Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) 2012 Full Lineup Announced

Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) has announced its complete line-up of official selections, galas and special presentations for 2012, which will take place from May 17th to June 10th.

This year the Seattle International Film Festival will screen 273 features and 187 shorts representing 75 countries, with the final selections representing 24 World, 25 North American, 16 U.S. premieres and 56 short film premieres. There will be 180 features at this year’s Festival arriving without U.S. distribution and 85 films by female filmmakers, up from 62 last year.

GALAS

The Festival will include 10 gala film presentations including the previously announced Opening Night Gala featuring Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister (USA, Sundance Selects) on Thursday, May 17 at McCaw Hall.

The Festival concludes on Sunday, June 10 with the world premiere Closing Night Gala presentation of Grassroots (USA, MRB Productions). Stephen Gyllenhaal’s Seattle shot comedy is the perfect antidote to current pre-election discourse and centers on writer Grant Cogswell (Jason Biggs), who envisions a monorail system as the future of Seattle transit and recruits his friend Phil Campbell (Joel David Moore) to wage an off-the-cuff, unconventional City Council campaign with humorous and unexpected results. The film will screen at SIFF Cinema Uptown with the Closing Night Gala reception at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel immediately following.

This year’s Centerpiece Gala will feature the North American premiere of Daniel Cohen’s culinary comedy, The Chef (France, Cohen Media Group), on Saturday, June 2. Jean Reno stars as a renowned chef fighting against molecular cuisine and a slippery financier, and Michaël Youn, who gets fired from diners for trying to liberate frites-filled menus. They join forces to hilarious effect. The film will screen at the Egyptian Theatre with a gala reception at Seattle’s Daughters of the American Revolution Hall immediately following.

Additional Gala Presentations include:

Fat Kid Rules the World (dir. Matthew Lillard, USA, Whitewater Films)
Robot and Frank (dir. Jake Schreier, USA, Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Lola Versus (dir. Daryl Wein, USA, Fox Searchlight Pictures)
As Luck Would Have It (dir. Alex de la Iglesia, Spain, 6 Sales)
Starbuck (dir. Ken Scott, Canada, Québec, eOne Films US)
Gayby (dir. Jonathan Lisecki, USA, Wolfe Releasing)
The Details (dir. Jacob Aaron Estes, USA, The Weinstein Company)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

This year’s Special Presentations spotlight some of the most original and interesting features in our line-up.

Brave (dir. Brenda Chapman, Mark Andrews, USA, Disney • Pixar)
Diaz – Don’t Clean Up This Blood (dir. Daniele Vicari, Italy, Fandango Portobello)
The Last Reef 3D (dirs. Luke Cresswell, Steve McNicholas, United Kingdom, Giant Screen Films)
People Like Us (dir. Alex Kurtzman, USA, Dreamworks SKG)
Trishna (dir. Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom, Sundance Selects)

FEATURE PREMIERES

World (24):

419, dir. Ned Thorne – USA
American Addict, dir. Sasha Knezev – USA
The Beautiful Game, dir. Victor Buhler – USA
Camilla Dickinson, dir. Cornelia Duryée Moore – USA
City World, dir. Brent Chesanek – USA
Duck Beach to Eternity, dirs. Stephen Frandsen, Hadleigh Arnst, Laura Naylo – USA
Earthbound, dir. Alan Brennan – Ireland
Easton’s Article, dir. Tim Connery – USA
The Empty Home, dir. Nurbek Egen – Kyrgyzstan/Russia
Free Throw, dir. Court Crandall – USA
Fugly!, dir. Alfredo de Villa – USA
Grassroots, dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal – USA
Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, dir. Matthew Mishory – USA
The Long Ride Home, dir. Tom Wright – USA
The Most Fun I’ve Ever Had With My Pants On, dir. Drew Denny – USA
Recalled, dir. Michael Connors – USA
The Revolutionary, dirs. Lucy Ostrander, Don Sellers, Irv Drasnin – USA
The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music That Changed America, dir. Jeff Kaufman-USA
Short Life, dir. Scott Levy – USA
Sin Bin, dir. Billy Federighi – USA
The Standbys, dir. Stephanie Riggs – USA
True Wolf, dir. Rob Whitehair – USA
Welcome To Doe Bay, dirs. Nesib Shamah, Dan Thornton – USA
White Camellias, dir. Russell Brown – USA

North American (25):

