It's the biggest and clearly one of the best. The Seattle International Film Festival has announced their slate for the 2019 festival and it's a doozy. The festival runs from May 16 to June 9 at points all over the greater Seattle area. With features such as opener Sword of Trust by Lynn Shelton, Late Night starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling, and closer The Farewell by Lulu Wang, this year's lineup is indie-tastic! But of course there are a ton of great options for those with more international tastes. We've got the full lineup below and a series of previews in the works. Enjoy!
SIFF ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR 45th ANNUAL SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
12 World, 28 North American, and 10 US Feature Premieres
SIFF Celebrates Regina Hall in its Tribute
SEATTLE -- Embargo - Wednesday, May 1, 2019 -- The Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, announced today the complete lineup of films, guests, and events for the 45th annual 25-day Festival that runs May 16 - June 9, 2019.
This year, SIFF will screen 410 films representing 86 countries and will include: 147 features (plus 4 secret films), 71 documentaries, 12 archival films, and 176 shorts. The lineup includes 33 World premieres (12 features, 21 shorts), 42 North American premieres (27 features, 15 shorts), and 19 US premieres (11 features, 8 shorts).
Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 16 with Sword of Trust, written and directed by local filmmaker Lynn Shelton (Outside In, Laggies) and features Marc Maron (Late Show with David Letterman, WTF with Marc Maron, GLOW), Jon Bass (Baywatch, Molly’s Game), Michaela Watkins (Brigsby Bear, Enough Said), Jillian Bell (Workaholics, 22 Jump Street), and Toby Huss (King of the Hill, Halt and Catch Fire).The film made its world premiere at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival to audience acclaim and IFC Films will open the film in July. Lynn Shelton and Marc Maron are scheduled to attend.
The annual Centerpiece Gala, Late Night, stars Emma Thompson as a legendary late-night talk show host who, faced with diminishing ratings for her long-running show, is forced to hire her first female staff writer (Mindy Kaling, who also wrote the film’s script).The film will screen on Saturday, June 1, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian.
As a part of this year’s celebration of women in comedy, SIFF is delighted to celebrate the work of Regina Hall by presenting her with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview on Sunday, June 2 at 2:00 PM at SIFF Cinema Egyptian. Following Ms. Hall’s tribute, she will introduce Support the Girls, Andrew Bujalski’s film which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
SIFF closes its 45th festival on Sunday, June 9 with The Farewell staring Awkwafina, the flamboyant breakout star of Crazy Rich Asians, who plays a woman traveling back home to China to assist in an elaborate ruse to keep a truth from her terminally ill grandmother. Director Lulu Wang is scheduled to attend.
“Each year more than 5,000 films come through our submissions process and uncovering emerging themes each time is a satisfying puzzle that ends up being our 25-day festival,” said SIFF Artistic DirectorBeth Barrett. “This year we saw strong female led films, specifically in the comedy genre, and are thrilled that 46-percent of the films in SIFF have female directors, and 56 percent of our competition films are directed by women.”
SIFF's film line up is accompanied by industry forums, film development programs, the SIFF Lounge and a host of other complementary Festival activities, all found at siff.net.
The 2019 Seattle International Film Festival is presented by SIFF, the non-profit arts organization that reaches more than 350,000 annually through SIFF Cinema, SIFF Education, and the annual flagship Festival.
Festival Box Office opens May 2 online at siff.net and in person at any year round SIFF Box Office. View the full public program here: www.siff.net/festival
GALAS
Opening Night Gala
Sword of Trust
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 7:00 PM - Party to follow screening
FILM: MARION OLIVER MCCAW HALL
PARTY: FISHER PAVILION
In local filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s latest, two women (Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins) attempt to unload an inherited Civil War sword onto a curmudgeonly pawnshop owner (Marc Moran) and reluctantly enter a world of conspiracy theory and Southern disillusionment.
