At long last, a sense of “semi-normalcy” for Seattle and Springtime. After last year’s fully-virtual festivities, the 48th Seattle International Film Festival is upon us, restoring to our fair city an excuse to venture back out into theaters (or to watch from our homes) for eleven straight days and nights. Yes, this April 14-24th sprint is somewhat slimmer than the monthlong marathons of yore, but honestly, it feels a little bit healthier for all parties.
And frankly, the more focused schedule is hardly at the expense of an excess of programming options, particularly when it comes to discovery. The complete lineup includes 262 films: 107 feature-length films (41 of them the perennially popular documentaries), 3 archival presentations, 107 shorts, plus two secret films revealed only at the moment of Sunday morning screenings to passholders who have signed an oath never to reveal the titles. Of these, the programmers continue their ever-admirable quest to bring novelty and diversity to local audiences — the films represent 86 countries, 60% are first or second-time filmmakers, 59% are still seeking U.S. distribution, and 43% are made by women or non-binary filmmakers. There are 28 World Premieres (15 Features, 13 Shorts); 24 North American Premieres (17 Features, 4 Shorts); and 9 US Premieres (4 Features, 5 Shorts).
Notably, somewhere around 60% of the festival’s programming will also be available to watch on SIFF TV. This perk is available to regular passholders, though those wishing to focus their film viewing from home will be interested in the $200 Virtual Pass ($150 for members) which grants festival-long access to all online programming through the SIFF Channel.
The festival officially kicks off on April 14 at The Paramount with a gala presentation of Daniel Roher’s thrilling documentary, Navalny. With the need to please everyone (or at least not offend sponsors), Opening Night films are famously hit-or-miss, but launching the festival with the incredibly timely political whodunnit that cleaned-up with audiences at Sundance is certain to be an electric kick-off to the return to in-person festivalgoing. Those who emerge from their pandemic caves in whatever now passes for Seattle finery, walk the red carpet, and catch up with film friends will have plenty to talk about during the mad-rush for hors d’oeuvres, strategic deployment of drink tickets, and maybe just a little bit of dancing. This year’s post-film gala takes place in the street outside the theater, lending to a mood of frivolity as well as recognizing Seattle’s embrace of street dining as a concession to pandemic safety. All of this glamor can be yours for the price of a general admission ticket ($85/$75, members), with VIP options and add-ons still available.
Never fear, if history is any indication, the gala will end before midnight to give you time to recover before charging into the next week of filmgoing that starts in earnest on Friday afternoon and absorbing as many movies as possible before the festival closes on April 24th with another Sundance hit: Call Jane, Phyllis Nagy’s dramatization of the Chicago Jane Collective’s efforts to provide access to safe abortions. The film has great roles for Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver and will bring the festival to a close, with a screening at SIFF Cinema Egyptian followed by the traditional party at MOHAI.
Start diving into the website now: tickets go on sale to the general public on March 31st, but members get a one day head start (and a preview event tonight). Free printed program guides should be on the street soon, but you can download your own and review the schedule in all of its glory. We recommend having it nearby as you sit back, turn your preferred streaming device to SIFF’s YouTube playlist, and click “play all” to get trailers for over 150 festival films so that you can make notes about which are your absolute must-sees.
As a taste, we’ll leave you with this year’s SIFF trailer. By the end of the festival you’ll have seen it so many times that you should be able to quote it line for line.
Keep up with us during the Seattle International Film Festival on Twitter (@thesunbreak) and follow all of our ongoing coverage via our SIFF 2022 Index and our SIFF 2022 posts