Seattle International Film Festival 2022 Preview
As my home court film festival, the Seattle International Film Festival will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first film festival I ever experienced, and for a fledgling cinephile, it exposed me to all kinds of new films I just wasn’t watching at the time. Five years later, I still come back to this festival not only for nostalgia purposes, but also to continue seeing films outside the mainstream. With 155 feature films and 107 short films at this year’s 48th incarnation, there is no shortage of films to watch. The perennial problem is which ones. Below I have compiled a handful of my recommendations for films at this year’s festival. Some I have seen at other festivals like NYFF, others are total wildcards with which I will be going in totally blind. Either way, there’s always something interesting in the lineup that’ll make you want to head down to the Egyptian or Uptown and a check out a new film. As long as you’re willing to “seek new cinema,” as this year’s theme suggests, you’re bound to find something.
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Riotsville, USA
A film that stood out to me for its subject matter was Sierra Pettengill’s documentary Riotsville, USA. In the 1960s, as social upheaval was at all time highs for the country, the United States government constructed a fake city to train police in curbing protests nationwide. With an emphasis on archival footage, the doc is supposed to “point to the grander institutional failings of the Johnson administration’s massive expansion of military and police funding to control its own people.” Given the current state of police militarization and their on-going violent responses to protests in our time, Riotsville, USA has the potential for being a documentary that is as insightful as it is relevant for audiences.
Hit the Road
I first saw Panah Panahi’s feature debut back at the 59th New York Film Festival, and what I found most impressive about the film was its ability to nimbly weave the heart of a nuanced family drama with the humor of a road comedy. Set in Iran, Hit the Road depicts one family’s journey to the border to help their eldest son escape persecution from the government. As they approach their destination, the inevitable separation exposes long-gestating emotions between family members. Panahi’s use of small scale relationships work on a larger scale as a means of condemning political policies in his home country, but first and foremost is the emphasis on family and the bonds they share with each other. Delivery on these themes comes between frequent moments of comedic levity, where drama and comedy contrast with one another to create pronounced moments of laughter and sorrow in this touching road trip across Iran. Plus, it has one of the best musical numbers in recent memory. An easy recommend by my standards.
You can read My NYFF 59 review here
Inu-Oh
Masaaki Yuasa follows up 2019’s critically acclaimed Ride Your Wave with INU-OH, a tale of friendship between a disfigured nogaku dancer and a blind biwa player. Much of my interest in this film stems from Yuasa, who has been making a name for himself as one of the most famed Japanese directors working today. The film is making its US premier at SIFF this year, and from the film’s trailer, it appears to be nothing short of a continuation of the visually stunning efforts in Yuasa’s body of anime work.
The Last Film Show
My wildcard pick this year goes to The Last Film Show, a film about a nine-year-old boy who befriends a single-screen theater’s projectionist and gives him home cooked food as a means of admission to the venue. Drawing from the namesake of The Last Picture Show and adopting a premise similar to Cinema Paradiso, Pan Nalin’s semi-autobiographical film tells of an experience many of us cinephiles have had. The draw to cinema is universal, and most of us have our own story of how we fell in love with motion pictures. Given the romantic gesture at the heart of the film, I’m willing to forgo the unknowns and give this one a go.
I’ll Show You Mine
My recommendation list wouldn’t be complete without a nod to one of our home time directors: Megan Griffiths. Griffiths is among a handful of directors who is keep filmmaking alive in the Pacific Northwest, and her latest film, I’ll Show You Mine, is making its world premiere at this year’s festival. Pitched as a film about self-discovery by way of analyzing past trauma, the film centers on an author who interviews her nephew about his history of exploitation as a pansexual model, resulting in conversations that unearths areas of her own past she has long repressed. Griffiths’ prior work on Lucky Them (2013) and The Off Hours (2011) has made her a name in the Washington film scene, and she was kind enough to host a Q&A for her most recent film Sadie (2018) at UW Film Club back when I was still in university. As a fan of Griffiths, I’m interested to see her latest.
Other Notable Selections
Petite Maman — Celine Sciamma’s (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) tender ode to mother-daughter relationships. A notable selection from the fall film festival circuit.
Cha Cha Real Smooth — Apple paid $15 million for this film’s distribution rights out of Sundance. I figure that warrants a viewing to see what it’s all about.
Ahed’s Knee — Nadav Lapid’s follow up film to Synonyms telling the semi-autobiographical tale of an Israeli filmmaker facing political opposition to his film about a Palestinian activist.
WTF! Shorts — These midnighter shorts always have a high level of imagination, showcasing wacky, weird, and scary offerings that highlight the benefits of a short form factor. I find them to always be one of the most enjoyable programs at any festival.
