May 11-17, 2000

26th ANNUAL SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL runs May 18-June 11 at Broadway Performance Hall, Cinerama, Egyptian, Harvard Exit, Pacific Place, and Paramount

With so much to see (200-plus features and docs), here's what you shouldn't miss:

*Love's Labour's Lost: Apparently penned by some hack screenwriter named William Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh's singing, dancing, and heavily abridged adaptation of the romantic comedy was well received at February's Berlin Film Festival. Forget about his marathon Hamlet--this thing clocks in at 93 minutes! Branagh envisions the play as a '30s-style movie musical, with 10 production numbers à la Fred Astaire and Busby Berkeley. It's the May 18 opening night US premiere/gala, so book your (pricey) tickets early.

*Peter Weir Retrospective: Picnic at Hanging Rock was a hit at the inaugural SIFF '76, helping put us--and him--on the cinematic map. Now we return the favor with an evening gala tribute and six-film retrospective.

*Raging Bull: Scorsese's masterpiece isn't easy to sit through, with its furious, violent slo-mo boxing sequences, but it's considered the greatest film of the '80s.

*Cinema grab bag: In no particular order, some highlights from the listings (searchable on the main SIFF page) Cosy Dens, The Audition, Herod's Law, The Five Senses, Amargosa, Sound and Fury, The Lady, Seventeen Years, The Lake, The Junction, Dark Days, Girlfight, Under the Sun, Manolito Four Eyes, Groove, Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné, Asfalto, and Sweet Agony...