Tonight kicks off the 14th annual of the Tacoma Film Festival and to make things even more exciting, the opening night film is being screened at the newly renovated Pantages Theater.
The festival runs through October 10 and offers 100+ features, shorts, music videos, and VR works from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. Most of the films will screen at The Grand Cinema, a small locally owned theater on the corner of Fawcett and 6th Avenue.
Opening night film is The Infiltrators which begins at 7pm tonight is a part thriller, part documentary film about a group of young undocumented activists. In 2012, they deliberately get themselves arrested by ICE in order to infiltrate a for-profit Florida detention center and help rescue fellow undocumented immigrants being held there.
This story of courage and resistance galvanizes as it exposes the injustices of America’s broken deportation system. One thing I love about film festivals is the conversational aspect, and for opening night there will be a discussion with director Alex Rivera after the film, including an audience Q&A.
Grab your tickets for Tacoma Film Festival opening night.
Individual screening tickets are $11 regular and $8 matinee. Tickets for students are free with their student ID. This year’s film schedule is now available in full online and in print programs across the region. An official app is also available (search “Tacoma Film Festival” in any app store), allowing users to save films and build a festival schedule.
#2019TFF Tacoma Film Festival Highlights
Friday Feature: Greener Grass | Fri, Oct 4 at 7 PM
Soccer moms Jill and Lisa compete for approval and acceptance in a bizarre suburbia while their kids battle it out on the playing field.
Blue Mouse Theatre | 2611 N Proctor St
Police Beat with director Charles Mudede | Fri, Oct 4 at 7:15 PM
Special jury presentation | Meet Charles Mudede, TFF jury member and Seattle-based filmmaker and writer. Mudede will present his 2005 film Police Beat which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Stay after the film for a Q&A with Mudede.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
TRACK 04: Music Video Showcase | Fri, Oct 4 at 9:15 PM
TRACK is back in its fourth installment showcasing music videos from our own backyard and around the world. Join filmmakers, musicians, and movie lovers for this one-of-a-kind chance to see music videos as nature intended: on the big screen, turned up loud! Musicians, artists, and filmmakers will be in attendance for a Q&A. Featuring five World Premieres.
Blue Mouse Theatre | 2611 N Proctor St
The Bruce Bickford Memorial Micro Symposium | Fri, Oct 4 at 9:15 PM
Internationally renowned self-taught animator, filmmaker, and artist Bruce Bickford passed away in April 2019 at age 72. In his honor, filmmaker Isaac Olsen and the Bickford Estate have organized a first of its kind retrospective of the life and work of Bruce Bickford.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
Family Shorts | Sat, Oct 5 at 10:30 AM
A Tacoma Film Festival tradition, movie lovers of all ages come together at the historic Blue Mouse Theatre to enjoy a delightful presentation: the best of the 2019 New York International Children’s Film Festival.
Blue Mouse Theatre | 2611 N Proctor St
“repair is the dream of the broken thing”: Narrative Short Films |
Sat, Oct 5 at 1:15 PM | Tues, Oct 8 at 9:15 PM
Narrative short films from China/France, the US, Ireland, Canada, and Greece. Featuring two WA State Premieres and one World Premiere.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
“figure-ground”: Narrative/Documentary Short Films | Sat, Oct 5 at 7 PM | Mon, Oct 7 at 4 PM
Narrative and documentary short films from the US, Norway/Finland, Cambodia/Malaysia, and Georgia. Featuring four WA State Premieres, one US Premiere, and one World Premiere.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
Knives and Skin | Sat, Oct 5 at 7:15 PM
This mystical teen noir follows the investigation of a young girl’s disappearance in the rural Midwest, led by an inexperienced sheriff. As the ripples of fear and suspicion destroy some relationships and strengthen others, the film examines the impact of grief as teenagers lose innocence and parents confront failure.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
My First Film | Sun, Oct 6 at 7:15 PM
An expanded cinema performance in which artist Zia Anger attempts to recount the stories behind her lost and abandoned work. The performance takes place in a movie theater. On the screen is a projection of a laptop screen. Zia sits in the audience, on her laptop, and communicates with the audience exclusively via typing in the Text Edit application.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
Koko-di Koko-da | Sun, Oct 6 at 9:15 PM | Tues, Oct 8 at 7:15 PM
A Groundhog Day-esque tale goes horribly wrong as two grief-stricken parents, out on a camping trip to mend their marriage, are repeatedly terrorized by a psychopathic sideshow artist and his monstrous assistants.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
Last Night I Saw You Smiling | Wed, Oct 9 at 7 PM
The White Building, an iconic home to 493 families in Phnom Penh, faces demolition. In the building’s final days, director Kavich Neang follows his family and neighbors as they pack belongings, share memories and anxieties, and eventually move out before the building’s total destruction.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
Closing Night: To the Stars with director Martha Stephens | Thur, Oct 10 at 7 PM
Closing the 2019 Tacoma Film Festival is To the Stars (2019 Sundance Film Festival official selection), a drama that follows “a timid and cloistered teen girl’s coming of age in 1961 Oklahoma as she develops her first authentic friendship with a restless and enigmatic new girl.” Director Martha Stephens will be in attendance and will participate in a post-film Q&A.
The Grand Cinema | 606 Fawcett Ave
About TFF:
A program of nonprofit art house The Grand Cinema, the 14 year-old Tacoma Film Festival is the South Sound’s premiere film event. An interactive haven for thousands of filmmakers, industry, critics, and fans, TFF brings more than 100 high quality, emerging independent films to Tacoma, presenting the best of the festival circuit, Northwest work, and secret gems. One of MovieMaker Magazine’s 50 festivals worth the submission fee for the past six years, TFF features inspiring visiting artists, workshops, parties, a VR studio, and events throughout our downtown Tacoma neighborhood at The Grand Cinema and local businesses, artists studios, and arts venues.
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