SIFF 2026: Bigger, Queerer, Wilder, and More Inclusive Than Ever
Still from The Invite, playing at SIFF 2026
Courtesy of SIFF
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is here at last! The 10-day celebration of cinema starts May 7 and closes on May 17. This year, the festival's physical locations feel like they will keep us in the heart of everything—all four venues are within a reasonable walking distance of each other. There are the three remaining SIFF theaters: the Uptown, Downtown, Film Center, and PACCAR IMAX Theater at Pacific Science Center serves as the fourth. The festival brings together film lovers and filmmakers in a raucous cavalcade of films from around the world and right here at home.
SIFF boasts some impressive programming numbers. Of the 203 films that will be shown at this year's festival, 49% of them are directed by women or non-binary filmmakers, 49% of the films have a BIPOC director, and 19% of films were created by people who identify as LGBTQIA+. This makes for many more diverse perspectives and unique points of view.
That is what makes this festival so great. There are films that can literally appeal to anyone and stories that will open us up to new ways of thinking about the world. The Film Finder on SIFF's website will not only help you to sort films by tangible factors like genre, country, and language, but also by the intangible aspects of your mood. Sifting through, you can be caught off guard by a great title or be intrigued by the poster or film’s still.
Now, that can be a lot. Especially if you want to experience the fest, but not yet sure you want to gamble on unknown quantities. You may be thinking about the sheer volume of films, and taking a chance on something that may turn out differently than you expect is a bit iffy. Do not worry! SIFF has some exciting new projects from familiar faces.
Three films that will likely prick up anyone's ears are the opening, centerpiece, and closing films. Opening this year's festival is filmmaker Boots Riley's follow up to his 2018 hit, Sorry to Bother You, the crime comedy caper I Love Boosters, starring Keke Palmer and Demi Moore. The centerpiece feature is sure to have an earworm or two as it’s the latest feature from music-loving director John Carney (Sing Street, Begin Again), Power Ballad, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. The closing night film will be director Olivia Wilde's (Booksmart,Don't Worry Darling) sure-to-be-shocking new feature, The Invite, starring herself, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz.
Still from Power Ballad
Courtesy of SIFF
Those films can be tough to get into as they are attached to events and big Q&As, but there are many more to get excited about. If you are a horror aficionado and have heard all the buzz about Sundance’s breakout Obsession, this will be your chance to make all your friends jealous because the film is at SIFF a full week before its official theatrical release. The same goes for Queer cinema pioneer Gregg Araki's (The Living End, Mysterious Skin) latest film I Want Your Sex, which stars Olivia Wilde as a provocative artist and Cooper Hoffman as her sexual muse. SIFF also has films starring more familiar faces like Judy Greer, Willem Dafoe, and David Duchovny.
There is no wrong way to SIFF, but with a festival that takes time to program a slate that is 62% first-time directors as well as 67% of films screening without U.S. distribution, it’s a great place to see something wholly different. Unless you choose to go to the big celebrations, every film costs the same whether it stars a megawatt celebrity or an unknown actor… or is a Greek film wherein the protagonist is a chicken just trying to find her way in the world (Hen). These films are what we’re blessed with this year.
Regardless of how you SIFF, it is always a great time at the movies.
