Award-winning 'First Grader' to open Seattle International Film Festival

The 2011 edition of Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) will open May 19 with a presentation of "The First Grader" — an award-winning movie based on the true-to-life story of an 84-year-old Kenyan villager who went back to school to pursue the education denied him in his youth.

Lauded at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival and the recent Palm Beach International Film Festival (where it was named Best Feature Film), "The First Grader" was written by Ann Peacock ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe") and directed by Justin Chadwick ("The Other Boleyn Girl"), who will attend SIFF's gala opening-night screening at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall.

An opening-night party at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall will follow the screening.

SIFF, now in its 37th year, will run from May 19 to June 12 at multiple venues, including Seattle's SIFF Cinema, IMAX at Pacific Science Center, Pacific Place Cinemas, Benaroya Hall, Admiral Theater, Neptune Theatre, Harvard Exit Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre. Suburban venues this year include Everett Performing Arts Center, Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center and Kirkland Performance Center.

Tickets for the opening-night movie and party range from $45 to $200 and are on sale now. Tickets for most SIFF screenings go on sale May 5. For more information, call 206-324-9996 or go to www.siff.net.