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Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
In Depth

Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
November 3, 2011

Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
Home

Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
In Depth

Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
November 3, 2011

Essential SF: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Michael Fox
Nov 3, 2011
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
Home

In Orbit with ‘An Injury to One’
Johnny Ray Huston
Oct 21, 2011
Accompanied by a program of solar system shorts, Travis Wilkerson’s 2003 look at ruthless union-busting and the rise and fall of Butte, Montana, offers eerie resonance.
October 20, 2011

In Orbit with ‘An Injury to One’
Johnny Ray Huston
Oct 21, 2011
Accompanied by a program of solar system shorts, Travis Wilkerson’s 2003 look at ruthless union-busting and the rise and fall of Butte, Montana, offers eerie resonance.
Reviews

In Orbit with ‘An Injury to One’
Johnny Ray Huston
Oct 21, 2011
Accompanied by a program of solar system shorts, Travis Wilkerson’s 2003 look at ruthless union-busting and the rise and fall of Butte, Montana, offers eerie resonance.
Home

Unbound by Genre, Taiwan's Films Travel Unique Paths
Adam Hartzell
Oct 13, 2011
Expectations defied in Taiwan Film Days. It could be argued that Taiwanese cinema, best known through the work of three auteurs, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, is not tied to audience-generating genres. It’s certainly been able to travel more diverse cinematic avenues than some of its neighbors. San Francisco Film Society's Taiwan Film Days running from October 14–16, however, offers evidence for any number of arguments you’d like to make about Asian cinema and Taiwan in particular. On the docket this year are ...
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Kelly, Pickert Interpret ‘Cherokee’ Words
Michael Fox
Oct 12, 2011
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
In Production

Kelly, Pickert Interpret ‘Cherokee’ Words
Michael Fox
Oct 12, 2011
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
October 14, 2011

Kelly, Pickert Interpret ‘Cherokee’ Words
Michael Fox
Oct 12, 2011
A film on Cherokee chief Wilma Mankiller bucks biopic formula and concentrates on a pivotal moment in the leader's life.
Funding

GOT Low Budgets, High Production Values?
Adrianne Anderson
Oct 11, 2011
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
Home

GOT Low Budgets, High Production Values?
Adrianne Anderson
Oct 11, 2011
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
October 14, 2011

GOT Low Budgets, High Production Values?
Adrianne Anderson
Oct 11, 2011
San Rafael’s Indigo Films makes fascinating crime fare for cable on a DIY-sized budget.
Festivals

Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home
Dennis Harvey
Oct 6, 2011
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
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Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home
Dennis Harvey
Oct 6, 2011
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
October 6, 2011

Mill Valley Brings Oscar Contenders Close to Home
Dennis Harvey
Oct 6, 2011
Mill Valley amps up the star wattage in its annual mix of local, international titles.
Events

An Evening with John Lithgow
Oct 4, 2011
The Booksmith and Berkeley Arts & Letters join forces to bring celebrated actor John Lithgow to the Sundance Kabuki for an evening in discussion of his new autobiography, 'Drama: An Actor's Education.' More info/tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
October 4 2011

An Evening with John Lithgow
Oct 4, 2011
The Booksmith and Berkeley Arts & Letters join forces to bring celebrated actor John Lithgow to the Sundance Kabuki for an evening in discussion of his new autobiography, 'Drama: An Actor's Education.' More info/tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
Events

TV Noir
Sep 30, 2011
Noir continues at the Roxie with Elliot Lavine's updated week-long program of star-studded classics and rediscovered TV noir rarities. More info at roxie.com.
September 27 2011

TV Noir
Sep 30, 2011
Noir continues at the Roxie with Elliot Lavine's updated week-long program of star-studded classics and rediscovered TV noir rarities. More info at roxie.com.
Events

'Lola'
Sep 29, 2011
YBCA screens Brillante Mendoza's 'Lola,' a drama tracking the consequences of a crime on two grandmothers, one related to the victim, another the suspect. Infrequently seen on western screens, Mendoza is regarded in his native Philippines as a cinematic master and the leading light of Kapampangan film. More info at ybca.org.
September 27 2011

'Lola'
Sep 29, 2011
YBCA screens Brillante Mendoza's 'Lola,' a drama tracking the consequences of a crime on two grandmothers, one related to the victim, another the suspect. Infrequently seen on western screens, Mendoza is regarded in his native Philippines as a cinematic master and the leading light of Kapampangan film. More info at ybca.org.
Festivals

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
Home

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
september 22 2011

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
Festivals

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
Home

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
september 22 2011

SFFS's Hong Kong Cinema Series Brings Fan Fare to New Screen
Adam Hartzell
Sep 22, 2011
Audience-engaging stories in a variety of genres highlight SFFS's inaugural Hong Kong Cinema weekend.
Festivals

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Home

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
september 22 2011

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Home

He-Men Command Belief in MMA Film 'Warrior'
Dennis Harvey
Sep 13, 2011
Gavin O'Connor does a remarkable job making his two-and-a-half-hour fight film gritty, involving and as credible as humanly possible.
Reviews

He-Men Command Belief in MMA Film 'Warrior'
Dennis Harvey
Sep 13, 2011
Gavin O'Connor does a remarkable job making his two-and-a-half-hour fight film gritty, involving and as credible as humanly possible.
September 15, 2011

He-Men Command Belief in MMA Film 'Warrior'
Dennis Harvey
Sep 13, 2011
Gavin O'Connor does a remarkable job making his two-and-a-half-hour fight film gritty, involving and as credible as humanly possible.
September 8 2011

He-Men Command Belief in MMA Film 'Warrior'
Dennis Harvey
Sep 13, 2011
Gavin O'Connor does a remarkable job making his two-and-a-half-hour fight film gritty, involving and as credible as humanly possible.
Home

Kuchar, Belson Bid Adieu
Michael Fox
Sep 8, 2011
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...
September 8 2011

Kuchar, Belson Bid Adieu
Michael Fox
Sep 8, 2011
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...
August 25, 2011

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
Home

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
News & Blogs

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
August 25, 2011

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
Home

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
News & Blogs

ITVS Celebrates 20th Tuned to Multi-Platform World
Michael Fox
Aug 24, 2011
Powerfully positioned San Francisco-based champion of independent docs and dramas for television begins to navigate its third decade.
August 16, 2011

'The Makioka Sisters'
Aug 18, 2011
Pacific Film Archive screens 'The Makioka Sisters,' Kon Ichikawa's gorgeous and understated women's drama based on Tanizaki's novel of the same name. Lush color sequences of beautiful kimonos and cherry blossoms falling make this subtle masterpiece a joy to view on the large screen. New 35mm print shows Wednesday and Friday only. More info at bampfa.berkeley.edu.
August 18, 2011

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
Home

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
Reviews

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
August 18, 2011

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
Home

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
Reviews

‘The Arbor’s’ ‘Verbatim Theatre’ Approach Strikes Chord
Dennis Harvey
Aug 16, 2011
Clio Barnard's ‘The Arbor’ takes a fascinating and unconventional look at Andrea Dunbar's brief, brilliant career.
August 2, 2011

Midnite for Maniacs: 'Dance ’til the Cows Come Home'
Aug 5, 2011
Jesse Hawthorne Ficks celebrates his M4M series' tenth anniversary with another unique triple bill: beloved cheesy dance dramas 'Flashdance,' 'Dirty Dancing' and rare Golan/Globus gem 'The Apple,' which manages to out-flash even 'Flash Gordon' both in spectacle and senselessness. More info at castrotheatre.com.
July 26, 2011

SFJFF Opens in Berkeley
Aug 1, 2011
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.
August 4, 2011

Cinematographer Cardiff's Eye Prized in 'Cameraman' Doc
Dennis Harvey
Jul 29, 2011
'Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff' is a lovely portrait of an innovator and consummate craftsman.
Home

Cinematographer Cardiff's Eye Prized in 'Cameraman' Doc
Dennis Harvey
Jul 29, 2011
'Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff' is a lovely portrait of an innovator and consummate craftsman.
Reviews

