Misa Shikuma
Three 2023 SIFF films range from wistful to dystopian
Past Lives, USA, 2023, Dir. Celine Song
This year’s Seattle International Film Festival got off to a resounding start with the world premiere of Past Lives at the Paramount Theater. Written and directed by Celine Song, the...
Q&A: Gen Z filmmaker Sarah Kambe Holland makes her feature debut at SIFF
Premiering in the New American Cinema program at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival, Egghead & Twinkie is a multi-textual, Gen Z-driven coming-of-age meets road trip movie. Centering on a recently out Asian American teen and...
Q&A: Filmmaker Sudeshna Sen returns to SIFF
Local filmmaker Sudeshna Sen returns to the Seattle International Film Festival to unveil her first feature-length film. Anu, based on the novel Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee, follows the titular character in the...
‘Paper Names’ effectively portrays generational trauma
I originally accepted the assignment of reviewing Susie Luo’s debut novel Paper Names on the basis of its title, expecting a narrative having to do with the so-called paper sons (including my great-grandfather) who...
‘Hidden Letters’ film reveals a dark glimpse into Chinese women’s lives
Hidden Letters from director Violet Du Feng examines the ancient, sororal language Nushu through the eyes of two young women in modern-day China trying to preserve it. By juxtaposing past and present, the film unflinchingly peels...
Hong Sang-soo’s The Novelist’s Film is a cheeky meditation on art and the creative...
Prolific South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo returns with The Novelist’s Film, a cheeky meditation on art and the creative process through the eyes of a cynical writer yearning for fresh inspiration. Winner of the...
Talking with Ke Huy Quan on his triumphant and endearing return to the big...
People of a certain age probably remember actor Ke Huy Quan for his roles in two of the most iconic ‘80s films: as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and...
“Omoiyari” combines music, documentary style interviews and historical footage in exploring former Japanese American...
Omoiyari: A Song Film by Kishi Bashi (reviewed in the IE here, scroll down) is a unique documentary that blends live music performance, interview, history and archival footage, centering on the legacy of Japanese...
It’s a family affair in the documentary “Bad Axe”
When the film industry ground to a halt in March 2020, director David Siev left New York for his hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan, to ride out the pandemic at his parents’ house. When...
Documentary film director Ahsen Nadeem seeks enlightenment on Mt Hiei in Japan in “Crows...
Ahsen Nadeem’s directorial debut, Crows Are White (review in the IE here, scroll down), chronicles his personal journey to bridge the gap between him and his parents while seeking enlightenment from the secluded Buddhist monks...
