The curtain rises at the 52nd Annual Seattle International Film Festival on Thursday, May 7th! Join us as we review the programming, events, and what we’re excited to see!
Before we start, I want to be clear. Portions of this article, mostly the introduction, have been repurposed with edits from last year’s coverage, as it holds true. What has changed for this year is that I, Bob, am not alone! Kim has not only joined the site, but will be covering SIFF as part of the press, offering her own reviews and insights. Whoo hoo! [read last year’s coverage here]
May is my favorite time of the year in beautiful Seattle, Washington. The first weekend of the month finds Crypticon Seattle, an awesome horror convention with panels, guests, and a film festival. I’m biased, as Kim, Cody, and I sit on those panels and help program the film festival with so many other awesome people. If you’re a genre lover in the Pacific Northwest, come check us out.
But then, we pivot from the stress of planning a film festival to sitting back and enjoying another! Where the only stress is choosing from a veritable bounty of features and shorts! As it’s the largest public-facing film festival, we’ve attended the Seattle International Film Festival for as long as we’ve lived in the area, and it’s always an amazing selection. Read on for the festival overview and what Kim and Bob are most excited to see!
The 52nd Seattle International Film Festival, or SIFF, runs from May 7th through 17th for in-person screenings at 4 recurring locations: SIFF’s 3-screen Uptown facility, the Film Center, SIFF Downtown (affectionally known as Siff-a-rama for its former owner and MASSIVE screen.. And known chocolate popcorn, yum), and the new this year PACCAR IMAX at The Pacific Science Center. AMC Pacific Place 11 and Shoreline Community College are not holding screenings this year, keeping the shows more centralized around Seattle Center. Additionally, the Opening Night is, as normal, at STG’s Paramount live theatre and concert venue, along with one free show at Seattle Central Library (a new thing this year). 2026’s festival will not have any streaming films.
Within those 11 days of cinematic adventures, SIFF is presenting 202 films from over 70 countries and regions! Of those, 71 are narrative feature films, 34 documentary features, 3 archival features, 2 secret films, and 98 shorts (via 11 package events plus some before features).
No matter what one looks for in genre, type, origin, or themes, SIFF has everything needed. For ease of planning, SIFF has built thirteen film programs. Four highlight specific areas of the world: African Pictures, Asian Crossroads, Ibero-American Cinema, and the locally themed Northwest Connections. Native filmmakers around the world are amplified in cINeDIGNEOUS. Let the music of cinema dance your soul with the Face the Music selections. Culinary Cinema bakes a cooking niche. Short Films collects the 98 shorts. New American Cinema brings out new voices and perspectives, as does FutureWave, where all the films are focused on younger viewers. For younger and older film lovers watching together, Films4Families presents three family-friendly titles. Finally, my favorites: WTF: Wild, Terrifying, Fantastic! highlighting the strangest corner of the fest and Alternate Cinema, delving into experimental film. Of course, films cross-pollinate across one another, but this helps hone in on your needs (their website is really good at making that focus)
This year’s archival films are Argentina’s 1939 socialist rebellion film Prisoners of the Earth, the 1932 Gloria Swanson-led Queen Kelly (with a notorious production, look it up), and one sure to excite Cinema Crazed’s readers. Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street with a live soundtrack by DJ Nicfit! I’m sad to miss this, playing huge at Downtown, but that same night I’m going to Florence + The Machine in concert. That wins.
Check out the full festival at siff.net/festival for your perusal, more up-to-date info (including filmmakers in attendance), screening times, etc.
It’s a lot of film and not a lot of time. Even with two of us ready to “Achieve Optimal CINElation to use the tagline of the fest, there’s too much to see, so we must be selective. As much as I appreciate the skills and stories of many festival films, my interests, and those of this publication, lie in the horror, the strange, and the weird. Thus, the highlights are mostly focused in this direction. This, of course, is not to discount any of the hard work elsewhere in the fest. I’ll likely watch many of the other films when and if they become available later.
To keep focused, here is a selection of what Kim and I are most interested in seeking out during the festival. But expect reviews for these and other films as the festival rolls out.