Cinematographer Cardiff's Eye Prized in 'Cameraman' Doc
Dennis Harvey
Jul 29, 2011
'Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff' is a lovely portrait of an innovator and consummate craftsman.
april 22 2011

Fassbinder's Funky Futurism Speaks to the Moment
Dennis Harvey
Jul 26, 2011
Fassbinder's retro-chic, thought-provoking 'World on a Wire' finds the 'future' is now.
April 28, 2011

Fassbinder's Funky Futurism Speaks to the Moment
Dennis Harvey
Jul 26, 2011
Fassbinder's retro-chic, thought-provoking 'World on a Wire' finds the 'future' is now.
Home

Fassbinder's Funky Futurism Speaks to the Moment
Dennis Harvey
Jul 26, 2011
Fassbinder's retro-chic, thought-provoking 'World on a Wire' finds the 'future' is now.
July 28, 2011

Fassbinder's Funky Futurism Speaks to the Moment
Dennis Harvey
Jul 26, 2011
Fassbinder's retro-chic, thought-provoking 'World on a Wire' finds the 'future' is now.
Reviews

Fassbinder's Funky Futurism Speaks to the Moment
Dennis Harvey
Jul 26, 2011
Fassbinder's retro-chic, thought-provoking 'World on a Wire' finds the 'future' is now.
Home

Ben Berkowitz Offers Sound Advice
Adam Hartzell
Jul 25, 2011
Filmmaker talks about Chicago, identity, music and the making of ‘Polish Bar.’
July 28, 2011

Ben Berkowitz Offers Sound Advice
Adam Hartzell
Jul 25, 2011
Filmmaker talks about Chicago, identity, music and the making of ‘Polish Bar.’
Q & A

Ben Berkowitz Offers Sound Advice
Adam Hartzell
Jul 25, 2011
Filmmaker talks about Chicago, identity, music and the making of ‘Polish Bar.’
Festivals

Voices Converge at San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2011
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
Home

Voices Converge at San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2011
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
July 28, 2011

Voices Converge at San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2011
SFJFF covers broad geographic, political terrain.
July 19, 2011

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Jul 21, 2011
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.
Home

Avoiding Turbulence Leads to Plot Trouble
Lisa Rosenberg
Jul 19, 2011
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
July 21, 2011

Avoiding Turbulence Leads to Plot Trouble
Lisa Rosenberg
Jul 19, 2011
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
Screenwriting

Avoiding Turbulence Leads to Plot Trouble
Lisa Rosenberg
Jul 19, 2011
Note to screenwriters: Don’t defeat the promise of your story by pulling your punches.
Home

Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
In Depth

Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
July 14, 2011

Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
July 5, 2011

Jonathan Richman presents 'Vengo'
Jul 9, 2011
The Modern Lovers frontman and man-about-town Jonathan Richman presents Tony Gatlif's 'Vengo', a Spanish gitano drama/musical featuring performances by noteworthy modern flamenco fixtures. Richman and flamenco master Kenny Parker will perform at screening. More at redvic.com.
Home

Border Trouble Comes to Pacific Film Archive
Max Goldberg
Jun 30, 2011
New series spotlights the fascination with Mexico in American noir.
June 30, 2011

Border Trouble Comes to Pacific Film Archive
Max Goldberg
Jun 30, 2011
New series spotlights the fascination with Mexico in American noir.
Reviews

Border Trouble Comes to Pacific Film Archive
Max Goldberg
Jun 30, 2011
New series spotlights the fascination with Mexico in American noir.
June 28, 2011

Rediscovered North Korean Cinema
Jun 30, 2011
YBCA screens a North Korean drama about a young soccer player and the lengths he'll go to for team and country. Considered a classic in its homeland and helmed by famed director Pak Chong-song, infrequently seen 'Centre Forward' shows Thursday. More at ybca.org.
Home

‘Over the Edge’ Emerges from ‘Cult-Favorite’ Closet
Dennis Harvey
Jun 28, 2011
Ficks’ ‘Watch out for Children’ triple bill features a long lost career-lanching teen-drama gem.
June 30, 2011

‘Over the Edge’ Emerges from ‘Cult-Favorite’ Closet
Dennis Harvey
Jun 28, 2011
Ficks’ ‘Watch out for Children’ triple bill features a long lost career-lanching teen-drama gem.
Reviews

‘Over the Edge’ Emerges from ‘Cult-Favorite’ Closet
Dennis Harvey
Jun 28, 2011
Ficks’ ‘Watch out for Children’ triple bill features a long lost career-lanching teen-drama gem.
Festivals

Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus
Matt Sussman
Jun 25, 2011
It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.
Home

Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus
Matt Sussman
Jun 25, 2011
It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.
June 30, 2011

Critic's Notebook: Frameline at 35 Still Finds Youth a Focus
Matt Sussman
Jun 25, 2011
It gets better: Frameline35 offers a strong selection of work about youth.
Home

Soap-Operatic 'Bride Flight' Is an Entertaining Ride
Dennis Harvey
Jun 10, 2011
An historical-romantic novel in screen form, 'Bride Flight' offers all the pleasures (some guilty ones) of a film made half a century ago.
June 16, 2011

Soap-Operatic 'Bride Flight' Is an Entertaining Ride
Dennis Harvey
Jun 10, 2011
An historical-romantic novel in screen form, 'Bride Flight' offers all the pleasures (some guilty ones) of a film made half a century ago.
Reviews

Soap-Operatic 'Bride Flight' Is an Entertaining Ride
Dennis Harvey
Jun 10, 2011
An historical-romantic novel in screen form, 'Bride Flight' offers all the pleasures (some guilty ones) of a film made half a century ago.
June 7, 2011

‘Bride Flight’
Jun 10, 2011
Ben Sombogaart’s ‘Bride Flight’ opens at Smith Rafael Film Center. The Dutch feature pursues drama in the stories of three women taking a plane flight to meet their awaiting fiancés. More at cafilm.org.
Festivals

Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival
Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
May 25, 2011
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
Home

Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival
Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
May 25, 2011
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
May 26, 2011

Frameline Announces Titles in 2011 Festival
Susan Gerhard/Michael Fox
May 25, 2011
Margaret Cho, transgender cinema are highlights of 2011 LGBT festival.
Home

YBCA Revisits Vintage Erotica
Dennis Harvey
May 19, 2011
YBCA uncorks another era's eros.
May 19, 2011

YBCA Revisits Vintage Erotica
Dennis Harvey
May 19, 2011
YBCA uncorks another era's eros.
Reviews

YBCA Revisits Vintage Erotica
Dennis Harvey
May 19, 2011
YBCA uncorks another era's eros.
Home

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
May 19, 2011

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
Reviews

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
Home

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
May 19, 2011

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
Reviews

Lost Legends Haunt Roxie's Latest Noir Series
Matt Sussman
May 13, 2011
The devil is in the details of I Wake Up Screaming, the Roxie's annual two-week spring celebration of noir's shadiest titles.
Home

Bold Moves, Peril Define Great Third Acts
Lisa Rosenberg
May 10, 2011
The best advice for creating the perfect Act III? Surprise yourself.
May 12, 2011

Bold Moves, Peril Define Great Third Acts
Lisa Rosenberg
May 10, 2011
The best advice for creating the perfect Act III? Surprise yourself.
Screenwriting

Bold Moves, Peril Define Great Third Acts
Lisa Rosenberg
May 10, 2011
The best advice for creating the perfect Act III? Surprise yourself.
Home

'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011
Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
May 12, 2011

'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011
Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
Reviews

'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011
Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
Home

Frank Pierson, 'These Amazing Shadows' Offer Inspiration
Michael Fox
May 3, 2011
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
In Production

Frank Pierson, 'These Amazing Shadows' Offer Inspiration
Michael Fox
May 3, 2011
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
May 5, 2011

Frank Pierson, 'These Amazing Shadows' Offer Inspiration
Michael Fox
May 3, 2011
Screenwriter Frank Pierson talks production at SFIFF54; Bay Area-made 'These Amazing Shadows' screens after the Festival closes.
Festivals

