Editing Seattle International Film Festival

{{Short description|American annual film festival founded 1976}}
{{For|alternative meanings of SIFF|SIFF (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox Film Festival
| name        = Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
| logo        = Seattle International Film Festival logo.svg
| image       = Bigelow carl.jpg
| caption     = Film director [[Kathryn Bigelow]] with former SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence (2009, photo by Matt Daniels)
| number      = 
| location    = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], United States
| founded     = 1976
| last        = [[2025 Seattle International Film Festival|2025]]
| language    = English
| website     = {{url|siff.net}}
}}
The '''Seattle International Film Festival''' ('''SIFF''') is a [[film festival]] held annually in [[Seattle]], Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and features a diverse assortment of predominantly [[independent film|independent]] and [[foreign film]]s, and a strong contingent of [[documentary film|documentaries]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=How SIFF Became the Country's Biggest International Film Festival |url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/washington/articles/how-siff-became-the-countrys-biggest-international-film-festival/ |author=Samantha Ladwig |website=Culture Trip|date=June 2018}}</ref>

SIFF 2006 included more than 300 films and 160,000 attendees;<ref name="2006-11-28-PR">{{cite web|url=http://www.seattlefilm.org/news/detail.aspx?NID=89&year=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212222808/http://www.seattlefilm.org/news/detail.aspx?NID=89&year=2006|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 12, 2007|title=SIFF to Create New Home for Great Films at Seattle Center|type=press release|date=November 28, 2006|website=www.siff.net}}</ref> also it was the first SIFF to include a venue in neighboring [[Bellevue, Washington]], after an ill-fated early attempt. However, in 2008, the festival was back to being entirely in Seattle, and had a slight decrease in the number of feature films. The 2010 festival featured over 400 films, shown primarily in downtown Seattle and its nearby neighborhoods, and in [[Renton, Washington|Renton]], [[Kirkland, Washington|Kirkland]], and Juanita Beach Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.siff.net/festival/about/thevenues.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513143547/http://www.siff.net/festival/about/thevenues.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-05-13 |title=Venues |website=www.siff.net }}</ref>

==History==

The festival began in 1976 at a then-independent cinema, the Moore Egyptian Theater, under the direction of managers Jim Duncan, [[Dan Ireland]], and Darryl Macdonald.<ref>Queen Anne & Magnolia News, Just before dawn
Now THAT was a festival, Richard T. Jameson, Seattle, May 28, 2012</ref> The first SIFF featured  "Hedda," with [[Glenda Jackson]], [[Louis Malle]]'s "Black Moon," Luis Buñuel's "[[Phantom of Liberty]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/journal-of-precipitation/lets-remember-when-the-very-first-seattle-international-film-festival-opened-on-this-day-in-1976-1c6da4d21f48 |title=Let's remember when the very first Seattle International Film Festival opened, on this day in 1976… |website=medium.com |date= May 14, 2019|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> [[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]] was the unnamed secret "sneak preview."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/10097 |title=First Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) opens at Moore Egyptian Theatre on May 14, 1976 |website=www.historylink.org |access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> The Third Festival in 1978 was the first under the direction of [[Rajeeve Gupta]]. It doubled the number of films and increased the audience by 50% over the Second festival.<ref>Have You Heard About the Third, Seattle International Film Festival 1978 Program guide</ref><ref>Seattle's Biggest Festival, John Hartl, The Seattle Times, April 23, 1978</ref><ref>The Last Four Days, John Hartl, The Seattle Times, May 28, 1978</ref> The first five festivals were held at The Moore Egyptian. Currently, the [[Moore Theatre]] is back under its earlier name and functioning as a concert venue. When founders [[Dan Ireland]] and Darryl Macdonald of the Moore Egyptian lost their lease, they founded the Egyptian theater in a former [[Freemasonry|Masonic Temple]] on Seattle's [[Capitol Hill, Seattle|Capitol Hill]]. The Egyptian theater remains a prime festival venue to this day, although the festival now typically uses about half a dozen cinemas (including, since 2007, its own [[#SIFF Cinema|SIFF Cinema]] at [[Seattle Center]]), with the exact roster varying from year to year.

During the 1980s, SIFF audiences developed a reputation for appreciating films that did not fit standard industry niches, such as [[Richard Rush (director)|Richard Rush]]'s multi-layered ''[[The Stunt Man]]'' (1980).{{Citation needed|date = January 2016}} SIFF was instrumental in the entry of Dutch films into the United States market, including the first major American debut for director [[Paul Verhoeven]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Twenty-five years of SIFF|url = http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-05-12/film/twenty-five-years-of-siff/|website = Seattle Weekly|date = October 9, 2006|access-date = 2016-01-20}}</ref>

==The nature of the festival==

The festival includes a "Secret Festival". Those who attend the Secret Festival do not know in advance what they will see, and they must sign an oath that they will not reveal afterward what they have seen.

In general, SIFF has a reputation as an "audience festival" rather than an "industry festival".<ref>Lynn Jacobson, [https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/locals-swarm-huge-seattle-fest-1117924665/ Locals swarm huge Seattle fest]. ''Variety'', June 19, 2005</ref> The festival often partially overlaps the [[Cannes Film Festival]], which can reduce attendance by industry bigwigs; in 2007 there were two days of overlap, May 24 and 25.

The SIFF group also curates the Global Lens film series, the Screenwriters Salon, and Futurewave (K-12 programming and youth outreach), coordinates SIFF-A-Go-Go travel programs (organized tours to other film festivals) and co-curates the 1 Reel Film Festival at [[Bumbershoot]] and the Sci-Fi Shorts Film Festival at the [[Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame]].<ref name=2006-11-28-PR/>

In 2006, [[Longhouse Media]] launched the SuperFly Filmmaking Experience, in partnership with the Seattle International Film Festival, which brings youth together from diverse backgrounds to work collaboratively on film projects that promote awareness of indigenous issues and mutual understanding of each other's cultures. Fifty youth from across the United States arrive in Seattle to then travel to a local [[Pacific Northwest]] reservation to create 4 films in 36 hours.

==SIFF Cinema==
November 28, 2006, SIFF and Seattle mayor [[Greg Nickels]] announced that SIFF would soon have a home and a year-round screening facility in what has been the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall of [[McCaw Hall]], the same building at [[Seattle Center]] that houses the [[Seattle Opera]]. The city contributed $150,000 to the $350,000 project. This auditorium was a "flagship venue" for SIFF festivals<ref name=2006-11-28-PR/> and the site of most press screenings.

