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Seattle Film and Music Blog

SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SEES RECORD TICKET SALES

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Seattle Times
The 36th annual Seattle International Film Festival ended Sunday on a high note — with a record number of tickets sold. Artistic director Carl Spence said Thursday that SIFF’s all-time box office record was surpassed “a few days ago.” He attributed the festival’s success to several factors: a popular array of programming; a recent Wallace Foundation Grant that allowed SIFF to more precisely target its audience; a general weakness in summer box-office this year (resulting in less competition from the multiplexes for SIFF’s fare); a concentrated effort by SIFF staff to make the festival accessible to mainstream audiences. “And the rain,” he added. “That helps, too.” Managing director Deborah Person added that dozens of films sold out, even though SIFF showed more screenings (though fewer films) than in previous years. She also noted that this year, SIFF’s education programs “blew through the roof,” reaching 8,000 local students during the festival’s three and a half weeks. To read more about the closing weekend of SIFF, follow the above link.

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CHECK OUT THE BEHIND THE SCENES OF SIFF OPENING NIGHT RED CARPET WITH NANCY GUPPY

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Seattle Channel
Check out this special edition of Art Zone with Nancy Guppy as she goes behind the scenes at SIFF Opening Night to get the dish on the festival, the fashion, and of course, the films. Lots of great interviews here with local filmmakers, SIFF Program Director Beth Barrett, and Mayor Mike McGinn. Be sure to watch the Mayor give a shout out to the Office of Film + Music around the 10:00 minute mark!

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SEATTLE TIMES ANNOUNCES THE THREE-MINUTE MASTERPIECE WINNERS

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Seattle Times
For nearly a decade, Seattle Times readers have responded to the Three-Minute Masterpiece digital-film contest with short films of romance, intrigue and suspense. This year, they made things a little harder on would-be auteurs: filmmakers were required to use mobile phones instead of camcorders. Contest winners, chosen by judges from The Seattle Times and Seattle International Film Festival, can be viewed at the above link. Check out the 11 winning films on the big-screen at a free public viewing at 11:00 am on May 31, at SIFF Cinema.

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SEATTLE WEEKLY PROFILES SIFF 2010’S NORTHWEST OFFERINGS

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Seattle Weekly
Each year, SIFF sets aside an undetermined number of slots in its massive schedule for locals. In the films there is an untutored love for cinema shines through their efforts—the enthusiasm, the persistence, the determination to make their movie so far from Hollywood with such remote chances of ever getting a theatrical release. The festival is the goal, and since SIFF is the largest film festival in the U.S., it’s a worthy one. Seattle Weekly profiles two of the Northwest-created films that will be screening at SIFF this year: Senior Prom and Perfect 10. Senior Prom is a story about the teenagers at Mountlake Terrace High School nervously preparing for the prom, a mockumentary improvised and performed by students at that same school, directed by 17-year-old Nicholas Terry. And Perfect 10, written and directed by husband-and-wife filmmakers Kris and Lindy Boustedt, follows two women nervously preparing to go back to their central Washington high school for a 10-year class reunion. Read the full feature at the above link.

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LOCALLY MADE DOCUMENTARIES SHOWCASED AT SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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Seattle Times
Hundreds of tales will be told at the Seattle International Film Festival some of which are true, and a few of which are from our own backyard. The Northwest Connections program this year features five documentaries, four of which are about the Northwest arts scene. Wheedle’s Groove and Amplified Seattle focus on local music of the past and present; Ginny Ruffner — A Not-So-Still Life and Chihuly Fire & Light are portraits of local visual artists. “Seattle has such a rich arts scene, it provides perfect fodder for some interesting stories,” said SIFF artistic director Carl Spence. He noted that the documentary section of the festival has grown dramatically, estimating that the number of nonfiction films submitted has tripled in the past decade. This year, he said, 467 were submitted; not counting the numerous films that were viewed and considered from other festivals. Ultimately, 54 feature-length documentaries will screen, including the five from the Northwest. Read the full round-up at the above link.

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KEXP PROFILES 2010 SIFF’S MUSIC FILM SERIES, FACE THE MUSIC

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KEXP
KEXP recently spoke with SIFF’s Beth Barrett and Clare Canzoneri (former Office of Film + Music intern!) about 2010 Seattle International Film Festival’s lineup of music films and live performances that are part of their Face The Music series. Started in 2005, this year’s series will feature the deep histories on Brazilian music; the gospel and reggae music cultures; a loving ode to Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields; an examination of David Byrne’s and Brian Eno’s creative partnership and live energy; and a pair of identical twin lesbian yodelers from New Zealand. Canzoneri, programming coordinator who focused specifically on curating Face The Music says of this year’s selections, “As a whole, the eight films in Face the Music this year are both an insight into the private lives and public personas of iconic musicians, and a broad celebration of the joys of music, as cheesy as that may sound – from yodeling twins to the bond between Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson to the joy that hits like “Rivers of Babylon” still bring to its creators and fans almost 40 years after its conception.” Read the full interview at the above link.

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CHECK IT OUT: SIFF 2010 FESTIVAL TRAILER

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APPLY TO BE A YOUTH JUROR FOR SIFF 2010

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SIFF
Youth film lovers are invited to apply to be a youth juror at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival. There are two juries: Films4Families (grades 3-7) and FutureWave (grades 8-12). Five youth in each film program will be chosen to watch all of the films in selected competition programs (not more than eight) and award the Grand Jury Prize for Best Youth Film at the SIFF 2010 Golden Space Needle Awards on June 13. The deadline to apply is March 25. For more information or to complete your application, follow the above link.

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