Festival Sneak Peek

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Seattle International Film Festival Festival Favorites

Get to know 10 buzzworthy titles predicted to be this year’s fan favorites ahead of the announcement on March 30 of our full lineup, including films available both in-person and streaming on the SIFF Channel. Passes on sale now, and individual tickets go on sale to SIFF Members on March 30 and to the general public on March 31. Get ready to enter a realm of movie bliss with SIFF April 14–24, 2022.

Passes & Ticket Packs

IN-PERSON-ONLY SCREENINGS:

The Duke

Oscar® winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren star in this funny and moving drama about the out-of-work taxi driver who stole a Goya portrait from London’s National Gallery. This is the final film of late director Roger Michell (Notting Hill).

(d: Roger Michell; c: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode, Anna Maxwell Martin; United Kingdom 2020, 96 min)

Inu-Oh

Celebrating its U.S. premiere, this magnificent and sonorous journey, based on a true story and directed by Japanese animation superstar Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game, Ride Your Wave), fictionalizes the collaboration between Inu-kong, a 14th-century masked performer, and a blind biwa player.

(d: Masaaki Yuasa; c: Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama; Japan/China 2021, 97 min)

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Dean Fleischer-Camp and Jenny Slate’s popular short films, stop-motion mockumentaries about an adorable one-eyed, one-inch-tall seashell, get the big-screen treatment as Marcel contends with his sudden internet fame.

(d: Dean Fleischer-Camp; c: Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Lesley Stahl; USA 2021, 89 min)

One Second

A movie-obsessed escaped convict, a female vagabond, and a sought-after film reel are the focus of this exquisite ode to the magic of movies, the newest from internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Shadow), winner of the 2021 Asian Film Award for Best Director.

(d: Zhang Yimou; c: Fan Wei, Liu Haocun, Zhang Yi; China 2020, 105 min)

Riotsville, USA

After the social upheaval of the ’60s, the U.S. government spent millions building model towns where newly militarized police forces could practice quashing street protests. Find out how and why in this documentary built from actual archival footage. Included in the Documentary Film Competition at SIFF 2022.

(d: Sierra Pettengill; v: Charlene Modeste; USA 2022, 91 min)

HYBRID SCREENINGS (IN PERSON & STREAMING):

Fire of Love

Married volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft made their name chasing and documenting tectonic eruptions and their aftermath the world over, until they would lose their lives to their own lava-chasing obsession, in this strange and spellbinding love story. This film won the Editing Award for U.S. Documentaries at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

(d: Sara Dosa; c: Miranda July; USA/Canada 2022, 93 min)

The Good Boss

Caught in a web of intrigue and infidelity, kindly scale manufacturer Julio Blanco’s (Javier Bardem) true self comes to the surface in this biting dark comedy from writer/director Fernando León de Aranoa. This film had a record-breaking 20 nominations at the 2022 Goya Awards, winning for Best Actor, Director and Original Screenplay.

(d: Fernando León de Aranoa; c: Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor; Spain 2021, 120 min)

Hit the Road

Best Film winner at the 2021 London Film Festival, this tender, tense, and touching road trip movie follows a family of four as they drive across the Iranian countryside and into the mountains. This is the feature debut of Panah Panahi, son of acclaimed, SIFF-favorite Iranian director Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon, Taxi, 3 Faces).

(d: Panah Panahi; c: Hassan Madjooni, Pantea Panahiha, Rayan Sarlak, Amin Simiar; Iran/USA 2021, 93 min)

Nothing Compares

Challenging the media narrative of her long career, Nothing Compares is an emotional and inspirational journey into the life of trailblazing Irish multi platinum-selling musician Sinéad O’Connor and her dedication to speaking truth to power.

(d: Kathryn Ferguson; f: Sinéad O'Connor; Ireland/United Kingdom 2022, 97 min)

The Pez Outlaw

You’ve heard of jewel-smuggling, but this stranger-than-fiction caper documents the story of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man who made millions smuggling Pez dispensers out of Eastern Europe … until the Pezident got wind of his scheme. This film was awarded Special Jury Recognition at the SXSW Film Festival in 2022.

(d: Amy Bandlien Storkel, Bryan Storkel; f: Steve Glew; USA/Austria 2022, 87 min)

Date: March 22, 2022
Share:
Tags: Festival News