Shortly after the 2011 festival, SIFF moved its operations to the SIFF Film Center on the Seattle Center campus.  The Film Center includes a 90-seat multi-use theater, multi-media classroom, exhibition spaces, archives, and offices for SIFF and the Film School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orarchitects.com/index.php/portfolio/siff|title=ORA: SIFF Film Center|access-date=June 2, 2014}}</ref> In October 2011, SIFF Cinema moved from McCaw Hall to its current location in the Uptown Theater.  SIFF utilizes all three of the Uptown's three screens for year-round programming. SIFF currently has year-round programming for four screens in Seattle.

In May 2014 it was announced that SIFF had purchased the Uptown Theater, and would be leasing and renovating the [[Egyptian Theater (Seattle)|Egyptian Theater]] (abandoned roughly a year earlier by [[Landmark Theatres]]) from [[Seattle Central College]].<ref>Paul Constant, [http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/05/15/siff-to-renovate-and-reopen-the-egyptian-theatre SIFF To Renovate and Reopen the Egyptian Theatre], slog.thestranger.com (blog of Seattle alternative weekly ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]'', 2014-05-15.) Accessed online 2014-05-17.</ref> In May 2023, SIFF announced it had acquired the [[Seattle Cinerama]] theater.<ref name="Schlosser 2023">{{cite web |last=Schlosser |first=Kurt |title=Cinerama is saved! Seattle film nonprofit SIFF acquires historic theater from Paul Allen estate |website=GeekWire |date=2023-05-12 |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2023/cinerama-is-saved-seattle-film-nonprofit-siff-acquires-historic-theater-from-paul-allen-estate/ |access-date=2023-05-12}}</ref><ref name="Franklin 2023">{{cite web |last=Franklin |first=McKinley |title=Seattle International Film Festival Acquires Seattle Cinerama Theater From Paul G. Allen's Estate |website=Variety |date=2023-05-12 |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/seattle-international-film-festival-cinerama-theater-1235610591/ |access-date=2023-05-12}}</ref>

== Awards ==

Since 1985, the Seattle International Film Festival has awarded the '''Golden [[Space Needle]]''' award each year to the festival's most popular movie. Ballots are cast by audience members at the end of each movie. Previous winners of the Golden Space Needle include ''[[Whale Rider]]'' for 2003, ''[[Trainspotting (film)|Trainspotting]]'' for 1996, ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 film)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' for 1985 and ''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'' for 2015, the latter two being the only films to be nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] and win the Golden Space Needle.