(d: Lynn Shelton c: Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Michaela Watkins, Jillian Bell, Toby Huss, USA 2019, 89 min)
Centerpiece Gala
Late Night
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 5:30 PM - Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN
PARTY: DAR RAINIER CHAPTER HOUSE
Emma Thompson stars as a legendary late-night talk show host who, face with diminishing rating for her long-running show, is forced to hire her first female staff writer (Mindy Kaling, who also wrote the film’s script).
(d: Nisha Ganatra c: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Amy Ryan, USA 2019, 102 min)
Closing Night Gala
The Farewell
SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 6:00 PM - Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN
PARTY: MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND INDUSTRY (MOHAI)
Awkwafina, the flamboyant breakout star of Crazy Rich Asians, plays a woman traveling back home to China to assist in an elaborate ruse to keep a truth from her terminally ill grandmother.
(d: Lulu Wang c: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhou Shuzhen, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo, USA 2019, 98 min)
SPECIAL GUESTS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA
A Tribute to Regina Hall
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2:00 PM
FILM: Support the Girls
One of America’s favorite character actresses, Regina Hall has found much of her success in the most difficult of on screen endeavors - making people laugh. An actor, producer and activist, her body of work is as broad as it is deep in a career that spans nearly three decades. From her career-launching performance in the Scary Movie franchise to her recent dramatic work in such films as Support the Girls and The Hate U Give, her versatility and commitment as an actress is renowned and cherished by all who collaborate with her. Hall’s current projects include the film Little, which she also executive produced and the Showtime series “Black Monday” opposite Don Cheadle. She will next be seen in the film Shaft opposite Samuel L. Jackson, opening June 14, 2019.
As part of this year’s celebration of women in comedy, SIFF is proud to present Regina Hall with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. Following a discussion of her career, she will introduce a screening of Support the Girls.
Past honorees of the SIFF Outstanding Achievement Awards include Ethan Hawke, Anjelica Huston, Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Viggo Mortensen, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kevin Bacon, Edward Norton, Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen, Spike Lee, among others.
FILMS WITH PARTIES
Saturday Film and Party
Pity the Lovers, North American Premiere
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 6:00 PM - Party to follow screening
FILM: MAJESTIC BAY
PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM
Two unlucky-in-love brothers, a veterinarian, a conceptual artist, and two goth 13-year-olds named Danni are just a few of the characters that makes up the ensemble of this charming Icelandic film about longing, love, and growing up. (d: Maximilian Hult c: Björn Thórs, Jóel Ingi Sæmundsson, Sara Dögg Árgeirsdóttir, Sigurður Karlsson, Hafdîs Helga Helgasdótter, Sweden/Iceland 2019, 102 min)
Saturday Film and Party
Top End Wedding
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 6:00 PM - Party to follow screening
FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN
PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS
A young Australian couple returns to the Indigenous bride’s Northern Territory hometown to find Mom missing; their hunt takes them through luscious landscapes and cultural-clash humor in this adorable rom-com.
(d: Wayne Blair c: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lae, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson, Ursula Yovich, Shari Sebbens, Australia 2018, 103 min)
Kirkland Opening Night
Non-Fiction
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 8:00 PM - Reception to precede screening
KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER
The struggles of a staid publisher and a rumpled novelist to adopt to the new digital media world, and the impermanence thereof, is complicated (because this is a French comedy) by adultery.
(d: Olivier Assayas c: Guillaume Canet, Juliette Binoche, Vincent Macaigne, Nora Hamzawi, Christa Théret, France 2018, 106 min)
FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHTS
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
with Live Soundtrack by The Invincible Czars
Saturday, May 18 | 2:00 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian
Indie band The Invincible Czars, who have provided music for SIFF screenings of Nosferatu and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, return to perform a live soundtrack to this gothic horror classic.
(d: Rupert Julian c: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, USA 1925, 93 min)
THIN SKIN EVENT
Monday, May 27 | 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian
Sneak-peek excerpt from Seattle filmmaker and author Charles Mudede’s upcoming feature Thin Skin. The excerpt will be followed by an on-stage interview with the creative team about the process of turning a true story into a feature film, with the real-life subject (and writer) Ahamefule Oluo playing himself in the film.
