Seattle International Film Festival unveiled the complete lineup of films and events for the 40th annual Festival taking place May 15 to June 8, 2014. This year, SIFF will screen 440 films: 198 features (plus 4 secret films), 60 documentaries, 14 archival films, and 168 shorts, representing 83 countries. The Festival will open with the previously announced screening of JIMI: All Is By My Side, the Hendrix biopic starring Outkast’s André Benjamin from John Ridley, Oscar®-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave, and close with Charlie McDowell’s twisted romantic comedy The One I Love, produced by Seattle’s Mel Eslyn and starring Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass.
In addition, legendary producer and Seattle native Quincy Jones will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the screening of doc Keep on Keepin’ On.
In addition to the gala screenings, this year’s premieres and special presentations feature a star-studded lineup including Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Laura Dern in The Fault in Our Stars, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood with Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke; Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock in Keep On Keepin’ On; Kim Basinger, Richard Jenkins and Cam Gigandet in 4 Minute Mile; Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan in Beautiful Noise; Nia Vardalos in Helicopter Mom; Vincent Kartheiser and Olivia Thirlby in Red Knot; Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto, and Mia Wasikowska in The Turning; the voices of Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, and Jay Baruchel in How To Train Your Dragon 2; Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey in I Origins,and Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler in They Came Together.
COMPETITIONS
New Directors Competition
10,000KM (d: Carlos Marques-Marcet, Spain/USA 2014)
40 Days of Silence (d: Saodat Ismailova, Uzbekistan/Tajikistan/Netherlands/Germany/
France 2014, North American Premiere)
B For Boy (d: Chika Anadu, Nigeria 2013)
Eastern Boys (d: Robin Campillo, France 2013)
History of Fear (d: Benjamín Naishtat, Argentina/Uruguay/France/Germany 2013)
Life Feels Good (d: Maciej Pieprzyca, Poland 2013)
Macondo (d: Sudabeh Mortezai, Austria 2014, North American Premiere)
Me, Myself and Mum (d: Guillaume Gallienne, Belgium/France/Spain 2013)
Remote Control (d: Byamba Sakhya, Mongolia/Germany/USA 2013)
Rhymes for Young Ghouls (d: Jeff Barnaby, Canada (Québec) 2013, US Premiere)
Standing Aside, Watching (d: Yorgos Servetas, Greece 2013)
Viktoria (d: Maya Vitkova, Bulgaria/Romania 2014)
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. Jury is comprised of 3 members from the International Federation of Film Critics.
Alex of Venice (d: Chris Messina, USA 2014)
Another (d: Jason Bognacki, USA 2014, World Premiere)
Five Star (d: Keith Miller, USA 2014)
Kinderwald (d: Lise Raven, USA 2013)
Layover (d: Joshua Caldwell, USA 2014, World Premiere)
Little Accidents (d: Sara Colangelo, USA 2014)
Medeas (d: Andrea Pallaoro, USA/Italy/Mexico 2013)
Red Knot (d: Scott Cohen, USA/Argentina/Antarctica 2014, World Premiere)
Sam & Amira (d: Sean Mullin, USA 2014, World Premiere)
The Sleepwalker (d: Mona Fastvold, USA/Norway 2014)
Time Lapse (d: Bradley King, USA 2014, North American Premiere)
X/Y (d: Ryan Piers Williams, USA 2014)
Documentary Competition
Ballet 422 (d: Jody Lee Lipes, USA 2014)
#ChicagoGirl – The Social Network Takes on a Dictator (d: Joe Piscatella, USA/Syria 2013, North American Premiere)
Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus (d: Madeleine Sackler, United Kingdom/USA/Belarus 2013, US Premiere)
Dior and I (d: Frédéric Tcheng, France 2014, 89 min)
Garden Lovers (d: Virpi Suutari, Finland 2014, US Premiere)
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (d: Dave LaMattina, USA 2014)
Leninland (d: Askold Kurov, Russia/Germany/Netherlands 2013, North American Premiere)
Marmato (d: Mark Grieco, Colombia/USA 2014)
Obama Mama (d: Vivian Norris, USA/Poland/France 2014, World Premiere)
Shake the Dust (d: Adam Sjöberg, USA 2014, World Premiere)
Song of the New Earth (d: Ward Serrill, USA 2014, World Premiere)
Two Raging Grannies (d: Håvard Bustnes, Norway/Denmark/Italy 2014, North American Premiere)
FACE THE MUSIC
Seattle is a music-obsessed city, so it’s only fitting that the Festival features films that showcase the many ways in which music affects our lives, ranging from biopics and documentaries to concert films and live events. This year’s Live Performance Event features Keep on Keepin’ On subject and Quincy Jones-signed artist Justin Kauflin live with his trio at the Triple Door.
20,000 Days on Earth (d: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard f: Nick Cave, United Kingdom 2014, 95 min)
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (d: Michael Rossato-Bennett, USA 2014, 74 min)
Beautiful Noise (d: Eric Green f: Trent Reznor, Billy Corgan, Robert Smith, Wayne Coyne, USA 2014, 87 min)
Big in Japan (d: John Jeffcoat c: David Drury, Philip A. Peterson, Sean Lowry, Alex Vincent, Adam Powers, USA/Japan 2014, 100 min)
Electro Chaabi (d: Hind Meddeb, Egypt/France 2013, 77 min)
Finding Fela (d: Alex Gibney, USA 2014, 120 min)
God Help the Girl (d: Stuart Murdoch c: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Cora Bissett, Pierre Boulanger, United Kingdom 2014, 111 min)
Keep On Keepin’ On (d: Alan Hicks f: Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones, Gwen Terry, Herbie Hancock, USA 2014, 84 min)
Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women In Jazz (d: Kay D. Ray Narrated by: Patrice Rushen, USA 2014, 80 min)
Razing the Bar (d: Ryan Worsley f: Brian Foss, Joetta Velasquez, Bill Bullock, Chris Chambers, Jake Stratton, Rachel Ratner, USA 2014, 83 min)
Song of the New Earth (d: Ward Serrill f: Tom Kenyon, USA 2014, 89 min)
Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble (d: Isaac Olsen f: Kurt Kendall, Bill Henderson, Bon Henderson, Dale Phillips, Neko Case, USA 2014, 95 min)
NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS
Seattleites see more films per capita than the residents of any other American city. This year’s lineup of films with their roots in the Pacific Northwest reveals a filmmaking region officially on the map. Every year, SIFF honors the many ways in which the Puget Sound region contributes to the world of cinema, whether it’s as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or inspiration for local filmmakers on the rise.