=== Golden Space Needle (Best Film) and SIFF Awards for Best Short and Documentary ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year	
!Best Film (Golden Space Needle)
!Best Short	
!Best Documentary
|-
|1985
|''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 film)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'' (dir. [[Héctor Babenco]], Brazil)
|''[[Frankenweenie (1984 film)|Frankenweenie]]'' (dir. [[Tim Burton]], United States)
|rowspan="6"|&nbsp;
|-
|1986
|''[[The Assault (1986 film)|The Assault]]'' (dir. [[Fons Rademakers]], Netherlands)
|''[[The Big Snit]]'' (dir. [[Richard Condie]], USA)
|-
|1987
|''[[My Life as a Dog]]'' (dir. [[Lasse Hallström]], Sweden)
|''[[Your Face]]'' (dir. [[Bill Plimpton]], USA)	
|-
|1988
|''[[Bagdad Café]]'' (dir. [[Percy Adlon]], [[West Germany]])
|''[[Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall]]'' (dir. [[Jonathon Sanger]], USA)
|-
|1989
|''[[Apartment Zero]]'' (dir. Martin Donovan, USA)
|''[[Tin Toy]]'' (dir. [[John Lasseter]], USA)
|-
|1990
|''[[Pump Up the Volume (film)|Pump Up the Volume]]'' (dir. [[Allan Moyle]], USA)
|''[[Knick Knack]]'' (dir. [[John Lasseter]], USA)
|-
|1991
|''[[My Mother's Castle]]'' (dir. [[Yves Robert]], France)
|''[[The Potato Hunter]]'' (dir. [[Timothy Hittle]], USA)
|''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris Is Burning]]'' (dir. [[Jennie Livingston]], USA)
|-
|1992
|''[[IP 5 - L'île aux pachydermes]]'' (dir. [[Jean-Jacques Beineix]], France)
|''[[Anima Mundi (film)|Anima Mundi]]'' (dir. [[Godfrey Reggio]], USA)	
|''[[A Brief History of Time (film)|A Brief History of Time]]'' (dir. [[Errol Morris]], USA)
|-
|1993
|''[[The Wedding Banquet]]'' (dir. [[Ang Lee]], [[Taiwan]]/USA)
|''[[The Fairy Who Didn't Want to Be a Fairy Anymore]]'' (dir. [[Laurie Lynd]], Canada)
|''[[Road Scholar]]'' (dir. [[Roger Weisberg]], USA)
|-
|1994
|''[[Priscilla, Queen of the Desert]]'' (dir. [[Stephan Elliott]], Australia)<ref>[https://www.liveabout.com/seattle-international-film-festival-siff-4782119 ''Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF): History and Winners'']. liveabout.com website.</ref><ref>Sears, Abbie. (2019). [https://filmobsessive.com/film/film-features/film25yl/film-25yl-the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert/ ''Film 25YL: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'']. filmobsessive.com website.</ref>
|''[[The Wrong Trousers]]'' (dir. [[Nick Park]], UK)
|''[[The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl]]'' (dir. [[Ray Müller]], Germany)
|-
|1995
|''[[The Kingdom (TV miniseries)|The Kingdom]]'' (dir. [[Lars von Trier]], Denmark)
|''[[Surprise! (film)|Surprise!]]'' (dir. [[Veit Helmer]], Germany)
|''[[Crumb (film)|Crumb]]'' (dir. [[Terry Zwigoff]], USA)
|-
|1996
|''[[Trainspotting (film)|Trainspotting]]'' (dir. [[Danny Boyle]], UK)
|''[[That Night]]'' (dir. [[John Keister (comedian)|John Keister]], USA)
|''[[Hype!]]'' (dir. [[Doug Pray]], USA)
|-
|1997
|''[[Comrades: Almost a Love Story]]'' (dir. [[Peter Chan]], Hong Kong)
|''[[Ballad of the Skeletons]]'' (dir. [[Gus Van Sant]], USA)
|''[[Licensed to Kill (1997 film)|Licensed to Kill]]'' (dir. [[Arthur Dong]], USA)
|-
|1998
|''[[God Said Ha!]]'' (dir. [[Julia Sweeney]], USA)
|''[[Sin Sostén]]'' (dir. [[Rene Castinello]], [[Antonio Urrutia]], Belgium)
|''[[Frank Lloyd Wright (film)|Frank Lloyd Wright]]'' (dir. [[Ken Burns]], [[Lynn Novick]], USA)
|-
|1999
|''[[Run Lola Run]]'' (dir. [[Tom Tykwer]], Germany)
|''[[12 Stops of the Road to Nowhere]]'' (dir. [[Jay Lowi]], USA)
|''[[Buena Vista Social Club (film)|Buena Vista Social Club]]'' (dir. [[Wim Wenders]], USA)
|-
|2000
|''[[Shower (film)|Shower]]'' ([[Zhang Yang (director)|Zhang Yang]], China)
|''In God We Trust'' (dir. [[Jason Reitman]], USA)
|''[[Trade Off]]'' (dir. [[Shaya Mercer]], USA)
|-
|2001
|''[[Finder's Fee]]'' (dir. [[Jeff Probst]], USA)
|''[[Boychick (film)|Boychick]]'' (dir. [[Glen Gaylord]], USA)
|''[[The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition]]'' (dir. [[George Butler (filmmaker)|George Butler]], USA)
|-
|2002
|''[[Elling]]'' (dir. [[Petter Næss]], Norway)
|''[[The Host (2001 film)|The Host]]'' (dir. [[Nicholas Tomnay]], Australia)
|''[[Ruthie & Connie: Every Room in the House]]'' (dir. [[Deborah Dickson]], USA)
|-
|2003
|''[[Whale Rider]]'' (dir. [[Niki Caro]], New Zealand)
|''[[Misdemeanor (film)|Misdemeanor]]'' (dir. [[Jonathan Lemond]], USA)
|''[[The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (documentary)|The Revolution Will Not Be Televised]]'' (dir. [[Kim Bartley]], [[Donnacha O'Briain]], Ireland/[[Venezuela]])
|-
|2004
