By Evan Heringer
As students, we all need a little rest and relaxation time off campus with some good films, and the perfect way to do so is by experiencing The Tacoma Film Festival.
This eighth year of The Tacoma Film Festival (TFF) runs from Thursday to Oct. 10, and brings a number of short films from “northwest shorts” to “international shorts” and everything in between.
According to TFF’s director, Laura Marshall, TFF is kicking off the festival in style with a classy “Opening Night VIP Gala,” which includes dinner followed by the showing of the film “GBF.”
“GBF” centers around a group of high school girls fighting for popularity when fellow classmate Tanner becomes the first openly gay student. The girls compete to be the first to have a Gay Best Friend while Tanner is forced to choose between popularity, or leaving his past, and the people in it, behind.
“GBF” is a comedy similar to the hit movies “Mean Girls” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
In other words, the Opening Night Gala is a perfect opportunity for a fancy date night followed by a film that is sure to make everyone laugh. The opening Gala is on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Annie Wright Kemper Theater.
If a documentary is more your speed, check out another one of TFF’s films, “The Otherside.” The Seattle hip-hop scene is exploding with up-and-coming artists that are changing the rap game as we know it, and the documentary “The Otherside” is showing just how filthy Seattle can be.
“The Otherside” focuses on Seattle hip-hop artists as they attempt to make it big in the “do it yourself digital age,” and it features artists such as Macklemore and the Blue Scholars. “The Otherside” is accompanied by two animated short films and will make its TFF debut on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Tacoma Community College.
If you miss this showing, there is a chance it may be shown again. TFF has several time slots to be determined, so take a look at the website, to stay updated.
Another noteworthy film is “Seventeen Hours In” whose director, Ivo Raza, was nominated for “Best Director” at the Long Island Film Expo. “Seventeen Hours In” is about a woman named Liz who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, hooks up with a newly single man named Kevin, and together the two explore a mutual fantasy. “Seventeen Hours in” is a fairly raunchy movie that has elements of both comedy and drama.
TFF brings another opportunity  for a night with some friends with its closing night party, which features the film “Best Man Down” followed by a dinner. The film is a drama that tells the story of a newlywed couple who is forced to cancel their honeymoon in order to organize the funeral for their best man, who died shortly after the wedding.
“Best Man Down” stars “Accepted’s” Justin Long, who is expected to be at TFF along with the director Ted Koland for the film’s debut.
The Closing Night Party is on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. For more information, including a list of all of the films TFF will be showing and where they will be shown, head to the website and follow TFF on Twitter @tacomafilmfest.
