Newspaper review

Northwest Film Forum's decade-old Local Sightings Film Festival is back with an impressive roster of regional cinema. In most cases, that means the films on NWFF's schedule, Thursday through Oct. 11, are made by Northwest artists. But it can also mean — as in the case of Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin's amazing "Brand Upon the Brain!" — that a movie was shot in the Emerald City.

Kicking things off at 7 p.m. Thursday is Rustin Thompson and Ann Hedreen's "The Church On Dauphine Street," a moving documentary about a coalition of Seattle and New Orleans volunteers who rebuild a church, post-Katrina, in the Upper Ninth Ward. Opening-night festivities will continue with a party.

Other Local Sightings highlights include the world premiere Monday of Seattle director Brian Short's "All My Love," a hypnotic dance of light, form and movement in the vein of "Koyaanisquatsi."

Travis Swartz's "Norman Waiting" is a Montana tale about a fellow who proposes to his girlfriend and then goes on a quest to discover whether marriage is actually the right choice for him. It plays Saturday.

The most exciting piece of programming at Local Sightings — or any other Seattle festival this year — is the closing film, "Brand Upon the Brain!," which plays next Wednesday and Oct. 11 at Cinerama (2100 Fourth Ave., Seattle). Shot in black and white on Super-8mm stock, Maddin's silent movie is a mad journey through a subconscious jungle of intertwined fable, incest and a certain rage peculiar to families. It is also, in many ways, a timeless movie that evokes memories of different chapters of avant-garde cinema, albeit through the prism of Maddin's unique passion.

The film was shot without sound and is intended to be shown with a live orchestra, sound-effects unit and guest narrator. The first of the festival's two Cinerama screenings of "Brand" will be narrated by actress Karen Black, the second by Maddin himself. The film then moves to NWFF Oct. 12, with prerecorded soundtrack and narration by Isabella Rossellini. (For a review of the film, see next Wednesday's Northwest Life.)

Tickets for most films are $8.50 ($6 for seniors and $5 for NWFF members). The price for Maddin's film is $25 ($20 for members). Several features are preceded by one or two shorts. Shorts programs also play Friday through Monday (check online for details).

Reserved seating through NWFF's Web site (www.nwfilmforum.org, click "Buy Tickets Now" for all events) is a good idea. A small service fee applies to tickets bought online. There are two theaters at NWFF (1515 12th Ave., Seattle, 206-267-5380), so don't be confused by information about simultaneous screenings.

Here's the schedule. For more information, see the Web site.

Tonight

"The Church On Dauphine Street," 7 p.m., followed by an opening-night party.

Friday

"Acts of Imagination," about a pair of Ukrainian immigrants living on Vancouver's East Side, desperate for money and caught up in the consequences of real-world events they don't fully understand. 7 p.m.

"Made in China," a personal documentary in which filmmaker John Helde traces his father's childhood steps as an American boy living in pre-World War II China. 7 p.m.

"The Spletz-O-Rama Invitational," a juried competition organized by Seattle's invaluable film critic and programmer Andy Spletzer. 9:15 p.m.

Saturday

"Best of the Northwest High School Film Festival," a video competition of works in various genres by tomorrow's filmmakers. 4 p.m.

"Norman Waiting," 5 p.m.

"Stumptown SAP," a sampling of short films by Portland filmmakers. 7 p.m.

"Inside Hangar 27: Behind the Scenes of 'Brand Upon the Brain!' " is a panel discussion between several people involved with making the film, including producer Gregg Lachow and cinematographer Ben Kasulke. 7 p.m., free.

"Monster Camp," a documentary about role-playing gamers. 11 p.m.

Sunday

"New Truths: Expanding the Documentary Form" is a discussion between several regional filmmakers about the increasing popularity of the documentary format. 4:30 p.m., free.

"Graverobbers," a staged reading of the first runner-up script from the 2007 Washington State Screenplay Competition. 5 p.m., free.

"My Effortless Brilliance," a work-in-progress screening of the latest film by Seattle's Lynn Shelton ("We Go Way Back"). 7:30 p.m., free.

Monday

"All My Love." 7 p.m.

"The Bitter Ash," a 1963 feature from Vancouver about a self-deluded playwright. 7 p.m.

Tuesday

"The Neutrino Project" isn't actually a film but an audience-participation process for making a film in something of an organized frenzy. Sounds like fun. Check for details online. 7 p.m.

"Metropole," described as a "melody of pictures held together by the rhythm of Seattleites." 9:15 p.m.

"Artist Trust Media Fellowship Showcase," a retrospective showing of works by past recipients of Artist Trust awards. A shorts program commences at 7 p.m., followed by a screening of Alec Carlin's "Outpatient," a neo-noir thriller at 9:30 p.m., and then "Pause," an experimental media installation running repeatedly from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The latter is free; the other two programs require tickets.

Wednesday

"Eyes and Ears Supernova," an event involving new works by Seattle experimental filmmakers and accompanied by live, improvised music. 8 p.m.

Wednesday-Thursday

"Brand Upon the Brain!" at Cinerama. 8 p.m.

Tom Keogh: tomwkeogh@yahoo.com