|''[[Facing Windows]]'' (dir. [[Ferzan Özpetek]], Italy)
|''Consent'' (dir. [[Jason Reitman]], USA)
|''[[Born into Brothels]]'' (dir. [[Zana Briski]], [[Ross Kauffmann]], USA)
|-
|2005
|''[[Innocent Voices]]'' (dir. [[Luis Mandoki]], [[Mexico]])
|''[[Raftman's Razor]]'' (dir. [[Keith Bearden]], USA)
|''[[Murderball (film)|Murderball]]'' (dir. [[Henry-Alex Rubin]], [[Dana Adam Shapiro]], USA)
|-
|2006
|''[[OSS 117: Nest of Spies]]'' (dir. [[Michel Hazanavicius]], France)
|''[[Full Disclosure (short film)|Full Disclosure]]'' (dir. [[Douglas Horn]], USA)
|''[[The Trials of Darryl Hunt]]'' (dir. [[Ricki Stern]], [[Annie Sundberg]], USA)
|-
|2007<ref name=Reel-Autumn2007-5>''Reel News'' (SIFF), Autumn 2007, p. 5.</ref>
|''[[Outsourced (film)|Outsourced]]'' (dir. [[John Jeffcoat]], USA)
|''[[Pierre (short film)|Pierre]]'' (dir. [[Dan Brown (director)|Dan Brown]], USA)
|''[[For the Bible Tells Me So]]'' (dir. [[Daniel G Karslake|Daniel Karslake]], USA)
|-
|2008
|''[[Cherry Blossoms (film)|Cherry Blossoms]]'' (dir. [[Doris Dörrie]], Germany)
|''[[Felix (2008 film)|Felix]]'' (dir. [[Andreas Utta]], Germany)
|''[[The Wrecking Crew (2008 film)|The Wrecking Crew]]'' (dir. [[Denny Tedesco]], USA)
|-
|2009
|''[[Black Dynamite]]'' (dir. [[Scott Sanders (director)|Scott Sanders]], USA)
|''[[Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death]]'' (dir. [[Nick Park]], UK)
|''[[The Cove (film)|The Cove]]'' (dir. [[Louie Psihoyos]], USA)
|-
|2010
|''[[The Hedgehog]]'' (dir. [[Mona Achache]], France)
|''[[Ormie]]'' (dir. [[Rob Silvestri]], Canada)
|''[[Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life]]'' (dir. [[Karen Stanton]], USA), ''[[Waste Land (film)|Waste Land]]'' (dir. [[Lucy Walker (director)|Lucy Walker]], United Kingdom)
|-
|2011
|''[[Pájaros de papel]]'' (dir. [[Emilio Aragón Álvarez|Emilio Aragón]], Spain)
|''[[The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore]]'' (dir. [[William Joyce (writer)|William Joyce]] and [[Brandon Oldenburg]], USA)
|''[[To Be Heard]]'' (dir. [[Amy Sultan]], [[Roland Legiardi-Laura]], [[Edwin Martinez]] and [[Deborah Shaffer]], USA)
|-
|2012
|''[[Any Day Now (2012 film)|Any Day Now]]'' (dir. [[Travis Fine]], USA)
|''[[CatCam]]'' (dir. [[Seth Keal]], USA)
|''[[The Invisible War]]'' (dir. [[Kirby Dick]], USA)
|-
|2013
|''[[Fanie Fourie's Lobola]]'' (dir. [[Henk Pretorius]], South Africa)
|''[[Spooners]]'' (dir. [[Bryan Horch]], USA)
|''[[Twenty Feet from Stardom]]'' (dir. [[Morgan Neville]], USA)
|-
|2014
|''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'' (dir. [[Richard Linklater]], USA)
|''[[Fool's Day (film)|Fool's Day]]'' (dir. Cody Blue Snider, USA)
|''[[Keep On Keepin' On (film)|Keep on Keepin' On]]'' (dir. [[Alan Hicks]], USA)
|-
|2015
|''[[The Dark Horse (2014 film)|The Dark Horse]]'' (dir. [[James Napier Robertson]], New Zealand)
|''Even the Walls'' (dir. Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydani, USA)
|''[[Romeo Is Bleeding (2015 film)|Romeo Is Bleeding]]'' (dir. Jason Zeldes, USA)
|-
|2016
|''[[Captain Fantastic (film)|Captain Fantastic]]'' (dir. [[Matt Ross (actor)|Matt Ross]], USA)
|''Alive & Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa'' (dir. Lara-Ann de Wet,  USA, South Africa)
|''[[Gleason (2016 film)|Gleason]]'' (dir. Clay Tweel, USA)
|-
|2017
|''[[At the End of the Tunnel]]'' (dir. [[Rodrigo Grande]], Spain/Argentina)
|''Defend the Sacred'' (dir. Kyle Bell, USA)
|''[[Dolores (2017 film)|Dolores]]'' (dir. Peter Bratt, USA)
|-
|2018
|''[[Eighth Grade (film)|Eighth Grade]]'' (dir. [[Bo Burnham]], USA)
|''Emergency'' (dir. Carey Williams, USA)
|''[[Won't You Be My Neighbor? (film)|Won't You Be My Neighbor?]]'' (dir. [[Morgan Neville]], USA)
|-
|2019
|''[[Tel Aviv on Fire]]'' (dir. [[Sameh Zoabi]], Israel)
|''Stepdaddy'' (dir. Lisa Steen, USA)
|''We are the Radical Monarchs'' (dir. Linda Goldstein Knowlton, USA)
|-
|2020
| colspan="3" |Not awarded -- Festival cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 Pandemic]]
|-
|2021
|''[[There Is No Evil]]'' (dir. [[Mohammad Rasoulof]], Germany/Czech Republic/ Iran)
|''My Neighbor, Miguel'' (dir. Danny Navarro, USA)
|''Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America'' (dir. Sarah Kunstler. [[Emily Kunstler]], USA)
|-
|2023
|''Dancing Queen'' (dir. Aurora Gossé, Norway)
|''Donkey'' (dir. Matt Kazman, USA)
|''26.2 to Life'' (dir. [[Christine Yoo]], USA)
|-
|2024
|''[[Sing Sing (2023 film)|Sing Sing]]'' (dir. Greg Kwedar, USA)
|''Jellyfish and Lobster'' (dir. Yasmin Afifi, United Kingdom)
|''Porcelain War'' (dir. Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Ukraine, USA, Australia)
|-
|}