Stone not Cold in Castro Conversation
Dennis Harvey
Apr 28, 2011
Oliver Stone reflects on his own heated past, and the world’s, as he accepts the Founder’s Directing Award onstage at the Castro Theatre during SFIFF54.
Home

Stone not Cold in Castro Conversation
Dennis Harvey
Apr 28, 2011
Oliver Stone reflects on his own heated past, and the world’s, as he accepts the Founder’s Directing Award onstage at the Castro Theatre during SFIFF54.
May 5, 2011

Stone not Cold in Castro Conversation
Dennis Harvey
Apr 28, 2011
Oliver Stone reflects on his own heated past, and the world’s, as he accepts the Founder’s Directing Award onstage at the Castro Theatre during SFIFF54.
April 26, 2011

SFIFF: ‘She Monkeys’
Apr 27, 2011
‘She Monkeys,’ a coming-of-age psychological drama about the friendship and competitiveness of two teenage females fighting for a spot on the local equestrian vaulting team, plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on April 25 and 26, with director Lisa Aschan in attendance. More at fest11.sffs.org.
April 28, 2011

Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire
Dennis Harvey
Apr 26, 2011
A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.
Festivals

Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire
Dennis Harvey
Apr 26, 2011
A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.
Home

Tindersticks Fuel the Claire Denis Film Fire
Dennis Harvey
Apr 26, 2011
A soundtrack staple in the Denis oeuvre, Tindersticks play their beautifully brooding music live to clips at SFIFF54.
April 28, 2011

SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises
Susan Gerhard
Apr 23, 2011
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
Festivals

SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises
Susan Gerhard
Apr 23, 2011
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
Home

SFIFF54's 'Beginners' Brings Surprises
Susan Gerhard
Apr 23, 2011
Mike Mills and Ewan McGregor lit up the Castro on San Francisco International's opening night.
april 22 2011

Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
First Person

Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
Home

Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011
A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
april 22 2011

Swimming in the Deep End of San Francisco International Film Festival
Max Goldberg
Apr 15, 2011
Films in the 54th SFIFF immerse viewers in distant times, unique places.
Festivals

Swimming in the Deep End of San Francisco International Film Festival
Max Goldberg
Apr 15, 2011
Films in the 54th SFIFF immerse viewers in distant times, unique places.
Home

Swimming in the Deep End of San Francisco International Film Festival
Max Goldberg
Apr 15, 2011
Films in the 54th SFIFF immerse viewers in distant times, unique places.
Reviews

Swimming in the Deep End of San Francisco International Film Festival
Max Goldberg
Apr 15, 2011
Films in the 54th SFIFF immerse viewers in distant times, unique places.
April 7, 2011

Juelich Rides ‘Neon’ Roller Coaster
Michael Fox
Apr 6, 2011
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
Home

Juelich Rides ‘Neon’ Roller Coaster
Michael Fox
Apr 6, 2011
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
In Production

Juelich Rides ‘Neon’ Roller Coaster
Michael Fox
Apr 6, 2011
Jennifer Juelich uses California carnivals as atmosphere for her DIY drama.
03.31.11

SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events
Susan Gerhard
Mar 29, 2011
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
Festivals

SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events
Susan Gerhard
Mar 29, 2011
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
Home

SFFS Announces 2011 SF International Film Festival Titles, Events
Susan Gerhard
Mar 29, 2011
SF International's 54th wide-ranging program is announced.
03.31.11

Haynes Reaches Mainstream with Thoroughly Modern ‘Mildred’
Michael Fox
Mar 27, 2011
Todd Haynes talks melodrama, movies, TV, the Great Depression and personal motivation.
Home

Haynes Reaches Mainstream with Thoroughly Modern ‘Mildred’
Michael Fox
Mar 27, 2011
Todd Haynes talks melodrama, movies, TV, the Great Depression and personal motivation.
Q & A

Haynes Reaches Mainstream with Thoroughly Modern ‘Mildred’
Michael Fox
Mar 27, 2011
Todd Haynes talks melodrama, movies, TV, the Great Depression and personal motivation.
Home

Jay Rosenblatt Talks ‘Darkness’
Max Goldberg
Mar 24, 2011
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...
March 24, 2011

Jay Rosenblatt Talks ‘Darkness’
Max Goldberg
Mar 24, 2011
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...
Festivals

Talent Emerges at SXSW 2011
Julia Barbosa
Mar 22, 2011
Issues, philosophies spark SXSW's 2011 films.
Home

SFIAAFF'S Closer Goh Nakamura Talks Music, Movies
Adam Hartzell
Mar 14, 2011
'Surrogate Valentine's' Goh Nakamura offers his fans some sugar as his starring role closes SFIAAFF 2011.
March 17, 2011

SFIAAFF'S Closer Goh Nakamura Talks Music, Movies
Adam Hartzell
Mar 14, 2011
'Surrogate Valentine's' Goh Nakamura offers his fans some sugar as his starring role closes SFIAAFF 2011.
Q & A

SFIAAFF'S Closer Goh Nakamura Talks Music, Movies
Adam Hartzell
Mar 14, 2011
'Surrogate Valentine's' Goh Nakamura offers his fans some sugar as his starring role closes SFIAAFF 2011.
Home

SFIAAFF Brings 'Light,' Captures Attention
Adam Hartzell
Mar 10, 2011
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...
March 10, 2011

SFIAAFF Brings 'Light,' Captures Attention
Adam Hartzell
Mar 10, 2011
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...
Home

Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy
Michael Fox
Mar 9, 2011
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
In Production

Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy
Michael Fox
Mar 9, 2011
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
March 10, 2011

Wolos’s ‘Trattoria’ Serves Up Spicy Comedy
Michael Fox
Mar 9, 2011
Jason Wolos builds a drama about family and food with a few key ingredients.
March 1, 2011

SFFS Screen: ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’
Mar 8, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s much anticipated ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,' a dramatic feature that tells the story of a dying man who visits the incarnations of his past lives in his final days, remains at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas for a few days. More at sffs.org.
March 8, 2011

SFFS Screen: ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’
Mar 8, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s much anticipated ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,' a dramatic feature that tells the story of a dying man who visits the incarnations of his past lives in his final days, remains at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas for a few days. More at sffs.org.
Home

What you Need to Know to License Music for Film
George Rush
Mar 8, 2011
Breaking down the common licensing terms.
Legal

What you Need to Know to License Music for Film
George Rush
Mar 8, 2011
Breaking down the common licensing terms.
March 10, 2011

What you Need to Know to License Music for Film
George Rush
Mar 8, 2011
Breaking down the common licensing terms.
Home

'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
March 10, 2011

'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
March 3, 2011

'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
Reviews

'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011
Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
Festivals

Hope Springs Eternal at Green Film Festival
Michael Fox
Mar 3, 2011
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
Home

Hope Springs Eternal at Green Film Festival
Michael Fox
Mar 3, 2011
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
March 3, 2011

Hope Springs Eternal at Green Film Festival
Michael Fox
Mar 3, 2011
An environmental film festival with exceptional flair enters the San Francisco scene.
Home

Ido Haar Seeks Justice, Searches Soul
Judy Stone
Feb 26, 2011
SFFS Artist in Residence speaks on cities, Siberia, family and life in the Middle East.
March 3, 2011

Ido Haar Seeks Justice, Searches Soul
Judy Stone
Feb 26, 2011
SFFS Artist in Residence speaks on cities, Siberia, family and life in the Middle East.
Q & A

Ido Haar Seeks Justice, Searches Soul
Judy Stone
Feb 26, 2011
SFFS Artist in Residence speaks on cities, Siberia, family and life in the Middle East.
February 22, 2011

SFFS Screen: 'How I Ended This Summer'
Feb 25, 2011
SFFS Screen presents Alexei Popogrebsky’s, ‘How I Ended This Summer,’ a psychological drama about two men's relationship over a summer of working at a meteorological station in the Arctic Circle. The film plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. More at sffs.org.
February 24, 2011

