More SIFF news

Well, the game will be up on Thursday, but just in case you haven't been scouring other media, here's some more SIFF items gleaned from press releases...

Northwest Film Forum and Seattle International Film Festival present ALTERNATE CINEMA

MAY 25 - 31, Fri- Thurs (dates and times subject to change)

The Dutch call it exploding cinema; the French the avant-garde; in Seattle we call it Alternate Cinema. A collection of features and shorts, which aim to push the boundaries of traditional film culture, this year’s selections explore unconventional modes of visual, aural and emotional landscapes. Yet when we examine these works, they seem more and more to be in tune with ourselves, with our thoughts, and with the very medium itself. Estaban Sapir’s The Aerial combines expressive elements of the silent era and graphic elements of comic books to comment on the state of our media culture. One11 and 103, the legendary John Cage’s sublime dance of camera, light and sound, makes its Seattle premiere. SIFF Tributee Anthony Hopkins makes his directorial debut with the daring Slipstream, and Jiska Rickels’ 4 Elements presents an evocative meditation on mankind's timeless—and often precarious—connection to the natural world. Esther B. Robinson’s A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory documents a man who, while on the surface just another nameless member of the Warhol factory, was himself an editor, filmmaker, light designer, lover and son. The above is just a sampling of these invigorating and exciting selections from some of cinema’s most daring filmmakers.

SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS TO BE HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The 33rd Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) will be honoring Sir Anthony Hopkins with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at a special tribute event on Wednesday, May 30 at the Egyptian Theatre. This public presentation will include clips from Hopkins' wide-ranging career, and an onstage interview to be followed by a screening of the 1993 Merchant-Ivory film THE REMAINS OF THE DAY.

Hopkins will also introduce his new film SLIPSTREAM at 7:00pm on Tuesday May 29 at the SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall. Extending beyond acting, Hopkins also wrote and directed SLIPSTREAM. This film is an inventive, multilayered journey into the mind of an aging screenwriter whose fictional universe begins to invade his real life. Hopkins' bold film plays with the nature of cinema and pokes a little fun at the movie business in the process. The film also stars Christian Slater, Jeffrey Tambor, Lisa Pepper and John Turturro. SLIPSTREAM will also be screened on May 30 at the Egyptian Theatre at 4pm.

Seattle International Film Festival's Programming Director Carl Spence said, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to recognize one of cinema's most distinguished actors with the Festivals' highest honor. Equally impressive, Hopkins has created a remarkable work as the writer, director and star of SLIPSTREAM, a film that showcases his singular artistic vision."

And remember, the official SIFF link is http://www.seattlefilm.org