the illusionist was released in the united states
the film premiered at the 2006 sundance film festival and opened the 2006 seattle international film festival  it was distributed in limited release to theaters on august 18  2006  and expanded nationwide on september 1
it was held in park city  utah with screenings in salt lake city  utah  ogden  utah  and the sundance resort
the seattle international film festival lrb siff rrb  held annually in seattle  washington since 1976  is among the top film festivals in north america