Serious in Seattle: A Look at the SIFF

Lots of Choices, Little Time

There's not enough time to see everything the festival has to offer. Choosing which films to see is as esoteric an art as picking horses at the track. Veteran festival attendees each have their own science, their own ways of reading between the lines of the descriptions in the program guide. Most films have two screenings, but if you wait to hear the buzz from the first showing, you might find that the second showing conflicts with something else you want to see. And since many of the films are from first-time directors, there's no oeuvre to go by.

There are some sure bets this year, of course. "The Last Days of Disco" made its U.S. premiere at the musty Egyptian theater on the second night of the festival. For many Seattle fans, Whit Stillman can do no wrong. Adam Rifkin's latest, "Denial," will be making its world premiere, as will John Irvin's WWII film, "When Trumpets Fade." And of course the closing night gala, where Aidan Quinn and his brothers will screen and discuss their promising family effort, "This Is My Father."

The real delights are, of course, the little discoveries that one can make. Most of these are found in the work of unknown directors and films that aren't likely to be shown anywhere else. A significant number of films being shown this year are from first-time directors. Director Julie Lynch offers a very personal and powerful view of a woman's sexuality in her film, "Remembering Sex." Lynn Hershman Leeson presents what some have called 'feminist sci-fi' in the deeply felt "Conceiving Ada." Actor Vincent Gallo ("Palookaville") is almost a one-man filmmaking team with his directorial debut, "Buffalo 66" (being released by Lions Gate in July) -- Gallo also wrote the screenplay, composed the music and stars in the film as a recently released prisoner who concocts a tall-tale to explain his five-year absence.

In addition, SIFF planners have scheduled an impressive array of documentary films. Under the banner "Truth With An Attitude," controversial films such as "War Zone," 'Frat House" and "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" will no doubt have audiences talking and arguing for days after the screenings. "Frank Lloyd Wright," the latest documentary from Ken Burns, is sure to tell audiences a thing or two about the controversial architect. Also featured in this series is the U.S. premiere of "Sex/Life in LA," a study of the male porn industry in Los Angeles.

Awards and Special Events

What would a film festival be without awards? While SIFF's awards may not carry the clout of a Palme D'or or a Sundance Audience Award, they are nonetheless highly sought and hotly debated. New this year to SIFF is the Short Film Competition and Award, sponsored by film.com and RealNetworks. This juried competition will pick the best short film from over 30 such films being screened at the festival. Entries to this competition are also being shown in a special 'on-line short film festival' at the sponsors' web sites, film.com and real.com (special browser plug-ins are required for viewing).

This year's American Independent Award, sponsored by the Independent Film Channel, will go to one of thirteen "directors who have made exceptional films with smaller budgets" -- eight of these are feature-film debuts. The prize package for the juried award includes nearly $70,000 worth of goodies, donated by Seattle film professionals. Among the directors competing for this prize are Guy Ferland, Adam Rifkin, Thomas Michael Donnelly and John Irvin.

The New Director's Showcase features a dozen first-timers from ten different countries, all competing for the award. The jury for this prize is enjoined with the difficult task of selecting the director "whose work represents the most promising directorial talent and vision."

Among the many special events is the annual Filmmakers Forum. Three days of seminars and panels devoted to the practice of filmmaking, this event gives local folk the opportunity to get tips on screenwriting, fundraising, acting, producing, editing, and of course directing. The forum finishes with "Fly Filmmaking:" three filmmaking teams, comprised of well-known directors (Miguel Arteta, Michael Engler and Tim Blake Nelson) and local crews, are challenged to script, shoot, edit and screen a short film during the last week of the festival.

Another special event that has many people talking with fear and awe is the marathon presentation of "The Kingdom," Lars von Trier's horror epic. SIFF will devote the entire day of Saturday, June 6, to showing both "Kingdom I" and "Kingdom II." The work of von Trier's is well-loved in Seattle; last year's showing of "Kingdom" was sold out, and this year's marathon is expected to be a full house. (In addition, as part of the documentary series, the festival is showing "Tranceformer," a film about the world and work of von Trier.)

Finally, there is the Golden Space Needle, SIFF's audience award. Awards are given in several categories, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor & Actress, and Best Documentary. Past winners of this award have gone on to receive a great deal of critical acclaim and other awards.

This is of course only a part of the goings-on at SIFF. [For a full schedule, check out the web site at www.seattlefilm.com.] The variety of films available is mind-boggling, and you might find yourself wishing for the ability to stop time so that you can see films with conflicting screenings.

"This festival is like a box of chocolates," one attendee told me as we waited in line. "You really never know what you're going to get. But it's usually pretty tasty."

[Cal Godot lives in Seattle, where he spends most of his time watching movies and writing. His life is not unlike a Noah Baumbach film.]