SIFF TO KICK OFF AFRICAN PICTURES 2014

SEATTLE -- On Sunday, April 13, SIFF kicks off the second iteration of its African Pictures program, supported by a multi-year grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. SIFF programmers will be in attendance to announce the 2014 African Pictures lineup, with trailers on display for selected titles.

Once again, African Pictures features the best cinema from and about the continent, ranging from somber to humorous, informative to fantastical, celebrating the diverse and burgeoning hotbed of filmmaking activity emerging across Africa today.

The Academy grant gives SIFF an unparalleled opportunity as a major international film festival to showcase a substantial program of African cinema. Featured selections include indigenous films, films by African filmmakers working outside the continent, and films on topics relating to Africa's changing contemporary political and social landscape.

Preceding the announcement is a screening of SWEET DREAMS, a joyful and compelling documentary about a group of Rwandan musicians who undertake to sweeten their village's existence and unify its divided citizens with the treat of ice cream.

SWEET DREAMS tells the story of Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda's first and only women's drumming troupe, open to all who are willing to leave the categories of the past at the gate. Striving to bring healing to its members and community following the 1994 genocide, this group is bound even closer together by a new goal of bringing an ice cream shop - Rwanda's first - to their town.
Snoqualmie Ice Cream sponsors this event, providing a sundae bar for attendees. Also sponsoring the event are the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Delta Airlines.

About SIFF

Founded in 1976, SIFF creates experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world with the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education. Recognized as one of the top film festivals in North America, the Seattle International Film Festival is the largest, most highly attended film festival in the United States, reaching more than 150,000 annually. The 25-day festival is renowned for its wide-ranging and eclectic programming, presenting over 250 features and 150 short films from over 70 countries each year. SIFF Cinema exhibits premiere theatrical engagements, repertory, classic, and revival film showings 365 days a year on four screens at the SIFF Film Center and the historic SIFF Cinema Uptown, reaching more than 100,000 attendees annually. SIFF Education offers educational programs for all audiences serving more than 11,000 students and youth in the community with free programs each year.  

###