4 Minute Mile (d: Charles-Olivier Michaud c: Kelly Blatz, Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger, Cam Gigandet, Analeigh Tipton, USA 2014, 96 min)
BFE (d: Shawn Telford c: Wally Dalton, Kelsey Packwood, Aleksander Greenleaf, Ian Lerch, Abby Dylan, USA 2014, 98 min)
Big in Japan (d: John Jeffcoat c: David Drury, Philip A. Peterson, Sean Lowry, Alex Vincent, Adam Powers, USA/Japan 2014, 100 min)
The Breach (d: Mark Titus Narrated by: Kate O’Toole, USA 2014, 85 min)
Burkholder (d: Taylor Guterson c: Bob Burkholder, Britton Crosley, David VanderWal, Sean MacLean, James Molyball, USA 2014, 81 min)
DamNation (d: Ben Knight, Travis Rummel, USA 2014, 92 min)
Desert Cathedral (d: Travis Gutiérrez Senger c: Lee Tergesen, Chaske Spencer, Petra Wright, Tony Doupe, Russell Hodgkinson, Aron Michael Thompson, USA 2014, 90 min)
Fly Colt Fly: The Legend of The Barefoot Bandit (d: Adam Gray, Andrew Gray, Canada 2013, 82 min)
Lucky Them (d: Megan Griffiths c: Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Oliver Platt, Ahna O’Reilly, USA 2013, 96 min)
My Last Year With the Nuns (d: Bret Fetzer c: Matt Smith, USA 2014, 77 min)
Oil & Water (d: Laurel Spellman Smith, Francine Strickwerda, USA 2014, 78 min)
Razing the Bar (d: Ryan Worsley f: Brian Foss, Joetta Velasquez, Bill Bullock, Chris Chambers, Jake Stratton, Rachel Ratner, USA 2014, 83 min)
Sold (d: Jeffrey Brown c: Niyar Saikia, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, USA/India, Nepal, United Kingdom 2014, 97 min)
Song of the New Earth (d: Ward Serrill f: Tom Kenyon, USA 2014, 89 min)
Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble (d: Isaac Olsen f: Kurt Kendall, Bill Henderson, Bon Henderson, Dale Phillips, Neko Case, USA 2014, 95 min)
Two Raging Grannies (d: Håvard Bustnes, Norway/Denmark, Italy 2014, 78 min)
AFRICAN PICTURES
Now in its second year, this program once again presents an impressive and diverse selection of films from and about Africa. Supported by a generous multi-year grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, African Pictures brings the best in cinema to audiences in Seattle and the broader Northwest. Featured selections include indigenous films, films by African filmmakers working outside the continent, and films on topics relating to Africa’s changing contemporary political and social landscape.
African Metropolis (d: Marie Ka, Philippe Lacote, Ahmed Ghoneimy, Vincent Moloi, Folsakin Iwajomo, Jim Chuchu, Kenya/Ivory Coast/Egypt/Senegal/Nigeria/ South Africa 2013, 92 min)
B For Boy (d: Chika Anadu c: Uche Nwadili, Nonso Odogwu, Ngozi Amarikwa, Frances Okeke, Iheoma Opara, Nigeria 2013, 118 min)
Bound: Africans versus African Americans (d: Peres Owino, USA 2014, 90 min)
Difret (d: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari c: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere, Ethiopia 2014, 99 min)
Electro Chaabi (d: Hind Meddeb, Egypt/France 2013, 77 min)
Finding Fela (d: Alex Gibney, USA 2014, 120 min)
Four Corners (d: Ian Gabriel c: Brendon Daniels, Irshaad Ally, Jezriel Skei, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Abduragman Adams, South Africa 2014, 119 min)
Half of a Yellow Sun (d: Biyi Bandele c: Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Boyega, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, Nigeria/United Kingdom 2013, 106 min)
Leading Lady (d: Henk Pretorius c: Gil Bellows, Katie McGrath, Brumilda van Rensburg, Bok van Blerk, Eduan van Jaarsveldt, South Africa 2014, 96 min)
Rags and Tatters (d: Ahmad Abdalla c: Asser Yassin, Atef Yousef, Amr Abed, Yara Gubran, Mohamed Mamdouh, Egypt 2013, 87 min)
The Rooftops (d: Merzak Allouache c: Adila Bendimerad, Nassima Belmihoub, Ahcene Benzerari, Aïssa Chouat, Mourad Khen, Algeria/France 2013, 92 min)
Salvation Army (d: Abdellah Taïa c: Saïd Mrini, Karim Ait M’Hand, Amine Ennaji, Malika El Hamaoui, Frederic Landenberg, Morocco/France 2013, 82 min)
Under the Starry Sky (d: Dyana Gaye c: Marème Demba Ly, Ralph Amoussou, France/Senegal 2013, 86 min)
White Shadow (d: Noaz Deshe c: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah, Germany/Italy/Tanzania 2013, 115 min)
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