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An eclectic showcase of new works by women directors, with each film chosen for its cinematic voice, uniquely female perspective and striking storylines. Especially notable this year is the abundance of breakout new talents, led by Australia’s Cate Shortland (“Somersault”), the UK’s Juliet McKoen (“Frozen”), and from the USA, “Me and You and Everyone We Know” by Miranda July and “Saving Face” by Alice Wu. Also check the cornucopia of offerings from the fairer sex in every section, from shorts to documentaries, not forgetting our feature on Argentina (Lucrecia Martel’s accomplished “The Holy Girl”) and there’s even an Emerging Master, Denmark’s Susanne Bier (“Brothers”). Sponsored By: National Endowment for the Arts
USA, 2005, 95 min.
A sobering exploration of the plight of unjustly convicted men released from prison (sometimes after decades) by newly allowed DNA evidence, and their struggle to reintegrate into a wary society. The interview subjects infuse this moving documentary with a tightly controlled, always genuine sense of outrage. Director Jessica Sanders scheduled to attend …
USA, 2004, 10 min.
A touching ghost story about a deceased grandmother returning to comfort her husband, and amuse her grandchildren. …
Ireland, 2004, 3 min.
While feeding in a field, a cow listens to some distressing news over the radio. …
USA, 2004, 5 min.
A little girl challenges her mother to pick: if only she or her brother could live, who would her mom choose? Director Rebecca Ormond scheduled to attend …
Brazil, 2004, 102 min.
Themes of violence, race and class are explored through two childhood friends over the course of 50 years of Brazilian history. Each has taken his own path: one to become a senator, the other a drug lord. Their paths converge again when they end up in the same prison. …
USA, 2004, 65 min.
Singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley had a tremendous impact on artists and fans across the globe, despite only completing one full-length album before his death at age 30. AMAZING GRACE explores the phenomenon of Jeff Buckley, unearthing great performance footage and talking with fellow musicians, friends, family, and fans about his life and legacy. …
Sweden, 2004, 130 min.
After a heart attack, a famous conductor decides to leave his stressful career and the big city. In a small village in northern Sweden, he’s persuaded to coach the church choir. Meanwhile, three local women help him to discover the real passion behind great music. Features an inspired score and splendid ensemble acting. …
Ireland, 2004, 12 min.
Born with his head facing the wrong way, Cúilín Dualach is the object of ridicule from all but his loving mother… until the day he discovers his own unique talent. …
USA, 2004, 99 min.
Folk troubadour Townes Van Zandt is considered one of the world’s greatest songwriters. While he never achieved commercial success, his music has influenced generations of folk, country, and rock artists. This loving portrait of the southern song-poet tells the bittersweet story of his life and pursuit of the perfect tune. Director Margaret Brown scheduled to attend both screenings …
Canada, 2004, 72 min.
In support of opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling, President Bush sarcastically challenged opponents to “go see how beautiful that land really is." Two newlyweds take him up on that, following the spring migration of the caribou to prove the remarkable beauty of the threatened life and landscape. Speaker: Northwest Wilderness Society …
USA, 2004, 18 min.
With the help of her roommate, a young paraplegic woman ventures into the New Orleans' nightlife in an effort to explore her sexuality. …
USA, 2004, 19 min.
Since her husband's death, Helen has been slowly drifting from eccentric to crazy--riding on garbage trucks, bathing in public fountains ... "if lost please return me to my sister and brother-in-law." Director Kim Levin scheduled to attend …
USA, 2005, 20 min.
When an unconventional gynecologist discovers that a patient’s nether region contains an endless arctic wasteland, he packs his parka and snowshoes and hits the talk show circuit. Starring Selma Blair and Elias Koteas. …
Netherlands, 2004, 79 min.
A precocious 13-year-old (the wonderful Elske Rotteveel) must face up to some unusually sharp growing pangs, including the potential institutionalization of her disabled brother and, more pressingly, an increasing level of hazing at school. This pitch-perfect coming of age saga, suitable for everyone, is commendable for its lack of sap. …
Denmark, 2004, 113 min.
