Final Films to Remember as SIFF Closes its 51st Festival

Overviews
Written By Rachel Glass

The saddest part about attending the Seattle International Film Festival is the moment you realize it’s almost over. I have gotten to see some unforgettable films this season, thanks to the diverse and unique sensibilities of the 26 SIFF Programmers, who began their research and selection process last August for this year's festival.

SIFF 2025’s final weekend is now upon us, and there’s still time to take advantage of some of the must-see films, now showing at the five SIFF and SIFF-partner venues around the city.

still from The Librarians of a woman viewing a library door with bookshelves behind her

Still from The Librarians

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The Librarians — An electrifying, eye-opening, and chilling documentary about the growing trend of organized attacks on libraries, school boards, education, books, and even on our democracy. I attended a sold-out screening of The Librarians last week where the film’s Oscar-nominated director Kim A. Snyder and a librarian from the Kent, WA school district took questions from the audience. If you can’t get a seat for this important, content-rich, and incredibly popular film at SIFF, The Librarians can be seen in theatres nationwide in the Fall of 2025 and will air on PBS’s Independent Lens in January 2026. 



Come See Me in The Good Light — A warm, engaging, and surprisingly funny documentary about spoken word/Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson and their devoted partner Megan Falley as they navigate life in light of Gibson’s ovarian cancer diagnosis. Falley’s and Gibson’s relationship is touching and utterly inspiring and the undying love of their friends and Gibson’s fans makes the film more uplifting and less maudlin.

Brandi Carlisle (the film’s executive producer and composer of the film’s theme song) was on hand at the screening I attended to give the film’s introduction, and, in a surprise appearance after the film, Gibson and Falley themselves joined from Colorado via Zoom to take audience questions and add their signature love and humor!

Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley in Come See Me in the Good Light with dogs, lying down

Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley in Come See Me in the Good Light

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Coexistence, My Ass! — A riveting documentary which introduces us to Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, who grew up living with Palestinians and attended Oasis of Peace, an Israeli school with a mission of coexistence whose programs have benefitted over 65,000 Jewish and Arab children alike since its opening in 1979.

In the film, Shuster-Eliassi has been asked by Harvard University to develop a project using humor and comedy to find solutions for Jews and Palestinians to live in peace. We meet Shuster-Eliassi starting in 2019 who is ready to unleash her humor and comedy to work for peace in the Middle East, but the film’s timeline reaches October 7, 2023, and the horrific massacre in Israel orchestrated by Hamas and the subsequent devastating military response by Israel on Gaza. Shuster-Eliassi’s comedy gradually takes on more serious tones in real time before our eyes as she experiences heartbreak, confusion, and anger over what she sees around her.

She ultimately reflects on the big question that has plagued world leaders for decades: How can harmony and peace exist and grow between Jews and Arabs?

Noam Shuster-Eliassi in Coexistence, My Ass! on stage with a mic

Noam Shuster-Eliassi in Coexistence, My Ass!

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Keep an eye out for these films as they make film festival circuits and perhaps wide releases in the coming year! 

Rachel Glass

(she/her) is a professional actress, singer, voice artist, broadcaster, director, writer, teacher, and coach. Two of her several plays held their world premieres in Seattle. She served for three years as a professional script reader for Sherry Robb (The Robb Company) in Los Angeles, writing summaries on hundreds of film & TV scripts and determining through recommendations which scripts should be accepted by the agency. She currently moderates forums in the arts and political arenas and conducts interviews with national- and world-renowned authors for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (where she writes her own questions, intros, and all her own scripts). Rachel is a professional adjudicator for the Washington State Thespian Society, which involves writing detailed feedback assessments for each of the hundreds of students she has coached locally, statewide, and nationally. She created, designed, and wrote her own public speaking and storytelling programs which she has taught around the country since 2009, and serves as the programs’ editor and writing coach, helping participants to create and shape their own stories and presentations.

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