BLING RING to Close 2013 Seattle Film Festival
By: Caryn Robbins Apr. 30, 2013
The Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most-highly attended festival in the United States, announced today the complete schedule of films and events that will make up the 39th Seattle International Film Festival.
GALAS: Opening Night Gala
Much Ado About Nothing (director: Joss Whedon)
Shakespeare's classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Whedon's Much Ado. Shot in just 12 days (and using the original text), the story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a dark, sexy, and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love. The film was shot entirely in Whedon and Cole's own home, and made with a group of close friends (and recurring "Whedonverse" players) who share the filmmakers' love of Shakespeare. Confirmed to attend Opening Night on May 16 are director Whedon and the stars of the film: Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, and Clark Gregg. Please click here for the full press release. Closing Night Gala
The Bling Ring (director: Sofia Coppola) North American Premiere
Coppola's latest is a story ripped from the tabloid headlines and gossip news programs, a story as strange as it is true. Five Tinseltown teenagers (two played by Emma Watson and Taissa Farmiga) wish to live like the rich and famous, but they'll settle for robbing them instead. The gang, referring to themselves as "The Bling Ring," track the internet goings-on of SoCal's A-list celebs with ease, waiting for just the right moment to break into their vast mansions and run off with their high-class goods. But when rebelliousness turns to recklessness, the group's crimes catch up with them. Centerpiece Gala
Twenty Feet from Stardom (director: Morgan Neville)
When you're singing along with the chorus of your favorite song, do you really know who you're singing along with? Veteran filmmaker Morgan Neville does, and his new film tracks the astounding careers, contributions, and sacrifices of pop music's most-recognizable, yet least-known artists: the backup singers. Twenty Feet from Stardom follows several diverse and gifted backup singers living in The Shadows of superstardom. Although these singers are usually relegated to the margins, and few, if any, become household names, their work has defined countless songs that remain in our hearts and collective consciousness. Director Morgan Neville and singers Tata Vega and Merry Clayton are scheduled to appear and perform at the screening.
FILMS WITH PARTIES: Drinking Buddies (director: Joe Swanberg, USA, Magnolia Pictures)
Fanie Fourie's Lobola (director: Henk Pretorius, South Africa)
G.B.F. (director Darren Stein, USA)
Populaire (director: Régis Roinsard, France, The Weinstein Company)
The Way, Way Back (directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, USA, Fox Searchlight)
SPECIAL GUESTS: SIFF highlights two special guests this year: legendary actor Kyle MacLachlan and director Peter Greenaway. Washington native Kyle MacLachlan has brought his patented brand of effortless charm and fierce tenacity the big and small screens. This program will include the presentation of the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting, an onstage interview with film clips from his career, including an audience Q&A, followed by a screening of David Lynch's pilot for the cult-hit television show Twin Peaks.Peter Greenaway, one of film's leading provocateurs,provides a premise and a challenge in his upcoming forum: is the contemporary cinema's dependence on text leading to the death of cinema? Illustrated with numerous clips and striking visual imagery, Peter Greenaway's lecture promises to be enlightening and exciting adventure. The talk will follow a screening of Goltzius and the Pelican Company.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: This year's Special Presentations include:
Decoding Annie Parker (director: Steven Bernstein) -Starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton, this is the amazing true story of UW geneticist Mary-Claire King and her world-changing discovery of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene. Special benefit screenings will support the fight against breast cancer.
Inequality for All(director Jacob Kornbluth) - the Sundance award-winning documentary exploring the causes and consequences of the widening income gap in America.
Somm (director: Jason Wise) - the riveting story of four sommeliers attempting to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. This film will be paired with special wine tasting receptions following the screenings. Director Jason Wise expected to attend along with renowned Sommeliers.