=== SIFF Awards for Best Director and Performances ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Best Director
!Best Actress
!Best Actor
|-
|1985
|[[Krzysztof Zanussi]] (''[[Power of Evil]]'', Poland)
|[[Renee Soutendijk]] (''[[The Fourth Man (1983 film)|The Fourth Man]]'', Belgium)
|[[William Hurt]] (''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985 film)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'', Brazil)
|-
|1986
|[[Fons Rademakers]] (''[[The Assault (1986 film)|The Assault]]'', Netherlands)	
|[[Cathy Tyson]] (''[[Mona Lisa (1986 film)|Mona Lisa]]'', UK)
|[[Bob Hoskins]] (''[[Mona Lisa (1986 film)|Mona Lisa]]'', UK)
|-
|1987
|[[Lasse Hallström]] (''[[My Life as a Dog]]'', Sweden)
|[[Monique van de Ven]] (''[[Iris (1987 film)|Iris]]'', Netherlands)
|[[Gary Oldman]] (''[[Prick Up Your Ears]]'', UK)
|-
|1988
|[[Alan Rudolph]] (''[[The Moderns]]'', USA)
|[[Deborra-Lee Furness]] (''[[Shame (1988 film)|Shame]]'', Australia)
|[[Tom Hulce]] (''[[Dominick and Eugene]]'', USA)
|-
|1989
|Martin Donovan (''[[Apartment Zero]]'', USA)
|[[Wendy Hughes]] (''[[Boundaries of the Heart]]'', Australia)
|[[Rutger Hauer]] (''[[The Legend of the Holy Drinker (film)|The Legend of the Holy Drinker]]'', Italy)
|-
|1990
|[[Denys Arcand]] (''[[Jesus of Montreal]]'', Canada)
|[[Rebecca Jenkins]] (''[[Bye Bye Blues (film)|Bye Bye Blues]]'', Canada)
|[[Michael Rooker]]'' ([[Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer]]'', USA)
|-
|1991
|[[Peter Greenaway]] (''[[Drowning by Numbers]]'', UK)
|[[Lily Tomlin]] (''[[Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe]]'', USA)
|[[Alan Rickman]] (''[[Close My Eyes (film)|Close My Eyes]]'' and ''[[Truly, Madly, Deeply (film)|Truly, Madly, Deeply]]'', UK)
|-
|1992
|[[Jean-Jacques Beineix]] (''[[Betty Blue]]'', France)
|[[Marianne Sägebrecht]] ([[Martha and I]], Germany/France)
|[[Dermot Mulroney]] (''[[Where the Day Takes You]]'' and ''[[Samantha (film)|Samantha]]'', USA)
|-
|1993
|[[Ang Lee]] (''[[The Wedding Banquet]]'', [[Taiwan]]/USA)
|[[Tilda Swinton]] (''[[Orlando (film)|Orlando]]'', UK/Russia/Italy/France/Netherlands)
|[[Russell Crowe]] (''[[Romper Stomper]]'' and ''[[Hammers Over the Anvil]]'', Australia)
|-
|1994
|[[Rolf de Heer]] (''[[Bad Boy Bubby]]'', Australia)
|[[Mimi Rogers]] (''[[Reflection on a Crime]]'', USA)
|[[Terence Stamp]] (''[[Priscilla, Queen of the Desert]]'', Australia)
|-
|1995
|[[Bryan Singer]] (''[[The Usual Suspects]]'', USA)
|[[Nicole Kidman]] (''[[To Die For]]'', USA)
|[[Kevin Spacey]] (''[[The Usual Suspects]]'', USA)
|-
|1996
|[[Danny Boyle]] (''[[Trainspotting (film)|Trainspotting]]'', UK)
|[[Lili Taylor]] (''[[Girls Town (1996 film)|Girls Town]]'', USA)
|[[Vincent D'Onofrio]] (''[[The Whole Wide World]]'', USA)
|-
|1997
|[[Peter Greenaway]] (''[[The Pillow Book (film)|The Pillow Book]]'', UK)
|[[Robin Wright|Robin Wright Penn]] (''[[Loved (film)|Loved]]'', USA)
|[[Brendan Fraser]] (''[[Still Breathing (film)|Still Breathing]]'', USA)
|-
|1998
|[[Bill Condon]] (''[[Gods and Monsters (film)|Gods and Monsters]]'', USA)
|[[Christina Ricci]] (''[[Buffalo 66]]'' and ''[[The Opposite of Sex]]'', USA)
|[[Stephen Fry]] (''[[Wilde (film)|Wilde]]'', UK)
|-
|1999
|[[John Sayles]] (''[[Limbo (1999 film)|Limbo]]'', USA)
|[[Piper Laurie]] (''[[The Mao Game]]'', USA)
|[[Rupert Everett]] (''[[An Ideal Husband (1999 film)|An Ideal Husband]]'', UK)
|-
|2000
|[[Zhang Yang (director)|Zhang Yang]] (''Shower'', China)
|[[Nathalie Baye]] (''[[Venus Beauty Institute]]'', France)
|[[Dan Futterman]] (''[[Urbania (film)|Urbania]]'', USA)
|-
|2001
|[[Tim Blake Nelson]] (''[[O (2001 film)|O]]'', USA)
|[[Thora Birch]] (''[[Ghost World (film)|Ghost World]]'', USA)
|[[John Cameron Mitchell]] (''[[Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film)|Hedwig and the Angry Inch]]'', USA)
|-
|2002
|[[Julio Médem]] (''[[Sex and Lucia]]'', Spain)
|[[Isabelle Huppert]] (''[[The Piano Teacher (2001 film)|The Piano Teacher]]'', Austria/France)
|[[Moritz Bleibtreu]] (''[[Das Experiment]]'', Germany)
|-
|2003
|[[Niki Caro]] (''[[Whale Rider]]'', New Zealand)
|[[Moon So-ri]] (''[[Oasis (2002 film)|Oasis]]'', [[South Korea]])
|[[Sul Kyung-gu]] (''[[Oasis (2002 film)|Oasis]]'', [[South Korea]])
|-
|2004
|[[Marco Tullio Giordana]] (''[[The Best of Youth]]'', Italy)
|[[Catalina Sandino Moreno]] (''[[Maria Full of Grace]]'' ([[Colombia]]/USA)
|[[Luis Tosar]] (''[[Take My Eyes]]'', Spain)
|-
|2005
|[[Gregg Araki]] (''[[Mysterious Skin]]'', USA)
|[[Joan Allen]] (''[[Yes (film)|Yes]]'', USA)
|[[Joseph Gordon-Levitt]] (''[[Mysterious Skin]]'', USA)
|-
|2006
|[[Goran Dukic]] (''[[Wristcutters: A Love Story]]'', USA)
|[[Fiona Gordon]] (''{{Interlanguage link multi|The Iceberg|fr|3=L'Iceberg}}'', Belgium)
|[[Ryan Gosling]] (''[[Half Nelson (film)|Half Nelson]]'', USA)
|-
|2007<ref name=Reel-Autumn2007-5 />
|[[Daniel Waters (screenwriter)|Daniel Waters]] (''[[Sex & Death 101]]'', USA)
|[[Marion Cotillard]] (''[[La Vie en Rose (film)|La Vie en Rose]]'', France)
|[[Daniel Brühl]] (''[[Salvador (Puig Antich)|Salvador]]'', Spain)
|-
|2008
|[[Amin Matalqa]] (''[[Captain Abu Raed]]'', Jordan)
|[[Jessica Chastain]] (''[[Jolene (film)|Jolene]]'', USA)
|[[Alan Rickman]] (''[[Bottle Shock]]'', USA)
|-
|2009
|[[Kathryn Bigelow]] (''[[The Hurt Locker]]'', USA)
|[[Yolande Moreau]] (''[[Séraphine (film)|Seraphine]]''), France)
|[[Sam Rockwell]] (''[[Moon (2009 film)|Moon]]'', UK)
|-
|2010
|[[Debra Granik]] (''[[Winter's Bone]]'', USA)
|[[Jennifer Lawrence]] (''[[Winter's Bone]]'', USA)
|[[Luis Tosar]] (''[[Cell 211]]'', Spain)
|-
|2011
|[[Larysa Kondracki]] (''[[The Whistleblower]]'', Canada/Germany)
|[[Natasha Petrovic]] (''[[As If I Am Not There]]'', Ireland)
|[[Bill Skarsgård]] (''[[Simple Simon (2010 film)|Simple Simon]]'', Sweden)
|-
|2013
|[[Nabil Ayouch]] (''[[Horses of God]]'', Morocco)
|[[Samantha Morton]] (''[[Decoding Annie Parker]])'', USA)
|[[James Cromwell]] (''[[Still Mine]]'', Canada)
|-
|2014
|[[Richard Linklater]] (''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'', USA)
|[[Patricia Arquette]] (''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'', USA)
|[[Dawid Ogrodnik]] (''[[Life Feels Good]]'', Poland)
|-
|2015
|[[Alfonso Gomez-Rejon]] (''[[Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (film)|Me and Earl and the Dying Girl]]'', USA)
|[[Nina Hoss]] (''[[Phoenix (2014 film)|Phoenix]]'', Germany)
|[[Cliff Curtis]] (''[[The Dark Horse (2014 film)|The Dark Horse]]'', New Zealand)
|-
|2016
|[[Javier Ruiz Caldera]] (''[[Anacleto: agente secreto]]'', Spain)
|[[Vicky Hernández]] (''[[Between Sea and Land]]'', Colombia)
|[[Rolf Lassgård]] (''[[A Man Called Ove (film)|A Man Called Ove]]'', Sweden)
|-
|2017
|[[Rodrigo Grande]] (''[[At the End of the Tunnel]]'', Spain/Argentina)
|[[Lene Cecilia Sparrok]] (''[[Sami Blood|Sami Blood (Sameblod)]]'', Sweden/Norway/Denmark)
|[[Dave Johns]] (''[[I, Daniel Blake]]'', United Kingdom/France/Belgium)
|-
|2018
|Gustav Möller (''[[The Guilty (2018 film)|The Guilty]]'', Denmark)
|[[Elsie Fisher]] (''[[Eighth Grade (film)|Eighth Grade]]'', USA)
|[[Miguel Ángel Solá]] (''[[The Last Suit]]'', Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany)
|-
|2019
|Ulaa Salim (''Sons of Denmark (Danmarks sønner)'', Denmark)
|[[Damla Sönmez]] (''[[Sibel (film)|Sibel]]'', Turkey)
|[[:de:Julius Weckauf|Julius Weckauf]] (''[[:de:Der Junge muss an die frische Luft (Film)|All About Me (Der Junge muss an die frische Luft]])'', Germany)
|-
|2020
| colspan="3" |Not awarded -- Festival cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 Pandemic]]
|-
|-
!Year
!Best Director
!Best Performance
!Lena Sharpe Award For Persistence Of Vision
|-
|2023
|[[Maryam Touzani]], (''[[The Blue Caftan]]''), Morocco/France
|[[Lubna Azabal]], (''[[The Blue Caftan]]''), Morocco/France
||''26.2 to Life'' (dir. [[Christine Yoo]], USA)
|}

