SF360.org represents a nearly six-year experiment in philanthropically funded film journalism, covering films and filmmaking in the Bay Area and beyond. Published by the San Francisco Film Society, the website debuted February 27, 2006 and was created in a unique collaboration between SFFS and Indiewire, with Susan Gerhard as editor. While SF360.org is no longer publishing feature stories, the SF360 Archive remains the most comprehensive collection of articles about the Bay Area film community, with more than 1,000 feature stories and reviews as well as Indie Toolkit's informative columns about the basics of creating a film and delivering it to audiences. Articles by some of the Bay Area’s most notable voices will remain at your fingertips for the foreseeable future.
SF360.org represents a nearly six-year experiment in philanthropically funded film journalism, covering films and filmmaking in the Bay Area and beyond. Published by the San Francisco Film Society, the website debuted February 27, 2006 and was created in a unique collaboration between SFFS and Indiewire, with Susan Gerhard as editor. While SF360.org is no longer publishing feature stories, the SF360 Archive remains the most comprehensive collection of articles about the Bay Area film community, with more than 1,000 feature stories and reviews as well as Indie Toolkit's informative columns about the basics of creating a film and delivering it to audiences. Articles by some of the Bay Area’s most notable voices will remain at your fingertips for the foreseeable future.
Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.
Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.
Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.
Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.
Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’
Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’
Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’
For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.
For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.
For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.
For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.
Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.
Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.
Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.
Press release: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival announced its new Executive Director: Lexi Leban, who begins working with the festival November 7, 2011. A longtime member of the Bay Area film community, Lexi has worked in all aspects of film, from production to distribution. She’s also worked with numerous film festivals, including the Mill Valley Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and the Global Social Change Film Festival in Bali. Lexi is currently Academic Director of the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Program at the Art Institute of California, where she built the department from its inception. Her most recent feature documentary, Girl Trouble, which follows young girls in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system, aired on PBS’s acclaimed series Independent Lens in January of 2006, and won Best Bay Area Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival. More at sfjff.org.
Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.
Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.
Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.
Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.
Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.
Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.
"The launch of SF360.org, an online publication devoted to covering the entire Bay Area film community, was one of San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Graham Leggat's first initiatives when he took over the organization," writes Pam Grady. "...in November, a victim of financial realities and organizational changes in the wake of Leggat's recent death, SF360.org will cease publication." More at SFGate.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.
Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.
Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'
In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'
In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Guy Maddin talks about movies, writing, himself—and the allure of the Osmonds, re-published on the occasion of Fandor's Maddin blogathon.
Guy Maddin talks about movies, writing, himself—and the allure of the Osmonds, re-published on the occasion of Fandor's Maddin blogathon.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.
With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.
With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.
With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.
As a complement to this year's Bay Area Now program, YBCA screens two films about waste and the way it impacts our lives. 'Scrappers,' showing Thursday, tells the story of two scavengers eking out a living salvaging trash from Chicago's dumpsters and 'Waste Land,' playing Sunday, follows artist Vik Muniz to Brazil where he connects with pickers at the world's largest garbage dump. More info: ybca.org.
North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.
North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.
North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.
The Cine+Mas 2011 San Francisco Latino Film Festival kicks off this Wednesday with a screening of 'Being: Cafe´ Tacvba' at Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema and screens through next week at venues throughout the Bay Area. The festival offers a number of new works by Latino directors based locally and internationally. More info and kickoff RSVP at sflatinofilmfestival.com.
San Francisco loses two of its cinema icons, pioneering 'camp humorist' George Kuchar and seminal experimental filmmaker Jordan Belson. George Kuchar, the beloved San Francisco filmmaker, teacher, mentor and friend, died Tuesday night, September 6, at the age of 69. He passed away at Coming Home Hospice in the Castro, where he resided for the last month. Kuchar had been diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, but the sad news was not conveyed beyond a circle of close friends until recently. Kuchar and his twin brother, Mike, began making movies in their teens in their Bronx neighborhood in the late ’50s. Inspired by the florid emotions of Hollywood melodramas, they made 8mm narratives that were funny...
San Francisco loses two of its cinema icons, pioneering 'camp humorist' George Kuchar and seminal experimental filmmaker Jordan Belson. George Kuchar, the beloved San Francisco filmmaker, teacher, mentor and friend, died Tuesday night, September 6, at the age of 69. He passed away at Coming Home Hospice in the Castro, where he resided for the last month. Kuchar had been diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, but the sad news was not conveyed beyond a circle of close friends until recently. Kuchar and his twin brother, Mike, began making movies in their teens in their Bronx neighborhood in the late ’50s. Inspired by the florid emotions of Hollywood melodramas, they made 8mm narratives that were funny...
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.
The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.
The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.
Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.
Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.
Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winners and two honorable mentions of the fifth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including a total of $788,000 already awarded in the first five grant rounds.
Carlton Evans and Matthew Lessner (Ross), $50,000 for screenwriting; Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari), $88,000 for postproduction; Adam Keker (National Park), $35,000 for screenwriting; Timothy Kelly (The Cherokee Word for Water), $75,000 for production; Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of a Southern Wild), $55,000 for postproduction. Honorable Mentions went to: John Dilly (Rubbish), development and Ian Olds (The Western Habit), screenwriting. More at sffs.org.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.
Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.
Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.
Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.
Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.
Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.
Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.
Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
The 31st San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, world's largest showcase of Jewish films, continues this week, opening at Berkeley's Roda Theatre on Saturday with a screening of historical drama 'Sarah's Key' starring Kristin Scott Thomas. The festival screens at a number of Bay Area venues. More info at sfjff.org.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.
The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.
The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
SF institution The Red Vic Movie House celebrates both its anniversary and its closure with screenings of house favorite 'Harold and Maude'—perhaps the quintessential quirky romantic comedy. Those who haven't seen 'Harold and Maude' since its release will delight to revisit its many Bay Area locations and Cat Stevens soundtrack. Red Vic promises a "special birthday treat" for Monday's attendees. More info redvicmoviehouse.com
The 31st San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the world's largest showcase of Jewish film, opens at the Castro Theatre on Thursday with Israeli drama 'Mabul' (The Flood, nominated for six of Israel's 'Oscars'), and runs through August 8 at a number of Bay Area venues. An Opening Night bash follows at the Swedish American Hall. More info sfjff.org.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.
Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.
Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.
A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.
A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.
A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.
SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...
SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...
SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...
Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.
Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.
Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.
Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.
YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.
YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.
The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.
One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.
One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.
An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.
An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.
The Historic Bal Theatre brings us a screening of Bay Area filmmaker Vincent Cortez’s latest feature, ‘The Hush,’ a 2011 Oakland International Film Festival selection and LA Festival honorable mention. The film is a locally shot supernatural film noir piece that has a hitman looking for redemption. More at mitchellstreetpictures.com.
The Historic Bal Theatre brings us a screening of Bay Area filmmaker Vincent Cortez’s latest feature, ‘The Hush,’ a 2011 Oakland International Film Festival selection and LA Festival honorable mention. The film is a locally shot supernatural film noir piece that has a hitman looking for redemption. More at mitchellstreetpictures.com.
San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.
San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.
San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.
A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.
A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.
A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.
Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.
Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.
Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.
The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.
The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.
The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.
The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.
The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.
The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.
The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.
Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.
Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.
A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.
A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.
A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.
John Antonelli finds good news, bad news and plenty of drama in African environmental stories.
John Antonelli finds good news, bad news and plenty of drama in African environmental stories.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Opening weekend of ‘These Amazing Shadows,’ a docu on American movies, features Q&As with its Bay Area filmmakers, as well as other local figures, including SF Chron critic Mick LaSalle, SF Public Defender (and filmmaker) Jeff Adachi and cinematographer Frazer Bradshaw. More at theseamazingshadows.com.
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’
Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’
Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.
Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.
Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.
In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.
In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.
In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.
Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.
Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.
Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
Bay Area directors are high profile in the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival; catch them in person this week. Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega appear Tuesday with Bradley Crowder, a principal of ‘Better This World,’ a documentary that traces the paths of activists deemed the "Texas Two." The film plays at Pacific Film Archive on April 26 and Sundance Kubaki Cinemas on April 29. More at fest11.sffs.org.
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
Keanu Reeves, James Caan and Vera Farmiga star in Malcolm Venvile’s ‘Henry’s Crime,’ which opens at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco, Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley and other Bay Area theaters. The film was an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. More at landmarktheatres.com.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'
Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'
Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'
Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'
Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'
Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'
Award-winning Bay Area director Les Blank introduces his 1969 short film, ‘The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins,’ and his 1979 project, ‘Always for Pleasure,’ which play at Red Vic Movie House. Viewers receive rice and beans made with Les’ special recipe. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
SFMOMA's Eadweard Muybridge exhibit is essential viewing for Bay Area film lovers. More than 150 years after Eadweard Muybridge set up shop on Montgomery Street, San Francisco Museum Modern Art is featuring a splendid retrospective of the photographer’s work just a few blocks away. A tireless self-promoter with chutzpah enough to adapt “Helios” as a nom de plume early in his career (this after already having left “Muggeridge” behind in England), Muybridge would surely have been pleased by this showcase. From A Trip Down Market Street
SFMOMA's Eadweard Muybridge exhibit is essential viewing for Bay Area film lovers. More than 150 years after Eadweard Muybridge set up shop on Montgomery Street, San Francisco Museum Modern Art is featuring a splendid retrospective of the photographer’s work just a few blocks away. A tireless self-promoter with chutzpah enough to adapt “Helios” as a nom de plume early in his career (this after already having left “Muggeridge” behind in England), Muybridge would surely have been pleased by this showcase. From A Trip Down Market Street
A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.
A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.
A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
Rosenblatt’s meditative essay on the difficult subject of suicide finds its way to HBO. Narrative films may occasionally conjure the shock of a suicide—last year’s The Father of My Children is a fine example—but it’s the nature of character dramas to keep pace with the living rather than meditate in the shadow of loss. In his most recent lyrical essay-film, The Darkness of Day, local filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt creates such a meditative space, intertwining different stories and perspectives of suicide: near and far, first-person and third, male and female, young and old, anonymous and notable. Rosenblatt cues the multiple narratives to a poetic stream of found...
Rosenblatt’s meditative essay on the difficult subject of suicide finds its way to HBO. Narrative films may occasionally conjure the shock of a suicide—last year’s The Father of My Children is a fine example—but it’s the nature of character dramas to keep pace with the living rather than meditate in the shadow of loss. In his most recent lyrical essay-film, The Darkness of Day, local filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt creates such a meditative space, intertwining different stories and perspectives of suicide: near and far, first-person and third, male and female, young and old, anonymous and notable. Rosenblatt cues the multiple narratives to a poetic stream of found...
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
At nearly 30, SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival fulfills a multifacted programming mission. The 29th edition of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival stretches across the Bay Area, from San Francisco to Berkeley to San Jose March 10–20, bringing “Stories to Light” as the Center for Asian American Media's new tagline says. Indeed, both the stories and their potential audiences would be left in the dark without the solid efforts of new festival steward Misashi Niwano and Christine Kwon (festival director and managing director, respectively). In a city privileged with a vast...
At nearly 30, SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival fulfills a multifacted programming mission. The 29th edition of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival stretches across the Bay Area, from San Francisco to Berkeley to San Jose March 10–20, bringing “Stories to Light” as the Center for Asian American Media's new tagline says. Indeed, both the stories and their potential audiences would be left in the dark without the solid efforts of new festival steward Misashi Niwano and Christine Kwon (festival director and managing director, respectively). In a city privileged with a vast...
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
Press release: The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21 - May 5) today announced its documentaries in competition for the Golden Gate Awards and films in competition for the New Directors Prize. The International will award close to $100,000 in total prizes this year. Sixty thousand dollars will be awarded to winners in three categories: investigative documentary feature ($25,000), documentary feature ($20,000) and Bay Area documentary feature ($15,000). The New Directors Prize of $15,000 is given to a narrative first feature that exhibits a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Seventeen countries contributed to the production of the 11 films in this year's competition. Click through for titles or visit sffs.org.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.
