)

A kindhearted school teacher, a woman married to a misogynist, a Jewish restaurant owner looking for sexual encounters, young people trying to define themselves in a turbulent time—these are the people whose stories structure the multi-layered, intense, kaleidoscopic film that is Razzia. These multiple narratives overlap by the film’s climax, as the anxieties and fears of Moroccan youth spill over into the streets. Director Nabil Ayouch is no stranger to controversy: Horses of God (SIFF 2013), for which he won the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Director, explored what compels young people to grow up to become suicide bombers. His next film, Much Loved (SIFF, 2016), plunged viewers into the world of sex work, causing a scandal in his homeland. Ayouch continues this audacious approach in Razzia, exploring stories of unrest, oppression, and sexual yearning in modern Morocco, where Islamic ideals and laws clash with Western influences. Incisive and explosive, the film also pays homage to Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca not just in its many references, but also through defiance and contradiction, contrasting the earlier work with a more contemporary, more authentic portrait of the city and its people.

Awards: Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film)

Director: Nabil Ayouch

Producers: Bruno Nahon

Patrick Quinet

Nabil Ayouch

Screenwriters: Nabil Ayouch

Maryam Touzani

Cinematographer: Virginie Surdej

Editors: Sophie Reine

Marie-Hélène Dozo

Music: Caroline Chaspoul

Eduardo Henriquez

Guillaume Poncelet

Cast: Maryam Touzani

Arieh Worthalter

Amine Ennaji

Abdelilah Rachid

Dounia Binebine

Abdellah Didane

Running Time: 119 minutes

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

International Sales: Playtime

Print Source: First Run Features

Selected Filmography: Much Loved (2015) Horses of God (2012) My Land (2011)

Whatever Lola Wants (2007)

Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000) Mektoub (1997)

AL-TAQAREER HAWL SARAH WA SALEEM

The Reports on Sarah and Saleem

PALESTINE/NETHLANDS/GERMANY/MEXICO 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 9:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 2:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In the engrossing, ambitious follow up to his impressive debut (Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements, SIFF 2015), director Muayad Alayan continues his exploration of intimate relationships constrained by their political contexts. In this case that context is Jerusalem, a city deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines. Sarah, an Israeli café owner, and Saleem, a Palestinian deliveryman, are having a casual affair that suddenly becomes something much more serious after a date gone wrong. When Saleem suggests that they stop for a drink at a bar in Bethlehem—a West Bank city under Palestinian authority—a suspicious local spots Sarah’s Hebrew name pendant. The next day, Saleem is picked up by Palestinian security, accused of trafficking Israeli prostitutes; his lawyer proposes that Saleem is actually recruiting Sarah as a spy. Complicating matters further is that Sarah’s husband is a colonel in the Israeli army. Soon, the lovers find themselves facing a difficult choice: clearing their names means revealing their relationship; preserving their secret entails dangerous lies. Either way, their decision will have consequences well beyond their individual marriages as their illicit relationship takes on international implications.

Awards: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018 (Special Jury Award, Audience Award)

Director:

Muayad Alayan

Producers:

Muayad Alayan

Rami Alayan

Screenwriter: Rami Alayan

Cinematographer: Sebastian Bock

Editor:

Sameer Qumsiyeh

Music:

Frank Gelat

Charlie Rishmawi

Tarek Abu Salameh

Cast:

Maisa Abd Elhadi

Adeeb Safadi

Sivane Kretchner

Ishai Golan

Running Time: 127 minutes

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

International Sales: Heretic Outreach

Print Source: Heretic Outreach

Film Website: heretic.gr/the-reports-onsarah-and-saleem

Selected Filmography: Love, Theft and Other Entanglements (2015)

Sacred Stones (codirector) (2011)

Retablo

PERU/GERMANY/NORWAY 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 6:45 PM PACIFIC PLACE SATURDAY, JUNE 9 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

Blessed with a photographic memory and an artist’s soul, 14-year-old Segundo (Junior Bejar) is set to follow in his father Noe’s (Amiel Cayo) footsteps as a master crafter of retablos, colorful and richly detailed story-boxes that fetch high prices at their local marketplace and are in high demand within the family’s small, isolated Quechua village in Peru. But while on his way to a celebration in the Andes, Segundo accidentally discovers his troubled father’s secret, the young artist’s world is quickly turned inside out, his life transformed into a simmering storm of anger, confusion, and a growing disillusionment with his village’s often provincial way of thinking. Soon, a misstep puts the family’s secret out on the open, forcing a reckoning between Segundo and his beleaguered mother Anatolia (Magaly Solier, Magallanes, SIFF 2010’s The Milk of Sorrow), as well as with the only place he’s ever known. A powerful, deeply absorbing feature debut from writer/director Alvaro Delgado Aparicio, Retablo is a Peruvian story of self-realization about how much of our lives are defined by our environment and social class, and what happens when we push against both. Retablo was a SIFF New Worksin-Progress Forum 2017 film.

Awards:

Berlin International Film Festival 2018 (Teddy Newcomer Award, Generations 14plus Special Mention)

Lima International Film Festival 2017 (Best Peruvian Film)

Director: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio

Producers: Enid Campos

Alvaro Delgado Aparicio

Screenwriters: Alvaro Delgado Aparicio

Héctor Gálvez

Cinematographer: Mario Bassino

Editor: Eric Williams

Music: Harry Escott

Cast: Magaly Solier

Amiel Cayo

Junior Bejar Roca

Running Time: 102 minutes

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

International Sales: Heretic Outreach

Print Source: Heretic Outreach

Film Website: heretic.gr/retablo

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

The Return

DENMARK 2018

US PREMIERE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 6:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

MONDAY, JUNE 4 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

A pervasive sense of longing and questions of identity compose this genre-defying film about two Danish-Korean adoptees seeking answers about their birth parents. In an utterly entrancing feature debut, director Malene Choi Jensen uses several details from her own life as the film’s source material. Karoline and Thomas meet at a house for adopted Korean children either visiting or in search of their families as adults. Soon, they’re off visiting adoptive agencies, researching names, and questioning locals, and led to small islands off the coast in search of Karoline’s mother, only to meet dead ends. In many ways, this new country feels completely odd and foreign to them, yet equally like home—as though they belong, even if they don’t know how. Just when it seems their search might leave them in the dark, a beacon of hope appears. A quiet, well-mannered but emotionally stormy meeting ensues that only seems to provide more questions than any finality. Naturalist storytelling infused with interviews of real adoptees creates an immersive film experience entirely unique, neither a traditional feature nor a documentary.

Director: Malene Choi

Producers: Katja Adomeit

Julie Rix Bomholt

Julie Friis Walenciak

Screenwriter: Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen

Cinematographer: Catherine Pattinama Coleman

Editor: Julius Krebs Damsbo

Music: Philip Nicolai Flindt

Cast: Thomas Hwan

Karoline Sofie Lee

Seong ln-ja

Running Time: 85 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Danish, Korean, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pluto Film Distribution

Network

Print Source: Danish Film Institute

Film Website: dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/ filmdatabasen/film/return

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Return to Mount Kennedy USA 2018

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 3:30 PM KIRKLAND PC

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 3:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In 1965, Robert Kennedy was the first man to summit Mount Kennedy in the Yukon Territory, named in honor of his late brother. Leading that expedition was Jim Whitaker, the first American to summit Everest and original fulltime employee of REI. 50 years later, Jim’s sons Bob and Leif, along with Christopher Kennedy, decide to climb the mountain again in honor of their fathers’ joint accomplishment and unique friendship. Filmmaker Eric Becker’s touching documentary combines archival footage— including several Kennedy home movies—with interviews from Jim himself and those who knew them best as we follow three sons and their journey literally in their fathers’ footsteps. The biggest focus is on Bob, who began his career as a groupie-turned-tour manager for Seattle grunge legends Mudhoney, which would lead him on to work with bands like R.E.M. and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs; now he leads government-based environmental projects in Eastern Washington. With the original intention of reconnecting with his father, brother, and the vastness of nature around him, Bob learns more than expected about himself and why he does what he does. Eddie Vedder, a personal friend of Bob’s, writes original music for film that tailor shots of the expansive mountain ranges together in this wholesome story.

Director: Eric Becker

Editor: Andrew Pranks

Music: Eddie Vedder

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: We Are Shouting

Film Website: mtkennedy.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Revenge

FRANCE 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 MIDNIGHT

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

French Director Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge is a rape payback thriller told through the female gaze. Fargeat’s first feature film is heavy on style while not relinquishing its substance; with awareness of the sexual politics at play when men are both responsible for and complicit in the sexual brutalization of a woman, the director takes us on a tables-have-turned bloodbath massacre focused on obliterating the abusers. Jen (Matilda Lutz) arrives by helicopter to enjoy a private weekend away with her millionaire boyfriend, Richard (Kevin Janssens), at his isolated desert mansion. After some initial fun, two of Richard’s friends (Vincent Columbe and Guillaume Bouchède) make a surprise visit, wanting to party and go hunting. Jen’s sense of discomfort quickly rises, and rightly so, as she is eventually attacked and left for dead. Jen, however, can’t be stopped, and she plays a cat-andmouse game with her attackers that leaves the audience rooting for her at every turn. Cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert frames wide desert landscapes with vibrant, contrasting colors, but make no mistake: As Jen exacts her revenge on the men, the camera’s unblinking attention on carnage makes it hard not to look away. Part grindhouse throwback, part New French Extremity horror, Revenge is an adrenaline-filled homage to take-no-prisoners female badassness.

CHERNOVIK

A Rough Draft

RUSSIA 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 31 8:30 PM SHORELINE CC

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director:

Coralie Fargeat

Producers:

Marc-Etienne Schwartz

Jean-Yves Robin

Marc Stanimirovic

Screenwriter:

Coralie Fargeat

Cinematographer: Robrecht Heyvaert

Editors:

Jerome Eltabet

Coralie Fargeat

Bruno Safar

Music:

Robin Coudert

Cast:

Matilda Lutz

Kevin Janssens

Vincent Colombe

Guillaume Bouchède

Jean-Louis Tribes

Running Time: 108 minutes

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

subtitles

International Sales: Charades

Print Source:

NEON

Film Website: neonrated.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Director Sergey Mokritskiy (Battle for Sevastopol, SIFF 2016) returns with a sci-fi/ action hybrid that delivers high-concept creativity and riveting set pieces. Kirill (Nikita Volkov) has a perfect life. He’s a young man with a game programming job, parents who care about him, and a fabulous girlfriend… until all of that is erased. He wakes up to discover that everyone has forgotten who he is and there is even someone else living in his house. As he searches for an explanation, Kirill learns through a mysterious woman (Severija Janusauskaite) that he is the new gatekeeper inside an unassuming circular building that provides access to over a dozen parallel worlds. Pretty soon, it becomes apparent that Kirill is in over his head and that someone above him is a puppet master who controls the multiple realities, leaving him to wonder if our world is real or just another fabrication. Adapted from the bestselling novel by the author of Night Watch, Sergey Lukyanenko, A Rough Draft defies expectation at every turn and delights with the creativity in which it builds its complicated world. One thing’s for certain: After this film, you will never see a Russian Matroyshka doll the same way again.

Director: Sergey Mokritskiy

Producers: Natalya Mokritskaya Ulyana Savelyeva

Mila Rozanova

Screenwriters: Maksim Budarin

Denis Kuryshev

Sergey Lukyanenko

Olga Sobenina

Cinematographer: Aleksandr Tananov

Cast: Nikita Volkov

Severija Janusauskaite

Yulia Peresild

Evgeny Tsiganov

Vilen Babichev

Running Time: 114 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Russian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Reason8 Films

Film Website: reason8films.com/arough-draft

Selected Filmography: I Am a Teacher (2016)

Battle of Sevastopol (2015)

Protest Day (2012)

YO NO ME LLAMO RUB É N BLADES

Rubén Blades Is Not My Name

PANAMA/ARGENTINA/COLOMBIA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 27 4:00 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Singer, songwriter, musician, acclaimed actor, Harvard-educated lawyer, and successful politician. The life and career of Rubén Blades has taken anything but the expected, well-trod path. On the cusp of retiring as a performer, and keenly aware that the number of years behind him outnumber the ones to come, salsa’s renaissance man takes an honest and unflinching look back on a life rich with triumph, heartbreak, and above all, a deep and unshakeable love for his people. From his childhood in Panama and a political awakening spurred by the sovereignty riots of January 9, 1964 to a redefinition of salsa music itself by bringing a social dimension and commentary to the form, Blades has followed his heart and confounded expectations at every turn, carving a unique path and consistently opening up new possibilities for those who follow. Featuring electrifying footage from his final tour, a lively and candid walk through his Chelsea, New York home and neighborhood, plus testimonials from such icons as Paul Simon, Sting, Francisco “Bush” Buckley, and Junot Díaz, Rubén Blades Is Not My Name is a testament to a rare talent whose restless heart has indeed helped change the world.

Ruin Me

USA 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 MIDNIGHT

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 8:30 PM

Director: Abner Benaim

Producers: Gema Juarez

Ruben Blades

Francisco Varone

Screenwriter: Abner Benaim

Cinematographers: Mauro Colombo

Gaston Girod

Editor: Felipe Guerrero

Music: Rubén Blades

Featuring: Sting Rubén Blades

Paul Simon

Running Time: 85 minutes

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

International Sales: Juno Films

Print Source: Juno Films

Film Website: aperturafilms.com

Selected Filmography: Invasión (2014) Chance (2009)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Welcome to Slasher Sleepout, an annual horror-movie themed game where you and a group of strangers are dropped into the forest with camping supplies and one imperative: survive the weekend! Alexandra (Marcienne Dwyer) is along for the ride when her boyfriend, Nathan (Matt Dellapina), surprises her with tickets for the two of them to participate in the clue-filled haunt. The campers find themselves in a forest roaming with actors playing escaped mental patients. Alexandra, a recovering addict, isn’t a fan of scary movies, but she’s sharp-witted, good with puzzles, and quickly becomes the most valuable player in the group. As the hysteria and tension build, Alexandra begins to wonder where the game ends and the real horror begins. Ruin Me skillfully uses the unreliable narrator technique, not showing its cards too early. Likewise, the film plays with the slasher formula, being self-aware without being smug. The result is an entertaining meta-slasher with some familiar tropes and a few surprises. Placing Easter eggs throughout the screenplay, writers Trysta A. Bissett and Preston DeFrancis are winking at the audience. Ruin Me is a refreshing addition to the slasher cannon, a film by horror fans for horror fans.

PRECEDED BY:

The Real Santa USA, 2018, 9 minutes, Director: Robert O’Twomney World Premiere What if Santa was an assassin, and the only way you got to him was through a kid that had already used him?

Director: Preston DeFrancis

Producers: Trysta A. Bissett

Preston DeFrancis

Aaron Galligan-Stierle

David Hendleman

Rebecca G. Stone

Screenwriters: Trysta A. Bissett

Preston DeFrancis

Cinematographer: Jesse Eisenhardt

Editor: Trista A. Bissett

Music: Holly Amber Church

Cast: Marcienne Dwyer

Matt Dellapina

Chris Hill

Eva Hamilton

John Odom

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Jinga Films

Print Source: Terror Weekend

Productions

Film Website: facebook.com/ RuinMeMovie2017

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Rush Hour

MEXICO 2017

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 7:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 12:30 PM

In the wee pre-dawn hours, Meltem rises to begin her day, packing her daughter’s lunch and heading out to take her place among the two million souls who cross Istanbul daily on their way to work and the promise of a better life. Across the globe, Estela leaves her modest apartment in the violent barrio of Ecatepec to travel across Mexico City to her job as a hairdresser, reliving the trauma of an assault endured on the same subway system she must use daily. And in Los Angeles, Michael forgoes his dream of being a professional musician to get the bills paid, commuting more than three hours daily across the sprawling metropolis to his job as a construction foreman, taxing his health, sanity, and the fragile bonds of his young marriage to their breaking point. Winner of the Best Mexican Documentary Award at the Morelia International Film Festival, director Luciana Kaplan has crafted a colorful, lyrical, and deeply felt ode to the legions of workers across the globe who sacrifice countless numbers of life’s precious hours commuting to and from work to provide for themselves and their loved ones, and to simply keep alive their dreams of a brighter future.

Awards:

Morelia International Film Festival 2017 (Best Mexican Documentary)

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director:

Luciana Kaplan

Producers: José Cohen

Carlos Hagerman

Martha Sosa

Screenwriter: Luciana Kaplan

Cinematographer: Gabriel Serra

Editor:

Yibrán Asuad

Music:

Alejandro Castaños Luna

Running Time: 79 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, English, Turkish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Taskovski Films

Print Source: Taskovski Films

Film Website: taskovskifilms.com

Selected Filmography: La revolución de los alcatraces (2013)

The Russian Five

USA 2018

SATURDAY, MAY 19 5:30 PM

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 29 9:00 PM

When Mike Illitch purchased the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings in 1982, the team’s glory days of Gordie Howe and four Stanley Cup championships over six years were ancient history. Fans and rivals alike nicknamed the team “the Dead Wings” after enduring fifteen seasons of futility. However, newly hired general manager Jim Devellano came up with an audacious plan to infuse new talent into the club, turning his attention toward the hallowed Russian Red Army team, one of the most dominant collections of hockey talent ever assembled. Even though Gorbachev’s Glasnost policy had eased Soviet Union restrictions, the team’s hockey players were members of the military, technically, and icons of the regime’s sports supremacy, closely watched for fear their defection to the high paying NHL may undermine Communist ideals. Through a number of covert encounters that would not be out of place in a espionage film, Devellano and his talent scouts enticed Sergei Fedorov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Viacheslav Fetisov to defect to America and join the Red Wings organization. The team later added two other Russian superstars with Vyacheslav Kozlov and Igor Larionov, both crucial pieces to the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. While Seattle awaits its own NHL franchise, The Russian Five offers a supremely entertaining account of how a team colluded sport and politics to create a champion.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

MAJESTIC BAY

SHORELINE CC

Director: Joshua Riehl

Producers: Stephen Bannatyne

Jenny Feterovich

Jason Wehling

Keith Gave

John Dean

John Aldrich

Screenwriters: Joshua Riehl

Jason Wehling

Keith Gave

Cinematographer: Chris Rosik

Editor: David Fabelo

Music:

Wayne Kramer

Running Time: 99 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source:

Lucky Hat Entertainment

Film Website: therussianfive.com

Selected Filmography: Digging for the Water (doc, 2013)

FERRUGEM

Rust

BRAZIL 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 8:30 PM ARK LODGE

THURSDAY, MAY 31 9:15 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Happy and full of life, pretty 16-year-old Tati (newcomer Tifanny Dopke) lives a life typical of any other teen within her middle class Brazilian suburb, one filled with friends, parties, and the ubiquitous presence of glowing smartphones and all-important social media accounts. In quiet pursuit of sensitive, brooding classmate Renet (Giovanni de Lorenzi), Tati finally manages to attract the boy’s attention when she discovers that her smartphone has mysteriously disappeared. Overnight, Tati’s world is upended as a sex video made with a former boyfriend is leaked online, quickly going viral and making the once-popular teen a school pariah, leading her to commit a shocking, desperate act for all the world to see. With the wound of Tati’s actions still raw, and still reeling from the shock of his parents’ sudden separation, Renet must face his own actions that may have contributed to his classmate’s humiliation. In this brilliant new film from co-writer (with Jessica Candal) and director Aly Muritiba, we are forced to reckon with our place in a culture grown oblivious to the wonder of the world around it, where experiences are not real unless posted for mass consumption and everyone is desperate for true connection.