Beg For Your Life: In the Well with Laurel Nakadate
Mary Gaitskill
Feb 24, 2011
On the amoral goodness of nature, shapelessly shaped things and the hereness of bodies.
Home

Beg For Your Life: In the Well with Laurel Nakadate
Mary Gaitskill
Feb 24, 2011
On the amoral goodness of nature, shapelessly shaped things and the hereness of bodies.
In Depth

Beg For Your Life: In the Well with Laurel Nakadate
Mary Gaitskill
Feb 24, 2011
On the amoral goodness of nature, shapelessly shaped things and the hereness of bodies.
News & Blogs

Variety: "Roadside, Participant on 'Circumstance'"
Feb 15, 2011
Variety: "Marking another acquisition partnership coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, Roadside Attractions will team with Participant Media," handling U.S. theatrical distribution rights of writer and director Maryam Keshavarz's Iranian drama 'Circumstance.' More at variety.com.
February 8, 2011

SFFS Screen: 'Come Undone'
Feb 11, 2011
SFFS Screen offers ‘Come Undone,’ Silvio Soldini’s recent dramatic film featuring Alba Rohrwacher of ‘I Am Love.’ The film examines the reasons behind and subsequent emotional effects of a couple's extramarital affair. The film plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. More at sffs.org.
February 10, 2011

Mostly British Looks Beyond Speechifying Kings
Michael Fox
Feb 7, 2011
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Festivals

Mostly British Looks Beyond Speechifying Kings
Michael Fox
Feb 7, 2011
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Home

Mostly British Looks Beyond Speechifying Kings
Michael Fox
Feb 7, 2011
Australian films comprise fully a third of the Mostly British Film Festival lineup.
Feb 3 2011

Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest
Matt Sussman
Feb 3, 2011
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
Festivals

Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest
Matt Sussman
Feb 3, 2011
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
Home

Eclectic Expectations Met at SF Indiefest
Matt Sussman
Feb 3, 2011
SF Indiefest brings drama, doc, fact, fiction and physique into its annual showcase.
Feb 3 2011

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
Home

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
January 31, 2011

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
News & Blogs

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
Feb 3 2011

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
Home

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
January 31, 2011

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
News & Blogs

Sundance Awards 'Circumstance,' 'Another Happy Day'
Susan Gerhard
Jan 30, 2011
Ten days of audience voting and jury contemplation lead to a barrel of awards for directors, writers.
Home

'Somewhere' Seizes on Discontent
Dennis Harvey
Jan 14, 2011
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
January 20, 2011

'Somewhere' Seizes on Discontent
Dennis Harvey
Jan 14, 2011
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
Reviews

'Somewhere' Seizes on Discontent
Dennis Harvey
Jan 14, 2011
Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere' nails the spiritual erosion of constant, effortless indulgence.
December 28, 2010

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area
Susan Gerhard
Dec 24, 2010
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
Home

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area
Susan Gerhard
Dec 24, 2010
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
January 6, 2010

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area
Susan Gerhard
Dec 24, 2010
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
Reviews

Film 2010: Moments, Trends, Docs and the Best of the Bay Area
Susan Gerhard
Dec 24, 2010
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
December 23, 2010

Film 2010: Top Tens
Susan Gerhard
Dec 23, 2010
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
December 28, 2010

Film 2010: Top Tens
Susan Gerhard
Dec 23, 2010
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Home

Film 2010: Top Tens
Susan Gerhard
Dec 23, 2010
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Reviews

Film 2010: Top Tens
Susan Gerhard
Dec 23, 2010
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
December 23, 2010

Film 2010: The Year in Quotes
Michael Fox
Dec 17, 2010
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
December 28, 2010

Film 2010: The Year in Quotes
Michael Fox
Dec 17, 2010
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Home

Film 2010: The Year in Quotes
Michael Fox
Dec 17, 2010
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
In Production

Film 2010: The Year in Quotes
Michael Fox
Dec 17, 2010
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
December 2, 2010

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Home

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
January 31, 2011

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
News & Blogs

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
December 2, 2010

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
Home

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
January 31, 2011

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
News & Blogs

Sundance Announces Films in Competition
Susan Gerhard
Dec 2, 2010
Sundance announces its competition class of 2011, which includes Bay Area projects by Tiffany Shlain, Yoav Potash, Jennifer Siebel Newsom and David Weissman.
December 2, 2010

Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
Home

Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
Screenwriting

Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010
When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
Home

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year
Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010
The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.
November 24, 2010

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year
Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010
The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.
Reviews

Season's Screenings Bring out Best Films of the Year
Dennis Harvey
Nov 24, 2010
The year closes with six weeks of strong foreign and arthouse awards-seekers as well as solid franchise holiday entertainments.
Home

Farley Frames Barrish, Candlestick Point
Michael Fox
Nov 17, 2010
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
In Production

Farley Frames Barrish, Candlestick Point
Michael Fox
Nov 17, 2010
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
November 18, 2010

Farley Frames Barrish, Candlestick Point
Michael Fox
Nov 17, 2010
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
November 16, 2010

New Italian Cinema
Nov 16, 2010
San Francisco Film Society’s New Italian Cinema series wraps up this week at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. Upcoming films include Giuseppe Capatondi’s thriller ‘The Double Hour’ and Luis Prieto’s heartfelt drama, ‘I Am Glad You Are Here’ (pictured). The Closing Night film is Paolo Virzì’s ‘The First Beautiful Thing’ with a reception at Fior d’Italia, 2237 Mason Street. More at sffs.org.
Festivals

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek
Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010
'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.
Home

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek
Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010
'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.
November 11, 2010

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek
Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010
'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.
November 18, 2010

New Italian Cinema Puts Focus on Ferzan Ozpetek
Dennis Harvey
Nov 14, 2010
'When in Rome,' or outside it: NIC offers fresh voices, new locations.
Home

Assayas Recreates Revolution with 'Carlos'
Max Goldberg
Nov 5, 2010
Olivier Assayas's 'Carlos' chases after a notorious phantom. Since premiering out of competition at Cannes, nearly all the write-ups of Olivier Assayas’s Carlos have located the film amidst the post–War on Terror flurry of dramatizations of the self-styled revolutionaries of the 1960s and ’70s (e.g. Che, United Red Army, The Baader Meinhof Complex and locally produced documentary The Weather Underground). This is as it should be: it’s often noted that Assayas wrote for Cahiers du Cinéma before he became a filmmaker, but more than his other movies Carlos works as criticism. In particular, it’s clear that Assayas is having....
November 4, 2010

Assayas Recreates Revolution with 'Carlos'
Max Goldberg
Nov 5, 2010
Olivier Assayas's 'Carlos' chases after a notorious phantom. Since premiering out of competition at Cannes, nearly all the write-ups of Olivier Assayas’s Carlos have located the film amidst the post–War on Terror flurry of dramatizations of the self-styled revolutionaries of the 1960s and ’70s (e.g. Che, United Red Army, The Baader Meinhof Complex and locally produced documentary The Weather Underground). This is as it should be: it’s often noted that Assayas wrote for Cahiers du Cinéma before he became a filmmaker, but more than his other movies Carlos works as criticism. In particular, it’s clear that Assayas is having....
Festivals

The View from Here
Michael Fox
Nov 4, 2010
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
Home

The View from Here
Michael Fox
Nov 4, 2010
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
November 4, 2010

The View from Here
Michael Fox
Nov 4, 2010
San Francisco Film Society's Cinema by the Bay festival puts the focus on locals.
Festivals

'Masquerades' Opens Arab Film Festival
Robert Avila
Oct 14, 2010
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
Home

'Masquerades' Opens Arab Film Festival
Robert Avila
Oct 14, 2010
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
October 14, 2010

'Masquerades' Opens Arab Film Festival
Robert Avila
Oct 14, 2010
Appearances deceive in Lyès Salem’s 'Masquerades,' at the Arab Film Festival.
October 5, 2010

'Enter the Void'
Oct 8, 2010
This sizzling new drama by director Gaspar Noe opens at Landmark Theaters. Look for more on SF360.org later this week.
Home