After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.
After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.
LA Times Blogs: "Inside Job” won the Oscar for documentary feature at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. “Inside Job” is an exploration of the causes and corollaries of the 2008 financial crisis. The award goes to Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs." More at latimesblogs.latimes.com. And from SF360.org: Bay Area-based Ferguson's speech began with a statement of fact, "After financial fraud not a single financial executive has gone to jail," before thanking his colleagues.
Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.
Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.
Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.
Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.
Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.
Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.
Producer and teacher Mitchell Block talks about the making of great films, including the Oscar-nominated 'Poster Girl.'
Producer and teacher Mitchell Block talks about the making of great films, including the Oscar-nominated 'Poster Girl.'
Producer and teacher Mitchell Block talks about the making of great films, including the Oscar-nominated 'Poster Girl.'
Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.
Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.
Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.
Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.
Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.
An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.
An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.
An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.
Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."
Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."
Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.
Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.
Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.
Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.
Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.
Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.
Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.
Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.
Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.
Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.
Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.
An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.
An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.
An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.
Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.
Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.
Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.
SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.
SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.
SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.
Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.
Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.
Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Bay Area filmmaker Scott Crocker joins the hunt for the extinct Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and captures a bizarre story about myth, nature and economics in the process. Crocker appears in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center and Roxie Theater this week. More at roxie.com and cafilm.org.
Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.
Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.
Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.
San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.
San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.
San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.
San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
Bay Area filmmaker Tom Wyrsch examines the history of San Francisco’s one-time seaside amusement park, Playland, whose origins dated back nearly a century before being torn down in 1972. Wyrsch appears in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center. More at cafilm.org.
A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.
A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.
A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.
Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.
Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.
Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
Press release: The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winners of the fourth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants: Debbie Brubaker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Christopher Mason Johnson, Mike Ott and Morgan Wise. The grants are given twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. More at sffs.org.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.
'The Sound of Music' stretches its music empire into a new century with popular sing-alongs and a new home-entertainment release. When we look back at the 1960s, the phenomenon that was—and still somewhat is—The Sound of Music seems like an anomaly. But at the time it was more like the solid rock of reassuring constancy that masses clung to as waters of bewildering change rose all around them, a three-hour oasis of clean living and cheerful melody that wouldn't go away—no matter how many antiwar protesting, unisex...
'The Sound of Music' stretches its music empire into a new century with popular sing-alongs and a new home-entertainment release. When we look back at the 1960s, the phenomenon that was—and still somewhat is—The Sound of Music seems like an anomaly. But at the time it was more like the solid rock of reassuring constancy that masses clung to as waters of bewildering change rose all around them, a three-hour oasis of clean living and cheerful melody that wouldn't go away—no matter how many antiwar protesting, unisex...
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
The former Saturday Night Live player was an essential element to some of the most memorable moments in the show’s recent history. In 2009 the actress displayed her versatility in the Sam Mendes-directed ‘Away We Go,’ costarring with John Krasinski. Maya Rudolph discusses her career as a comedienne with Bay Area broadcasting veteran Paul Lancour at Herbst Theater. More at cityarts.net.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Bay Area filmmaker Charles Ferguson's 'Inside Job' was among the 15 documentaries on the Academy Awards shortlist. Joshua Brunsting at Criterioncast offers the full roundup with trailers. More at criterioncast.com.
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."
Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."
Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."
The mutli-talented Nora Ephron is credited to some of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time and recently won praise for last year’s ‘Julie and Julia.’ The journalist/screenwriter/director/author discusses life and her latest book, ‘I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections’ with Bay Area broadcasting veteran Paul Lancour. More at cityarts.net.
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
The story of 17th-century ninja who makes the dangerous decision to run from his own clan, ‘Kamui Gaiden’ is one of Japan’s most expensive movies in history and brings Sampei Shirato’s celebrated '70s comic to the big screen as part of The Red Lantern: Bay Area Asian Cinephiles film series. More at newpeopleworld.com.
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'
From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...
From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...
From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...
From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.
SF360.org profiles the 2011 roster of Essential SF, an ongoing compendium of the film community’s vital figures and institutions.
Now in its second year, SFFS's Cinema by the Bay brings Bay Area films and filmmakers to Mission venues the Roxie Theater, the Lab and Southern Exposure. As part of the festivities, SF360 Presents Essential SF November 8, featuring a hard-core handful of the Bay Area's vital filmmakers and institutions. Look for more on the shows at sffs.org.
SF360.org profiles the 2011 roster of Essential SF, an ongoing compendium of the film community’s vital figures and institutions.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.
Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.
Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.
Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.
Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.
Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.
Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.
Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.
The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.
The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.
The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.
"Ten Bay Area filmmakers got good news this month when the San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation announced that they had narrowed their choices to a short list of contenders competing for $225,000 in cash," writes Hugh Hart. "The awards will go toward funding projects that explore civil rights, discrimination, gender and sexual identity. Winners will be named in November." More at SFGate.
Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'
Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'
Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'
Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'
Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.
Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.
The preeminent voice of mainstream American comedy struggled long and hard as a standup before successes '40 Year Old Virgin,' 'Knocked Up' and 'Funny People.' Writer, producer and director Judd Apatow sits down to discuss his life and work with Bay Area author and screenwriter Dave Eggers at the Herbst.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
Photo/essay book 'Left in the Dark' offers a way in—and out of—San Francisco cinema's rich, gritty, glamorous past.
The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.
The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.
The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.
This Bay Area Video Coalition panel includes representatives from Microcinema International and Filmmakers Collaborative discussing the many emerging choices independent filmmakers have for releasing their films.
This Bay Area Video Coalition panel includes representatives from Microcinema International and Filmmakers Collaborative discussing the many emerging choices independent filmmakers have for releasing their films.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.
San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.
San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.
San Francisco Film Society and the New York International Children's Film Festival offer three days of films for kids, teens and their families, from 'Turtle—the Incredible Journey' (pictured) to Santosh Sivan's Kashmir story, 'Tahaan,' to shorts and animated films, kicking off Friday, September 24, with a kid-friendly opening night party at the Punch Line Comedy Club.
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.
Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.
Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
A Bay Area filmmaker's trip to Africa cemented her "bond with Facebook and created a new way for human rights activists to spread the word--while promoting the social networking site's month-old streaming video channel," writes Alex Ben Block. More at Canada.com.
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.
An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.
An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'
Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'
Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'
The stories of an assassinated soccer star and the nation's most notorious criminal merge in a portrait of '80s-'90s Colombia.
The stories of an assassinated soccer star and the nation's most notorious criminal merge in a portrait of '80s-'90s Colombia.
The stories of an assassinated soccer star and the nation's most notorious criminal merge in a portrait of '80s-'90s Colombia.
Three vampire films capture more than the imagination. That the vogue for vampire melodramas may have run its course is clear enough from the appearance of Vampires Suck (in theaters as of this writing, though not likely much past it) and the news that the American redo of the 2008 Swedish indie hit, Let the Right One In, will be titled "Let Me In." Just like that, a lovely slice of pop-baroque gets reprocessed as a pathetic whine. No matter: as long there is cinema, the vampire will reemerge. Ever since the twin pinnacles of Nosferatu (1922) and Vampyr (1932), in which two of early cinema’s. . .
Three vampire films capture more than the imagination. That the vogue for vampire melodramas may have run its course is clear enough from the appearance of Vampires Suck (in theaters as of this writing, though not likely much past it) and the news that the American redo of the 2008 Swedish indie hit, Let the Right One In, will be titled "Let Me In." Just like that, a lovely slice of pop-baroque gets reprocessed as a pathetic whine. No matter: as long there is cinema, the vampire will reemerge. Ever since the twin pinnacles of Nosferatu (1922) and Vampyr (1932), in which two of early cinema’s. . .
Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.
Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.
Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.
Bay Area filmmaker Frazer Bradshaw appears in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center to present and discuss a screening of 'Everything Strange and New,' a contemporary meditation on adulthood in our uncertain times.
'Live with Honor, Die with Dignity' and 'Toyo's Camera,' two films by Bay Area filmmaker Junichi Suzuki that look at the war at home and abroad for Japanese Americans during WWII, play three final days August 17-19 at Viz Cinema.
A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Run, walk, bike, or bus to Sausalito for a festival filled with environmental (and other) surprises. The Sausalito Film Festival at Cavallo Point offers an impressive natural/urban backdrop to complement the worlds on view inside its theaters. Situated in the less-crowded film festival calendar space of August, it offers residents of the Bay Area ample room for their eyes to roam, with gorgeous vistas to greet those coming and going from its two restored theaters, the Mission Blue and Callippe. (Cavallo Point, a backdrop for the 22nd century in Star Trek: Enterprise, also provides a view of the San Francisco that will never get old.)
Run, walk, bike, or bus to Sausalito for a festival filled with environmental (and other) surprises. The Sausalito Film Festival at Cavallo Point offers an impressive natural/urban backdrop to complement the worlds on view inside its theaters. Situated in the less-crowded film festival calendar space of August, it offers residents of the Bay Area ample room for their eyes to roam, with gorgeous vistas to greet those coming and going from its two restored theaters, the Mission Blue and Callippe. (Cavallo Point, a backdrop for the 22nd century in Star Trek: Enterprise, also provides a view of the San Francisco that will never get old.)
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.
Memorable lines of dialogue are like the tips of icebergs, floating above vast, submerged mountains of character history, and more.
Memorable lines of dialogue are like the tips of icebergs, floating above vast, submerged mountains of character history, and more.
Memorable lines of dialogue are like the tips of icebergs, floating above vast, submerged mountains of character history, and more.
Shooting for Moneyball, with Brad Pitt playing the part of thrifty Oakland Athletic's owner Billy Beane, has drawn thousands of Bay Area residents for extra roles and provided a source of revenue for Oakland. More at KTVU.com.
Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.
Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.
Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
Look back in (anything but) anger: Members of the Red Vic Collective wax nostalgic on wild times, amazing meals and surprise visits from the theater's biggest fan, Danny Glover.
Look back in (anything but) anger: Members of the Red Vic Collective wax nostalgic on wild times, amazing meals and surprise visits from the theater's biggest fan, Danny Glover.
Look back in (anything but) anger: Members of the Red Vic Collective wax nostalgic on wild times, amazing meals and surprise visits from the theater's biggest fan, Danny Glover.
Deborah Koons Garcia's latest film explores the mystery and complexities of one of the earth's most valuable resources.
Deborah Koons Garcia's latest film explores the mystery and complexities of one of the earth's most valuable resources.
Charlotte Buchen’s Bay Area Street Portraits take us on a ride with the everyday bicycling citizen of Berkeley and Oakland.
Charlotte Buchen’s Bay Area Street Portraits take us on a ride with the everyday bicycling citizen of Berkeley and Oakland.
Tamara Perkins' The Trust is intended to provide a rare lens into the lives of incarcerated men and their families.
Tamara Perkins' The Trust is intended to provide a rare lens into the lives of incarcerated men and their families.
Choosing and implementing the right motif can help convey a narrative documentary's theme.
Now…what exactly is a motif? And why would you want to edit one into a documentary film?
During one of my recent group coaching calls, we addressed these questions. . . .
Jennifer Preissel examines the film and the court case that could redefine a journalist’s protection under First Amendment rights.
Jennifer Preissel examines the film and the court case that could redefine a journalist’s protection under First Amendment rights.
East Bay filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan muscles her way through her new documentary feature, The History of the Universe as Told by Wonder Woman.
East Bay filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan muscles her way through her new documentary feature, The History of the Universe as Told by Wonder Woman.
Scott Boswell’s marvelous debut feature, The Stranger In Us, plays out on Polk Street and in the Tenderloin, far from the oft-photographed glamour spots of San Francisco.
The makers of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work speak about their latest, as well as the state of documentary filmmaking.
Making a film called Stagecoach in the Sky as part of the 48 Hour Film Project requires planning, as well as a flying boat.
With a new book, gallery exhibition, appearances on local radio and stages, John Waters is quickly becoming a Bay Area fixture, a welcome addition to the film and cultural landscape.