The idyllic life of a happily married couple is torn asunder when husband Michael, working with the U.N., is presumed dead after an attack in Afghanistan. In the aftermath, wife Susanne grows close to his unconventional brother Jannik, leading to unanticipated complications when Michael returns home months later. Directed by Emerging Master Susanne Bier. …
USA, 2004, 4 min.
Named after a musical term meaning “a pause to breathe,” Caesura is a non-narrative exploration of the intimacies of our life-breath. …
Scotland, 2004, 15 min.
While Daisy's life crumbles away from Alzheimers, her daughter Francis tries her best to hold both their lives together in the remote Scottish countryside with a birthday celebration. …
USA, 2004, 16 min.
Chased by boys, teased by girls, ignored by her dad, thirteen year old Alicia is becoming a woman whether she likes it or not. Director Debby Wolfe scheduled to attend …
Slovenia, 2004, 16 min.
Maja Weiss, director of GUARDIANS OF THE FRONTIER, is known as the first female feature director in Slovenia. Her new short is a baroque’n’roll adaptation of Deep Purple’s famous song, as two children are trapped in a bewildering universe. …
Sweden, 2004, 98 min.
Comedy meets tragedy to devastating effect in Maria Blom's award-winning debut. City girl Mia returns to the country for her father’s birthday. The townsfolk find her snooty, her sisters are jealous of the attention she receives, and something bad always happens on his birthday. This year is no different. …
A demon plays out on his subversive desire to do good deeds. …
USA, 2005, 5 min.
Joanna Priestly has created a pulsing, abstract piece that plays with botanical and biomorphic shapes ranging from flowers to amoebas. …
Bulgaria, 2004, 9 min.
A man in an astronaut suit and a determined young woman meet in a beautifully surreal dreamscape. …
USA, 2005, 56 min.
Will the process of gentrification eradicate a working wharf? Fishermen’s Terminal is the only major West Coast harbor still dedicated solely to commercial vessels. The Port of Seattle wants to change that with revenue from pleasure craft. This is about one man's fight to save the working fishing dock. Screens with: GAMES CHILDREN PLAY. Directors B.J Bullert, Nick Joy and Evan Turner schedule …
Australia, 2005, 7 min.
A shadowy stranger breaks into a young couple’s house, putting their love to the test. …
Australia, 2004, 8 min.
A couple of Aussie chooks set out to save the children’s hospital from the barmy British bovine! …
United Kingdom, 2004, 90 min.
Slow-burning thriller about a woman left in a state of purgatory after her sister’s mysterious disappearance. Saved from suicide, her healing is interrupted when she finds a videotape that shows her sister on the day she went missing, sparking memories that morph into visions and a quest that many find crazy. Director Juliet McKoen scheduled to attend both screenings …
USA, 2004, 17 min.
Seattle women reflect on giving birth and motherhood in this beautiful, touching documentary. Director Lynn Shelton scheduled to attend both screenings …
Australia, 2004, 11 min.
A little boy learns the realities of life and death while studying his ant farm in this sweet fable of young innocence. …
France, 2004, 80 min.
The story of creation as told by an old African man from the cradle of humanity, illustrated by innovative directors Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou (MICROCOSMOS). By combining the tradition of oral legends with astounding modern cinematography, they have made a most innovative Darwinian version of genesis. …
USA, 2005, 90 min.
THE GITS explores the powerful music, punk poetics, and profound influence of the Seattle band, who in 1993 were in the process of recording their second album and poised to explode onto the national scene when their journey was cut short by the murder of singer Mia Zapata. Speaker: Grant Cogsw …
United Kingdom, 2004, 10 min.
Ruth is a socially awkward young girl trying to understand the mysterious world of sex, which every one around her already seems to know about. But, between her anti-porn activist mother and her mocking classmates, she’s going to have to find her own way. …
Australia, 2005, 11 min.
