Seattle 2015: Documentary Overview

One of the world’s lengthiest film events, the Seattle International Film Festival kicks off three weeks of programming tonight, Thursday, May 14. More than 72 new and recent documentary features will screen through the wrap up of the festival’s 41st edition on Sunday, June 7. While the bulk of these represents standout selections culled from the recent line-ups of other notable events, from Toronto and Berlin to Sundance and SXSW, Seattle also showcases a number of less familiar and some brand new titles as well. The following primarily focuses on these:

SIFF’s Documentary Competition recognizes a dozen titles, including: Manu Luksch, Martin Reinhart, and Thomas Tode’s film clip-laden exploration of man’s relation to technology, DREAMS REWIRED (pictured); Kathleen Gyllenhaal’s exploration of prenatal development, IN UTERO; James Redford’s profile of a program for at risk teens, PAPER TIGERS; James Lipetzky’s look at efforts to stop LA gang violence, LICENSE TO OPERATE; Greg Kohs’ portrait of a dog sled racing champion, THE GREAT ALONE; and Christopher Duddy’s biography of Guns n’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, IT’S SO EASY AND OTHER LIES.

Filmmakers from the Pacific Northwest are celebrated in the fest’s Northwest Connections section, which includes films like Tamara Christopherson’s PERSONAL GOLD: AN UNDERDOG STORY (pictured), about the US Women’s Track Cycling team’s London 2012 Olympic dreams; and David Chen’s THE PRIMARY INSTINCT, an adaptation of a popular podcast on a ubiquitous character actor.

Other thematic programming includes Asian Crossroads, which includes selections such as Lauren Shaw’s ANGKOR’S CHILDREN, about young Cambodian women’s use of art and performance to reconcile their nation’s dark past, and Arthur Dong’s THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR HAING S NGOR (pictured), on the Oscar-winning non-actor and Khmer Rouge survivor; Latin American Cinema, represented by work like Aldo Garay’s THE NEW MAN, a portrait of a Sandinista activist and transwoman; and Face the Music, which highlight music docs such as Christopher Wilkinson’s VIRTUOSITY, on an acclaimed piano competition.

Other new nonfiction includes Julie Georgia Bernard’s HANDMADE WITH LOVE IN FRANCE (pictured), a tribute to French artisanal fashion craftspeople; Andrea Prandstraller and Niccolò Bruna’s MAGICARENA, a behind-the-scenes look at the staging of AIDA in Verona; and Aoife Kelleher’s ONE MILLION DUBLINERS, an exploration of a massive Irish cemetery.