By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Writers refer to “killing your darlings.” That means you sometimes have to get rid of something that pleases and/or satisfies you about your work—for the sake of the greater good.
Suj’n Chon, programmer for the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), confirms that things like that happen to the folks tasked with assembling the final festival list.
“Last year, I was completely taken by a South Korean film, ‘Archaeology of Love,’ directed by Wanmin Lee, about a woman who slowly disentangles herself from a manipulative relationship,” said Chon. “By slowly, I mean, over the course of eight years. The film is nearly three hours long and is remarkable in that it tells its story with incredible delicacy and subtlety.”
“But there’s always the question: How many SIFF attendees will want to spend three hours with a heroine in a story where almost nothing happens, told by a filmmaker that almost nobody knows? I decided not to fight to keep that film in our line-up.”
Chon selected the “Asian Crossroads” list of films featured in this year’s SIFF, in collaboration with Rita Meher, co-founder and executive director of Tasveer; Mayumi Tsutakawa; and Stan Shields, associate director of Festival Programming.
The final tally for “Asian Crossroads” came to 19 feature films. To arrive at that tally, Chon herself watched 89 films.
“Every year, I have a clearer picture of what I’m looking for, what feels ‘fresh,’ and what types of films SIFF audiences will have an appetite for.”
She characterized this year’s “Asian Crossroads” batch as “a great line-up of films with strong direction, powerful stories, and interesting characters. Several films center on young protagonists, aged between 12 and mid-20s, who are confronting social oppression, identity formation, and/or personal trauma.
“We have more ‘coming of age’ than usual. Tonally, we’re missing light-heartedness or fun action this year, but [we] didn’t find good inclusions that hit those tones without sacrificing films we were more excited about.”
Each programmer maintains specific focus areas, but of course, they have to work towards consensus.
“What will typically happen is that I will have several films that I think could be good possibilities. I would ask a fellow committee member to be a ‘second look’ for my highest-rated films. If they agree with my initial rating (or thereabouts), I keep the film on the list.
“We do that second look work for each other’s lists. As we confirm the films we are most excited about, we start letting go of those we’re less excited about. The other thing we tend to do is hold onto a longer list of possibilities as the program begins to take shape. If we realize that our line-up could use a little more levity, or action, or suspense, having that list to pull from helps us create diversity.”
Chon’s personal picks for noteworthy titles include films from around Asia.
Mongolia’s “City of Wind,” a feature directorial debut from Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, depicts a young spiritual shaman getting used to life as a spiritual leader, cultural leader, and high school student. Day after day, he must put on a brave face, even as his multiple responsibilities and identities pull him in opposing directions.
“The Missing,” from the Philippines, introduces us to an otherwise-normal young man making his way through society without a mouth. As the narrative progresses, we learn what happened to the missing mouth and its implications for the young man’s family, diving deeper into a disturbing web of abuse. Director/writer Carl Joseph E. Papa uses rotoscope animation to walk a thin but lively line between realism and the fantastic.
Japan’s Shiori Ito suffered a sexual attack from a powerful man who counted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amongst his closest friends. Traumatized but determined to bring her attacker to justice, Ito spent eight years fighting for justice. She turned her ordeal into the documentary film “Black Box Diaries,” a searing tale of investigation, coalition building, and the deeply ingrained prejudices against women in Japanese society.
“Every year, I hope viewers will travel to new places, hear new stories, gain new perspectives, and enjoy the ride,” said Chon.
The 50th Annual Seattle International Film Festival plays May 9-19 across multiple venues in and around Seattle.
For tickets, showtimes, and more information, visit https://www.siff.net/festival.