Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjani star in The Big Sick, opening night film for SIFF 2017.
Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjani star in The Big Sick, opening night film for SIFF 2017.

The 43rd annual Seattle International Film Festival will open with The Big Sick, produced by Judd Apatow, directed by Michael Showalter, and starring Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley), who also co-wrote the film with Emily V. Gordon.

The Big Sick tells the story of an unusual courtship between a Pakistani comic and his American girlfriend; it co-stars Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham, and Kurt Braunohler.

The opening night gala takes place on Thursday, May 18 at McCaw Hall, with a party after at Fisher Pavilion. The full festival lineup will be announced here on Slog on Wednesday, May 3 (mark your calendars!), and The Stranger's annual SIFF Notes guide will go live that same day. SIFF tickets go on sale the next day. The festival runs May 18-June 11.