The Seattle International Film Festival is just around the corner, and I am getting really excited. I'm working on assembling an outstanding team of writers to cover the festival here at TIG. Not many details are known yet for what is going on with SIFF this year, but here are a few major details:
The festival is going to run from 5/21 to 6/14 and will venture out of the Capitol Hill/Lower Queen Anne/Downtown area they operated at last year. This year they're going (back) to the Eastside and the U-District and out to West Seattle. The dates and theaters for that are:
May 22-28, Neptune Theatre in the U-District
June 1-7, Kirkland Performance Center
June 5-11, Admiral Theatre in West Seattle
They have also just announced two very high profile guests: Spike Lee and Francis Ford Coppola. I am really thrilled to get to see both of these brilliant directors as Do The Right Thing and The Godfather are very near the top of my "favorite films of all time" list. The details from their press release are:
SIFF will present the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing to Spike Lee, in recognition of his extraordinary filmmaking career. This special Tribute ceremony at the 35th Seattle International Film Festival will include a montage of clips highlighting his diverse work as a director and pioneer of contemporary cinema, followed by a screening of Passing Strange, Lee's original visualization of the celebrated Broadway hit. Prior to the screening, Spike Lee will take the stage for an in-depth interview and a Q&A session with the audience. This special Tribute event will take place Saturday, May 23, at the Egyptian Theatre.
The evening will continue at an intimate Tribute Dinner celebration with Spike Lee as the guest of honor. A limited number of tickets for the Tribute Dinner will be available at www.siff.net later this month.
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Among the many other guests scheduled to attend this year's SIFF is Francis Ford Coppola who will host a special presentation of his new film, Tetro. Argentina proves an inviting canvas for Francis Ford Coppola's first original screenplay since 1974. Striking thematic parallels and Coppola's intimate direction seamlessly frame this semi-autobiographical drama in which two brothers attempt to make peace with their troubled pasts. Also expected to attend the Festival is the star of the film, Vincent Gallo, an acclaimed writer/director in his own right. The director and actor will introduce Tetro at its screening on Wednesday, June 10.
Be sure to check back regularly with more info on SIFF as it becomes available.