Director: Aly Muritiba

Producer: Antônio Junior

Screenwriter: Aly Muritiba

Jessica Candal

Cinematographer: Rui Poças

Editor: João Mena Barreto

Cast:

Giovanni De Lorenzi

Tifanny Dopke

Enrique Diaz

Clarissa Kiste

Duda Azevedo

Pedro Inoue

Running Time: 100 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP in Portuguese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Be For Films

Print Source: Be For Films

Film Website: beforfilms.com/rust

Selected Filmography:

C(Us)Todians (2013)

Circular (2011)

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

JAPAN/USA 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 29 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

An intimate portrait of a man, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda focuses on the life of a brilliant, musical paragon who must accept his diagnosis of throat cancer whilst coming to terms with his aging genius. Ryuichi Sakamoto is an Oscar®-winning composer whose synth-pop exploration in music revolutionized the genre. Rather than focus on Sakamoto’s achievements, however, Coda is a documentary that looks poignantly at the artist’s life, choosing instead to portray Sakamoto as a soft-spoken, eloquent, reflective, and even humorous individual. Audiences are with Sakamoto as he makes his breakfast, eats his pills, travels through Tokyo, and works in his recording room—there are even moments where audiences see his handsome smile. Nothing, save for the sober mention of throat cancer, seems to blemish Sakamoto’s presence, and the documentary itself is subtle with gentle pacing and monochrome hues. Director Stephen Nomura Schible is kind with his presentation of Sakamoto, as he never presents his subject beyond that of an ordinary man with extraordinary talent. Indeed, when watching the documentary, audiences forget that they are watching anything at all, as Schible’s intimate, solemn, and kind portrait of Sakamoto makes us feel that we are his confidant, and that we have known him for lifetimes.

Director: Stephen Nomura Schible

Producers: Eric Nyari

Stephen Nomura Schible

Yoshiko Hashimoto

Screenwriter: Stephen Nomura Schible

Cinematographers: Tom Richmond Neo Sora

Editors: Keiko Deguchi

Hisayo Kushida

Yûji Ohshige

Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto

Running Time: 100 minutes

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

International Sales: Doc & Film International

Print Source: MUBI

Film Website: coda.mubi.com

Selected Filmography: Ryuichi Sakamoto: async at the Park Avenue Armory (2018) Eric Clapton: Sessions for Robert J (2004)

Sadie

USA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 27 2:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 6:45 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

13-year-old Sadie lives in anticipation of her father’s bi-weekly letters in the mail. He’s been overseas for the past few years serving repeated tours in the U.S. military, and Sadie knows the only reason he isn’t coming home is because their country needs him more— he’s a hero. But waiting isn’t easy. Sadie lives in a trailer park with her mother, whose relationship with her husband is strained if not non-existent. She spends her days writing troubling and violent essays at school, and her evenings messing around the park and adjoining junk yard with her best friend and neighbor, Francis. When a cocky ex-pilot moves in across the way and develops a romantic relationship with her mother, Sadie makes a dark decision to stop at nothing to protect her family from crumbling beneath her. Sophia Mitri Schloss (star of SIFF 2017’s Lane 1974) leads this story with a quiet ferocity and provides a painful window into the life of a girl dealing with every emotion non-stop and at full-weight, up to the point of combustion. Seattle-based Megan Griffiths (The Night Stalker, Eden) directs this dark family drama with music by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, and co-starring Melanie Lynskey (“Togetherness”) and Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Arrested Development”).

SANSHÔ DAYÛ

Sansho the Bailiff

JAPAN 1954

SUNDAY, MAY 20 2:00 PM

Director:

Megan Griffiths

Producers:

Lacey Leavitt

Jennessa West

Screenwriter:

Megan Griffiths

Cinematographer: T.J. Williams Jr.

Editor:

Celia Beasley

Music:

Mike McCready

Cast:

Sophia Mitri Schloss

Melanie Lynskey

Danielle Brooks

Tony Hale

John Gallagher Jr.

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: ICM Partners

Print Source:

Pressing Pictures

Selected Filmography:

The Night Stalker (2016)

Lucky Them (2013)

Eden (2012)

The Off Hours (2011)

First Aid for Choking (2003)

Alongside his countrymen Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi completes the triumvirate of Japanese cinema’s master practitioners. His prodigious capacity for empathy, uncompromising moral clarity, and elegant visuals all combine beautifully in his masterpiece, Sansho the Bailiff, presented at SIFF in a new restoration. Set in eleventh-century Japan, the film begins when a virtuous governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord by shielding the local peasantry from a military draft, an act for which he is exiled. Several years later, his wife and two children, Zushio and Anju, journey to reunite with him, but fall victim to slave traders, who force the mother into prostitution and sell the children into slavery on a manorial estate, overseen by eponymous Sansho. Conditions on the estate are brutal and dehumanizing, yet as Anju grows into adulthood, she holds onto her father’s key teaching “without mercy, man is like a beast.” Her brother, however, descends into the estate’s pervasive barbarity, becoming one of its most sadistic overseers. But when Anju, through an act of supreme sacrifice, inspires him to escape, Zushio embarks upon a bittersweet redemptive path through triumph and tragedy that culminates, at film’s end, in a heartrending scene of sublime beauty.

Restored by Kadokawa Corporation and The Film Foundation at Cineric, Inc. in New York, sound by Audio Mechanics, with the cooperation of The Japan Foundation. Special thanks to Masahiro Miyajima and Martin Scorsese for their consultation.

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Producer: Masaichi Nagata

Screenwriters: Fuji Yahiro

Yoshikata Yoda

Ogai Mori

Cinematographer: Kazuo Miyagawa

Editor: Mitsuzô Miyata

Music: Fumio Hayasaka

Kinshichi Kodera

Tamekichi Mochizuki

Cast: Kinuyo Tanaka

Yoshiaki Hanayagi

Kyôko Kagawa

Eitarô Shindô

Akitake Kôno

Running Time: 126 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Japanese, with English subtitles

Print Source: Janus Films

Film Website: janusfilms.com/ films/1217

Selected Filmography: Street of Shame (1956)

Princess Yang Kwei-fei (1955)

Sansho Dayu (1954)

Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)

The Life of Oharu (1952)

Miss Oyu (1951)

Women of the Night (1948)

Sisters of the Gion (1936)

Osaka Elegy (1936)

The Water Magician (1933)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Sashinka

CANADA (QUÉBEC) 2017

US PREMIERE

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Sasha (Carla Turcotte) is a 22-year-old Montreal musician one day away from her big break, a nightclub gig in front of some industry professionals. But while having a night in with her friends to calm her pre-performance nerves, said nerves get frayed when Sasha’s estranged mother, Elena (Natalia Dontcheva, “Doc Martin”), appears at her doorstep. Broke, manic, and apparently homeless, Elena had recently hit it big gambling in Atlantic City only to have her young boyfriend run off with the earnings, and she’s come to find emotional support in her own flesh and blood, her little Sashinka. Elena promises to only stay the night but quickly oversteps Sasha’s welldefined boundaries. and when the big day arrives, it becomes clear what tore mother and daughter apart in the first place. Both mother and daughter struggle against their own anxieties of their tenuous existence—Sasha’s self-assigned nickname is “Nobody”; Elena’s greatest fear is being forgotten—but maybe this time, somebody will notice them. Making her feature debut, director/co-writer Kristina Wagenbauer doesn’t shy away from the frustrations of a fractured family, unpeeling each layer with a naturalistic storytelling ability equal parts funny and painful, in a drama about what we choose to leave behind in order to succeed.

Director: Kristina Wagenbauer

Producer: Nellie Carrier

Screenwriters: Marie-Geneviève Simard

Kristina Wagenbauer

Cinematographer: Marie Davignon

Editor: Jules Saulnier

Music: Jean-Sébastien Williams

Cast: Carla Turcotte

Natalia Dontcheva David Giguère

Emmanuel Schwartz

Eliane Préfontaine

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fun Film Distribution

Print Source: Fun Film Distribution

Film Website: facebook.com/sashinkalefilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Scary Mother

GEORGIA/ESTONIA 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 3:30 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 31 9:30 PM

Scary Mother is a journey into the life of a writer at a crossroads. Writer and mother Manana (Nata Murvanidze) can’t stop writing; she will write on her hands and arms if there’s no paper. She also sees cryptic literary messages on her bathroom tiles, so it’s not surprising that she’s having a hard time caring for her family; her three kids and husband are concerned, then outraged when she reads them a page of the novel she is working on. However, the local stationary store owner is convinced that she is a taboo-breaking genius. Furthermore, Manana’s father, an editor and translator, also thinks the writing is ingeniously obscene until he realizes that it is his daughter’s work. Debut director Ana Urushadze’s imaginative, humorous, and unsettling thriller dares to push a writer past the brink and weaves us in and out of Manana’s acts of rebellion, ones that will lead to serious consequences. Masterfully perceived and crafted in the urban environment of Tbilisi, Scary Mother reveals a brave and audacious debut that pokes at the very foundations of patriarchy.

Awards:

Locarno International Film Festival 2017 (First Feature Award)

Official Oscar Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film) SFFilm Festival 2018 (New Directors Award)

Director: Ana Urushadze

Producer: Lasha Khalvashi

Tinatin Kajrishvili

Ivo Felt

Screenwriter: Mindia Esadze

Cinematographer: Konstantin Esadze

Editor: Alexander Kuranov

Music: Nika Pasuri

Cast: Nata Murvanidze

Ramaz Ioseliani

Dimitri Tatishvili

Avtandil Makharadze

Running Time: 107 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Georgian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Studio Artizm

Print Source: Studio Artizm

Film Website: artizm.studio

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

SASHISHI DEDA

Schumann’s Bar Talks

GERMANY 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 3:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN SCHUMANNS BARGESPRÄCHE

This explorative documentary follows the world-renowned Bavarian bartender Charles Schumann as he takes audiences to some most prestigious bars on Earth, from New York to Havana and Tokyo. The prescribed liquors from around the world are on full display as we learn about their varied recopies. Known as a cocktail savant, Schumann is a legend to most who call bartending their profession. He’s perhaps best known for his bestselling book “American Bar: The Artistry of Mixing Drinks” that remains a key influence on modern bar culture. Some of his protégées recount the exacting demands of their teacher: Either do it properly or don’t do it at all. Discussions with cocktail historians reveal how the industrial revolution and convergence of populations led to the rise of the cocktail and cocktail culture with its various roots and appeals over time. While in Cuba, Schumann discusses Ernest Hemingway’s love of sugarless daiquiris; in Tokyo, he highlights the city’s Bar High Five and its Ginza style. There’s much to learn and love in this film for all the drink enthusiasts out there, especially if you’re looking to spiff up your bar game. Just make sure to watch responsibly.

Director:

Marieke Schroeder

Producers:

Marieke Schroeder

Christoph Fisser

Henning Molfenter

Charlie Woebcken

Screenwriter: Marieke Schroeder

Cinematographer: Niv Abootalebi

Editor:

Gaby Kull-Neujahr

Music: Valentino Betz

Marvin Schuhmann

Featuring: Charles Schumann

Axel Milberg J. David Hinze

Running Time: 102 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in English, French, Spanish, and German, with English subtitles

International Sales: Autlook Filmsales

Print Source:

Autlook Filmsales

Film Website: nfp-md.de/kino/ schumannsbargespraeche

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Scotch - A Golden Dream

TAIWAN 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 4:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY SATURDAY, JUNE 2 6:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE SUNDAY, JUNE 3 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

Crisp, smooth, and with an ethereal touch to the aftertaste. Sounds like a sip of some quality single malt. But that also describes Andrew Peat’s documentary highlighting the scotch whiskey industry, its background characters, and what it means to Scottish culture as a whole. The narrative paces through some Scottish history and whiskey’s development. The relationship between Scottish barley farmers and distilleries is a symbiotic one and current distillers constantly work to strengthen that connection. Meanwhile, some of the industry’s biggest names recount their virginal experiences with serious drams of scotch throughout the film. Master blender Ian MacMillan recalls taking his introductory 8am dram to start his first shift as an 18-year-old at the fabled Glengoyne Distillery; while his superiors downed it like fruit juice, Ian was almost knocked unconscious. 40-plus years, later one might say he’s perfected the practice. Nearly every aspect of whiskey production is examined under a loving eye, from the relationship between cask wood and flavor to the old vs. young whiskey debate. Ultimately, Peat has put together a genuine ode to the “blood of Scotland,” as people affectionately refer to it.

Director: Andrew Peat

Producers: Andrew Peat

Maria Chen

Cinematographer: Arjun Kamath

Editors: Phil Hughes

Andrew Elliott

Music: Dustin Painter

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Andrew Peat

Film Website: island-film.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

AU REVOIR LA-HAUT

See You Up There

FRANCE 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 6:45 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TUESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Director Albert Dupontel also stars in this post-WWI genre-splicing epic. As mortar shells rage all around them, two seemingly normal army grunts, Albert and Edouard, are led on one more suicidal charge by the sadistic Lieutenant Pradelle (Laurent Lafitte, Tell No One, Crimson Rivers) after ceasefire orders have been handed down for the Armistice. All three men manage to survive, but Edouard (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, BPM: Beats Per Minute, All Yours) loses his jaw from an explosion while pulling Albert to safety. Soon, Albert finds out Edouard is a talented artist and black-sheep son of an exorbitantly wealthy Paris family, a family Pradelle has weaseled his way into by marrying Edouard’s sister. Disenfranchised by the war profiteering his father engaged in, Edouard schemes to sell fake war monument designs to the Parisian elite, eager to show off their “patriotism.” When his father purchases a fake monument and sniffs out the scheme, he sics Pradelle on the embezzlers, sending the trio towards a revenge-inspired climax. Director Dupontel, who plays Albert, deftly weaves surrealist humor and humanizing romance into this warinspired crime thriller, creating a dramatically robust film that hits several genres.

Shakedown USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 19 11:00 AM

Director: Albert Dupontel

Producers: Catherine Bozorgran

Sidonie Dumas

Screenwriter: Albert Dupontel based on the novel by Pierre Lemaitre

Cinematographer: Vincent Mathias

Editor: Christophe Pinel

Music: Christophe Julien

Cast: Nahuel Perez Biscayart

Albert Dupontel

Laurent Lafitte

Niels Arestrup

Emilie Dequenne

Running Time: 117 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Gaumont

Print Source: Gaumont

Film Website: gaumontpresse.fr/fiche/ au-revoir-la-haut

Selected Filmography: 9-Month Stretch (2013)

The Villain (2009)

Locked Out (2006)

The Creator (1999)

An homage to a city universally recognized for chasing fantasies, Leilah Weinraub’s debut Shakedown explores the underground realm of black lesbian exotic dancers in Los Angeles. Shedding light on mainstream taboo, dancers are portrayed as hypnotic seductresses, and liberated female sexuality as fluid, intense, and most notably, natural. Weinraub frequented club Shakedown for over 15 years, accumulating over 300 hours of video footage and countless images of its inhabitants. Among the lot, four women are the focal point of the film: founder Ronnie Ron, empowered and versatile Egypt, conventional performance reject Mahogany, and Jazmyn, known as “Queen” of Shakedown. Decades of condensed footage reveal a community entirely its own, and the pure intentions of a filmmaker not attempting to fit into a clear-cut genre or exploit for shock value. Rather, Weinraub shares a story to expand a repressed definition of sexuality and to promote the acceptance of the many layers of identity. Among its effort to centralize queer culture from the outskirts of mainstream society, the film also features a powerful message of money as both a harsh reality and an arbitrary illusion.

Director: Leilah Weinraub

Producers: Riel Roch Decter

Sebastian Pardo

Leilah Weinraub

Screenwriter: Leilah Weinraub

Cinematographer: Leilah Weinraub

Editor: Matt Hollis

Music: Tim Dewit

Featuring: Egypt

Jazmyne

Junior Mahogany

Ronnie-Ron

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: The Film Collaborative

Film Website: shakedown.film

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

TRIUMPH BAR

FEN BEI REN SHENG

Shuttle Life MALAYSIA 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 29 9:30 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 1:45 PM

Ah Qiang (Jack Tan), 19, loves his sister Hui Shan and will do anything for her. The two live in poverty with their mother, whose undisclosed and debilitating mental illness has ruined her career as a tailor, and it’s an affliction she refuses to treat with the expensive pills Qiang buys for her. It’s Hui Shan’s sixth birthday, and although money is tight, he does his best to give her the day she deserves. But when out with her and his delinquent friends, breaking into cars and flirting with cake shop clerks, Qiang’s precarious position in a divided society is shattered when a car smashes into Qiang’s scooter, injuring him and killing the birthday girl. To make matters worse, neither Qiang nor his mother can find Hui Shan’s birth certificate; without it, they legally can’t retrieve her body from the morgue. And so Qiang goes out into the streets of Kuala Lumpur, hoping to raise enough money to make a forged certificate and track down the driver who killed his sister. While the preceding text could describe a white-knuckle thriller, Shuttle Life is far more interested in social realism, exploring the realities of living below the poverty line in a booming city and the decisions working class citizens are forced to make to keep their families together.

Director: Seng Kiat Tan

Producers: Roland Lee

Jin Ong

Screenwriters: Siew Hong Leong

Seng Kiat Tan

Cinematographers: Ko Chin Chen

Editors:

Hsiao-Tong Chen

Yue Ba Ren Zi

Music: Onn San

Cast: Sylvia Chang

Jack Tan

Angel Chan

Running Time: 91 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: MM2 Entertainment

Print Source: MM2 Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Silas

CANADA/SOUTH AFRICA/KENYA 2017

MONDAY, JUNE 4 6:00 PM

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 3:30 PM

Hawa Essuman and Anjali Nayar’s moving documentary Silas tells a necessary story of modern-day colonization under the guise of economic stimulus. Providing an intimate look into the life and tireless labor of Liberian environmental activist Silas Kpanan’Ayoung Siakor, the film depicts the power of limited resources when placed into the right hands. Through a single smartphone application, small African communities can draw attention to the blatant lies they are continuously told by their government; the effectiveness of this technology is entirely dependent on every user reporting the injustices occurring in their own backyards. This communal participation is prompted by illegally issued permits that have caused the deforestation of over a quarter of Liberian land and native communities. As a result, the people that once thrived on the agricultural opportunities of those fertile lands are no longer able to sustain themselves. In attempts to pressure accountability from politicians and stop the destruction of the natural resources that serve as the lifeblood of rural villages, local leaders fight to ensure that their citizens’ lives will no longer lie in the hands of massive corporations. Footage that combines government reports with personal narratives of activists and affected community members illustrates a disheartening reality that is too often purposefully hidden or naïvely ignored.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Directors: Hawa Essuman

Anjali Nayar

Producers: Steven Markovitz

Anjali Nayar

Screenwriter: Anjali Nayar

Cinematographers: Joan Poggio

Anjali Nayar

Editors: Andrew MacCormack

Roderick Deogrades

Music: Brendan Canning

Ohad Benchetrit

Running Time: 80 minutes

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

International Sales: Cinephil

Print Source: Cinephil

Film Website: silasthemovie.com

Selected Filmography:

Essuman: Soul Boy (2010)

Nayar: Gun Runners (2016) Kenya Rising (2012)

PACIFIC PLACE

PACIFIC PLACE

The Silk and the Flame

USA/CHINA 2018

US PREMIERE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 4:00 PM

Director Jordan Schiele’s debut documentary feature film, The Silk and the Flame, is inspired by a Chinese proverb: “Concealing truth is like wearing embroidered clothes and traveling by night.” There is beauty in truth, opines Schiele, but if one cannot display it in the light of day, who will see it? At the center of Schiele’s docu-fable is Yao, a single, middle-aged man whose life choices in Beijing have little or no resemblance to the family life back in his tiny native village hundreds of miles away. When Schiele accompanies Yao home during Chinese Lunar New Year, it becomes clear that the weight of Yao’s secret life, as well as the expectations of his family (especially from his father) and the turbulent convergence of both ancient and modern China are combining to create a combustible cultural showdown of mythic proportions. Having solved every problem his family has faced over the years—illness, poverty, educating his siblings’ children and putting a roof over their heads— Yao now faces his final hurdle: to be present as the man he truly is. The Silk and the Flame was a SIFF New Works-in-Progress Forum 2017 documentary.