'Enter the Void' at Your Own Risk
Matt Sussman/Ryland Walker Knight
Oct 7, 2010
Two critics offer opposing views on an audience-dividing arthouse buzz-magnet, Gaspar Noé's 'Enter the Void.'
October 7, 2010

'Enter the Void' at Your Own Risk
Matt Sussman/Ryland Walker Knight
Oct 7, 2010
Two critics offer opposing views on an audience-dividing arthouse buzz-magnet, Gaspar Noé's 'Enter the Void.'
Festivals

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches
Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Home

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches
Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
October 7, 2010

Mill Valley's 33rd Launches
Sura Wood
Oct 5, 2010
Mill Valley brings an eclectic collection of indies and world cinema to audiences.
Home

Retro Ethics Fuel 'The Social Network'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 1, 2010
Friends, enemies, Facebook: 'The Social Network' dramatizes the making of a Web phenomenon.
October 7, 2010

Retro Ethics Fuel 'The Social Network'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 1, 2010
Friends, enemies, Facebook: 'The Social Network' dramatizes the making of a Web phenomenon.
Reviews

Retro Ethics Fuel 'The Social Network'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 1, 2010
Friends, enemies, Facebook: 'The Social Network' dramatizes the making of a Web phenomenon.
Home

Local Filmmakers Pour into Mill Valley
Michael Fox
Sep 29, 2010
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
In Production

Local Filmmakers Pour into Mill Valley
Michael Fox
Sep 29, 2010
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
September 30, 2010

Local Filmmakers Pour into Mill Valley
Michael Fox
Sep 29, 2010
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Festivals

Telluride Unveils 37th Film Festival
Gianmaria Franchini
Sep 3, 2010
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
Home

Telluride Unveils 37th Film Festival
Gianmaria Franchini
Sep 3, 2010
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
September 9 2010

Telluride Unveils 37th Film Festival
Gianmaria Franchini
Sep 3, 2010
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
August 26 ,2010

A Vampire Weekend at YBCA
Max Goldberg
Aug 26, 2010
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. . .
Home

A Vampire Weekend at YBCA
Max Goldberg
Aug 26, 2010
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. . .
August 26 ,2010

A Vampire Weekend at YBCA
Max Goldberg
Aug 26, 2010
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. . .
Home

A Vampire Weekend at YBCA
Max Goldberg
Aug 26, 2010
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. . .
August 26 ,2010

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
Home

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
Q & A

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
August 26 ,2010

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
Home

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
Q & A

Eat, Pray, Love, Direct
Jessica Sapick
Aug 23, 2010
Ruba Nadda speaks of sultry actors and tenacious directors in the making of 'Cairo Time.'
August 17, 2010

Film on Film Foundation's 'Endless Love'
Aug 22, 2010
The second screening in Film on Film Foundation's Film Maudit program, a curated reconsideration of oft-maligned and misunderstood films, is Franco Zeffirelli's unabashed melodrama 'Endless Love.'
August 17, 2010

SFFS Screen: 'Army of Crime'
Aug 20, 2010
SFFS Screen presents Robert Guédiguian’s 'Army of Crime,' a historical drama that follows a cell of Jewish and communist resistance fighters led by French Armenian poet Missak Manouchian and his wife Mélinée.
08-12-10

Todd Solondz' Cinema of Discomfort
Robert Avila
Aug 9, 2010
The director of Life During Wartime speaks about fear, loathing, and emotional truth.
Q & A

Todd Solondz' Cinema of Discomfort
Robert Avila
Aug 9, 2010
The director of Life During Wartime speaks about fear, loathing, and emotional truth.
Home

Essential SF: 'Berkeley in the Sixties,' 'Brother Outsider,' 'Weather Underground'
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2010
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
In Depth

Essential SF: 'Berkeley in the Sixties,' 'Brother Outsider,' 'Weather Underground'
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2010
Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
Festivals

SF Jewish Film Festival Lights 30 Candles
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2010
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
Home

SF Jewish Film Festival Lights 30 Candles
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2010
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
07-21-2010

Reeling in the Years with the Red Vic
Michael Fox
Jul 19, 2010
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.
Home

Reeling in the Years with the Red Vic
Michael Fox
Jul 19, 2010
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.
Q & A

Reeling in the Years with the Red Vic
Michael Fox
Jul 19, 2010
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.
07-21-2010

Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx
Dennis Harvey
Jul 16, 2010
A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.
Home

Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx
Dennis Harvey
Jul 16, 2010
A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.
Reviews

Lisa Cholodenko Makes High Art of Family Hijinx
Dennis Harvey
Jul 16, 2010
A festival and awards-buzz favorite since its January Sundance premiere, The Kids Are All Right has real depth and drama yet is largely comedic in tone.
Home

Observing Ordinary People in 'Everyone Else'
Dennis Harvey
Jul 2, 2010
Maren Ade’s second feature is striking for what it doesn't do as it follows ordinary lives through a failing relationship.
Reviews

Observing Ordinary People in 'Everyone Else'
Dennis Harvey
Jul 2, 2010
Maren Ade’s second feature is striking for what it doesn't do as it follows ordinary lives through a failing relationship.
Festivals

Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010
Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Home

Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010
Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Festivals

Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010
Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Home

Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010
Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Home

Kore-eda Breathes Life into 'Air Doll'
Dennis Harvey
Jun 25, 2010
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll is a conceptual gamble pulled off with a master’s grace and subtlety.
Reviews

Kore-eda Breathes Life into 'Air Doll'
Dennis Harvey
Jun 25, 2010
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Air Doll is a conceptual gamble pulled off with a master’s grace and subtlety.
Festivals

Frameline's History Lessons
Max Goldberg
Jun 24, 2010
Frameline34 brought together a wide array of programs following the retrospective impulse.
Q & A

Polk Street Lures Boswell's 'Stranger'
Michael Fox
Jun 23, 2010
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.
Festivals

Frameline34 Focuses on Warhol and Worlds of LGBT Cinema
Dennis Harvey
Jun 17, 2010
Frameline34 takes a fresh look at Andy Warhol's world while offering a view to the world of international LGBT cinema 2010.
First Person

Fast-Track Filmmaking with the 48 Hour Film Project
Ryan Riddle
Jun 14, 2010
Making a film called Stagecoach in the Sky as part of the 48 Hour Film Project requires planning, as well as a flying boat.
In Production

Koppelman Maps International Cybercrime, Cuban Opera
Michael Fox
Jun 9, 2010
Charles Koppelman's documentary in progress, Zero Day, exposes each of three threats to the Internet: cybercrime, cyberespionage and cyberwarfare.
Reviews

Jordan's Magic Moments with Ondine
Dennis Harvey
Jun 8, 2010
Ondine finds Neil Jordan back on personal terra firma with a story (his own, in conception and screenplay) that sits exactly on the thin line separating reality and fantasy.
Reviews

Merchant-Ivory: A Look Back
Dennis Harvey
May 27, 2010
A literary adaptation filled with first-class actors in sumptuous settings, City doesn't fall too far from the familiar Merchant-Ivory tree.
Reviews

Getting Shatnered with Thrillville
Dennis Harvey
May 20, 2010
William Shatner has survived as a unique sort of elder showbiz statesman, one who is willing to be the butt of jokes because he is in on them.
News & Blogs

IndieWIRE: Kiarostami's Letter at Cannes
May 18, 2010
A letter from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami speaks out against Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Cutlure and in solidarity with detained director Jafar Panahi.
Q & A

Poitras's Unexpected Path to 'The Oath'
Jessica Sapick
May 16, 2010
Laura Poitras speaks during SFIFF53 about the process of creating The Oath from the stories of Osama Bin Laden's former bodyguard and driver.
Festivals

San Francisco International's Local Filmmakers Next Step
Michael Fox
May 6, 2010
We caught up with several Bay Area makers, fresh off their high-energy screenings at SFIFF53 and primed to keep the momentum rolling.
Festivals

