SIFF Teases 48th Annual Festival Lineup with Buzzworthy Titles Showcased at Prior Festivals

SEATTLE – SIFF announced today a sampling of films predicted to be fan favorites as preparations continue for the 48th Seattle International Film Festival to be held April 14-24. The full program, including more than 250 films, will be announced to the public on March 30.

“These films are funny and moving, intriguing and inspiring – and they are as diverse as our local and global communities,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “They represent some of the best of the full menu of films that will be featured next month and we’re thrilled to share them with the Seattle community.”

The festival will feature more than 250 films from 80 countries/regions with films screened at SIFF theaters and venues throughout the city. Aspiring to make the festival as accessible as possible, SIFF also will make more than 100 feature films and shorts packages available for at-home streaming on the SIFF Channel.

48th Seattle International Film Festival Favorites

Screening in-person:

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)

Screening in theaters & streaming on the SIFF Channel:

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)

A variety of film and event passes are on sale starting at $250. All passes (except for the Secret Festival Pass) include access to all virtual screenings on the SIFF Channel. In addition, the SIFF Film Pass includes advanced seating before ticket holders, as well as select preview screenings.

Individual tickets go on sale to the public March 31. Tickets for individual screenings are $15 ($12 for SIFF members and $14 for seniors and students). For information on all event and screening packages and tickets, please visit siff.net/passes.

SIFF would like to thank Ingeniux, Wongdoody, Hyatt Regency Seattle (Official Festival Hotel), Rev (Official Captioning Partner), BECU, Chihuly Studio, The Seattle Times, The Stranger, KEXP, KING 5, Tito's Handmade Vodka, The Walls Vineyards, National Endowment for the Arts for being sponsors of the 2022 Seattle International Film Festival.

About SIFF:

SIFF is known for our international festival that takes place in the late spring each year. For more than 47 years, SIFF has delighted moviegoers with films from all regions of the world and all genres of film. In addition, SIFF offers year-round arthouse screenings, curated mini-festivals, cinema events, and education opportunities - to keep up with them, visit SIFF.net.

# # #