And…Action!
The Seattle International Film Festival returns to Renton this week for six days of film from all corners of the world.
Things get started at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21, with the big opening-night film and gala. This year, Renton’s opening features “The Second Mother,” a Brazilian movie about a live-in maid who sees the power balance shift when her modern and intelligent daughter comes to stay with her while taking her college entrance exams.
Actress Camila Mardila is expected to attend.
An opening-night gala is also scheduled for after the showing at the Renton Pavilion Event Center.
The festival gets fully under way on Friday, with multiple movies each day through May 27.
Here is a full list of the films showing this year in Renton. All films will screen at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center.
The Golden Hill, Nepal; 6 p.m. May 22
When Lhakpa returns home to his remote village after a stint in the big city, he has trouble coping with the co-existing realities inside of him. A warmly romantic yet complex tale of his struggle to adapt to the village people and the rugged mountainscape that raised him. This is a world premiere.
Spanish Affair, Spain; 8:30 p.m. May 22
Rafa, a fun-loving waiter from Seville, falls for the serious-minded Amaja, who’s Basque, and the only woman to resists his charms. In a hilarious case of switched identities, Raja must stand in for Amaja’s fiancé, and convince her father that he’s definitely not from Seville.
Paper Planes, Australia; Noon, May 23
Robert Connelly’s charming crowd-pleaser follows 12-year-old Dylan as he folds his way to the World Paper Championships in Japan.
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll, USA; 2:15 p.m. May 23
In 1975 the Khmer Rouge began systematically eliminating all traces of Western influenced culture and arts, including the flourishing new music scene mixing Western rock and roll with Cambodian female vocals. This documentary is a celebration of the music and its triumph over destruction.
Kid Kulafu, Philipines; 5 p.m. May 23
Feisty and heartfelt, this film follows Manny Pacquiao as he discovers his one true talent—boxing. Starting with his turbulent childhood in war-torn Mindanao, we watch from front-row seats as he fights from town to town risking everything, even his own life, to become a champion. This is a North American premiere.
Margarita, with a Straw, India; 8:30 p.m. May 23
A refreshingly unique coming-of-age story about Laila, an Indian college student with cerebral palsy who leaves home to live on campus at NYU, exploring new difficulties and joys in the form of romance and self-discovery.
Fiddlesticks, Germany; Noon, May 24
A gang of rambunctious young children happen upon a book of world records and decide to cure their town of its 100 percent averageness once and for all.
Racing Extinction, USA; 2:30 p.m. May 24
Joining forces with activists, photographers, and scientists, Academy Award-winning documentarian Louie Psihoyos (The Cove, 2009) explores the deadly impact humans have on more than half of the world’s species. This exceptional documentary dramatically brings the realities of extinction in a startlingly urgent call to action. The director is expected to attend.
Manglehorn, USA; 5 p.m. May 24
In this magical romantic portrait, Academy-Award winner Al Pacino plays an eccentric locksmith left heartbroken by the woman he lost 40 years ago. Unexpectedly, he tries to start his life over again with the help of a new friend played with charm and grace by fellow Oscar winner Holly Hunter.
The Golden Era, Hong Kong; 7:30 p.m. May 24
This bold, beautiful epic focuses on a five-year span in the life of Xio Hang (Tang Wei), the young author who became one of the most influential essayists and progressive influences in the politically turbulent China of the 1930s.
Liza, the Fox-Fairy, Hungary; Noon, May 25
Blending Japanese folklore with Amélie-inspired artistic direction, this dark fairytale follows Liza, a young woman looking for love who may or may not be a fox-fairy, an evil demon who sucks the souls out of the men she meets. This is a North American premiere.
Sunshine Superman, USA; 2:30 p.m. May 25
A thrilling documentary about Carl Boenish, an aerial cinematographer and pioneer of the extreme sport of BASE jumping, Sunshine Superman catapults us head-first into his turbulent life through breathtaking archival video and interviews.
Bonifacio, Philipines; 5:30 p.m. May 25
Packed with action and romance, Bonifacio is a stirringly dramatic telling of the story of Filipino nationalist Andres Bonifacio, who led a revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 1800s. North American Premiere.
Gentle, Vietnam; 8 p.m. May 25
In this poetic adaptation of Dostoevsky’s 1876 short story “A Gentle Creature,” a fastidious Vietnamese pawnbroker looks back on the events that led to his wife’s suicide.
The Teacher’s Diary, Thailand; 6 p.m. May 26
Goofy schoolteacher Song begins a job at a rural island school and struggles with his loneliness until he finds a diary left behind by the previous teacher and begins to fall in love with her in this unconventional romantic comedy.
Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains, Kyrgyzstan; 8:30 p.m. May 26
Based on an inspiring true story, this lush and colorful epic follows Kurmanjan Datka, who was told at a young age by a mystic that despite being an ordinary girl, she would band together the warring tribes of her Central Asian nation.
The Grump, Finland; 6 p.m. May 27
After a bad fall, an old curmudgeonly farmer moves into the home of his son and daughter-in-law, where he’s confronted with the modern age and having to leave his ideas about “the good old days” behind. Director Dome Karukoski is expected to attend.
Overheard 3, Hong Kong; 8:30 p.m. May 27
In this superb thriller ending the explosive trilogy, Jau is newly released from prison and seeking out his former employers, the Luk brothers. He weaves a complex web of surveillance to capture their corrupt dealings and set into motion the ultimate revenge.
For further information or to purchase tickets to any of the films being shown, visit http://www.siff.net.
