Just announced:

The 34th Seattle International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, May 22 with the premiere of Battle in Seattle, a gripping dramatization of events that rocked the world when Seattle was host to the World Trade Organization. The evening unfolds at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall with a red carpet welcome for expected guests Charlize Theron and Martin Henderson, stars of the film, and director Stuart Townsend. A gala party will follow with live entertainment and complimentary champagne cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

This isn't the film's world premiere; that was at Toronto last fall, and it's even playing at the Cleveland International Film Festival before SIFF, but we'll take what we can get. For the record, The Hollywood Reporter's review is pretty promising ("...something of a rarity for an American political film....show[s] a genuine fascination with the role politics plays on both sides of such confrontations and how things can spin out of control with no single person to blame") and they even give props to first-time director Stuart Townsend for his "remarkably confident writing and directorial debut." However, given that there's multiple storylines and a big ensemble cast---Woody Harrelson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ray Liotta, Connie Nielsen, and even André Benjamin, along with local extras galore---it's a red flag whenever we see comparisons to Bobby or (shudder) Crash. Here's to hoping for the best.

Tickets for SIFF Opening Night Gala are available now for $50 each ($45 for SIFF members). A limited number of VIP tickets are also available for $200.