The Spokane International Film Festival is an intimate festival where filmmakers and audiences engage the art of cinema. We offer a small, selective offering of world-class films. These are the very best features, documentaries, and shorts that have been made around the world during the past year but have not yet been commercially released. SpIFF hosts screenings, parties, and other events that are open to the public and encourage lively and educational interactions between filmmakers and our audiences.

Schedule of Events

11:00 am: Worlds of Animation at The Magic Lantern Theater

House Trap
Netherlands / 2
Directed by George Hampshire
When a mouse steals the last piece of a puzzle, an estranged family is brought together for a cat-and-mouse game.

Bubble
China / 4
Directed by Xin Zeng
A retired swimmer feels lost, but her life changes when her toy octopus takes her to a magical underwater world filled with amazing sea creatures and landscapes.

Ghariba & Ajeeb
United Arab Emirates / 7
Directed by Boubaker Boukhari
Ghariba embarks on a journey to find her friend Ajeeb and to find a way to cross a river guarded by a crocodile.

Maybe Elephants
Norway and Canada / 17
Directed by Torill Kove
Three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in Nairobi. What could possibly go wrong?

Eureka!
Belgium / 10
Directed by Kris Borghs
An extra-terrestial duo crosses the universe to share technological insights with less brilliant minds. On one peculiar planet, things don't quite go as planned.

The Little Ancestor
Canada / 11
Directed by Alexa Tremblay-Francoeur
On a windswept hill, in a place still young and devoid of life, an ancestral house comes to life and unveils its long life of one hundred and fifty years.

Skroll
Netherlands / 7
Directed by Marten Visser
Humans and some kind of gnomes have posted videos on social media platforms in their animated dimension. This film is a short compilation of these clips. Expect the unexpected.

Society of Clothes
South Korea and Canada / 15
Directed by Dahee Jeong
When morning arrives in Society of Clothes, a shirt and a pair of pants step outside the closet, transforming into a human figure. In this world, everyone exists only as clothes. They wander into the streets, bodiless and faceless, performing absurd daily tasks.

Echoes
France / 8
Directed by Robinson Drossos
This contemplative adventure into the depths of a noisy world follows a distant melody echoing through concrete and rock.

A Bird Hit My Window and Now I'm a Lesbian
United States, United States / 8
Directed by Carmela Marie Murphy, AJ Dubler
After a mysterious girl shows up at Gray's doorstep holding the corpse of a bird, an impromptu bird funeral changes the way Gray views herself.

En Surface (In the Shallows)
Canada / 4
Directed by Arash Akhgari
A deep dive into the shallow and fragmented world of news, entertainment and ads, where we can easily drown in the dangerous allure of mass media intoxication.

Jet Lag
United States, United States / 6
Directed by Kacey Morrow, Dustin Morrow
With a tongue-in-cheek, almost stream-of-consciousness narration, Jet Lag playfully communicates the shifting complex emotions, anxieties, frustrations, and excitement that coincide with air travel.

Quota
Netherlands / 3
Directed by Job, Joris & Marieke
When every global citizen is required to have their CO2 emissions tracked, it makes little impact‚ that is, until they discover the consequences of reaching their designated quota.

Cost: $7.00 - $12.00

11:15 am: Fish War at The Magic Lantern Theater

Fish War
United States / 80
Directed by Jeff Ostenson, Charles Atkinson, Skylar Wagner
When the state of Washington started arresting Indigenous tribal fishers, it was a declaration of war. Scores of legal battles culminated in a landmark Supreme Court case that was meant to put an end to the violent Fish Wars. Fifty years later, the fight for salmon continues.

The Deer Divide
United States / 15
Directed by Chloe Prahl, Nate Markquart
The Catalina Island Conservancy has proposed a plan to partner with White Buffalo Inc. to eliminate all 2,000 deer on the island by shooting them with sharpshooters from helicopters. This film explores themes of scientific integrity, community engagement through protest and other methods of direct action, and differing wildlife conservation philosophies.

Cost: $7.00 - $12.00

1:30 pm: PNW Makers at The Magic Lantern Theater

Expo 74' – Fair to Future
United States / 12
Directed by Beckett Schoenleber
A look at the World's Fair and how it transformed the landscape of Spokane, narrated by historian Dr. Bill Youngs.

Trick
United States / 7
Let's settle the question, is candy corn really candy? You better hope so.

Focal Plane
United States / 12
Directed by Tommy Heffernan, Nicole Olson
In the near future, a young activist goes on a date with a company woman bearing a secret.

Frankenstein's Confession
United States / 13
Directed by Ron Ford
The Frankenstein Monster, mortally wounded, seeks out a priest to confess his sins to and to give him a name before he dies.

A Parent
United States / 16
Directed by Eve Weston, Martin McGreevy
A few months after Lily's mother died, her conspiracy theorist father, decides to get back into the dating game. Unfortunately his hot date upends Lily's heartfelt plans. Based on a true story.

Navidad de Reserva (Silent Night)
Argentina, United States / 2024 / 12
Directed by Roberta Cumbianchera
On Christmas Eve, a South American immigrant struggles to connect with the "American Dream" ideal.

Vines
United States / 18
Directed by Luke Zwanziger
A mad botanist experiments on an unwilling human subject to give plants a fighting chance against climate change.

The Winemaker
United States, United States / 17
Directed by Sarey Martin
Joanie is a winemaker with a secret of cosmic proportions. A menacing gadget delivers a message that forces her to make a decision: Will she abandon all she's built or stay and finish the year's vintage before her enemies come for vengeance?

