50 Years of SIFF
April 19-May 5, 2024
Discover 50 years of the Seattle International Film Festival’s rich history with this series featuring some of the films that have made a lasting impression on our staff and long-time passholders.
When the Seattle International Film Festival launched in 1976, no one could’ve guessed that it would ultimately transform into one of the largest nonprofit film organizations in the United States. Over the last five decades, the Festival has presented more than 10,000 films from all over the world, and SIFF now thrives with four year-round cinema venues, educational programming, and more.
The films in the final installment of our 50 Years of SIFF series represent some of the films that our staff and long-time passholders couldn’t forget–those experiences that meant something then, and continue to mean something years and decades later. Whether you’re a seasoned Festival-goer ready to rewatch old favorites or are a new cinema explorer, join us to discover 50 years of SIFF’s rich film exhibition history.
50 Years of SIFF: At the End of the Tunnel
Spain | 2016 | 120 min. | Rodrigo Grande
April 19 - May 3, 2024
Wheelchair user and computer geek Joaquin is thrust into a dangerous game of survival, double-cross, and redemption when he discovers his new neighbors, including a single mother whom he has feelings for, are planning a bank heist by tunneling under his home. Seattle International Film Festival 2017 Golden Space Needle Audience Award: Best Film and Best Director.
50 Years of SIFF: Sorry to Bother You
USA | 2018 | 112 min. | Boots Riley
April 19 - May 5, 2024
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed. Seattle International Film Festival 2018 selection.
50 Years of SIFF: The Whole Wide World
USA | 1996 | 111 min. | Dan Ireland
April 20 - May 2, 2024
In 1930s Texas, schoolteacher and aspiring author Novalyne meets Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer later famed for books including “Conan the Barbarian.” The true story of a turbulent courtship and cultural moment resonates in Dan Ireland’s classic romance. Seattle International Film Festival 1996 Opening Night selection and New American Cinema Competition Grand Jury Prize winner. Director Dan Ireland was a co-founder of SIFF.
50 Years of SIFF: Gas Food Lodging
USA | 1992 | 101 min. | Allison Anders
April 20 - May 1, 2024
In a New Mexico town, a single mother and her daughters navigate love and identity amidst dusty trailer parks and fleeting romances. Seattle International Film Festival 1992 selection.
50 Years of SIFF: To Die For
USA | 1995 | 106 min. | Gus Van Sant
April 20 - May 3, 2024
A chilling tale of ambition gone awry, a small-town woman stops at nothing to achieve her dreams of fame, leading to deception, manipulation, and ultimately, deadly consequences. Seattle International Film Festival 1995 Golden Space Needle Audience Award: Best Actress.
50 Years of SIFF: Cure
Japan | 1997 | 112 min. | Kiyoshi Kurosawa
April 20 - May 4, 2024
In a city plagued by unexplainable murders, detective Kenichi uncovers a disturbing pattern, leading him into a chilling battle with a manipulative and mysterious adversary. Seattle International Film Festival 2001 selection, with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa highlighted at the Festival as an Emerging Master.
50 Years of SIFF: Kiki’s Delivery Service
Japan | 1989 | 102 min. | Hayao Miyazaki
April 22 - May 5, 2024
In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back. Seattle International Film Festival 1998 selection.
50 Years of SIFF: Corn Island
Georgia | 2014 | 100 min. | George Ovashvili
April 25 - May 5, 2024
A farmer and his teenage granddaughter sow corn on a no-man’s land island that forms in the Inguri River each spring in this powerful and award-winning life-and-death fable reminiscent of master filmmakers Bresson, Tarkovsky, and Malick with a hint of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Seattle International Film Festival 2015 selection. One of Senior Programmer Maryna Ajaja's favorites.
50 Years of SIFF: The Headless Woman
Argentina | 2008 | 87 min. | Lucrecia Martel
April 26 - May 5, 2024
An affluent dentist hits something in the road but neither she nor her friends report the incident. When evidence emerges that she may have killed someone, the men in her life protect her secret. An elliptical psychological drama about guilt, responsibility, and self-deception. Seattle International Film Festival 2009 selection, with director Lucretia Martel highlighted at the Festival as an Emerging Master.