Holy shit, SIFF has shrunk! After several years of metastatic growth (from an already impressive total of 230 feature-length films in 2005, SIFF screened a record-breaking 270 features in 2006 and then outdid itself again with 288 in 2007), the biggest film festival in North America is actually scaling back. Whether it's just our luck, or some careful calculation of the downward pressure on discretionary spending as a result of climbing food and gas prices, or perhaps the siphoning function of the new, year-round SIFF Cinema, diverting festival-worthy films to the rest of the calendar, this year's festival has contracted to a reasonable total of 248 features. SIFF has also given up its posh outpost on the Eastside, confining screenings to the commutable circuit from Harvard Exit, Egyptian, and Northwest Film Forum (on Capitol Hill) to SIFF Cinema and Uptown (in Seattle Center/lower Queen Anne) to Pacific Place and Cinerama (downtown). This year's festival is more manageable than it's been in some time.

One development that we at The Stranger enthusiastically applaud is the recognition that short films (the sad majority of which are afflicted by cutesy premises, stunted plots, and overly clever conclusions) are a special interest, and a... keep reading