DJ NICFIT PRESENTS FANTASTIC PLANET
Thursday, May 30 | 7:00 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian
René Laloux’s otherworldly animated classic about the small human-like Oms and their much larger blue-skinned oppressors is interpreted by Seattle’s own DJ NicFit through the music of alternative-rock icons The Flaming Lips.
(d: René Laloux c: Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin, France/Czechoslovakia
1973, 72 min)
FEATURE FILM PREMIERES
World Premieres (12)
Engineering with Nature - An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone (d: Shelly Solomon, USA 2019)
Fight Fam (d. Ruben Rodriguez Perez, USA 2019)
Good Kisser (d: Wendy Jo Carlton, USA 2019)
Lest We Forget (d: Luigi Toscano, Germany 2019)
The Long Haul: The Story of the Buckaroos (d: Amy Enser, USA 2019)
Lynch: A History (d: David Shields, USA 2019)
Patrinell: The Total Experience (d: Andrew Elizage, Tia Young, USA 2019)
Pigeon Kings (d: Milena Pastreich, USA 2019)
Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance (d: Melina Raebyne, USA 2019)
Watch List (Maria) (d: Ben Rekhi, Philippines/USA 2019)
We Take the Low Road (d: Domenic Barbero, Jerry Spears, USA 2019)
The Wild (d: Mark Titus, USA 2019)
North American Premieres (27)
2040 (d: Damon Gameau, Australia 2019)
All About Me (d: Caroline Link, Germany 2019)
All My Loving (d: Edward Berger, Germany 2019)
The Announcement (d: Mahmut Fazil Coşkun, Turkey/Bulgaria 2018)
The Awakening of the Ants (d: Antonella Sadasassi Furniss, Costa Rica/Spain 2019)
The Days to Come (d: Carlos Marqués-Marcet, Spain 2019)
#Female Pleasure (d: Barbara Miller, Switzerland/Germany 2018)
Fly Rocket Fly (d: Oliver Schwehm, Germany/Belgium 2018)
For My Father’s Kingdom (d: Vea Mafile’o, Jeremiah Tauamiti, New Zealand 2019)
The Ground Beneath My Feet (d: Marie Kreutzer, Austria 2019)
Here Comes Hell (d: Jack McHenry, United Kingdom 2018)
Invest in Failure (Notes on Film 06-C, Monologue 03) (d: Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Austria 2018)
The Invisible Witness (d: Stefano Mordini, Italy 2018)
Le Chocolat de H (d: Takashi Watanabe, Japan 2019)
The Man Who Bought the Moon (d: Paolo Zucca, Italy/Argentina 2018)
The Man Who Surprised Everyone (d: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksey Chupov, Russia/Estonia 2018)
Marighella (d: Wagner Moura, Brazil 2019)
Oray (d: Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, Germany 2019)
Palace for the People (d: Georgi Bogdanov, Boris Missirkov, Bulgaria/Germany 2018)
Pity the Lovers (d: Maximilian Hult, Sweden/Iceland 2019)
Sons of Denmark (d: Ulaa Salim, Denmark 2019)
Storm in My Heart (d: Mark Cousins, USA/Scotland 2018)
Swinging Safari (d: Stephan Elliott, Australia/USA 2018)
Timeless Beauty (d: Deyan Parouchev, France/China 2018
Van Goghs (d: Sergey Livnev, Russia/Latvia 2018)
Volcano (d: Roman Bondarchuk, Ukraine/Germany 2018)
Your Turn (d: Eliza Capai, Brazil 2019)
US Premieres (11)
Baby (Bao Bei Er) (d: Liu Jie, China 2018)
A Dog Called Money (d: Seamus Murphy, Ireland/ United Kingdom 2019)
Ghost Town Anthology (d: Denis Côté, Canada (Québec), 2019)
Hat-Trick (d: Ramtin Lavafi, Iran 2018)
Jean-Paul Gaultier: Freak and Chic (d: Yann L’Hénoret, France 2019)
Lives with Flavor: Monica Patiño & Carlos Gaytán (d: Ruth Zachs Babani, Pablo Gasca Gollás, Mexico 2019)
Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story (d: Don Metz, Canada 2018)
No. 1 Chung Ying Street (d: Derek Chiu, Hong Kong 2018)
Retrospekt (d: Esther Rots, Netherlands/Belgium 2018)
Twin Flower (d: Laura Luchetti, Italy 2018)
Wine Calling (d: Bruno Sauvard, France 2018)
COMPETITIONS
Official Competition
