SIFF to Eastside: Drop Dead
Posted May 1, 2008 at 8:31 pm by Brian Miller
Today's press launch for the 34th annual Seattle International Film Festival confirmed a few facts and omitted a few key points. We already knew that the WTO movie Battle in Seattle would be opening the fest, which runs May 22 through June 15. Today we got the more-or-less final list of titles. All that info, plus the actual schedule, should go live on SIFF's Web site on Thurs. May 8 (when the Times also publishes its "guide," i.e. the canned and uniformly positive blurbs written by SIFF). Our more critical SIFF guide comes out Wed. May 21.
Today was a chance to hear festival director Carl Spence and his minions read highlights from three-by-five notecards, watch a few trailers, and see a movie. Earlier this week, however, I sat down for coffee with the gang and heard a very surprising admission from Spence, indicating a trend I never though SIFF would consider. Which you can read after the jump...
SIFF is getting smaller this year, Spence told me, as tallied by the actual number of features, docs, and shorts in the fest. His rough count now—to be confirmed by May 8—is around 242 movies (shorts excluded), down from around 287 last year.
This is news. For years, loyal SIFFgoers (myself included) have complained about festival bloat—too many movies to see, and screened at venues too far-flung to see efficiently.
Well, the SIFFmeisters apparently heard that latter kvetch, too. The fest has retreated from the Eastside, where Lincoln Square was one of its primary venues last year. Excluding the one-off venues for special events, this year's primary circuit will be: Egyptian, Harvard Exit, Pacific Place, Uptown (it's back!), and SIFF Cinema itself. By my count, that's five. Northwest Film Forum will run one week of SIFF programming May 23-30. We also get the Cinerama back for the last three days of the fest (taking an unprofitable hiatus, no doubt, from Indiana Jones IV—than you, Paul Allen).
As Spence explained over coffee, this gives SIFF a smaller footprint this year—meaning less schlepping and scurrying between tightly scheduled screenings, less commuting and downtime. Great, we're all in favor. But on the downside, Bellevue and other Eastside residents will have to brave traffic, then parking, to get to our metropolitan cluster of screens.
And what about the U District? Gone this year is the Neptune. Meaning for students and other North End dwellers, they, too, will have to head farther south for SIFF. Last year, Neptune included, there were six primary venues. Now all five are downtown and on Cap Hill.
Does this give SIFF a smaller carbon footprint? I'm no scientist, but I'll say yes. Unless, of course, you don't live within the privileged green circle of screens.
May 6 Addendum
Reading some of the comments below, it's clear that Eastsiders want to see good movies, and don't appreciate having to drive across the lake to do so. Downtown Bellevue is booming, and the now-shuttered Bellevue Galleria—which always had trouble booking good flicks—is being converted to more profitable office space. Lincoln Square enjoys a better location, and is attached by skybridge to Bellevue Square (and all its free parking), though I find the place pretty charmless.
Where else can you see a movie in the 425 area code? The closure of Redmond Town Center came as a surprise to me. Smaller venues like Kirkland Parkplace and the Big Picture Redmond continue to eke out business. The Factoria and Crossroads multiplexes are showing their age, and development pressures may soon bring condos and/or commercial buildings to those sites. Totem Lake was showing Bollywood movies when I last checked—does anyone know its situation now?
Years ago, though few may remember, there was an Eastside Film Festival held—just once? in 1997?—at Meydenbauer Center, which I recall having a fairly decent screen and good sightlines. (Another plus: it's closer to the transit hub, though that couldn't save Bellevue Galleria.) In fact, I'm pretty sure I was the only member of the press to attend the weekend fest, making me its best customer. It was organized by Cinema Seattle, the parent of SIFF.
But here, I think, is the crux issue for Eastside filmgoers: Though population density is increasing, 425-ers still live in a much more child- and family-centric suburban milieu. Parents, with most of them both working, return home tired after long days at the office (plus the dreadful cross-lake commute, if they're so unlucky). Do they really want to hire a babysitter, then turn around and go out again to see a movie? This is why prosperous households have home entertainment centers with giant flat-screen TVs for Netflix, cable, and on-demand.
The Eastside isn't a Stepford-style cultural wasteland. I'm sure plenty of cineastes over there own the entire Criterion Collection of DVDs. And everything shown at SIFF eventually makes its way to video, especially if you own a multi-region DVD player. (By contrast, we in Seattle live with greater population density, fewer children per household, shorter commute times, more and closer cinema locations, and—many of us—in small apartments and condos that we are delighted to escape for a movie.)
And to clarify a cheeky headline, yes, Carl Spence of SIFF did mention that the fest hopes to return to the Eastside. I have no doubt he's sincere. The real challenge for him and all 425-dwelling moviegoers, for all the factors cited above, is finding such a venue.
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Cover Story: Critical Mass
Comments
SIFF hopes to return to the Eastside in 2009. Despite extensive outreach efforts, we were not able to secure a venue on the Eastside this year.
The Bellevue Galleria and the Redmond Town Center Cinemas unexpectedly closed in the last few months. The closures came as a surprise, caused a theater shortage and did not give us enough time to find an alternative venue when we were notified that Lincoln Square Cinemas could not accommodate us.
Carl Spence, Artistic Director, SIFF
Posted May 5, 2008 at 9:57 am by Carl SpenceMaybe I'm reading the name wrong, but I thought it was the Seattle International Film Festival not the Bellevue Film Festival or the Renton, or whatever other Eastside suburb you want to throw in there.
Posted May 5, 2008 at 1:23 pm by TylerDrop Dead Fred is an underated flick. Did you know that the steamboat Janie lived on is an actual residence! You just don't see things like this in Bellevue.