Charles Koppelman's documentary in progress, Zero Day, exposes each of three threats to the Internet: cybercrime, cyberespionage and cyberwarfare.
San Francisco filmmaker Jon Bowden brings a second comic feature, The Full Picture, to screens.
By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.
By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.
Moving past genre distinctions may help some filmmakers find the best dramatic arc and the most powerful truths.
A literary adaptation filled with first-class actors in sumptuous settings, City doesn't fall too far from the familiar Merchant-Ivory tree.
A literary adaptation filled with first-class actors in sumptuous settings, City doesn't fall too far from the familiar Merchant-Ivory tree.
Emiko Omori s upcoming documentary, Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World, a collaboration of sorts between the two artists, grew out of a friendship that dates to 1974.
Bay Area filmmakers report back from film festivals far (Cannes) and wide (Marfa).
Former San Franciscan Jack Stevenson returns from Denmark to promote the U.S. publication of Scandinavian Blue: The Erotic Cinema of Sweden and Denmark in the 1960s and 1970s.
Laura Poitras speaks during SFIFF53 about the process of creating The Oath from the stories of Osama Bin Laden's former bodyguard and driver.
Today s fun fact: San Francisco has more nail salons per capita than any city in the country.
I sat down for a chat with Festival Director and cofounder Carlton Evans, Art Director Rebecca Bortman, and Jessica Meek, project coordinator for a fest sponsor.
If you re making a short narrative, foundations give you no respect. Financiers turn a cold shoulder. Government grantors snort. And festivals slot your film Sunday at midnight.
Bruce Conner, the sculptor, painter, photographer and filmmaker who loomed large in the Bay Area's shifting avant-garde currents for 50 years, resurfaces with Three Screen Ray.
Bruce Conner, the sculptor, painter, photographer and filmmaker who loomed large in the Bay Area's shifting avant-garde currents for 50 years, resurfaces with Three Screen Ray.
Almost $300,000 was given out Wednesday night for awards and grants honoring documentary winners.
We caught up with several Bay Area makers, fresh off their high-energy screenings at SFIFF53 and primed to keep the momentum rolling.
We caught up with several Bay Area makers, fresh off their high-energy screenings at SFIFF53 and primed to keep the momentum rolling.
Cash prizes totaling nearly $300,000 for filmmakers highlighted the San Francisco International Film Festival s Golden Gate Awards Wednesday night.
Films about our species enduring capacity to be inhumane toward its own are perennials at festivals, and will be so as long as wars are waged.
Few would argue that a good movie often starts with a good story. Yet it has been the screenwriter s lot to be underappreciated.
Few would argue that a good movie often starts with a good story. Yet it has been the screenwriter s lot to be underappreciated.
Poet, essayist, environmentalist, Buddhist, public intellectual and teacher Gary Snyder speaks on life and the making of 'The Practice of the Wild.'
Poet, essayist, environmentalist, Buddhist, public intellectual and teacher Gary Snyder speaks on life and the making of 'The Practice of the Wild.'
Along with selfless sacrifices and random luck, low-budget independent films often depend on the timely intervention of an angel.
Don t let Hollywood crow about The Hurt Locker and the year of the woman until more filmmakers of the sort featured at this year s festival benefit.
San Francisco itself took a lead role at Film Society Awards Night, the dinner and awards program benefiting the Film Society s year-round Youth Education initiative.
You know someone is well liked when they re used as the standard by which you fall short.
Through most of its history, the Festival has featured revivals of restored classics and little-known gems. This year s selections run an unusually wide gamut.
Leland Orser saw his first movie at the Alexandria, and Joshua Grannell initially established himself as a S.F. character via his alter ego Peaches Christ.
Leland Orser saw his first movie at the Alexandria, and Joshua Grannell initially established himself as a S.F. character via his alter ego Peaches Christ.
Live & Onstage thought globally and drafted locally with Sam Green and musician Dave Cerf s live Utopia in Four Movements, which never takes the exact same form.
Live & Onstage thought globally and drafted locally with Sam Green and musician Dave Cerf s live Utopia in Four Movements, which never takes the exact same form.
If there's a sure-fire crowd-pleaser in this year's San Francisco International Film Festival, it s Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith's Presumed Guilty.
You are awesome. Spectacular, incredible, interesting, accomplished and generally just way awesome. Everyone wants to hear every possible thing there is to know about you.
Ch‚ Sandoval of Chile, Kaspar Astrup Schroder of Denmark, Pedro Gonzal‚z-Rubio of Mexico, John Herschend and Claudia Gonson don t have much in common except stories to tell.
To be from the Bay Area and called The Butcher Brothers might mean you get mixed up with purveyors of grass fed meats.
To be from the Bay Area and called The Butcher Brothers might mean you get mixed up with purveyors of grass fed meats.
Writer Jim Harrison offers thoughts about his relationship to Gary Snyder and his contributions to 'The Practice of the Wild.'
Writer Jim Harrison offers thoughts about his relationship to Gary Snyder and his contributions to 'The Practice of the Wild.'
The Statton era has begun. Kate and Chris Statton have officially assumed the positions of co-executive directors of the venerable Mission District cinema.
I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.
Bay Area-made and Mission-inspired, Peter Bratt's La Mission joins Jennifer Kroot's wild and woolly It Came from Kuchar in Bay Area theaters this week.
Bay Area-made and Mission-inspired, Peter Bratt's La Mission joins Jennifer Kroot's wild and woolly It Came from Kuchar in Bay Area theaters this week.
If you imagine the S.F. International Film Festival as an circus tent, with Opening and Closing nights the main supports, the other tent poles are interactive live experiences.
From Michael Powell to Carlos Saura to Sally Potter, a stratum of directors has progressively reimagined the relationship between dance and film.
The Victoria Theater is shut up tight, with no sign of life. After a few raps on the door, a woman peeks out and leads me inside.
First-time filmmaker Christina Yao is soft-spoken and exceedingly polite, but it s apparent that very little intimidates her.
The new law reforming the Federal student loan program will save billions and help millions. But it won t make Serge Bakalian s debt expos‚ superfluous.
The new law reforming the Federal student loan program will save billions and help millions. But it won t make Serge Bakalian s debt expos‚ superfluous.
Beware of Save the Day My Way Syndrome. Now, learn from your mistakes.
With opening night approaching, Rachel Rosen talked about her L.A. Rolodex, the function of festivals in a broadband world and her favorites in the festival.
Pedestrians have always propelled cinema narratives, but the bicycle has rarely had a starring role.
One of the oldest points of contention in documentary is whether the camera s presence alters the subject s behavior.
Director of Programming Rachel Rosen and programmers Rod Armstrong, Audrey Chang and Sean Uyehara shared thoughts on 177 films from 46 countries.
San Francisco has a variety of excellent soundstages, but one is trying to save the earth.
San Francisco has a variety of excellent soundstages, but one is trying to save the earth.
Tens of thousands of artists, aficionados and businesspeople flock to Austin for a festival that is part online conference, part film festival, and more than part music.
There's so much about this product called milk that we think we know everything about, declares Jed Riffe with his usual blend of enthusiasm and amazement.
When a child assumes center stage on film, the potential for both thematic richness and unexpected plot directions increases exponentially.
Think of U.S. public television and science fiction or any type of fiction doesn't spring to mind. ITVS aims to change that perception with a series of mini-features.
A theme that emerged in this year s SFIAFF was the importance of archives in the film world.
Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, was not even aware there was such a thing as Palestinian cinema until, as a teenager, he came to the Bay Area to visit his brother and sister.
Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, was not even aware there was such a thing as Palestinian cinema until, as a teenager, he came to the Bay Area to visit his brother and sister.
The Center for Asian American Media, formerly known as NAATA and founded to nurture Asian American filmmakers as well as counter ethnic stereotypes, has accomplished that and more.
S. Leo Chiang knew what it was like to be an outsider in the U.S., so the rebellion of Vietnamese residents in New Orleans was an ideal subject.
There will probably never be a theatrical release for James Benning's landscape movies. Amazingly, Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor have scored distribution and made a splash.
There will probably never be a theatrical release for James Benning's landscape movies. Amazingly, Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor have scored distribution and made a splash.
Cementing its status as the preeminent animation company of the 00s, Pixar won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the third time in seven years.
Cementing its status as the preeminent animation company of the 00s, Pixar won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the third time in seven years.
If Kimberly Reed took a not particularly unique path into filmmaking, she certainly took an interesting road out of it.
If Kimberly Reed took a not particularly unique path into filmmaking, she certainly took an interesting road out of it.
I've asked people for all kinds of money for all kinds of reasons. Whether I'm asking for $1,000 or $100,000, I've found some key concepts rule.
From his modest start as a staff writer at 20th Century Fox, Sid Ganis has built an uncommonly long and successful career in Hollywood.
From his modest start as a staff writer at 20th Century Fox, Sid Ganis has built an uncommonly long and successful career in Hollywood.
Injured in a crash on the Golden Gate Bridge, Dr. Grace Dammann spent 45 days in a coma and 13 months in the hospital.
Wasn't it just yesterday that Cinequest was the scrappy upstart amongst Bay Area festivals? Apparently not: San Jose's annual cinematic blowout is entering its third decade.
Wasn't it just yesterday that Cinequest was the scrappy upstart amongst Bay Area festivals? Apparently not: San Jose's annual cinematic blowout is entering its third decade.
YBCA has sustained a major place in S.F.'s cultural landscape without receiving the due it would have had its mission been narrower and more easily defined.
YBCA has sustained a major place in S.F.'s cultural landscape without receiving the due it would have had its mission been narrower and more easily defined.
Last month's nominations announcement was anticipated with unusual interest, largely because the Academy reverted to ten Best Picture nominees, a practice abandoned in 1943.
The Oscar nomination for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers is a validation of the doc's right-now relevance.
The spring edition of the Cinematheque calendar is making the rounds, and my copy is dog-eared with wishful thinking. Grab your datebook for a rundown.
Olga Samaroff, the path-breaking 20th-century concert pianist, critic and teacher, was born Lucy Hickenlooper in San Antonio, Texas. That's right, she reinvented herself.
How long should your documentary be? If your audience begins to glaze over or feel restless, you've lost the opportunity to leave them wanting more.
The film historian looks back at Frank Stauffacher's seminal mid-century series, which hatched a Bay Area avant-garde.
The film historian looks back at Frank Stauffacher's seminal mid-century series, which hatched a Bay Area avant-garde.
Tragically underrepresented in the Bay Area's densely packed world of globally oriented film festivals is the land(s) of our erstwhile colonial rulers!
Tragically underrepresented in the Bay Area's densely packed world of globally oriented film festivals is the land(s) of our erstwhile colonial rulers!
It s a strange time for independent film, with scaled-back specialty divisions and online self-distribution, but SF Indiefest remains a champion of the unsung and un-buzzable.
In the YouTube-Facebook-viral video era, it's hard to remember the time when youth-made media was rare.
In the YouTube-Facebook-viral video era, it's hard to remember the time when youth-made media was rare.
Films with Bay Area connections featured prominently in the 82nd Academy Award nominations announced yesterday.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
Writer-director Andrea Arnold created a stir with her first feature Red Road, but her new film is arguably an even stronger work.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
The harsh glare of the spotlight that brought Howl mixed reviews from critics on opening night of Sundance had melted into a warm glow by Saturday.
The harsh glare of the spotlight that brought Howl mixed reviews from critics on opening night of Sundance had melted into a warm glow by Saturday.
Stephen Talbot left PBS s Frontline World to create and develop original media properties, including a globe-trotting TV series about world music.
The Butcher Brothers The Violent Kind is a nightmare-with-bikers-in-the-woods fantasy shot in Petaluma and Cotati, and it fits their collaborative moniker.
The Butcher Brothers The Violent Kind is a nightmare-with-bikers-in-the-woods fantasy shot in Petaluma and Cotati, and it fits their collaborative moniker.
In late January, many tune their radar to the snowy, showy glare of Sundance. With Noir City here, the stay-at-homes are the luckier ones.
