She Blinded Me with Science (Fiction Hall of Fame Inductees)
Alright, first things first: The 31st annual Seattle International Film Festival is nearly upon us. Opening night is May 19th, and SIFF runs for nearly a month after that. During that time, more than 230 feature-length films will screen, including a whole bunch of goodies which have already won awards at Sundance and other film fests. The box office opens today for SIFF members, but the general public (i.e., the commoners) will have to wait to get their seats until May 8th. Ticket prices range from $5 for 2pm weekday matinees to $10 for regular screenings, though you can pony up $150 for VIP tix to the Opening Night Gala. Check out the full catalog and schedule here.
Meanwhile: Tomorrow night, the Science Fiction Museum is hosting their first induction ceremony for the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. In the past, the SFHF had only inducted legendary sci-fi writers and editors, but this time around they've broadened the honors, in order to "recognize a wider range of creative endeavor." The four inductees this year are:
· Philip K. Dick, prolific sci-fi writer and godfather of cyberpunk, whose stories have been turned into such films as Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report;
· Chesley Bonestell, photo-realistic space artist, who created special effect matte paintings for films like Destination Moon and War of the Worlds;
· Ray Harryhausen, seminal stop-motion animator, best known for his masterwork, Jason and the Argonauts;
· Steven Spielberg, science fiction filmmaker extraordinaire/director of the upcoming sure-to-be-summer-blockbuster-remake War of the Worlds/big fan of World War II/guy who unneccessarily re-edits his films to replace guns with walkie-talkies
With their induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, these four fellas join the ranks of such luminaries as Sir Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne.
To celebrate this event, the Science Fiction Museum is having a high-class shindig, complete with cocktail hour, dinner, induction ceremony and after-party. Seats are limited, and tickets to this nerd-fest run $85. We doubt the four inductees will be in attendance (especially since Philip K. Dick and Chesley Bonestell are dead), but Robert Picardo, The Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager will act as Master of Ceremonies. Two Oscar-winning visual effects artists will also be in attendance: Douglas Trumbull (2001, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner) and Phil Tippett (Robocop, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Oh, if only George Lucas would be there...Seattlest would kinda like a word with him.
The Science Fiction Museum is located at 325 5th Ave. N., adjacent to the EMP.
For more information or tickets to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame induction ceremony, call 206-770-2702.
