It's time to gather the Spokane film community. It's time for a weekend of intense movie bingeing. It's time, once again, for the Spokane International Film Festival.
After making a return in 2022 following 2021's pandemic break, SpIFF returns Feb. 3-5 for its 24th iteration with opening night at the Bing Crosby Theater, more in-person screenings at the Magic Lantern and an array of online offerings to screen from home. SpIFF programmer Chase Ogden emphasizes that this year's lineup has a particularly strong slate of Northwest films, ones that are best experienced in person.
"I would stress that the festival experience is more than just the trip to the AMC," says Ogden. "There's constantly filmmakers present, there's voices and types of work that you just can't get elsewhere. Like the regional content, for example. That's not going to be playing at AMC. If anybody hasn't had the festival experience, I think that it's an elevated way to experience cinema."
It can always be tough to sort through the array of films to find what hits your cinematic sweet spot, so with that in mind, here are some of the noteworthy films showing at SpIFF 2023.
ADRENALINE SUCKS
Base jumper Matthias Giraud hates the term "adrenaline junkie." While he pushes things to the limits, he approaches his wild endeavors with a zen-like yearning for spiritual transcendence, not a cheap thrill. This short doc distills his meditative philosophy while also showing his extreme feats in action. Screening as part of Best of the NW at the Bing Crosby Theater on Fri, Feb. 3 at 6:30 pm.
MAGIC TRICK
Honestly? Magic Trick kind of feels like a magic trick. In less than five minutes, the actors in this queer meet cute — Donia Kash and Jessica MacLeod — display roughly 100 times more chemistry than what's found in a typical rom-com. It pops off the screen as the pair meet in a coffee shop and engage in an impromptu card trick. (I very seriously want a full-length rom-com starring these two from writer/director Chris Lennox-Aasen.) Screening as part of Best of the NW at the Bing Crosby Theater on Fri, Feb. 3 at 6:30 pm.
SAM NOW
Along with Best of the NW shorts, opening night at the Bing also showcases the feature-length documentary Sam Now. Made with a '90s DIY-filmmaker aesthetic, it follows documentarian Reed Harkness pushing his half-brother Sam to seek out his mother, who disappeared and abandoned the boys when Sam was in high school. What begins as a mystery becomes a reflection on generational trauma, and the whole thing really comes to life because of the wealth of footage Reed and Sam had when making their own movies as kids. Screening as part of the opening night program at the Bing Crosby Theater on Fri, Feb. 3 at 6:30 pm.
VARKEN (PIG)
Nothing at this year's SpIFF delights me quite as much as Varken (Pig). The animated short from the Netherlands features an array of super cute animals using a huge sleeping pig's snout as a power outlet. What starts small — a cat with a heated blanket, a dog with a tennis ball machine, a bunny with a blender — spirals into a massive power grid city with dance clubs for mosquitoes, gyms with fans for birds to practice strenuous flying, a goat rocking an electric guitar, etc.... and then the pig's power starts to drain. While they try to ignore the problem, it eventually devolves into pure destructive chaos. Varken manages to be both so adorable and quite dark while also getting its message across effectively. Screening as part of the Animation Showcase at the Magic Lantern on Sat, Feb. 4 at 11 am.
CIRCUS OF THE SCARS
While SpIFF doesn't have a boundary-pushing midnight movie slate like some film fests, Circus of the Scars essentially fills that role. The documentary follows the rise of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow, the grunge-area Seattle collective of out-there performers who gained national fame in the early '90s as a featured act on Lollapalooza. While it's overlong and certainly isn't for those with a weak stomach, it does provide a detailed look at performers who lifted weights with genital piercings, put needles through their face, pumped their stomach through their nose, got full body puzzle tattoos under the watch of Rose's manipulative carny ways. Screening at the Magic Lantern on Sat, Feb. 4 at 9 pm.
KUMARI: A FATHER'S DREAM
Of all the uplifting fare that SpIFF offers, none resonates like Kumari. The 30-minute doc tells the emotional story of Jagat Lama trying to improve the lives of the people of his home village of Kumari, Nepal. After leaving home to learn and become a trek guide, he returns to try to build more medical and education facilities, but faces challenges in a place so remote that there weren't even roads to the village. It's inspiring to see Lama's exuberance for betterment even in the face of hardships along the way. Screening as part of A Better World: Mid-lengths at the Magic Lantern on Sun, Feb. 5 at 1:30 pm.
WHITE EYE
An Oscar nominee for Best Live Action Short in 2021, this Israeli film centers on a man trying to retrieve his stolen bicycle after finding it locked up on the street one night. Filmed as a single, nearly 20-minute shot, the narrative stakes rise dramatically as the seconds creep past, becoming a tale about ownership, immigration and the cost of "justice." Screening as part of World Shorts at the Magic Lantern on Sun, Feb. 5 at 4 pm.
MOUNTAINSIDE
SpIFF's in person programming closes with a mumblecore-y Seattle relationship comedy about a struggling screenwriter meeting his manic cynical dream girl. Felix is languishing as a go-nowhere adult until he meets Stella, who shares his same jaded worldview and tastes in weird movies. While the movie's banter can be quite fun, your mileage on Mountainside may vary depending on how much you can stand a creatively minded, sad sack thirtysomething Seattle dude bemoaning his self-destructive relationship decisions (as one myself, we for sure suck and this film maaaaaaaybe hit a little too close to home). Screening at the Magic Lantern on Sun, Feb. 5 at 6:30 pm.
GAME
This sharp little narrative sports short follows a scrawny high schooler trying to make the varsity basketball team after moving to a new school. While the understated kid might have the skills to make their hoop dream come true, they're hiding a secret that could derail everything... Only screening virtually.
QUINCE TIL' INFINITY
When the bashful Victor is forced by his mom to go to a quinceañera despite not knowing anyone there, he's liberated from his awkwardness when the brash birthday girl Clara secretly steals her uncle's car keys to blow off the party and grabs Victor to be her driver. The pair begin to bond while night adventuring around town. Quince is an energetic burst of rebellious teenage dreaming. Only screening virtually. ♦
SpIFF runs Feb. 3-5. Find the complete schedule at spokanefilmfestival.org. Tickets range from $12-$15 per screening and $49-$99 for festival passes.