"I wish gay cinema would die", Joe Graham declares. It s not queer movies the San Francisco filmmaker hates, but categories and pigeonholing.
By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.
Seems like every filmmaker I know is ready to party! Everyone s throwing fundraising events for their films. So many babes in the party-planning woods.
Jennifer Phang has experienced more than enough culture shocks in her life to empathize with the identity challenges of the characters in her debut feature.
Jennifer Phang has experienced more than enough culture shocks in her life to empathize with the identity challenges of the characters in her debut feature.
Geralyn Pezanoski s doc about the separation and occasional reunion of pets and owners in post-Katrina New Orleans beat the shelf-life odds.
Nani Sahra Walker went to Nepal for seven months, and returned with a one-hour documentary. OK, a rough cut. No big deal? Enlightenment guaranteed, indeed.
Nani Sahra Walker went to Nepal for seven months, and returned with a one-hour documentary. OK, a rough cut. No big deal? Enlightenment guaranteed, indeed.
With more than 25 documentaries to his credit, many on mathematicians and scientists, George Csicsery is arguably the most prolific filmmaker in the Bay Area.
With more than 25 documentaries to his credit, many on mathematicians and scientists, George Csicsery is arguably the most prolific filmmaker in the Bay Area.
The silver lining to a decade that saw traditional critics in conventional media dwindle? The explosion of socially networked citizen critics.
While the U.S. moved from rebuilding decimated skyscrapers to the rebuilding of an entire economy, film moved from the multiplex to the mailbox to the mobile.
While the U.S. moved from rebuilding decimated skyscrapers to the rebuilding of an entire economy, film moved from the multiplex to the mailbox to the mobile.
For handy access to your most valuable footage, here s a method of organizing sequences.
Not surprisingly, Bay Area critics, fans, exhibitors and filmmakers did not arrive at a consensus on the best films of the decade.
Not surprisingly, Bay Area critics, fans, exhibitors and filmmakers did not arrive at a consensus on the best films of the decade.
It was a big year for 3D, but Bay Area critics and film-industry folk found many other dimensions in the cinema of 2009.
It was a big year for 3D, but Bay Area critics and film-industry folk found many other dimensions in the cinema of 2009.
The release of Avatar puts a fitting capstone on a frenzied campaign by studios to reintroduce stereoscopic 3-D to audiences in 2009.
On Sept. 13, 2001, I stood in a Toronto park and spoke to Canadian television: Movies wouldn't be the same. I was wrong.
Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.
David Thomson's new book commemorates the golden anniversary of Hitchcock's "Psycho."
Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.
Highlights from the 2009 San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event.
Kristine Enea's documentary shows The EcoCenter, a San Francisco environmental educational facility that treats and recycles wastewater and generates its own solar power.
The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves compiles some questions about "convergence", the increasingly popular practice of combining television and computer usage.
Catherine Galasso talks about her performance piece Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice, which features dance, theater and projected video.
Frederick Wiseman documents the frantic routine of choreographers for the Paris Opera Ballet as Frazer Bradshaw gives a more familiar portrayal of workplace satisfaction.
The Edit Room: Karen Everett shares tips on how to track multiple versions of Final Cut Pro projects and sequences.
Marin County filmmaker John Antonelli talks about his documentary on influential late singer-songwriter Sam Cooke for PBS's "American Masters" series.
In town for the premiere of Wasteland Utopias, the artist, curator and administrative director of Canyon Cinema gives us the scoop on Wilhelm Reich and other shadowy figures.
Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.
Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.
The scoop on the projects of the inaugural class for the SFFS/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants, which support lively, intelligent social-issue narrative films.
Two films from Oakland filmmakers, Dhana & Indra and Family 2469, illuminate the changing face of the country as the 21st Century unfolds.
Two films from Oakland filmmakers, Dhana & Indra and Family 2469, illuminate the changing face of the country as the 21st Century unfolds.
Writer/director Carmen Madden's writing reflects just how intimately she comes to see and know a screenplay's world and the characters that inhabit it.
Shot in depressed burgs and 'burbs across the country, this documentary looks at the U.S. at its lowest economic ebb in generations.
Here are a few ways to both entice and reward your donors, as well as some tips for thanking them when all's said and done.
A conversation on Walt Disney's Alice Comedies with a lively raconteur and Professor of Film Studies at UC Berkeley.
For three days, the SFFS offers a chance to see contemporary Taiwanese cinema beyond the work of the usual Taiwanese film masters.
Aroy's film excavates the history and contributions of Filipino farmworkers in the Golden State since the 1920s.
Bay Area locals Jonathan Parker and Catherine di Napoli discuss (Untitled), a hilarious romp through the world of conceptual art and atonal music.
Bay Area locals Jonathan Parker and Catherine di Napoli discuss (Untitled), a hilarious romp through the world of conceptual art and atonal music.
It’s hard to imagine a venue where the new documentary Holding On to Jah will sound better than it did at Mezzanine last Wednesday night.
After ripping it up at various genre fests, the Bay Area indie horror flick settles in for a theatrical run at the Red Vic.
After ripping it up at various genre fests, the Bay Area indie horror flick settles in for a theatrical run at the Red Vic.
From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.
From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.
Chick Strand, a crucial pioneer of West Coast experimental cinema, died July 11 at 78.
Chick Strand, a crucial pioneer of West Coast experimental cinema, died July 11 at 78.
A new, four-day showcase of local filmmaking doubles as a forum for the region's influence as subject and setting for filmmakers beyond the bay.
Anne McGuire finds the beauty in the strange, and the strangeness in the beautiful. That's not perversity, people; that's poetry.
At their respective festival tributes, the actors gave entertaining and revealing onstage interviews.
Where the Wild Things Are is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Jonze and Bay Area–based writer Dave Eggers, based on the classic 1963 picture book by Maurice Sendak.
Where the Wild Things Are is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Jonze and Bay Area–based writer Dave Eggers, based on the classic 1963 picture book by Maurice Sendak.
Fans of the San Francisco festival, now in its eighth year, have developed a well-honed appreciation for the eccentric.
The writer has had ample opportunity in the last 40 years to come to terms with his stint as an ambulance driver and medic.
Beyond Words: The people who back up the main character are often key sources of revelation, unmasking aspects of personality, motivation and backstory.
Though often made for private reasons, home movies are treasure troves of culture ephemera and social history.
The program offers a surprisingly potent mainstream industry presence, with tributes to A-list types more frequently seen at the multiplex than at the art house.
First Person: How can people respond in diametric and, at times, vitriolic opposition to the same film? Mine.
A year after Jonathan Marlow took the helm as executive director, the organization is showing fresh signs of life.
A year after Jonathan Marlow took the helm as executive director, the organization is showing fresh signs of life.
East Bay filmmaker Miles Montalbano is in preproduction on dark coming-of-age story The Recondite Heart, his followup to his lauded debut, Revolution Summer.
AnyClip and Clicker are standouts at TechCrunch's annual conference, where startups a chance to pitch to expert judges and investors.
Joe Berlinger speaks about the making of an environmental disaster in the Amazon, as seen in his new film, Crude.
Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling's documentary-in-progress, tentatively titled No Mouse Music! The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records, pays tribute to an underappreciated artist.
Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling's documentary-in-progress, tentatively titled No Mouse Music! The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records, pays tribute to an underappreciated artist.
The Edit Room: Learning how to organize saves you time and money in the editing process; a walk-through just how to do it.
Franny Armstrong talks about the moral imperative of her films, the importance of Hopenhagen, and the unexpected magnitude of her success.
The Toronto International Film Festival has always allowed a generosity of pursuits to co-exist, rewarding the adventurous and satiating the lazy, all without judgment.
To viewers of Lucrecia Martel's earlier work, The Headless Woman is the crowning achievement; the filmmaker speaks about her vision of the world.
The Roxie's Best of Columbia Noir seroes features great films capitalizing on a simple formula: a girl, a guy and a gun.
Ray Telles's ambitious two-hour film, The Storm that Swept Mexico, with a budget north of $1.2 million, reaches out to the world.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Notes on assembling the basic ingredients for a great foundation funding proposal.
High-concept cabaret-act favorite in the Bay Area who sidelines as a filmmaker, Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) speaks about his latest, Stingray Sam.
High-concept cabaret-act favorite in the Bay Area who sidelines as a filmmaker, Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) speaks about his latest, Stingray Sam.
Miami-born Julia Kahn offers strange revelations about the South in the long-gestating, cliche-crunching documentary Swamp Cabbage.
Miami-born Julia Kahn offers strange revelations about the South in the long-gestating, cliche-crunching documentary Swamp Cabbage.
Five years ago, Common Sky director Kathy Carlson committed herself to the task of bridging the gulf between those who've fought in battle and the rest of us.
The rapid adoption of e-newsletters by documentary filmmakers is the latest example of resourcefulness and efficiency among contemporary independents.
The rapid adoption of e-newsletters by documentary filmmakers is the latest example of resourcefulness and efficiency among contemporary independents.
With in-process Volunteer Nation: Stories of Service, veteran producer-directors Ben Hess and Dan Janos are mobilizing the millennials.
Behind any narrative for the screen is the story that came before it—the life that shaped the central character, who arrives fully formed as your story opens
Bay Area favorite Bob Goldthwait, whose pop culture moment seemed to expire in the mid '80s, returns with comedic vengeance via World's Greatest Dad.
East Bay documentary producer Pete Nicks places interactive storytelling booths in hospital waiting rooms.
Dina Ciraulo's debut feature reconsiders the curious case of nature writer Opal Whiteley, who burst to prominence—and controversy— in the 1920s.
Seiji Horibuchi, founder and chairman of VIZ Media, speaks about VIZ Cinema, a built-from-scratch venue located in the New People building in Japantown.
Oakland attorney Richard Lee speaks on the legal case surrounding the Swedish filmmakers of the hot-button documentary Bananas!.
Jager McConnell speaks about Scary Cow, a filmmakers' co-op that offers experience, people, money and equipment to aspiring filmmakers with ideas to burn.
Jager McConnell speaks about Scary Cow, a filmmakers' co-op that offers experience, people, money and equipment to aspiring filmmakers with ideas to burn.
Veteran filmmakers Pablo Trapero and Jia Zhang-ke complicate their genres with Lion's Den and 24 City.
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman combine live-action period drama and animation in retelling of Ginsburg's Howl
The Sixth Screen: Veteran journalists and filmmakers alike are polishing up their resumes, contemplating the hospitality industry, and wondering: Who stole my career?
Newly-retired Pacific Film Archive publicist Shelley Diekman discusses her cinephile tastes, her past and her future.
Newly-retired Pacific Film Archive publicist Shelley Diekman discusses her cinephile tastes, her past and her future.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival arrives with an expansive program spotlighting the Jewish tradition of social justice and human rights.
A revealing portrait of veteran local singer-songwriter-guitarist with a cult following investigates existential questions about fame with respect, empathy and self-reflection.
A peripatetic childhood laid fertile ground for the heated imagination of Berkeley-based author Barry Gifford, who has written Wild at Heart and Lost Highway.
Sjogren threads her vexations with feminist film theory into a study of sound and voice in "women's film" touchstones like Letter from an Unknown Woman.
J.P. Allen and Janis DeLucia Allen's latest imagining, Sex and Imagining, is a two-character piece thick with dialogue and psychological undercurrents.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Are Your "Friends" Worthless?
During her tenure at the venerable Castro Theatre, film programmer Anita Monga made her mark shepherding the venue to international prominence.
Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho is one of the many highlights on screen during the three-day San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
David Weissman speaks on his new project, Heartbreak and Heroism, revisiting the early years of the AIDS outbreak in San Francisco.
What's the key to writing comedy that sticks with us, despite perhaps an overblown story line or how lost and low-down the characters seem at the time?
Adam Goldstein and Eric Kutner discuss their debut, The Snake, an unapologetically impertinent, made-in-S.F, comedy that marks its creators as resourceful wiseguys.
