SIFF announces lineup for fifth annual DocFest returning to SIFF Cinema Uptown October 16-23

SEATTLE – SIFF’s fifth annual DocFest will return on October 16 and run through October 23, screening 13 films at SIFF Cinema Uptown and a special Spotlight screening at SIFF Cinema Downtown on October 19. Tickets for the festival–a celebration of documentary films from around the world–are on sale now to SIFF members and go on sale to the general public on September 10.

The SIFF DocFest Audience Award returns for its second year after a successful launch last year. “It has been remarkable to see how SIFF DocFest has grown, and I’m thrilled with the stories we get to bring to our Seattle audience for a fifth year,” says Stan Shields, SIFF’s Associate Director of Festival Programming, “Seattle has one of the most enthusiastic documentary-going audiences in the world, which is what initially inspired us to conceive of this festival. We’ve seen the films we screen here go on to see incredible success, and we can’t wait to see where this year’s films go.”

The 2025 lineup includes a special Spotlight Screening of Speak. at SIFF Cinema Downtown, following five bold young voices as they go on a high-stakes journey to conquer the Super Bowl of public speaking; the SIFF return of the Oscar®-winning team behind 20 Days in Mariupol with Mstyslav Chernov’s Sundance award-winning 2000 Meters to Andriivka; a thrilling ride with a pioneer of skydiving cinematography as he attempts the one stunt that has eluded him throughout his death-defying life in Space Cowboy; and more stories from filmmakers around the world.

Passes for the event are on sale for $100 for SIFF members and $125 for non-members. Tickets for individual screenings are $15 for SIFF members and $20 for non-members (on sale September 8 for members and September 10 for non-members).

Press accreditation for 2025’s DocFest is now open; for access and materials email press@siff.net.

DOCFEST 2025 SCHEDULE & GUESTS:
SIFF Cinema Uptown: Oct. 16-23

Space Cowboy: Thrill to the high-flying story of Joe Jennings, a pioneer of skydiving cinematography and gasp-inducing aerial stunts, as he attempts the one stunt that has eluded him throughout his death-defying life. (USA 2024, 98 min., d: Marah Strauch, Bryce Leavitt)
Thursday, October 16 @ 7:00pm

Runa Simi: A charismatic Peruvian voice actor and his son embark on an extraordinary quest: to dub Disney’s The Lion King into their native language of Quechua, the most widely spoken Indigenous language in South America. (Peru 2025, 86 min., d: Augusto Zegarra)
Friday, October 17 @ 4:45pm

Love+War: Oscar® winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (The Rescue, DocFest 2021) turn their camera on Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Lynsey Addario as she documents the war in Ukraine and reflects on her career spent on the front lines. (USA 2025, 96 min., d: E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)
Friday, October 17 @ 7:00pm

Widow Champion: Fifteen years after being thrown off her land by her in-laws, a Kenyan widow transforms herself into a fierce advocate for women’s land rights in her community, rallying her fellow widows to reclaim their rightful property. (Kenya 2025, 95 min., d: Zippy Kimundu)
Saturday, October 18 @ 1:30pm

25 Cats From Qatar: An American flight attendant embarks on a bold, four-day mission to rescue abandoned cats from the streets of Doha for adoption in the USA in this compelling, heartwarming new film from director Mye Hoang (Cat Daddies, SIFF 2022). (USA 2025, 95 min., d: Mye Hoang)
Saturday, October 18 @ 4:00PM - Director Mye Hoang scheduled to attend. Join us in advance of the screening to meet NEKO Cat Cafe and learn more about their spaces and adoption programs, including a program for cats from Qatar.

Steal This Story, Please!: This riveting portrait of "Democracy Now!"'s Amy Goodman spotlights journalism's power—and peril—amid rising corporate control and political attacks on the press. (USA 2025, 101 min., d: Tia Lessin, Carl Deal)
Saturday, October 18 @ 7:00pm

Speak.: Five bold young voices go on a high-stakes journey to conquer the Super Bowl of public speaking, offering a masterclass in courage, conviction, and the kind of hope that refuses to be silenced. (USA 2025, 103 min., d: Jennifer Tiexiera, Guy Mossman)
Spotlight Screening at SIFF Cinema Downtown - Sunday, October 19 @ 12:00pm - Co-director Guy Mossman, producer Pamela Griner, and special guests scheduled to attend.

A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint: Follow trailblazing trans icon and activist Peppermint’s rise from a struggling Harlem queen to history-making turns on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Broadway, in this documentary that pulls back the curtain on fame, transition, and the cost of living in the spotlight as a Black trans woman. (USA 2025, 87 min., d: Oriel Pe’er)
Sunday, October 19 @ 4:00pm

Cutting Through Rocks: The first elected councilwoman of a remote Iranian village sparks a movement—and mounting backlash—when she urges the area’s young women to question long-held patriarchal traditions in this Sundance award-winning documentary. (Iran 2025, 95 min., d: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni)
Sunday, October 19 @ 7:00pm

Mugaritz: No Bread, No Dessert: Director Paco Plaza takes us behind the closed doors of the legendary, Michelin-starred restaurant Mugaritz, where chef Andoni Luis Aduriz and his inventive team reinvent fine dining with a bold, boundary-pushing new menu each year. (Spain 2024, 95 min., d: Paco Plaza)
Monday, October 20 @ 7:00pm

2000 Meters to Andriivka: The Oscar®-winning team behind 20 Days in Mariupol return with a searing, unvarnished portrait of the toll of the Russia-Ukraine war on Ukrainian soldiers, told from a deeply personal and devastatingly graphic vantage point. Winner of Sundance’s Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary. (Ukraine 2025, 106 min., d: Mstyslav Chernov)
Tuesday, October 21 @ 7:00pm

The Secret of Me: A shocking medical discovery turns a college student’s life upside-down in this gripping film from the team behind Three Identical Strangers. (UK 2025, 97 min., d: Grace Hughes-Hallett)
Wednesday, October 22 @ 7:00pm - Subject Jim Ambrose scheduled to attend

Sun Ra: Do the Impossible: A kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary jazz musician, composer, and poet known as Sun Ra and the musical, historical, and philosophical currents that shaped him. (USA 2025, 84 min., d: Christine Turner)
Thursday, October 23 @ 5:00pm

Cover-Up: Urgent and deeply reported, Laura Poitras (All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, DocFest 2022) and Mark Obenhaus (“Frontline”) profile renowned investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in this arresting reflection on power and accountability. (USA 2025, 117 min., d: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus)
Thursday, October 23 @ 7:30pm

Press inquiries, materials, and interview requests can be made at press@siff.net.

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About SIFF:
Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, then expanding into year-round programming, SIFF is a 501c3 cultural arts organization dedicated to the creation of vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education. SIFF envisions a thriving arts ecosystem where film discovery encourages a more empathetic, joyful, and connected world.

In its four theaters, SIFF offers year-round screenings, Film Talks, and a series of spotlight festivals throughout the year. SIFF also serves the community through educational programs and SIFFsupports, a partnership program that hosts and provides technical support to a variety of special screenings and festivals.

For showtimes and event updates, visit siff.net.