New Directors Competition
Be at the cutting edge of world cinema and take a little risk in your viewing. This year, seven new international voices have been selected for SIFF’s New Directors Competition. To qualify, the films must be dramatic features, a director’s debut or second feature, and without U.S. distribution at the time of SIFF selection. The films are chosen for their original scripts, innovative cinematography, and unique insights into people, places, and story.
The New Directors jury comprises film industry professionals and journalists who will choose the winning filmmaker during the Festival’s final weekend. The winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards and receive a cash prize of $5,000.
Lonely Voices
Italy | 2022 | 80 min | Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi
April 14 - 24, 2022
A family’s matriarch encounters a new kind of fame and celebrity when she begins teaching cooking lessons over the internet.
Maya Nilo (Laura)
Sweden | 2022 | 102 min | Lovisa Sirén
April 14 - 24, 2022
Two sisters and a teenage daughter fight their way from Stockholm to Portugal in this delightfully messy road movie.
Moneyboys
Austria | 2021 | 120 min | C.B. Yi
April 14 - 24, 2022
A young man leaves his village to become a male escort in the city in this daring depiction of gay life in China.
Softie
France | 2021 | 93 min | Samuel Theis
April 14 - 24, 2022
Sensitive young Johnny discovers a world outside his tough neighborhood when a teacher from the big city takes over his class.
The Staffroom
Croatia | 2021 | 126 min | Sonja Tarokić
April 14 - 24, 2022
An idealistic new guidance counselor runs into mind-game-playing colleagues in an emotional snakepit of a school in Croatia.
Tug of War
Tanzania | 2021 | 90 min | Amil Shivji
April 14 - 24, 2022
A freedom fighter and an Indian-Zanzibari woman fall in love as the island protectorate struggles for independence.
Zero Fucks Given
Belgium | 2021 | 112 min | Emmanuel Marre, Julie Lecoustre
April 14 - 24, 2022
Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color) gives a terrific performance as a carefree low-cost airline flight attendant.