Film

Silver Screen Star

Courtney Sheehan, artistic director

Under the leadership of artistic director Courtney Sheehan, who began as its intern in 2009 and served as its program manager for several years, the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) has redefined film house programming and brought the institution to the fore of Seattle’s cultural life. Not content to leave visitors sitting quietly in their seats amid the darkness, Sheehan seeks to engage the community with, as she once explained, the three D’s: discussion, debate and dancing. Although she travels to festivals throughout the world to see films and meet directors, Sheehan is just as focused on our local scene. On April 29, Seattle writer and comedian Brett Hamil will return to the stage with The Seattle Process, a live talk show that combines comedy with a discussion of social and political issues.

Throughout the month of March, NWFF and Seattle International Film Festival present a Wim Wenders retrospective titled Portraits Along the Road. In April, the NWFF showcases the films of Japanese cult director Seijun Suzuki, and in May, it presents the UCLA Festival of Preservation, a selection of the school’s vast film and television archive. (Those two events are presented in conjunction with The Grand Illusion Cinema.) No matter what kind of pictures you like, you will enjoy yourself more when watching them here. Dates, times and prices vary. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave.; 206.329.2629

Foreign

Cinema de Paris

3/31–5/26

This series is a salute to Paris and features the Seattle restoration premieres of seven films by Claude Sautet, starring Yves Montand, Michel Piccoli, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Romy Schneider. Also included are films by Jacques Becker, Claude Autant-Lara and Francois Truffaut. 3/31: Antoine and Antoinette. 4/7: A Pig Across Paris. 4/14: The Big Risk. 4/21: Stolen Kisses. 4/28: The Things of Life. 5/5: Max and the Junkmen. 5/12: César and Rosalie. 5/19: Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others. 5/26: Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud. Times and prices vary. Seattle Art Museum, Plestcheeff Auditorium, 1300 First Ave.; 206.654.3100

The film Big Sonia (directed by Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday) will screen at Seattle International Film Festival’s 42nd annual event in May. Image credit: Gloria Baker Feinstein

Film

Seattle International Film Festival

5/19–6/12

Now in its 42nd year, the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States offers more than 450 films from 90 countries. Times and prices vary. Multiple locations; 206.464.5830