I am hoping to catch a larger number of films at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival, which will be having its press launch this Friday at which time they will be screening the fest’s opening night feature, Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mark Duplass and Mike Birbiglia.
Today the fest also announced news of this year’s honorees, Sissy Spacek and William Friedkin.
There is no word on whether or not they’ll be holding a series of screenings honoring Spacek’s work such as her Oscar-nominated performance in Carrie or her Oscar-winning role in Coal Miner’s Daughter, but I have to assume there will be something. I am pretty sure, however, her appearance has a lot to do with her upcoming memoir, “My Extraordinary Ordinary Life“, which hits shelves on May 1.
As for Friedkin, the fest will feature the Seattle premiere of Killer Joe, which is currently enjoying a little battle with the MPAA over an NC-17 rating due to one particular scene involving Matthew McConaughey, Gina Gerson and a chicken bone. I don’t think I’ll say much more, but it’s certainly not a scene that goes unnoticed as I felt it necessary to include it in my review after seeing it at the Toronto Film Festival last year. You can read my full review here.
It would be, however, exciting if a few of his older films such as The Exorcist and/or The French Connection played, and I’m sure I’ll learn a bit more this Friday.
It’s been hard for me to cover the Seattle Film Festival as it coincides with the Cannes Film Festival each year, though with it running from May 17-June 10, I am hoping to catch enough films when I get back from France on May 24 to share a few thoughts on what is showing.
Here’s the just released trailer for the fest.