Theater-going roundup for September 23rd

Are you feeling festive? If so, you're in luck, as there's an abundance of festival action in local theaters this weekend. We begin at SIFF Cinema with THE FESTIVAL OF NEW SPANISH CINEMA, a collection of eight offbeat and independent films including the award winning comedy ME, TOO and the immigration-themed thriller RABIA. Northwest Film Forum celebrates their 15th anniversary with ARBORING CINEMA, featuring "fifteen shorts and fifteen features whose roots are tethered tightly to our filmmaking programs and artist support." The films include NAKED PROOF, a philosophical romantic comedy co-written by NWFF founders Debra Girdwood and Jamie Hook, Lynn Shelton's WE GO WAY BACK and former Scarecrow employee Michael Harring's THE MOUNTAIN, THE RIVER AND THE ROAD ( read what Mike had to say about the creation of his film in this previous post.) The series ends Friday, October 1st with "Party Like It's 1995" dance (I'm hoping for an evening ending slow dance to this). For a limited time, NWFF is also offering memberships for 1995 prices, so now's a great time to join up or renew. It's always festive at Central Cinema since you can drink a beer with your movie--this weekend they've got BOOGIE NIGHTS and THE PRINCESS BRIDE. It's not advertised as a Quote-A-Long so try to refrain from speaking the lines aloud, though I don't think a rousing "Inconceivable!" would hurt anyone. Gazing into the rest of the week at the CC, Thursday's STIFF Night is THE LOBSTER AND THE LIVER, a documentary on cartoonist and recent Stranger Genius award winner Jim Woodring. Things get more gruesome over at The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) on Saturday with the REVENANT FILM FESTIVAL, a showcase of indie zombie movies from around the world. Lastly, this weekend's real cinematic glamor is Saturday at Grand Illusion Cinema with their fundraiser extravaganza featuring CASABLANCA. We've got tickets for both the 6:30pm and 9:30pm screenings, where before the movie you can, "mingle with film lovers, nibble on hors d'oeuvres, sip on drinks and enjoy some music at our version of Rick's Cafe (with a surprise appearance by Bogie himself). There will be a silent auction or you can take your chances on a raffle to win a prize." We'll see you there.