Seattle, WA – The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS), a diverse network of film critics in Seattle and the surrounding areas of Washington State, is announcing a screening series at the Northwest Film Forum celebrating 10 years of awards and nominations.
This monthly series, which kicks off July 16 with RRR, continues with FIRST COW on August 20, THE HISTORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS on September 13, GREEN ROOM on October 14, THE WITCH on November 19, and closes with MOONLIGHT on December 9, spotlights standout films that have appeared on the organization’s awards lists throughout the decade. The series will also highlight several of the unique categories that define the SFCS Awards, including Villain of the Year, Youth Performance, Action Choreography, and Pacific Northwest Film.
This program brings together some of the most beloved films championed by the organization, with screenings hosted by SFCS members, appearances from special guests, and other surprises.
RRR
(S. S. Rajamouli, 2022, India, 182 minutes)
Winner: 2022 Best Action Choreography
Date and Time: Thursday, July 16, at 6:00 PM
Host: Sean Gilman (The Chinese Cinema)
RRR is an exhilarating, action-packed spectacular mythologizing two real-life freedom fighters who helped lead India’s fight for independence from the British Raj, Komaram Bheem (N.T Rama Rao Jr., aka Jr NTR) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). Set in the 1920s before their fight for India’s independence began, RRR imagines a fictional meeting between the two, set into motion when a young Gond girl is stolen from her village by British soldiers. With staggeringly-choreographed action sequences, an Academy Award-winning musical number, and a powerful story, RRR is pure big screen joy from start to finish.
RRR will be shown in the original Telugu language with English subtitles.
FIRST COW
(Kelly Reichardt, 2019, USA, 121 minutes)
Nominee: 2020 Nominee for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design, and Production Design
Date and Time: Thursday, August 20, at 7:00 PM
Host: Steve Reeder (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Kelly Reichardt trains her perceptive eye on the Pacific Northwest, evoking an authentically hardscrabble early 19th-century way of life. A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune; soon the two collaborate on a successful business, though its longevity relies on the clandestine participation of a wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. From this simple premise, Reichardt constructs a sensitive depiction of male friendship and mounting suspense, revealing a distinct talent for depicting the peculiar rhythms of daily living and ably capturing the immense, unsettling quietude of rural America.
THE HISTORY OF THE SEATTLE MARINERS
(Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein, 2020, USA, 220 minutes)
Winner: 2020 Best Documentary Feature
Date and Time: Sunday, September 13, 4:30 PM
Hosts: Sean Gilman (The Chinese Cinema)
There’s no other team like the Seattle Mariners. Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein’s monumental film is possibly one of the best sports documentaries made this century. The History of The Seattle Mariners grounds you in the riveting history of one of the strangest, most lovable baseball teams to ever play, following emotional highs and lows, head-scratching historical moments, and a truly all-American story.
GREEN ROOM
(Jeremy Saulnier, 2015, USA, 95 minutes)
Nominee: 2016 Nominee for Villain of the Year (Patrick Stewart as Darcy Banker)
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 PM
Host: Matt Oakes (Silver Screen Riot)
Green Room is a brilliantly crafted and wickedly fun horror-thriller about a diabolical club owner who squares off against a resilient young band. Down on their luck punk rockers the Ain’t Rights are finishing up an unsuccessful tour, and are about to call it quits when they get an unexpected booking at an isolated, run-down club in the backwoods of Oregon. What seems merely to be a third-rate gig escalates into something more sinister when they witness an act of violence they weren’t meant to see. Trapped backstage, they face off against the club’s depraved owner, Patrick Stewart’s Darcy Banker, a man who will do anything to protect the secrets of his nefarious enterprise, but while Darcy and his henchmen think the band will be easy to overtake, the Ain’t Rights prove cunning and capable, turning the tables on their captors and setting the stage for the ultimate life-or-death showdown.
THE WITCH
(Robert Eggers, 2015, USA, 92 minutes)
Winner: 2016 Best Youth Performance (Anya Taylor-Joy)
Date and Time: Thursday, November 19, 6:00 PM
Host: Bob Foster (Cinema Crazed)
New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest–within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately–animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, family members accuse teenage daughter Thomasin of witchcraft, charges she adamantly denies. As circumstances grow more treacherous, each member’s faith, loyalty, and love become tested in shocking and unforgettable ways. In this exquisitely-made and terrifying horror film, the age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic, and possession are innovatively brought together to tell the intimate and riveting story of one family’s frightful unraveling in the New England wilderness.
MOONLIGHT
(Barry Jenkins, 2016, USA, 111 minutes)
Winner: 2016 Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mahershala Ali), Best Ensemble Cast, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 9, 7:00 PM
Host: Tim Hall (The People’s Critic)
A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, Moonlight (2017 Academy Award winner for Best Picture) chronicles the life of a young Black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. At once a vital portrait of contemporary African-American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, Moonlight is a groundbreaking film that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, including Mahershala Ali (Best Supporting Actor), Jenkins’s singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people, and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are.
Tickets are available now at Northwest Film Forum (https://nwfilmforum.org/series/sfcs-at-10) with discounted pricing for NWFF members or for a series pass for all six films.