FEATURE FILM PREMIERES: World (18): 9 Full Moons (d: Tomer Almagor, USA)
Alive and Well (d: Josh Taft, USA)
Clutter (d: Diane Crespo, USA)
Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington (d: Riley Morton, USA)
Fateful Findings (d: Neil Breen, USA)
Finding Hillywood (d: Leah Warshawski, USA)
Her Aim Is True (d: Karen Whitehead, USA)
Last I Heard (d: David Rodriguez, USA)
The Little Tin Man (d: Matthew Perkins, USA)
Middleton (d: Adam Rodgers, USA, Anchor Bay Films)
Mutual Friends (d: Matthew Watts, USA)
The Otherside (d: Daniel Torok, USA)
Scrapper (d: Brady Hall, USA)
Spud 2: The Madness Continues (d: Donovan Marsh, South Africa)
Teddy Bears (d: Thomas Beatty, USA)
Test (d: Chris Mason Johnson, USA)
Town Hall (d: Jamila Wignot, USA)
Worm (d: Andrew Bowser, USA) North American (38): 36 (d: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thailand)
The African Cypher (d: Bryan Little, South Africa)
Ali (d: Paco R. Baños, Spain)
Belleville Baby (d: Mia Engberg, Sweden)
Between Valleys (d: Philippe Barcinsk, Brazil)
Bitch Hug (d: Andreas Öhman, Sweden)
The Bling Ring (d: Sofia Coppola, USA, A24)
Breach in the Silence (d: Andrés Rodríguez, Venezuela)
Bypass (d: Patxo Telleria, Spain)
Capturing Dad (d: Ryota Nakano, Japan)
Celestial Wives of Meadow Mari (d: Aleksey Fedorchenko, Russia)
Closed Curtain (d: Jafar Panahi, Iran)
Comrade President (d: Mosco Kamwendo, Zimbabwe)
Dead Meat Walking - A Zombie Walk Documentary (d: Omar J. Pineda, USA)
Drug War (d: Johnnie To, Hong Kong, Well Go USA)
Éden (d: Bruno Safadi, Brazil)
Every Blessed Day (d: Paolo Virzi, Italy)
Fatal (d: Lee Don-ku, South Korea)
Flight of the Storks (d: Jan Kounen, France)
Garibaldi's Lovers (d: Silvio Soldini, Italy, Film Movement)
The Girl With Nine Wigs (d: Marc Rothemund, Germany)
The Great Passage (d: Yûya Ishii, Japan)
House With a Turret (d: Eva Neymann, Ukraine)
I Kori (The Daughter) (d: Thanos Anastopoulos, Greece)
The Kampala Story (d: Donald Mugisha, Uganda)
Last Flight to Abuja (d: Obi Emelonye, Nigeria)
Love Is in the Air (d: Alexandre Castagnetti, France)
Low Profile(d: Cécilia Rouaud, France)
Ludwig II (d: Peter Sehr, Germany)
My Dog Killer(d: Mira Fornay, Slovakia)
Nishan (Medal of Honor) (d: Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn, Ethiopia)
The Plague (d: Neus Ballús, Spain)
Redemption Street (d: Miroslav Terzi, Serbia)
Ripples of Desire (d: Zero Chou, Taiwan)
Short Stories (d: Mikhail Segal, Russia)
Television (d: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Bangladesh)
Tito on Ice (d: Max Andersson, Germany)
Yesterday Never Ends (d: Isabel Coixet, Spain) US (6): 2+2 (d: Diego Kaplan, Argentina, Strand Releasing)
Aayna Ka Bayna (d: Samit Kakkad, India)
Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (d: Prathiba Parmar, USA)
Breathing Earth (d: Thomas Riedelsheimer, Germany)
Horses of God (d: Nabil Ayouch, Morocco)
Invader (d: Daniel Calparsoro, Spain)
AFRICAN PICTURES PROGRAM: This year SIFF will launch its African Pictures Program, a program made possible by a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The African Pictures Program aims to celebrate the diverse and burgeoning hotbed of filmmaking activity emerging across the continent of Africa. This grant gives SIFF an unparalleled opportunity as a major international film festival to showcase a substantive program of indigenous films from Africa along with films by African filmmakers working outside the continent. Please click here for the complete African Pictures Program press release. See below for the full lineup: The African Cypher (d:Bryan Little, South Africa, North American Premiere)
After the Battle (d: Yousry Nasrallah, France)
Coming Forth by Day (Hala Lotfy, Egypt)
Comrade President (d: Mosco Kamwendo, Zimbabwe, North American Premiere)
Die Welt (d: Alex Pitstra, Netherlands)
Fanie Fourie's Lobola (d: Henk Pretorius, South Africa)
Finding Hillywood (Leah Warshawski, USA, World Premiere)
The Forgotten Kingdom (d. Andrew Mudge, USA)
A Hijacking (d. Tobias Lindholm, Denmark)
Horses of God (d: Nabil Ayouch Morocco, US Premiere)
The Kampala Story (d:Donald Mugisha, Uganda, North American Premiere)
Last Flight to Abuja (d: Obi Emelonye, Nigeria, North American Premiere)
Mother of George (d: Andrew Dosunmu, USA, Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Nishan (Medal of Honor) (d: Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn, Ethiopia)
The Pardon(d: Joel Karekezi, Rwanda, North American Premiere)
The Repentant (d: Merzak Allouache, Algeria)
Sand Fishers (d: Samouté Andrey Diarra, Mali)
Spud 2: The Madness Continues (d: Donovan Marsh, South Africa, World Premiere)
