Calendar
Holiday High Notes
Dec 04, 2011
(Various directors and countries, 50 min)
This annual concert at Northwest Film Forum is the perfect way to usher in the holiday season with equal parts nostalgia and bright anticipation for the future. Join us as we welcome the renowned Northwest Boychoirs to our cinema to sing in joyful accompaniment to vintage holiday film footage, lending angelic voices and a sophisticated seasonal repertoire as the soundtrack to a cinematic wonderland of silent film Santas, animated elves and giddy children from days gone by.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter
Additional dates added by popular demand!
Nov 25 - Dec 14, 2011
(Jason Cohn, Bill Jersey, 2011, DigiBeta, 81 min)
The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are widely regarded as America’s most important designers. But their personal lives and influence on significant events in American life—from the development of modernism to the rise of the computer age—has been less widely understood. Narrated by James Franco, Eames: The Architect and the Painter is the first film dedicated to these creative geniuses and their work.
"Delightful...will engage you from start to finish." —The Stranger
"4 stars! Superb...an extraordinary and enjoyable history of how two people influenced so much of our thinking and surroundings today." —Seattle Times
Dragonslayer
Seattle premiere! *Please note updated showtimes
Director in attendance Saturday
Dec 02 - Dec 07, 2011
(Tristan Patterson, 2011, USA, Blu-ray, 85 min)
Director Tristan Patterson brings an intimate, cinematic look into the life of 23-year-old skate legend Josh “Skreech” Sandoval with this verité-style documentary. While following Skreech around Fullerton, California, the film captures a special time in the lives of SoCal youth—skating in abandoned swimming pools, experimenting with drugs, experiencing first loves and the effect of broken homes.
"SW Pick: Patterson's one-of-a-kind hybrid captures a socio-historical moment with the kind of charged authenticity that only comes from a willingness to embrace contradictions: It's discursive and hypnotic, laconic and urgent." —Seattle Weekly
The Man Nobody Knew
Seattle premiere! *Please note updated showtimes
Dec 03 - Dec 08, 2011
(Carl Colby, 2011, USA, 35mm, 104 min)
Carl Colby has often been told that his father William Colby, the Director of Central Intelligence from 1973-1976, was a murderer. “My immediate reaction used to be: you don’t know what you’re talking about,” he explains. “And then I’d find myself thinking: was he?” InThe Man Nobody Knew, Emmy award-winning director and producer Carl Colby considers the life of his father, both in William Colby’s role as an often-distant family member and as a man criticized for actions, which included deadly covert operations that classified him as a war criminal.
“SW Pick: Respectful, loving, but never lionizing, Carl’s thorough investigation transcends his personal catharsis to become an enduring treatise on how character flaws affect policy." —Seattle Weekly
Alternatives to Hollywood
Oct 24 - Dec 05, 2011
We will consider different filmmaking styles or “languages," alternative stories, and how outside the Hollywood system filmmakers have explored images, worlds, ideas and concerns that parallel writing, painting and other art movements of the past century. We will look at and discuss films by such great filmmakes as Vittorio de Sica, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Bresson, Ross McElwee, Jim Jarmusch, Won Kar-Wai, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Claire Denis, Gus Van Sant and Richard Linklater.
The Somewhere Girls: Don't Assume I Cook
Dec 08 - Dec 10, 2011
What does it take to break through to success? Don't Assume I Cook is a romp through a woman's mind, aided by The Somewhere Girls; Janna Wachter, chanteuse, Victoria Jacobs, dancer and Jamie Maschler on accordion. Through film, animation, puppetry, interview, atmosphere, song and dance, The Somewhere Girls explore the perpetual perplexing problem of perfection and create a world where cooking skills are not a prerequisite.
The Last Picture Show
New 35mm print!
Dec 09 - Dec 11, 2011
(Peter Bogdanovich, 1971, USA, 35mm, 127 min)
Peter Bogdanovich’s breakthrough achievement is a gorgeous black-and-white picture that melds classical Hollywood style with decidedly post-Production Code themes. The director proves especially attuned to actors, from the staggering beauty of Cybill Shepherd to the exquisite emotional subtlety of veterans Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson, who both earned Academy Awards for their roles. The film focuses on two generations trapped in a desolate Texas town. When not shooting pool or watching movies, folks fill the void by listening to Hank Williams, Lefty Frizell and Hank Snow, and by engaging in sexual escapades that leave a trail of broken hearts.
"The greatest movie ever made!" —The Stranger
The Love We Make
Co-Presented by Seattle Theatre Group Sponsored by Easy Street Records
Dec 11, 2011
(Albert Maysles, Bradley Kaplan, 2011, USA, Blu-ray, 94 min)
Directed by Albert Maysles- the man behind the camera for Grey Gardens, the Beatles' first U.S. visit in 1964, and the Rolling Stones'Gimme Shelter, which captured the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival – and Bradley Kaplan, The Love We Make follows Paul McCartney through the streets of New York City in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks as he organizes an all-star benefit concert, The Concert for New York City.
Next Dance Cinema
Dec 12, 2011
Now in its sixth year, this evening of independent dance films will enchant and engage dance and film lovers alike. Co-presented with Velocity Dance Center.
The Visual Language of Herbert Matter
Seattle Premiere!