=== Jury awards ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year 	
!New Director Award
!New American Cinema Award
!Best Documentary
|-
|2007<ref name=Reel-Autumn2007-5 />
|[[Erik Richter Strand]] (''[[Sons (2006 film)|Sons]]'', Norway)
|''[[Shotgun Stories]] ([[Jeff Nichols]], USA)''
|[[Harald Freidl]], (''[[Out of Time (2007 film)|Out of Time]]'', Austria)
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year 	
!Short film awards -<br />Narrative short
!Short film awards -<br />Animated short
!Short film awards -<br />Documentary short
|-
|2007<ref name=Reel-Autumn2007-5 />
|''[[Wigald]]'', [[Timon Modersohn]] (Germany)
|''[[Everything Will Be OK]]'', [[Don Hertzfeldt]] (USA)
|''[[Chocolate Country]]'', [[Robin Blotnick]] ([[Dominican Republic]] / USA)
|}

== Premieres ==
<!-- this is very partial-->

Among the films that have received North American or world premieres at SIFF are:
* ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' – Ridley Scott (1979, World premiere)<ref>1979 SIFF program (guide/booklet) states this is the World Premiere of Alien</ref>
*''[[Arafat, My Brother]]'' – [[Rashid Masharawi]] (2005, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2005>[http://www.seattlefilm.com/news/detail.aspx?NID=56&year=2005 News in 2005], SIFF. Accessed November 23, 2006.</ref>
*''[[Banlieue 13]]'' – Pierre Morel (2005, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2005/>
*''[[Burning in the Wind]]'' – Silvio Soldoni (2003, World premiere)<ref>[http://www.seattlefilm.com/siff2003/films/film_detail.asp?filmid=115 Burning in the Wind], SIFF, Accessed November 23, 2006.</ref>
*''[[Café Society (2016 film)|Cafe Society]]''  – Woody Allen (2016, North American premiere)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/siff-2016-opens-with-amazon-produced-woody-allen-film-cafe-society/|title=SIFF 2016 to open with Woody Allen's comedy 'Café Society'|date=April 21, 2016|website=The Seattle Times|access-date=2016-05-20}}</ref>
* ''[[Creature (1999 film)|Creature]]'' – Parris Patton (1999, World premiere)<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter January 14, 2000">{{cite news|last=Hunter|first=David|title='Creature'.|url=http://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-59176107/creature|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222020412/http://business.highbeam.com/2012/article-1G1-59176107/creature|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2014|access-date=August 22, 2014|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 14, 2000}}</ref>
*''[[Ghost World (film)|Ghost World]]'' – Terry Zwigoff (2001, World premiere)
*''[[I Murder Seriously]]'' – Antonio Urrutia (2003, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2003>[http://www.seattlefilm.com/siff2003/press/pressrelease_detail.asp?pressreleaseid=4 Press release], SIFF. Accessed November 23, 2006.</ref>
* ''[[Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean]]'' – [[Matthew Mishory]] (2012, World Premiere)<ref name="Newton 2012">{{cite web |last=Newton |first=Alistair |title=Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean |website=Xtra Magazine |date=2012-05-02 |url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/joshua-tree-1951-a-portrait-of-james-dean-3990 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427185005/https://xtramagazine.com/culture/joshua-tree-1951-a-portrait-of-james-dean-3990 |archive-date=2023-04-27 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-27}}</ref>
* ''[[Last Days (2005 film)|Last Days]]'' – Gus Van Sant (2005, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2005/>
* ''[[Mars (2004 film)|Mars]]'' – Anna Melikian (2005, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2005/>
* ''[[Mongolian Ping Pong]]'' – Ning Hao (2005, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2005/>
* ''[[Monster House (film)|Monster House]]'' – Gil Kenan (2006, North American premiere)<ref name="Monster House 2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.seattlefilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=21228&FID=13 |title=Monster House {{!}} 2006 Seattle International Film Festival {{!}} Gil Kenan {{!}} USA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220841/http://www.seattlefilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=21228&FID=13 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |url-status=usurped}}</ref><!-- citation does not say this is a premiere -->
* ''[[Nate Dogg]]'' – Thomas Farone (2003, World premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2003/>
* ''[[PTU (film)|PTU]]'' – Johnny To (2003, North American premiere)<ref name=SIFF-2003/>
* Time Trap – Mark Dennis & Ben Foster (2017, World Premiere)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/time-trap-trailer-sci-fi-siff-1201829001/|title=Time Trap Trailer: First Look at Mind-Bending New Sci-Fi Adventure |last=Erbland|first=Kate|website=www.indiewire.com|date=May 19, 2017|language=en|access-date=2017-05-28}}</ref>
* ''[[Tomorrow's Weather]]'' – Jerzy Stuhr (2003, North American premiere)<ref>[http://www.seattlefilm.com/siff2004/film/detail.aspx?id=187 Tomorrow's Weather], SIFF, Accessed November 23, 2006.</ref>
* ''[[Twice in a Lifetime (film)|Twice in a Lifetime]]'' (1985, world premiere)<ref>{{AFI film|58414|Twice in a Lifetime}}</ref>

