You must have javascript enabled to view this site
start siffting watch film trailers list all films list all events download iSIFF for your iPhone
Wholly abstract, sensual cinematic experiences. Surreal, dreamlike narratives. Dance films made up of gorgeously cinematic choreography. Witty reflections on the relationship between cats and politics. Alternate Cinema is the place to find something new—new styles and genres, new filmmaking techniques and, most importantly, new ways of looking at movies. In its inaugural edition, we gather together the innovative, the visionary, the experimental and the weird for a thrillingly diverse range of films and filmmakers in which revered masters like Jan Svankmajer, Kenneth Anger, Chris Marker and others are placed alongside undeniable younger talents like Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Patrick Carpentier and Lukas Moodysson. With more than twelve countries represented in as many programs, the emphasis this year is decidedly global, as this far-reaching collection of the unclassifiables presents a snapshot of the world’s most innovative filmmaking.
USA, 2005, 129 min.
A Native American road striper, a student beautician, a Vietnamese banker, his adopted American son and an elderly exhibitionist attempt to find their footing in a world of miscommunication, denial and unmet expectations. Apart from That explores the anatomy of love and vulnerability through …
93 min.
Collecting bits from a century of film and media history, this program—ranging from the picturesque to the decaying, from the kinetic to the hilarious—showcases unique collages and montages of found images and sound. …
France, 2004, 58 min.
Influential filmmaker Chris Marker (Sans Soleil) chronicles the absurd, enlightening details within the unpredictable and passionate world of French political protest—particularly the curious graffiti image of a grinning cat that rapidly spreads through the country — in one of his most entert …
Belgium, 2006, 57 min.
In this Teddy Award-winning semi-fictional “filmed diary,” the lines between brutality and desire are blurred as a hand-to-hand combat between two men in the woods becomes a ritual of sensuality, while the narrator relates a story about the renewal of a strange desire. …
Sweden, 2006, 74 min.
Described by filmmaker Lukas Moodysson (Lilya 4-Ever) as "a film about the little darling that lives inside all of us," the formally radical Container follows a dreamy path into the life of a pudgy Swedish man and the slim Asian woman who may be the embodiment of his inner girl. …
USA, 2006, 78 min.
Called “an instant classic” by Variety, veteran experimental filmmaker Betzy Bromberg’s abstract phantasmagoria is a uniquely sensual, tactile and narrative-free film experience. Ravishing images are captured—from minute explorations of spider-webs, dirt, resin and water to countless other subjects …
United Kingdom, 2005, 50 min.
A revelatory history/analysis of the role of public photography and surveillance, How Little We Know of Our Neighbours takes as its primary subject the Mass Observation Movement—an ambitious anthrolopological effort to record the habits and social patterns of London and the rest of Britain. P …
USA, 2006, 95 min.
A defining influence on several generations of underground artists, performers and filmmakers, Jack Smith was an intensely charismatic, sometimes exasperating fixture of the New York art scene. This fascinating documentary explores the life and work of the inspiring artist who became the patron sain …
Czech Republic, 2005, 121 min.
A joyously pessimistic masterpiece from Jan Svankmajer, the master of Czech surrealism, Lunacy introduces us to a man whose horrifying dreams make his nights unbearable. An offer of assistance from a sadistic nobleman leads the man into an asylum where the doctors are even more dangerous than …
United Kingdom, 2005, 99 min.
An eye-popping fever dream from prolific animators the Brothers Quay, this live-action follow-up to their Institute Benjamenta sees a master piano tuner recruited to tweak an elaborate series of automatons for an enigmatic doctor. …
106 min.
Meditations on landscapes, Las Vegas, natural disasters, family turmoil and one exceedingly talented drummer, among other things. …
Slovenia, 2005, 53 min.
Saso Podgorsek, one of the world’s foremost directors of dance films, teams up with the En-Knap dance company to create an exhilarating fusion of physical and photographic movement. Together they wind through a series of underground structures, incorporating everything they come across into their ci …
South Korea, 2006, 42 min.
A mysteriously touching piece from the director of Tropical Malady, Worldly Desires brings the viewer onto the set of a film shoot where all we see are poetic bits and pieces—and choreographed musical interludes. Plays with How Little We Know Of Our Neighbours. …
