Are you ready? We are. Starting today, we’ll bring you a week’s worth of coverage of the Seattle International Film Festival: previews and reviews, gala highlights, critics’ picks, and more. If you missed our primer on how to tackle an event with 400+ films, I recommend you start there. Then, check out North by Northwest from our May issue, which highlights five films with a Seattle connection screening this year, including Sean Nelson’s directorial debut Treatment, and a documentary on Hole drummer Patty Schemel. If you live in Belltown or Fremont, keep an eye out for neighborhood shots in Late Autumn.

Another friendly suggestion: Follow SIFF on Twitter (handle: @SIFFNews). They’re running a trivia contest all day, and winners get free movie tickets.

See you indoors (who thought we’d say that now that the sun’s finally out?).

The 2011 Seattle International Film Festival runs May 19–June 12; prices, times, and venues vary. For tickets, visit siff.net.