SFIFF53: Golden Gate Awards and Juried Prizes/Grants Announced
Susan Gerhard
May 5, 2010
Cash prizes totaling nearly $300,000 for filmmakers highlighted the San Francisco International Film Festival s Golden Gate Awards Wednesday night.
Festivals

SFIFF53: War Stories
Matt Sussman
May 5, 2010
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.
Festivals

Local Filmmakers In SFIFF Spotlight
Michael Fox
Apr 27, 2010
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.
Reviews

Independent Inuit Films at YBCA
Dennis Harvey
Apr 8, 2010
Inuit peoples—the indigenous cultures rooted in Arctic regions from Alaska to Greenland—have an honored place in film history, dating to Flaherty's Nanook of the North.
Reviews

Epic Expectations in 'The Warlords'
Dennis Harvey
Apr 7, 2010
When television first became a dire threat, Hollywood fought the small screen by making the big one really big with vast spectacles worth leaving home for.
Q & A

Rosen's Insights into 53rd San Francisco International
Michael Fox
Apr 5, 2010
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.
Reviews

Unresolved Conflict in 'American Radical,' 'Promised Lands'
Dennis Harvey
Mar 25, 2010
YBCA s month-long, six-part Human Rights and Film series closes with two documentaries on the Arab-Israeli conflict made 35 years apart.
Q & A

Karim Ahmad on ITVS's Forward-Thinking FUTURESTATES
Adam Hartzell
Mar 21, 2010
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.
Legal

Public, Private: A Need-to-Know Guide
George Rush
Feb 23, 2010
People are fascinated by the lives of others. But can someone make a doc, biopic, historical or narrative film about a famous person without their permission?
Reviews

As Oscars Approach, Winners Still Up in the Air
Dennis Harvey
Feb 16, 2010
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.
Festivals

SF Indiefest at Twelve
Matt Sussman
Feb 4, 2010
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.
Reviews

'Fish Tank's Essex truth
Dennis Harvey
Jan 28, 2010
Writer-director Andrea Arnold created a stir with her first feature Red Road, but her new film is arguably an even stronger work.
Documentary

Talking Heads to Storytellers
Fernanda Rossi
Jan 27, 2010
You might fare better in today's market with a character-driven story, the Doc Doctor advises.
Reviews

Can't Stop the Musical: PFA's Classics
Dennis Harvey
Jan 27, 2010
As soon as the silent era hit sound circa 1927, musicals became a leading genre worldwide. How could their appeal possibly die out?
Reviews

The Greatest Finds of My Generation
Susan Gerhard
Jan 26, 2010
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.
Reviews

The Greatest Finds of My Generation
Susan Gerhard
Jan 26, 2010
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.
In Production

Joe Graham's Soulful 'Strapped'
Michael Fox
Jan 19, 2010
"I wish gay cinema would die", Joe Graham declares. It s not queer movies the San Francisco filmmaker hates, but categories and pigeonholing.
Reviews

Thoughts On the Aughts: Best/Worst Trends
Susan Gerard
Dec 31, 2009
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.
Reviews

After Sept. 11, 2001, A Decade Found Its Way
B. Ruby Rich
Dec 23, 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.
Festivals

Wintering with the SF Silent Film Festival
Dennis Harvey
Dec 9, 2009
Highlights from the 2009 San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event.
Reviews

Feast Your Eyes: A Holiday Film Preview
Dennis Harvey
Nov 25, 2009
Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.
Reviews

New Social Issue Dramas from Rainin Grant-Winners
Michael Fox
Nov 24, 2009
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.
Q & A

Frazer Bradshaw on "Everything Strange and New"
Susan Gerhard
Nov 23, 2009
Susan Gerhard caught up with the director of an Oakland-shot domestic drama whose first-time feature was chosen for Sundance.
Reviews

Chilean Film 'The Maid' and the Liberation of a Genre
Dennis Harvey
Nov 13, 2009
This little no-budget film has picked up a slew of festival prizes for its character depth, unpredictable storytelling, humor and warmth.
Festivals

French Cinema Now—and then
Dennis Harvey
Oct 29, 2009
Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is being revived as part of San Francisco Film Society’s second annual French Cinema Now festival, which runs the week of October 29 through November 4 at the city’s Clay Theatre.
Reviews

Clough's Rough Time in 'Damned United'
Adam Hartzell
Oct 22, 2009
There's an advantage to being an insulated American while watching Tom Hooper's dramatization of an important part of the life of football coach Brian Clough.
Festivals

SFFS's Debut Cinema by the Bay
Robert Avila
Oct 22, 2009
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.
Screenwriting

The Importance of Supporting Characters
Lisa Rosenberg
Oct 13, 2009
Beyond Words: The people who back up the main character are often key sources of revelation, unmasking aspects of personality, motivation and backstory.
In Production

Montalbano's "The Recondite Heart"
Michael Fox
Sep 29, 2009
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.
Festivals

Toronto International Film Festival 2009
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 19, 2009
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.
Reviews

High Drama in High school in 'The Beautiful Person'
Max Goldberg
Sep 4, 2009
The story of teenagers living like a savage, roaming pack of animals, The Beautiful Person locates a classic in a contemporary setting.
Reviews

WWII as Genre Busted by 'Flame & Citron'
Dennis Harvey
Aug 20, 2009
Flame & Citron, one of the most expensive Danish films ever made, is an historical drama that plays like an espionage thriller.
Q & A

How Scary Cow co-op is making indie filmmaking in SF a little less frightening
Elizabeth Rader
Aug 2, 2009
Jager McConnell speaks about Scary Cow, a filmmakers' co-op that offers experience, people, money and equipment to aspiring filmmakers with ideas to burn.
Reviews

'Howl' is Poetry in Post
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2009
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman combine live-action period drama and animation in retelling of Ginsburg's Howl
Digital

Free and Open: Video's Cambrian Explosion
Hannah Eaves
Jul 27, 2009
The Sixth Screen: Veteran journalists and filmmakers alike are polishing up their resumes, contemplating the hospitality industry, and wondering: Who stole my career?
Q & A

Richard Levien, from 'Immersion' to 'La Migra'
Jennifer Preissel
Jun 29, 2009
New Zealand transplant Richard Levien, a longstanding fixture of the San Francisco indie film community, breaks out of the editing room with Immersion.
Reviews

Frameline33: Youth in Revolt
Lynn Rapoport
Jun 22, 2009
In this year's Frameline Fest, as so often in life, it's all about the one(s) that got away.
Festivals

Frameline33: Something Old, Something New
Dennis Harvey
Jun 17, 2009
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.)
Legal

Facing the Music (Rights)
George Rush
Jun 16, 2009
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.
Q & A

Miller Brothers Touch Home at AT&T Park
Michael Fox
Jun 2, 2009
The Miller brothers take their memoir-release to the local ballpark.
Q & A

Miller Brothers Touch Home at AT&T Park
Michael Fox
Jun 2, 2009
The Miller brothers take their memoir-release to the local ballpark.
Reviews

'Night and Day:' Location, Location, Locution
Max Goldberg
May 21, 2009
Hong Sang-soo's Night and Day is a comedic unraveling of a South Korean art student's gaffes throughout Paris.
Reviews

Garrel's 'Frontier of Dawn'
Dennis Harvey
May 15, 2009
Philippe Garrel sticks to his highly-personal aesthetic in Frontier of Dawn.
Funding

Six Degrees of Bringing Home the Bacon
Holly Million
May 12, 2009
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million pitches her approach to securing donors, The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
Festivals

SFIFF52: Golden Gate Awards Uncorked, SFFS/KRF Grant Winner Announced
Susan Gerhard
May 7, 2009
SFIFF handed out approximately $100,000 and announced the winner San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant during its Golden Gate Awards.
Festivals

Local Makers Line Up Next Shot after SFIFF
Michael Fox
May 4, 2009
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
Reviews

SFIFF52 Blogs: Coppola & Lucas at the Castro
Dennis Harvey
May 3, 2009
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.
Reviews

SFIFF52 Blogs: Wilkerson's Proving Strong
David Winks Gray
May 2, 2009
On May Day Eve, Travis Wilkerson performed Proving Ground, probably the first multimedia Leninist rant to have ever graced the Sundance Kabuki.
Reviews

