UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Anime Autuers: Akira - February 18
SIFF Uptown
Seattle, WA
“Akira’s strangeness is very startling and sometimes bewildering. But there is a thanatonic rapture to its vision of a whole world ending and being reborn as something else.”—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Join instructor Isabella Von Ghoul as we deep dive into Katushiro Otomo’s Akira.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Akira on February 16, 2025 at SIFF Uptown.
Streaming Tickets grant access to the film talk virtually, live-streamed via Zoom from 7-9:00pm PT. Access to the recording is not provided after the live session.
Anime Autuer: Ghost in the Shell
SIFF UpTown - Seattle, WA
“Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell will always strike a chord with those directly affected by bodily displacement. By being brave enough to confront its themes of identity, Ghost in the Shell stands tall as one of the very best films ever made about being an alien in your own skin.”
– Willow Maclay, RogerEbert.com
Join instructor Isabella Von Ghoul as we deep dive into Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Ghost in the Shell on March 2, 2025 at SIFF Uptown.
Streaming Tickets grant access to the film talk virtually, live-streamed via Zoom from 7-9:00pm PT. Access to the recording is not provided after the live session.
Anime Autuers: Metropolis
April 15, 2025 - 7pm
SIFF Film Center
“Rintaro directs an intricate anime, which uses the plethora of its main characters to present a number of sociopolitical allegories and metaphors.”
– Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
Join instructor Isabella Von Ghoul as we deep dive into Rintaro's Metropolis.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Metropolis on April 13, 2025 at SIFF Uptown.
Streaming Tickets grant access to the film talk virtually, live-streamed via Zoom from 7-9:00pm PT. Access to the recording is not provided after the live session.
“Rintaro directs an intricate anime, which uses the plethora of its main characters to present a number of sociopolitical allegories and metaphors.”
– Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
Join instructor Isabella Von Ghoul as we deep dive into Rintaro's Metropolis.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Metropolis on April 13, 2025 at SIFF Uptown.
Streaming Tickets grant access to the film talk virtually, live-streamed via Zoom from 7-9:00pm PT. Access to the recording is not provided after the live session.
Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower
Gives you full access to the live stream class
Past Events
In a rebellious odyssey against systemic injustice, a charismatic outsider defies societal norms, navigating a gritty world of revolution, passion, and empowerment in this influential 1971 cinematic milestone.
In the first class, we will delve into the early history of Black horror, focusing on its origins in early 20th-century cinema and its progression through the decades. We will analyze the portrayal of Black characters in horror films, often rooted in stereotypes, and how Black filmmakers and writers began reclaiming the genre. Key works like Son of Ingagi (1940), Blacula (1972), and Ganja & Hess (1973) will be examined to understand the sociopolitical context and the resistance these films represented against dominant narratives.
Black Horror 101: Origins and Early Representations (1900s–1970s)
October 9th @ 7:00 pm
SIFF Film Center/Online
$21.50
Black Horror 102: Contemporary Fear and Its Cultural Impact (1980s–Present)
October 16th @ 7:00 pm
SIFF Film Center/Online
$21.50
The second class of Reel Black: A Horror Primer will explore the resurgence and redefinition of Black horror in the 20th century. We will study the rise of influential filmmakers like Jordan Peele, whose Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) have brought Black horror to the forefront of popular culture. The class will also discuss the role of Black horror in addressing contemporary issues such as systemic racism, identity, and trauma. Films like Candyman (1992 & 2021) and His House (2020) will be highlighted to illustrate how Black horror continues to challenge and expand the genre's boundaries.
“Perfect Blue's success lies in the twisted, self-referential storyline that intercuts reality with fantasy so fluidly that viewers inevitably take on Mima's shattered point of view, unable to distinguish the truth until the stunning conclusion.” – Tasha Robinson, Sci-Fi Weekly
Join instructor Isabella Price as we deep dive into Satoshi Kon’s cult classic debut, Perfect Blue.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Perfect Blue on November 4, 2024 at SIFF Uptown.
“What keeps the picture percolating is the stream of hallucinatory images, both nightmarish and oddly alluring, that Kon conjures.” – John Hartl, Seattle Times
The second week of this series takes a closer look at Paprika, the film that Kon intended to be his second feature that became his fourth and final masterpiece before his untimely death in 2010.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Paprika on November 11, 2024 at SIFF Uptown.
“Disguises itself as a romance, but it's really a loving homage to Japanese history, as well as a comment on the nature of filmmaking and films.” – Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star
In week three, we investigate Kon’s love letter to Japanese filmmaking, Millennium Actress.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Millennium Actress on November 18, 2024 at SIFF Uptown.
“Tokyo Godfathers is the kind of old-fashioned, all-ages entertainment Hollywood used to churn out in live-action form before the era of niche marketing, when a good story sold a film.” – Marrit Ingman, Austin Chronicle
In our final week, we explore Kon’s third feature film, Tokyo Godfathers, which follows the exploits of a trio of unlikely friends facing homelessness (a teenage runaway, a former drag queen, and an alcoholic) as they spend Christmas Eve looking for the parents of an infant they discover in the trash.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Tokyo Godfathers on November 25, 2024.
“Akira’s strangeness is very startling and sometimes bewildering. But there is a thanatonic rapture to its vision of a whole world ending and being reborn as something else.”—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Join instructor Isabella Von Ghoul as we deep dive into Katushiro Otomo’s Akira.
This Film Talk is associated with a screening of Akira on February 16, 2025 at SIFF Uptown.
Streaming Tickets grant access to the film talk virtually, live-streamed via Zoom from 7-9:00pm PT. Access to the recording is not provided after the live session.
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