Who’s ready to spend 25 days in a movie theater?!? This Thursday, May 16, the 45th Annual Seattle International Film Festival officially kicks off with an Opening Night Gala, starting with a screening of local director Lynn Shelton’s (yay!) latest film Sword of Trust.

Trust is a timely comedy about two women, Cynthia (Jillian Bell), and Mary (Michaela Watkins), who inherit an antique sword and try to unload it at a pawn shop. With the help of his conspiracy-obsessed employee Nathaniel (Jon Bass), pawn shop owner Mel (Marc Maron), discovers that the sword is very valuable to Civil War “Truthers” who believe the South actually won. Agreeing to split the profits, the foursome find themselves in increasingly hilarious situations as they navigate the path to a pile o’cash. I found it highly enjoyable, and I loved seeing Lynn on screen in a small role as well.

Shelton and Marc Maron scheduled to attend the festivities on Thursday, and there are still tix available! Choose from General Admission, which includes admission to the film, entry to the Opening Night Party, and two drink tickets. Or get REAL FANCY with the Red Carpet Experience, which includes admission to the film with reserved seating, valet parking, a premium gift bag, entry to the Opening Night Party, and unlimited drinks. {Psst: this is a fundraiser for SIFF!}

As always, Team Imaginary is looking forward to seeing as much as they can in this year’s lineup — especially the 46% of films directed by women, and the SIFF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema being awarded to special guest Regina Hall!

Also as always, for the next four weeks(jsh), you can find all the previews, reviews, interviews, photos, and more from Imaginary Amie, Imaginary Embracey, and Imaginary Rich over on our SIFF 2019 page as the festival, well, festivals.

See y’all at the movies!

SIFF 2019 Opening Night Gala | Tuesday, May 16 | Marion Oliver McCaw Hall | GA: $75/$65 for SIFF members; VIP Red Carpet: $275 | GET TICKETS HERE