Juried by a team of international industry members, the Official Competition recognizes distinct and resonant voices in filmmaking from around the world. The Grand Jury Prize Winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
2019 Entries:
The Announcement (d: Mahmut Fazil Coşkun, Turkey/Bulgaria 2018, North American Premiere)
The Days to Come (d: Carlos Marqués-Marcet, Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
Ghost Town Anthology (d: Denis Côté, Canada (Québec) 2019, US Premiere)
House of Hummingbird (d: Bora Kim, South Korea/USA 2018)
Them That Follow (d: Britt Poulton, Dan Madison Savage, USA 2019)
Twin Flower (d: Laura Luchetti, Italy 2018, US Premiere)
Watch List (Maria) (d: Ben Rekhi, Philippines/USA 2019, World Premiere)
X&Y (d: Anna Odell, Sweden/Denmark 2018)
New Directors Competition
Be at the cutting edge of world cinema and take a little risk in your viewing. This year, eight new international voices have been selected for SIFF’s New Directors Competition. To qualify, the films must be dramatic features, a director’s debut or second feature, and without 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. The New Directors jury comprises film industry professionals and journalists who will choose the winning filmmaker during the Festival’s final weekend. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.
2019 Entries:
Ayka (d: Sergey Dvortsevoy, Kazakhstan/Russia/Germany/
A Colony (d: Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Canada (Québec) 2018)
Crystal Swan (d: Darya Zhuk, Belarus/Russia/Germany/USA 2018)
The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia (d: Arturo Infante, Cuba/Germany 2018)
House of My Fathers (d: Suba Sivakumaran, Sri Lanka/UK 2018)
Long Time No Sea (d: Heather Tsui, Taiwan 2018)
Retrospekt (d: Esther Rots, Netherlands/Belgium 2018, US Premiere)
Sons of Denmark (d: Ulaa Salim, Denmark 2019, North American Premiere)
Ibero-American Competition
The Ibero-American Competition selects 9 outstanding films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal to highlight the increasing power, creativity, and influence of storytelling in the region. To be eligible, films must be without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. A jury made up of film industry professionals and journalists will be responsible for selecting the winning film. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.
2019 Entries:
Carmen & Lola (d: Arantxa Echevarría, Spain 2018)
Marighella (d: Wagner Moura, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)
Miriam Lies (d: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic/Spain 2018)
Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark (d: Daniel Rosenfeld, Argentina/France 2018)
The Awakening of the Ants (d: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Costa Rica/Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
The Good Girls (d: Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico 2018)
The Sharks (d: Lucía Garibaldi, Uruguay/Argentina/Spain 2019)
This is Not Berlin (d: Hari Sama, Mexico 2019)
Your Turn (d: Eliza Capai, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)
New American Cinema Competition
When we begin our programming selection process in the fall, the team looks in awe at the sheer volume of films by independent American filmmakers, a category that fields the largest number of submissions by far. We can only select a fraction to take to the finals, but the heavy competition leads to a truly remarkable collective output of US independents. The New American Cinema jury consists of members of the FIPRESCI. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.
