Calendar
The Selfish Giant
Seattle premiere!
Jan 17 - Jan 22, 2014
(Clio Barnard, United Kingdom, 2013, DCP, 91 min)
A global recession-era take on an Oscar Wilde fable, The Selfish Giant tells the tale of two adolescent boys who get by in their rural central England town by pilfering scrap metal and racing horses. Thirteen year-old Arbor and his best friend Swifty are outsiders, literally living on the outskirts of lavish estates.
Do the Doktor Doolittle
World premiere live performance!
Free treats from KIND Healthy Snacks!
Jan 23 - Feb 01, 2014
(50 min)
Long before Eddie Murphy or even Rex Harrison appeared in the role on the big screen, Lotte Reiniger, a 29-year-old German animator, created the first feature film about Doctor Dolittle and his thrilling journey to Africa. Reiniger’s film, made near the end of the silent film era, is a masterpiece of intricate silhouette-animation techniques that weaves a magical tale of talking animals and the benevolent doctor who understands what they say.
Pajama Party with Recess Monkey
Free snacks from Cupcake Royale and Honest Kids!
Jan 24, 2014
60 min.
Get ready to dance and take part in some serious cupcake consumption! Wear your PJs and fluffy slippers, and bring your favorite stuffed animal along to see Recess Monkey—a nationally acclaimed kindie-rock trio that makes everybody want to get up and boogie.
Paint Me a Story: Animation from Around the Globe
Jan 25 - Feb 01, 2014
(71 min)
Exquisite art meets incredible storytelling in this international collection of animation. You’ll sail the high seas, travel the world, fly to the moon and spy with your little eyes a world of wonders in this program of award-winning shorts.
Mike Says Goodbye
West Coast premiere! Ages 9+. In Dutch, with English subtitles.
Jan 25, 2014
(Maria Peters, The Netherlands, 2012, Live action, 93 min)
Mike is finally released from the hospital after a long and severe illness. But when he arrives home, something is wrong and no one is waiting for him. Mike Says Goodbye is full of adventure and emotional truth about a very determined, resourceful, and unafraid boy, and the lengths to which he will go to help his troubled mother.
Horizon Beautiful
U.S. premiere! Actor Bryan Renzi in attendance Saturday!
Jan 25 - Jan 28, 2014
(Stefan Jäger, Switzerland, 2013, Live action, 91 min)
Swiss soccer magnate Franz travels to Addis Ababa to promote his sport. For Admassu, a determined 12-year-old kid living on the streets, the chance to show off his ball-handling artistry to the big boss himself seems like a magic door to a future as a soccer pro. But nothing goes as planned in this wildly entertaining, moving, and thrill-packed film, shot in the beautiful villages, teeming cities, and breathtaking wilderness of Ethiopia.
Ready, Set, Adventure!
Youth director Hadley Hillel and members of the cast and crew of Under the Bed in attendance Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 screenings!
Jan 25 - Feb 08, 2014
(79 min)
Hang on for the ride with this action-packed program of live action and animated films. Warning! Subject matter includes aliens, robots, sharks, boy choirs run amok, monsters under the bed, music galore and a few mega sugar rushes!
Join us for a post-screening with youth director Hadley Hillel and members of the cast and crew of Under the Bed following the Jan. 25 and Feb. 2 screenings!
Cinema Magic
Jan 25 - Feb 01, 2014
(74 min)
Sometimes, growing up requires a little magic. In these four beautiful live-action films, the common thread is metamorphosis- the moment when young people are able to shift and grow, and see their lives in a new perspective. The kids in these films rise to the challenge, and change right along with their sometimes difficult circumstances.
Path Waves: An Indigenous Showcase
Co-Presented with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and Longhouse Media
Jan 25, 2014
This program invites kids to explore the joys and challenges of Native experience in our world today. Hand-drawn animations, reimagined legends, inquisitive documentaries, and fun youth-made live action stories all come together to spark curiosity about the many rich histories and vibrant cultures of indigenous peoples throughout North America.