A whole ecosystem of origami animals come alive when a young boy and his mother are left alone. …
Argentina, 2004, 106 min.
Two adolescent girls get together after choir rehearsal and extend their passionate devotions to discussions of faith, the nature of good and evil, and the difficulties in distinguishing between the two. …
USA, 2004, 8 min.
A collage based on the ideas of Native American storyteller Willy Whitefeather using images inspired by Pueblo, Sioux and Hopi art. …
A relative shares the grief, frustration and undiluted anger over her cousin’s suicide. …
Nicaragua, 2005, 78 min.
Exploring human drama, this documentary has the eerie edge of a horror film. Mercedes Moncada Rodriguez focuses on a family and country literally torn apart by war. Three of the family’s five children are conscripted into the Contra army. When his brother is killed, the remaining son joins the Sandinistas. …
Lebanon, 2004, 90 min.
12-year-old Lina ignores the civil war raging outside her Beirut apartment. Instead she focuses on the family battles that rage inside, and her secret obsession with the passionate 18-year-old maid. This bittersweet coming-of-age story mixes innocence with perversity, and tenderness with cruelty. …
India, 2004, 104 min.
In the rural South of India, two young girls discover their feelings have evolved beyond friendship. When the neighbors begin to talk, one family flies into a panic and quickly plans for an arranged marriage, in this sensitive story of love and discovery. …
USA, 2005, 65 min.
Jenni Olson’s seductively layered debut incorporates the spoken diary of a butch dyke into a visual love letter to San Francisco. THE JOY OF LIFE flows effortlessly from an attempt to soothe the pain of a friend’s death into a history of the Golden Gate Bridge, the world’s number-one suicide landmark. Director Jenni Olson scheduled to attend May 22 screening …
USA, 2004, 22 min.
A misunderstood, lonely young boy must prepare to fend for himself when the health of the only person who ever stood up for him – his mother – deteriorates. …
Argentina, 2005, 94 min.
An intimate, sometimes humorous and surprisingly optimistic portrait of a drug-addicted mom and her precocious nine-year-old daughter who have a slightly reversed relationship. Independent, unbowed, slightly off-kilter and united against all challenges—they fight through Argentina’s economic crisis in this winning tribute to postmodern motherhood. Director Vera Fogwill scheduled to attend bot …
China, 2004, 90 min.
In pre-communist Beijing, a woman conducts a heartbreakingly one-sided love affair with an impervious writer. Director/star Xu Jinglei dares to tackle a story already beloved by cinephiles (via Max Ophuls’ unforgettable 1948 version) and delivers a sumptuously lovely, subtly feminist rendition. …
USA, 2004, 83 min.
An illustrated history of women’s wrestling, from its early days as a carnival attraction to the pay-per-view bonanzas of today. Hilarious stock footage highlights a supremely entertaining look at a subculture where men are the weaker sex, low blows are encouraged, and The Fabulous Moolah reigns supreme. …
Argentina, 2004, 93 min.
Felix, a transient teenager in rural Argentina, finds work with the parents of a one-year-old boy. When their marriage dissolves, he absconds with the boy to the big city in hopes of creating the family he himself has never known. Amazing performances create one of the most persuasively fond adult-child relationships committed to celluloid. …
Luka moves through a world of adventures as he pursues a stray balloon. …
USA, 2005, 110 min.
Fun and inspiring documentary that follows New York City 5th graders as they learn to rumba, tango, foxtrot and swing dance. Emphasizing that special age between childhood and adolescence, and the cultural diversity of NYC, it grips us with tension, triumph and heartbreak as the kids compete in a citywide competition. Director Marilyn Agrelo scheduled to attend May 21 screening …
Russia, 2004, 97 min.
