Movies

American.Film.Week gets under way at Northwest Film Forum Friday, offering local premieres of seven films (three documentaries, four features), one per day. "A lot of independent American films every year fall through the cracks, not really making it into town for one reasons or another," said NWFF program director Adam Sekuler, of the rationale behind the inaugural event. "This is a way for us to highlight some of the better independent work coming through."

Three of the filmmakers — Xan Aranda with "Andrew Bird: Fever Year" (Friday), Minda Martin with "Free Land" (Saturday) and Alison Bagnall with "The Dish and the Spoon" (Sunday) — will be present to introduce their films, and each evening will also include a locally made short film. Also in the program: Alma Har'el's "Bombay Beach" (Monday), Matthew Petock's "A Little Closer" (Tuesday), Malcolm Murray's "Bad Posture" (Wednesday) and Alex Ross Perry's "The Color Wheel" (Thursday). Passes for the entire series, which Sekuler said may become an annual event, are $60 ($40 NWFF members). 1515 12th Ave., Seattle; 206-267-5380 or www.nwfilmforum.org.

SIFF Cinema presents four of this year's five Oscar-nominated short documentaries — "Incident in New Baghdad," "Saving Face," "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" and "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" — screening daily through Thursday at the Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., Seattle. At the Film Center (on the Seattle Center campus), the 1953 thriller "Wages of Fear," directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot ("Diabolique," "Quai des Orfèvres"), screens through Tuesday, and "Ratcatcher," the 1999 debut film of Lynne Ramsay ("We Need to Talk About Kevin"), screens Wednesday only. And SIFF presents Films4Families matinees of "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" at noon Saturday and Sunday, for just $4. For more information on all SIFF events, see www.siff.net or call 206-324-9996.

The 20/20 Awards, which look back 20 years and revisit the Oscars by considering which films have withstood the test of time, will be announced at a live ceremony Wednesday at Central Cinema. In 1992, "The Silence of the Lambs" swept the big awards, winning best picture, director (Jonathan Demme), actor (Anthony Hopkins), actress (Jodie Foster) and adapted screenplay (Ted Tally). Will it repeat 20 years later? At least one award winner (though we're not told which category) will be present for the ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of show, and can be bought at www.central-cinema.com/tickets.htm. Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., Seattle; for more information on the awards, see www.2020awards.org.

The Grand Illusion kicks off two weeks of Hitchcock with the 1955 black comedy "The Trouble With Harry," the tale of an inconvenient corpse in a small New England town. (Watch for a young Shirley MacLaine, in her film debut.) Through Thursday, 1403 N.E. 50th St., Seattle; 206-523-3935 or www.grandillusioncinema.org.

The documentary "Incendiary: The Willingham Case," about a Texas man executed after his young three daughters died in a house fire, will have its local premiere Tuesday at Pacific Place, with directors Joe Bailey Jr. and Steve Mims on hand for a video Q&A. Representatives from the Departments of Criminal Justice and Chemistry at Seattle University will be present to introduce and discuss the film. 7:30 p.m., Sixth and Pine, Seattle; tickets are $9 and available through www.tugg.com/events/193. For more information on the film, which will be released on DVD Wednesday, see www.incendiarymovie.com.

"Conscience and the Constitution," a documentary from local filmmaker Frank Abe, will have a special free screening Saturday in honor of its two-disc DVD release this month. The event will include both a screening of the film, which examines organized resistance to the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, as well as the lead featurette from the DVD, "The JACL Apologizes," about events that took place after the film's completion. 1 p.m. at Wing Luke Asian Museum's Tateuchi Story Theatre, 719 S. King St., Seattle; for more information about the film, see www.resisters.com.

One of my favorite classic comedies screens this weekend at the Historic Everett Theatre: "My Man Godfrey," starring the magical team of William Powell and Carole Lombard, will have matinee showings at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $5. 2911 Colby Ave., Everett; 425-258-6766 or www.everetttheatre.org.

And finally, this weekend's midnight movie at the Egyptian is Tom Tykwer's breathless 1998 thriller "Run Lola Run," starring an ever-racing Franka Potente. Friday and Saturday only, 805 E. Pine St., Seattle; 206-781-5755 or www.landmarktheatres.com.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com