== Gala Event films ==

===Seattle===
<!-- Work in Progress -->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Opening Night
!Other Galas
!Closing Night
|-
|1991
|''[[The Miracle (1991 film)|The Miracle]]'' (dir. [[Neil Jordan]], UK)
|
|''[[Uranus (film)|Uranus]]'' (dir. [[Claude Berri]], France)
|-
|1992
|''{{Interlanguage link multi|Le Bal des casse-pieds|fr}}'' (dir. [[Yves Robert]], France) 
|
|''[[Equinox (1992 film)|Equinox]]'' (dir. [[Alan Rudolph]], USA)
|-
|1993
|''[[Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)|Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (dir. [[Kenneth Branagh]], USA)
|
|''[[King of the Hill (1993 film)|King of the Hill]]'' (dir. [[Steven Soderbergh]], USA),
|-
|1994
|''[[Little Buddha]]'' (dir. [[Bernardo Bertolucci]], UK)
|
|''[[Barcelona (film)|Barcelona]]'' (dir. [[Whit Stillman]], USA)
|-
|1995
|''[[Braveheart]]'' (dir. [[Mel Gibson]], USA)
|
|''[[Cold Comfort Farm]]'' (dir. [[John Schlesinger]], UK)
|-
|1996
|''[[The Whole Wide World]]'' (dir. [[Dan Ireland]], USA)
|
|''[[Emma (1996 theatrical film)|Emma]]'' (dir. [[Douglas McGrath]], USA)
|-
|1997
|''[[Addicted to Love (film)|Addicted to Love]]'' (dir. [[Griffin Dunne]], USA) Addicted to Love 
|
|''[[Mrs. Brown]]'' (dir. [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]], UK)
|-
|1998
|''[[Firelight]]'' (dir. [[William Nicholson (writer)|William Nicholson]], USA)
|''[[Smoke Signals (film)|Smoke Signals]]'' (dir. [[Chris Eyre]], USA)
|''[[This Is My Father]]'' (dir. [[Paul Quinn (director)|Paul Quinn]], USA)
|-
|1999
|''[[The Dinner Game]]'' (dir. [[Francis Veber]], France)
|
|''[[Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me]]'' (dir. [[Jay Roach]], USA)
|-
|2000
|''[[Love's Labour's Lost (2000 film)|Love's Labour's Lost]]'' (dir. [[Kenneth Branagh]], UK)
|
|''[[A Rumor of Angels]]'' (dir. [[Peter O'Fallon]], USA)
|-
|2001
|''[[The Anniversary Party]]'' (dir. [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]] and [[Alan Cumming]], USA)
|''[[O (2001 film)|O]]'' (dir. [[Tim Blake Nelson]], USA)<br />
''[[Liam (2000 film)|Liam]]'' (dir. [[Stephen Frears]], UK)<br />
''[[Tortilla Soup]]'' (dir. [[Maria Ripoll]], USA)<br />
''[[Ghost World (film)|Ghost World]]'' (dir. [[Terry Zwigoff]], USA)
|''[[Investigating Sex]]'' (dir. [[Alan Rudolph]], USA)
|-
|2002
|''[[Igby Goes Down]]'' (dir. [[Burr Steers]], USA)
|''[[24 Hour Party People]]'' (dir. [[Michael Winterbottom]], UK)
|''[[Passionada]]'' (dir. [[Dan Ireland]], USA)
|-
|2003
|''[[Valentín]]'' (dir. [[Alejandro Agresti]], Argentina)
|''[[H (2002 film)|H]]'' (dir. [[Lee Jong-hyuk]], South Korea)<br />
''[[Julius Caesar (mini)|Caesar]]'' (dir. [[Uli Edel]], USA)<br />
''[[PTU (film)|PTU]]'' (dir. [[Johnnie To]], Hong Kong)<br />
''[[Together (2002 film)|Together]]'' (dir. [[Chen Kaige]], South Korea)<br />
''[[Whale Rider]]'' (dir. [[Niki Caro]], New Zealand)
|''[[Jet Lag (film)|Jet Lag]]'' (dir. [[Daniele Thompson]], France)
|-
|2004
|''[[The Notebook]]'' (dir. [[Nick Cassavetes]], USA)
|''[[Saved!]]'' (dir. [[Brian Dannelly]], USA)<br />
''[[Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut]]'' (dir. [[Richard Kelly (director)|Richard Kelly]], USA)<br />
''[[Before Sunset]]'' (dir. [[Richard Linklater]], USA)<br />
''[[Criminal (2004 film)|Criminal]]'' (dir. [[Gregory Jacobs]], USA)
|''[[Intimate Strangers (2004 film)|Intimate Strangers]]'' (dir. [[Patrice Leconte]], France)
|-
|2005
|''[[Me and You and Everyone We Know]]'' (dir. [[Miranda July]], USA)
|''[[The Dying Gaul (film)|The Dying Gaul]]'' (dir. [[Craig Lucas]], USA)<br />
''[[Red Dust (2004 film)|Red Dust]]'' (dir. [[Tom Hooper (director)|Tom Hooper]], UK)<br />
''[[El perro|Bombón, el Perro]]'' (dir. [[Carlos Sorín]], Argentina)<br />
''[[Crustacés et Coquillages|Côte d'Azur]]'' (dir. [[Olivier Ducastel]] and [[Jacques Martineau]], France)
|''[[Last Days (2005 film)|Last Days]]'' (dir. [[Gus Van Sant]], USA)
|-
|2006
|''[[The Illusionist (2006 film)|The Illusionist]]'' (dir. [[Neil Burger]], USA)
|''[[Factotum (film)|Factotum]]'' (dir. [[Bent Hamer]], USA)<br />
''[[Perhaps Love (2005 film)|Perhaps Love]]'' (dir. [[Peter Ho-Sun Chan]], Hong Kong)<br />
''[[A Prairie Home Companion (film)|A Prairie Home Companion]]'' (dir. [[Robert Altman]], USA)<br />
''[[Strangers with Candy (film)|Strangers with Candy]]'' (dir. [[Paul Dinello]], USA)
|''[[The Science of Sleep]]'' (dir. [[Michel Gondry]], France)
|-
|2007
|''[[Son of Rambow]]'' (dir. [[Garth Jennings]], USA)
|''[[2 Days in Paris]]'', (dir. [[Julie Delpy]], France)<br />
''[[A Battle of Wits (2006 film)|A Battle of Wits]]'', (dir. [[Jacob Cheung]], Hong Kong)<br />
''[[The Boss of It All]]'', (dir. [[Lars von Trier]], Denmark)<br />
''[[Evening (film)|Evening]]'', (dir. [[Lajos Koltai]], USA)
|''[[Molière (2007 film)|Molière]]'' (dir. [[Laurent Tirard]], France)
|-
|2008
|''[[Battle in Seattle]]'' (dir. [[Stuart Townsend]], USA)
|''[[The Great Buck Howard]]'' (dir. [[Sean McGinly]], USA)
|''[[Bottle Shock]]'' (dir. [[Randall Miller]], USA)
|-
|2009
|''[[In the Loop (film)|In the Loop]]'' (dir. [[Armando Iannucci]], UK)
|''[[Humpday]]'' (dir. [[Lynn Shelton]], USA)
|''[[OSS 117: Lost in Rio]]'' (dir. [[Michel Hazanavicius]], France)
|-
|2010
|''[[The Extra Man (film)|The Extra Man]]'' (dir. [[Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini]], USA)
|''[[L'affaire Farewell|Farewell]]'' (dir. [[Christian Carion]], France)
|''[[Get Low (film)|Get Low]]'' (dir. [[Aaron Schneider]], USA)
|-
|2011
|''[[The First Grader]]'' (dir. [[Justin Chadwick]], UK)
|''[[The Women on the 6th Floor|Service Entrance]]'' (dir. [[Philippe Le Guay]], France)
|''[[Life in a Day (2011 film)|Life in a Day]]'' (dir. [[Kevin MacDonald (director)|Kevin MacDonald]], UK)
|-
|2012
|''[[Your Sister's Sister]]'' (dir. [[Lynn Shelton]], USA)
|''[[The Chef (film)|The Chef]]'' (dir. {{Interlanguage link multi|Daniel Cohen (filmmaker)|fr|3=Daniel Cohen (cinéaste)}}, France)
|''[[Grassroots (film)|Grassroots]]'' (dir. [[Stephen Gyllenhaal]], USA)
|-
|2013
|''[[Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film)|Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (dir. [[Joss Whedon]], USA)
|''[[20 Feet from Stardom]]'' (dir. [[Morgan Neville]], USA)
|''[[The Bling Ring]]'' (dir. [[Sofia Coppola]], USA)
|-
|2014
|''[[All Is By My Side|Jimi: All Is By My Side]]'' (dir. [[John Ridley]], USA)
|''[[Boyhood (2014 film)|Boyhood]]'' (dir. [[Richard Linklater]], USA)
|''[[The One I Love (film)|The One I Love]]'' (dir. [[Charlie McDowell]], USA)
|-
|2015
|''[[Spy (2015 film)|Spy]]'' (dir. [[Paul Feig]], USA)
|''[[The End of the Tour (2015 film)|The End of the Tour]]'' (dir. [[James Ponsoldt]], USA)
|''[[The Overnight]]'' (dir. [[Patrick Brice]], USA)
|-
|2016
|''[[Café Society (2016 film)|Café Society]]'' (dir. [[Woody Allen]], USA)
|''[[Gleason (2016 film)|Gleason]]'' (dir. [[Clay Tweel]], USA)
|''[[The Dressmaker (2015 film)|The Dressmaker]]'' (dir. [[Jocelyn Moorhouse]], Australia)
|-
|2017
|''[[The Big Sick]]'' (dir. [[Michael Showalter]], USA)
|''[[Landline (film)|Landline]]'' (dir. [[Gillian Robespierre]], USA)
|''[[The Young Karl Marx|The Young Karl Marx (Le jeune Karl Marx)]]'' (dir. [[Raoul Peck]], France/Germany/Belgium)
|-
|2018
|''[[The Bookshop (film)|The Bookshop]]'' (dir. [[Isabel Coixet]], Spain)
|''[[Sorry to Bother You (film)|Sorry to Bother You]]'' (dir. [[Boots Riley]], USA)
|''[[Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot]]'' (dir. [[Gus Van Sant]], USA)
|-
|2019
|''[[Sword of Trust]]'' (dir. [[Lynn Shelton]], USA)
|''[[Late Night (film)|Late Night]]'' (dir. [[Nisha Ganatra]], USA)
|''[[The Farewell (2019 film)|The Farewell]]'' (dir. [[Lulu Wang (filmmaker)|Lulu Wang]], USA)
|-
|2021
|''[[The Dry (film)|The Dry]]'' (dir. Robert Connelly, Australia)
|
|''[[Rosa's Wedding]]'' (dir. Icíar Bollaín, Spain/France)
|-
|2022
|''[[Navalny (film)|Navalny]]'' (dir. Daniel Roher, USA)
|
|''[[Call Jane]]'' (dir. Phyliss Nagy, USA)
|-
|2023
|''[[Past Lives (film)|Past Lives]]'' (dir. Celine Song, USA)
|
|''[[I Like Movies]]'' (dir. Chandler Levack, Canada)
|-
|2024
|''[[Thelma (2024 film)|Thelma]]'' (dir. Josh Margolin, USA)
|
|''[[Sing Sing (2023 film)|Sing Sing]]'' (dir. Greg Kwedar, USA)
|-
|2025
|''[[Four Mothers (2024 film)|Four Mothers]]'' (dir. Darren Thornton, Ireland)
|
|''[[Sorry, Baby (2025 film)|Sorry, Baby]]'' (dir. Eva Victor, USA)
|}

