Film
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STIFF The acronym for the newly renamed and broadened Seattle Transmedia and Independent Film Festival was always a cheeky bit of misdirection, since SIFF proper begins on May 14. The motley, spunky STIFF programs differently-like Slamdance punching upward at Sundance. This year’s lineup has a typically impudent feel, with highlights including Jen Marlowe’s Arab Spring doc Witness Bahrain; an interactive web game called Pirate Fishing (intended to raise awareness about overfishing off West Africa); the Chilean Assent (about the ‘70s military coup, designed for Oculus Rift); Coney Island: Dreams for Sale (about gentrification in New York); and Lost Conquest (about a Minnesotan’s quest for his supposed Viking heritage). Tonight’s screening of the romantic thriller Bristel Goodman (6 p.m., Grand Illusion) is followed by a gallery event and opening-gala afterparty. Grand Illusion, Lucid Lounge, Wing-It Productions, and other venues. BRIAN MILLER Various locations, Mostly $12 Saturday, May 9, 2015
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Mandate “Remember when you liked Sonic Youth?” asks Mandate, the brand-new multimedia experience brought to us by local punk/video artist extraordinaire Clyde Petersen as part of Translations, the Seattle Trans Film Festival. While my interest is piqued by Petersen/the whole concept (this live musical performance is in a movie theater, mind you), invoking Sonic Youth in any era seems a bit dubious. Not for lack of trying, my Sonic Youth heyday was brief to say the least. That aside, I’m still curious-this is bound to be a spectacle. Also, it “contains adult themes and imagery,” so that’s definitely a plus. All ages. WL Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122 $15 Saturday, May 9, 2015, 9:30pm
