The festival began in 1976 at a then-independent cinema, the Moore Egyptian Theater, under the direction of managers Jim Duncan,
Dan Ireland, and Darryl Macdonald. The first SIFF featured "Hedda," with
Glenda Jackson,
Louis Malle's "Black Moon," Luis Buñuel's "
Phantom of Liberty."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the unnamed secret "sneak preview." The Third Festival in 1978 was the first under the direction of
Rajeeve Gupta. It doubled the number of films and increased the audience by 50% over the Second festival. The first five festivals were held at The Moore Egyptian. Currently, the
Moore Theatre is back under its earlier name and functioning as a concert venue. When founders
Dan Ireland and Darryl Macdonald of the Moore Egyptian lost their lease, they founded the Egyptian theater in a former
Masonic Temple on Seattle's
Capitol Hill. The Egyptian theater remains a prime festival venue to this day, although the festival now typically uses about half a dozen cinemas (including, since 2007, its own
SIFF Cinema at
Seattle Center), with the exact roster varying from year to year. During the 1980s, SIFF audiences developed a reputation for appreciating films that did not fit standard industry niches, such as
Richard Rush's multi-layered
The Stunt Man (1980). SIFF was instrumental in the entry of Dutch films into the United States market, including the first major American debut for director
Paul Verhoeven. ==The nature of the festival==