The Tacoma Film Festival turns 20 when it opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at The Grand Cinema. The four-day festival runs through Sunday, Oct. 25, with screenings at three venues across the city.
The Grand Cinema, Tacoma's nonprofit art-house theater, will host most screenings. Additional films will play at Blue Mouse Theatre in Proctor and at McMenamins down the street from The Grand, the Tacoma Ledger reported.
Opening night features a 7 p.m. screening of "Time Warp," a documentary by Allison Berg about a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" performance in a small Wyoming town. Producers include John Cameron Mitchell and Billy Porter. The festival's website encourages attendees to wear their "Transylvanian best," with an after party following at The Poet next door to The Grand.
Friday, Oct. 23, brings a full slate from 11:45 a.m. to midnight. The highlight is the Pacific Northwest premiere of "Ephemera" at 2:30 p.m. at The Grand. The film follows two strangers spending a night wandering Shanghai and has drawn comparisons to Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy, according to the Tacoma Ledger.
The night wraps with "Sorry For Laughing," a late-night shorts collection curated by Neiko Will. Filmmakers are scheduled to attend for a post-screening Q&A.
Saturday, Oct. 24, closes with "Matapanki," a 65-minute Chilean feature directed by Diego "Mapache" Fuentes about a young man who gains supernatural powers from a mysterious bottle.
The festival wraps Sunday, Oct. 25, with a public awards ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Jurors will hand out prizes including Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Short and Best Pacific Northwest Feature.
The final screening is "Everything Beautiful is Far Away," a 2017 sci-fi film by director Peter Ohs. The film had its Washington premiere at the Tacoma Film Festival nearly 10 years ago. Ohs has since directed "Erupcja," a feature starring Charli XCX, and the festival is bringing his earlier film back to mark the anniversary.
Founded in 2006 by the team behind The Grand Cinema, the festival has grown from a small regional event into one recognized nationally. MovieMaker Magazine named it among its "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" in 2020, according to the festival's FilmFreeway page.
Tickets range from $15 to $25 per screening and can be purchased at The Grand Cinema's website or box office. A new Five for $65 mini-pass saves $2 per ticket. Opening, closing and centerpiece screenings are excluded from the mini-pass.
VIP passes cost $225. Students with valid ID and EBT/Quest card holders can get free tickets at The Grand's box office, courtesy of Tacoma Creates. Opening night and the centerpiece screening are excluded from the free-ticket offer.