Canela
Northwest premiere! Ages 8+. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Jan 25 - Jan 27, 2014
(Jordi Mariscal, Mexico, 2012, Live action, 100 min)
Do you love Mexican cuisine? Then your mouth will water during this charming feature film about a young girl named Maria and her efforts to revive her grandmother’s restaurant and stand up for generations of traditions in the kitchen. Sometimes it takes an intrepid kid to find the ultimate recipe for success.
Earthwise
Jan 25 - Feb 02, 2014
These nine animated and one live action films have been assembled to remind us that our planet is a beautiful place, filled with magnificent creatures and fragile ecosystems, and that its fate hangs in the balance. Let’s change the future!
Experiencia! Films From Latin America
Jan 25, 2014
(77 min)
From poignant stores of friendship, to fantasias about fluttering insects, to a fable of life in the Andes, these films will take you on a journey to beaches, back roads, jungles, mountaintops and bustling cities throughout Latin America.
Take Wing
Jan 26 - Feb 02, 2014
(65 min)
Fly away to a wonderland of international animation created for the festival’s youngest moviegoers! These short films are full of eye-popping color, catchy tunes and sweet stories that will take parents and kids to the moon and back.
Dare To Dream
The Manager of Huayi Brothers Foundation and Producer of “You Don’t Need Eyes to See,” will be in attendance!
Jan 26 - Feb 08, 2014
(67 min)
The boys and girls in these fictional and documentary films are determined to make a difference in the world. Race through a busy day with an Indian student, save animals with a boy from Taiwan, soar through the air with a circus kid, feel your way to creating art with a blind Chinese girl and dance up a storm with a talented teen from The Netherlands.
One of a Kind
Join us on Jan. 26 for post-screening for a conversation with While You Weren’t Looking director and star Jeremy Mackie and Jordi Marquez Twisdale, who will discuss their experiences in the making of the film. We’ll also be joined that day by The Magic Ferret” director Alison Parker and members of her team.
Jan 26 - Jan 31, 2014
(76 min)
Differences make the world go ’round in this program of live action and animated films, filled with characters who learn to celebrate what makes them special.
Kids Take Charge
Jan 26 - Jan 31, 2014
(71 min)
Sometimes, for better or worse, kids have to take matters into their own hands. In this collection of fiction and documentary films, kids face off against the odds by making decisions that are sometimes wise, sometimes brash and always unexpected.
The Zigzag Kid
Jan 26 - Feb 08, 2014
(Vincent Bal, The Netherlands/Belgium, 2012, Live action, 95 min)
A witty, spirited and action-packed adventure about an almost 13-year-old boy and his world of confusions, fears and fantasies. Nono longs to be a good detective like his father, a famous police inspector, but his wild nature constantly gets him into trouble.
Tales that Stand Up Tall
Jan 26 - Feb 08, 2014
(74 min)
Here’s a group of fables, told in stunning animation and live-action. You’ll swim to an enchanted Italian villa, go on a voyage through the night sky, find out why the wily fox doesn’t always win his battles and travel deep inside an ice cave to melt a mystery.
Foreign Letters
Northwest premiere! Ages 9+. In English, Hebrew, and Vietnamese with English subtitles.
Jan 26, 2014
(Ela Thier, USA, 2012, live action, 99 min)
A love letter to the unshakable bond between friends, Foreign Letters is set in the pre-email era of the 1980s. Young Ellie, newly arrived to the US from Israel, waits for letters from her best friend back home as she suffers from homesickness, language difficulties and rejection at school. Her life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age.
Reel World
Jan 26 - Jan 31, 2014
(79 min)
These live-action and animated films will take kids on a trip around the world, to see how people live in dozens of countries. These are documentary and fiction films, but all tell a truth about the world and parts of it we don’t have a chance to see very often.
Gabriel
Northwest premiere! Ages 9+. In Polish with English subtitles.
Jan 26, 2014
(Mikolaj Haremski, Poland, 2013, Live action, 90 min)
Tom, 12, an orphan, lives with his grandparents. Since the death of his mother, Tom spends all his free time in the garage with Raszynski, a mechanic who reaches the boy how to repair and build cars (when he’s not contending with bullies and his nagging need to find his long lost father).
Spotlight on Macedonia
U.S. premiere!
