Recap: 2016 Seattle International Film Festival

2016 was an interesting year for me covering the Seattle International Film Festival as I was out of the country for the first two weeks of the month long festival. Still, I was able to watch a decent amount of movies and even got in a few interviews which really turned out to be the highlight of my festival experience.

Sand Storm (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Sand Storm
Official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival

The Director: Elite Zexer

The Cast: Lamis Ammar, Ruba Blal, Hitham Omari, Khadija Al Akel, and Jalal Masrwa

The Story: When their entire lives shatter, two Bedouin women struggle to change the unchangeable rules, each in her own individual way.

The Interview: TwoOhSix.com interviews director Elite Zexer.

The Lure (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Lure aka Córki dancingu

The Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska

The Cast: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis, Andrzej Konopka, Jakub Gierszal, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Magdalena Cielecka, Katarzyna Herman, and Marcin Kowalczyk

The Story: In Warsaw, a pair of mermaid sisters are adopted into a cabaret. While one seeks love with humans the other hungers to dine on the human population of the city.

Complete Unknown (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Complete Unknown

The Director: Joshua Marston

The Cast: Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Michael Chernus, Condola Rashad, Kathy Bates, and Danny Glover

The Story: As a man contemplates moving to a new state with his wife for her graduate program, an old flame - a woman who often changes identities - reenters his life at a birthday dinner party.

Transpecos (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Transpecos

The Director: Greg Kwedar

The Cast: Johnny Simmons, Gabriel Luna, Clifton Collins Jr, David Acord, Oscar Avila, Luis Bordonada, Will Brittain, Jake Lockett, and Lora Martinez-Cunningham

The Story: For three US Border Patrol agents, the contents of one car reveal an insidious plot within their own ranks. The next 24 hours could cost them their lives.

Truman (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Truman

The Director: Cesc Gay

The Cast: Ricardo Darín, Javier Cámara, Dolores Fonzi, Eduard Fernández, Oriol Pla, and Elvira Mínguez.

The Story: Julián receives an unexpected visit from his friend Tomás, who lives in Canada. For four intense days, the two men, accompanied by Julián’s faithful dog, Truman, will share emotional and surprising moments prompted by Julián’s complicated situation. - trumanfilm.com

The Eyes of My Mother (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Eyes of My Mother (Official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival)

The Director: Nicolas Pesce

The Cast: Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Olivia Bond, Diana Agostini, Flora Diaz,

The Story: A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life. - Official Website

The Love Witch - Movie Review

The Movie: The Love Witch (Official Selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival)

The Director: Anna Biller

The Cast: Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Laura Wadell, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Robert Seeley, Jennifer Ingrum. Randy Evans, and Lily Holleman

The Story: Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder. - Official Website

Morris from America (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Morris from America, an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, follows a father and his 13 year old son as they move from New York to Germany. Directed by Chad Hartigan, the film stars Craig Robinson, Markees Christmas, Carla Juri, Patrick Güldenberg, and Lina Keller.

Middle Man (PDXFF 2016) - Movie Review

Middle Man, an official opening night selection of the 2016 Portland Film Festival and an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, tells the story of Lenny, a former accountant who takes off for Vegas to pursue a career in stand up comedy only to find himself in the middle of a murderous underworld. The film, directed by Ned Crowley, features acting performances from Jim O'Heir, Andrew J. West, Josh McDermitt, Anne Dudek, Tracey Walter, and Robert Catrini.

TwoOhSix Interviews (SIFF 2016) - Sand Storm Director Elite Zexer

After winning both the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and the Best New Director award at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, Elite Zexer has become a force to be reckoned with in a very short time. During the festival here in Seattle, I was able to sit down with Zexer to talk about Sand Storm, her debut film, and she was more than willing to discuss all aspects of the film making process. If you are a fan of cinema or an aspiring film maker, you will definitely want to check out how she describes what it took to get this movie made.

TwoOhSix Interviews (SIFF 2016) - Tsukiji Wonderland director Naotaro Endo

After spending two weeks in Japan, it was a real treat to watch Tsukiji Wonderland, a documentary about the country's most famous fish market and even more of an honor to have a chance to speak with the director, Naotaro Endo. Tsukiji Wonderland is an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival.

TwoOhSix Interviews (SIFF 2016) - Javier Ruiz Caldera for Spy Time

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with film maker Javier Ruiz Caldera, who was in town from Spain for the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, and we were able to discuss what went into creating Spy Time aka Anacleto: Agente Secreto, his latest action comedy film. At the conclusion of the festival, Caldera was presented with the Best Director award for this year's festival which made the timing of this interview even more special.

Spy Time aka Anacleto: Agente Secreto (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Spy Time, also known as Anacleto: Agente Secreto, is a super spy, action comedy directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and is based off of a classic Spanish comic book character created Manuel Vázquez Gallego. The film, an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, features acting performances from Imanol Arias, Quim Gutiérrez, Alexandra Jiménez, Berto Romero, and Carlos Areces.

Under the Shadow (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Under the Shadow, written and directed by Babak Anvari, is an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival. The movie, which features acting performances from Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshada, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, and Arash Marandi, tells the tale of a woman living in war torn Iraq who must protect her home and daughter from a potential paranormal threat while bombs are literally going off all around.

Ma Ma (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Ma Ma is an emotional drama starring Penelope Cruz about a woman in Spain who struggles to cope with being diagnosed with  breast cancer while helping a new found friend who is going through a tragedy of his own. The film was written and directed by Julio Medem and also featured acting performances by Luis Tosar, Asier Etxeandia, Teo Planell, and Anna Jiménez.

Ma Ma, an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival, is currently playing at the Sundance Cinemas in Seattle. For other locations and more info, visit the film's official website.

Tsukiji Wonderland (SIFF 2016) - Documentary Review

Tsukiji Wonderland is a documentary film about the world famous fish market in Tokyo, Japan and is an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival and the 2016 Hawaii International Film Festival. First time feature director Naotaro Endo takes the audience on a journey through 80 years of the market's history while also looking to the future and some major changes that are about to happen.

Tag (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Tag (Real Oni Gokko), a Japenese action, fantasy, horror film, is an official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival. The movie was directed by Sion Sono and features acting performances by Reina Triendl, Mariko Shinoda, Erina Mano, Yuki Sakurai, Aki Hiraoka, and Ami Tomite.

TwoOhSix Picks - SIFF 2016 Preview

The 2016 Seattle International Film Festival is finally here and I have scoured the lineup of almost 500 films (features, shorts, and documentaries) to see which movies are the ones I really need to see. My tastes are pretty diverse and unique when it comes to the festival so you'll find quite a wide variety of films to check out.

SIFF is Coming

Since 2012, TwoOhSix.com has been providing coverage of the Seattle International Film Festival and this year will be no different. The festival kicks off with opening night gala on May 19th and runs through June 12th and the closing night festivities. Watch closely over the next couple weeks for preview posts and the highly anticipated "TwoOhSix Picks" for 2016.