Playful tragiccomedy from Russia features a washed-up boxer who leaves the big city for the surreal township of Mars, where the peculiar inhabitants throw the harsh realities of his life into relief. This odd hybrid of Aki Kaurismäki and Jean-Pierre Jeunet presents a bittersweet love triangle full of ravishing visual images. …
Multimedia artist Miranda July makes her feature debut with this whimsical, surreal and humorous look at the difficulty of finding and keeping love. A newly single father of two boys panics when he meets a strangely captivating woman. Meanwhile, his kids are experimenting with love and lust in their own ways. Upgrade your Opening Night ticket to include our …
USA, 2005, 102 min.
When a reclusive, curmudgeonly former Vietnam hero (Danny Glover) receives a visit from an ailing ex-platoon mate, his life is turned upside down. He is entrusted with a very special mission by his old friend: the care of his feisty, soon-to-be orphaned, half-Vietnamese daughter. Based on a story by local writer Ken Miller and set in the Pacific Northwest. Director Gabrielle Savage Dockerman …
USA, 2004, 20 min.
Two old friends run into each other late one night in a bar, but how exactly do this elderly woman and middle-aged man know one another, and why do they act so familiar? Based on the short story by Russell Banks. Director Caerthan Banks scheduled to attend …
Burkina Faso, 2004, 100 min.
After a decade of genocidal war the two wary and cynical sides attempt to make peace, but after all the barbarity, the likelihood of revenge still looms. This powerful debut feature is set in an imaginary country where real and terrible truths are its central concern. …
Scotland, 2004, 11 min.
Christmas is a battlefield for Rory and his divorcing parents in this beautiful and elegantly told story. …
Canada, 2004, 79 min.
Set amid the violent ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka 15 years ago, NO MORE TEARS SISTER brings the passion and courage of renowned human rights activist Dr. Rajani Thiranagama to life. An inspiring portrait of a revolutionary woman, professor and mother, and her dangerous pursuit of justice. …
Denmark, 2002, 103 min.
Devastated when her fiancée is paralyzed in an accident, Cecilie turns to a hospital doctor for support. Things become complicated when she discovers the doctor’s wife was the driver in the accident. A candid and painful look at interpersonal emotional dynamics in the face of tragedy. …
Australia, 2004, 91 min.
Enchanting romantic comedy. When a truly ingenious heist to goes wrong, 23-year-old Jack travels north to recover the money. He discovers a world of tight-knit eccentrics including Pearl, a local girl with a reputation, to whom Jack becomes irresistibly attracted. …
USA, 2005, 78 min.
What ever happened to whistling? This oddball doc celebrates the joyous pastime, introducing us to several passionate puckerers who journey to Louisburg, North Carolina to compete in the 31st Annual National Whistling Competition. SPELLBOUND meets BEST IN SHOW in this funny and entertaining study of competitive hobbies and simple pleasures. Whistler Steven Herbst scheduled to attend …
See what happens when the government cracks down on a low-powered community FM radio station. …
Canada, 2005, 90 min.
One day when Sabah, 40, least expects it, she falls in love with the wrong man. She's Muslim, he's not. Unbeknownst to her family, she goes on a whirlwind affair before both culture and love collide. An entertaining, Syrian MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING set in Toronto. Director Ruba Nadda scheduled to attend both screenings …
USA, 2005, 91 min.
Wil is a successful surgeon and dutiful daughter who has just begun a clandestine lesbian relationship with a ballet dancer. When her 48-year-old mother announces she’s pregnant and moving in, the worlds of family, love, lust and secrets unfold in this infectiously sexy and heartfelt romantic comedy about what it means to live life honestly. Director Alice Wu scheduled to attend both screenin …
Germany, 2004, 98 min.
This delightful new feature from the director of MOSTLY MARTHA (SIFF 2001) revolves around an endearing six-year-old who prefers wearing his tiger costume to playing with other kids. His life is changed when he meets a talking dog on the run from his evil new caretakers. Like a good live-action Disney film, this is heartwarming family fun. …
2004, 96 min.
Colombia’s 40-year national conflict has translated into brutal turf wars in the barrios. This stunning documentary profiles three young people whose lives are defined by violence. LA SIERRA captures unbelievable scenes—from shoot-outs to intimate moments of love and pain—for an unflinching portrait of life in constant conflict. …
Australia, 2004, 106 min.
When teenage Heidi’s sexploits make life at home too hot to handle, she skips town for the more alluring vistas of a ski resort. Tramping her way through several encounters, she finds her way to a room, a job and Joe, a rugged local. But as she starts to gain some balance Joe starts to lose his. …
USA, 2005, 97 min.
A homeless 15-year-old kleptomaniac grifts his way into a Montana household, and disrupts what was once a straight-laced family. Director Melissa Painter rings some effective, startling changes on the standard story of a stranger in a small town, with a strikingly raw, fevered adolescent feel. Director Melissa Painter scheduled to attend both screenings …
USA, 2004, 95 min.
Sam, Steven, and Samantha aren't a MENAGE À TROIS—they're more like a three-person partnership. Shot over the course of eight years, Susan Kaplan takes an objective approach in presenting a "trinogomous" relationship in all its highs and lows—and the situation becomes even more complicated when three becomes four. …
USA, 2005, 75 min.
This impressionistic portrait of legendary Native American poet and activist John Trudell weaves history and politics with personal and poetic musings to find the man behind the icon. TRUDELL explores his life, loss, and contributions—from his work as spokesman for the American Indian Movement (AIM) to his personal artistic expressions. Director Heather Rae scheduled to attend May 20 screenin …
Turkey, 2004, 88 min.
Ayse has effectively concealed her ethnicity and true identity for half a century, starting just after Turkish war of independence. When her sister dies in 1975, a Greek-speaking stranger unlocks memories of her family’s forced deportation, and she embarks on a journey to find her long-lost brother. …
Russia, 2004, 3 min.
A personal journey back home to Russia. A walk past familiar buildings and streets, and a walk into the past, made from still shots while walking. Director Ksenia Oustiougova scheduled to attend both screenings …
Israel, 2004, 96 min.
Every day 500 pieces of heavy machinery transport millions of cubic meters of earth to support the largest engineering project Israel has ever known. WALL features interviews with the Israeli Defense Minister, Arab construction workers, and the Israelis and Arabs who circumvent this highly disputed wall on a daily basis. …
Argentina, 2004, 8 min.
Dueling peanut vendors fight for customers on the streets of New York City. …
USA, 2004, 11 min.
A tale of tragically rigid intolerance in a fundamentalist household, as told by a seemingly disinterested observer. …
USA, 2005, 16 min.
Florida, 1985. Twelve year old Jane's dreamlike summer leads to the pool side discovery of her nascent sexuality just days before her impending baptism. …
USA, 2004, 12 min.
When the self-proclaimed “booty expert” is introduced to the art of media manipulation, his world will never look the same. Director Jesse Epstein scheduled to attend both screenings …
Separating history from myth, director Rapaport explores the aura surrounding the still-controversial erotic novel The Story Of O—why Dominique Aury wrote it, why she used a pen name, and how it impacted the people in her life, particularly longtime lover Jean Paulhan, for whom it was written. …
Netherlands, 2005, 90 min.
A striking document of the revolutionary model opera, brainchild of Madame Mao and virtually the only filmed entertainment for a generation of Communist Chinese. Featuring the artists for whom these musicals were the source of considerable fame, as well as the ultimate cultural crime. …
United Kingdom, 2004, 95 min.
Sally Potter’s highly stylized tome (the dialogue is spoken in verse) is about a love affair between an American/Irish biologist (Joan Allen) and a Lebanese cook (Simon Abkarian). The movie was borne out of Potter’s response to the complex issues of race and politics in the post-9/11 world. Actress Joan Allen scheduled to attend both screenings …