Director: Jordan Schiele

Producer: Jordan Schiele

Screenwriter: Jordan Schiele

Cinematographer: Jordan Schiele

Editor: Jordan Schiele

Music: Wei-San Hsu

Featuring: Fuqin

Muqin

Liu Zi Rui

Jordan Schiele

Yao Shuo

Running Time: 100 minutes

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

International Sales: Juno Films

Print Source: Juno Films

Film Website: thesilkandtheflame.com

Selected Filmography: Dog Days (2016)

Skate Kitchen

USA 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:30 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 29 3:45 PM

The lights and neon signs of New York’s Lower East Side illuminate a group of girls as they take over the streets on their skateboards, and soft-spoken yet fiercely independent Camille (Rachelle Vinberg) is finally one of them. She’s been following their crew, self-named Skate Kitchen, on social media for ages, liking their videos and wishing she could experience their sense of freedom and friendship. Living with her overprotective mother (Elizabeth Rodriguez, “Orange is the New Black”) in their tiny apartment in Long Island made that all seem like a dream, until she sneaks out and meets the group, who welcome her in. However, with a new sense of belonging comes new social obstacles to navigate, and Camille—through the ups and the downs, the ollies and the kickflips—learns the true definition of family. Director Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack, SIFF 2015) utilizes the naturalistic talent of this real group of New York skateboarders and a strong supporting performance by Jaden Smith (“The Get Down”) to create a millennial hangout movie that also speaks on the importance of women connecting with each other, and taking up space in typically male-dominated environments. Skate Kitchen also boasts an incredible indie hip-hop soundtrack featuring artists such as ABRA, Khalid, and Kali Uchis.

Director: Crystal Moselle

Producers: Lizzie Nastro

Izabella Tzenkova

Screenwriters: Crystal Moselle

Ashlihan Unaldi

Jennifer Silverman

Cinematographer: Shabier Kirchner

Editor: Nico Leunen

Music: Aska Matsumiya

Cast: Jaden Smith

Rachelle Vinberg

Dede Lovelace

Nina Moran

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Running Time: 105 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales: United Talent Agency

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography: The Wolfpack (doc, 2015)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

TA PEAU SI LISSE

A Skin So Soft

CANADA (QUÉBEC)/SWITZERLAND/FRANCE 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 3:30 PM

FRIDAY, MAY 25 8:30 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 6:00 PM

Bodybuilders spend every waking moment at the intersection of high art and modern science, chiseling themselves into living icons of Herculean strength through an exacting calculus of movement and meal prepping. In A Skin So Soft, documentarian Denis Côté follows six Quebecois strongmen in their grueling day-to-day routines as they pursue peak physical condition. In so doing, he eschews the focus on competitions and titles one might expect from such a premise. In fact, his subjects’ quest for near-superhuman form is shown to be strikingly banal. Côté simply observes as each one strains himself in repetitive workout regimens and consumes carefully apportioned meals—often with little to no dialogue accompanying—and also lives out his daily life. Their carefully preened and smoothed-over bodies seem to take an outsized presence, and in many cases appear to clash with their personas and relationships; a particularly startling scene shows one of the bodybuilders suddenly shedding tears during breakfast over something he saw on his computer. Although the camera largely takes an observational angle, Côté also characteristically inserts dramatization at times to better illustrate reality, most prominently in the film’s final act, where the subjects go on a retreat. Boldly taking on a mundane perspective, A Skin So Soft successfully keeps the monotonous grind engaging as it reveals oft-overshadowed humanity in bodybuilders.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF FILM CENTER

Director: Denis Côté

Producers: Jeanne-Marie Poulain

Joëlle Bertossa

Dounia Sichov

Denis Côté

Screenwriter: Denis Côté

Cinematographer: François Messier Rheault

Editor:

Nicolas Roy

Featuring: Alexis Légaré

Cédric Doyon

Jean-François Bouchard

Ronald Yang

Maxim Lemire

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Films Boutique

Print Source: Films Boutique

Selected Filmography: Boris Without Béatrice (2016)

Joy of Man’s Desiring (doc, 2014)

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (2013)

Bestiaire (doc, 2012)

Curling (2010)

Carcasses (doc, 2009)

All That She Wants (2008)

Our Private Lives (2007) Drifting States (2005)

ISE YARAR BIR SEY

Something Useful

TURKEY/FRANCE/NETHERLANDS/GERMANY 2017

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

THURSDAY, MAY 24 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, MAY 25 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Leyla (Başak Köklükaya) is a lawyer and a poet who has decided to attend her high school reunion after 25 years of neglecting previous invitations. Canan (Öykü Karayel) is a young nurse in training who dreams of one day becoming an actress. The two women meet on the train and quickly form a relationship as each sees something of herself in the other— women making their own way in a sometimes hostile world. Gradually, Leyla learns that Canan’s reason for travel is more momentous than previously thought: She is traveling to the home of a colleague’s friend, a quadriplegic man, to assist him in his suicide. Something Useful is a stark and beautiful film the aesthetics of which are evident not just in the sparse and mountainous Turkish landscape, but also in the nuanced gestures of the characters. Köklükaya is a compelling if somewhat enigmatic presence on the screen, whose facial expressions—a grin, a smile, an incredulous glance—are as magnetic as they are mysterious. With its subtle blend of intrigue, stillness, and enchantment, Something Useful is an exquisite Turkish film that speaks profoundly about the importance of charting one’s own path, wherever it may lead.

Director: Pelin Esmer

Producers: Pelin Esmer

Marsel Kalvo

Mehmet Aktas

François d’Artemare

Screenwriters: Baris Bicakci

Pelin Esmer

Cinematographer: Gökhan Tiryaki

Editors: Pelin Esmer

Evren Lus

Cast: Basak Köklükaya

Öykü Karayel

Yigit Özsener

Running Time: 104 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Turkish, with English subtitles

Print Source: Sinefilm

Film Website: pelinesmer.com

Selected Filmography: Watchtower (2012)

10 to 11 (2009)

The Play (2005)

Koleksiyoncu: The Collector (2002)

The Song of Scorpions

SWITZERLAND/FRANCE/SINGAPORE 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

MONDAY, MAY 28 8:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Noreen is a scorpion singer, ancient healers of the beautiful and punishing Thar Desert. Legends have it they can cure scorpion bites with melodious chants in tune with the victim’s pulse. She’s under the tutelage of her wise and renowned grandmother, played by legendary actress Waheeda Rehman (Guide, Neel Kamal). When a camel trader named Aadam (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi) arrives to the village seeking commerce, he falls for her enchanting song. Aadam’s affections for Noreen are a one-way street but he refuses to give up pursuit, leading to a beatdown from the local townspeople weary of anyone harassing their scorpion singers, while Aadam’s friend cruelly pretends to suffer a scorpion bite and sexually assaults Noreen. Upon returning home from the trauma, Noreen finds her grandmother has gone missing, compounding a physical and emotional turmoil that steals her singing voice and ostracizes from the community. So begins an epic quest for revenge and the return of her once-powerful voice. Utterly entrancing sundrenched cinematography of the rolling sands and a vivid score set this visually arresting film apart from contemporary revenge sagas.

Director:

Anup Singh

Producers:

Saskia Vischer

Shahaf Peled

Michel Merkt

Screenwriter: Anup Singh

Cinematographers: Pietro Zuercher

Carlotta Holy-Steinemann

Editor:

Marie-Pierre Frappier

Music:

Madan Gopal Singh

Beatrice Thiriet

Cast:

Waheeda Rehman

Golshifteh Farahani

Irrfan Khan

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Hindi, with English subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source: The Match Factory

Film Website: thesongofscorpionsfilm. com

Selected Filmography:

Qissa: The Tale of a

Lonely Ghost (2013)

Ekti Nodir Naam (2002)

Sorry to Bother You

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 5:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Musician Boots Riley’s debut feature film is an off-the-wall, neon, drug-fueled, dystopian black comedy that doesn’t slow down for a moment for you to catch your breath. Lakeith Stanfield (“Atlanta,” Short Term 12) leads us on this journey as Cassius Green, a down-onhis-luck guy looking for any job that can help lift him out of his situation. When he jumps on an opening at a telemarketing company, he quickly learns that he’ll improve his sales by utilizing his “white voice,” voiced perfectly by David Cross (“Arrested Development,” “Mr. Show”), and proceeds to become a power caller. But what is he even selling? Cassius receives support from Detroit (Tessa Thompson, Selma, Dear White People), Cassius’s activist/artist girlfriend who wears her feelings on her earrings, at least until she learns what Cassius has had to sell to earn the money for their new lifestyle. As Cassius continues his meteoric rise, he catches the eye of the company’s obnoxious cocaine-snorting CEO, played by the normally charming Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) and things quickly spiral towards an unimaginable end. Riley puts his stamp on the film with surrealist fanaticism and an unforgettable soundtrack from his own band The Coup to create a cinematic experience you won’t soon forget.

Director: Boots Riley

Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi

Forrest Whitaker

Charles King

George Rush

Jonathan Duffy

Kelly Williams

Screenwriter: Boots Riley

Cinematographer: Doug Emmett

Editor: Terel Gibson

Music: Tune-Yards

The Coup

Cast: Lakeith Stanfield

Tessa Thompson

Steven Yeun

Jermaine Fowler

Armie Hammer

Omari Hardwick

David Cross

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Endeavor Content

Print Source: Annapurna Pictures

Film Website: annapurna.pictures/films/ sorry-to-bother-you

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Soufra

USA 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 22 6:30 PM

ARK LODGE

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 6:15 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 2:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

The very definition of inspirational, Soufra film tells the improbable story of a woman born in a refugee camp who becomes an entrepreneur and founds her own catering company. Mariam Shaar has lived her whole life in Bourj el-Barajneh on the outskirts of Beirut. Determined to improve her circumstances, she starts her own business with other women from the camp. As they teach one another recipes, they share their stories and cultural backgrounds; equally important is the energizing sense of purpose and self-worth they gain from the experience. Having started with school lunches and private parties, their next goal is to run a food truck. But the obstacles they face are formidable. Soufra is the first such business run from within a refugee camp. In Lebanon, refugees are not eligible for citizenship; they are also restricted from certain professions. There is seemingly endless red tape over licensing, but Mariam persists, working the phones, overseeing the kitchen, running a Kickstarter campaign, and learning to drive. Come for the rousing story of women’s empowerment, but stay for the food. With its mouthwatering close-ups of musakhan and frikeh, Soufra, which means a table of delicious plenty in Arabic, is a multifaceted delight.

Director: Thomas Morgan

Producers: Trevor Hall

Thomas Morgan

Kathleen Glynn

Craig Piligian

Screenwriter: Thomas Morgan

Cinematographer: Johny Karam

Editor: Mohamed El Manasterly

Music: Alex Seaver

Ken Joseph

Running Time: 68 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

Print Source: Rebelhouse

Film Website: soufrafilm.com

Selected Filmography: Lucky Me (2017) Storied Streets (2014)

LE SEMEUR

The Sower

FRANCE/BELGIUM 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 9:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:30 PM

Based on an apparent true event, The Sower is a unique and fascinating film that focuses on a community of women with a single man amongst their numbers. The French coup d’état of 1851 was an event that dissolved the French National Assembly and reestablished the French Empire in the following year. In the film’s case, this meant that entire communities were purged of men and soldiers, leaving thousands of women to fend for themselves. Violette (Paulina Burlet) is one of these last surviving women, and she, along with hundreds of other women, flee into the mountains to find refuge. While learning to work the land and develop new social laws to govern themselves, the women of this close-knit community soon all agree: life must go on. Should ever there be an eligible man that passes their way, he will be “shared” amongst the women. Sure enough, a handsome blacksmith named Jean (Alban Lenoir) wanders into the village, and Violette is soon dispatched to “welcome him.” What ensues next are moments of jealously, hate, and deceit that threaten to break apart the bonds of sisterhood and jeopardize Violette’s true feelings that she has for Jean. An artful film with gorgeous shots of the Alps, The Sower is both a dazzling psychological thriller with subtle political undertones.

Awards:

San Sebastián International Film Festival 2017 (New Directors Award)

Director: Marine Francen

Producers: Sylvie Pialat

Benoît Quainon

Screenwriters: Jacques Fieschi

Marine Francen

Jacqueline Surchat

Cinematographer: Alain Duplantier

Editor: Minori Akimoto

Music: Frédéric Vercheval

Cast: Pauline Burlet

Géraldine Pailhas

Alban Lenoir

Iliana Zabeth

Françoise Lebrun

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: celluloid-dreams.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

KATHAA ‘72

The Story of ’72

NEPAL/SOUTH AFRICA 2018 WORLD PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 18 4:00 PM

LINCOLN SQUARE

SATURDAY, MAY 19 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

What does home matter if it’s so fragile, broken so easily? Palden, a distant and unavailable young man living in Nepal, struggles with this question after his family’s home was leveled in a devastating earthquake. Living with his mother in a shoddily built shack and the rest of his family scattered to the winds and estranged, Palden is unable to construct a future in his mother country. Hoping to rediscover purpose pursuing opportunity in the Middle East, he resolves to spend his last days in Nepal saying his goodbyes to his relatives. As he reconnects with his sister, joins his mother on a pilgrimage to the holy lakes at Paanch Pokhari, and completes his grandfather’s funeral rites, he begins to realize that home has a deeper significance than he had ever considered in his emotional aloofness. He gains similarly epiphanic insight about the women in his life as he rekindles intimate ties with a girl he had once spurned. His family’s story plays out against a breathtaking backdrop where wind-sheared peaks suddenly give way to mossy, foggy vales, and the sweeping cinematography captures its staggering beauty while also showing remnants of the tragic destruction the earthquake brought. As Palden realizes his troubles lie not in these surroundings but in his fears, The Story of ’72 defines home as where we make it.

Director:

Prabin Syangbo

Producers:

Aakash Poudel

Prabin Syangbo

Sushant Shrestha

Ram Krishna Pokharel

Screenwriter: Prabin Syangbo

Cinematographer: Chintan Rajbhandari

Editors:

Prabin Syangbo

Animesh Sapkota

Music:

Gariman

Subash Poudel

Sushant Bista

Cast:

Akash Magar

Supriya Rana

Bhuisal Lama

Palmo Sanju Glan

Kedar Shrestha

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Nepalese, with English subtitles

Print Source:

Local Cinema Pvt. Ltd.

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

FLITZER Streaker

SWITZERLAND 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 22 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN THURSDAY, MAY 24 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE MONDAY, MAY 28 8:15 PM SHORELINE CC

Balz Naef, a high school’s part-time bookkeeper and literature teacher, possesses a deep passion for the Swiss author Gottfried Keller. For years, Balz has been massaging the budget in hopes of saving enough money to turn Keller’s house into a museum. However, no sooner does he succeed than the school board decides to reallocate the funds for a new soccer field. Then his barber, Kushtrim, who also serves as the local bookie, offers him a “surefire” tip on a local soccer match: double the money and build both sports field and museum. Unfortunately, a local streaker disrupts the match, simultaneously putting Naef in a disastrous financial position while also giving him an inspired idea: Instead of betting on the outcome of the soccer matches, why not collect bets on the length of time streakers can stay on the field? Kustrim lays out the odds, while Naef recruits and trains a collection of local misfits for the enterprise— cue the bawdiest sports training montage at this year’s Festival. Streaking becomes Switzerland’s trendiest new pastime, which infuriates the soccer club owners, who turn to Police Commissioner Sandra Strebel to bust this new illicit enterprise. In Streaker, director Peter Luisi offers a warm-hearted, uproariously entertaining romp that is willing to bare everything for laughs.

Awards:

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (Audience Award) Los Angeles Comedy Festival 2018 (Best Foreign Feature, Director)

Director:

Peter Luisi

Producers:

David Luisi

Peter Luisi

Screenwriters:

Peter Luisi

Beat Schlatter

Cinematographer: Nicolo Settegrana

Editor: John von Ascheraden

Music: Michael Duss

Christian Schlumpf

Martin Skalsky

Cast: Beat Schlatter

Doro Müggler

Bendrit Bajra

Luna Wedler

Daniel Mangisch

Running Time: 93 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Swiss German and German, with English

subtitles

International Sales: m-appeal

Print Source: m-appeal

Film Website: m-appeal.net/streaker

Selected Filmography: Schweizer Helden (2014)

Boys Are Us (2012)

The Sandman (2011)

Love Made Easy (2006)

Verflixt verliebt (2004)

SULAYMAN TOO

Suleiman Mountain

KYRGYZSTAN/RUSSIA 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 11:00 AM

SUNDAY, MAY 20 5:30 PM

Suleiman Mountain in Kyrgyzstan dominates the Fergana Valley and forms the backdrop to the city of Osh, at the crossroads of important routes on the Central Asian Silk Roads. Suleiman is a beacon for travelers and believed to be a sacred mountain that can help cure barrenness, headaches, and back pain. In this family road trip tragicomedy, Zhipara, a healer, faces her biggest challenge—keeping her family together. She tries to lure back her wandering hard-gambling truck-driving husband Karabas by finding their long-lost son Uluk, who was living in an orphanage, and even accepts her husband’s second wife. And Uluk? He learns the ins and outs of family relationships, taking the bitter with the sweet until he can no longer comprehend the grownups’ world. A co-production from Russia, Poland, and Kyrgyzstan, Suleiman Mountain is a powerfully emotional, oddly funny story of a patched-together family and the coming of age of a young boy. Making her feature debut, director Elizaveta Stishova laces humor into a unique travelogue that highlights the rugged landscape of Kyrgyzstan, showing a clear-eyed affection for her flawed but deeply human characters.

Director: Elizaveta Stishova

Producers: Yelena Yatsura

Andrey Devyatkin

Victor Kuznetsov

Screenwriter: Alisa Khmelnitskaya

Cinematographer: Tudor Vladimir Panduru

Editor:

Karolina Maciejewska

Cast:

Asset Imangaliev

Perizat Ermanbetova

Turgunai Erkinbekova

Daniel Daiyrbekov

Running Time: 101 minutes

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

International Sales: Ant!pode Sales & Distribution

Print Source: Ant!pode Sales & Distribution

Film Website: antipode-sales.biz/ movies/suleiman-montain

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Summer 1993 SPAIN 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 1:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 6:30 PM SIFF

Lonely and afraid yet struggling not to let it show, six-year-old Frida (Laia Artigas in an astonishing debut) watches her native Barcelona pass by en route to her Uncle Esteve’s country home, unsure of what her new life will be like alongside Esteve’s wife Marga and their three-year-old daughter Anna. Made an orphan by a virus no one around her will utter the name of, Frida uneasily feels her way around her unfamiliar surroundings and within a family she only vaguely knows, acting out, telling lies and inflicting small cruelties on her new sister. Yet slowly, against a backdrop of the lush natural world—and a family struggling to embrace its troubled new member—Frida might rediscover what it is to be loved again in this astonishing debut feature from writer/ director Carla Simon. Winner of the Best First Feature and the Generation Kplus International Jury Awards at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival and based on the director’s own childhood experiences, Summer 1993 is an unforgettable film of disarming authenticity, free of sentimentality and beautifully crafted in every way.

Awards:

Goya Awards 2018 (Best New Director, Best New Actress, Best Supporting Actor)

Berlin International Film Festival 2017 (Best First Feature, Special Mention)

Málaga Spanish Film Festival 17 (Best Spanish Film)

Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film)

Director: Carla Simón

Producer: Valerié DelPierre

Screenwriter: Carla Simón

Cinematographer: Santiago Racaj

Editors: Aina Calleja

Ana Pfaff

Music:

Pau Boïgues

Ernest Pipó

Cast: Bruna Cusi

David Verdaguer

Laia Artigas

Paula Robles

Fermi Reixach

Running Time: 97 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Catalan, with English subtitles

International Sales: New Europe Film Sales

Print Source: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Film Website: summer1993. oscilloscope.net

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Supa Modo

KENYA/GERMANY 2018

SUNDAY, MAY 20 6:00 PM ARK LODGE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 4:30 PM SHORELINE CC

Sometimes it takes a village to make our dreams come true. Jo is a nine-year-old who is obsessed with superheroes and dreams of becoming one, as it would help overcome her diagnosis of a terminal illness. Unable to force Jo to spend her remaining days in bed, her town community comes together to support her belief in her superpowers. Initially a tight jar lid needs her “super strength,” but soon her abilities to stop a purse-snatcher gives rise to her starring in her own superhero film. This bittersweet and tremendously moving drama from first-time director Likarion Wainaina is built entirely on the shoulders of newcomer Stycie Waweru as Jo. Her presence as a strong young girl finding her power(s) against insurmountable odds turns every audience (whether young or old) into a community that is rooting for her superhero immortality. Imagination is a powerful thing, and Supa Modo—and cinema as shared artistic experience—affords the ability to harness a spirit that truly lives forever. Not all heroes have capes, but Jo sure does, and her powers are more inspiring than any of today’s superherobased special effects blockbusters.