It’s hard to write about only 10 of the dozens I have my eye on. It’s tempting to keep going with everything I want to see. When you look, you’ll see your selection of choices. Luckily, the website for the festival breaks down into genres, styles, themes, and programmer picks to find your festival.
Two films were on Bob’s Overlook interest sheet but not reviewed as of yet:
Boorman and the Devil
Directed by David Kitterage. This may be due to the extreme amount of time I spent on Boorman’s Excalibur from the Arrow release, but I’m all ready for this look at his Exorcist II. The director of this was a commentator on that, and he knows all his stuff. Exorcist II is such an odd film. I need to know all the details. I love a good story of a film’s creation – whether the film went wonderfully or failed on all the wrong ways (like this, sorry). Give it to me!
The Furious
Directed by Kenji Tanigaki. Wild action spectacular as a man takes down the syndicate that kidnapped his daughter. All the buzz says this is an insane ride with some of the best action sequences in a long time. I can hear Emelie chattering with excitement.
Two Films have already been reviewed here, but may be reviewed again by Bob or Kim:
Marama: REVIEW HERE
Directed by Taratoa Stappard. The Victorian Gothic subgenre is infused with colonial ramifications as a Maori woman travels to England to find her family and finds herself as a governess in a home filled with secrets and terror.
The Restoration at Grayson Manner
Directed by Glenn McQuaid. An accident leaves a man missing his arms, and his prosthetics give him powers to fight back against his overbearing mother (Alice Krige!)
New Stuff!
I Love Boosters
Directed by Boots Riley. After the wild satire of Sorry To Bother You, I’m ready for anything Riley tosses out (or am I, as that went bonkers places). Kiki Palmer leads a set of women who steal clothes from high fashion designers of Will Polter and Demi Moore. But since it’s Riley, I expect a whole lot more plot and a style to match. What I’ve seen so far has an astounding look. I Love Boosters is the Opening Night selection this year. [Olivia Wilde’s The Invite closes].
Quince aka Fifteen
Directed by Jack Zagha Kababie and Yossy Zagha. Quince combines the emotional terror of a coming-of-age ceremony, a young woman’s quinceañera, with the physical body horror. An outsider pair hopes for the best of their traditional coming-out party, but oops, one of their boyfriends is mutating from a monster attack, and it may be affecting her, too. Blood and body horror are bound.
Obsession
Directed by Curry Barker.. I loved this director’s YouTube feature Milk & Serial, and his follow-up looks astoundingly fucked up. A lovelorn loser makes a wish for a young woman to love only him, more than anyone else in the world. It doesn’t work well for anyone. Seems intense and has been winning horror awards all over.
Edie Arnold is a Loser
Directed by Megan Rico and Kade Atwood. Switching it up with a raucous coming-of-age comedy. Edie Arnold and her friends are the weird kids at a Catholic school. They decide to start a band by punking up hymns. Looks to have a fun style and sense of energy.
Again Again
Directed by Mia Moore and Heather Ballish. Locally made in Aberdeen by Moore, a transwoman who also writes and stars as well, it follows a woman who comes out of 10-years of a 10-year time loop, how it affects her and her friends, and reexamines her life. Produced by Lilly Wachowski, it’s been an early hit of the festival, selling out both of its show days after tickets went on sale!
Camp
Directed by Avalon Fast. After a tragedy, a girl heads to a Christian camp for a reset, only to find it may be full of witches! Said to be a haunting and touching coming-of-age horror film. Sign me up for Camp!
Body blow
Directed by Dean Francis. Personally recommended to Bob from Amie Simon, a programmer of the festival who has her own short in the WTF: Nightmare Fuel Shorts Block (check that out too) and also panels at Crypticon. A Brian De Palma-esque story of a cop going undercover in Sydney’s gay scene but falling for a twink fatale. Neon-lit and campy.
Final Thoughts
That’s a nice selection to choose from for our Pacific Northwest readers and films to look out for all over the world. Keep checking back for Cinema Crazed’s coverage of Seattle International Film Festival, reviews, and all that jazz. The Seattle International Film Festival runs from May 7th through May 15th.See https://www.siff.net/festival for more. See all SIFF coverage HERE.