SIFF 2012 Festival Preview: Asian & Middle Eastern Film Picks

The 2012 Seattle International Film Festival begins on May 17th, 2012! In the next few days, we will be providing film previes for our top SIFF picks of the year. You can see all of this year’s coverage HERE. Times and dates are subject to change, so please visit siff.net before heading to theatres, or see HERE for all SIFF-related coverage.

 


A CUBE OF SUGAR

Iran
Directed by Reza Mirkarimi

An extended family gathers for the youngest daughter’s wedding, but not all goes as planned. A glowing pastel canvas and sensual score are dreamy counterpoints to the anxieties and celebrations of three generations.

May 22nd @ 6:00pm, Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center
June 1st @ 6:30pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown
June 6th @ 9:30pm, Harvard Exit

 

11 FLOWERS

China/France
Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai

A Chinese film that follows an 11-year-old boy through his life. Set during the waning years of the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong’s rule, acquaintance with a fugitive from the law. Set during the

May 18th @ 4:30pm, Harvard Exit
May 21st @ 6:00pm, Harvard Exit


ABU, SON OF ADAM

India
Directed by Salim Ahmed

Struggling to meet the financial needs for his much-desired life-long journey to Mecca, a religious man must decide how to make his important religious pilgrimage happen without sacrificing his own dignity or steering away his own moral compass.

May 24th @ 8:30pm, Harvard Exit
May 30th @ 9:00pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown


CHOKED

South Korea
Directed by Kim Joo-Hyun

Materialism and status in lower middle class South Korea are filtered through the experiences of Kwon Youn-ho, tasked with resolving his family’s descent into debt hell.

June 3rd @ 5:45pm, Harvard Exit
June 7th @ 4:00pm, Harvard Exit
June 10th @ 8:30pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown


GOLDEN SLUMBERS

United States
Directed by Davy Chou

Cambodia produced 400 films between 1960 and 1975, but only a handful of these artistic works survived the Khmer rouge’s devastating reign. Filmmaker Davy Chou awakens the once-magnificent industry through archival material and deep insight.

May 30th @ 6:00pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 31st @ 3:30pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown


GOODBYE

Iran
Director Mohammad Rasoulof

Dark and sinister, the portrait of Iranian injustice through the character of Noora, a beautiful young lawyer denied an increasing number of rights.

May 20th @ 11:30am, SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 21st @ 6:30pm, AMC Pacific Place 11
May 26th @ 1:30pm, AMC Pacific Place 11


HEADSHOT

Thailand
Directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Cop, monk, or assassin? In this riveting cinematic noir spectacle, a cop-turned-hitman is struck in the head by a bullet and sees the world upside-down with a flashback and forward blur of drug busts, scheming lawyers and seductive women.

May 24th @ 9:00pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 27th @ 4:00pm, AMC Pacific Place 11


I WISH

Japan
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

A moving study of two brothers, divvied up by divorced parents, who dream of reuniting their family through a bullet-train line. A children’s film with a touch of adult supervision that miraculously holds a lifetime’s range of experience.

June 3rd @ 6:30pm, Egyptian Theatre
June 6th @ 4:00pm, Egyptian Theatre


THE LAST FRIDAY

Jordan/United Arab Emirates
Directed by Yahya Alabdallah

Divorced and demoted, taxi driver Yousef struggles to make ends meet. When a health crisis looms, he tries to reconnect with his estranged family in this subtle, understated drama, tinged with black humor and stylish minimalism.

May 25th @ 6:00pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown
May 27th @ 11:00am, AMC Pacific Place 11
June 2nd @ 9:30pm, Harvard Exit

 

Watch Trailer on SIFF Website


LITTLE TOYS

China
Directed by Sun Yu

Sun Yu’s 1933 silent, starring silent screen queen Ruan Lingyu as a toymaker in a highly political climate, offers a rare glimpse into the Chinese leftist film movement. Legendary musician Donald Sosin performs a live piano score.

May 26th @ 2:30pm, Harvard Exit


THE MIRROR NEVER LIES

Indonesia
Directed by Kamila Andini

The Mirror Never Lies provides a close look at Indonesian island life.

June 9th @ 9:00pm, Harvard Exit
June 10th @ 2:30pm, Harvard Exit


ONLY YESTERDAY

Japan
Directed by Isao Takahata

A previously unreleased animation from Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, Only Yesterday runs throguh the memories of a young 20-something-year-old girl.

May 19th @ 11:00am, Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center
May 23rd @ 6:30pm, Egyptian Theatre


REMINGTON THE MOVIE: ZOMBADINGS

Philippines
Directed by Jade Castro

A gender-bending horror-comedy.

May 20th @ 8:30pm, Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center
June 1st @ 9:30pm, Egyptian Theatre
June 2nd @ 2:30pm, Egyptian Theatre


THE SORCEROR AND THE WHITE SNAKE

Hong Kong/China
Directed by Tony Siu-Tung Ching

When Xu Xian falls into a mountain lake, a beautiful woman comes to his rescue. Unbeknownst to him, she is a centuries old snake demon with the ability to change form, but she cannot hide her true self from the sorcerer Fa Hai (Jet Li).

June 5th @ 9:15pm, Egyptian Theatre
June 8th @ 6:00pm, Kirkland Performance Center


VALLEY OF THE SAINTS

India/United States
Directed by Musa Syeed

A story of environmental destruction intersecting with love. Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Audience Award.

May 18th @ 9:00pm, Harvard Exit
May 19th @ Noon, Harvard Exit
June 3rd @ 6:00pm, Kirkland Performance Center

Ω

Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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