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SQFF Opening Night: Potato Dreams of America @ Egyptian Cinema
October 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Enjoy our Opening Night Film in person screening with local Seattle director Wes Hurley.
And afterwards online until October 24th
This year’s SQFF fest will be both virtual and in person! We are so excited to return to the theater with you.
We are taking all of our staff, volunteer, and audience’s safety very seriously and will be requiring full vaccination and mask compliance for all in person events.
Wes Hurley; 2021; USA; 95 min.
Life in the former USSR is tough, and it’s all young “Potato” can do to survive the local school bullies, his mother Elena’s boyfriends, and his bossy grandmother (played to perfection by Lea DeLaria). Escaping into the pirated American movies they watch as often as they can, both Potato and his mother have dreams of a better life. By way of a marriage of convenience,
Elena takes herself and Potato to America, a journey filled with surprises at every turn (not least of which is that, stateside, both roles are played by new actors, a clever bit of casting that shows how the journey has changed them). The cast also includes Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) as Jesus, Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) as Elena’s American husband, and a bevy of local theater and burlesque talent.
Elena takes herself and Potato to America, a journey filled with surprises at every turn (not least of which is that, stateside, both roles are played by new actors, a clever bit of casting that shows how the journey has changed them). The cast also includes Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) as Jesus, Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) as Elena’s American husband, and a bevy of local theater and burlesque talent.
Director Wes Hurley, a Seattle hometown hero, has screened several of his films at SQFF, including CAPITOL HILL, WAXIE MOON IN FALLEN JEWEL, and ZOLUSHKA. His latest work is semiautobiographical (“a big gay valentine to his adopted city”) and filled with the kind of delights and wonders that can be achieved only through firsthand experience. Hurley has created a unique interpretation of the American dream, and one that should resonate with anyone who has ever longed for something more. It’s a picture as warm and thoughtful as it is wild and unexpected, and we’re thrilled to showcase it as our opening night film.
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About the Author: Michael Strangeways
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