We’re not gonna laugh at you, Ms Spacek…SIFF honors acclaimed actress Sissy Spacek & Director William Friedkin

Dear Ms Spacek: Seattle loves you and we promise not to dump a bucket of blood on you, when you come to SIFF 2012...

The Seattle International Film Festival just announced their Special Guests and Honorees for the 38th annual film festival and it’s a double whammy of major names. Academy Award winners, actress Sissy Spacek and director William Friedkin will both be present and honored with film tributes and special events. Tickets for the individual talks and the joint dinner honoring the two, are now on sale at the SIFF website. The SIFF box office to purchase tickets to all SIFF events, begins May 3, 2012.

The beautiful Sissy Spacek. Photo: Riker Brothers

Ms Spacek is obviously beloved for her many film roles including her award winning work in In The Bedroom, The River, Crimes of the Heart, and Coal Miner’s Daughter. And, she’s especially remembered for her career breakthrough as the telekinetic teenager in Brian DePalma’s classic thriller Carrie, based on the novel by Stephen King. (Film nerds like Mr. Strangeways also really love her early work in Terence Malick’s Badlands and Robert Altman’s Three Women.) Several of the actress’s films will be screened as part of the tribute, which is scheduled for June 7, 2012. (Ms Spacek’s memoir, “My Extraordinary Ordinary Life” will also be hitting book stores and Kindles, on May 1st…) Apparently, 2012 is “The Year of the Spacek” and we couldn’t be more pleased.

William Friedkin's controversial NC-17 rated film "Killer Joe" will screen at SIFF 2012

The other big honoree for this year is director William Friedkin, best known for The French Connection, (for which he won the Oscar), The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A. and the classic gay film, The Boys in the Band based on Mart Crowley’s play. (But, the director’s S/M, gay murder mystery Cruising starring Al Pacino, drew fire from gay rights groups and a lot of controversy.) The director also has a new film to debut at SIFF:

Killer Joe, is his second collaboration with celebrated playwright Tracy Letts. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, and Juno Temple, Killer Joe will make its’ Seattle debut at this year’s festival as part of the program and release theatrically this summer.

Mr. Friedkin will receive SIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 9, 2012 and Killer Joe and several of his classic films will be part of the festival.

For more information, visit the SIFF website.