Arts
Read More ›
Spring Arts Preview 2016: Film
Details on the Seattle International Film Festival and a tribute to the cinema of Paris
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
SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction
Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way.
What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common? According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot. “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…
Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power
Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture. This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…
Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan
Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.
Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…
Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…