Food & Drink
Spring Arts Preview 2016: Film
Details on the Seattle International Film Festival and a tribute to the cinema of Paris
By Jim Demetre February 22, 2016
This article originally appeared in the March 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
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
Follow Us
Seattle Author Wins Pulitzer Prize
Tessa Hulls wins for Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
Seattle author Tessa Hulls has added a Pulitzer Prize to her growing list of accolades for Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir. The 2025 Pulitzers were announced May 5. Feeding Ghosts won in the “Memoir or Autobiography” category. As Seattle magazine wrote in a profile of Hulls last year, Feeding Ghosts “braids together the narratives of…
These Cultural Landmarks Honor Seattle’s AANHPI Community
Here’s an overview of some notable spots and happenings
The first Asian American immigrants landed in Seattle in the 1860s, just a decade after the city’s founding in 1852. Seattle is plentiful with sites that tell crucial stories about Seattle’s Asian American community, whether you choose to learn about historic neighborhoods and buildings in the International District or browse sculptures and paintings at the…
Book Excerpt: Old White Man Writing
Seattle resident Joshua Gidding examines his own white privilege
In his book, Old White Man Writing, Seattle resident Joshua Gidding attempts to come to terms with his privilege. Gidding grapples with the rapidly changing cultural norms in 21st-century America while examining his own racial biases and prejudices. As Manhattan Book Review notes: “Old White Man Writing is an introspective deep dive into an eventful life…
Glacial Expressions
Local scientist and painter Jill Pelto spotlights climate change in a multi-artist show at Slip Gallery
The divide between the arts and sciences is long-fostered and well-documented. From elementary school onward, children are often singled out for their penchant for math or artistic ability and guided toward classes — and later careers — that align with their right or left brain tendencies. For Jill Pelto — a local climate scientist, painter,…