seattle international film festival siff catalyst

This weekend marks the final days of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). The country’s largest in terms of number of films screened and number of attendees, this year’s edition of SIFF features 273 features and 187 shorts hailing from 75 countries, screened over 25 days in the Emerald City. Though SIFF has long been a supporter of independent moviemakers—2012 marks the festival’s 38th year—this year they’re turning their attention to a different sort of indie director: The catalyst.

With their new SIFF Catalyst program, kicking off this year, SIFF pays tribute to those moviemakers who are more ringmasters than maverick auteurs, those who harness the power of the creative community around them to turn their cinematic vision a reality. Of the six films screening as part of the program, several of them—including the indie sci-fi thriller Easton’s Article and first-time director Jenny Dellers’ Future Weather—were funded in part through crowdfunding. In addition to the films screened, three of which had their world premieres at the festival, SIFF has introduced its Catalyst Panels, a day of public panels and discussions centering on the intersection of community and digital moviemaking. As it happens, SIFF’s Catalyst Forum is today, June 9th—so if you’re in the Seattle area and interested in the DIWO (Do It With Others) model of moviemaking, check out the schedule of events and drop by!

For more on the Seattle International Film Festival and the many programs it runs year-round, visit www.siff.net.