An interview with Flynn Witmeyer about his debut feature Tweaker With an Axe, and the desire to make genre films—horror or sci-fi or fantasy—that incorporate gay and lesbian characters.
The Edit Room: I decided to set my New Doc Editing research team on a mission to find out what structural models are getting funded these days.
New Zealand transplant Richard Levien, a longstanding fixture of the San Francisco indie film community, breaks out of the editing room with Immersion.
New Zealand transplant Richard Levien, a longstanding fixture of the San Francisco indie film community, breaks out of the editing room with Immersion.
A festival full of drama finds no more emotional screening than the homophobia-in-sports double bill of Training Rules and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial.
When Rick Tejada-Flores decided to explore his family's checkered Bolivian past, he accepted that he had to be a character.
In this year's Frameline Fest, as so often in life, it's all about the one(s) that got away.
A case could be made that Cary Cronenwett's Maggots and Men isn't just the most unique work in Frameline33, but of any festival all year.
A case could be made that Cary Cronenwett's Maggots and Men isn't just the most unique work in Frameline33, but of any festival all year.
A dose of self-affirmation arrives with Frameline33 (or, if you prefer, the multiple-breath-intake-requiring San Francisco International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Film Festival.)
Blood-soaked, darkly comic All About Evil has writer-director Joshua Grannell and editor Rick LeCompte on an express-train schedule rare for an independent feature.
Blood-soaked, darkly comic All About Evil has writer-director Joshua Grannell and editor Rick LeCompte on an express-train schedule rare for an independent feature.
Avoiding Disaster: Clearing music is one of those horrible, arduous, frustrating tasks that needs to be done in order to show or sell a film.
Tom Shepard revisits the overachieving, hyper-ambitious world of science-obsessed high school seniors in his new film, Whiz Kids.
Wild man of Italian cinema, Marco Ferreri left many films in need of rediscovery (or simply discovery) since his death in 1997.
Like most social-issue documentaries, Food Stamped sprang from an activist impulse for Shira and Yoav Potash.
Make them love it. Make? Oh, words of dread! How do you MAKE somebody love your film?
Berkeley-based filmmaking team Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan speak about social justice as a career and their film Soldiers of Conscience.
At a film festival called Another Hole in the Head, dedicated to sci-fi, horror and fantasy, catastrophic carnage meets comedy more often than not.
The Miller brothers take their memoir-release to the local ballpark.
Leading light of avant-garde cinema Lawrence Jordan speaks on the occasion of his Gallery Extraña show and his 75th birthday.
Michael Fox interviews Igor Sinyak, founder of Subtitles & Subtleties, about his dinner and a movie discussion forum.
A Wake for Analog honors analog experimental films like Patrolling the Ether, Bassline Baseline and Zuse Strip.
Michael Fox reviews Brant Smith's In-World War, a dark sci-fi comedy about a beta tester trapped in a futuristic war on terror.
Beyond Words: Linda Rosenberg explores the transformation of the contemporary film hero in Doubt and In Bruges.
Bruce Goldstein recalls his adventures in film land as he prepares to host the Con Film Festival at the Film Forum in New York.
Arthouse theaters like The Roxie, Red Vic and The Balboa resist the economic downturn and adjust calendars to meet audience demands.
Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow explore the customs and modernity of the next generation of Jews in their documentary Dis-Continuity.
Elliot Lavine, a Bay Area film scene fixture, returns to The Roxie to curate I Wake Up Dreaming: The Haunted World of the B Film Noir, a series of 28 lowdown and tawdry films.
Elliot Lavine, a Bay Area film scene fixture, returns to The Roxie to curate I Wake Up Dreaming: The Haunted World of the B Film Noir, a series of 28 lowdown and tawdry films.
SFIFF handed out approximately $100,000 and announced the winner San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant during its Golden Gate Awards.
SFIFF handed out approximately $100,000 and announced the winner San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant during its Golden Gate Awards.
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
The Edit Room: How do you keep your audience engaged rather than putting them to sleep?
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
An Evening with Francis Ford Coppola & Friends honored Coppola with the Founder Directing Award and included a moderated discussion with editing/sound design genius Walter Murch, director Carroll Ballard, scenarist-turned-director Matthew Robbins, and George Lucas.
SF360.org interviews film critics about the changing landscape of film criticism. A panel discussion and screening of For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism will take place on Sunday, May 3, at 6 p.m.
The San Francisco Film Society awarded Francis Ford Coppola the Founder & Directing Award this week. Justin Juul offers us five reasons why San Francisco loves Coppola.
The San Francisco Film Society honored Francis Ford Coppola, Carroll Ballard, Robert Redford and James Toback. Coppola surprised the audience by turning over the Founder's Directing Award he received to longtime colleague Carroll Ballard.
Once Upon a Time in the West is grand, cynical, lavish and above all huge, Sergio Leone's penchant for the iconically gargantuan (perhaps at the willing expense of relatable human detail) expressed in ultimate form.
Robert Redford braves the public and accepts the San Francisco International Film Festival's Peter J. Owens Award.
Lourdes Portillo's partly autobiographical documentary Al Más Allá draws a laugh from the San Francisco International Film Festival crowd.
The Professionals an ambitious array of panels, case studies and discussions, makes its debut as a forum for encouraging Bay Area moviemakers to engage with guests and colleagues.
The Professionals an ambitious array of panels, case studies and discussions, makes its debut as a forum for encouraging Bay Area moviemakers to engage with guests and colleagues.
The San Francisco-based and internationally acclaimed documentarian Lourdes Portillo speaks about her work; she wins the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival Persistence of Vision Award.
Chris Felver traces the life of antiauthoritarian Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Books, from his days as a Navy serviceman in World War II through the landmark First Amendment trial in Ferlinghetti.
City of Borders, the debut film by Bay Area filmmaker Yun Suh, follows several Palestinian characters seeking refuge at a gay bar. The film testifies to the intolerance that members of the LGBTQ community face in addition to all of the other walls, physical and social, separating people in the region.
Jarmel and Schneider's Speaking in Tongues follows the stories of four public school children studying Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish along with their English.
Peter Bratt's La Mission focuses on conflict within a family and a neighborhood, exploring what happens when a single father named Che learns a secret about his son that tests his love for his family and his community's love for him.
Four independent narratives - La Mission, My Suicide, Everything Strange and New and (Untitled) - are adding to the Bay Area's repertoire, historically regarded as a breeding ground for documentary filmmakers.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush advises on how to secure funding for your film and protect yourself along the way.
Four independent narratives - La Mission, My Suicide, Everything Strange and New and (Untitled) - are adding to the Bay Area's repertoire, historically regarded as a breeding ground for documentary filmmakers.
Local filmmaker Jim Granato, whose movie D tour follows the band Rogue Wave and its ailing drummer Pat Spurgeon, on tour and on dialysis, is competing for the San Francisco International Film Festival's Golden Gate Award in Documentary.
Zac Holtzman scores The Lost World with Dengue Fever, creating a sound that has been described as a psychedelic version of vintage Cambodian rock'n'roll, fueled by Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol's vocal stylings and Ethan Holtzman's organ and accordion shadings.
Local filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf's latest film Empress Hotel delves into the lives of the residents at the titular building, a Tenderloin housing facility for the recently homeless. The film makes visible an area many city dwellers may only experience in the fringe of their consciousness and provides insight into the lives of the residents within.
Local filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf's latest film Empress Hotel delves into the lives of the residents at the titular building, a Tenderloin housing facility for the recently homeless. The film makes visible an area many city dwellers may only experience in the fringe of their consciousness and provides insight into the lives of the residents within.
Bringing Rainer's work to a larger audience: Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, a feature-length documentary about the choreographer and experimental filmmaker.
Chop Shop, and Frozen River, present challenges in the building of character: attention to details of behavior and shifts in the character's world signal a hero's journey both profound and deeply internal.
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor's documentary, New Muslim Cool, focuses on Hamza Perez, a Catholic hip hop artist, who converted to Islam; whose life is now a crucible of disparate urban influences.
William W. (Bill) McLeod, 59, one of the Bay Area's most respected film publicists died at his home on March 29th, 2009.
National Film Preservation Foundation, Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986, is a splendid package of 26 films, drawn from New York and San Francisco.
The two weeks of programs offers 151 films from 55 countries, awards and prices, and a wide array of San Francisco talent, from legendary names to the fledgling artists.
Michael Jacobs talks about his documentary, which follows Pentecostal Pastor Richard Gazowsky engaged in the creation of an ambitious, multi-million dollar sci-fi-feature on God.
Ben Rivers makes his Bay Area debut this week presenting in person two programs, both providing a slightly dislocative experience at once tranquil and sinister.
Ben Rivers makes his Bay Area debut this week presenting in person two programs, both providing a slightly dislocative experience at once tranquil and sinister.
The films of William Kentridge make up a significant and absorbing part of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art enthralling survey of recent work by the acclaimed South African artist
A mini-tutorial on story structure: in a character-driven documentary there are a few simple questions you have to answer in order to vet your story potential.
Mark Kitchell current project is an ambitious summation of the environmental movement, from the protests of the 1960s, the '70s focus on pollution, the Greenpeace campaigns and the global climate change.
When a challenge turns into opportunity: the Bay Area professional tribute artist talks about how he managed to leverage his striking similarity to Arnold Schwarzenegger into a successful acting career.
When a challenge turns into opportunity: the Bay Area professional tribute artist talks about how he managed to leverage his striking similarity to Arnold Schwarzenegger into a successful acting career.
This year, the festival feels like it has truly arrived as an internationally recognized platform for cross-Pacific cinematic exchange, in this disparate cross-section of films from home, abroad and places in between.
Sam Green talks about his latest project, an experimental documentary where the stories tease out, in more of an emotional way, ideas about hope and imagination of the future
Sam Green talks about his latest project, an experimental documentary where the stories tease out, in more of an emotional way, ideas about hope and imagination of the future
His personal curiosity on family histories and some actual events, are behind this movie about complex families Ñthose in Mexican gangs and those traveling immigrants looking for a better life in the U.S.
His personal curiosity on family histories and some actual events, are behind this movie about complex families Ñthose in Mexican gangs and those traveling immigrants looking for a better life in the U.S.
The retrospective offers fascinating, if not always exemplary, viewing of what could be called a cinema of disaster: characters face the worst, or are living in its aftermath, and like the audience, they are provided with no easy answers.
Caroline Kraus is embarking on a project with a rough outline, a firm destination, little money and no ending, but with a unifying theme: underdogs, and our notions of success, failure and disappointment.
Caroline Kraus is embarking on a project with a rough outline, a firm destination, little money and no ending, but with a unifying theme: underdogs, and our notions of success, failure and disappointment.
H.P. Mendoza talks about being a filmmaker in the Bay Area and the opening of his last musical, where he is both director and composer of the film 19 original songs.
Barry Jenkins talks abut his background, making movies in San Francisco and the issues of black identity, assimilation and gentrification, which are at the heart of his film.
For many narrative filmmakers, hiring a lawyer is either an afterthought or not a financial reality, but moving forward with a film without considering legal is a huge mistake.
What you'll get at Cinequest's three downtown San Jose venues is a mix of tributes, seminars, parties and, of course, a whole lot of movies, including no fewer than 18 world premiere features.
About as far from the ever-increasing corporatization of popular music as you can get is the annual dose from the Noise Pop Festival.
Twenty years after its founding, Strand Releasing remains an active, irreplaceable and distinctive presence on the U.S. distribution scene.
The throughline of Micha Peled's film is a farmer in a village in Vibharba, in central India's cotton belt, over a farming season.
The Black Rock focuses on the African American prisoners and guards who lived on the island when it was a federal penitentiary.
Beyond Words: To pull off an adaptation, you must translate the unwieldy bulk of the original story into a breathing and transformative tale on screen.
The tentatively titled Winter of Love uses Prop. 8 as a framework for a look at the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.
SF360.org interviews Davila on his film about a bottom-rung Tenderloin drug dealer with aspirations of becoming an artist.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million suggests ways to make approaching individual donors that much easier.