Dec 13 - Dec 15, 2011
(Reto Caduff, 2010, Switzerland, DigiBeta, 80 min)
This new documentary is a revealing look at the fascinating life story of the highly influential mid-century modern design master. Known as a quintessential "designer's designer," Swiss born Herbert Matter is largely credited with expanding the use of photography as a design tool and bringing the semantics of fine art into the realm of applied arts. In today's commercialized and over saturated design world, Reto Caduff (Charlie Haden: Rambling Boy, A Crude Awakening) lets luminaries such as Robert Frank, Massimo Vignelli, Alvin Eisenmann, Steven Heller, Elaine Lustig Cohen and others explain why Matter still matters.
"You do not need to be a professional designer or some such expert to enjoy this documentary about one of the greatest graphic designers of the 20th century." —The Stranger
Happy Hour Saloon
Enjoy drink specials from 5-6:30!
Nov 17 - Feb 16, 2012
This Thursday, please join NWFF and special guest Xan Aranda, Director of Andrew Bird: Fever Year for happy hour drinks. Film lovers and film makers: Come out to the Saloon -- make new acquaintance and mingle with old friends! As always, our hand-selected wines and beers are $1 off (which makes beer $3, house wine $4 and wine specials $6).
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
Seattle Premiere!
Dec 16 - Dec 22, 2011
(John Foy, 2011, USA, HDCam, Blu-ray, 85 min)
For many, the hundreds of cryptic plaques embedded in the asphalt of streets across the United States and South America are just another detail in their day-to-day scenery. For John Foy, his documentary team and outsider artist Justin Duerr, they are a compelling gateway to a decades-old mystery. Foy's directorial debut, Resurrect Dead brings viewers a rare and earnest look into the enigmatic Toynbee Tiles as Foy attempts to understand what the tiles might mean and find the artist who made them. Over the course of the investigation, however, Foy skillfully shifts the film's focus from the increasingly strange trajectory of his team's cultural detective work to the personal connection they develop with finding answers to their questions. This intriguing documentary debuted at the Sundance 2011 U.S. Documentary Competition, and earned Foy the U.S. Documentary Directing Award.
"It qualifies as one of the really unexpected winners of the movie year" —Everett Herald
"Remarkably sincere...works splendidly as a threadbare urban mystery, teasing out details and complications without withholding too much information." —Seattle Weekly
"Recommended: The director clearly knows how to build a suspenseful atmosphere." —The Stranger
"Along the way "Resurrect Dead" emerges as being about something other than the Toynbee tiles: the fascination we have with the unknowable, and the way that we can both want an answer and not want it — because an answer means the end of the trail." —Seattle Times
Wild Man Blues
Co-presented by STG - Seattle Theatre Group
Dec 18, 2011
(Barbara Kopple, 1997, USA, 106 min)
In anticipation of his appearance at the Paramount, we present this documentary about Woody Allen's glorious jazz ensemble. In the hands of political filmmaker Barbara Kopple (who won two Oscars for her epics American Dream and Union Movement) Wild Man Blues shows us Woody Allen at work and play in his elements, putting on jazz concerts and traveling across Europe. Inevitably, moments that reveal an unguarded Woody Allen appear in the film, referencing his controversial past and personal relationships.
Holiday Party
Free! Special thanks to Elysian Brewing Company
Dec 19, 2011
Featuring the delightful Nancy Guppy as Santa — who will sit on your lap this year and judge the city’s only real eggnog competition. Spin the dreidel in our back hallway gambling match. Let the Sprockettes take you into a wonderland. Join us in the cinema for some hysterical holiday television surprises. And rejoice in the merriment that is late December as the Film Forum hosts its annual holiday party. Bring fun and friends. And a dish — it’s a potluck!
Discarded Treasures
Dec 20, 2011
(Ethan Steinman, 2010, USA/Argentina, 90 min)
Spend a year in the lives of Blanca and her children, living on the fringes of society, scavenging through the remains of Buenos Aires for mere sustenance. This documentary follows the family, sharing their joys and pains, exploring their reality and meeting other scavengers as they fight for their lives.
The Catechism Cataclysm
Dec 20 - Dec 22, 2011
(Todd Rohal, 2011, USA, Blu-ray, 81 min)
In this divinely bizarre and funny tale, wild characters infuse stories within stories until the lines between the Bible, Mark Twain and campfire tales are hilariously blurred. Father Billy (Steve Little), an eccentric young priest, is forced to take a sabbatical by his superiors when he is discovered telling inappropriate parables to his flock. Billy tracks down his high-school idol Robbie (Robert Longstreet), who begrudgingly agrees to a canoe trip. On the water, the two men reminisce about Billy's days as the keyboardist in a Christian band and Robbie's past as a guitarist for a metal band. When night approaches, they realize they have lost their way—and that's when things get really weird.
Summer Pasture
Dec 30 - Jan 05, 2012
(Lynn True Nelson Walker & Tsering Perlo, 2010, Tibet/China, 2011)
This is not your typical “Free Tibet” film. More family drama than political exposé, this documentary of a young nomadic family from eastern Tibet is both intimate and unromantic. Summer Pasture successfully documents a way of life in transition. In a classic example of “show, don’t tell,” no filmic commentary explains the situation, yet the harshness of the landscape and political conditions are undeniably evident.