A Tale of Two Directors

Werner Herzog and David Cronenberg---the names alone are enough to make a crowd of film fanatics gasp. That's exactly why local den of cinema-geekery Seattle International Film Festival Group is spotlighting each filmmaker's work with screenings next week at the Seattle Art Museum; first Herzog and then Cronenberg.

The Herzog series features four of his films: The Wild Blue Yonder and Lessons of Darkness on Tuesday the 8th and Wheel of Time and The White Diamond on Wednesday the 9th. Werner himself will be present at all screenings to introduce and discuss his intensely personal films. It's been said---and we don't remember where exactly we heard this---that Herzog is obsessed with other people's obsessions. If you've seen his latest documentary, Grizzly Man (still playing at the Crest), you already know what we mean.

HerzogFest kicks off on Sunday the 6th with Walking to Werner, not one of Herzog's films, but a work-in-progress about him. Made by Northwest filmmaker Linas Phillips, this documentary chronicles Phillips' journey (both literal and metaphorical, natch) as he walks the twelve hundred miles from Seattle to Los Angeles, just to meet Werner Herzog---an act that parallels Herzog's own walk from Munich to Paris to visit a sick friend. This screening is $10, which benefits Linas Phillips as he works to get his film in its final form. Both Phillips and Herzog will be on hand to talk about their experiences with the piece.

Meanwhile, the Cronenberg series features a lotta films (The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Naked Lunch, M Butterfly, Crash, eXistenZ, Spider) in only three days, Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th. Cronenberg will not be in attendance, but it's easy to imagine what he would say about each of his movies. On Videodrome: "I like this one because it's about the intersection of sex and death." On Crash: "I like this one because it's about the intersection of sex and death." On his latest, A History of Violence: "I like this one because it's about the intersection of sex and death." Good times.

For the Herzog series, tickets are $12 each and $10 for SAM & SIFF Group members. Tickets are available by calling Scarecrow Video at (206) 524-8554.

Tickets are limited, so act now.