2023 SIFF international film festival in Seattle (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a one of the top film festivals in the country. The 25-day festival is held every spring in Seattle and offers film buffs and movie goers the opportunity to see hundreds of feature-length films, shorts, and documentaries from filmakers in countries around the world.

Short History of SIFF

The first Seattle International Film Festival was held in 1976 at the Egyptian-Moore Theatre on Capitol Hill, lasted two weeks, and showed 18 feature films.

In 2007, SIFF added year-round programming showing films every day at three venues: SIFF Cinema Egyptian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and the SIFF Film Center. During the SIFF Festival, films will be screened at SIFF venues, as well as many other film houses around the Puget Sound region.

Today, SIFF is the largest, most highly-attended film festival in the United States with nearly 140,000 people attending. SIFF is renowned for eclectic programming. Thousands of submissions are reviewed each year. SIFF presents over 400 films from over 80 countries. Most of the films screened at SIFF will not return to theaters, making the festival a unique place to discover new films.

Old-fashioned film projector showing movie on a screen

At the SIFF film festival you can see dozens of never-before-seen films. Image via Depositphotos_1694857

Tips for attending SIFF

How SIFF movie vouchers work

You can purchase single tickets to see films at SIFF. But you save money when you buy a package of six or more films.

A package contains vouchers that work like scrip. Each voucher is good for one film ticket.
Use a voucher to reserve a ticket to see a specific film.
If a film is likely to be popular, reserve a ticket as well in advance as possible, or you may find the film is sold out.

Where to get the SIFF film festival guide

Choose the movies you want to see by looking in the SIFF film festival guide.

View the online SIFF film festival guide.
Or pick up a print copy of the guide at the SIFF box office, SIFF film venues, or other participating venues.

Tips for choosing films at SIFF

If you are a film buff, you don’t need any help choosing films to see. If you are new to the Festival, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choices. Listed below are some of the ways I’ve selected the films to see from among the 400 choices. No one way seems to work better than another; sometimes you like the film and sometimes you don’t. It’s like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get. I find this is part of the fun of attending a film festival.

Peruse the SIFF film festival guide, mark the films that sound interesting, and go see as many as possible. Film times may conflict and you are forced to chose one, or a film may not be showing at a convenient time or place, or popular films may sell out quickly. I’ve never had trouble using 6-12 vouchers.
Select films in a particular category, such as those from one country, from first-time directors, in a particular genre, or any other reason that sounds interesting to you.
Chose films by location and time and attend films that are the most convenient.
Go with friends without questioning their choice and see the film they have selected.

How to avoid long ticket lines

Note there are two lines at each SIFF film: the line to get tickets and then the ticketholder line to get into the film. If you get your ticket ahead of time, you avoid the first line.
Get your ticket ahead of time by downloading tickets to your phone, by printing paper tickets at home, or picking up tickets at the SIFF Box Office.

Arrive early to ensure admission

Filmgoers with a SIFF Pass and ticket holders who arrive less than 10 minutes prior to show time cannot be guaranteed a seat—even those with a ticket or a pass. No refunds or exchanges will be given to ticket or pass holders who arrive late.
To guarantee admission, pass and ticket holders must arrive at least 10 minutes prior to a film start time.

How to (try to) get in to a sold out movie

Tickets to a sold-out film screening may become available 10 minutes before the movie show time.
To get a ticket to a sold-out movie, wait in the stand-by line outside the venue—at least 30 minutes in advance of show time is recommended (and earlier if the movie is popular). Note that standby tickets are full-price and cash-only.

Day-of-show tickets

Check the SIFF website to find out if a film has tickets available on the day of screening.
Purchase day-of-show tickets online, by phone, or at the venue 30 minutes before show time.

How to get discount tickets to SIFF

SIFF single tickets are $15 General Admission. There are several ways to save on single film tickets for the Festival. Each of these options is explained in more detail below.

SIFF Volunteers get vouchers that are redeemable for SIFF Festival, SIFF Cinema tickets, and SIFF Membership.
SIFF Members get the lowest prices on Festival tickets and passes, plus discounts all year on SIFF Cinema screenings, discounts for other events (Film Talks, camps, venue rentals), free popcorn, and reciprocal benefits at partner organizations.
SIFF Packages offer savings over single ticket prices. You do not have to choose which movies to see before buying a package. So buy the package first, and then redeem each voucher in the package for a ticket. There is a service fee for web and phone orders; save on this fee by purchasing packages in-person at a SIFF Box Office. More info: Passes and Packages (siff.net)
SIFF Passes offer the best price per ticket, but you must see dozens of movies, or you are paying more than regular price to see each film. Still, some films may never be screened again. So, it’s a potentially a priceless situation. There is a service fee for web and phone orders; save on this fee by purchasing passes in-person at a SIFF Box Office. More info: Passes and Packages (siff.net)

2023 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)

When: May 11–21, 2023

Tickets: Packages: $75/6-pack. Passes: $525-$2500. Individual films $15 (on sale April 27).

Where: Venues for 2023 Seattle International Film Festival screenings and events:

Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle, WA 98101
SIFF Cinema Egyptian, 805 E Pine Street, Seattle, WA, 98122
SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
SIFF Film Center, near the corner of Warren and Republican, on Seattle Center campus
Ark Lodge Cinemas, 4816 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118, in the heart of Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood with the vintage charm of an old-time movie theater.
AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine Street (Ste. 400), Seattle, WA 98101, state-of-the-art auditoriums with wall-to-wall screens, digital surround sound, and stadium-style seating.
Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Avenue N. (Building 1600), Shoreline, WA 98133
MOHAI, 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98107

More info: SIFF | Festival