When we're finally all watching movies on the most expedient of platforms–our mobile phone–Ellen Lake will be at the head of the parade.
In this fable-like movie, an indomitable young orphan finds friendship with a lonely flight attendant and a teen-age caretaker of elephants.
In Strand: A Natural History of Cinema, Christian Bruno pays homage to the pivotal and shifting role of movie theaters in San Francisco's cultural life.
SF360.org joined in on a conversation about Cinematheque's past and present when Steven Jenkins lunched with Jonathan Marlow at Caffe Centro.
The PFA's series of "essay films," a collection of diverse work, offers the viewer an opportunity to adapt to the peculiar tone of these films.
Grants totaling $3 million for narrative feature films made in the Bay Area will be distributed by the SFFS and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
Grants totaling $3 million for narrative feature films made in the Bay Area will be distributed by the SFFS and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
While ballplayers were relaxing in the off-season, Eugene Corr plowed ahead with his baseball documentary From Ghost Town to Havana.
Susie Gerhard gives an overview of a festival moving back to the basics of art-making.
Michael Fox looks behind the scenes of a film on the maverick Seattle composer-performer-inventor Trimpin.
SF Sketchfest pays tribute to Bud Cort with a live Q&A and screening of Harold and Maude.
First-Person: A program officer at the San Francisco Foundation has a sobering experience making a documentary.
SF Sketchfest pays tribute to Bud Cort with a live Q&A and screening of Harold and Maude.
SF360.org spoke with Eddie Muller, who launched Noir City, an annual noir festival that has attracted an avid following in the Bay Area and beyond.
Hilary Hart blogs her 14th year at Sundance, back on the midnight shift at the Egyptian Theatre.
SF360.org spoke with Eddie Muller, who launched Noir City, an annual noir festival that has attracted an avid following in the Bay Area and beyond.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush writes on the conundrum of not getting money for a project without a known cast, and not getting a cast without a bunch of money.
Wenders, one of the stellar directors of "New German Cinema," is this year's honoree at the 14th annual Berlin & Beyond festival.
The forthcoming film Speaking in Tongues follows four diverse local public-school students enrolled in language-immersion programs.
Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."
If you've been waiting for a punk-rock doc about sewage and wastewater treatment–admit it–it's in the pipeline and heading your way by year's end.
50 California students talk about their problems with gender in the new documentary Straightlaced–How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up.
Instead of breaking it down strictly category-by-category, Dennis Harvey meanders through some principal heat-seeking prestige films and their various chances.
Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.
Tom E. Brown talks about producing and funding Pushing Dead, a film about an HIV-positive writer forced to give up his daily drug regimen.
Oakland's Pamela Harris and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media are connecting media makers with financial resources.
Oakland's Pamela Harris and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media are connecting media makers with financial resources.
Sebastopol-based screenwriter Pamela Gray's approach to screenwriting is the literary equivalent of the slow food movement.
Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master and Glenn Lovell's Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges are splendid biographies by critics with local ties.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million on how donor cultivation can make you a successful film fundraiser.
Dennis Harvey reviews some of 2008's year-end sobering dramas.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi discusses pros and cons of having to sit through a screening of one's own film.
Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
Québec's thriving regional cinema is showcased in San Francisco Film Society's latest mini-festival addition to the annual Bay Area movie calendar.
Frameline's new executive director discusses his non-profit background and graduate school pipe dream of being a novelist.
The Sixth Screen: Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management and iFanboy producer and co-host Ron Richards talks about Revision3, the next generation of TV.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million advises filmmakers on where to get funding when the going gets tough.
Martha Colburn's recent shorts plunge the interstices of Americana for a hidden history of fanaticism and double-faced hypocrisies.
Former San Francisco Examiner film critic Michael Sragow talks about his newly released book Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master.
Bay Area filmmaker Jennifer Kroot talks about her inspiration to make a documentary on legendary, underground filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar.
Michael Fox chats with Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on the eve of Milk's much-anticipated theatrical release.
Michael Fox chats with Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on the eve of Milk's much-anticipated theatrical release.
Global Film Initiative's Global Lens series offers a regular spot in your home theater for edgy world-cinema narratives don't often get a place at local multiplexes.
Scott McDonald's Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, details the formation of the revered Bay Area artists' collective in the early 1960s.
Scott McDonald's Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, details the formation of the revered Bay Area artists' collective in the early 1960s.
If, in the ol' days, they were called "'toons," these days, some heavy-duty words are required to express the strength and breadth of contemporary animation.
Michael Tully's 51-minute documentary Silver Jew proves semi-revealing as it records the Jews' tour dates in the Holy Land itself.
Film historian and essayist David Thomson talks to SF360 about his new book, Have You Seen . . . ? A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films.
A husband and wife filmmaking pair are in the midst of a documentary on mysterious disappearances in the Galapagos.
Beyond Words: Skillful dialogue on film can achieve a structural dimension that shapes the narrative as surely as plot does.
The PFA senior curator talks about her cinematic influences, curating in Canada and the U.S., and recent additions to the world of film.
In its 12th season, the country's first and largest independent exhibitor of Arab cinema has gotten to be one of the bigger small fests in the Bay Area.
In its 12th season, the country's first and largest independent exhibitor of Arab cinema has gotten to be one of the bigger small fests in the Bay Area.
The extreme, the strange, the silly and surreal all have big seats at the SF DocFest table.
Epstein and Friedman bring a poem to the screen, while a South Bay director goes Russian.
Andy Abrahams Wilson talks about Under Our Skin, his elegantly crafted film on the underreported epidemic of Lyme disease.
Andy Abrahams Wilson talks about Under Our Skin, his elegantly crafted film on the underreported epidemic of Lyme disease.
Marilyn Mulford collaborated with Quique Cruz on the pensive, humanistic, and inspiring Archaeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush offers tips on bridging the worlds of creativity and business.
The Doc Doctor prescribes cures for common pitfalls of demo reels.
Marilyn Mulford collaborated with Quique Cruz on the pensive, humanistic, and inspiring Archaeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi.
The SFFS has added a Gallic counterpart to its long-running New Italian Cinema series.
Those inclined toward healthy doses of sleaze, gore, and retro-shlock can rejoice that it's time for the second annual edition of Dead Channels.
In 'Crooked Beauty,' mental health is re-imagined and redefined.
In 'Crooked Beauty,' mental health is re-imagined and redefined.
The title story of her Hemingway/Pen Award-winning collection of short stories, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, has been adapted by Wayne Wang.
It used to be standard for San Francisco to be portrayed in movies as a magical, mythical, and slightly mysterious catalyst for transformation.
The Sixth Screen: Here are some browser-based legal zones for free online feature film viewing pleasure. No installation required.
The seventh San Francisco International Documentary Film Festival has the potential to be every bit as raucous as the other festivals under the organization's umbrella.
When Vida Ghahremani became a movie star at 16 in the Shah's Iran, she felt as if she were in prison.
When Vida Ghahremani became a movie star at 16 in the Shah's Iran, she felt as if she were in prison.
"Horror films can hold a lot of crazy ideas and political ideas and no one blinks," says Pig Hunt writer and producer Robert Mailer Anderson, "and that serves our purposes."
Matt Wolf's biodoc is a remarkably affecting portrait that's a remembrance for those who knew the composer/vocalist/cellist and an introduction for potential fans.
What do women want to watch? With Diane English’s recent unfunny and product placement-filled re-make of The Women hitting theaters last week, Hollywood’s answer, predictably, is more of the same.
YBCA's triennial exhibition has developed a deserved reputation for presenting an energetic survey of current Bay Area artistic practice.
This year's Mill Valley Film Festival shows healthy signs of life for the independent film business.
Scott Crocker's documentary brings the truth behind the "Lord God" bird phenomenon out of the bushes.
SF360.org asked this veteran indie auteur for his thoughts, which he gamely and intelligently offers here.
SF360.org asked this veteran indie auteur for his thoughts, which he gamely and intelligently offers here.
A local filmmaker looks at Mimi Weddell, a perennial bit part-player with a jaw-dropping collection of hats and endless show biz energy.
Film Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by 15 independent filmmakers in 1976, joins forces with SFFS.
Film Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by 15 independent filmmakers in 1976, joins forces with SFFS.
SF360.org talks to the senior director of original programming at Link TV, which provides an antidote to the standard television news mix.
Sharma might never have made his film had he not felt guilty about causing unhappiness to his dying mother by telling her he was homosexual.
First Person: Jonathan Marlow rehashes commentary on film that has caused a kerfuffle of late.
The Legend of the Holy Net Potato, the first feature by Kerala-based filmmaker Vipin Vijay, concerns a cyborg, black magic, and a hacker.
SF360.org asked Bay Area filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth about her film, which follows Judge Juan Guzmán as he investigates General Pinochet's crimes.
SF360.org asked Bay Area filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth about her film, which follows Judge Juan Guzmán as he investigates General Pinochet's crimes.
Not many movies call for a celebration of their anniversaries, but one exception is what many have called 'the ultimate San Francisco film.'
SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.
SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.
Empress Hotel looks at residents of a hotel turned homeless people's residence through San Francisco's Access to Housing program.
A conversation with the executive director of an experimental/avant-garde film distribution company, who both runs a profitable business and creates dynamic art.
Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, speaks about the making of Lesh Sabreen?.
Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, speaks about the making of Lesh Sabreen?.
Andrea Kreuzhage speaks about her documentary, 1000 Journals, which raises a host of fascinating questions about creativity, collaboration, community, and communication.
The first of SF360.org's In Production columns looks at two works-in-progress: Laura Lukitsch's film about beards and Lise Swenson's Salton Sea pic.
The first of SF360.org's In Production columns looks at two works-in-progress: Laura Lukitsch's film about beards and Lise Swenson's Salton Sea pic.
On curating the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, a social Petri dish that annually brings together a different programmer, a captive and engaged audience, and filmmakers.
Those attracted to the new film CSNY: Deja Vu simply expecting an opportunity to recall the old days might be in for a surprise.
A Listener's Tale is a lovely if unclassifiable mixture of ethnography and poetic reverie which screened at last winter's Rotterdam Film Festival.
A Listener's Tale is a lovely if unclassifiable mixture of ethnography and poetic reverie which screened at last winter's Rotterdam Film Festival.
Back at the Castro this weekend for the 13th year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival presents a variety of titillating titles.
Bruce Conner, the great, irascible, and ever-evolving San Francisco-based artist known for his assemblages, films, drawings, and interdisciplinary works, passed away on July 7, 2008.
Bruce Conner, the great, irascible, and ever-evolving San Francisco-based artist known for his assemblages, films, drawings, and interdisciplinary works, passed away on July 7, 2008.
The Gits offers both an appreciation of a unique quartet's too-brief career and consideration of Mia Zapata's death.
Having just spent three invigorating days in Niles watching crowds cheering to films from the years between 1903 and 1917, I can report that silent films are alive and well.
SF360.org sits down with director Alex Gibney, whose film, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson played at the 51st SFIFF.
SF360 caught up with Ruby Yang during a recent Bay Area visit to discuss her "latest and most lyrical film yet," A Double Life.
The SF Film Society is optimistic that its year-round screen at the Sundance Kabuki will contribute to the spectrum of films in Bay Area theaters.
Exhibitions in San Jose feature art drawn from and inspired by online social networking sites, Youtube, video games and blogs.
Filmmaker Yung Chang talks about 'Up the Yangtze,' his superb documentary that examines the surreal changes in China around the controversial Three Gorges Dam.
The Hole Head Festival takes audiences back to terrifying locales and dangerous situations that should be pleasantly familiar to horror aficionados.
In 2008 the San Francisco Black Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary with the most expansive program yet, flagging the theme "10 Years, 10 Days, 100 Films."
