Tag: film festival

Festivals

Local Sightings started off another stellar fest this weekend

by Morgen Schuler

This weekend saw the kickoff of Seattle’s 27th Local Sightings Film Festival ten-day run September 20th – September 29th. Hosted at Northwest Film Forum (and online), it showcases the best and brightest the Pacific Northwest has to offer, both new and established. Filmmakers from WA, OR, AK, ID, MT, BC, and the Yukon are all eligible to participate which adds a mix of cultures, perspectives and styles for us to enjoy. Just as in years’ past the festival includes short and feature film programs that run the gamut from documentaries to experimental films.

Festivals Previews

Mill Valley Film Fest, maybe not a household name, but a heck of lineup

by Morgen Schuler

n 2021, in the heat of the pandemic, I was looking for anything to keep my mind busy and find new films that deserve attention. Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF), was more than happy to help me on this venture and I had an incredible time even if just from my living room. While, once again, I’m not able to head down to California to catch it in person, they’re still offering virtual viewing options not only for press but more importantly, you the viewing audience!

Festivals Previews

TSAFF celebrates 17 years of presenting South Asian film and filmmakers to Seattle

by Morgen Schuler

Tasveer South Asian Film Festival kicks off another year of fantastic works by and about the South Asian community both in Seattle and beyond. Tasveer is a non-profit organization in its 20th year of uplifting marginalized groups and encouraging social change through the arts. Having such diverse viewpoints in the arts and the city as a whole is what makes Seattle such an interesting place and TSAFF is an important voice in that eclectic group.

Festivals Reviews SIFF

SIFF 2022: Navalny

by Tony Kay

When asked how he sees the movie of his life, Russian opposition presidential candidate Alexei Navalny bristles at the suggestion that his real-life story be depicted as a dry historic drama. It’s a thriller, Navalny asserts. And with that proclamation by its subject, filmmaker Daniel Roher literally opens the curtain on what turns out to be one hell of a thriller—and much more.

Festivals Reviews

MVFF: Paper and Glue

by Morgen Schuler

JR has been an incredible street arts for decades now, starting out as a graffiti artist and moving on to photography, large scale street art and so much more. In the same vein as Banksy, he has something to say and says it with his work. Now traveling the world to literally cover it with his images, he finds unique ways to unite and teach folks you’d never expect to see in one space together much less working together to create art. Spanning three very different projects (and many stories) this documentary shows intense, beautiful, and revelatory experiences affecting everyone involved.

Festivals Reviews

MVFF: Sami, Joe and I

by Morgen Schuler

Teenage strife is the same no matter where you grow up, and Sami, Joe and I digs deep into three such lives that have more than their faire share. While trio of young women have grown up in the same town, they have a diverse family life each with their own set of troubles.

Festivals Reviews

MVFF: Celts

by Morgen Schuler

Set in Belgrade/Yugoslavia in ’93, Marijana dedicates her day, her life, to her family. Today she’s making sure everything is ready for her daughter Minja’s birthday: fixing the food, inviting the kids, opening her home to family and friends all the while quietly holding a lingering sadness brought on by age, a dwindling sex life and tensions throughout her country. The party begins and we’re split off into two worlds, one where the kiddos celebrate through the veneer of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme while the adults talk about politics, sexual freedoms, new and old loves, and everything in between.

Festivals Reviews

MVFF: The Last Film Show

by Morgen Schuler

Fascinated from the moment light hit the screen, young Samay is hooked on moving pictures. A strict father insisting the film industry is made up of sleaze and nothing else, the precocious nine-year-old is even more drawn in. Skipping school to watch everything he can get his eyes on, he befriends the man running the projector at his local movie house and learns everything there is to know about splicing and reels eating up every last morsel of knowledge he can grab…