Author Archives: Masa, Expansions

In Saigon Electric, the second feature film by director Stephane Gauger, a young Vietnamese traditional ribbon dancer from the countryside toes to Saigon to study at the big academy but learns more about life, love, friendship, and kicking some ass through break dance and hip-hop battles. Festival Screenings: May 28, 7:15pm Neptune Theater (Follow byRead more...

Every culture deserves their Rock ‘n’ Roll High School or Style Wars, and and Microphone, a film by Ahmad Abdalla, might be that movie for Egypt.

Favela on Blast, directed by Leandro HBL and Wesley Pentz (a.k.a. Diplo) (Brazil, 2009) 80 min. Festival Screenings: May 24, 2009 5:00 PM, SIFF Cinema May 25, 2009 9:30 PM, SIFF Cinema review by masakaman Years ago, Samba was born as African slave dance music in the favelas, or Brazilian shantytowns. Some called it theRead more...

My third week of SIFF 2008 by masakaman During my third week at SIFF 2008, the unusually cold and wet Seattle streets did slow me down little but didn’t stop me from going out to see films at all. Abdullah Oguz’s Bliss from Turkey was undeniably gorgeous and magical. From Japan, Miike’s Sukiyaki Western DjangoRead more...

My second week of SIFF 2008 by masakaman The highlight of my second week at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival was a film from Poland. Time to Die is a black & white film about the elderly Aniela & her smart companion dog Philadelphia. This visually stunning film captures the day to day storyRead more...

My first week of SIFF 2008 by masakaman My first week of The 34th SIFF 2008 started with Battle in Seattle on 22nd of May, a movie drama based on the 1999 World Trade Organization riots in Seattle that took place between November 29 to December 3, 1999. I lived in Belltown, a few blocksRead more...

by masakaman In Argentina, Tango is a way of life. Cafe de Los Maestros is a music documentary about the country’s internationally famous Tango players by award-winning composer Gustavo Santaollala (Brokeback Mountain). The film introduces players and their contributions to tango music history through interviews and archival footage. It also includes their 2006 reunion performanceRead more...