2019 Entries:
Burning Cane (d: Phillip Youmans, USA 2019)
Driveways (d: Andrew Ahn, USA 2019)
Go Back to China (d: Emily Ting, China/Hong Kong/USA 2018)
International Falls (d: Amber McGinnis, USA 2019)
Mickey and the Bear (d: Annabelle Attanasio, USA 2019)
Premature (d: Rashaad Ernesto Green, USA 2019)
Stray Dolls (d: Sonejuhi Sinha, USA 2019)
To the Stars (d: Martha Stephens, USA 2019)
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. The Grand Jury Prize Winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
2019 Entries:
A Thousand Girls Like Me (d: Sahra Mosawi-Mani, Afghanistan/France 2018)
Eastern Memories (d: Niklas Kullström, Martti Kaartinen, Finland 2018)
Fly Rocket Fly (d: Oliver Schwehm, Germany/Belgium 2018, North American Premiere)
Lynch: A History (d: David Shields, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Pigeon Kings (d: Milena Pastreich, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Q Ball (D: Michael Tolajian, USA 2019)
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (d: Alison Reid, Canada/USA/Kenya/South Africa 2018)
We Are the Radical Monarchs (d: Linda Goldstein Knowlton, USA 2019)
Shorts Competition
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.
Golden Space Needle Awards
For the past 30 years, SIFF has celebrated its most popular films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Award. Awards by Festival audiences are given in six categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Hyatt Regency on Sunday June 9, 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
SIFF is honored to present the 2019 Golden Space Needle award, made by artist Piper O’Neill. O’Neill (designer of the 2013-2018 Golden Space Needle awards), is Principal + Creative Director of Idlewild Union, where each award is forged in glass by a team of artisan glassblowers. Inspired by the metamorphic process of a crystal formation, the design celebrates the creative cycle in its most innate and organic form.
Idlewild Union is a bespoke glass design studio specializing in architectural commissions and in the development and creation of fine art glass. Situated in the Ballard industrial maritime district, the studio is a veritable creative hotbed of master craftsmen, visiting artists, designers and a dog or three.
AFRICAN PICTURES
SIFF is thrilled to present African Pictures, showcasing the best filmmaking happening in and about Africa today. This program will bring shorts and features, documentaries and fiction films to American audiences who might never have the chance to see them otherwise. This is a not-to--be-missed opportunity to experience innovative and inspiring filmmaking from across the continent.
Before the Vows (d: Nicole Amarteifio, Ghana 2018)
EXT. Night (d: Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt/United Arab Emirates 2018)
Fig Tree (d: Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian, Ethiopia/Israel 2018)
Kifaru (d: David Hambridge, USA/Kenya 2019)
The Mercy of the Jungle (d: Joël Karekezi, Belgium/France 2018)
Sakawa (d: Ben Asamoah, Belgium/Netherlands 2018)
Sew the Winter to My Skin (d: Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, South Africa/Germany 2018)
Urgent (d: Mohcine Besri, Switzerland/Morocco 2018)
Yomeddine (d: A.B. Shawky, Egypt/USA 2018)
ALTERNATE CINEMA
The films in this section not only aim to alter how you look at the world, but to open your mind and make you think. Innovation and experimentation are huge elements of these feature films as well as the impressive line-up of this year’s ALT Shorts package.
Barbara Rubin & the Exploding NY Underground (d: Chuck Smith, USA/France/Israel 2018)
Invest in Failure (Notes on Film 06-C, Monologue 03) (d: Norbert Pfaffenbichler, Austria 2018, North American Premiere)
Lynch: A History (d: David Shields, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Storm in My Heart (d: Mark Cousins, USA/ Scotland 2018, North American Premiere)
ARCHIVAL FILMS
Time travel may still just be a dream in the scientific world, but in cinema it is practically inevitable, as every film captures several distinct moments in time: the period of the story, the era of the film’s creation, and the instance of discovery and even rediscovery by the filmgoer.
