SIFF HONORS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF SCORSESE'S FILM FOUNDATION
8 restored classics screening throughout the Festival
|
Still from Alyam, Alyam (1978) |
The 41st Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, is thrilled to present a series of eight classic films at this year's Festival (May 14 - June 7, 2015) from Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation.
Taking place during the final week of the Festival are the North American premieres of two restored films: 1966's Black Girl (La Noire de...) from "the father of African cinema" Ousmane Sembène on June 1 and 1978's Alyam, Alyam from Moroccan master Ahmed El Maanoui on June 7.
Established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history and has helped to restore over 620 films in the last 25 years. SIFF is proud to partner with The Film Foundation to celebrate their 25th anniversary with 12 restoration titles - eight screened during the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival and four in partnership with STG and their Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays at the Paramount in June.
Carl Spence, SIFF's Artistic Director, says, "Martin Scorsese has been shining a light on the urgent work of film preservation through The Film Foundation for 25 years. Through his efforts, we are able to publicly showcase these films from around the world that audiences would not otherwise have a chance to see projected on a big screen. The enthusiastic response from SIFF audiences is a testament to our belief that movie lovers from all walks of life want to experience films in cinemas. It is also fitting that we are presenting the North American premieres of two films from Africa - it pairs nicely with the 12 contemporary features being presented in our African Pictures spotlight."
Jennifer Ahn, Managing Director of The Film Foundation, says, "We are delighted that the Seattle International Film Festival is focusing on the importance of film preservation with its tribute to The Film Foundation's 25th Anniversary. We're especially pleased that the festival is presenting two remarkable works of global cinema: Black Girl (1966), directed by Senegal's Ousmane Sembène and Alyam, Alyam (1978) by Moroccan filmmaker Ahmed El Maanouni. These films were restored through The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, and we welcome this opportunity to collaborate with SIFF on their international premieres."