4 Days in May, dir. Achim von Borries ­– Germany
6 Points About Emma, dir. Roberto Pérez Toledo ­– Spain
170 Hz, dir. Joost van Ginkel – Netherlands
The Blindfold, dir. Garin Nugroho – Indonesia
Chapiteau-Show, dir. Sergey Loban – Russia
A Checkout Girl’s Big Adventures, dir. Pierre Rambaldi – France
The Chef, dir. Daniel Cohen – France
Coming Home, dir. Frédéric Videau – France
The Convoy, dir. Alexey Mizgirev – Russia
Diaz – Don’t Clean Up This Blood, dir. Daniele Vicari – Italy
Dragon Pearl, dir. Mario Andreacchio – Australia
The First on the List, dir. Roan Johnson – Italy
The Fourth State, dir. Dennis Gansel – Germany
Fuck My Wedding, dir. Nicolás López – Chile
The Glass Man, dir. Cristian Solimeno – United Kingdom
Joan and the Voices, dir. Mikayel Vatinyan – Armenia
Kill Me, dir. Emily Atef – Germany
Là-bas: A Criminal Education, dir. Guido Lombardi – Italy
The Last Man on Earth, dir. Gian Alfonso Pacinotti – Italy
Nosilatiaj.Beauty, dir. Daniela Seggiaro – Argentina
Otelo Burning, dir. Sara Blecher – South Africa
Prime Time Soap, dir. Odilon Rocha – Brazil
Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings, dir. Jade Castro – Philippines
Sharqiya, dir. Ami Livne – Israel
Silence: All Roads Lead to Music, dir. Haider Rashid – Italy

U.S. (16):

360, dir. Fernando Meirelles – United Kingdom
Coteau Rouge, dir. André Forcier – Canada (Québec)
Countdown, dir. Huh Jong-ho – South Korea
The Crown Jewels, dir. Ella Lemhagen – Sweden
Everything and Everyone, dir. Tracy D. Smith – Canada
Hail, dir. Amiel Courtin-Wilson – Australia
The Last Friday, dir. Yahya Alabdallah – Jordan
Legends of Valhalla: Thor, dirs. Gunnar Karlsson, Toby Genkel, Oskar Jonasson – Iceland
Lipstikka, dir. Jonathan Sagall – Israel
Lost in Paradise, dir. Ngoc Dang Vu – Vietnam
Lost Years, dir Kenda Gee, Tom Radford – Canada
The Mirror Never Lies, dir. Kamila Andini – Indonesia
Salt White, dir. Keti Machavariani – Georgia
Starry Starry Night, dir. Tom Shu-Yu Lin – Taiwan
Tey, dir. Alain Gomis – Senegal
Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods, dir. Christian Ditter – Germany

In addition to the above listed feature premieres, this year’s Festival will also include 56 short film premieres.

COMPETITIONS

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.

2012 Entrees: 6 Points About Emma (dir. Roberto Pérez Toledo, Spain); 170 Hz (dir. Joost van Ginkel, Netherlands); Chapiteau-Show (dir. Sergey Loban, Russia); The Empty Home (dir. Nurbek Egen, Kyrgyzstan); The Invader (dir. Nicolas Provost, Belgium); L (dir. Babis Makridis, Greece); Là-bas: A Criminal Education (dir. Guido Lombardi, Italy); The Last Friday (dir. Yahya Alabdallah, Jordan); Lipstikka (dir. Jonathan Sagall, Israel); Mirage (dir. Jung-ho Yang, South Korea); Nosilatiaj.Beauty (dir. Daniela Seggiaro, Argentina); Otelo Burning (dir. Sara Blecher, South Africa)

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. The jury is comprised of three members from the International Federation of Film Critics. In addition, six of this year’s entries will also participate in SIFF’s Catalyst program, celebrating independent production.

2012 Entrees: 419^ (Ned Thorne); Easton’s Article^ (Tim Connery); Eden (Megan Griffiths); Fugly! (Alfredo de Villa); Future Weather^ (Jenny Deller); I Am Not a Hipster^ (Destin Cretton); Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean (Matthew Mishory); The Most Fun I’ve Ever Had With My Pants On (Drew Denny); Recalled^ (Michael Connors); Sin Bin (Billy Federighi); Welcome To Pine Hill^ (Keith Miller); White Camellias (Russell Brown)

^2012 Catalyst participant

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. Documentary Competition winners will receive a $2,500 cash prize.

2012 Entrees: American Addict (dir. Sasha Knezev, USA); The Beautiful Game (dir. Victor Buhler, USA); Duck Beach to Eternity (dirs. Stephen Frandsen, Hadleigh Arnst, Laura Naylor, USA); Five Star Existence (dir. Sonja Lindén, Finland); Free Throw (dir. Court Crandall, USA); Italy Love it or Leave It (dirs. Gustav Hofer, Luca Ragazzi, Italy); The Mexican Suitcase (dir. Trisha Ziff, Mexico); Rouge Parole (dir. Elyes Baccar, Tunisia); The Source (dirs. Jodi Wille, Maria Demopoulos, USA); The Standbys (dir. Stephanie Riggs, USA); We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (dir. Brian Knappenberger, USA); Winter Nomads (dir. Manuel von Stürler, Switzerland)

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 Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000 and the Narrative and Animation winners may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.

