This guide to the Seattle International Film Festival is different than in years past. Instead of a comprehensive breakdown of all the films—which you can still find online at thestranger.com/siff—we’re focusing on films that are most worthy of your attention: ones that we liked, loved, are critically acclaimed, have won awards at other venerable fests, feature beloved actors and/or directors, or all of the above. More reviews (and extended versions of some below) will be added online throughout the run of the 45th SIFF, and we’re also running longer-length stories on other top film picks. So stay tuned!
Dissident director Jafar Panahi has been persecuted and jailed in Iran, and banned from making films or traveling abroad. Since then, he has produced several unauthorized films, sometimes having to smuggle them out of the country. In 3 Faces, he stars with actress Behnaz Jafari, each playing a version of themselves in this fictional story that finds them lured to a rural village after receiving a disturbing video from a young woman. The film is shot in Panahi’s neorealist style, with long, meditative scenes of everyday interactions and naturalist dialogue. But throughout, the themes of how Iranian culture sees “entertainers,” the subjugation and harassment of women, and the hardships and persistence of the old ways of thinking are revealed. The film won an award for best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival. (GILLIAN ANDERSON)
Lincoln Square Sat May 18, 6 pm
SIFF Cinema Uptown Sun May 19, 6:30 pm