Festival Greetings From Beth and Tom

Welcome to the 2023 Seattle International Film Festival! We are so excited to be able to gather around film to be inspired, entertained, and amazed by the world around us. Film makes lives better, and having the communal experience at the Festival is something we all look forward to every year.

At SIFF, we believe representation matters, and we have mindfully curated a lineup that shines a spotlight on the importance of culturally specific storytelling and authentic representation in front of and behind the camera. We are proud to present a grand total of 264 films from 74 countries/regions around the globe: 92 features, 45 documentaries, 125 short films, and 2 secret films. 23 of these films are world premieres, 30 are North American premieres, and 13 are U.S. premieres. 52% of our films are directed by femaleidentifying or nonbinary filmmakers, 69% are from first- or second-time filmmakers, and 73% don’t currently have U.S. distribution.

The 49th annual Seattle International Film Festival will be a hybrid experience, with in-person screenings of all films at venues around the Seattle area between May 11–21 and select streaming encore screenings May 22-28— across the U.S. in many cases.

Ultimately, the Festival is about enabling film to play a larger role in your life. Our job is to spend every day scouring the world for films that need to be seen on the big screen, making life more enriching, meaningful, joyful, and contemplative. Thank you for joining us in this experience, and happy watching.

Beth Barrett, SIFF Artistic Director & Tom Mara, SIFF Executive Director