More than 4,000 Polish prisoners of war were executed in a forest called Katyn near the Soviet Union town of Smolensk back during World War II. When the mass graves were discovered in the early 1940s, the Germans blamed the Soviets and the Soviets blamed the Germans. The issue of who was really to blame remained unresolved for five decades until Russia finally expressed “profound regret” in 1990 that Soviet police had, in fact, been responsible for the killings, murdering any Polish military members who might oppose Soviet expansion into Poland. Director Andrzej Wajda dramatizes this tragic history in his film called Katyn which follows four families whose fates are tied to the massacre. A a finely crafted film, Katyn gives its sad story the proper gravity it deserves. There are no feel-good moments here, no false hopes, no bright fantasies, only a story being told exactly as it should be. At SIFF.

Burlesque is big in Seattle; we have quite a few active troupe who regularly perform in a variety of venues across the city and even a burlesque school. Seattle filmmaker Deirdre Allen Timmons takes a close look at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque in her film A Wink and a Smile, opening Friday at NWFF which follows a group of students from their first class to final recital, learning not just the moves but also the attitudes that make burlesque such a popular activity.

Grand Illusion presents Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered, and Shafted, a documentary that examines the cultural impact of 1970s black exploitation films, including interviews with key figures in the genre, including notable actors, writers, and directors like Jim Brown, Gloria Hendry, Reginald Hudlin and James Fanaka, to name a few. It’s followed by the short film Black Santa’s Revenge; director David F. Walker will be on hand for Saturday’s screenings for a post-film Q&A.

Also at the Grand Illusion: The Wizard Rockumentary, a documentary about Harry Potter bands plays Saturday and Sunday at 3 and 5pm; late night at the Grand Illusion a repeat of last week’s Black Devil Doll.

Sita Sings the Blues at Central Cinema, an animated movie that pairs a version of the legend of the Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem, with a modern storyline from director Nina Paley’s own life.

Midnight at The Egyptian: The Dark Crystal, a “sinister fantasy” about a young hero on a quest to bring peace and balance to a world ruled by cruel lizardy overlord created by Muppets masters Jim Henson and Frank Oz.