As the Earth Turns (d: Richard Lyford, USA 1938/2018)
Between the Lines (d: Joan Micklin Silver, USA 1977)
The Bigamist (d: Ida Lupino, USA 1953)
DJ NicFit Presents Fantastic Planet (d: René Laloux, France/Czechoslovakia 1973)
Enamorada (d: Emilio Fernández, Mexico 1946)
Farinelli (d: Gérard Corbiau, France/Italy 1994)
The Hitch-Hiker (d: Ida Lupino, USA 1953)
I Am Cuba (d: Mikhail Kalatozov, Cuba 1964)
One, Two, Three (d: Billy Wilder, USA 1961)
The Phantom of the Opera with Live Soundtrack by The Invincible Czars (d: Rupert Julian, USA 1925)
Spies (d: Fritz Lang, Germany 1928)
Storm in My Heart (d: Mark Cousins, USA/Scotland 2018, North American Premiere)
ASIAN CROSSROADS
We encourage you to take this journey across several Asian countries to discover the cultural and historical background of these faraway worlds, taste some food, hear some music, and be blown away by films about small villages, huge metropolises, and everything in between.
Baby (Bao Bei Er) (d: Liu Jie, China 2018, US Premiere)
Cities of Last Things (d: Ho Wi Ding, Taiwan/China 2018)
Distinction (d: Jevons Au, Hong Kong 2018)
A Family Tour (d: Ying Liang, Hong Kong/Taiwan 2018)
The Farewell (d: Lulu Wang, USA/China 2019)
Gatao 2: Rise of the King (d: Yen Cheng-Kuo, Taiwan 2018)
Go back to China (d: Emily Ting, China/Hong Kong 2019)
House of Hummingbird (d: Bora Kim, South Korea/USA 2018)
House of My Fathers (d: Suba Sivakumaran, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom 2018)
Le Chocolat de H (d: Takashi Watanabe, Japan 2019, North American Premiere)
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (d: Macoto Tezka, Japan 1985)
Long Time No Sea (d: Heather Tsui, Taiwan 2018)
No. 1 Chung Ying Street (d: Derek Chiu, Hong Kong 2018, US Premiere)
One Child Nation (d: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, China/USA 2019)
Ten Years Thailand (d: Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Hong Kong/Thailand 2018)
The Third Wife (d: Ash Mayfair, Vietnam 2018)
Watch List (Maria) (d: Ben Rekhi, Philippines/USA 2019, World Premiere)
Widow of Silence (d: Praveen Morchhale, India 2018)
CULINARY CINEMA
Popcorn is no longer king as the phenomenon of food culture has exploded into cinema. We’ve selected six extraordinary films that explore different aspects of taste and the senses for the cinematically inclined.
Chef’s Diaries: Scotland (d: Laura Otálora, United Kingdom/Spain 2019)
Funke (d: Gab Taraboulsy, USA 2018)
Le Chocolat de H (d: Takashi Watanabe, Japan 2019, North American Premiere)
Lives with Flavor: Monica Patiño & Carlos Gaytán (d: Ruth Zachs Babani, Pablo Gasca Gollás, Mexico 2019, US Premiere)
Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil (d: José Luis López Linares, Spain 2018)
Wine Calling (d: Bruno Sauvard, France 2018, US Premiere)
DEUTSCHLANDJAHR
In celebration of the year-long Deutschlandjahr USA / The Year of German-American Friendship, we are pleased to present films in the German language from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Highlighting the unique importance of culture, science and politics in transatlantic relations, these films run the gamut of creativity.