Composer Erling Wold's solo chamber opera enjoys a thrillingly intimate world premiere this week under the banner of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
Composer Erling Wold's solo chamber opera enjoys a thrillingly intimate world premiere this week under the banner of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
In addition to bringing a host of worldwide performers to the Bay Area for the first time, the San Francisco International Arts Festival (May 2-June 8), now in its fifth year, has become an indispensable showcase for collaborative work by leading Bay Area artists and their peers across all manner of geographical, cultural and disciplinary borders. The more than 40 performances in this year’s lineup, taking place at 14 separate venues across the city and in Berkeley, span the worlds of dance, music, opera, theater, visual arts and multidisciplinary work. The following four highlights are all hybrid productions with strong film and/or video components.
Unlike most experimental filmmakers, Sonbert's collected works have had the benefit of full retrospectives at major museums (SFMOMA, NYMOMA, Guggenheim) and a strong preservation effort.
Gregg Araki's "irresponsible" movie was the first to respond to the AIDS crisis with ACT UP-style radical rage rather than lamentation or case-pleading.
Joan Didion famously said, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." We've internalized the American narrative of Abu Ghraib and accepted its implications.
As an Asian film fan, it's a miracle I keep my day job at this time of year.
Food scents and film sensibilities mingled in a pungent party atmosphere at the California Culinary Academy.
Back to music.
I have some friends that were in a Sub Pop band that pre-dated Nirvana. They were known as the Dwarves. Their music is and was a snotty suburban unholy mixture of the Sonics, the Orlons, the Stooges and a vat of amphetamines. Their record covers usually featured midgets and half-naked woman covered in either blood or some sort of Nestle syrup of some sort. Here is one of their lines.
[Editor’s note: For the San Francisco Internationals 51st edition, SF360.org has asked Bay Area musician/composer/cineaste Marc Capelle to blog his thoughts on movies, music, and the films showing in the Festival. This is the third of three installments.]
The second installment of Alex Gibney's interview about Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, which closes the San Francisco International Film Festival.
The Jules Feiffer quote at the bottom of festival superfan Sue Jean Halvorsen's email reads, "Movies are better than real life."
You know a festival is working its way into your brain when, in a landscape of intersecting ideas, you begin to witness the collisions.
Joan Didion famously said, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." We have internalized the narrative of Abu Ghraib and accepted its implications.
The longtime Bay Area resident, who recently relocated to Brooklyn, screens Woodward's Gardens in the shorts program "In A Lonely Place: New Experimental Cinema."
The longtime Bay Area resident, who recently relocated to Brooklyn, screens Woodward's Gardens in the shorts program "In A Lonely Place: New Experimental Cinema."
Medicine for Melancholy is a graceful and poignant film about fleeting urban connections, black identity and invisibility, cultural adventures and this gentrified city's lost soul.
A self-described "cultural archeologist," the noir expert's debut short, The Grand Inquisitor, pays homage to the Dashiell Hammett-style detective story.
Think of it as The Sound of Music meets Quest for Fire, or Jesus Christ Superstar rocks Land of the Lost.
Founded in 1968, San Francisco-based Newsreel is the oldest nonprofit, social-issue documentary film center in the U.S.
The Mission filmmaker has slaved in the underground for some three decades, a guide and shaman for other artists working on the fringes.
Touching Home by Bay Area-raised identical twins Logan and Noah Miller is a largely autobiographical coming-of-age film that radiates sincerity.
Touching Home by Bay Area-raised identical twins Logan and Noah Miller is a largely autobiographical coming-of-age film that radiates sincerity.
Dawn Logsdon and Lolis Eric Elie dig through the rubble of Hurricane Katrina to tell the story of Faubourg TremŽ, which was home to African Americans and fertile ground for political activism, music and literary life.
Dawn Logsdon and Lolis Eric Elie dig through the rubble of Hurricane Katrina to tell the story of Faubourg TremŽ, which was home to African Americans and fertile ground for political activism, music and literary life.
If making a movie about one’s family could be equated with a fire-walk in August, then making a documentary about one’s partner’s family might be akin to a midsummer sauna. Yet veteran L.A. filmmaker Renee Tajima-Pe–a (Who Killed Vincent Chin?) signed on to a road trip with her husband from L.A. to Washington state to Texas in search of "la verdad" about the father that abandoned Armando’s mother Rosa and his six brothers several decades ago. An intimate and elegantly crafted work of cinema verita, Calavera Highway encompasses universal familial tensions, Mexican-American identity, the responsibilities of fathers (and sons) and the psychic malleability of map-drawn borders.
Tajima-Pe–a, who’s an associate professor at UC Santa Cruz, will receive the Golden Gate Award for long-form television documentary at the S.F. International Film Festival, where Calavera Highway screens three times in early May. Via email, she talked about searching for "Calaveras" hidden in closets and elsewhere.
East Bay filmmaker Johnny Symons' documentary "Ask Not" moves beyond stereotypes to examine what experience is really like for gays and lesbians in the military.
Two films at the Arab Film Festival's program Palestine: Interior/Exterior map physical, personal and ideological terrain.
The Sonoma Valley Film Festival has gone to great lengths to enfold the event in its culinary surroundings. Complimentary food tastings will be offered before every single screening.
The Sonoma Valley Film Festival has gone to great lengths to enfold the event in its culinary surroundings. Complimentary food tastings will be offered before every single screening.
The fifth annual EarthDance Short-Attention-Span Environmental Film Festival screens a juried compilation of 20 short films in two 90-minute installments.
Two top winners at the SFIAAFF focused on breakadancing, an art form taken up with vengeance by Asians, with Koran teams a particularly dominant force.
Warts & All: The Films of Danny Plotnick: 10 short comic narratives are exemplars of an unpolished, unpretentious school of moviemaking that aims at every moment to be audience-friendly.
Girls Rock watches a few select 8-18 -year-olds overcome the obstacles to claim their rightful place on Earth and wail away.
In addition to practically every extant band you’d want to see, an art exhibit, and comedy shows, there are movies at Noise Pop.
“Passion & Power, the Technology of Orgasm” gives Rachel Maines’ entertaining academic book on the subject a new life onscreen.
“Passion & Power, the Technology of Orgasm” gives Rachel Maines’ entertaining academic book on the subject a new life onscreen.
Every morning I wake up with Bollywood movie tunes going through my head. Every. Single. Morning.
Despite the blanket of financial and technical doom constantly smothering Independent Filmdom, Indiefest serves as a satisfying reminder that great indie film isn't going anywhere.
The unassuming young director and producer spent five years on their optimistic yet unsentimental doc spotlighting four teenagers from the S.F.-based Youth Speaks project.
Noir City 6 offers a spread of special guests, rare titles, and newly struck prints across ten nights of double-features.
A reprinting of an interview with Amanda Micheli because her film, now playing Sundance, has just made the final cut for an Academy Award.
A reprinting of an interview with Amanda Micheli because her film, now playing Sundance, has just made the final cut for an Academy Award.
Anton Corbijn's Control is a dramatization of the book written by the frontman's widow, chronicling their romance and marriage, his eventual infidelity, and his mental health issues.
His enthusiasm practically radiates from the screen; he doesn't seem to be interviewing or investigating his subjects so much as amiably hanging out with them.
The Sundance feature follows a 70-year-old novelist trying to complete the book he's been working on for the last 10 years.
Yu's latest doc centers on four rather damaged individuals, applying the dramatic structure of Greek playwright Euripedes to contemporary life.
Somewhere between iPhone and YouTube there’s a wee festival known as miniPAH. A more slender version of PAH-FEST, the touring weeklong digital film festival founded a year and a half ago by filmmaker Christopher Coppola, “miniPAH: San Francisco” happens this weekend at Coppola’s alma mater, San Francisco Art Institute, ahead of a full-fledged Bay Area PAH sometime next year.
Somewhere between iPhone and YouTube there’s a wee festival known as miniPAH. A more slender version of PAH-FEST, the touring weeklong digital film festival founded a year and a half ago by filmmaker Christopher Coppola, “miniPAH: San Francisco” happens this weekend at Coppola’s alma mater, San Francisco Art Institute, ahead of a full-fledged Bay Area PAH sometime next year.
The entire Bay Area is invited to watch a film simultaneously in the comfort of home, and the selection is a delicate and heartfelt depiction of the director's autistic sister.
The entire Bay Area is invited to watch a film simultaneously in the comfort of home, and the selection is a delicate and heartfelt depiction of the director's autistic sister.
The List: We take the opportunity to link you to four short films from the Big Ugly Review, an online publication that includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more.
The List: We take the opportunity to link you to four short films from the Big Ugly Review, an online publication that includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and more.
In the wake of Mexican cinema's triumphant showing at the 2007 Oscars, these films serve to confirm how some of the biggest surprises can come from the shortest of distances.
SFFS programmer Sean Uyehara gives some perspective on the shifting dimensions of animated filmmaking.
The filmmaker talks about her recent projects, including Salud!, which looks at Cuba's world-class health system.
The filmmaker talks about her recent projects, including Salud!, which looks at Cuba's world-class health system.
Woolf shares insights drawn from his disparate experiences as a filmmaker in Peru, a fisherman in Alaska, and a restauranteur in New York.
MobMov combines the four-wheeled charm of an old-time drive-in with the technologist's urge to pimp his or her ride into a rolling film-projection booth.
We spoke with the filmmaker about his own intersections with his award-winning film on a young man with Mowat-Wilson syndrome.
We spoke with the filmmaker about his own intersections with his award-winning film on a young man with Mowat-Wilson syndrome.
The Arab Film Festival, now in its 11th year, is featuring not just 80 movies from 13 countries, but is also including screenings in LA, a first for a Bay Area-based fest.
The List: SF360.org has compiled a short list of environmental filmmakers we hope will one day find a Peace Prize coming their way, too.
SF360.org caught up with the filmmaker, who has been extraordinarily prolific since abandoning celluloid for the lighter, cheaper, more flexible digital realm.
SF360.org caught up with the filmmaker, who has been extraordinarily prolific since abandoning celluloid for the lighter, cheaper, more flexible digital realm.
SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.
SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.
Let SF360 count the ways Penn can take on the President, the paparazzi, and the possibilities for peace in our time.
Here are a few quick takes on programs that look particularly worthwhile at Madcat.
Here are a few quick takes on programs that look particularly worthwhile at Madcat.
Miles Matthew Montalbano's evocative and empathetic portrait of Bush-era dissatisfaction among the post-collegiate set.
Miles Matthew Montalbano's evocative and empathetic portrait of Bush-era dissatisfaction among the post-collegiate set.
SF360.org caught up with the Oakland director, who was one of seven finalists on the Fox reality show On the Lot.
A conversation with Joshua Grannel, a.k.a. Peaches Christ, founder and host of camp/cult-fest extravaganza Midnight Mass.
The co-programmers discuss their newest endeavor, though those already from the Bay Area will be familiar with their work at S.F. Cinematheque.
Fletcher explains what will hopefully be an annual event that encompasses all kinds of worldwide cult-skewing fun.
Tirard takes an ingenious tack in conjuring the creative evolution of France's master of satiric comedy.
SF360.org speaks with Edward Millington Stout, III, who is undoubtedly the world's foremost theatrical organ restorationist.
The '05 feature imagines a 21-year-old Indian American returning to India to visit her family and discover where she was born.
Savvy moviegoers outside the target demographic have learned to scout the niche fests' programs for films that premiered to raves at Berlin or Cannes.
The List: Frozen Film Festival is a small festival that hopes to capitalize on the fact that San Franciscans like to stay indoors in the summer.
Stacey Wisnia has been a vibrant fixture in the San Francisco film scene for years and has became the Executive Director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival,
Stacey Wisnia has been a vibrant fixture in the San Francisco film scene for years and has became the Executive Director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival,
List: Most of us talk to our pets, but very few of us talk our Camrys or toasters. That's where animation fills our need to fantasize about our interactions with animals.
Jasmine Dellal's affinity for Roma (or Gypsy) and new film, Gypsy Caravan is a spectacular portrait of five top-drawer Roma acts.
Jasmine Dellal's affinity for Roma (or Gypsy) and new film, Gypsy Caravan is a spectacular portrait of five top-drawer Roma acts.