CATALIST

New this year, SIFF Catalyst is a selection of six U.S. feature films celebrating the next wave of independent filmmaking, thriving thanks to the collaborative support of their peers and the financial support of hundreds of fans. In this new creative dynamic, the filmmaker exists as the catalyst of the creative process.

FUTUREWAVE & FILMS4FAMILIES

The FutureWave program invites teens to the cinema for nine great feature films that will excite and challenge youth, engaging them in the joy of discovery at the Festival. This year’s selections feature vampires, surfing, graffiti artists, young love, and so much more.

2012 Entrees: Fat Kid Rules The World (USA); The First Time (USA); Gimme The Loot (USA); My Sucky Teen Romance (USA); Otelo Burning (South Africa); Sin Bin (USA); Starry Starry Night (Hong Kong); We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (USA)

Films4Families is a celebration of the whole family coming together to share the movie-going experience. The 2012 lineup features some of the best children’s features and shorts from around the world, in both live action and animation. Seattle families will be among the first audiences to enjoy a select few of these creative treasures.

2012 Entrees: Brave (USA); Dragon Pearl (Australia); The Familiy Picture Show; The Great Bear (Denmark); Legends of Valhalla: Thor (Iceland); The Painting (France); War of the Buttons (France); Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods (Germany/Malta)

TRIBUTES

SIFF 2012 will also feature an abundance of star power, with tributes to honor the illustrious careers of actress Sissy Spacek and director William Friedkin.

Spacek, whose distinguished career includes six Academy Award® nominations and one win for Best Actress in 1980’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, will receive SIFF’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting at a special tribute event featuring a screening of her film, Badlands, on Thursday, June 7, at the Egyptian Theatre.

Friedkin, an industry legend whose name has been synonymous with action and thriller films for more than 40 years, will be honored with SIFF’s Golden Space Needle for Lifetime Achievement on Saturday, June 9, at the Egyptian Theatre and will feature the west coast premiere of his new film, Killer Joe.

Special retrospective screenings of Spacek’s films Carrie and Coal Miner’s Daughter and Friedkin’s The Exorcist and The French Connection will also be featured at this year’s Festival.

In addition to the Tribute events, Spacek and Friedkin will be honored at a special dinner on Friday, June 8, at Prava Studios prepared by James Beard Award-winning chef, Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s and Luc Restaurants in Seattle. Tickets are available for purchase at SIFF.net.

AWARDS

Golden Space Needle Awards – Given in five categories (Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Short Film) as voted by festival audiences. Awards are presented on Sunday, June 10, at the Space Needle.

WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking – Sponsored in part by Adobe Youth Voices and presented to one filmmaker, 18 years old or younger, from the FutureWave program, whose talents celebrate the creative possibilities of film. All FutureWave films shown at the Festival are eligible for the Youth Filmmaking award. In addition to the award, TheFilmSchool will provide the winner with a scholarship to their Prodigy Camp, a week-long immersive overnight film camp for youth ages 12-18, held in late July.

PATHWAYS

Introduced in 2011, SIFF Pathways help moviegoers find the film and experience that suites their moods. Instead of using traditional categories, SIFF Pathways easily connect the audience with films by organizing them into areas that help answer the question, “What sort of film do I feel like seeing tonight?” Pathways include: Love Me, Do!, Make Me Laugh, Creative Streak, I Didn’t Know That!, Sci-Fi and Beyond, Show Me The World, Give Me Drama!, To the Extreme, Thrill Me!, and Face the Music.

VENUES

The historic Uptown Cinemas (renamed SIFF Cinema Uptown) and the new SIFF Film Center will be the central hub of the Festival along with traditional venues downtown and on Capitol Hill.

In addition to its Seattle venues, SIFF will again have screenings in Renton, Everett and Kirkland, with each hosting its own Opening Night festivities. Renton Opening Night is Friday, May 18, and will feature a screening of Fat Kid Rules the World (USA). Everett Opening Night is Thursday, May 24, and will feature a screening of Lola Versus (USA). Kirkland Opening Night is Thursday, May 31, and will feature a screening of Starbuck (Canada, Québec).

Seattle: Egyptian Theatre, Harvard Exit, Majestic Bay Theatres, McCaw Hall, Pacific Place Cinemas, Boeing IMAX, Pacific Science Center, SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Film Center, SIFF Lounge at Harry & Oscar’s, The Triple Door

Everett: Everett Performing Arts Center

Kirkland: Kirkland Performance Center

Renton: Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center