Jan 30, 2014
(75 min)
In this collection of new short films from Macedonia, stories that are distinctly Balkan in flavor come alive. A small girl discovers a way to set her dreams aloft on a sad day. Teen romance blossoms in the hothouse of a dysfunctional family’s front yard. And a tragic tale from Hans Christian Anderson finds new pathos when it is set in modern-day Skopje.
Talk to the Animals
Jan 31 - Feb 01, 2014
(65 min)
If you love critters big and small, come watch them soar, roar, creep and race through this action-packed and colorful program of animation from 10 countries.
Kakooti
U.S. premiere! Ages 10+. In Persian with English subtitles.
Jan 31, 2014
(Mohammad Hassanzadeh Ghomi, Iran, 2012, Live action, 95 min)
Kakooti, a girl of 13, is tenacious: she excels at school, she shops for groceries, and she goes to the city by herself to convince her uncle to repay a loan (securing medical care for her ailing mother). And on top of all this, she must contend with a bully.
Northern Light
World premiere!
Jan 31 - Feb 06, 2014
(Nick Bentgen and Lisa Kjerulff, United States, 2013, Blu-ray, 105 min)
Cinematographer Nick Bentgen makes his directorial debut with Northern Light, a stunningly lensed blue collar portrait and piece of cinéma vérité, infused with the dynamic intensity of a sports film. Shot over the course of several years in the north woods of Michigan, Northern Light explores the lives of three working class families through their dedicated involvement in the world of competitive snowmobile racing. Set against a score of lush strings, snowmobiles roar through cold nights, kicking up swirls of snow that gleam like golden dust in the lights illuminating the ice track.
Pancake Breakfast and Short Film Smorgasbord
Includes breakfast, all-day free parking and a one-hour film program! Sponsored by Whole Foods Market and Bill the Butcher!
Feb 01, 2014
(Screenings at 10:30am and 11am)
Our all-you-can-eat breakfast of fluffy homemade pancakes and sizzling bacon is fun for the whole family! And of course we’ll have gallons of hot coffee on hand for the grown-ups. After breakfast, come to Northwest Film Forum for a special screening of Talk to the Animals, a magical 65 minute program of new animated shorts from 10 countries about critters that soar, leap and race through life.
Windstorm
U.S. premiere! Ages 9+. In German, with English subtitles.
Director Katja von Garnier in attendance!
Feb 01, 2014
(Katja von Garnier, Germany, 2013, Live action, 105 min)
Mika, a rebellious and underachieving teen, is sent by her parents to the countryside to spend the summer with her strict grandmother, who runs a horse stable and riding school. For Mika, who has never taken care of horses before, the days at first seem to stretch on forever. But soon enough, something happens that sparks her true passion and talent: she discovers that she is a horse whisperer who is able to speak to a wild and skittish stallion named Windstorm.
Ricky: Three's a Crowd
U.S. premiere!
Feb 01, 2014
(Kai Stefan Pieck, Germany, 2013, Live action, 88 min)
Little Ricky, aged 10, wants to be just like his older brother, 15-year-old Micha. When he starts spying on a new girl in town, Alex, the two brothers grow close. Then Ricky loses his heart to Alex, and old tensions between the brothers boil up again. When Micha makes an effort to finally win Alex’s affections, he goes one step too far. A story of sibling rivalry, adventure, and redemption.
Buta
Seattle premiere! Ages 9+. In Azeri with English subtitles.
Feb 01, 2014
(Ilgar Najav, Azerbaijan, 2011, live action, 96 min)
This gorgeous, music filled film is a magic carpet ride to far-away Azerbaijan: meet a determined boy named Buta, who must stand up to bullies and find his way in his traditional mountain village.
My Avatar Horse
West Coast premiere! Ages 7+. In Mandarin, with English subtitles.
Film Producer, Lei Zhao, will be in attendance!
Feb 01, 2014
(Hou Keming and Liu Shen, China, 2012, Live action, 95 min)
A Mongolian boy named Husile and his white horse Chagan are inseparable. In the prairie where they live, there is a legend about a shrine, protected by the avatar horse. One day, Husile meets three wise men who come from afar in search of the avatar horse. They are convinced that Changan is the one they are looking for, and they make the promise that a year later they will return to perform a reincarnation ceremony. Husile’s father dismisses the story as just a child’s tale, and decides to move his family to the city and sell Chagan. In order to keep him, Husile and his friends must launch an ingenious and adventurous rescue operation.
