STIFF is Coming

I've been talking quite a lot about SIFF these days, but with May 3rd approaching it's time to take a brief pause from that and recognize the arrival of "Seattle's True Independent Film Festival" aka STIFF.  Look, I'm not going to get into the whole "true" vs. SIFF part - I'm not about the labels. All that matters is if the festival has something interesting to offer. Many may know STIFF as the festival that traditionally ran during SIFF making attending both challenging to say the least. But starting last year the folks over at STIFF have moved their festival ahead of their larger cousin making it easy to attend both. While STIFF may be smaller it's definitely worth checking out. In keeping with the festival's missions statement the production costs often are lower. But as past entries have shown cheaper to make doesn't necessarily mean less fun or lower quality.

"The Seattle True Independent Film Festival is dedicated to the exhibition of independent, underground, experimental and zero budget films. The festival endeavors to provide cultural exchange and educational opportunities by bringing a diverse selection of films to the area and provide a place for networking between local filmmakers, visiting filmmakers and the public."

Venues are more intimate (the Grand Illusion is the most commonly used venue), prices tend to be more affordable (an all access pass if available runs around $50) and of course there are a choice of parties to participate in.

Festivities kick off May 3rd and run through May 11th. Including shorts, features, parties, awards, and something I'm a bit afraid to attend called Indepenetration.

Unfortunately there's not a ton of films playing that I've seen at STIFF. The full list of films with descriptions and trailers are of course available on their website. Below I picked off just a few options from the STIFF schedule to give a sense what's available.

One seriously twisted, fascinating if imperfect film that I have seen is Motivational Growth. The picture deals with a depressed shut-in's relationship with a smooth talking mold in his bathroom. The day starts off with Ian's beloved TV set going kaput ... leaving him with little reason to live. It's strange, it has some things that I didn't absolutely love. But it's a unique vision that's worth a look. Even if you may occasionally look away while you're watching it. I'll post a somewhat longer look at this film in the next few days. It screens Monday May 6th at Wing-It Productions. And yes, you did read that correctly - a talking character in the film is a pile of mold




If you're unable to grab tickets for the SIFF opening night Gala presentation Much Ado About Nothing or just want to get your Shakespeare on with less actors you know from Angel or Buffy the Vampire Slayer then another option is Love: As You Like It which screens on Monday May 6th. 



If you're in the mood for something a bit darker there's Complicity which appears to be a thriller about a teen party gone really, really wrong.



and I must say I'm a bit intrigued by the "Super Secret Feature Film (That's all about exposing a super secret). Festival organizers have little to say about it other than it's a local production and that "the film is allegedly inspired by true events following 9/11, and tells the story of one man's mission to expose an alleged illegal government operation to spy upon independent filmmakers - one public access show at a time." Oh, and that it screens Wed. May 8th at 8pm at Wing-It Productions.

Actually almost every film looks interesting in some way. So come on.... take a chance. What's the worst than can happen?