Itโs clear that the Pacific Northwest is a cinema lover’s place to be, and if Seattleโs many independent theaters werenโt enough evidence, this monthโs wildly abundant lineup of film festivals in the region should convince you. Among them are highbrow fests stuffed with Sundance fodder like the Orcas Island Film Festival, as well as SIFFโs buzzy DocFest and the Seattle Queer Film Festival, which has been out nโ proud since โ96. Iโve added in a few more of this monthโs film events for good measure, like Grand Illusionโs All Monsters Attack! and the latest screening from the Unstreamable gang, so let this article serve as a well-rounded introduction to your autumn cineaste era. After all, thereโs no better time to cozy up in the theater with a seasonal ale.
If youโve already picked out your dream Cannes outfit:
Orcas Island Film Festival
All hail Orcas Island’s annual film festival, which the Stranger has praised since its 2014 inception. (Last year, former Stranger staff writer Jas Keimig called it “our Cannes.” Those are big shoes to fill.) The festival may not be set against a Mediterranean backdrop, but the island’s Eastsound village is pretty damn scenic, too. Plus, last year’s flicks earned a whopping 27 Oscar nominations, so you’re bound to bear witness to something Letterboxd-review-worthy. For instance, Hayao Miyazaki’s hand-drawn The Boy and The Heron, the director’s first feature film in 10 years, will screen. Quirky satire king Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) will also return with the ’70s-set comedy-drama The Holdovers, which stars Paul Giamatti as a cantankerous New England prep school instructor tasked with supervising students on Christmas break. I’m also intrigued by this year’s Palme dโOr winner, Anatomy of a Fall, as well as The Disappearance of Shere Hite, a Nicole Newnham-directed (Crip Camp) doc on the feminist sexologist and female orgasm pioneer. Cannes Best Director winner Trแบงn Anh Hรนng’s historical gastromance The Taste of Things sounds like the perfect digestif.
Various locations, Orcas Island (Oct 11โ15)