COMPETITIONS: SIFF competitions are intended to reflect the diversity and excellence of global filmmaking with awards and/or cash prizes given to the winners as determined by independent juries as well as by audience voting. New Directors Competition: Festival programmers select 12 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style and overall excellence. To be eligible films must be a director's first or second feature and without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. Winners receive a $2,500 cash prize. Breach in the Silence (d: Andres Rodriguez, Luis Rodriguez, Venezuela, North American Premiere)
The Cleaner (d: Adrian Saba Peru 2012)
Coming Forth by Day (d: Hala Lotfy, Egypt/United Arab Emirates 2012)
Die Welt (d: Alex Pitstra, Netherlands/Tunisia/Qatar, 2012)
Fatal (d: Lee Don-ku, South Korea 2012, North American Premiere)
f Up (d: Øystein Karlsen, Norway 2012)
Harmony Lessons (d: Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan/Germany/France, 2013)
House With a Turret (d: Eva Neymann, Ukraine 2012, US Premiere)
Love is in the Air (d: Alexandre Castagnetti, France 2013, North American Premiere)
The Plague (d: Neus Ballús, Spain 2013, North American Premiere)
Sadourni's Butterflies (d: Dario Nardi, Argentina 2012)
Short Stories (d: Mikhail Segal, Russia 2012, North American Premiere) New American Cinema Competition: Festival programmers select 12 films without U.S. distribution that are sure to delight audiences looking to explore the exciting vanguard of New American Cinema and compete for the FIPRESCI Award for Best New American Film. Jury is comprised of 3 members from the International Federation of Film Critics. The winning film will receive a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 6: Production Premium edition. 9 Full Moons (d: Tomer Almagor, USA 2013, World Premiere)
Clutter (d: Diane Crespo, USA 2013, World Premiere)
C.O.G. (d: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, USA 2013)
The Forgotten Kingdom (d: Andrew Mudge, USA 2013)
Last I Heard (d: David Rodriguez, USA 2013, World Premiere)
The Little Tin Man (d: Matthew Perkins, USA 2013, World Premiere)
The Moment (d: Jane Weinstock, USA 2013)
Mutual Friends (d: Matthew Watts, USA 2013, World Premiere)
A Song Still Inside (d: Gregory Collins, USA 2013)
Teddy Bears (d: Thomas Beatty, Rebecca Fishman, USA 2013, World Premiere)
Test (d: Chris Mason Johnson, USA 2013, World Premiere)
Worm (d: Andrew Bowser, USA 2013, World Premiere) Documentary Competition: Unscripted and uncut, the world is a resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have, for years, brought these untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may have never known existed-let alone known were so fascinating. Winners receive a $2,500 cash prize. The African Cypher (d: Bryan Little, South Africa 2012, North American Premiere)
Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (d: Prathiba Parmar, USA 2013, US Premiere)
Breathing Earth (d: Thomas Riedelsheimer, Germany/Scotland 2012, US Premiere)
The Crash Reel (d: Lucy Walker, USA 2013)
Her Aim Is True (d: Karen Whitehead, USA 2013, World Premiere)
Mussels in Love (d: W.J.A. Kluijfhout, Netherlands 2012)
Our Nixon (d: Penny Lane, USA 2013)
The Punk Singer (d: Sini Anderson, USA 2013)
Sand Fishers (d: Samouté Andrey Diarra, Mali/France 2012)
Town Hall (d: Jamila Wignot, Sierra Pettengill, USA 2013, World Premiere)
The Trials of Muhammad Ali (d: Bill Siegel, USA 2013)
A World Not Ours (d: Mahdi Fleifel, Lebanon/United Kingdom/Denmark, 2012) SIFF Shorts Competition: All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. Shorts Competition. Jurors will choose winners in the Live Action, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000 and winners in any of the three categories may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards. Golden Space Needle Awards / Artist Piper O'Neill
For the past 28 years, SIFF has celebrated its most popular films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Award. Created to recognize audience's favorite films, awards are given to the Festival's Best Feature Film, Documentary, Actor, Actress, and Short Film. Piper O'Neill is a Seattle-based artist who has been commissioned to create this year's Golden Space Needle Award. The award's design was inspired by the DeJur Electra 8mm camera lens introduced in the 1960s, especially by the beautiful and iconographic silhouette of the lens, symbolic of Seattle's love of film. With an impressive body of work, Piper O'Neill will mount her second solo exhibition at Winston Wachter Fine Art in January 2014.