Sicko's story of the mismanagement of U.S. healthcare takes Michael Moore from the U.S. to Canada to Europe, and most notably, to Cuba.
Roadside Pictures signed Colma: The Musical for national release. A sort of anti-"High School Musical," "Colma" follows three friends in their new post-high school freedom.
For some movies, Sprite and popcorn aren't enough. You need gin and vodka and a room of unruly bodies shouting when they're not supposed to,
Now past its third-decade anniversary, SFILGBTFF — the producing organization keeps trying to change its public-recognition name to something more manageable, which this annum would be Frameline31 — now has filmmakers and distributors banging on its door.
Frameline directors Michael Lumpkin and Jennifer Morris speak about the programming, controversy and the landscape of LGBT films.
Strand Releasing can always be relied upon for some of the best art films and queer indies, and it has a strong festival presence,
Nine years' vintage makes the SFBFF a newcomer by Bay Area standards. In terms of programmatic diversity and premieres, it's got old-soul depth.
Nine years' vintage makes the SFBFF a newcomer by Bay Area standards. In terms of programmatic diversity and premieres, it's got old-soul depth.
"SF Indiefest: Gets Animated," piggybacking on the 4th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, co-presents an animation program with the popular archivist.
A week before the 27th festival, SF360.org spoke with the executive director on what Superfest gets about disability that the rest of the filmmaking world doesn't.
While the SF International Film Festival has always had celebrity guests, the 50th edition featured a particular concentration of unique one-offs.
If the Bay Area oozed self-regard last night, it couldn't exactly be blamed.
Daniel Wu and fictitious boy band Alive from his directorial debut The Heavenly Kings on Cantpop, the Bay Area, and Hong Kong film.
The List: An Amerindie helmer well before the term was invented, Nilsson names 10 films which deeply affected him.
The List: An Amerindie helmer well before the term was invented, Nilsson names 10 films which deeply affected him.
Is there anyone who doesn't know that the San Francisco International Film Festival is turning 50 this month?
Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic blends World War II history with composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars’ staging of a new opera on the subject.
Just a week out of the SFIFF50 press conference at the Westin St. Francis, and the buzz has already had a chance to build. SF360.org checked in with a few friends in the San Francisco filmmaking scene to see what they’re looking forward to in the 50th edition of the SF International Film Festival. Big winners: Guy Maddin’s “Brand Upon the Brain!” and, of course, the live and in-person tribute to Spike Lee, who — as Strand Releasing’s Marcus Hu reminds us — returns to the Bay Area to receive his Film Society Directing Award in spite of the fact the projector broke during the premiere of “She’s Gotta Have It” at the SFIFF more than 20 years ago.
I’m eager to see Camila Guzman Urzula’s documentary “The Sugar Curtain” for perspectives on life in Cuba from those in their twenties and thirties. I’m curious about how a savvy film critic like Wesley Morris will interview Spike Lee. It will be a welcome occurrence to see two Black men talking on a US festival stage about film.
Cornelius Moore
California Newsreel
“Audience of One:” I know this year the festival is honoring Lucas and Coppola and those guys as local heroes, but really. Hollywood North? What happened? Now here is a group of makers, Pentacostals no less, working on a gargantuan bible epic right down on Ocean Avenue in the old El Rey Theatre. Now that’s hot!
Christian Bruno
Strand, A Natural History of Cinema
Although I’ve already seen it, I look forward to attending the one-off screening of Guy Maddin’s “Brand Upon the Brain!” since each live performance, by design, differs somewhat from the last. No self-respecting (or, for that matter, self-deprecating) cineaste should miss it. Beyond that, I’m particularly interested in Alain Resnais’ latest, “Coeurs” (i.e., “Private Fears in Public Places,” which, due to timing conflicts, I missed in Toronto), reuniting the director with the exceptional playwright Alan Ayckbourn. I remain quite fond of his recent films even if most folks in this country seem to disregard his work after “Mon oncle d’Amerique,” released over a quarter-century ago.
Jonathan Marlow
GreenCine
I love that SFIFF is honoring Spike Lee, I saw “She’s Gotta Have It” when it had its world premiere at SFIFF and remembered what an amazing experience that was when the projector broke!
Marcus Hu
Strand Releasing
I first started attending SFIFF in 1964 while still in high school. I saw the independent “The Luck of Ginger Coffey,” directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Robert Shaw, a fascinating documentary look at a country
The festival kicks off with Emanuele Crialese's Golden Door and closes with Olivier Dahan's Edith Piaf biopic, La vie en rose.
When Bay Area filmmaker Amanda Micheli approaches, you can see that she is an athlete. She's sure of herself.
When Bay Area filmmaker Amanda Micheli approaches, you can see that she is an athlete. She's sure of herself.
A look at critics' responses to Antonioni through the ages shows there is, and always was, plenty to say about his work.
The cinematic image of the Ô60s commune is normally as two-dimensional as the screen it's projected on, and rarely very kind.
Boasting dozens upon dozens of homegrown events anchored by the country's most visible festivals, San Francisco has evolved into the quintessential festival town.
The Pacific Film Archive's standing as a cinema-centric educational institution brings the avant-garde into conversation with a broad program of film history.
Von Donnersmarck talks about his Lola-winning and Oscar-nominated debut during a visit to San Francisco.
The alarm has been sounding for some time now that "indie" doesn't mean what it used to. Jeff Ross simply ignores the cranky clamor.
The latest launch under the SF Film Society's SF360 banner premieres this week on ComcastSF, Channel 11.
Wrapping up Sundance Ô07, with the NFL's big game as the best metaphor to describe the annual festival.
Highlights of the upcoming festival were presented by the San Francisco Film Society Executive Director.
SF IndieFest's founder/director Jeff Ross announced the ninth edition of the Bay Area's indie showcase festival
A delightfully funny movie on boy-men redeeming themselves from New Zealand, and Mark Becker's absorbing documentary on a musician in the Mission.
A documentary provides an in-depth description of Robert Wilson's life and art. Melville's spy story on a Resistance cell in Nazi-occupied French challenges our idea of heroism.
The director talks about his movie Perfume and his perspective as a filmmaker and artist.
SF360.org ended the year the way we started it--asking enormous favors from some of our favorite filmmakers: Caveh Zahedi, Sam Green, and Danny Plotnick.
The group chose ;Little Children as its Best Picture of 2006 and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth the Best Foreign Language Film.
At least three Bay Area-based filmmakers will be making the trek to Park City this year, Jon Else, Steven Okazaki, and Jay Rosenblatt.
Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.
The veteran documentary maker describes the making of Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.
Eric Steel's disturbing, controversial documentary, The Bridge, focuses on people who end their lives at the famous landmark at the edge of the continent.
When Brent Hoff was checking into a hotel for a film festival, the concierge thrust a business card into his hand, “Remember me next time you’re casting a film." So he asked the biggest directors he knows to cast the concierge in a series of short films.
The List: 25 Bay Area landmarks, including the Roxie and the Fox Oakland, are vying for $1 million in preservation grants from American Express.
By the youth-rhetoric standards of another era, this is the last year we can trust the Mill Valley Film Festival. Next year, it turns 30.
Craig Baldwin and Noel Lawrence bring their brand of smart, quirky, avant-garde and political programming into the home.
The List: American Blackout director Ian Inaba names the top four Web sites.
Tributes to Helen Mirren and Tim Robbins highlight the 29th annual edition .
Austin's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema touring program brings classics to the locations they made famous, with a mobile outdoor projection unit and inflatable screen.
SF360 checks in with a few Bay Area festival insiders to see what they're excited about at upcoming festivals.
Ryan Fleck talks about his new film Half Nelson, his filmmaking career, and his creative inspirations and tastes.
There's one resource on the Net where some of the best travel videos have congregated, the Emervyille company aptly named TurnHere.
The List: Ten faves from Eva Sollberger's YouTube series, The Deadbeat Club, which revisits the decade she spent working in the Bay Area film community.
The List: Ten faves from Eva Sollberger's YouTube series, The Deadbeat Club, which revisits the decade she spent working in the Bay Area film community.
SF Shorts and the SF Underground Short Film Festival provide a big-screen showcase for oft-overlooked short subjects.
SF Shorts and the SF Underground Short Film Festival provide a big-screen showcase for oft-overlooked short subjects.
Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer talk about their acclaimed debut Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, their influences, and making films in San Francisco.
Belic helped a group of youths learn about documentary filmmaking in a program designed to offer media skills to under-served Bay Area high schoolers.
Belic helped a group of youths learn about documentary filmmaking in a program designed to offer media skills to under-served Bay Area high schoolers.
Benjamin Weil took time out from preparations for the upcoming Barney show to answer questions about the artist's "Drawing Restraint" series.
SF360 spoke with Clark about Impaled, in which his exploration of adolescent mores reaches in discomfiting, yet fascinating new directions.
In The War Tapes, Deborah Scranton exposes war as an industry - for those who fight it and for those who don't.
16 filmmakers from the Bay Area find at least 15 minutes of fame in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival this year.
16 filmmakers from the Bay Area find at least 15 minutes of fame in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival this year.
S.F. International LGBT Film Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary as a forum for the LGBT community to celebrate its own hard-won survival and progress.
Wong weighs in on the hardest song to bring to life in Colma: The Musical, a story about a city in which the dead outnumber the living.
Wong weighs in on the hardest song to bring to life in Colma: The Musical, a story about a city in which the dead outnumber the living.
Highlights from San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival's 30th annual edition.
Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking.
Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking.
Marc Huestis talks about his latest film,
Highlights of San Francisco Black Film Festival's eighth annual edition.
Film programmer Jesse Hawthrone Ficks talks about the enduring appeal of midnight movies.
Film programmer Jesse Hawthrone Ficks talks about the enduring appeal of midnight movies.
Insights into the initial process of bringing the screenplay adaptation of a short story to the screen.
San Francisco filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, a former curmudgeon softened by success, discusses Art School Confidential.
A complete list of the winners of the Golden Gate Awards show, which was all about celebrating the city, with filmmakers of all genres saying a kind word or two about it.
Memorize these words that supposedly can bring you under government scrutiny when said over the phone, or written in a text message or email.
I first saw the remarkable A Trip Down Market Street, 1905 at the Exploratorium seven years ago, feeling chills as I gazed into the past.
Until the 1960s, Hollywood cast S.F. as a city where everyone was too busy brawling, floozing,and plotting intrigue to exclaim,"Look at that view!"
For people who know their rock trivia, or saw Gimme Shelter, Altamont represents one of the most infamous moments in Bay Area cultural history.
For people who know their rock trivia, or saw Gimme Shelter, Altamont represents one of the most infamous moments in Bay Area cultural history.
With American Movie Critics: An Anthology From the Silents Until Now, N.Y. essayist Phillip Lopate compiles nearly a century of groundbreaking and entertaining criticism.
San Francisco International Film Festival announces lineup for the 49th annual festival.
Sundance Cinemas buys the Kabuki 8 and announces plans to reopen as the Sundance Kabuki in early fall 2006.
The documentary Persian Garden chronicles the grandest art exhibition in Iran since the 1979 Revolution.
The List: How JT LeRoy went from fiction to fact in the media.
Chuck Stephens shares his thoughts, existential and otherwise, on the Bangkok set of Citizen Dog.
Vietnamese American filmmaker Ham Tran rights an historical wrong in his debut feature film on the Vietnam War.
A conversation with the filmmakers and one star of "Sentenced Home," about three Cambodian Americans in the process of being exiled.
Asian America everywhere: A talk with San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival directors Chi-hui Yang and Taro Goto.
Jeff Adachi, San Francisco public defender, adds filmmaker to the resume.
The newest film festival on the dock, Tiburon International, turns a tourist town around.
A tribute to the life and work of the late documentary maker Garrett Scott.
With a Leacock-Pennebaker tribute, SF State's Documentary Film Institute proves there's no reason to "revive" cinema verite; it never died.
Michael Fox goes behind the scenes on Peaches Christs' slice-'em-up.