Music Craft: Lou Reed
Sponsored by KPLU 88.5!
Feb 06, 2014
(74 min)
Get your Lou Reed fix! Music Craft presents a custom compilation of Lou Reed moments, rock-outs, and makeovers. Included: blondie Lou in Paris, 1974; Nico & John Cale jamming in an apartment, 1972; a "Sing-Along-With-Lou" ad; Lou on The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1984; excerpts from The Velvet Underground Story, 1985.
Sidewalk Stories
New digital restoration!
Feb 07 - Feb 13, 2014
(Charles Lane, United States, 1989, DCP, 98 min)
While riding the subway home late one night after a graveyard shift in 1988, Charles Lane struck up a conversation with a homeless man about that night’s championship boxing match. Two months later, writer-director-star Lane started production on his first feature. A tale of the friendship between a tramp and a little girl, Sidewalk Stories is a black and white silent comedy that deftly pays tribute both to Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid and the human experiences of homelessness on the streets of New York.
The Visitor
New digital restoration!
Two nights only!
Feb 07 - Feb 08, 2014
(Giulio Paradisi, United States/Italy, 1979, DCP, 90 min)
In this unforgettable assault on reality—restored and presented uncut for the first time ever in the United States—legendary Hollywood director/actor John Huston (The Maltese Falcon) stars as an intergalactic warrior who joins a cosmic Christ figure in battle against a demonic 8-year-old girl, and her pet hawk, while the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.
Closing Ceremony + Screening
Awards ceremony + film screening!
Feb 08, 2014
75 min.
We close out the 2014 festival by screening films made during the past week in our festival workshops, announcing the winners of our Children’s Jury Prizes and celebrating with a surprise selection of outstanding short films made by international filmmakers.
Members Only: Season Launch Party
Free member event!
Feb 13, 2014
Film Forum members, please join us on February 13 for open bar, a celebration of our new February/March season, and a "State of Indie Cinema" conversation with our new program director, Courtney Sheehan, local filmmaker Megan Griffiths and James Keblas, former Director of the Office of Film + Music for the City of Seattle.
Trouble Every Day
New 35mm print!
Feb 14 - Feb 19, 2014
(Claire Denis, France, 2001, 35mm, 101 min)
Without question, Trouble Every Day was the most scandalous and shocking film in the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, made all the more stunning coming as it was from celebrated French director Claire Denis, named by the Village Voice as One of the 1990’s Ten Best Directors. Starring Vincent Gallo, Trouble Every Day is a modern-day horror story about a man and a woman, living thousands of miles apart, who are afflicted with the same self-destructive cerebral impairment that affects their sexual appetites.
Mauvais Sang
New digital restoration!
Feb 14 - Feb 20, 2014
(Leos Carax, France, 1986, DCP, 110 min)
Leos Carax began shooting his second feature Mauvais Sang when he was just 25 years old. In order to repay a debt, Marc and Hans, two gangsters, plan to steal the vaccine for the mysterious STBO virus (a direct AIDS reference). To pull off the heist, they call on Alex (Denis Lavant), known as "Chatterbox,” a young and talented conjuror. Alex falls madly in love with Anna (Juliette Binoche), a girl in a white dress he sees on a bus. Only later does he discover that she is Marc’s mistress.
We Are Alive! The Fight to Save Braddock Hospital
Visiting filmmaker Tony Buba!
Feb 16, 2014
(Tony Buba, Tom Dubesnky, United States, 2013, 95 min)
We Are Alive! The Fight To Save Braddock Hospital chronicles a small town’s fight for quality healthcare for all. The residents from Braddock, Pennsylvania waged war against the ten billion dollar non-profit/medical corporate giant University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to keep their community hospital open. Home to a YMCA, a chapel and the town's only restaurant, the hospital employed 630 people, and its emergency room served over 25,000 patients a year. Winner of the Studs Terkel Award for Media and Journalism.