Cost: $7.00 - $15.00

1:45 pm: La Estrella Que Perdí at The Magic Lantern Theater

Argentina / 100
Directed by Mirta Busnelli
Throughout her life, the great actress Norma Reyes (76) accepted to play all kinds of roles, except the one of being the perfect mother.

Cost: $7.00 - $15.00

3:45 pm: The Birds Who Fear Death at The Magic Lantern Theater

Canada / 102
Directed by Sanjay Patel
Two brothers, disinherited and desperate for cash, journey into the Canadian wilds to find themselves, their people and their fortune.

Cost: $7.00 - $15.00

4:00 pm: World Shorts I at The Magic Lantern Theater

It's Not About Ketchup
United Arab Emirates / 10
Directed by Nasser Saeed
It's Not About Ketchup delves into the intricate lives of a couple facing a challenge in their relationship. Centered around what seems a trivial issue in their relationship, the film captures the essence of their journey, portraying the nuanced dynamics of love and understanding.

Lollie
United States / 18
Directed by Agnès Shinozaki
A young lunch lady in Brazil needs to fight the world to protect her unique friendship with Lola, a helpless 71-year-old woman with a mental disability.

Sorry for complaining
United Kingdom / 6
Directed by Andrew Neet
A troubled man grapples with his loneliness and deep-rooted anxieties by seeking the comforting voice of a past lover.

Umm Salama The Matchmaker
United Arab Emirates / 11
Directed by Mariam Alawadhi
As Umm Salama finally persuades her stubborn daughter Salama to consider marriage, she embarks on a journey to find the perfect suitor for her daughter. However, as Salama starts considering potential suitors, Umm Salama's conflicting emotions cloud her judgment, leading to unexpected outcomes.

Blur
Iran, Islamic Republic of / 15
Directed by Sahra Asadollahi
In order for her husband to find solace and peace of mind after an accident that led to the tragic death of their one-year-old child, a woman borrows a child from her sister. She dresses the child in their daughter's clothes, hoping to make her husband believe their daughter is still alive. The woman is now torn between finding joy in his survival and grappling with the lie she told him.

Brooklyn
United States / 2024 / 20
Directed by Timur Guseynov
A troubled Brighton Beach teenanger who makes ends meet through crime while raising his little brother must protect a rescued dog.

El Canon
Chile / 19
Jean, a Haitian migrant in Chili, is admired everywhere he goes. His body represents all the classical values of the academy. However, in the anonymity of his existence, he is also a canon of marginality.

Cost: $7.00 - $15.00

6:00 pm: Best of the Northwest at The Garland Theater

Three Women and a Possible Fire Next Door
United States / 6
Directed by Marcus Baker
Two roommates (and their friend) must decide whether or not to evacuate their apartment.

Ascension
Not Specified / 12
Directed by Thomas Wesley
A brutal accident strikes North Idaho climber Mason Keough, resulting in the loss of four fingers on his dominant hand, thrusting him into a profound search for new methods to advance his climbing. Despite this daunting challenge, Keough remains determined to adapt and solve this unexpected puzzle, discovering new ways to continue his ascent.

I Think I'd Like to Stay
United States / 12
Directed by Brianna Murphy
During a trip to her childhood home, a young woman is swallowed by the land.

Edibles
United States / 7
Directed by Pearl Lam, Tommy Heffernan
Two sisters are forced to resolve their family dispute after encountering a crisis on the road.

No Oats!
United States / 8
Directed by Hali Rose Morlin
A couple creates a cake so out of this world that aliens invade their home for the recipe.

The Worst Day Ever?
Canada / 17
Directed by Keegan Connor Tracy
Four siblings return to their childhood home to say goodbye to their mother on the day of her doctor-assisted death after her long and losing battle with cancer.

Heal
United States / 8
Directed by Dave Kotlan
A depressed man must run the gauntlet to try and reach the ultimate prize to make himself whole again.

Rivers of Reckoning
United States / 2024 / 5
Directed by Shaun Springer
Winner of the 50 Hour Slam Septi Award of 2024.

Courage
United States / 3
Directed by Harry Croy
A lost cat embarks on a adventure to find his human.

Violence and Nudity: A River Story
United States / 10
Directed by Chase Ogden
A poetic look at the Spokane River's past and present.

$55 Private Room In A Safe Quiet Neighborhood
United States / 13
Directed by Lauren Norby
Jennifer is crafty, from her handmade puppets and dioramas to her homespun plot to kill her husband by way of an Airbnb guest-turned-lover. Jennifer's husband Brad might seem like a clueless dick, but he's actually one step ahead of her, and sends his lover-turned-Airbnb guest to introduce his wife to the idea of a throuple. In the end they both win?

Cost: $10.00

8:30 pm: Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox at The Garland Theater

United States / 96
Directed by Stimson Snead
You saw the short at SpIFF 2022! A scientist creates a Time Machine and kills his younger self. But now a man who should not exist somehow does. That is the Paradox, and Paradoxes are impossible. Tim Travers takes on the mercenary gang whose stolen plutonium powers his machine, challenges a conspiracy-peddling podcaster to a battle of wits, creates a black hole, meets the one woman alive crazier than he is, clones himself, destroys the universe, makes a new one, and maybe—just maybe—learns to love himself at last. Made in Spokane!

Cost: $10.00