===Kirkland===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year 	
!Opening Night
|-
|2010
|''[[The Over the Hill Band]]'' (dir. [[Geoffrey Enthoven]], Belgium)
|-
|2011
|''[[Bon Appétit (film)|Bon Appétit]]'' (dir. {{Interlanguage link multi|David Pinillos|es}}, Spain)
|-
|2012
|''[[Starbuck (film)|Starbuck]]'' (dir. [[Ken Scott (screenwriter)|Ken Scott]], Canada)
|-
|2013
|''[[Papadopoulos & Sons]]'' (dir. [[Marcus Markou]], UK)
|-
|2014
|''[[The Grand Seduction]]'' (dir. [[Don McKellar]], Canada)
|-
|2015
|''[[Good Ol' Boy]]'' (dir. [[Frank Lotito]], USA)
|-
|2016
|''[[Paul à Québec]]'' (dir. [[François Bouvier]], Canada)
|-
|2017
|''Footnotes (Sur quel pied danser)'' (dir. [[Kostia Testut]], [[Paul Calori]], France)
|-
|2018
|''The Drummer and the Keeper'' (dir. Nick Kelly, Ireland)
|-
|2019
|''[[Non-Fiction (film)|Non-Fiction (Doubles vies)]]'' (dir. [[Olivier Assayas]], France)
|}

===Renton===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year 	
!Opening Night
|-
|2011
|''[[Redemption Road|Redemption Road (original title: Black White and Blues)]]'' (dir. [[Mario Van Peebles]], USA)
|-
|2012
|''[[Fat Kid Rules the World#Film adaptation|Fat Kid Rules the World]]'' (dir. [[Matthew Lillard]], USA)
|-
|2013
|''[[Touchy Feely]]'' (dir. [[Lynn Shelton]], USA)
|-
|2014
|''[[Lucky Them]]'' (dir. [[Megan Griffiths]], USA)
|-
|2015
|''[[The Second Mother (2015 film)|The Second Mother]]'' (dir. [[Anna Muylaert]], Brazil)
|-
|2016
|''[[My Blind Brother]]'' (dir. [[Sophie Goodhart]], USA)
|}

== See also ==

* [[List of film awards]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
*{{official website}}
*{{YouTube|handle=SIFFNews|SIFF News}}
{{Seattle International Film Festival}}
[[Category:Seattle International Film Festival|*]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1985]]
[[Category:Festivals in Seattle]]
[[Category:Film festivals established in 1976]]
[[Category:Film festivals in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Lists of films by award]]
[[Category:Nonprofit cinemas and movie theaters in the United States]]