Film
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STIFF The acronym for the newly renamed and broadened Seattle Transmedia and Independent Film Festival was always a cheeky bit of misdirection, since SIFF proper begins on May 14. The motley, spunky STIFF programs differently-like Slamdance punching upward at Sundance. This year’s lineup has a typically impudent feel, with highlights including Jen Marlowe’s Arab Spring doc Witness Bahrain; an interactive web game called Pirate Fishing (intended to raise awareness about overfishing off West Africa); the Chilean Assent (about the ‘70s military coup, designed for Oculus Rift); Coney Island: Dreams for Sale (about gentrification in New York); and Lost Conquest (about a Minnesotan’s quest for his supposed Viking heritage). Tonight’s screening of the romantic thriller Bristel Goodman (6 p.m., Grand Illusion) is followed by a gallery event and opening-gala afterparty. Grand Illusion, Lucid Lounge, Wing-It Productions, and other venues. BRIAN MILLER Various locations, Mostly $12 Thursday, May 7, 2015
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STIFF The acronym for the newly renamed and broadened Seattle Transmedia and Independent Film Festival was always a cheeky bit of misdirection, since SIFF proper begins on May 14. The motley, spunky STIFF programs differently-like Slamdance punching upward at Sundance. This year’s lineup has a typically impudent feel, with highlights including Jen Marlowe’s Arab Spring doc Witness Bahrain; an interactive web game called Pirate Fishing (intended to raise awareness about overfishing off West Africa); the Chilean Assent (about the ‘70s military coup, designed for Oculus Rift); Coney Island: Dreams for Sale (about gentrification in New York); and Lost Conquest (about a Minnesotan’s quest for his supposed Viking heritage). Tonight’s screening of the romantic thriller Bristel Goodman (6 p.m., Grand Illusion) is followed by a gallery event and opening-gala afterparty. Grand Illusion, Lucid Lounge, Wing-It Productions, and other venues. BRIAN MILLER Various locations, Mostly $12 Friday, May 8, 2015
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The Triplets of Belleville Who needs modern CGI animation? This charming 2003 French throwback takes its cues from the past. Sylvain Chomet’s warm, wiggy first feature boasts great line drawings with offbeat, collectible sounds and music: part Django Reinhardt, part scat-singing, part Stomp. Blissfully, there’s no dialogue. Set in ‘50s France, Triplets centers around a cyclist’s kidnapping by Mafiosi, who transport him across the ocean to Belleville, tracked by his grandmother and faithful dog in a rescue mission rather like Finding Nemo. Belleville looks suspiciously like a Frenchman’s view of Manhattan. It has a Botero-sized Statue of Liberty clutching a hamburger, an entirely overweight populace, and the Triplets-three old crones who were once music-hall stars of the ‘30s. There’s never quite time enough to absorb Triplets’ decor, allusions, and sumptuous drawing, which Chomet is too cool to underline. The result is a fabulous melange of a movie. (Through Tues.) SHEILA BENSON Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 $7-$11 Friday, May 8, 2015, 7pm
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STIFF The acronym for the newly renamed and broadened Seattle Transmedia and Independent Film Festival was always a cheeky bit of misdirection, since SIFF proper begins on May 14. The motley, spunky STIFF programs differently-like Slamdance punching upward at Sundance. This year’s lineup has a typically impudent feel, with highlights including Jen Marlowe’s Arab Spring doc Witness Bahrain; an interactive web game called Pirate Fishing (intended to raise awareness about overfishing off West Africa); the Chilean Assent (about the ‘70s military coup, designed for Oculus Rift); Coney Island: Dreams for Sale (about gentrification in New York); and Lost Conquest (about a Minnesotan’s quest for his supposed Viking heritage). Tonight’s screening of the romantic thriller Bristel Goodman (6 p.m., Grand Illusion) is followed by a gallery event and opening-gala afterparty. Grand Illusion, Lucid Lounge, Wing-It Productions, and other venues. BRIAN MILLER Various locations, Mostly $12 Saturday, May 9, 2015
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Mandate “Remember when you liked Sonic Youth?” asks Mandate, the brand-new multimedia experience brought to us by local punk/video artist extraordinaire Clyde Petersen as part of Translations, the Seattle Trans Film Festival. While my interest is piqued by Petersen/the whole concept (this live musical performance is in a movie theater, mind you), invoking Sonic Youth in any era seems a bit dubious. Not for lack of trying, my Sonic Youth heyday was brief to say the least. That aside, I’m still curious-this is bound to be a spectacle. Also, it “contains adult themes and imagery,” so that’s definitely a plus. All ages. WL Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 $15 Saturday, May 9, 2015, 9:30pm
