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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
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I agree that earlier would be better, although it worked out well for me this year with an early May vacation. Another thing to do is to stop scheduling so many screenings with 4-4:30 weekday start times. Only people who can take off work can see those screenings and I'm always bummed out that there's a movie I want to see but I can't because of when I get off work.
2. Seeing multiple ads for SIFF when I am already at SIFF is irritating. The fact that they are always the same ads is even more irritating. So is having to listen to the host sell SIFF again after watching these ads. Knock it off!
3. I like the idea of starting movies at 5 or 5:30 instead of 4:30. There are a few that I skipped because I didn't want to leave work early. Not sure if this will work with their schedule or not.
Others have suggesed they run the siff ads before prior to the scheduled start time, which makes sense. Also, they apparently only created two different siff ads when in the past they've had three (or more?). (I'm referring to the fish and forest ones.) They need more varity to keep people interested.
I mean, I had to miss Trollhunter because I really needed to see The Pillow Book at 9:30, and that movie lasted until 11:45.
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Also, @2 there is only 1 City Arts ad this year...2 weeks ago, I started noticing the learning-student's flaws in sound mixing and wanted to go perfect it since it was the first decent one in years.
...
Also, I half support moving this to March. The only issue is standing in line for an hour in the rain. I was good this year, and scheduled most of my films (except secret) for 7pm or later. Little sunlight missed.
Double ++ on moving the event earlier in the year. I've felt compelled on to many occasions to ride the bike past the theater and give my ticket away on a lovely day when I simply cannot bear to be inside in the dark (a sentiment strengthened by the above-noted decline in overall quality).
BTW saw To Be Heard last night at SIFF Cinema. Best FIlm I've seen at the Festival yet. One of the main characters was in attendance and performed one of her slam poems on request during the Q&A after the film. Amazing. A second standing ovation. Do not miss it this Saturday at 11 am at SIFF Cinema. Hopefully it'll be raining...... :-)
As for the timing of the fest, I think it's fine where it is. Having a three-day weekend at the beginning of the fest really helps build some momentum, and a nice day or two isn't gonna dissuade too many folks who are into what SIFF offers. And I'd hate to be standing in lines in February or March.
A woman from Brazil who works in my building was excited to learn about the Brazilian films showing this year. She is new to Seattle and was looking forward to experiencing a little slice of home. She was turned away from the theater... despite having already paid for her ticket.. for being five minutes late. When she told me this I was apologetic to her (on behalf of Seattle and SIFF) and embarassed that SIFF had done that to her.
SIFF is awesome and amazing but it is not the opera. Allowing folks to get in a little late won't hurt anybody. If fancy SIFF passholders get their panties in a bunch over allowing late entries, they can go buy themselves some new panties somewhere and get over it.
Wow, that's total bullshit. If I were that Brazilian chick, I'd be hating the USA right now.
You're all sourpusses. Grow up.
@6: If the early evening movie started at 7:45 or so instead of 7pm, that would be great! A 7pm movie is too close to rush hour, and it's too difficult to get to the theater on weekdays, especially for those of us who have to cross a bridge to get to a Seattle theater.
@12: I agree with changing the late entry rule. It would be better to just require them to sit in the back so they can see the movie without disturbing the people who got there on time.
I really wish that SIFF would post the results of the voting on their web site for all the movies. I'd like to see how the general audience voting compared with what I thought of some of the movies. Also, seeing the SIFF voting results would likely get me to see more independent movies throughout the year: if I saw that a SIFF audience had rated a movie reasonably well, I'd be more likely to get out to see it if it showed up in general release.
1)Moving a major film festival is a bit like moving a small mountain...possible, but very very difficult. The major festival circuit is a bit of a fixed thing and moving one can cause a lot of headaches.
2)SIFF does best attendance wise when it's "meh" outside. Sunny/nice weather obviously hurts attendance, because who the hell wants to be in doors on a rare nice day, but hardcore rain ALSO hurts attendance as well. Gray, "it might rain", kinda coolish weather is the ideal. A February/March festival could fall victim to some unpleasantly bad weather.
3)Sad about the Brazilian lady, but SIFF is pretty strict about late seating for the simple reason, it REALLY pisses off the people already in the theater who have to put up with some latecomer stumbling around in the dark trying to find a seat in a nearly full theater.
The only exception would be a sold-out show, in which case the unfilled seats will have been sold to those in the stand-by line. This is, unfortunately, what must have happened to your Brazilian friend.
My biggest complaint is the steady decline over the last five years of the opening night gala. This year had to be the worst ever and I haven't missed one in ten plus years. Crappy space, way less food than normal, lame-ass dj, no outdoor space, etc., etc. Oh, and why the fuck does the whole thing need to end by midnight? By the time the film ends and everyone manages to squeeze through the one entrance you maybe have two hours over there. That $100 open bar ticket doesn't really pencil when the first two drinks are free with the general ticket. Only rum drinks, no vodka. I can keep going on. It used to be the highlight party of the season and now always leaves me disappointed. Does anyone at SIFF know how to throw a party anymore???
I vote yes on the no late entry. Though I'm puzzled by @12's experience. There's never been a year when I haven't seen late entry at films. One year, when they had films @ Seattle Central, people were coming in for half an hour after the film started in a steady stream. I have also volunteer at SIFF and seated people who arrived late. I assumed they put that notice in the catalogue to encourage people to arrive early.
Don't know if you're responding to Kathleen Murphy's article on SIFF, but I agree w/it. The fest is too big. Should be scaled back, get better films, and get more films that won't see general release. It's as if SIFF is now just there to preview the upcoming season of films to be released (though yes, there still are films that dont' get picked up).
I don't mind a SIFF commercial in a non-SIFF environment, but once I've already given them my money I would really just like to watch a movie, and maybe some trailers for other movies.
Hell, I'm even OK with them advertising other SIFF stuff, like the year round SIFF Cinema calendar, or the other stuff they do.
This! I'm typically less than enthusiastic about going to SIFF because I know many of those movies will be coming out over the summer. Some have gotten nationwide release one week after they were screened at SIFF.
San Jose had a very short-lived, and very fantastic, film festival in the '90s. I saw several excellent movies that never got any kind of national exposure. I think it's a lot more meaningful (and fun) when you know this might be the first and last time you can see a particular movie.
Also @2 I love that "Passhole" is catching on.
A tentative +1 on the movies that won't get general release. I imagine when the programming is done, they don't always know that some of the films have gotten distribution. And even for some where they obviously will release, a good Q&A session still makes the SIFF screening very worthwhile. But definitely, I'd like to see more films that I wouldn't get the chance to see elsewhere.
I like the date where it is. Didn't have to wait in any rainy lines this year, woohoo! And is attendance even a problem? Many films were sold out or close to full, and the ones that were pretty empty would have been that way even if it was February, imo.