One of the hits at last year’s SIFF, Prodigal Sons returns to Seattle for an engagement at SIFF Cinema starting Friday. Director Kimberly Reed takes you to her hometown of Helena, Montana where the big news isn’t that Kimberly used to be star high school quarterback Paul before her sex change operation; Kimberly gamely answers questions for her curious former classmates but they generally take the news in stride. Reed decides to connect with her brother Marc, whom she hasn’t seen in over ten years and that’s where the drama begins. A traumatic brain injury at age 21 turned Marc truculent and prone to violence but Kimberly reaches out to her brother and agrees to help him find the birth parents who gave him up for adoption which is when he learns that he is the biological grandchild of Hollywood legends Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. A very personal film, Prodigal Sons is intriguing and well-made. Kimberly’s story is interesting, as is her brother’s, and the movie asks a lot of challenging questions about identity, personality and family life well worth considering.

ByDesign10 is NW Film Forum‘s program that “explores the intersection of graphic design and moving image, and celebrates multidisciplinary artists who push the boundaries to create new techniques, styles and forms.” The week-long series includes a variety of film title sequences, animations, documentary portraits, and special guest presenters. Husband and wife art team Charles and Ray Eames helped inspire the first ByDesign program ten years ago and their work is included in this year’s version as well. The program begins Friday night with a talk by designer Danny Yount about his creative and technical processes and also with a free opening night party that includes drinks, short films and live audio/visual performances. The series continues with a panel of Seattle animators and motion designers screening and discussing their current works, a retrospective of the work of UK art collective The Light Surgeons, a curated presentation of film title sequences, a series of short film portraits of artists and graphic designers, shorts and videos, and a series of animated films illustrating The Decemberists’ The Hazards of Love.

Friday only at The Grand Illusion: The GI Joe Stop Motion Film Festival in which filmmakers from around the world get out their dolls and action figures and cast them in movies.

Starting Saturday at the Grand Illusion: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Richard Lester’s hilarious film adaptation of the stage musical starring Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford and Jack Gilford. Always a fun movie to watch, it’s even better with a full audience.

If you’ve reached a certain age, you’re definitely going to want to get to Central Cinema this weekend for their The Goonies quote-a-long. Props and subtitles will be helpfully provided along with a special game of Goonies Bingo.

**Sunday at Central Cinema: stop in for the Reel Grrls second Oscar party. $25 gets you in the door and gives you a chance to order a la carte or for $79 select one of the delicious prix fixe dinners; $40 gets you a light meal selection. Proceeds benefit Reel Grrls, the excellent local organization which empowers young women to find their voice through media production.

Midnight at the Egyptian: Brazil, director Terry Gilliam’s black comedy set in a dystopian future that’s one of the weirdest movies ever made.