Director: Likarion Wainaina

Producers:

Sarika Hemi Lekhani

Siohain Wilson

Tom Tykwer

Marie Steinmann-Tykwer

Screenwriters:

Wanjeri Gakuru

Silas Miami

Mugambi Nthiga

Kamau Wandung’u

Cinematographers: Enos Olik

Volker Tittel

Editors:

Charity Kuria

Christian Krämer

Music:

Sean Peevers

Cast:

Stycie Waweru

Marrianne Nungo

Nyawara Ndambia

Johnson Chege

Running Time: 74 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Swahili, Kikuyu, and English, with English subtitles

International Sales:

Rushlake Media

Print Source:

Festival Agency

Film Website: facebook.com/SupaModoFilm

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Susu

CHINA/UNITED KINGDOM 2017 US PREMIERE

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 9:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 11:00 AM PACIFIC PLACE

Qi’an and Aimo (Zitong Wu and Lin Zhu) are close friends and students living in London. Having been offered a weekend job as Chinese language translators, they travel to an old English family mansion in the countryside to transcribe the films of a Chinese Kunqu Opera star Susu, who married into the English family. Though the two girls are intrigued by the mansion’s enormous collection of items from the golden age of cinema, Qi’an and Aimo quickly become unsettled by the strange environment and the mansion’s occupants, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible. Their exit is delayed, though, with the arrival of the handsome heir to the house, Benjamin; both girls develop an affection for him, leading to a growing tension between the two friends. But when Aimo goes missing, Qi’an discovers the disturbing secrets that the mansion’s occupants would rather not reveal. Shot at historical sites—including a 16th century English mansion and the old house of Charlie Chaplin and his mother—Susu is a classic British psychological thriller with a stylish international twist from first-time writer/ director Yixi Sun.

Director: Yixi Sun

Producers: Yixi Sun

Norman J. Warren

Mangye Li

Screenwriter: Yixi Sun

Cinematographer: Jun Keung Cheung

Editors: Yixi Sun

Colac Tudor

Music: Fabien Garosi

Wan Pin Chu

Cast: Zitong Wu

Frederick Szkoda

Steve Edwin

Tom Mannion

Zhu Lin

Running Time: 106 minutes

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

International Sales: Parkland Pictures

Print Source: Sun Films

Film Website: susuthemovie.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Sweet Country

AUSTRALIA 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 6:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 19 12:30 PM

As abundant and persistent as the Western genre has been over the years, few Western narratives have critically examined the mistreatment of indigenous peoples by colonizers. Even fewer have been told from an indigenous character’s perspective. Enter Sweet Country—a harsh, socially conscious Western set in the Australian outback circa 1929. Sam (Hamilton Morris) is a middle-aged Aboriginal farmhand that is sent by his boss Fred (Sam Neill) to help bitter World War I veteran Harry (Ewen Leslie) renovate his cattle yards. However, Harry’s hateful view of Aboriginals causes their relationship to deteriorate. A fight breaks out and Sam kills Harry in self-defense. After Sam goes on the run with his wife, an all-white posse led by Sergeant Fletcher (Bryan Brown) attempts to bring the couple to justice. Assuming a spare, deliberate chase movie structure, Sweet Country successfully marries the characters and scenarios found in classic Westerns with culturally specific grounding in Australian history, politics, and racial tension. Boasting affecting performances (particularly from its Aboriginal non-actors) and hypnotic images of the Outback’s rugged terrain, Warwick Thornton’s film thoughtfully explores the unethical treatment of Australia’s Aboriginal population.

Awards: Toronto International Film Festival 2017 (Toronto Platform Prize)

Director: Warwick Thornton

Producers: David Jowsey Greer Simpkin

Screenwriters: Steven McGregor

David Tranter

Cinematographers: Warwick Thornton

Dylan River

Editor: Nick Meyers

Music: Damien Lane

Cast: Sam Neill

Bryan Brown

Hamilton Morris

Thomas M. Wright

Ewen Leslie

Running Time: 112 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Memento

Films International

Print Source: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Film Website: samuelgoldwynfilms.com/ sweet-country

Selected Filmography: We Don’t Need a Map (2017)

The Darkside (2013) Samson & Delilah (2009)

BING LANG XUE

The Taste of Betel Nut

CHINA/HONG KONG 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 1:45 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 2:00 PM

Li Qi is happy living the simple life along the coast of Hainan Island as a dolphin show employee. His partner Ren Yu gets by with a mobile karaoke business. Tourists are enamored with Ren’s striking resemblance to the famed actor-singer Leslie Cheung, which nets the pair a steady stream of free drinks. They find relatively little to complain about on their corner of the peaceful tropical island. When a young woman named Bai Ling works her way into the couple, a prosperous three-way relationship is underway. Together, they happily challenge conservative societal expectations and their own sexuality as part of a younger generation of Chinese willing to move casually between tradition and a proudly alternative way of life. But when brutal forces outside their control leave a devastating impact on the trio, life can no longer go on as they’d hoped. Little dialogue is spoken and much of the narrative is told through deft expression and gestures full of amorous intent. The quietness and visually arresting setting offer a picture of everyday life and young love in China that is rarely seen on screen.

Director: Hu Jia

Producer: Sun Wei

Screenwriter: Hu Jia

Cinematographer: Jean-Baptiste Ducros

Editors: Ye Xiang

Tian Fei

Music:

Hooter Looker

Kun Lou

Cast: Zhao Bing Rui

Yue Ye

Shen Shi Yu

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

Print Source: V Shinebrothers Entertainment

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

ARK LODGE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

PACIFIC PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Team Hurricane

DENMARK 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 3:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, MAY 19 3:45 PM ARK LODGE

SUNDAY, MAY 20 8:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

An illustration of the wild, vibrant, and tortured mind of the teenage girl, Annika Berg’s Team Hurricane combines raw documentary footage with stylized pop culture visuals to create the ultimate punk coming-of-age film. Berg’s band of eight rebels, all found through social media, play only slightly modified versions of themselves and explore their artistry and expression while managing painful realities. Eating disorders, sex, gender identity, self-harm, and mental health are among the harsh themes Berg explores through a hyper-real aesthetic of color and imagination. The girls gather at a youth club over the course of one summer in Denmark that serves as a representation of how social education is handled by institutions that seek to provide safe spaces. While serving as an ode to the rule-breaking cool girl with neon hair and little inhibition, the film captures the unpredictable nature of moments of selfworship followed immediately by crippling insecurity. Team Hurricane has an evident mission to empower female energy during a time when it is most suppressed, while creating an aching nostalgia for the undeniable vulnerability of adolescence.

Director: Annika Berg

Producer: Katja Adomeit

Screenwriter:

Annika Berg

Cinematographer: Louise McLaughlin

Editor:

Sofie Marie Kristensen

Cast:

Eja Penelope Roepstorff

Ida Glitre

Maja Leth Bang

Mathilde Linnea Daugaard

Jensen

Elise Pedersen

Sara Morling

Zara Munch Bjarnum

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Danish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Level K

Print Source: Danish Film Institute

Film Website: facebook.com/TeamHurricaneMovie

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

That Summer

SWEDEN/USA/DENMARK 2017

MONDAY, MAY 21 9:00 PM

TUESDAY, MAY 29 6:30 PM SIFF

Both named Edith Beale, the mother and daughter pair of former society debutantes turned impoverished rebels became fondly known as Big and Little Edie. With depleting funds, their extravagant East Hampton mansion soon became a crumbling site of vermin infestation and decay. In the summer of 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her sister Lee Radziwill visited the estate for the purpose of funding necessary repairs that would save their relatives from impending eviction. The lives of these ex-socialites, recluses at their decaying 28-room estate they shared with dozens of feral cats, critters, and artifacts of a more glamorous yesteryear, was the focus of the 1975 documentary feature Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles), which is considered one of the most beautiful but unconventional documentary films of all time, perfectly capturing the eccentric and incomparable relationship of the first lady’s aunt and first cousin. That Summer comes as a captivating gift to Edieenthusiasts and new audiences alike, with a compilation of lost and found footage from the summer of ’72 compiled with more contemporary shots by Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas, and Vincent Fremont. With a heightened sense of intimacy by omitting the more performative elements of the original picture, director Göran Hugo Olsson has reopened a time capsule that is equal parts camp as it is a legacy piece that inspires reflection on the value of whimsy in a conformist society.

Director: Göran Hugo Olsson

Producers: Joslyn Barnes

Tobias Janson

Nejma Beard

Signe Byrge Sørensen

Cinematographer: based on footage

directed by: Peter Beard

Jonas Mekas

Andy Warhol

Editors: Per K Kirkegaard

Göran Hugo Olsson

Music: Goran Kajfes

David Österberg

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source: Sundance Selects

Film Website: facebook.com/thatsummerfilm

Selected Filmography: Fonko (2016)

Concerning Violence (2014)

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 - (2011)

Am I Black Enough For You (2009)

Fuck You, Fuck You Very Much (1998)

ARK LODGE

CINEMA UPTOWN

SANDOME NO SATSUJIN

The Third Murder

JAPAN 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 6:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

TUESDAY, MAY 29 4:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama), a prominent defense lawyer who is more interested in legal strategy than the actual truth, has what seems like an open-and-shut case: Misumi (Kôji Yakusho) has already confessed to the murder and robbery of his boss, and Shigemori is simply looking to reduce his sentence from the death penalty to life in prison. Now pushing 60, Misumi already spent 30 years in the clink for two previous murders, and at this point what’s more jail time than live in a world he sees as cruelly unfair, one where “people’s lives get decided for them, regardless of what they want.” But Misumi’s story of what occurred keeps changing, and as Shigemori digs deeper into the case, horrible truths about society, capitalism, and class come into blinding focus. While it may seem that internationally acclaimed writer/director Koreeda has taken a departure from his naturalist examinations of middle-class Japan—2015’s Our Little Sister and 2004’s Nobody Knows two of many—that couldn’t be further from the truth; The Third Murder is a rich, melancholic drama that explores issues of family, humanity, and conscience, merely using the conventions of a legal procedural as a vehicle to get there.

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Producers: Matsuzuki Kaoru

Taguchi Hijiri

Screenwriter: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cinematographer: Mikiya Takimoto

Editor: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Music: Ludovico Einaudi

Cast: Fukuyama Masaharu

Yakusho Koji Hirose Suzu

Running Time: 124 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Japanese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Wild Bunch

Print Source: Film Movement

Film Website: gaga.ne.jp/sandome

Selected Filmography: After the Storm (2016)

Our Little Sister (2015)

Like Father, Like Son (2013)

I Wish (2011)

Air Doll (2009)

Still Walking (2008) Hana (2006)

Nobody Knows(2004)

Distance (2001)

After Life (1998)

Maborosi (1951)

August Without Him (doc,1994)

However... (doc,1991)

Lessons from a Calf (doc,1991)

This Is Home

USA/JORDAN 2018

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 6:00 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 31 3:30 PM

Five million Syrians have now left their wartorn country in search of safety. Of that number, 21,000 have been accepted into the United States, with 372 finding themselves in Baltimore. For the refugees profiled in Alexandra Shiva’s heartwarming documentary, the clock is ticking. From the moment they arrive in Baltimore, these four families have eight months of support from the International Rescue Committee—in the form of language lessons, financial assistance, and employment training—before they have to be self-sufficient. The film follows their progress as they navigate experiences ranging from the mundane (grocery shopping) to the disturbing (children engaging in play therapy to treat their PTSD). In the midst of these families’ initial integration into American society—and the middle of the film—Donald Trump’s first immigration ban is announced, prompting one IRC staffer to observe, “We want to be the greatest country in the world, but we don’t treat people like we’re the greatest country in the world.” In this context, Shiva’s documentary is a necessary corrective, introducing us to the real people whose stories often get lost in the political rhetoric.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Alexandra Shiva

Producers: Alexandra Shiva

Lindsey Megrue

Cinematographer: Laela Kilbourn

Editor: Toby Shimin

Music: T. Griffin

Running Time: 91 minutes

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

International Sales: The Film Sales Company

Print Source: The Film Sales Company

Film Website: facebook.com/thisishomedoc

Selected Filmography: How to Dance in Ohio (2015)

Stagedoor (2006) Bombay Eunuch (2001)

This One’s For The Ladies

USA 2018

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 9:15 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Under the fluorescent green lighting of a former children’s karate dojo, women gather to escape reality with the New Jersey Nasty Boyz. Founding members Omar and Obar, known as Raw Dawg and Tygar realized their calling by dancing at house parties, and expanded their business to become local royalty and make up to $1,000 a night. The club stands as a place where women drop their given names and take on alter egos that embrace their sexuality and seek to be entertained to the fullest. Accounts from club regulars Pretty Hair, Poundcake, C-Pudding, and Double Trouble give a firsthand look into sitting in the white folding chairs of the “Super Freaks Section.” Here, anything goes, and tips are not casually thrown, but must be earned through fantasy fulfillment. The community formed in the club is not limited to inside its walls, as the film also gives an intimate look into the hardships of contemporary black communities through its subject’s personal narratives. Director Gene Graham creates an enlightening and highly entertaining documentary picture that reveals the humanizing reality behind the lifestyles of male and female exotic dancers and those who worship their craft.

Awards:

SXSW Film Festival 2018 (Best Cast, Special Jury Award)

Director: Gene Graham

Producers: Gene Graham

Paul Rowley

Cinematographer: Paul Rowley

Editor: Gene Graham

Featuring: C-Pudding

Poundcake

Tyga & Raw Dawg

Sweet Tea

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: NEON

Film Website: thisonesforthe ladiesmovie.com

Selected Filmography: The Godfather of Disco (2007)

Three Identical Strangers USA 2018

TUESDAY, MAY 22 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 4:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

It’s the first day of the 1980 school year at Sullivan County Community College, and 19-year-old Bobby Shafran is shocked to find he is already the big man on campus. Problem is, this is Bobby’s freshman year and everybody is calling him “Eddy.” Bobby soon learns the truth: He is the spitting image of somebody named Eddy Galland, and one two-hour drive to Long Island brings him face-to-face with the fraternal twin brother he never knew. After The New York Post jumps on the story, they soon get a call from David Kellman, and it turns out the twins are actually triplets, all born on July 12, 1961, all adopted, and all having no clue of each other’s existence. Together again after 19 years, the triplets become international celebrities, hitting the talk show circuit and having everybody marvel at how similar they are, down to their mannerisms, their high school sports careers, and their taste in food, cigarettes, and women. But underneath this stunning reunion lies an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives, and as they and their adoptive families dig deeper into the truth, they learn that their separation was no coincidence. Equal parts enthralling and upsetting, Three Identical Strangers goes beyond the tabloid fodder and delivers a beautifully sad rumination on nature versus nurture.

Awards: Sundance Film Festival 2018 (Special Jury Award for Storytelling)

Director: Tim Wardle

Producer: Becky Read

Cinematographer: Tim Cragg

Editor: Michael Harte

Music: Paul Saunderson

Running Time: 98 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Submarine Entertainment

Print Source: NEON

Film Website: facebook.com/ Three-Identical-Strangers

Selected Filmography: Lifers: Channel 4 Cutting Edge (2012)

DREI ZINNEN

Three Peaks

GERMANY/ITALY 2017

TUESDAY, MAY 22 4:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY

TUESDAY, MAY 29 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Chances are the Italian Dolomites would make for a wonderful family vacation. Roaring mountain tops, crisp air, flowing water; what’s not to love amid all the natural serenity? At least that’s what Aaron was thinking, taking his girlfriend Lea (Oscar® nominee Bérénice Bejo, The Artist) and her precocious son Tristan to a mountainside cabin for the weekend. It was supposed to be the perfect bonding opportunity; after two years in the relationship, Aaron desperately seeks validation as a father figure in Tristan’s life. Played with a modernday Viking tenacity by Alexander Fehling (Inglourious Basterds), he’s brawny with a mountaineer’s vitality, teaching Tristan how to saw branches and cut wood. Yet he’s equally sensitive, reading stories and teaching piano duets on top of all that labor. After a string of minor incidents suggest Tristan is less than willing to accept a second father, the myth of a child’s ultimate innocence comes into question. Suddenly, father-son distrust comes to a painful head when disaster strikes the pair as they’re off on an early morning rocky hike. This tightly wound family drama turned survival thriller from acclaimed cinematographer and director Jan Zabeil refuses traditional genre trappings while packing an emotional punch.

Awards: Locarno International Film Festival 2017 (Variety Piazza Grande Award)

Director: Jan Zabeil

Producers: Benny Drechsel

Andreas Pichler

Philipp Moravetz

Screenwriter: Jan Zabeil

Cinematographer: Axel Schneppat

Editor:

Florian Miosge

Cast: Alexander Fehling

Bérénice Bejo

Arian Montgomery

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in German, French, and English, with English

subtitles

International Sales: The Match Factory

Print Source:

Greenwich Entertainment

Film Website: dreizinnen-derfilm.de

Selected Filmography:

Der Fluss war einst ein Mensch (2011)

Thunder Road USA 2018

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 9:00 PM

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 3:45 PM

As Thunder Road opens, we meet Officer Jim Arnaud, preparing to address the mourners at his beloved mother’s memorial service. However, his eulogy doesn’t go quite as rehearsed. He’s continually on the verge of tears, of course, but also keeps making bizarre, confessional digressions, and, worst of all, his 10-year-old daughter’s pink boombox won’t play his mother’s favorite Springsteen song. This scene sets the tone for the narrative that follows—a singular blend of cringe-inducing laughs punctuated by moments of profound sentiment. Emotionally raw following the funeral, Officer Arnaud must deal with a whole series of real-world problems, including his daughter’s inappropriate school behavior, an impending divorce and custody battle, what to do with his mother’s dance studio, and a viral video that always seems to surface just at the wrong moment. As he struggles through these challenges, Arnaud does his best to remain cheerful, always striving for the positive, even when his own hapless antics cause him to falter. In this emotional and offbeat featurelength adaptation of his award-winning short film, director and star Jim Cummings gives a captivating performance, infusing both his flawed character and the film with a deep, abiding pathos.

Awards: SXSW Film Festival 2018 (Grand Jury Prize)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Jim Cummings

Producers:

Natalie Metzger

Zack Parker

Benjamin Wiessner

Matt Miller

Screenwriter: Jim Cummings

Cinematographer: Lowell A. Meyer

Editors: Brian Vannucci

Jim Cummings

Music: Jim Cummings

Danny Madden

Cast: Jim Cummings

Kendal Farr

Nican Robinson

Macon Blair

Chelsea Edmundson

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

Print Source:

Cool and Happy Corp

Selected Filmography: No Floodwall Here (2010)

VUELVEN

Tigers Are Not Afraid

MEXICO 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 PM

ARK LODGE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

In towns along the Mexican-American border, tens of thousands have disappeared or been murdered, victims of the powerful, warring drug cartels, while children at school often have to lie on the floor to avoid crossfire. One such afternoon, Estrella receives three pieces of chalk from her teacher, who tells her each piece will grant one wish. That evening, her mother fails to come home, and Estrella wishes for her mother’s return, but is horrified when she discovers the truth concerning her disappearance. Estrella flees to the streets, joining a band of orphans, led by a boy named Shine, for companionship and protection. At first, the boys resent her presence, but after she rescues one of them from the home of a gang member, they embrace her. Soon afterward, the Huascas, the ruling drug cartel, come looking for the children, seeking a stolen iPhone in Shine’s possession. All the while, Estrella hears the insistent voices of the dead, calling upon her to enact revenge. Drawing influence from “The Monkey’s Paw,” The Sixth Sense, and the darkest of Grimms’ fairy tales, director Issa López crafts a sublimely creepy film inflected by real world horror.

Awards:

Fantastic Fest 2017 (Best Director)

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2018 (Jury Prize, Audience Award)

Director:

Issa López

Producer:

Marco Polo Constandse

Cordova

Screenwriter:

Issa López

Cinematographer: Juan José Saravia

Editor:

Joaquim Martí Marques

Music:

Vince Pope

Cast:

Paola Lara

Juan Ramón Lopez

Tenoch Huerta

Hanssel Casillas

Rodrigo Cortes

Running Time: 83 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Videocine, Filmadora Nacional

Print Source: Filmadora Nacional

Film Website: videocine.com.mx/ contacto

Selected Filmography: Todo Mal (2018)

Sucedio en un dia (2010)

Casi Divas (2008)

Efectos secundarios (2006)

Time Trial

UNITED KINGDOM 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 26 6:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE MONDAY, MAY 28 3:45 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Against all athletes in the history of sport, Father Time holds an undefeated record. Coming to this realization is often a grueling process. The harder one trains, the more pain one endures, and results continue to slip. Time Trial captures British cyclist David Millar’s surrender to age in the twilight of his career. The 2014 season, ultimately his final one, was the last chance to qualify for a 13th Tour de France. In the early ’00s, Millar stormed to the forefront of professional cycling, eventually becoming the only Brit to win all four Tour de France stages. Although his storied career fell into a crevasse with a two-year doping ban in a sport as famous for its storied drug controversies as its signature race, he continued as an anti-drug campaigner. For the most elite in the world, the body usually goes before the desire to compete. Millar comes to this realization over the course of the film, almost angry at his own age. The vein-searing tension and suffering can no long produce the results to which he is accustomed, and human limits settle in. Beautifully shot with POV and ridealong cameras, this documentary uses little in the way of interviews and allows Millar to express himself as a rider.

Director: Finlay Pretsell

Producers: Sonja Henrici

Finlay Pretsell

Cinematographer: Martin Radich

Editors: Kieran Gosney

Dino Jonsäter

Music: Dan Deacon

Featuring: David Millar

Thomas Dekker

Running Time: 82 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Autlook Film Sales

Print Source: Autlook Film Sales

Film Website: timetrialfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Tyrel

USA 2018

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 4:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

Director Sebastián Silva (Nasty Baby, Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus) returns with an at-times comedic thriller about Tyler, a man whose world starts spiraling out of control when he realizes he’s the only black person attending a weekend cabin getaway; what should be a fun birthday trip turns into an uncomfortable series of misunderstandings and foibles. Tyler, played with intense sincerity by Jason Mitchell (Mudbound, Straight Outta Compton), works tirelessly to fit in with the rest of the gang, but always seems to miss the mark. But as the alcohol and testosterone flows, everyone’s true natures arrive at the party. The film masterfully creates a portrait of racial alienation by projecting tensions à la Get Out, but set in a hyper-realistic setting that causes you to cringe while waiting for the worst. With a cast of stellar performances from Christopher Abbott (“Girls,” James White), Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and Michael Cera—who act as Tyler’s friends— Tyrel is a smart and provocative story built to stir conversation around the current American political climate of otherness.

Director: Sebastián Silva

Producers: Jacob Wasserman

Max Born

Sebastián Silva

Gigi Graff

Carlos Zozaya

Screenwriter: Sebastián Silva

Cinematographer: Alexis Zabe

Editors:

Sofia Subercaseaux

Jennifer Lame

Music: Chris Swanson

Cast:

Jason Mitchell

Christopher Abbott

Michael Cera

Caleb Landry Jones

Ann Dowd

Michael Zegen

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Selected Filmography:

Nasty Baby (2015)

Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus (2013)

Magic Magic (2013)

Old Cats (2010)

The Maid (2009)

La Vida me Mata (2007)

Unarmed Verses

CANADA 2017

US PREMIERE

FRIDAY, MAY 25 6:00 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 26 12:00 PM SIFF

Capturing the lingering pace of an introspective existence and the sentiment of human relationships, Unarmed Verses highlights an authentic reality that would be impossible to artificially recreate. Director Charles Officer’s feature documentary centers on a family living in low-income housing called the Villaways in Toronto, Canada. This complex is undergoing a revitalization project that is posing an imminent threat to their livelihood. Through managing hardship, enchanting 12-year-old lead Francine Valentine finds serenity in music, poetry, art, and faith. Her youthful virtue is matched with objective and moving observations of the people and world around her that reflects infectious optimism and selflessness. The film illustrates the definition of community, one that is hanging on the brink of eviction through gentrification being disguised as the blueprint for a better future. While following the lives of the residents of Villaways, viewers are reminded of the core of the human experience; that there are psychological needs that are universal. Among them, Charles Officer’s poignant feature touches on the desire to love and be loved, to create something meaningful with our time on Earth, and the drive to do the best with what we are given.

Director: Charles Officer

Producer: Lea Marin

Screenwriter: Charles Officer

Cinematographer: Mike McLaughlin

Editor: Andres Landau

Music: Menalon

Running Time: 86 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales:

National Film Board of Canada

Print Source: National Film Board of Canada

Film Website: facebook.com/Unarmed-

VersesFilm

Selected Filmography: Unarmed Verses (2017)

Mighty Jerome (2010)

Nurse.Fighter.Boy (2008)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

CINEMA UPTOWN

Under the Tree

ICELAND/DENMARK/POLAND/GERMANY 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:30 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, MAY 20 3:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Robert Frost may have been speaking ironically when he wrote “good fences make good neighbors,” but in this pitch-black Iceland comedy, he may have been onto something. Middle-aged Inga and Baldvin live next door to Konrad and his younger second wife Eybjorg. Though the couples engage in general societal niceties, there is one thing that Konrad and Eybjorg cannot stand—a tree that casts a shadow on their sundeck, something especially heinous now that’s it’s summertime. Baldvin swears he’s going to take care of the tree, but it’s not even remotely his highest priority. Meanwhile, Inga and Baldvin’s grown son Atli has moved into a tent in their backyard, his wife Agnes having kicked him out of their apartment after catching him masturbating to a sex tape starring him and a mutual female friend. As an increasingly desperate Atli struggles to retain custody of his young daughter, both pairs of neighbors ratchet up their fight, a simple disagreement that violently spirals out of control. Director/co-writer Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (Either Way, SIFF 2012) has gleeful fun with this wicked premise in a way Scandinavians seem to do best, in a film that is equal parts cynical and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Awards:

Fantastic Fest 2017 (Best Comedy Director)

Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film)

Edda Awards 2018 (Best Film, Director, Actress, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Special Effects)

SKYGGENES DAL

Valley of Shadows

NORWAY 2017

SATURDAY, MAY 19 1:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 9:00 PM

Director: Hafsteinn Gunar

Sigurðsson

Producers: Grímar Jónsson

Sindri Páll Kjartansson

Thor Sigurjonsson

Screenwriters: Huldar Breiðfjörð

Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson

Cinematographer: Monika Lenczewska

Editor: Kristján Loðmfjörð

Music:

Daníel Bjarnason

Cast: Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson

Edda Björgvinsdóttir Sigurður Sigurjónsson

Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir

Running Time: 89 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Icelandic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Icelandic Film Centre

Print Source: Magnolia Pictures

Film Website: magpictures.com/ underthetree

Selected Filmography: Paris of the North (2014) Either Way (2011)

ARK LODGE

MAJESTIC BAY

THURSDAY, MAY 24 9:30 PM PACIFIC PLACE

A young boy takes a solitary odyssey through the dark woods in this Gothic Scandinavian fairy tale. The first feature film of director Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, Valley of Shadows offers a mesmerizing visual landscape with a haunting score to match. Aslak (Adam Ekeli) lives with his mother, Astrid (Katherine Fagerland), in a rural village on the edge of a forested wilderness. When local sheep begin to be mysteriously slaughtered, Aslak’s friend, Lasse (Lennard Salamon) tells him that werewolves are to blame. Aslak’s imagination begins to grow, and, after his dog goes missing, he is led to embark on a journey to seek him in the forest. Meanwhile, Aslak’s brother is drug-addicted and lost. The audience simultaneously sees the world through Aslak’s fantastical gaze while also wondering if the missing brother may be behind the butchered sheep. The cinematography is beautifully done by Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen, the director’s brother, in 35mm—while shades of grey dance across a menacing river, Aslak’s lone canoe floats deeper into the unknown woods—and the accompanying score by Zbigniew Preisner intensifies the moodiness of the landscape. Valley of Shadows evokes nostalgia for the labyrinthine worlds we create as children. Teetering on the precipice between dream and nightmare, this is a film to be experienced.

Director: Jonas Matzow

Gulbrandsen

Producers: Tom Kjeseth

Alan R Milligan

Screenwriters: Jonas Matzow

Gulbrandsen

Clement Tuffreau

Cinematographer: Marius Matzow

Gulbrandsen

Editor: Mariusz Kus

Music: Zbigniew Preisner

Cast: Adam Ekeli

Katherine Fagerland

John Olav Nilsen

Jone Hope Larsen

Jørgen Langhelle

Lennard Salamon

Running Time:

91 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Norwegian, with English subtitles

International Sales: Celluloid Dreams

Print Source: Celluloid Dreams

Film Website: celluloid-dreams.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Village Rockstars

INDIA 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 27 6:15 PM

SHORELINE CC

THURSDAY, MAY 31 7:00 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

10-year-old Dhunu lives in Chahaygaon, a remote village in northeast India. When she’s not helping her overworked, widowed mother and her school-skipping brother with their farm, she can be found hanging out with the local boys, much to the chagrin of the village’s women who’d rather she stop acting like such a tomboy. Dhunu isn’t all that interested in normal, though, a willfulness that’s exacerbated when she witnesses a “boy band” perform at a local event. These preteens can’t actually play any music, but the sight of them lip-synching along to a popular song while pantomiming on instruments made out of cardboard and Styrofoam sets a goal for Dhunu; despite the limitations of her impoverished lifestyle, she will form a band. Or at the very least, save up enough to buy a used guitar. Village Rockstars is much more than your standard, plucky coming-of-age narrative, its power found as its matter-of-fact, observational portrait of the tough choices kids must make in the face of things they cannot control, and the self-actualization of a young girl in a society that frankly isn’t interested in anything but tradition. “We lose our farm in the flood every year,” Dhunu remarks to her mother. “Why do you still farm?” “Work is religion for us,” her mother replies. “Hard work is the only thing we have.”

Virus Tropical

COLOMBIA/ECUADOR 2017

MONDAY, MAY 28 6:30 PM

Director: Rima Das

Producers: Rima Das

Jaya Das

Screenwriter: Rima Das

Cinematographer: Rima Das

Editor: Rima Das

Music:

Nilotpal Borah

Cast: Bhanita Das Basanti Das Boloram Das Rinkn Das

Bishnu Kalita

Running Time: 87 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Assamese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Asian Shadows

Print Source: Asian Shadows

Film Website: ChineseShadows.com/ village-rockstars

Selected Filmography: Man with the Binoculars: Antardrishti (2016)

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 8:30 PM SHORELINE CC

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 4:30 PM

Conceived despite her parents’ best efforts during a stormy night in Quito, little Paola Gaviria didn’t stand much of a chance sandwiched between prickly middle sister Patty, flighty oldest sister Claudia, embittered ex-priest dad Uriel, and fortune-telling mom Hilda. An inquisitive, highly sensitive girl who discovered that drawing her reality helped her understand it, Paola would quickly become her family’s beating heart while herself navigating a youth marked by shifting fortunes, divorce, addiction, and home life that would often unravel yet never give in, in this beautifully animated adaptation of the hit graphic novel. Winner of this year’s SXSW Audience Award director Santiago Caicedo weaves a funny, sharp, and tender autobiographical portrait of the shifting emotional sands between sisters, parents, mothers, and their daughters. The latest in a bold and exciting new wave of Latin American animation, Virus Tropical’s simple and direct style breathes life into a tale that moves to the rhythms of real life, relatable to anyone who’s fought to find themselves within the din of a troubled yet loving family.

Awards: SXSW 2018 (Audience Award)

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Santiago Caicedo

Producers: Carolina Barrera

Nidia Santiago

Edwina Liard

Screenwriter: Enrique Lozano

Cinematographers:

David Restrepo

Manuel D’Macedo

Felipe Sanín

Carolina Gómez

Jorge L. Barragán

German Fuquene

Editors: Simón Hernadez

Jorge Vallejo

Music:

Adriana Garcia Galán

Voices: Alejandra Borrero

María Cecilia Sánchez

Martina Toro

Diego León Hoyos

Mara Gutiérrez

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Spanish, with English subtitles

International Sales: Stray Dogs

Print Source: Stray Dogs

Film Website: virustropical.com/en

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Wajib

PALESTINE/FRANCE/GERMANY/COLOMBIA/NORWAY/ QATAR/UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 2017

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Annemarie Jacir (When I Saw You) returns to SIFF with the story of an estranged father and son (played by real-life father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri) who come together to carry out their duty. Abu Shadi is a divorced father and a schoolteacher in his mid-sixties living in Nazareth. Shadi, his son, is an architect living in Rome. When a family wedding looms, Shadi returns home to help his father hand-deliver invitations, as tradition requires. As they drive around visiting relatives and friends, the cranky father and his grudging son try to share the details of their very different lives, and navigate the longstanding tension that exists between them, to sometimes comic effect (the traffic doesn’t help.) In her two previous films, Jacir explored the displacement of Palestinians. Now, for the first time, she considers the experience of those living with Israel’s borders—as well as the complexity of the relationship between the two groups. Indeed, one subplot involves Abu Shadi’s ex-wife, now living in the U.S., and whether or not she’ll be able to attend her daughter’s wedding. Wajib is a tribute to the power of family and community ties between those who inhabit different worlds but share an unshakable bond.

Awards:

Official Oscar® Submission 2018 (Foreign Language Film) Dubai International Film Festival 2017 (Best Film, Actor)

Director:

Annemarie Jacir

Producer:

Ossama Bawardi

Screenwriter: Annemarie Jacir

Cinematographer: Antoine Heberle

Editor: Jacques Comets

Cast: Mohammad Bakri

Saleh Bakri

Karma Zoabi

Rana Alamuddin

Maria Zriek

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP, in Arabic, with English subtitles

International Sales: Pyramide International

Print Source: Pyramide International

Film Website: inter.pyramidefilms.com/ pyramidefilms-international-catalogue/wajib

Selected Filmography: The Rendezvous (2016) When I Saw You (2012) Salt of This Sea (2008)

Warrior Women

USA 2018

US PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 21 7:00 PM

MAJESTIC BAY SATURDAY, MAY 26 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN SUNDAY, MAY 27 1:00 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

An inspiring documentary about racial and gendered discrimination, Warrior Women details the life of Lakota activist and community organizer Madonna Thunder Hawk, whose career has now spanned over 50 years. The role of American Indian women in the fight for their inalienable human rights, often ignored by the U.S. government, is the film’s central theme, told through Madonna’s life and actions. From the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM) to the Wounded Knee incident of 1973, and most recently the North Dakota Access Pipeline protest, Madonna has been at the front lines of nearly every major movement on behalf of American Indian rights. Stories written from the outside typically only concern male tribal leaders and their opinions, yet likely no person has had more influence or given more of their lives to the cause than Madonna Thunder Hawk. She passed her dedication and hunger for change to her daughter Marcy, who builds traditional gardens in Lakota communities, even if that often means feeling more like comrades-in-arms than mother and child. With rare archival footage, including AIM’s occupation of Wounded Knee and circular-style storytelling at one of Madonna’s survival schools, Warrior Women rekindles the memories and long-standing legacy of the Red Power movement’s matriarchs.

PRECEDED BY:

Shell No

USA/Coast Salish Territory, 2018, 7 minutes, Director: Tracy Rector

World Premiere

The protests against oil production from Standing Rock to Seattle’s oil rig are invigorated by the music of Khu.éex’.

Directors:

Elizabeth A. Castle

Christina D. King

Producers:

Anna Pitman

Christina D. King

Elizabeth A. Castle

Screenwriters: Elizabeth A. Castle

Christina D. King

Cinematographers: John Larson

Andreas Burgess

Editors:

Kristen Nutile

Keiko Deguchi

Music:

Giulio Carmassi

Bryan Scary

Featuring: Madonna Thunder Hawk

Marcella Gilbert

Running Time: 67 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Film Website: warriorwomenfilm.com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Waru

NEW ZEALAND 2017

FRIDAY, MAY 25 9:30 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

SUNDAY, MAY 27 1:00 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 6:15 PM SIFF FILM CENTER

Bold and challenging, Waru is a film composed of eight vignettes that center on the funeral of a Maori child. The vignettes are presented in one continuous shot through real-time and focuses on eight Maori women who must go through life beset by poverty, child abuse, guilt, and hopelessness. Each vignette is raw and unflinching in is deliverance: There is the young, careless mother who comes back home drunk at dawn to find that she has locked her baby alone in the house; the mother who has admits that she is too poor to purchase food for her children; the kindergarten teacher who becomes resistant to attending the funeral; and the young, emboldened teenager who finally confronts her abuser in one dramatic, emotional moment. Moreover, the film hints at other subtler themes unique to the Maori community that includes cultural assimilation, societal pressure, and racism. Each vignette was directed by a Maori woman who has poured her heart and voice into this, a film that is sure to leave audiences with raw emotions and difficult questions to ponder.

Directors:

Briar Grace-Smith

Awanui Simich-Pene

Katie Wolfe

Renae Maihi

Casey Kaa

Chelsea Winstanley

Paula Whetu Jones

Ainsley Gardiner

Producers: Kerry Warkia

Kiel McNaughton

Screenwriters:

Awanui Simich-Pene

Katie Wolfe

Renae Maihi

Casey Kaa

Chelsea Winstanley

Paula Whetu Jones

Briar Grace-Smith

Ainsley Gardiner

Josephine Stewart-Te

Whiu

Cinematographer: Drew Sturge

Editor:

Craig Parkes

Music: Lauren King

Cast: Miriama McDowell

Tanea Heke

Kararaina Rangihau

Roimata Fox

Ngapaki Moetara

Running Time: 88 minutes

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

subtitles

International Sales: MPI Media Group

Print Source: New Zealand Film Commission

Film Website: mpimedia.com/film/waru

We the Animals USA 2018

FRIDAY, MAY 25 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

SATURDAY, MAY 26 12:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Ethereal and touching, We the Animals is a beautiful portrait of a family in upstate New York struggling to cope with the realities of rural blue-collar life and preteen sexuality. Jonah (Evan Rosado, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) and his two older brothers frolic and run their way through town while his parents, affectionately referred to as Ma (Shiela Vand, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) and Pa (Raúl Castillo, “Looking”), grapple with the stagnancy of their lives. Their relationship ebbs and flows from violent to utterly tender under the weight of anxiety. Both fled Brooklyn after marrying as teens in the hopes of better opportunity upstate, opportunity that now seems like it will never come. Bouncing from job to job, Pa can’t seem to grasp steady employment, his depression hanging like a cloud over the family, while Ma keeps the roof over their head by working at a local brewery. When a neighbor boy invites Jonah to the basement promising pornography, Jonah discovers he’s attracted to him, at which point he begins slowly drifting from his brothers. As he and his two brothers try to emulate their father’s captivating masculinity, Jonah draws closer to his nurturing mother, promising never to grow up. The film’s intimate narrative is based on author Justin Torres’ acclaimed autobiographical novel of the same name.

Director: Jeremiah Zagar

Producers: Jeremy Yaches

Christina D. King

Andrew Goldman

Paul Mezey

Screenwriters: Daniel Kitrosser

Jeremiah Zagar

Cinematographer: Zak Mulligan

Editors: Keiko Deguchi

Brian A. Kates

Music: Nick Zammuto

Cast: Raul Castillo

Sheila Vand

Evan Rosado

Isaiah Kristian

Josiah Gabriel

Running Time: 90 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Cinetic

Print Source: The Orchard

Film Website: cinereach.org/films/ we-the-animals

Selected Filmography: In A Dream (doc, 2008)

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist

FRIDAY, JUNE 1 4:00 PM

PACIFIC PLACE

MONDAY, JUNE 4 6:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

For nearly half a century, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion, responsible for many of the distinct looks of our time. She was a revelation to the early punk movement for designing clothing for the SEX boutique, founded by Sex Pistols manager and her ex-partner Malcolm McLaren in 1974. She’s since been a force for change and innovation in an industry made up primarily of male designers and executives. Lorna Tucker’s feature-length documentary debut guides audiences along the unique path of Vivienne’s life, from her early childhood is post-war England to the major runways of Milan and Paris, through a natural mixture of archival footage, ethereally crafted reconstruction, and interviews with her extensive network of creative collaborators. Originally planned as a six-month filming project, Tucker became embedded with her subject for over two years as the story unfolded more than she could’ve imagined. The film provides unparalleled access to Vivienne’s modern battle of maintaining the ethical and sustainable ethos of her brand against the forces of profit-driven capitalism. Tucker has truly accomplished a bona fide ode to a cultural icon, now devoted to environmental activism and the betterment of our world.