SFIFF52 Blogs: Five Reasons why SF Loves Coppola
Justin Juul
May 1, 2009
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.
Reviews

Film Society Awards: Ballard, Coppola, Redford and Toback
Susan Gerhard
May 1, 2009
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.
Festivals

SFIFF52: Robert Redford Accepts Owens Award
Dennis Harvey
Apr 29, 2009
Robert Redford braves the public and accepts the San Francisco International Film Festival's Peter J. Owens Award.
In Production

SFIFF52: 'The Professionals' Unites Filmmakers
Michael Fox
Apr 28, 2009
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.
Reviews

SFIFF52: Peter Bratt's "La Mission"
Susan Gerhard
Apr 23, 2009
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.
In Production

SFIFF52: New Narrative Trend for Bay Area Cinema
Michael Fox
Apr 21, 2009
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.
In Production

SFIFF52: New Narrative Trend for Bay Area Cinema
Michael Fox
Apr 21, 2009
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.
Festivals

SFIFF52: Wisdom of the Underages
Jonathan Kiefer
Apr 16, 2009
Where would cinema be without good, old-fashioned youthfulness? Hence: Youth Bring the Truth, a showcase for promising pre-adult media-makers including several local teenagers from this year's San Francisco International Film Festival.
Festivals

SF International Film Festival Lineup
Susan Gerhard
Mar 31, 2009
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.
Reviews

William Kentridge at SFMOMA
Robert Avila
Mar 25, 2009
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
Q & A

Cary Joji Fukunaga on the (Very) Bay Area Story Behind 'Sin Nombre'
Judy Stone
Mar 15, 2009
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.
Reviews

Troell in Fine Form with 'Everlasting Moments'
Dennis Harvey
Mar 12, 2009
Troell keeps everything emotionally intimate in this lovely film full of grace moments, that chronicles the early 20th-century travails of the Larsson family.
Festivals

Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a Cinema of Disaster
Matt Sussman
Mar 11, 2009
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.
Festivals

Kiyoshi Kurosawa and a Cinema of Disaster
Matt Sussman
Mar 11, 2009
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.
Documentary

Sound Advice
Fernanda Rossi
Mar 10, 2009
Sound design: in a documentary can be a great ally in bringing real life to the screen, and the dilemma is not whether to use this wonderful story device but rather how and in what context.
Reviews

Gangster Life Verite in 'Gomorrah'
Dennis Harvey
Feb 27, 2009
Like the strictest kind of verite doc, Gomorrah simply presents activity, without "introducing" characters or spelling out their circumstances or motivations.
Reviews

'Silent Light' and Shattered Landscapes
Max Goldberg
Feb 27, 2009
Carlos Reygadas' third film is an unmistakably serious work, emblematic of the kind of brooding, large-canvas filmmaking which has become a rarity.
Screenwriting

The Alchemy of Adaptation
Lisa Rosenberg
Feb 19, 2009
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.
Reviews

Re-Viewing 'The Savage Eye'
Dennis Harvey
Feb 18, 2009
This "dramatized documentary" was a labor of love–if also a graphic portrayal of the vast LA detached from Hollywood's success-bubble glamour.
Festivals

SF Indiefest 2009
Dennis Harvey
Feb 5, 2009
With a roster that sprawls from horror to softcore to verite-style drama and documentary, the only constant is that you won't be bored.
News & Blogs

Social Justice Filmmaking Grants Announced
Susan Gerhard
Jan 28, 2009
Grants totaling $3 million for narrative feature films made in the Bay Area will be distributed by the SFFS and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
Reviews

Sundance '09: Award-Winners, Bloggers, and More
Susan Gerhard
Jan 26, 2009
Susie Gerhard gives an overview of a festival moving back to the basics of art-making.
Festivals

Sundance Blog: Urban Hiker's Guide
Susan Gerhard
Jan 20, 2009
Susan Gerhard reports on film and physique highlights at Sundance 2009.
Reviews

Bud Cort Honored at Sketchfest
Robert Avila
Jan 20, 2009
SF Sketchfest pays tribute to Bud Cort with a live Q&A and screening of Harold and Maude.
Legal

Casting: Names and Numbers
George Rush
Jan 16, 2009
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.
Festivals

Wim Wenders: Berlin & Beyond
Dennis Harvey
Jan 15, 2009
Wenders, one of the stellar directors of "New German Cinema," is this year's honoree at the 14th annual Berlin & Beyond festival.
Q & A

Case Studies in Screenwriting: Pam Gray
Lisa Rosenberg
Dec 19, 2008
Sebastopol-based screenwriter Pamela Gray's approach to screenwriting is the literary equivalent of the slow food movement.
Reviews

Season's Gleanings, a Holiday Preview
Dennis Harvey
Dec 15, 2008
Dennis Harvey reviews some of 2008's year-end sobering dramas.
Reviews

Season's Gleanings, a Holiday Preview
Dennis Harvey
Dec 15, 2008
Dennis Harvey reviews some of 2008's year-end sobering dramas.
News & Blogs

Sundance Harvests an Eclectic Crop of Local Films
Michael Fox
Dec 11, 2008
Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
News & Blogs

Sundance Harvests an Eclectic Crop of Local Films
Michael Fox
Dec 11, 2008
Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
Reviews

'Discovering Teuvo Tulio'
Dennis Harvey
Dec 4, 2008
The Pacific Film Archive shows Discovering Teuvo Tulio, a four-film retrospective of works from Finland's master of over-the-top melodrama in the 1930s and '40s.
Q & A

Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black on 'Milk'
Michael Fox
Nov 23, 2008
Michael Fox chats with Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on the eve of Milk's much-anticipated theatrical release.
Reviews

Crossing Borders with 'Fraulein'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 21, 2008
A director who lives in both Switzerland and New York leads a Swiss-German coproduction about two women from former Yugoslavian territories who meet in Zurich.
In Production

Making 'Howl' and 'Babnik'
Michael Fox
Oct 14, 2008
Epstein and Friedman bring a poem to the screen, while a South Bay director goes Russian.
Reviews

'Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer'
Dennis Harvey
Sep 23, 2008
Whether you dig jazz or not, O'Day's charisma and story make this movie riveting.
Reviews

Baloney Sandwiches With No Cheese: Ted V. Mikels' Wild World
Matt Sussman
Sep 18, 2008
'It takes your guts and your entrails and your soul to make a film,' Mikels once proclaimed. 'It takes everything you possess within you!'
Reviews

'The Exiles,' a Return Engagement
Dennis Harvey
Jul 30, 2008
A film from 1961, The Exiles is a long-in-making unvarnished look at 12 hours in the lives of a group of American Indians who have come to Los Angeles.
Festivals

In Other Words: Pacific Whims
Laura Irvine
May 8, 2008
As an Asian film fan, it's a miracle I keep my day job at this time of year.
Reviews

Review: "Boarding Gate"
Dennis Harvey
Apr 8, 2008
Boarding Gate is raw, silly, bloody, funny, carnal, intricate, coarse and self-conscious. It all suggests Olivier Assayas has a lot more surprises in him yet.
Reviews

Review: "Shotgun Stories"
Dennis Harvey
Mar 31, 2008
Small-town "heartland" America that once held our majority populace is now seldom seen on screen. Jeff Nichols debut feature Shotgun Stories is an exception.
Reviews

10 Reasons to See "Cinema Piemonte"
Staff
Feb 29, 2008
The Associazone Piemontesi of Northern California, with the Italian Cultural Institute and Regione Piemonte, presents "Cinema Piemonte," four movies made in that beautiful region.
Reviews

"Joy Division" on Screen
Dennis Harvey
Jan 15, 2008
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.
Q & A

Jessica Yu, "Protagonist"
indieWIRE
Dec 10, 2007
Yu's latest doc centers on four rather damaged individuals, applying the dramatic structure of Greek playwright Euripedes to contemporary life.
Reviews

