That noise you’re hearing is popcorn poppers getting oiled up and ready for intense duty: The Seattle International Film Festival is drawing near. Organizers announced the full slate of films Wednesday, which includes 261 films (146 of which are feature-length) representing 84 countries/regions, screening May 9-19 at multiple venues in and around Seattle. Select films will screen online at the SIFF Channel from May 20-27.
Along with previously announced special guest June Squibb, star of the opening-night film “Thelma,” the festival will feature a visit from Emmy- and SAG Award-winning actor Jean Smart, a former Seattleite and University of Washington graduate. Smart will appear May 18 in a program at SIFF Cinema Downtown (the former Cinerama), at which she’ll be honored with The Hollywood Reporter’s Trailblazer Award. An episode from the new season of her acclaimed Max series “Hacks,” in which she plays a legendary stand-up comedian trying to update her act for a new era, will screen.
The festival will close with “Sing Sing,” a drama in which an unjustly incarcerated man (played by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo) finds purpose through a prison theater troupe. Director Greg Kwedar and members of the ensemble cast will attend the screening on May 18 at SIFF Cinema Downtown, followed by a closing-night party at MOHAI.
Among the films screening at the festival are Sean Wang’s “Didi,” winner of the audience award and a special jury prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival; a new restoration of Wim Wenders’ 1987 classic “Wings of Desire”; the sci-fi comedy “Tim Travers & the Time Traveler’s Paradox,” filmed in Spokane; and a strong selection of work from Indigenous filmmakers, in the festival’s cINeDIGENOUS program. The Secret Festival, long a SIFF tradition, returns for two top-secret screenings (i.e. you have to sign an oath vowing not to reveal the name of the film).
Full series passes and Platinum Plus passes are already sold out; Platinum passes (which offer guaranteed access to all films and gala events) are currently on sale for $1,319.99 for SIFF members and $1,619.99 for nonmembers. Individual tickets go on sale to SIFF members April 17 and the general public April 18; they are $15 in person/$14.50 online for SIFF members and $18 in person/$17.50 online for nonmembers.
For more information: siff.net/festival
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