Director:

Lorna Tucker

Producers:

Eleanor Emptage

Shirine Best

Nicole Stott

John Battsek

Cinematographers:

James Moriarty

Sam Brown

Editor:

Paul Carlin

Music:

Dan Jones

Featuring:

Vivienne Westwood

Andreas Kronthaler

Running Time: 78 minutes

Presentation Format:

DCP

International Sales: Dogwoof

Print Source:

Greenwich Entertainment

Film Website: viviennewestwoodmovie. com

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

HVA VIL FOLK SI

What Will People Say

NORWAY/GERMANY/SWEDEN 2017

SUNDAY, MAY 20 8:30 PM

MAJESTIC BAY THURSDAY, MAY 31 7:00 PM PACIFIC PLACE

What Will People Say is a poignant film that follows the trials and tribulations of young Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) as she struggles to embrace her Pakistani heritage while forging a meaningful life of her own. Nisha leads a double life: At home, she is an obedient, upright, and dutiful daughter of traditional Pakistani émigré parents; outside of the home, she is a carefree, happy Norwegian teen who enjoys spending time with her friends and attending late-night parties. When Nisha’s secret life is discovered, Nisha’s father, Mirza (Adil Hussain), is devastated. Pressured by his wife and the surrounding Pakistani community, Mirza decides that the only way to protect his daughter from further influences of Western values is to teach Nisha about her heritage— which means sending her to live in Islamabad, Pakistan with her aunt. Homesickness, cultural shock, and personal vendettas nearly break Nisha until she meets her cousin, Amir (Rohit Saraf), who offers her the gift of love and friendship she truly needs. An empathic story that focuses on culture, family, and community, What Will People Say is Iram Haq’s second film after I Am Yours, continuing her trend of examining social pressure on women and the community. Heartrending and deep, What Will People Say is a film that will be sure to move audiences.

Awards: Goteborg International Film Festival 2018 (Audience Dragon Award Best Nordic Film)

Director: Iram Haq

Producers: Maria Ekerhovd

Karsten Stöter

Madeleine Ekman

Screenwriter: Iram Haq

Cinematographer: Nadim Carlsen

Editors:

Janus Billeskov Jansen

Anne Østerud

Music: Lorenz Dangel

Martin Pedersen

Cast: Maria Mozhdah

Adil Hussain

Rohit Saraf

Ekavali Khanna

Ali Arfan

Sheeba Chaddha

Running Time: 106 minutes

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

subtitles

Print Source: Kino Lorber

Film Website: semerfilm.no/hva-vilfolk-si

Selected Filmography: I Am Yours (2013)

BEI FANG YI PIAN CANG MANG

The Widowed Witch

CHINA 2018

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

MONDAY, MAY 28 9:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

THURSDAY, MAY 31 6:30 PM LINCOLN SQUARE

Living in a rural town in China, Erhao finds herself widowed for the third time after a fireworks accident kills her husband and injures her. After her brother-in-law attacks her, she realizes she can no longer stay at the home of her in-laws, and leaves in search of starting a life of her own. Erhao is widely deemed inauspicious and even cursed in the eyes of the villagers, who during these cold winter months, are unwilling to share their home or help her find proper food and shelter. Having no one to depend on but herself, she soon discovers she has magical powers that she can use to her advantage, gaining social power and importance by helping the villagers with their own life problems. Erhao instantly becomes the town’s famous shaman, and uses her special skills to make a living. Yet as she helps the village people with their issues day after day, she finds it increasingly impossible to satisfy the need and greed of the community. The debut feature of director Cai Chengjie, The Widowed Witch explores the painful social issue of the “left-behind child,” the injustices centered around women, and superstition in rural China with biting humor.

Awards: International Film Festival Rotterdam 2018 (Tiger Award)

Director: Cai Chengjie

Producers: Feng Jiao

Xiaotao Hu

Screenwriter: Cai Chengjie

Cinematographer: Feng Jiao

Editor: Cheng Li

Music:

Weiye Jin

Qiang Li

Cast: Tian Tian

Xinyu Wen

Qilin Wang

Fuyou Wang

Shuyou Yang

Pengcheng Gao

Wenfu Li

Shulin Zhao

Running Time: 118 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Chinese, with English subtitles

International Sales: Rediance Films

Print Source: Rediance Films

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Wild Nights with Emily USA 2018

THURSDAY, JUNE 7 7:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 4:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Wild Nights — Wild Nights! / Were I with thee / Wild Nights should be / Our luxury! If you read this poem by Emily Dickinson according to the conventional view of her—celibate, prim, reclusive—rather than as an overt expression of physical passion drawn from first-hand experience, you’ll change your mind after seeing Madeleine Olnek’s puckish yet poignant biopic, which convincingly posits Dickinson’s sister-in-law Susan (Susan Ziegler) as waaay more than a friend and muse. The eyebrow-arched spin Molly Shannon’s Dickinson puts on “I taste a liquor never brewed” leaves no doubt, but the film also movingly dramatizes the disappointments of her attempts to get published; 11 of her 1,775 poems saw print during her life, and even those had her idiosyncratic capitalization and punctuation smoothed over. The men in her life prove useless: the magazine editor and would-be mentor Thomas Higginson (Brett Gelman), a well-meaning mansplainer, and her clueless brother/Susan’s husband Austin (Seattle’s own Kevin Seal). With a dash of “Drunk History” and a whiff of Wes Anderson, Olnek takes a sideways, stylized, but largely reverent and beautifully photographed view of the poet—including the old joke that so many of Dickinson’s poems can be sung to the tune “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”

Director: Madeleine Olnek

Producers:

Casper Andreas

Anna Margarita Albelo

Max-Rifkind Barron

Madeleine Olnek

Screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek

Cinematographer: Anna Stypko

Editors: Lee Eaton

Anthony Clemente

Music: Frid & Frid

Cast:

Molly Shannon

Amy Seimetz

Susan Ziegler

Brett Gelman

Jackie Monahan

Kevin Seal

Running Time: 84 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Cinetic Media

Print Source: Embrem Entertainment

Film Website: wildnightswithemily.com

Selected Filmography: The Foxy Merkins (2013)

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (2011)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

SATURDAY, MAY 26 6:00 PM

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SUNDAY, MAY 27 1:30 PM SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

After half of a century on television sharing countless teachings of love and kindness, Fred Rogers remains a cultural icon and the personification of nostalgia. Among the list of his many identities as a husband, father, educator, minister, and musician, also lies innovator. “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” redefined children’s programming by unabashedly addressing social issues like equity, race relations, disability, divorce, and mental health using puppetry and songs to translate powerful messages that remain relevant to people of all ages. Oscar®-winning director Morgan Neville’s documentary reflects Rogers’ unyielding purity and imagination, and through archival footage paints a more complete portrait than the public has ever seen on their television screens. Teased as a child for his weight, Rogers became a man with zero tolerance for cruelty of any kind, and gained a shameless confidence that was perpetuated through being transparent and unapologetic about his flaws. His famous tenet that everyone should be loved and respected for their authentic selves is the center of Neville’s film, as audiences are made to truly question if they are fulfilling the admirable vision of the American legend and being the best neighbor they can be.

Director:

Morgan Neville

Producers: Caryn Capotosto

Nicholas Ma

Cinematographer: Graham Willoughby

Editors: Jeff Malmberg

Aaron Wickenden

Music:

Jonathan Kirkscey

Running Time: 94 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

Print Source: Focus Features

Film Website: facebook.com/ mrrogersmovie

Selected Filmography: Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015)

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (2015)

Best of Enemies (2015)

20 Feet from Stardom (2013)

Troubadours (2011)

Johnny Cash’s America (2008)

The Cool School (2008)

Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan: ‘Cowboy’ Jack Clement’s Home Movies (2005)

Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A. (1995)

Wrath of Silence

CHINA 2017 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

FRIDAY, JUNE 8 9:30 PM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 5:00 PM

Income inequality is a worldwide phenomenon. A fact on display in Wrath of Silence, a moody noir crime thriller from rising Chinese filmmaker Xin Yukan. Chinese miners often work for pittance under the thumbnail of their mob boss owner; one such miner Baomin returns to his village after his son Lei goes missing. The dreary setting of his dusty old home evokes old spaghetti western-style imagery. Soon, he’s off on a desperate hunt for his child that entangles him in the business dealings of Mr. Chang, an owner of several mines whose purchase methods usually include lead pipe beatings and crowd control; his luxurious office of dark wood panel and a mock bow hunting range offset the outside poverty of his employees. When clues about Lei’s disappearance connect to Chang’s company, Baomin goes on a vengeful spree seeking answers, leaving swaths of Chang’s beaten cronies in his wake. Mute from an old fight wound, Baomin lets his fists do most of the talking, with brutal efficiency. Xin’s eloquent twisting of old western and film noir tropes delivers a dark and satisfying film within the rural north China setting.

Awards: Macao International Film Festival 2017 (Jury Prize, Best Actor)

PACIFIC

Director: Yukun Xin

Producer: Yitian Gao

Screenwriter: Yukun Xin

Cinematographer: Shan He

Editor: Shuzhen Hu

Music: Sylvia Wang

Cast: Wu Jiang

Yang Song

Wenkang Yuan

Running Time: 119 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in Mandarin, with English subtitles

International Sales: Fortissimo Films

Print Source: Fortissimo Films

Film Website: fortissimofilms.com

Selected Filmography: Distance (2016)

The Coffin in the Mountain (2014)

PLACE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

BAO LIE WU SHENG

ZOMBILLÉNIUM

Zombillenium

FRANCE/BELGIUM 2017

MONDAY, MAY 28 11:00 AM

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 4:00 PM

SATURDAY, JUNE 9 11:00 AM

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN

Welcome to Zombillenium, the wildest, most terrifying theme park in France, owned and staffed entirely by werewolves, mummies, ghosts, and ghouls. But overworked inspector and single (human) father Hector Saxe wants to shut it down, pointing to the park’s low safety standards and alleged immigrant workforce. Stopping by for an emergency inspection, Hector runs afoul of the park’s CEO—the vampiric Francis Von Bloodt—and dies in the lava pits far below the park’s surface. But death is just the beginning at Zombillenium; Hector wakes up to discover he is the park’s newest employee, taking the shape of a redskinned, horned demon. Barred from leaving the park so he can see his now-orphaned daughter and let her know everything is okay, he is forced to work the cotton candy stand and check in with intern Gretchen, a heavily tattooed, Nine Inch Nails shirt-wearing witch who rides her broom like a skateboard. (Her father? Why, Satan himself, and the president of the park.) Zombillenium, meanwhile, is in dire financial straits, and unless Von Bloodt can impress a gaggle of human investors in keeping the park open, each and every employee will be sent straight to Hell. With nothing left to lose, Hector whips the employees into shape in the hopes of making this the scariest park in history.

Directors: Arthur de Pins

Alexis Ducord

Producers: Henri Magalon Léon Perahia

Screenwriters: Alexis Ducord

Arthur de Pins

Editor: Benjamin Massoubre

Music: Mathieu Monnaert

Éric Neveux

Voices: Emmanuel Curtil

Alain Choquet

Kelly Marot

Alexis Tomassian

Running Time: 80 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP, in French, with English subtitles

International Sales: Urban Distribution

International

Print Source: Urban Distribution

International

Selected Filmography: Debut Feature Film

Zoo

IRELAND 2017

SUNDAY, JUNE 3 11:30 AM

SUNDAY, JUNE 10 11:30 AM

Tom Hall (Art Parkinson) is a young teen living in Belfast circa 1941. His father George works as a veterinarian at the Bellevue Zoo, and Tom visits often to help him with the animals, much to the light-hearted chagrin of the zoo’s owner and the ornery security guard (Toby Jones). The zoo’s newest attraction? A baby elephant, who Tom takes a liking to and names Buster. But as World War II picks up, George enlists in the armed forces and leaves his job behind.

Now, Tom has no access to his old stomping grounds, nor can he care for Buster. Worse, the Germans have started to bomb Belfast, and the Ministry of Public Service is forced to make an awful decree: all the zoo animals must be destroyed in case they escape during a bombing raid. Tom will not have this, and so with the help of his misfit friends—including kind Jane, reformed bully Pete, and Pete’s little person brother Mickey—they kidnap Buster away and hide him in the courtyard of local eccentric Mrs. Austin (Penelope Wilton). But how long can they keep a growing elephant hidden, especially in time of war? Based on a remarkable true story, Zoo is an inspiring tale of perseverance and doing the right thing against all odds.

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN

Director: Colin McIvor

Producers: Katy Jackson

Jacqueline Kerrin

John Leslie

Thomas Vencelides

Dominic Wright

Screenwriter: Colin McIvor

Cinematographer: Damien Elliott

Editors: Brian Philip Davis

Chris Gill

Music: Mark Thomas

Cast: Toby Jones

Ian McElhinney

Art Parkinson

Penelope Wilton

Amy Huberman

Running Time: 96 minutes

Presentation Format: DCP

International Sales: Metro International

Print Source: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Film Website: samuelgoldwynfilms. com/zoo

Selected Filmography: Cup Cake (2010) Stainless Steal (2000)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Sarah Wilke ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Beth Barrett

FESTIVAL FOUNDERS Darryl Macdonald and Dan Ireland

PROGRAMMING

Festival Programming Manager

Stan Shields

Programming Coordinator

Cory Rodriguez

Senior Programmers

Maryna Ajaja

Justine Barda

Hebe Tabachnik

Programmers

Angelo Acerbi

Clare Canzoneri

Chris Coronado

James Davis

Juan Manuel Dominguez

Dan Doody

Laura Good

Marcus Gorman

Sarah Harris

Ruth Hayler

Jane Julian

Dustin Kaspar

Megan Leonard

Clinton McClung

Kathleen McInnis

Dale Nash

Colleen O’Holleran

Andy Spletzer

Kim Voynar

Caleb Ward

Programming Associates

SuJ’n Chon

Cilin Deng

Sam Ditty

Ilia Gerber

Dunia Kayungu

Alexandra Maraz

Rita Meher

Tracy Rector

Mayumi Tsutakawa

EDUCATION AND FORUMS

Educational Programs Manager

Dustin Kaspar

Youth Programs Coordinator

Jordan Iverson

Youth Jury Coordinator

Sarah Haskell

Screenplay Competition Coordinator

Tanar Dial

GUEST RELATIONS

Guest Relations Manager

Rhonda Sable

Guest Relations Manager Assistant

Nathania tenWolde

Guest Relations Travel Coordinator

Kendra Allen

Guest Relations Coordinator

Aileen Fowler

Guest Relations Coordinator

Assistant

Bobby Pin

Guest Relations Filmmaker

Concierge

Saunatina Sanchez

Guest Relations Advisor

Courtney Hagans

DEVELOPMENT AND PHILANTHROPY

Director of Partnerships

Nancy Kennedy

Donor Relations Officer

Emily Guillen

Corporate Relations Manager

Rick Baker

Community Relations Manager

Kelly Erlandson

Special Events Manager

Mytet Gumin

Development Coordinator

Allison Gibson

Membership & Development Associate

Mike DeStefano

Festival Special Events Coordinator

Sarah Worzer

Festival Special Events Assistants

Russell Eberts

Armando Zamudio

Procurement and Special Events

Intern

Sophia Donan

Development Social Media Intern

Kasey Williams

Festival Membership Intern

Laura Nguyen

Development Consulting

Grant Support: Liza Comtois

Translations: Cilin Deng

Special Events: Kate HarrisonFacility, Inc.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Director of Marketing and Communications

Elizabeth Rossi

Graphic Designer

Anna Helland

Digital Marketing Manager

Charlotte Linton

Marketing Manager

Leah Anderson

Marketing Coordinator

Whitney Veloski

Festival Digital Marketing Associate

Olivia Volarich

Festival Digital Content Associate

Darlene Graham

Festival Social Media & Digital Marketing Interns

Felice Cat-Tuong Luu

Reema Chauhan

Grace Harmon

Qinyuan Sun

Festival Graphic Design Associate

Matthew Taylor

Festival Graphic Design Interns

Latifah Alsaad

Chloe Corriveau

Festival Marketing Associates

Adrian Florez

Megan Garbayo

Daniel Roberts

Chris Weber

Festival Marketing Interns

Peter Aguiar

Milo Cantor

Joshua Meusch

Jordan Nelson

Festival Public Relations Manager

Amanda Bedell

Festival Publicists

Ashley Pineda

Mark Siano

Festival PR Interns

Megan Bernovich

Devin DeGagne

Mariana del Fierro

Kimna Tang

Festival Publications Manager

Emalie Soderback

Festival Publications Associate

Editors

Connor Cartmill

Marcus Gorman

Festival Publications Design Consultant

Steven Meyer

Festival Publications Interns

Derek Decker

Rachel Ferro

Andrew Powell

Disko Praphanchith

Writers

Angelo Acerbi

Maryna Ajaja

Justine Barda

Beth Barrett

Gavin Borchert

Connor Cartmill

Derek Decker

Cilin Deng

Dan Doody

Rachel Ferro

Marcus Gorman

Ruth Hayler

Dustin Kaspar

Megan Leonard

Clinton McClung

Kathleen McInnis

Colleen O’Holleran

Drew Powell

Disko Praphanchith

Stan Shields

Emalie Soderback

Andy Spletzer

Hebe Tabachnik

Caleb Ward

Sarah Wilke

Randy Woods

Festival Photographers

Beth Crook

Ashlyn Gehrett

Amy Kowalenko

Festival Photography Interns

Ezra Asfaw

Lisa Day

Samantha McLean

Quinton Peters

Theodora Teodosiadis

Molly Walsh

FINANCE

Accounting Manager

Kasey Davis

Accounting Assistant

Chase Patrick

Administrative Coordinator

Ruth Eitemiller

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

Director of Operations

Sarah Simonds

Cinema Operations Manager

Andrew Niece

Box Office & Customer Service Manager

Andy Yardley

Rental, Sales & Services Manager

Betty Tweedy

Festival Operations Manager

Carley Callahan

Operations and Cinema Programs Coordinator

James Davis

Technical Manager

Mark Allender

Festival Volunteer Program Manager

Mark Morey

Festival Operations Coordinator

David Corry

Festival Venue Operations Manager

Christa Luckenbach

Festival Production Manager

Caitlyn Pozerski

Festival Production Coordinator

Gracie Gilbert

Festival Production Driver

Anthony Doyle

Festival Local Filmmaker Services

Liason

Ashley Soares

Festival Lounge Manager

Kristen Pettit

Festival Lounge Assistant

Mia Greenwald

Festival Venue Managers

Jody Cole

Brandi Diaz

Christopher Dodge

Cola Engel

Faridah Gbadamosi

Bridget Gergharty

Piper Hanson

Jenna Keiper

Kim Lowe

Brittney Montag

Marlee Myers

Andrea Nilosek

Anthony Noceda

Dominique O’Neil

Jon Olsen

Jameson Ritter

Festival Assistant Box Officer Manager

Angela Parisi

Festival Credentials Coordinator

Eric Tate

Quality Control Officers

Whitney Miller-Bird

Phillips Payson

Print Traffic Manager

Ashley Nagel

Emily Shurtz

Technical Assistant/Projectionist

Josh Wakeland

Print Traffic Driver

Taylor Edmark

Lead Projectionist

Jim Tuohey

Projectionists

Amber Adams

Jennifer Bacon

Rick Hancock

Freedom Hopkins

Kyle McMillin

Kerri Ondracek

Larry Price

Box Officers

Adrienne Creer

Maddie Criglow

Paxton Forgue

Romana Guillotte

Casey Hindman

Avery Johnson

Andrew Landley

Ansley Lee

Charlie Lenny

Kathryn Luznicky

Justin McInyre

Jenn Misko

Carly Rose Moser

Alisha Nieh

Maia Pagan

Krishanu Ray

Kaitlyn Ryan

Mariam Sergenian

Eric Sorlien

Andrew Stark

Tammy Williams

Ushers

Andrea Albro

Stephanie Bailey

Whitney Bennett

Jonathan Bregman

Leslie Chui

Jaci Dahlvang

Mark Davidek

Mark Desmond

Diana Dieguez

Sue Duvall

Alesander Forney

Alison Fujino

Wilda Heard

William Ho

Henry Hossner

David Ikeda

Mike Lee

Stacy Lenny

Joyce Longstaff

Jimmy Perryman

Holly Pirret

Joy Ralph

Ted Ralph

Dolores Rossman

Fauna Samuel

Chuck Schafer

Kirsti Thomas

Jacqueline Volin

Devon Wells

Uptown Cinema Leads

Edwin Bailey

Mychal Ducken

Drew Highlands

Miguel Martinez

Andrew Walker

Egyptian Cinema Leads

Karen Cruz

Megan Hesketh

Amanda Radisich

Cinema Staff

Gabriella Banet

Haley Bates

Kiron Blackwood

Cindy Bretler

Zack Conklin

Maggie Corrigan

Sophie Donion

Lauren Green

Kevin Kelly

Rajah Matthews

Soraya Mohammad

Malakie Peters

Greg Salvatore

Cameron Sanelli

Paul Siple

Alessandro Undeberg

Front Desk

Caroline Beston

Carla Barrick

Joyce Boewe

Jeffrey Cavanaugh

John Chaney

Karen Conley

Carol Ginsberg

Kerri Hill

Shawn Nicholson

Justin Phillips

Nancy Reichley

Jinny Weintraub

Marie Winders-Gaddis

Office Dogs

Darwin Anderson

Chloe Barbuto

Birdie! Niece

Kino Rodriguez-Burt

Nacho Tweedy

ADVERTISING AGENCY

WongDoody

PUBLISHING SERVICES

Encore Media Group

Publication Design and Production

Ana Alvira

Paul Heppner

Robin Kessler

Susan Peterson

Shaun Swick

Stevie Van Bronkhorst

Advertising Sales

Brieanna Bright

Joey Chapman

Mike Hathaway

Ann Manning

Carol Yip

Ciara Caya

Sarah Aanderud Wahlen

Betty Abinader

Shirley Abreu

Bob Adsitt

Daniel Ah Tou

Michael Ah Tou

Marc Ahrens

James Akita

Andrea Albro

Amanda Alfonso

Alma Allen

Hilda Allum

Cheryl Anden

Nancy Anderson

Rebecca Antuna

Greg Arietta

Andres Arjona

Takhmina Arjona

Jeff Arntsen

Michelle Atkins

Allison Ator

Ali Atri

John Avinger

Haruka Baba

Anne Baciewicz

Carrie Bagatell

Stephanie Bailey

Mara Elise Baldwin

Henry Banks

Gianna Barbadillo

Kelsey Barbero

Teresa Barnes

Dominique Barni

Laila Barr

Carla Barrick

Dmitry Basavin

Federico Baseggio

Haley Baumberger

John Bazzoli

Florian Becquereau

Kevin Beder

Jason Beffa

John Bellew

Leslie Benjamin

Leslie Bennett

Whitney Bennett

Peg Benson

Elizabeth Berg

Julia Berglund

Caroline Beston

Karen Biggers

Andy Bircher

Sabine Bischofberger

Diane Bixler

Aubrey Black

Jen Black

Grace Block

Anders Bloom

Paul Bochan

Michelle Bodey

Rick Bodlaender

Joyce Boewe

Siggy Bohannattrawn

Robert Bojorquez

Colleen Bollen

Richard Bollinger

Shirley Bollinger

Eleanor Bond

Michael Bratton

Jonathan Bregman

Meryem Britton

Aaron Brown

Jonathan Brown

Wes Brown

Carl Brozek

Katie Bruce

Elizabeth Bruning

Adam Bujnowski

Carla Bujnowski

Paul Bullard

Dominic Bulygo

Jenifer Bunis

Alex Buraczynski

Jacob Burke

P.Ann Burke

Judy Burnstin

Naim Busek

Hayden Bushfield

Kaitlynn Butler

Jan Calcaterra

Danielle Callaghan

Kat Callicoat

Teanna Campbell

Jeannette Caporale

Brian Carlin

Grace Carlson

Patrice Carroll

Joel Carsley

Nikki Carsley

Mary Kate Cartmill

Paul Casey

Elizabeth Cash

Sarah Castaldo

Jeffrey Cavanaugh

Laura Cecil

Marie Cermak

Delaney Cerna

Jose Chalit

Jessica Chamberlain

Emily Chan

Kacee Chandler

Kelly Chandler

John Chaney

Jean Chang

Sophia Chang

Charlotte Chase

Sohum Chatterjee

William Chemnick

Jean Chen

Wanli Cheng

Steve Cheung

Ally Chin Jim Chin

Justina Chin

Franklin Chinn

Stanley Choi

SuJ’n Chon

Margaret Chou

Philip Chou

Aaron Chu

Fang-Ying Chu

Leslie Chui

Aram Chun

Shirley Chung

Elizabeth Ciepiela

Luke Cimarusti

Nicole Ciridon

Patrick Clark

Sarah Clark

Tracy Clarke

Zoe Clifton

Duane Colbert

Anna Coles

Theresa Collier

Nicole Collins

Karen Conley

David Cook

Maria Cook

Mia Cooledge

Nicholas Cooper

Eva Cooperman

Kenny Cooperman

Janelle Coppinger

Max Corman

Jeff Corwin

Tyler Cowdrey

Pamela Cox

Heather Craig

Niall Creegan

Maxwell Cromett

Sasha Cruver

Tony Cuozzo

Richard Cuthbert

Jaci Dahlvang

Dai Dai

Ephrosine Daniggelis

Elora Das

Maria Dasovich

Mark Davidek

Sherry Davis

Esme Decoster

Mari Del Fierro

Mark Desmond

Jill Devenport

Jean Dewdney

Paul Diaz

Stephanie Dib Wietstruck

John Dickson

Diana Dieguez

Justin Dieter

Kimberly Dinehart

Jacquie Dinnie

John Dobrosielski

Tracy Doherty

Liam Donnelly

Craig Downing

Diane Driscoll

Miriam Duenas

Rebecca Dugopolski

Wendy Durant

Sue Duvall

Tony Eans

Evie Edmunds

Shelley Eirich

Ramsey El-Moslimany

Erica Elder

Monica Elenes

Richard Ellison

Nadia Eng

Anjali Englund

Anita Ertel

Amanda Erven

Laura Esparza

Eric Esteban

Marilyn Evans

Rachel Faircloth

Trudi Fajans

Laura Fakhry

Jun Fan

Pam Farrel

Marilyn Fassbind

Lucy Fei

Lauren Fernandez

Brittany Fiegi

Rachel Finan

Claudia Fiore

Connie Fisher

Hank Fiskevold

Susan Forhan

Alexander Forney

Raif Forsland

Peggy Foster

Robert Foster

Gladys Fox

Alene Freidenrich

Sue Frohreich

Alison Fujino

Yuma Fukagawa

Sean Galagan

Erwin Galan

Juliana Garcia

Edir V. Garcia Lazo

Deanna Gauthier

Eric Geniesse

Cynthia Gibbs

Gurdeep Gill

Marian Gillis

Carol Ginsberg

Liz Gloor

Victoria Gnatoka

Erica Gonzalez

Benjamin Goosman

Patrick Grace

Patricia Greco

William Green

Alan Grenon

Heather Griesbach

Peter Grieshaber

James Grigsby

Vivian Gross

Evelyn Guerra

Alex Guevara

Adriana Guiman

Jessica Guo

Treasure Gutierrez

Sogna H

Jess Haas

Michael Haas

Mckennen Halberg

Xuny Haley

Laura Hamilton-Gordon

Robert Hanson

Nick Harlson

Jimmy Harrop

Leah Harvell

Haley Hathcock

Christina Hayes

Lois Head

Richard Head

Wilda Heard

Carter Hearne

Kai Heath

Christine Heckman

Rimjhim Hemnani

Courtenay Hendricks

Bill Hensen

Teri Hensen

Robert Herbolich

Liz Herlevi

Samantha Herndon

Rachel Hervey

Susan Hiles

Kerri Hill

Sandy Hill

Steven Hill

Sebastian Hill-Esbrand

Rikohiroshi Hiraiwa

Carolyn Hitter

Jim Hitter

Elizabeth Ho

William Ho

Daniel Hohl

Annette Holland

Jayson Hood

Loren Horton

Henry Hossner

Jamie Housen

Amy Hsu-Snyder

Bu Huang

Susan Hunt

Pam Hurst-Guerra

Nicholas Ie

David Ikeda

Marisa Iliakis

Thomas Inskip

Joel Irish

Lyla Irvine

Lesley Jacobs

Jules Jagsich

Kara Jakobs

Johnny Jeans

Haeyeon Jeong

Irene Jiang

Xiaoxuan Jin

Rhiannon Johns

Angie Johnson

Avery Johnson

Eliza Johnson

Marlee Johnson

Olivia Johnson

Dorothy Jones

Eric Jones

Jeff Jones

Ellen Judson

Joe Kadushin

Wing Shan Kam

Michael Kan

Kazue Kanda

Amanda Kaniclides

Dunia Kayungu

Paul Keim

Eleanor Kelley

Kelly Kemmerling

Christine Kennedy

Justin Kerwin

Susan Kese

Hilina Kidane

Beth Kidd

Heidi King

Denise Kivlen

Caitlin Klask

Riho Kobayashi

Linda Kocourek

Cynthia Konecny

Mark Konecny

Danny Kristiyanto

Clark Labelson

Helen Lafferty

Monique Lalonde

Suzanne Lane

Dorothy Le

Hao Le

Eleni Ledesma

Annika Lee

Nick Leininger

Alan Lenny

Stacy Lenny

Hilary Leonard

Louise Lew

Lisa Lewis

Matthew Lewis

Agnes Li

Yuhui Li

Peggy Liao

Nathan Lim

Karen Lin

Rita Lin

Betsy Linnane

Jenny Lo

Peter Lock

Joyce Longstaff

Sarah Lopez

Froilan Lorais

Barb Lord

Iva Loukanova

Cici Lu

Steven Luke

Margaret Lukoff

Bri Lum

Johnathan Luster

Kelly Lyles

Jacob Lynch

Tianli Ma

Elizabeth Madeley

Denis Mahony

Nathan Manhanke

Upen Manickam

Sharrin Manor

Matthew Maroon

Carole Marullaz

Dave Mathews

Mika Matsuzaki

Erin Mcandrew

Nancy Mccann

Alyssa Mcclure

Verona Mcdermott

Sheldon Mcgee

Kim McGillivray

Columba Mcglynn

Mary McGough

Brian Mchenry

Michael Mckay

Laura Mclane

Debbie Mcphillips

Robin Mcquinn

Amanda Mead

Stefanie Meier

Amanda Meisler

Callie Mejia

Madeleine Melamed

Alyssa Mendlein

Robin Messec

Kathryn Michael

John Middleton

Vesper Mikan

Cindy Miller

Latesha Miller

Nicolina Miller

Nolan Miller

Stephen Miller

Jacob Mina

Francis Miranda

Ray Misra

Shruti Misra

Benjamin Mitchell

Kimm Mooney

Maggie Moore

Tony Morse

Madeline Mow

Ciara Moyna

Valerie Heide Mudra

Matt Mullen

Carol Mullin

Chikako Murakawa

Jennifer Murphy

Ashwath Murthy

Scott Mus

Janice Nacion

Denise Nakamura

Airu Nakano

Thomas Nastvogel

Jessica Neher

Trudy Neumann

Jan Ng

George Ngo

Nick Nguyen

Lauren Nichols

Shawn Nicholson

E-Ping Nie Medalia

Vincent Nijenhuis

Aminetta Njie

Julian O’Leary

Dave Obrien

Iremnur Ocak

Omer Ocak

Eric Ogden

Naoko Oguchi

Yoshiki Ohashi

Jeanne Olson

Jonathan Onizuka

Chris Orourke

Katie Osborne

Merri Osborne

Shun Oyama

Pinar Ozhal

Karen Ozmun

Jas Panag

Rakhee Pankhania

Clinton Parrilla

Robert Parrott

Ariel Parrow

Linda Patterson

Scott Patterson

Chris Pecunies

Marilyn Peneff

Paige Petrangelo

Will Petscher

Justin Phillips

Holly Pirret

Lara Pitner

Rebecca Plant

Ashley Podplesky

Lydia Polyzou

Justin Pong

Danielle Posadas

Lynn Poser

Dale Pratt

Artiom Prodeus

Katerina Psilopoulos

Hester Qiang

Laura Quan

David Quantic

Gavin Radkey

Jordan Raisher

Kari Rak

Joy Ralph

Ted Ralph

Eric Ranz

Nandini Rao

Vanessa Raymond

Cheryl Redd-Cuthbert

Jason Redmond

Nancy Reichley

Sheri Renner

Tara Reynolds

Jennifer Fay Rice

Jessica Rice

Janice Richardson

Eric Ritter

Daniela Rivas

Heather Rivas

Daniel Roberts

Matt Robesch

Marilyn Robinson

Iris Rosechild

Adam Rosencrantz

Dolores Rossman

Arlene Rubin

Isabelle Rubin

Gabe Rucker

Josh Russell

Deborah Rustin

Leslie Saber

Dominique Sabins

Dan Sakaue

Hassen Saleh

Abigail Salmon

Fauna Samuel

Rana San

Sophia Sansone

Stephanie Sarantos

Mana Satogawa

Susana Sawrey

Chuck Schafer

Dorothea Schelch

Carol Schillreff

Valerie Schloredt

Alan Schneider

Kiira Schoessler

Ann Schroeder

Alexsis Scott

Phil Scroggs

Kathleen` Scurlock

Art Segal

Misha Seibel

Wayne Severson

Pat Shaffer

Nicholas Shahan

Sherry Shanabarger

Matt Shannon

Matthew Shaw

Bob Shea

Patrick Sheehan

Corbin Sheffels

Oyin Shenbanjo

Andrew Sheng

Laurie Shimoda

Pin-An Shy

Barbara Silverman

Jackie Sin

Jeffrey Smith

Timothy Smith

Nadine Snyder

Eric Sorlien

Daniel Spaulding

Kim Spruill

Jesse Staples

Sierra Stella

Chris Stephan

Jennifer Stippich

Kim Stockbridge

Brenna Stratton

Amber Straub

Kerry Streiff

Daniel Strommen

Joe Studer

Samantha Suarez

Connie Sugahara

Erin Sutter

Odessa Swan

Bronson Swanson

Mary K. Sykes

Mindi Tambellini

Jay Tan

Nina Tang

Jeffery Taylor

Kerri Thomas

Kirsti Thomas

Bob Thompson

Bill Thorness

Susie Thorness

Chetco Timmins

Kaelyn Timmins

Eliza Townsend

Andrew Tribolini

Donald Tucker

Deborah Tyo

Ayame Uezato

Fernando Ugaz

Deborah Uno

Leigh Valentine

Nicky Valentine

Ann Vandor

Amanda Varney

Julie Varon

Whitney Veloski

Tanisha Vernekar

Jacqueline Volin

Aliye Volkan

Jody Wahlgren

Mark Waldstein

Stuart Walker

Sophie Wallway

Mark Weber

Jinny Weintraub

Connie Wellnitz

Devon Wells

Toni Wells

Marylee Wenner

Colin Wessman

Alexander White

Angelique White

Pam Whitfield

Christine Williams

Kendra Williams

Tiffany Wince

Marie Winders-Gaddis

Lindsey Windham

Ruby Wishnietsky

Frances Wolfe

Anna Wolff

Jimmy Wong

Glen Woo

Feng Xiao

Panyiru Xu

Petyr Xyst

Hui Yang

Ameer Yarbrough

Stu Yarfitz

Ann Yokota

Keith Yoshida

Angela Young

Logan Young

Tanner Young

Sherlane Yuen

Mahnaz Zamanian

Yuanrui Zhao

Jian Li Zheng

Marietta Zintak

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

Richard Abromowitz

Debbie Acosta

Amber Adams

Aaron Alhadeff

Kenny Alhadeff

Mark Allen

Paul Allen

Oscar Alonso

Casper Andreas

Sally Andrews

Casey Armstrong

June Ashley

Pamela Baade

Colette Babel

Abigail Balmer

Manon Barat

Kate Barr

Scott Bastianelli

Claire Battistoni

Juliette Béchu

Kate Becker

Bret Berg

Ingrid Berkhout

Staci Bernstein

Mercedes Beronja

Paul Bibaud

Stephen Black

Tula Blaze

Kethry Boettcher

Virginia Bogert

Patricia Bonet

Gavin Borchert

Kris Boustedt

Lindy Boustedt

Deb Bowen

Luke Brawley

Brad Brotherton

Eric Brown

Kimberly Burgess

Slade Burgess

Eric Burt

Brendan Byass

Mark Canizaro

Kurt Carlson

Matt Carpenter

Nellie Carrier

Della-Rae Carriere

Jonathan Caso

Megan Ching

SJ Chiro

Julian Chiu

Evgeniya Chulkova

Joel Chusid

Grant Clark

Taylor Coleman

Erin Combs

Chris Comte

Liza Comtois

Linda Coomas

Stevi Costa

Monique Courcy

Amanda Course

Derick Courson

Patrice Courtaban

Hannah Courtelis

Jim Cummings

Michelle Dallas

Lara Davis

Casey De La Rosa

Alex DeCounter

Cecile Dick

Joey Dimarco

Diana Dotter

Tamara Dover

Chris Doyle

Andrea Dramer

Amy Dukes

Nick Duncan

Reed Dunn

Jim Edmunds

Riley Edmunds

Vicky Eguia

Ramsey El-

Riley Elliott

Randy Engstrom

Amanda Erven

Emily Eskridge

L. Fernando Esteban

Howard Ferguson

Joan Ferguson

Claire Fernandez

Claire Fernandez

Bret Fetzer

Cosima Finkbeiner

Pepita Florez

Kathy Fowells

Robert Frank

Charlene Freeman

Obadiah Freeman

Andrea Friedland

Becca Friedman

Julia Fryett

Stephanie Fuchs

Ashley Gabriel

Francisca Garcia

Jannat Gargi

Dwight Gaut

Tory Glossip

Dana Goldberg

Jesse Goldman

Jose Manuel Gomez

Sue Gonzales

Lizette Gram

Inez Gray

Steve Griffin

Candy Gruber

Maelle Guenegues