"Holly," an Unseasonably Sobering Drama
Dennis Harvey
Nov 28, 2007
U.S.-Cambodian co-production Holly might easily have gone straight to DVD, which would be a pity because it's well worth rushing to the theatre for.
Q & A

Robert Lepage, "Progress" Report
Jonathan Marlow
Nov 26, 2007
SF360.org sits down with a criminally little-known director of stage and screen who is arguably the most imaginative, talented multi-hyphenate of his generation.
Reviews

"Redacted"
Dennis Harvey
Nov 13, 2007
Sometimes even presumably good intentions can warp into artistic misdeeds most foul.
Q & A

George Kuchar, Neither Boil nor Blister
Michael Fox
Sep 13, 2007
Michael Fox interviews director and Mission District icon George Kuchar
Reviews

"Revolution Summer"
Michael Fox
Aug 30, 2007
Miles Matthew Montalbano's evocative and empathetic portrait of Bush-era dissatisfaction among the post-collegiate set.
Reviews

Jewish Humor, After Woody
Michael Fox
Aug 15, 2007
Although it's too early to write Allen off, it's also clear that he hasn't connected with younger audiences in a long time, so who's the next Woody Allen?
Reviews

"Private Property;" "One to Another"
Dennis Harvey and Michael Koresky/indieWIRE
Jul 31, 2007
A non-rich family is torn apart by money matters, and young actors lie atop, next to, and around each other with youthful, sexual abandon.
Q & A

'Joshua's' George Ratliff
indieWIRE
Jul 11, 2007
George Ratliff talks about his first feature narrative Joshua, described by Sundance as a "horror story disguised as a sophisticated family drama."
News & Blogs

Laura Albert, The Real J.T. Leroy, Charged With Fraud
Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
Jun 26, 2007
The story of literary sensation and media darling J.T. Leroy, a persona created by Laura Albert, took another dramatic turn Friday in New York.
Reviews

"American Cannibal" and Reality TV
Claire Faggioli
Jun 22, 2007
List: American Cannibal documents two down on their luck television writers, Gil Ripley and Dave Roberts, as they sell their souls to the reality television circuit.
Q & A

Richard Wong and H.P. Mendoza, reanimating "Colma: The Musical"
Matt Sussman
Jun 20, 2007
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.
Q & A

Michael Winterbottom's "A Mighty Heart"
SF360.org
Jun 18, 2007
The prolific British director, known for a large and eclectic body of work, has done something very unusual in the past half decade.
Q & A

Paul Verhoeven and His "Black Book"
Howard Feinstein/indieWIRE
Apr 13, 2007
Verhoeven's career can be divided between the character-driven movies he made in Holland and the slick genre films he directed in Hollywood after 1985.
Reviews

Reviews: "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone"; "Mafioso"
Max Goldberg
Apr 10, 2007
“I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone” puts its melodrama and comedy within a Malaysian mattress. 1962’s “Mafioso” may be the mob-chronicle genre’s ground zero.
Q & A

Phillip Haas on "The Situation"
Michael Fox
Mar 26, 2007
An interview with documentary and narrative filmmaker Philip Haas upon the release of his latest film, The Situation.
Reviews

Reviews: "Color Me Kubrick" and "Pride"
Dennis Harvey
Mar 20, 2007
One film shows how an inspirational movie can actually inspire; the other that a con sometimes looks better on paper.
Reviews

The Countercultures of "Commune"
Robert Avila
Feb 22, 2007
The cinematic image of the Ô60s commune is normally as two-dimensional as the screen it's projected on, and rarely very kind.
Festivals

Indiefest Lineup Announcement
Miljenko Skoknic
Jan 19, 2007
SF IndieFest's founder/director Jeff Ross announced the ninth edition of the Bay Area's indie showcase festival
Festivals

Berlin & Beyond 2007
Dennis Harvey
Jan 11, 2007
Rock&Roll, romantic comedy, fantasy and adventure, among the themes of this year's festival.
Reviews

"Absolute Wilson"; "Army of Shadows"
Robert Avila
Jan 9, 2007
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.
Reviews

A "Backstage" Breakdown
Dennis Harvey
Jan 4, 2007
Teenager Lucie's (Islid Le Besco) encounter with her idol, the pop diva Lauren Waks (Emmanuelle Seigner), turns into a twisted and creepy psychological relationship.
News & Blogs

The Cities' Critics Speak
Susan Gerhard
Dec 15, 2006
The language of film may be universal, as the Landmark trailer reminds us, but the critics in major U.S. cities speak their own dialects.
Reviews

"Candy" keeps up with the Joneses
Dennis Harvey
Dec 14, 2006
"Candy," an Australian film an accent-less Aussie Heath Ledger, follows the downward spiral of a Heroine addict - by now a time-tested narrative conceit.
Reviews

"Candy" keeps up with the Joneses
Dennis Harvey
Dec 14, 2006
"Candy," an Australian film an accent-less Aussie Heath Ledger, follows the downward spiral of a Heroine addict - by now a time-tested narrative conceit.
Reviews

Teshigahara at The Castro
Dennis Harvey
Nov 23, 2006
Filmmaking was just one among many creative outlets for Japanese multimedia artist Hiroshi Teshigahara.
Reviews

More Made Men
Dennis Harvey
Nov 3, 2006
The List: Lesser remembered and/or excellent Mafia films that might make you an offer you can't refuse.
Festivals

Mill Valley Film Festival 2006 Announcement
Susan Gerhard
Sep 13, 2006
Tributes to Helen Mirren and Tim Robbins highlight the 29th annual edition .
News & Blogs

Current TV and the Audience as Auteur
Justin Juul
Aug 29, 2006
Al Gore's fledgling S.F.--based cable and satellite channel, Current TV, generates cutting-edge content democratically, with a third of the programming created by viewers.
Q & A

Laura Poitras" "My Country, My Country"
indieWIRE
Aug 28, 2006
Director Laura Poitras’ traveled to Iraq for her latest film, “My Country, My Country.”
Reviews

Francois Ozon, Mortal
B. Ruby Rich
Aug 2, 2006
Ozon's Time to Leave demonstrates how central he's become to European cinema, and reminds us that he's among gay world cinema's most accomplished writer/directors.
Festivals

Overview of the S.F. Jewish Film Festival
Michael Fox
Jul 20, 2006
The sudden climate change in the Middle East has had a tone-altering effect on the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, where the war will be Topic A.
Reviews

Army of Shadows and France's Soul
Michael Fox
Jun 29, 2006
Jean-Pierre Melville's remarkable 1969 nail biter is on a different plane than contemporary spy thrillers.
Q & A

Benjamin Morgan's "Quality of Life" out on DVD
Susan Gerhard
Jun 16, 2006
Benjamin Morgan talks about his San Francisco-made drama, Quality of Life, and his favorite graffiti sites on the web.
Festivals

The San Francisco Black Film Festival
Cheryl Eddy
Jun 12, 2006
Highlights of San Francisco Black Film Festival's eighth annual edition.
Q & A

New Executive Director of S.F. Cinematheque on Experimental Film
Michael Fox
May 29, 2006
Newly appointed S.F. Cinematheque executive director Caroline Savage discusses the state of experimental film.
Q & A

The Roxie, Resurrected
Susan Gerhard
Mar 10, 2006

The List: In the aftermath of the Roxie resurrection, the five top-grossing films that screened there over the past two decades.
Deadlines

Funding: Oppenheimer Cine Rental New Filmmaker Equipment Grant Program

The Oppenheimer Cine Rental New Filmmaker Equipment Grant Program supports new filmmakers in producing their first serious film project. The grant awards the use of Grant Program Arriflex 16SR2 camera package to senior and graduate thesis students and to independent filmmakers for a scheduled period of time. ELIGIBILITY: Students, media arts center members and unaffiliated independents are encouraged to apply. Proposed projects may be of any noncommercial nature: dramatic, narrative, documentary, experimental, etc. (Commercial projects, music videos and PSAs will not be considered.) DEADLINE: Ongoing. WEBSITE: oppenheimercinerental.com/grant.html.