All About Me (d: Caroline Link, Germany 2019, North American Premiere)
All My Loving (d: Edward Berger, Germany 2019, North American Premiere)
#FemalePleasure (d: Barbara Miller, Switzerland/Germany 2018, North American Premiere)
Fly Rocket Fly (d: Oliver Schwehm, Germany, Belgium 2018, North American Premiere)
The Ground Beneath My Feet (d: Marie Kreutzer, Austria 2019, North American Premiere)
The Innocent (d: Simon Jaquemet, Switzerland/Germany 2018)
In the Aisles (d: Thomas Stuber, Germany 2018)
Lest We Forget (d: Luigi Toscano, Germany 2019, World Premiere)
Oray (d: Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, Germany 2019, North American Premiere)
Shut Up and Play the Piano (d: Philipp Jedicke, Germany 2018)
Spies (d: Fritz Lang, Germany 1928)
What Doesn’t Kill Us (d: Sandra Nettelbeck, Germany 2018)
FACE THE MUSIC
Four out of five SIFF programmers agree that regular exposure to music and film are essential to your overall well-being. With that in mind, this year’s Face the Music program has been specifically designed to provide a holistic regimen for your audio-visual health.
The Apollo (d: Roger Ross Williams, USA 2019)
Blinded by the Light (d: Gurinder Chadha, United Kingdom 2019)
David Crosby: Remember My Name (d: A.J. Eaton, USA 2019)
A Dog Called Money (d: Seamus Murphy, Ireland/ United Kingdom 2019, US Premiere)
Enormous: The Gorge Story (d: Nic Davis, USA 2019)
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (d: Stanley Nelson, USA/United Kingdom 2019)
Patrinell: The Total Experience (d: Andrew Elizaga, Tia Young, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Pavarotti (d: Ron Howard, USA/United Kingdom 2019)
Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark (d: Daniel Rosenfield, Argentina/France 2018)
Shut Up and Play the Piano (d: Philipp Jedicke, Germany 2018)
Who Let the Dogs Out (d: Brent Hodge, Canada 2019)
Wild Rose (d: Tom Harper, United Kingdom 2018)
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (d: Barak Goodman, Jamila Ephron, USA 2019)
IBERO-AMERICAN CINEMA
Latin-American cinema is nurtured by a vast diversity, a unique history, and a long, rich tradition of storytelling. Its powerful documentaries and works of fiction have always been fantastic, with larger-than-life themes, characters, and legends igniting our imaginations, our senses, and our emotions.
The Awakening of the Ants (d: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Costa Rica/ Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
Botero (d: Don Millar, Canada 2018)
Carmen & Lola (d: Arantxa Echevarría, Spain 2018)
Chef’s Diaries: Scotland (d: Laura Otálora, United Kingdom/Spain 2019)
The Days to Come (d: Carlos Marqués-Marcet, Spain 2019, North American Premiere)
El Ángel (d: Luis Ortega, Argentina/Spain 2018)
Enamorada (d: Emilio-Fernández, Mexico 1946)
The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia (d: Arturo Infante, Cuba/Germany 2018)
The Footballest (d: Miguel Ángel Lamata, Spain 2018)
The Good Girls (d: Alejandra Márquez Abella, Mexico 2018)
I Am Cuba (d: Mikhail Kalatozov, Cuba/Soviet Union 1964)
Lives with Flavor: Monica Patiño & Carlos Gaytán (d: Ruth Zachs Babani, Pablo Gasca Gollás, Mexico 2019, US Premiere)
Marighella (d: Wagner Moura, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)
Midnight Family (d: Luke Lorentzen, Mexico/USA 2019)
Miriam Lies (d: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic/Spain 2018)
Monos (d: Alejandro Landes, Colombia/Argentina 2019)
Pachamama (d: Juan Antin, France 2019)
Piazzolla, The Years of the Shark (d: Daniel Rosenfield, Argentina/France 2018)
The Realm (d: Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain/France 2018)
The Sharks (d: Lucía Garibaldi, Uruguay/Argentina 2019)
Socrates (d: Alexandre Moratto, Brazil 2018)
Temblores (d: Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France 2019)
This Is Not Berlin (d: Hari Sama, Mexico 2019)
Virgin & Extra: The Land of the Olive Oil (d: José Luis López Linares, Spain 2018)
Your Turn (d: Eliza Capai, Brazil 2019, North American Premiere)
Yuli (d: Icíar Bollaín, Spain/Cuba 2018)
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, SIFFhonors the many ways in which the Puget Sound region contributes to the world of cinema, whether it acts as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or as inspiration for local filmmakers ready to strut their stuff.
