Woody Allen’s ‘Cafe Society’ to Open Seattle Film Festival
Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” will open the Seattle International Film Festival on May 19, eight days after its world premiere as the opener of the Cannes Film Festival.
The screening of “Cafe Society” will mark its North American premiere and will be one of seven films from Seattle-based Amazon Studios that have been scheduled for the festival, which runs through June 12. The Opening Night Red Carpet Gala will take place at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center.
The festival also announced that it has received a $25,000 FilmWatch grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to support its African Pictures program. This year’s selections include Senegalese docu “The Revolution Won’t Be Televised,” Tunisian drama “As I Open My Eyes,” Ethiopian foreign language Oscar submission “Lamb,” South African docu “Action Comandante” and Burkina Faso’s “Eye of the Storm.”
“Cafe Society” stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Blake Lively, Corey Stoll, Paul Schneider, Anna Camp and Judy Davis. The bicoastal period piece tells the story of a young man (Eisenberg) who arrives in Hollywood from New York during the 1930s hoping to work in the film industry. Amazon plans to release “Cafe Society” on Aug. 12.
“Woody Allen delivers a delightful, vibrant and entertaining tale that continues to expand his repertory of acting talent,” said festival director Carl Spence. “Combining the power of SIFF, which boasts the largest audience of any film festival in the country, with an emerging Seattle-based film distribution powerhouse that firmly believes in the theatrical experience, along with one of our most acclaimed directors, is a perfect match.”
Other Amazon Studios titles for the festival are “The JT LeRoy Story,” directed by Jeff Feuerzeig; “Complete Unknown,” directed by Joshua Marston; Jocelyn Moorhouse’s “The Dressmaker”; Clay Tweel’s “Gleason”; Whit Stillman’s “Love & Freindship” and Todd Solondz’s “Wiener-Dog.”
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