Seattle International Film Festival presenting 4 Dutch Productions

Johan Primero (2010)

Johan Primero (2010)
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 9:45 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
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Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Everett Performing Arts Center - Everett, WA
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Monday, June 6, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Admiral Theatre - Bremerton, WA
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In Johan Primero, Johan Puig is a 42-year-old man who spends his time driving 50 laps a day in his Citroen 2CV around the stadium which is home to the Barcelona football club. He never misses a lap, convinced that this ritual, which originated with his beloved father some 30 years previously (and whose ashes now ride around in the front seat), is the secret of the club’s success. He has constructed his life entirely around this daily routine, with regular stops throughout the neighborhood: at the local café, for a few cortados with his friend Jorge; at the playground to dispense football tips to neighborhood kid Leo; at the candy store to refresh his stash of Chupa Chups; and at the parking garage, for naps. One day, while he’s stopped at a red light, a girl named Paquita washes his windows. She’s cute, she’s friendly, she’s even a soccer fan…but will it be enough to get Johan out of his car?

Win/Win (2011)

Win/Win (2011)
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Egyptian Theater - Seattle, WA
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Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA
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Friday, June 10, at 7:00 PM

Kirkland Performance Center - Kirkland, WA

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If a man gets everything he wants with almost no effort, can he ever be truly happy? Jaap van Heusden’s feature debut explores this central theme in the story of Ivan, a young analyst at an Amsterdam brokerage firm who has an uncanny gift for interpreting data. His savant-like abilities are soon discovered by the arrogant, no-nonsense Stef - one of the firm’s top traders - who takes the wunderkind under his wing. Ivan is an immediate sensation, raking in huge daily profits for the firm, receiving a swanky new apartment and getting amorous attention from the pretty receptionist he has secretly admired as dividends. But his gift comes at a great cost. As the profits and his reputation soars, Ivan feels increasingly detached from the rest of the world, soon forcing him to make a momentous decision. Win/Win is an absorbing character study that also subtly skewers the financial hubris that helped bring about the global economic crisis. In between Ivan’s brilliant stock trades, we see glimpses of real-life news reports about the collapse of Bear Stearns splashed across the trading floor’s video screens - warnings that are virtually ignored by the busy traders.

Heading West (2010) movie still. Photo: www.siff.net

Heading West (2010)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For ticketsFriday, June 10, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Egyptian Theater - Seattle, WA

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Heading West is a lovely study of everyday life, or, more specifically, the life of Claire, a 38-year-old woman living in Amsterdam whom we follow over the course of a single year. During this time, she cares for her young son, teaches at a school for deaf children, argues with her ex-husband, and flirts with a stranger. She has dinner with friends, visits her mother, goes shopping, checks up on the elderly neighbor, and makes her way from place to place in the city on her bicycle—even after an accident in which she breaks her arm. None of these experiences may be exceptional in their own right, but when taken together, they form a constellation of the highs and lows, large and small, that make up a life, and illustrate a whole which is more than the sum of its parts in this carefully observed, deeply personal film.

Shocking Blue (2010) movie still. Photo. www.siff.net

Shocking Blue (2010)
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 7:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For ticketsTuesday, May 24, 2011 at 5:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
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Willem, Jacques, and Chris have been best friends for as long as any of them can remember. In Shocking Blue, the three teens all live amongst the colorful expanses of Holland’s tulip fields, which serve as a backdrop for their adolescent games and escapades. No different from country boys everywhere, they approach the threshold of adult life while still clinging to the comforts of an idyllic childhood. Until, that is, the day a tragic accident tears the friendship asunder, resulting in the death of one of them under the wheels of an out-of-control tractor with Willem at the wheel. Suspicions arise that the accident may have had something to do with jealousy over the previous night, when Jacques had gone off for a romantic encounter with pretty, 15-year-old Marianne, but nobody is talking. Mark de Cloe’s second feature is a touching coming-of-age drama, but also a wistful meditation on a shattered friendship. Making excellent use of the bright hues and light of a warm Dutch summer, the film unspools in romantic, almost mythic tones and clearly bodes well for the future of the country’s acting talent with its attractive and surprisingly accomplished young leads.

Sintel (2010) movie still. Photo: www.siff.net

 

Sintel (2010)
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 9:30 PM
(shown as part of Animation United's screening)
SIFF Cinemea - Seattle, WA
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Sintel is an independently produced short film, initiated by the Blender Foundation as a means to further improve and validate the free/open source 3D creation suite Blender. With initial funding provided by 1000s of donations via the internet community, it has again proven to be a viable development model for both open 3D technology as for independent animation film. This 15 minute film has been realized in the studio of the Amsterdam Blender Institute, by an international team of artists and developers. In addition to that, several crucial technical and creative targets have been realized online, by developers and artists and teams all over the world.

The Seattle International Film Festival's mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive. The festival takes place from May 19 - June 22, 2011.