Cory Gustason

Rebecca Haberkorn

Simone Hamilton

Tonya Hamman

Therese Hammill

Cho Hanbit

Tim Harader

Chelsea Harris

Kate Harrison

Stephanie Heick

Paul Heppner

Daniel Herda

Marta Hernando

RJ Hilgers

Brent Hodge

Mark Hoffman

Mari Horita

Jacqueline Howard

Kathy Hsieh

Dan Hudson

Craig Hyland

Shea Hynes

Frank Jaffe

Madeline Jarvis

Sheila Jayadev

Marni Jenkins

Uli Johnson

William Kaspar

Jim Kelly

Steph Kese

Dina Khusnutdinova

Sara Kiener

Paul Kim

Eliaichi Kimaro

Sam King

Alexandra Klasinski

Nick Knudtson

Eric Kohn

Janine Kowack

Claudia Landsberger

Miriam Larkin

Nahum Laufer

Lazen

Allie Lee

Ben Leiataua

Elizabeth Lesiczka

Madison Lessman

Bryan Lhuillier

Lya LI

Ya LI

Sven Liden

Amy Lillard

Spencer Lindenman

Anna Liu

Tony Llaguno

Jan Lomaszewicz

Cari Lui

Chris Lui

Matt Lynch

Kathleen Mannion

Tina Marier

Rob Martin

Gloria Mascorro

Patty Mathieu

Linda McBlaine

Rebecca McCarthy

Shelley McNulty

David McRae

Miles and Sherry McRae

Hana Medina

Mar Medir

Steve Mellander

Andrew Miano

Susan Millet

Boris Mitic

Jean Mollmann

Amanda Mooney

Leeya Mor

Don Morgan

Sara Mouser

Steven Murphy

Laura Nacher

Eric Nelson

Andy Niece

Krk Nordenstrom

Piper O’Neill

Keegan O’Neill

Jon Olsen

Sheila Ordonez

Shan Ottey

Amy Pak

Hui Pan

Marijana Pavlich

Andrew Peat

Lily Pemberton

Ric Peterson

Susan Peterson

Shannon Pflugrath

Lindsey Poisson

Sàl Ponce

Matthew Pope

Lariza Preciado

Bill Predmore

Ryan Price

Celeste Primeau

Melissa Purcell

Amirtha Ramen

Pascale Ramonda

Rick Rasmussen

Charlie Rathbun

Doris Reed

Carmen Rendoni

MIke Repsch

Mike Repsch

Jennie Rhoads

Owen Richards

Lisa Richie

Cheryl Roberts

Daniella Robinson

Holly Robinson

Kino Rodriguez

Mark Romano

Kristofer Rommel

Sheena Ross

Geoff Rossi

Kristi Roundtree

Gary Rubin

Quinn Rudee

Olivia Salinas

Monserrat Sanchez

Kalie Sandstrom

Terrence Santos

Antonio Saura

Stefan Schachtell

Jazmyn Scott

Erika Seward

Shahrzad Shams

Mindy Shepperd

Brent Siewart

Jenise Silva

Christine Skrak

Lisa Soderback

Asori Soto

Matt Spellman

Carl Spence

Tucker Stempler

Andrea Stuart

Johnathan Sundstrom

Clemence Taillandier

Medwin Textor

Kyle Thorpe

Mark Thostesen

Anna Ticktin

Karen Toering

Carole Tomko

WingYan Tong

Paul Totah

Ania Trzebiatowska

Debra Twersky

Helen Underwood

Lamar Van Dyke

Malene Vincent

Huong Vu

Tom Waldman

Brett Walker

Kim Walts

Natalie Warren

Wes Watkins

Monkey Watson

Elena Wenderoth

Amy White

Wendy Wiles

Caitlyn Williams

Jessica Wilson

Kelley Winn

Wanda Wong

Adam Wygle

Nick Yanity

Keith Yoshida

Grace Yu

Eugene Zhang

3 Faces Films

Julie Goldman julie@mottopictures.com

A24

Spencer Lindenman spencer@a24films.com a24films.com

Abramorama

Richard Abromowitz richard@abramorama.com abramorama.com

ALMA Cinema

Pierre-François Piet sales@almacinema.com almacinema.com

Altered Innocence

Frank Jaffe alteredinnocence@gmail.com

Amanda Mooney mooney.amanda@gmail.com

Amazon Studios

Kyle Thorpe Kyle@kylethorpepr.com

American Genre Film Archive Bret Berg bret.berg@drafthouse.com

Andrew Peat awpeat@gmail.com

Annapurna Pictures

Daniella Robinson DaniellaR@annapurnapics.com annapurnapics.com

Ant!pode Sales & Distribution

Evgeniya Chulkova festivals@antipode-sales.biz antipode-sales.biz

Asian Shadows Ya LI lya@chineseshadows.com chineseshadows.com

Autlook Filmsales

Stephanie Fuchs stephanie@autlookfilms.com autlookfilms.com

Automata LLC

Jonathan Caso caso.jonathan@gmail.com

BAC Films

Juliette Béchu j.bechu@bacfilms.fr bacfilms.fr

Be For Films

Claire Battastoni festival@beforfilms.com beforfilms.com

Beijing Hairun Pictures Co.Ltd

Anna Liu anna.liu@hairunmedia.com hairunmedia.com

Beta Cinema Cosima Finkbeiner cosima.finkbeiner@ betacinema.com betacinema.com

Bleecker Street

Kyle Thorpe

Kyle@KyleThorpePR.com

Breaking Glass Pictures

Mike Repsch mike@darkstarpics.com darkstarpics.com

Cat&Docs

MaelleGuenegues maelle@catndocs.com catndocs.com

Celluloid Dreams Pascale Ramonda pascale@pascaleramonda.com

Cinephil LeeyaMor leeya@cinephil.com cinephil.com

Cinereach Sara Kiener sara@cinereach.org

Cinetic Media office@cineticmedia.com

CJ Entertainment Cho Hanbit hanbit.cho@cj.net cj.net

Cohen Media Debbie Acosta debbie@cohenmedia.net cohenmedia.net

Cool and Happy Corp Jim Cummings jimmycthatsme@mac.com

Dakota Productions Dana Goldberg info@dakota.productions

Danish Film Institute Lizette Gram Mygind lizetteg@dfi.dk dfi.dk

Dark Star Pictures Mike Repsch mike@darkstarpics.com darkstarpics.com

Depth of Field Andrew Miano andrew@depthoffield.biz depthoffield.biz

Distrib Films US Clemence Taillandier clemence.taillandier@gmail.com

Docs for Education Nahum Laufer laufern@netvision.net.il

Dogwoof Luke Brawley luke@dogwoof.com

Dribbling Pictures

Boris Mitic boris@dribblingpictures.com

Easy Mondays

Asori Soto asori@easymondays.co

Edko Films

Julian Chiu chiujulian@edkofilm.com.hk edkofilm.com.hk

Emerald Productions

Lyn Norfor lynnorfor@emeraldproductions. com.au

Epicmedia Productions Inc. Angeline mmgonzales-ctl@abs-cbn.com

Fantastic Fest

James Shapiro james.shapiro@drafthouse.com

Festival Agency

Elodie Dupont ed@thefestivalagency.com thefestivalagency.com

The Film Collaborative

Jeffrey Winter jeffrey@thefilmcollaborative.org thefilmcollaborative.org

Film Factory Entertainment

Manon Barat manon@filmfactory.es filmfactory.es

Film Movement

Maxwell Wolkin maxwell@filmmovement.com filmmovement.com

The Film Sales Company

Graham Fine graham.fine@filmsalescorp.com filmsalescorp.com

Filmadora Nacional vianney@filmadora.mx

Filmatique

Lorenzo Fiuzzi lorenzo@filmatique.com filmatique.com

Filmax International Guillermo Antuña filmaxint@filmax.com filmax.com

FilmRise

Garineh Nazarian gnazarian@filmrise.com filmrise.com

Films Boutique

Isabel Ivars isabel@filmsboutique.com filmsboutique.com

Finecut Co., Ltd. Yura Kwan yura@finecut.co.kr

Finnish Film Foundation Jenni Domingo jenni.domingo@ses.fi

First Run Features

Julianne Augustine jaugustine@firstrunfeatures.com firstrunfeatures.com

Fishbowl Films Melanie Miller melanie@fishbowl-films.com fishbowl-films.com

Focus Features

Rosa Kim rosa.kim@focusfeatures.com focusfeatures.com

Fortissimo Films

Jane Yao jane@fortissimofilms.com fortissimofilms.com

Found Footage Festival Nick Prueher nickprueher@yahoo.com

FunFilm Distribution

Francis Ouellette fouellette@funfilm.ca funfilm.ca

Gaumont Ariane Buhl abuhl@gaumont.fr gaumont.fr

Gersh Agency Gerren Crochet gcrochet@gersh.com

GKids

Ryan Kane theatrical@gkids.com gkids.com

Global Genesis Group Rick Romano rick@globalgenesisgroup.com globalgenesisgroup.com

Go2films Distribution and Marketing Hedva Goldschmidt hedva@go2films.com go2films.com

Golden Scene Company Limited Felix Tsang felix@goldenscene.com goldenscene.com

Grasshopper Film

Nick Newman nick@grasshopperfilm.com grasshopperfilm.com

Green Days Film Ltd. Christian James ccp.james@outlook.com

Greenwich Entertainment

Edward Arentz earentz@ greenwichentertainment.com greenwichentertainment.com

Gunpowder & Sky

Kyle Greenberg kg@gunpowdersky.com gunpowdersky.com

HBO Documentaries

Barbara Caver barbara.caver@hbo.com hbo.com

Heretic Outreach

Ioanna Stais ioanna@heretic.gr heretic.gr

Hodgee Films

Brent Hodge brent.hodge@gmail.com

Hungarian Film Commission Katalin Vajda kati.vajda@filmalap.hu

Icarus Films

Robert Hunter bob@icarusfilms.com icarusfilms.com

IFC Films

Liz Brambilla brambillapr@gmail.com ifcfilms.com

Image Nation Abu Dhabi Afaf AlMuhsen afaf.almuhsen@imagenation.ae

Intercinema

Natalia Zakharova natasha@intercinema.ru intercinema.ru

Janus Films

Brian Belovarac belovarac@janusfilms.com janusfilms.com

Juno Films

Elizabeth Sheldon elizabeth@junofilms.com junofilms.com

Just Vision Media

Emma Alpert emma@justvision.org

Kew Media

Rebecca Berry rebecca.berry@kewmedia.com kewmedia.com

KimStim

Mika Kimoto mika@kimstim.com kimstim.com

Kino Lorber

Graham Swindoll gswindoll@kinolorber.com kinolorber.com

Nilou Safinya

LaiLou Productions nilou@juliabluethemovie.com

KOS Film

Aleksandra Biernacka aleksandra.biernacka500@ outlook.com

Latido Films

Marta Hernando festivals@latidofilms.com latidofilms.com

PRINT SOURCES

Let Media

Sarah Menzies sarah@letmedia.org

LevelFilm

Amanda Gauvin ag@levelfilm.com

Local Cinema Pvt. Ltd. Sushant Shrestha sushant.sisu@gmail.com

Long Dumb Road LLC

Jacqueline Ingram jj.ldrmovie@gmail.com

Lucky Hat Entertainment

Stephen Bannatyne stevebanna@gmail.com

m-appeal

Torsten Schulze films@m-appeal.com m-appeal.com

Mache Production

Andrea Stallard andrea@maneglia-schembori. com

Magnolia Pictures

Martin Wendel mwendel@magpictures.com magpictures.com

MAKE PICTURES

Jonathan Sheldon jonathan.sheldon@mac.com

MandarinVision

Jun-yu Shi junyu.shi@mandarinvision.com mandarinvision.com

Markham Street Films

Matt Da Silva mdasilva@markhamstreet.com

Marymoor Productions, LLC Vlada Knowlton vlada@marymoorproductions. com

The Match Factory Sergi Steegmann sergi.steegmann@ matchfactory.de matchfactory.de

MM2 Entertainment

Wen Hsiao wenhsiao.mm@gmail.com

Mongrel Media

Alice Dutrut alice.d@mongrelmedia.com mongrelmedia.com

The Moonshot Company

Kasia Karwan kasia@themoonshotcompany. com themoonshotcompany.com

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki privilegedkid@gmail.com

MUBI

Michael Tacca mtacca@mubi.com mubi.com

Mufambanidzo Film Company

Tomas Brickhill tomas.brickhill@gmail.com

Music Box Films

Kyle Westphal kwestphal@musicboxfilms.com musicboxfilms.com

National Film Board of Canada Danielle Viau d.viau@nfb.ca

NEON

Claire Timmons claire@neonrated.com neonrated.com

Netflix Alexandra Nilsson anilsson@netflix.com

New Zealand Film Commission Lesa MacLeod-Whiting lesa@nzfilm.co.nz

Norwegian Film Institute Pål Håberg ph@nfi.no

Orange Studio Sergueï Obolensky serguei.obolensky@orange.com

The Orchard Dan Goldberg dgoldberg@theorchard.com theorchard.com

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Cameron Swanagon cameron@oscilloscope.net oscilloscope.net

Outsider Pictures

Paul Hudson paul@outsiderpictures.us outsiderpictures.us

Parallax Films

Zihao Deng zihaodeng.zac@gmail.com

Piece of Cardboard Productions Ltd Steve Sullivan steve@beingfrankmovie.com

Plattform Produktion

Maximilien Van Aertryck max@plattformproduktion.se

Pressing Pictures, LLC Jennessa West jennessawest@gmail.com

Pyramide International

Ilaria Gomaresca ilaria@pyramidefilms.com pyramidefilms.com

Rai Com

Lucetta Lanfranchi lucetta.lanfranchi@rai.it

Raven Banner Entertainment

Hughes Barbier hbarbier@ravenbanner.ca

Mila Rozanova rosmillia@gmail.com

Rebelhouse

TrevorHall trevor@rebelhouse.com

Redience Films

Jing XU jing@rediancefilms.com rediancefilms.com

Reel Suspects

Alberto Alvarez Aguilera a@reelsuspects.com reelsuspects.com

Reflexion Films

Olga Ageeva reflexionfilms@gmail.com reflexionfilms.com

Renzu Films

Danish Renzu drenzu@renzufilms.com renzufilms.com

Rialto Pictures

Eric Di Bernardo eric@rialtopictures.com rialtopictures.com

Roadside Attractions

Ronit Vanderlinden ronitv@roadsideattractions.com roadsideattractions.com

Samuel Goldwyn Films

Taylor Devorsky taylor@samuelgoldwyn.com samuelgoldwyn.com

Seesaw Entertainment Ltd. Jane Zheng janinazheng@126.com

Seville International Lucie Meyniel lmeynial@filmsseville.com filmsseville.com

Sine Film

Dilde Mahalli dmahalli@sinefilm.com

Sixpackfilm

Gerald Weber gerald@sixpackfilm.com sixpackfilm.com

Sony Pictures Classics

Gillian Burz gillian_burz@spe.sony.com spe.sony.com

Stray Dogs Nathan Fischer nathan@stray-dogs.com stray-dogs.com

Studio Artizm Lasha Khalvashi lashafilm@gmail.com

Sun Films yixi@sunfilms.co.uk

Liz Brambilla brambillapr@gmail.com ifcfilms.com

Swedish Film Institute Theo Pappas theo.tsappos@sfi.se

Sweet Potato Pie Productions Avril Speaks azuspeak@gmail.com

Syndicado Film Sales Jasmina Vignjevic admin@syndicado.com

Taskovski Films Bojana Maric fest@taskovskifilms.com

Tchoko Tchoko 7th Art Sandrine Bulteau tchokotchoko7art@gmail.com

Terror Weekend Productions Trysta Bissett trystabissett@gmail.com

TMBPC

Schalk Willem Burger schalk@tmbpc.co.za

True Colours Glorious Film Francesca Tiberi francesca@truecolours.it truecolours.it

TVCO

Alessandro Cintoli sandro@tvco.eu tvco.eu

Upstander Project Adam Mazo adam@upstanderproject.org upstanderproject.org

Urban Distribution International Arnaud Belangeon-Bouaziz arnaud@urbandistrib.com

V SHINEBROTHERS Entertainment Wei Sun ceo@vstars.cn

Venom Ltd Paula Stewart paula@venom.ie venom.ie

Very Mainstream Studio TJ Wu vmstudio.tj@gmail.com

Visit Films Joe Yanick jy@visitfilms.com visitfilms.com

Vulcan Productions Jannat Gargi jannatg@vulcan.com

Warrior Women warriorwomenfilm.com

Wax Trax! Films Julia Nash info@waxtraxchicago.com

We Are Shouting Eric Becker eric.becker@gmail.com

White Hart Post Matt Drake matt@whitehartpost.com

Wide House

Morgane Delay festivals@widehouse.org widehouse.org

Wide Management Matthias Anglevont ma@widemanagement.com widemanagement.com

Wiesehan Media Group

Rebecca Cole Wiesehan rebecca.wiesehan@comcast. net

Wolfe Releasing Jim Stephens jim@wolfevideo.com wolfevideo.com

YouTube Red Nicole Emanuele nemanuele@google.com

SAVE THE DATE or SIFF’s annual auction that benefits Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018 · BLOCK 41

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist

Ahluwalia, Ashim 115, 182

Akhavan, Desiree 102, 123, 219

Al Yasiri, Yasir 231

Alami, Milad .......................................71, 167

Alan, Van 95, 107, 151

Alayan, Muayad 67, 240

Albert, Barbara 214

Alijo, Paul Urkijo 93, 115, 179

Amoussou, Sylvestre 81, 147

Annila, AJ

Arregi, Aitor 73, 93, 187

Ashby, Hal 85, 154

Asquith, Daisy ................................... 75, 238

Ayouch, Nabil 81, 239

Bacha, Julia 225

Bahango, Machérie Ekwa 81, 215

Baker, Simon .................................. 102, 162

Barnard, Clio 172

Becker, Eric 107

Benaim, Abner 97, 105, 243

Berg, Annika 67, 102, 260

Bertolini, Francesco 47, 85, 204

Björk, Cecilia 191

Boddeke, Saskia 192

Bogdán, Árpád

Bombach, Alexandria

Bonhote, Ian

Brickhill, Tomas L.

169

Brockhaus, Stefanie 236

Brühlmann, Lisa 115, 159

Buñuel Luis, 85, 155

Burnham, Bo 53, 102, 178

Caicedo, Santiago 73, 102, 105, 267

Caldwell, Chris 69, 107, 237

Cantor, Steven ........................................ 152

Cappiello, Ivan 168

Carpelan, Ira

Castle, Elizabeth A.

Chang, Sylvia

Charuel, Hubert

Cheney, Ian

Chengjie, Cai

Choe, Christina

Choi, Malene

Chung, Simon

Clarke, Aislinn

Coixet, Isabel

220

89, 212

Coleman, Lucy........................................

Collado, Laura

Cooke, Dominic

Cornillac, Clovis

Côté, Denis

Crump, James

Cummings, Jim

Das, Rima

Daslsbakken,

DeFrancis,

Delgado-Aparicio,

Deluc,

Dick, Kirby

Dinesen, Rasmus

Diringer,

Padovan, Adolfo 47, 85, 204

Pearce, Michael 153

Peat, Andrew 91, 248

Peedom, Jennifer ................................... 223

Pender-Cudlip, Ben 123, 173

Pichler, Gabriela 71, 148

Pickett, Joe 51, 183

Piscopo, Filippo 200

Plante, Pascal 102, 181

Polish, Michael 105, 230

Pretsell, Finlay 264

Prueher,Nick 51, 183

Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee) ............... 67, 87, 185

Qu, Vivian 87, 89, 150

Rak, Alessandro 168

Randi, Paola 99, 207

Rasoulof, Mohammad ............................ 216

Red, Rae 87, 167

Reeder, Calvin 115, 182

Renard, Guillaume 115, 223

Renner, Benjamin 99, 156

Renoir, Jean 85, 171

Renzu, Danish 87, 194

Reolon, Marcio 105, 195

Riehl, Joshua 244

Riley, Boots ........................................37, 254

Rojas, Juliana 105, 115, 190

Rodriguez Redondo, Martín 73, 105, 216

Roskam, Michaël R. 239

Salmerón, Gustavo 73, 93, 211

Sansone, Dario 168

Schémbori, Tana 73, 102, 105, 190

Schiele, Jordan 65, 87, 89, 252

Schrader, Paul 61, 183

Schroeder, Marieke .......................... 91, 248

Schwentke, Robert 164

Scott, Amy 194

Seng Kiat, Tan 71, 87, 251

Seno, Shireen ....................................87, 227

Shin, Dong-seok 87, 205

Shiva, Alexandra 261

Sigurdsson, Hafsteinn Gunar 266

Silva, Sebastián 69, 265

Simich-Pene, Awanui 99, 156

Simón, Carla 93, 257

Stepanska, Marina 182

Stishova, Elizaveta 257

Strickland, Peter 115, 182

Sullivan, Steve ...................................

97, 154

Sun, Yixi 87, 89, 258

Surya, Mouly 87, 217

Syangbo, Prabin

Tabada, Fatrick

256

167

Tabet, Nadim 232

Tan, Yen

Thornton, Warwick

Tirola, Douglas

To, Chapman .....................................

Toledano, Eric

Turajli, Mila

Turtletaub, Marc

Uricaru, Ioana

Veslemes,Yannis

259

163

179