Alan @ Work (2023 | USA | 54 minutes | Doug Ing)

Longtime SIFF-goer Doug Ing’s debut film is a short but loving documentary about poet and  visual artist Alan Chong Lau, spanning the years of 1998 to 2008, where Lau spent his time balancing his passion for poetry and art with his job in the produce section of Uwajimaya. He’s a compelling figure who is beloved throughout Seattle. A lot of his poems are about things he sees at the grocery store. For example, he reads a poem about shoplifters that is incredibly compelling. While I wouldn’t call this one of the most polished movies at SIFF, it’s clearly a labour of love. The reverence from the filmmaker for the subject is about equal to the reverence from the audience of the subject. This is the kind of movie I love watching at SIFF.

Alan @ Work makes its world premiere at SIFF, with screenings on Sunday, May 14 (SIFF Cinema Uptown, 6:30 PM) and Tuesday, May 16 (Ark Lodge Cinema at 6:00 PM) and will be streaming from May 22-28. Director Doug Ing is expected to attend both screenings.

Punderneath It All (2023 | USA | 76 minutes | Abby Hagan)

Prior to the SIFF lineup being announced, I had no idea Seattle even had a competitive pun scene, certainly not a thriving scene. I wouldn’t have thought I’d enjoy this movie as much I did, but it was a lot of punfun. Punderneath It All is pretty much The Last Dance of puns. First time feature director Abby Hagan provides an overview of how competitive punning came to become as popular as it is (there are pun slams all over the country). It’s impressive how creative some of these punners can be. There’s a lot of wordplay that I found clever, even while some puns were awkward and cringey. Obviously, competitive punning (or punning in general) isn’t for everyone but the people involved do talk about how great and diverse the punning community is. Seattle radio host and podcaster Rachel Belle is one of the stars of Punderneath because she’s such an engaging and funny person. I also was surprised to learn how controversial what counts as a pun can be and what people in the community think of the saying “no pun intended.” Punderneath It All is certainly the punniest movie at SIFF.

Punderneath it All makes its world premiere at SIFF, with screenings on Tuesday, May 16 (Pacific Place, 6:15 PM) and Wednesday, May 17 (Ark Lodge Cinema at 3:30 PM) and will be streaming from May 22-28. Director Abby Hagan scheduled to attend both screenings.