In its 19th year, the Spokane International Film Festival continues to celebrate the world of cinema
Now in its 19th year, the Spokane International Film Festival continues its mission of bringing cinematic diversity to Spokane theaters during the doldrums of January and February. This year’s lineup features a wide range of genres and mediums, with features and shorts from the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Germany and – no surprise – right here in Spokane.
Here are some of the highlights from the upcoming festival, listed in the order they’ll be screened. For a full festival program, visit www.spokanefilmfestival.org.
Friday, “The Basket” – Last year’s SpIFF opened with “Vision Quest,” a 1985 sports film that was filmed in Spokane. This year’s fest similarly kicks off with a Spokane-centric production: 1999’s “The Basket,” the story of a Pacific Northwest farming community torn apart by World War I and brought together by basketball. Starring Peter Coyote and Karen Allen, the film was shot in Spokane and Garfield and was directed by Rich Cowan, who founded the local production company North by Northwest. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, “Creepy” – Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a master of the slow burn. His latest is this macabre, Hitchcockian thriller about a cop who becomes convinced that his strange neighbor is involved in an unsolved murder he’s investigating. At the Magic Lantern Theater, 25 West Main Ave., 9 p.m.
Sunday, “The Women’s Balcony” – In this bittersweet Israeli drama, a group of women in modern day Jerusalem refuse to be silenced by the community’s new rabbi and his ultra-orthodox beliefs. Magic Lantern, 3 p.m.
Monday, “Kedi” – This documentary’s title is the Turkish word for “cat,” and that’s pretty self-explanatory. Ceyda Torun’s film is both a travelogue and zoological study, a fly-on-the-wall account of the thousands of wild cats that roam the streets of Istanbul. 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, “Dolores” – A withdrawn model maker discovers that he’s able to control what happens inside movie star’s luxury villa using the detailed replica he made. Based on a 1991 graphic novel and originally broadcast on Belgian TV. Magic Lantern, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 3, Best of the Northwest – An annual tradition of the festival, this collection of seven shorts showcases the work of local and regional filmmakers. Bing Crosby Theater, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3, “Diani and Devine Meet the Apocalypse” – Comedians Etta Devine and Gabriel Diani wrote, directed and star as a floundering comedy duo who go searching for a safe haven after civilization crumbles. Think an indie version of “This Is the End.” At the Bing Crosby Theater, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 4, “The Phantom of the Opera” – The Spokane Symphony has provided orchestral accompaniment to such classic films as “Psycho” and “City Lights,” and now the 1925 silent classic starring Lon Chaney gets the symphony treatment. Read more about this special presentation in next week’s 7. At the Fox Theater, 1001 W. Sprague Ave., 7:30 p.m.