FACE THE MUSIC: Seattle is one the greatest music cities in the world, so it's only fitting that SIFF feature a wide array of music-themed films and events. Special live music events include A Muscle Shoals Tribute with Patterson and David Hood, and The Maldives performThe Wind.
Face the Music also showcases films that intersect the world of music on all fronts: from biopics and concert films to musicals and live events. Film highlights include Twenty Feet from Stardom, a fascinating documentary about backup singers and Kathleen Hanna documentary The Punk Singer.
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 it acts as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or as inspiration for local filmmakers ready to strut their stuff. This year's Northwest Connections films include Improvement Club (director: Dayna Hanson), Her Aim is True (director: Karen Whitehead), and Middleton (director: Adam Rodgers). Full list below: Alive and Well (d: Josh Taft, USA, World Premiere)
Barzan (d: Alex Stonehill, USA)
Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton (d: Eric Slade, USA)
Dead Meat Walking - A Zombie Walk Documentary (d: Omar J. Pineda, USA)
Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington (d: Riley Morton, USA, World Premiere)
Finding Hillywood (Leah Warshawski, USA, World Premiere)
Her Aim Is True (d: Karen Whitehead, USA, World Premiere)
Improvement Club (d: Dayna Hanson, USA)
Middleton (d: Adam Rodgers, USA, Anchor Bay Films, World Premiere)
The Otherside (d: Daniel Torok, USA, World Premiere)
The Punk Singer (d: Sini Anderson, USA)
Shadowed (d: Joey Johnson, USA)
Scrapper (d: Brady Hall, USA, World Premiere)
Touchy Feely (d. Lynn Shelton, USA)
Unhung Hero (d: Brian Spitz, USA
FESTS: DocsFest,
Music, dance, art, sports, history, politics, the natural world. SIFF is proud to present nearly 70 documentaries this year throughout the festival, from the love lives of mussels (Mussels in Love) to the life and times of Muhammad Ali (The Trials of Muhammad Ali), from the home movies of President Richard Nixon (Our Nixon) to We Steal Secrets: the Story of WikiLeaks. New this year, a concentration of documentaries, DocsFest, takes place during the third weekend of the festival (May 31 - June 2). ShortsFest
SIFF's annual celebration of the short film has become one of the hot tickets at the Festival. ShortsFest takes place during Memorial Day Weekend, and is a mini-fest packed with talented up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world. Take advantage of an exciting opportunity to experience the best short films from the past year.
MOODS: "What sort of film do I feel like seeing tonight?" 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, which require a bit of work to figure out, we've aimed to connect films with you, the audience, by organizing them into 10 areas that match your mood. Love: Romance and love in all its forms, pleasures, and idiosyncrasies. Make Me Laugh: Films that make you chuckle and tickle your funny bone. Open My Eyes: Revealing films and documentaries revolving around history, politics, and contemporary events from around the world. Provoke Me: Mesmerizing dramas and documentaries that explore thought-provoking questions, realities, and topics. Thrill Me: Suspense, thrills, and action. Films with a faster pace that might also surprise you when you least expect it! Show Me the World: Prepare to be taken to another place- from exotic, far-off lands to vibrant experiences outside of everyday life. Sci-Fi and Fact: Science, technology, environment, the future-and beyond! To the Extreme: Explore the outer limits with films that go beyond the edge. Creative Streak: The exploration of artistic endeavors from all disciplines: literature, film, art, dance, and performance. Face the Music: Films that intersect the world of music on all fronts: from biopics and concert films, to musicals and live events.
FLY FILMMAKING CHALLENGE 2013: With only three days to shoot, five days to edit, and three days of post-production, this year's Fly Filmmaking Challenge is a true partnership of our creative communities. The undeniable talents of the 2012 fellows from Artist Trust serve as the inspiration behind each script, with Seattle's most iconic neighborhood locations supplying the backdrop of an incredibly entertaining program. These creative hurdles, couples with a documentary narrative from the most promising local educational filmmaking programs, form the whole picture that highlights Washington's filmmaking community. Fly Filmmakers: Ben Andrews, Amy Enser, Lulu Gargiulo, Curtis Taylor Artist Trust Fellows: Samantha Boshnack, Samuel Green, Jovino Santos Neto, Derek Sheffield Educational Filmmaking Programs: Art Institute of Seattle, Seattle Central Community College, Seattle University, Shoreline Community College
SIFF EDUCATION: SIFF Education offers three programs during Festival: FutureWave & Films4Families, Festival Forums, and SuperFly. FUTUREWAVE AND FILM4FAMILIES FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING:
SIFF has two programs curated to make the Festival more accessible for younger audiences: 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. See below for a complete list: Panel: Transition from Stage to Screen
New Queen Cinema with B. Ruby Rich
Inside Stunts: Meet the Men and Women that Pack the Punch into our Movies
Get Animated: Animation Workshop for Kids
Short Filmmakers Happy Hour & Panel: Making the Most of Any Festival
Rule the World of Independent Filmmaking From Indie Distribution to Smart Phone Productions
Sheroes in Media: From Guerrilla Girls to Women in Film
The Alchemy of Film Scoring
Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: A Professional Development Workshop for Teachers
Behind the Curtain of Documentary Filmmaking
SIFF Crash Cinema Part I: PRE-PRODUCTION
SIFF Crash Cinema Part I: PRODUCTION Shooting/Editing/ Screening
Resources for the Modern Filmmaker
First Draft
Getting the Most out of the Media
Acting for the Camera with Story Town Studios
What's your Style: High School Filmmakers Scene Workshop
State of the Industry with Amy Lillard SUPERFLY 2013
For its eighth year, the SuperFly Filmmaking Experience, created by Longhouse Media and presented by SIFF, brings 50 youth from across the country to Seattle to participate in an immersion into filmmaking and tribal culture. The young filmmakers will produce five short documentary films in 36 hours at the Suquamish Tribal Community. The films will be completed just hours before their World Premiere at the SuperFly and Native Shorts Showcase on June 1 (4:00pm, Harvard Exit).
SIFF - SEATTLE
Venues: SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Film Center, McCaw Hall, Pacific Place Cinemas, Cinerama, Egyptian Theatre, Harvard Exit, SIFF Lounge at the Tin Lizzie, The Triple Door SIFF - RENTON
SIFF is proud to be returning to Renton for a third year where it will host six days of film screenings at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center from May 23 to 29. SIFF wishes to thank the City of Renton, the Renton Chamber of Commerce/Renton Visitors Connection, Renton School District, Renton Technical College and Valley Medical Center. SIFF-Renton will open with Lynn Shelton's Touchy Feely. SIFF - KIRKLAND
For the fifth year, SIFF returns to Kirkland (May 30 to June 9) where it will open with Marcus Markou's Papadopoulos & Sons. Screenings will take place at the Kirkland Performance Center. SIFF wishes to thank the City of Kirkland for its hospitality. SIFF 2013 BY THE NUMBERS: 447 Films
85 Countries
197 Narrative Feature Films (+ 4 Secret Films)
67 Documentary Features
8 Archival Films
175 Short Films
49 World Premieres (18 Features, 31 Shorts)
48 NA Premieres (38 Features, 10 Shorts)
17 US Premieres (6 Features, 11 Shorts)
SIFF Public Relations Office Jessica Marx - Public Relations Manager | jessica.marx@siff.net
Sara Huey - Public Relations Assistant | sara.huey@siff.net
Ashley Boettigheimer - Marketing/PR Associate | ashley.boettigheimer@siff.net
Rachel Eggers - Marketing/PR Associate | rachel.eggers@siff.net
Ryan Elizalde - Marketing/PR Associate | ryan.elizalde@siff.net
Dan Hudson - Marketing/PR Associate | dan.hudson@siff.net
About SIFF Founded in 1976, SIFF creates experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world with the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education. Recognized as one of the top film festivals in North America, the Seattle International Film Festival is the largest, most highly attended film festival in the United States reaching more than 150,000 annually. The 25-day festival is renowned for its wide-ranging and eclectic programming, presenting over 250 features and 150 short films from over 70 countries each year. SIFF Cinema exhibits premiere theatrical engagements, repertory, classic, and revival film showings 365 days a year on four screens at the SIFF Film Center and the historic SIFF Cinema Uptown, reaching more than 100,000 attendees annually. SIFF Education offers educational programs for all audiences serving more than 11,000 students and youth in the community with free programs each year.
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