Posted May 6, 2008 at 10:40 am by TobyBring the festivals to Renton! We have lots of good theaters and dining. I just saw Iron Man on Friday with my boyfriend! I guess it is a remake of a comic or something but I liked it!
Posted May 6, 2008 at 10:54 am by Tammyfilm is made of celluloid, and is a series of pictures projected at high speed to produce a "moving" image. who cares where it was made?
Posted May 6, 2008 at 1:06 pm by BruceHere in the Issaquah Highlands we are getting a new movie theater and a Swedish hospital. It would be cool if SIFF came out here and then it could grow to the Western Washington International Film Festival, or WWIFF. The tag could be "Catch a WWIFF!!" or something like that.
Posted May 6, 2008 at 1:26 pm by CreedWhat is a SIFF?
Posted May 6, 2008 at 1:27 pm by tacoNo SIFF on the Eastside?!This is news. For years, loyal SIFFgoers (myself included) have complained about festival bloat — too many movies to see, and screened at venues too far-flung to see efficiently.
Posted May 6, 2008 at 3:12 pm by JAMWhat we need is a gas tax holiday so that we don't feel bad about driving around so gosh darn much to see these movies! I mean... I mean sh*t! Come on.
Posted May 6, 2008 at 3:37 pm by BruceI am a 26yr old Bellevue transplant recently relocated from Seattle. Bellevue is a great city. I recently saw local celeb Steve Pool at the piano bar in Daniel's broiler. With gas prices these days you can't afford to drive to the movies!
Posted May 6, 2008 at 4:20 pm by DonHello fellow cineasties! I have Salo on Criterion Collection DVD! If you don't know what that means then you must hate movies.
Posted May 6, 2008 at 7:22 pm by Bobbydoes anyone else in north bend have a problem with netflix throttling accounts. i have a 4 at a time account but have fools gold on a very long wait for 2 weeks. any other northbenders in these strights?
Posted May 6, 2008 at 11:17 pm by BradI think ultimately a SIFF expansion to the Eastside is bad news due to the shear size of the Eastside. Heck I could walk to the Egyptian from Harvard Exit and back with no worries. However getting from Woodinville to Renton is no small feat, so if SIFF stays true to it's name, people will have a much easier time seeing more great films.
Posted May 7, 2008 at 8:18 am by OscarFor those of you who are interested, Bellevue used to have a film festival years ago. Infact it was an incredibly ambitious experimental film festival. One of the largest and most respected in the nation.
I say, if the East Side wants a festival, they should take up the torch and make one. I mean, if you really look at it, SIFF is still bloated and missing the best work screening in other major festivals. Someone could do a much better job.
Posted May 7, 2008 at 10:41 am by apttitleI have been going to SIFF every year since I was 28 and my favorite venue was The Neptune in the U-district. I am saddened that it will not be used this year. The Neptune is right next to a Chipotle restaurant. I would easily smuggle a chicken burrito (fajita style) and a few cans of soda to all the movies I attended at the Neptune. The secret to sneaking food into the Neptune is to bring a big jacket and stuff you pockets full.
Posted May 7, 2008 at 12:53 pm by BrianHey Eastsiders! Here are some instructions on how to sneak food into a theater with a bag. Works much better than the jacket trick...
Step 1 - Decide what bag you will use to sneak in food and drinks. Ladies: a large purse will work nicely. Men: a backpack or shopping bag from a nearby store should suffice.
Step 2 - Purchase food and drink that will easily fit in your bag of choice and still leave some space at the top of the bag. Individually wrap snacks and put into small plastic bags. Select unopened drinks with caps not pull tabs.
Step 3 - Place food into the bottom of the bag. Place something on top of the food such as a sweater, wallet, tissues, folded papers, a book or another other item or combination of items that would naturally be in your bag.
Step 4 - Carry your bag as nonchalantly as possible. Do not get out your food and drinks until the previews have started and the theater is darkened.
Note: If asked to open your bag, hold your bag at a distance from the employee and open. If the employee tries to touch your things pull back and say you are not comfortable with people going through your stuff.
Posted May 7, 2008 at 1:56 pm by TammyI am a 44 year old divorced white male from Bothell, Washington. I like going to the movies. I just got video on demand from Comcast, which features a HD channel and was enjoying a rather crisp copy of Citizen Kane the other day. How do they make older movies in HD when they are too old to have been shot in HD?
Posted May 7, 2008 at 2:57 pm by MikeNow that Blu-Ray has won the format war over HD, will they make Blu-Ray projectors for film festivals? SIFF could gain a lot of exposure from being technologically advanced and having Blu-Ray showings. I don't know anything about this Eastside argument people are making, but I have a whole stack of Blue-Ray discs and a cord of wood here in Magnolia so I'm set. Bring on the weather!
Posted May 7, 2008 at 4:13 pm by TobyI overheard at the Rosebud tonight that they will be showing some cuttingroom floor footage of "10 Things I Hate About You" at the festival this year. It was the breakout film for Heath Ledger and his best work before Brokeback (and Joker). Trivia: Many talented Port Orchard thespians were extras in that film. RIP Mr. Ledger.
Posted May 8, 2008 at 1:44 am by RussTalk about festival bloat. What about celebrity bloat?! Charlize Theron who will make a Seattle visit during SIFF this year gained 30 pounds for her role in the film Monster!
Posted May 8, 2008 at 2:41 pm by Brian the BrainSorry Toby but Blu-Ray has not won the format war yet! Microsoft, a little company from the Eastide has plans to continue to use HD DVD as it is the superior format due to lack of Sony's crazy DRM! I own a HD player and a modest catalog of films. No complaints.
Posted May 9, 2008 at 9:42 am by CreedThe Eastide has ticky tacky houses and filled with ticky tacky people who hate movies! Move to Bremerton people.
Posted May 9, 2008 at 6:00 pm by Joshua