Artifishal (d: Josh Murphy, USA 2019)
As the Earth Turns (d: Richard Lyford, USA 1938/2018)
Engineering with Nature - An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone (d: Shelly Solomon, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Enormous: The Gorge Story (d: Nic Davis, USA 2019)
Fight Fam (d: Ruben Rodriguez Perez, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Good Kisser (d: Wendy Jo Carlton, USA 2019, World Premiere)
The Long Haul: The Story of the Buckaroos (d: Amy Enser, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Lynch: A History (d: David Shields, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Our Bodies Our Doctors (d: Jan Haaken, USA 2019)
Patrinell: The Total Experience (d: Andrew Elizaga, Tia Young, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story (d: Patrick Creadon, USA 2019)
Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance (d: Melinda Raebyne, USA 2019, World Premiere)
Sword of Trust (d: Lynn Shelton, USA 2019)
We Take the Low Road (d: Domenic Barbero, Jerry Spears, USA 2019, World Premiere)
The Wild (d: Mark Titus, USA 2019, World Premiere)
WILD, TERRIFYING, FANTASTIC
Get ready to set sail on the ultimate WTF cruise into the weirdest, wildest corners of this spooky, slimy planet we call Earth - and maybe even beyond.
Deadtectives (d: Tony West, USA 2018)
The Death of Dick Long (d: Daniel Scheinert, USA 2019)
DJ NicFit Presents Fantastic Planet (d: René Laloux, France/Czechoslovakia 1973)
Greener Grass (d: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, USA 2019)
Here Comes Hell (d: Jack McHenry, United Kingdom 2018, North American Premiere)
In Fabric (d: Peter Strickland, United Kingdom 2018)
Knife+Heart (d: Yann Gonzalez, France/Switzerland 2018)
Koko-di Koko-da (d: Johannes Nyholm, Sweden/Denmark 2019)
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (d: Macoto Tezka, Japan 1985)
Nightmare Cinema (Joe Dante, Alejandro Brugués, Mick Garris, Ryûhei Kitamura, David Slade, USA 2018)
SIFF EDUCATION
SIFF offers three programs during Festival: FutureWave, Films4Families, and Festival Forums.
FUTUREWAVE AND FILMS4FAMILIES
FutureWave features are a great place for our cinema-savvy teen audience to find their love of world cinema and Films4Families is the perfect way for younger children (and the young at heart) to have a fabulous experience at SIFF. Both programs also have Youth Juries comprised of youth from their age bracket to watch all the films and present the Youth Jury Award in their respective categories.
FESTIVAL FORUMS & PANELS
Where audiences and filmmakers come together to learn about and experience making movies. Unless otherwise noted, Festival forums and panels are held at the SIFF Film Center. A complete list of this year’s forums and panels can be found here: www.siff.net/festival
VENUES
SEATTLE
SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Film Center, AMC Pacific Place 11, McCaw Hall, Majestic Bay Theatres, Ark Lodge Theatres, Seattle Central Library, and SIFF Lounge.
BELLEVUE
Lincoln Square Cinemas
KIRKLAND
Kirkland Performance Center
SHORELINE
Shoreline Community College
SIFF 2019 BY THE NUMBERS
410 Films
86 Countries
147 Features
71 Documentaries
12 Archival
176 Short Films
4 Secret Films
36 World Premieres (12 Features, 24 Shorts)
40 North American Premieres (27 Features, 13 Shorts)
19 US Premieres (11 Features, 8 Shorts)
55% 1st and 2nd time filmmakers
59% without US Distribution
46% Women Filmmakers (56% of Feature Competition films are Women directed)
SIFF would like to thank Ingeniux; Brotherton Cadillac Buick GMC in Renton; Encore; Hyatt Regency Seattle, the Official Hotel of the Festival; Amazon Prime Video; The Boeing Company; and Wongdoody for their support of the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival.