Director Chip Phillips and her board have selected 29 films from more than 70 submitted. Films were accepted from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Nearly 1,500 attended last year's festival and Phillips expects to sell out this year, demonstrating a healthy interest in local artists and a demand for alternatives to the cookie cutter product Hollywood provides. Phillips emphasizes the commitment to providing exposure for autonomous filmmakers who have not had to compromise their vision due to pressure from investors. Phillips' goal is to remain small and selective, emphasizing quality over quantity, yet this selectivity has in no way diminished diversity.
Tickets are available in advance or at the door.
Most films are either world or Seattle premieres, and many filmmakers will attend. Westby's quirky crime cocktail is bloody, indeed. A young couple's plan to run over a man during his evening jog goes disastrously awry when the car's license plate comes off on impact. That's only the first in an impressive array of unexpected twists that leaves a trail of unintended victims. Mona is a viperous woman whose attempts to extricate herself from middle-aged Max are continually frustrated by her cruel reckless boyfriend, Val.