A-ha: The Movie, the story of the 1980s Norwegian trio’s hit Take On Me, and its impact on the synth-pop musical landscape by Thomas Robsham will open the SIFF’s first-ever DocFest at the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian in Seattle, Washington.
The festival will open on September 30 and run through October 7 alongside the reopening of the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian which closed in March 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic.
The weeklong festival will amplify a wide range of voices, with more than two-thirds of the films directed by women and/or BIPOC filmmakers. The documentaries speak to universal experiences and themes: conservation and the environment, social justice, LGBTQ rights, as well as sports and entertainment.
“I am really excited to reopen the cinemas with a spotlight on documentary films,” says SIFF’s Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “True stories resonate with us in unique ways—getting a glimpse into another life, or another world can open your eyes and heart. After being closed for 15 months, experiencing the top of the mountain and the bottom of the ocean through stories is exhilarating!”
Additional films include Flee, the award-winning animated story of a child refugee from Afghanistan’s journey to Denmark, and The Rescue, which relates the 2018 dramatic rescue of a boys’ soccer team trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Thailand.
The festival will feature 13 titles with in-person introductions. All films will be screened at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian, located at 805 E Pine St in Seattle. Eleven of the 13 films also will stream on the SIFF Channel, SIFF’s online streaming portal.
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