The Seattle International Film Festival, now in its 51^st edition, is breaking the filmmaking world’s notoriously sexist mold. More than half of the 245 films to be screened during the festival feature filmmakers who are female or nonbinary identifying.

The festival kicked off Thursday night at The Paramount Theatre with a gala party and screening of Four Mothers, a comedy about a gay young adult novelist who looks after four aging women. The film is co-produced by Celine Haddad and Niamh Fagan, along with Philip Prettejohn.

SIFF runs through Sunday, May 25 at several locations, including AMC Pacific Place, SIFF Cinema Downtown (formerly Cinerama), SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Film Center, Shoreline Community College, the Museum of History & Industry and online at watch.siff.net. Single tickets, six-ticket packs, full festival passes and special event tickets are for sale online.

The festival is truly international. Altogether, SIFF will feature 245 films from 74 countries and regions around the world in 63 languages. They include 83 features, 122 short films, 35 documentaries, three archival features and two secret films. Of the total, 19 are world premieres and 27 are North American premieres. Sixty percent of the feature films are from first- or second-time filmmakers, and 73% of films don’t currently have U.S. distribution.

“The 51st Festival is really focused on the international and independent films that are true discoveries, films that may not come back through Seattle on the big screen,” says Beth Barrett, SIFF artistic director. “These stories deserve to be seen in community, and speak to how film makes lives better.”

SIFF Executive Director Tom Mara emphasized the importance of bringing the world of film to Seattle.

“Now more than ever it’s important to come together and witness the films from international filmmakers,” Mara says. “Experiencing their stories can lead to greater understanding and empathy.”

By Design starring Juliette Lewis, will screen at SIFF Cinema Downtown May 20 and 21. A self-described “man-loving feminist,” Lewis has advocated for women and girls for decades.

“I want girls to start thinking about what they have to say, what do they have to contribute to their families, to other people, to society,” Lewis told The Guardian in 2008.

Local women also make their mark in the festival. Of the 18 festival programmers selecting the films, 11 are women, led by Barrett who in 2017 became the first female artistic director at SIFF and is one of only a handful of women to lead a major film festival in the country.

Other programmers include Tracy Rector, who since 2006 has led what today is known as cINeDIGENOUS, a series of films by indigenous filmmakers from around the world. Megan Leonard, Justine Barda and Hebe Tabachnik are senior programmers who each have more than a decade of experience selecting films for the festival.

Shelly’s Leg, a film from Mercer Island resident Eliza Flug, is among the films featured at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Courtesy of SIFF

Local women filmmakers also play a leading role. Mercer Island’s Eliza Flug’s film Shelly’s Leg (narrated by Kathleen Turner) and View from the Floor (directed by Megan Griffiths and narrated by Mindie Lind) will be featured during the Sound Visions screening May 22 at SIFF Cinema Uptown. For more local filmmaking, go to Northwest connections.

“SIFF is a really independent festival,” Flug says. “It is free from politics. It is free from ‘my best buddy has this and my best friend has this.’ It is not commercial. It is about the artist. They dig deeper. Seattle and Seattleites love their books, their coffee and their movies.”