It’s time once again to run down the highlights of this year’s Face the Music program for the Seattle International Film Festival!

There are a ton of great things this year, but the film I think our Imaginaries will be most excited about is the documentary Welcome to Doe Bay, which chronicles the community and camaraderie of Doe Bay Fest—a camping trip/music festival/weekend-long party at Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island that brings Pacific Northwest music stars and fans together for a relaxing musical retreat, and apparently, some slip-n-slide action and s’mores. The trailer is packed with engaging commentary and familiar faces (Hi, Jace!) and I’m sure the music featured by Sera Cahoone, Lemolo, the Maldives, Fly Moon Royalty, Champagne Champagne, and … wait for it … The Head and the Heart will be the draw for fans of the scene. {Screens June 3, 9:15pm, The Egyptian & June 5, 9:30pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown}

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Emerald City Visions (A Hip Hop Reinterpretation of The Wiz) looks pretty radical. The description promises OC Notes, Don’t Talk to the Cops, and “some of the hottest names in hip hop” (I guess it’s a secret, but I know who I’m pulling for) will infuse the musical score of The Wiz with some fresh flavor and beats. Word. {Screens June 1, 7pm and again at 9:30pm, The Triple Door—and if you see the 7pm showing, you’ll still have plenty time to make it to our Rockstar New Wave Karaoke show!}

There’s also a doc on punk band Bad Brains, featuring commentary by Henry Rollins, Ric Ocasek, Ian MacKaye, Adam Yauch (awww, dang) and Don Letts, one soul king Charles Bradley (who totally slayed me last year at Bumbershoot), and Paul Williams Still Alive, which wins the best documentary film title. Ever. Plus, I LOVE that guy for both The Muppet Movie stuff and the abysmally awesome Phantom of the Paradise. {Bad Brains: May 20, 9pm, Pacific Place & May 23, 9pm, Harvard Exit – Paul Williams: May 25, 6:30pm, The Egyptian & May 26, 1pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown}

Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best also looks like an interesting tale—I’m digging the music in the trailer, and the story of two guys who get kicked out of their bands and band together to create something great kinda makes me tear up a little. Plus! Cameos by Andrew McCarthy, Melissa Leo, and Christopher McDonald (Goose!) mean I’m SO there. {June 1, 9:30pm, Harvard Exit & June 2, 4pm, Pacific Place}

Rounding out the program are screenings of Coal Miner’s Daughter, an excellent 1980 flick directed by Michael Apted and starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn; Beware of Mr. Baker, about the angriest drummer alive; El Gusto: The Good Mood, about the Algerian chaabi genre; The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music that Changed America, a history of one of the swing era’s biggest influencers; Silence: All Roads Lead to Music, about 5 musicians from different parts of the world who get together to play; and Under African Skies, focusing on Paul Simon’s controversial Graceland tour. {Check out the Face the Music page for the full schedule of films}

And that’s it! Whew. That’s a lot of music films, people. But there is LITERALLY something for everybody in the program this year.

Which one are you most excited about?