Seattle's True Independent Film Festival is proud to showcase local talent

Celebrating its fifth anniversary as a multi-venue celebration of alternative film, music and comedy, Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) has survived another year as a counterprogramming alternative to the Seattle International Film Festival. You might think that scheduling against SIFF's final and busiest week would doom STIFF to obscurity, but with 130 films chosen from nearly 500 entries, the festival's devoted staff is dedicated to promoting films that fall outside the boundaries of the major festival circuit.

"A lot of these films have been rejected by other festivals," says STIFF programming director Brian Shelley, "but that doesn't mean they're bad. We have a lot of respect for bigger festivals like SIFF, but just because a film wasn't right for SIFF doesn't mean it's not worth seeing, and films chosen by SIFF may not be right for us. We have a different target audience."

That audience will appreciate STIFF's annual tongue-in-cheek "Stiffy" awards, given to films worthy of special recognition. This year's Stiffy's include "Worst Use of a Condom" (to the ice-climbing feature "Arnold and the Alps") and "Best Jewish Comedy," for local filmmaker Andy Spletzer's "Alistair MacLean: Y'did Nefesh."

In fact, STIFF has become Seattle's premier showcase for regional filmmakers (many of whom are, admittedly, still honing their skills). Including Spletzer's film, this year's lineup includes 22 shorts and 13 features, all locally produced. According to Shelley, highlights include Matthew Hickney's "Walking to the Cage," which offers an insider's look at rigorous training for mixed martial arts competition; and "Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia," an intimate father-daughter portrait of mental illness by local physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston.

As some of the film titles suggest (see sidebar), STIFF can be rude, crude, violent and daring — it's not for prudes or anyone looking for "safe" entertainment — but there's something for every taste, and there's hidden gold (and even a few recognizable actors) among these big-festival castoffs.

Combined with "Stiff Licks" concerts and stand-up comedy at Neumo's and the Jewel Box, the STIFF Film Challenge (in which filmmaking teams compete to create the best film in a two-week period), a STIFF pub crawl and an awards ceremony at the Jewel Box on June 13, STIFF has established itself as a bona-fide presence. For its local flavor alone, it's a festival to savor.

Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net