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Deadlines
Opportunities: Rough Cuts
Nov 1, 2011Rough Cuts is a series of work-in-progress documentary screenings that are produced at a variety of locations throughout San Francisco. The next event (November 14, 2011; 7:30 p.m.) features one rough cut of a feature-length documentary and then a conversation about the film. The post-screening discussion is designed to give the filmmaker a better, more objective sense of what is working and not working with the film, with particular attention paid to improving the film's structure and narrative clarity. ELIGIBILITY: Rough Cuts is currently accepting submissions for the next event. If you are editing a documentary that is over 40 minutes long and are seeking feedback, they encourage you to submit. Principal photography should have been completed, and filmmakers tare encouraged to submit films that are in the later stages of post-production. AWARDS: Invaluable feedback and constructive criticism. DEADLINE: November 1, 2011. Submissions must arrive by 5:00 p.m. WEBSITE: sfroughcuts.com/index.html.
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Home
Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall
Susan Gerhard
Oct 10, 2011Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
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October 14, 2011
Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall
Susan Gerhard
Oct 10, 2011Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
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Q & A
Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall
Susan Gerhard
Oct 10, 2011Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.
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Home
Kuchar, Belson Bid Adieu
Michael Fox
Sep 8, 2011San 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...
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September 8 2011
Kuchar, Belson Bid Adieu
Michael Fox
Sep 8, 2011San 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...
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News & Blogs
SFFS Announces Winners of Spring 2011 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants
Aug 15, 2011The 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.
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Home
Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
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In Depth
Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
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July 14, 2011
Essential SF: 'Holy Ghost People,' 'Samsara'
Michael Fox
Jul 13, 2011SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
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Festivals
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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Home
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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June 16, 2011
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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Festivals
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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Home
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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June 16, 2011
Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program
Dennis Harvey
Jun 16, 2011The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.
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Home
'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
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May 12, 2011
'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
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Reviews
'Meek's Cutoff' a Minimalist Masterpiece
Michael Read
May 7, 2011Kelly Reichardt creates a moving meditation on open space with 'Meek's Cutoff.'
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april 22 2011
Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
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First Person
Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
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Home
Production Values: Debbie Brubaker
Adrianne Anderson
Apr 19, 2011A veteran producer talks about the art, craft and industry behind her work.
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April 14, 2011
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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Home
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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Legal
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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April 14, 2011
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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Home
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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Legal
The Art of the Steal
George Rush
Apr 12, 2011Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
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Home
Jay Rosenblatt Talks ‘Darkness’
Max Goldberg
Mar 24, 2011Rosenblatt’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...
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March 24, 2011
Jay Rosenblatt Talks ‘Darkness’
Max Goldberg
Mar 24, 2011Rosenblatt’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...
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First Person
Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms
Erica Marcus
Mar 22, 2011The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
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Home
Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms
Erica Marcus
Mar 22, 2011The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
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March 24, 2011
Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms
Erica Marcus
Mar 22, 2011The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
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Festivals
The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW
Sara Dosa
Mar 21, 2011New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.
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Home
The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW
Sara Dosa
Mar 21, 2011New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.
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March 24, 2011
The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW
Sara Dosa
Mar 21, 2011New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.
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Home
Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates
Dennis Harvey
Mar 18, 2011Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
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March 24, 2011
Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates
Dennis Harvey
Mar 18, 2011Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
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Reviews
Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates
Dennis Harvey
Mar 18, 2011Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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March 8, 2011
Film and Video Makers at Cal
Mar 10, 2011Pacific Film Archive hosts ‘Film and Video Makers at Cal,’ which offers an array of short narratives, documentaries and music videos by UC Berkeley student filmmakers. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.
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Home
SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut
Michael Fox
Mar 7, 2011Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
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March 10, 2011
SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut
Michael Fox
Mar 7, 2011Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
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Q & A
SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut
Michael Fox
Mar 7, 2011Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.
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Home
'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
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March 10, 2011
'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
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March 3, 2011
'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
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Reviews
'Boonmee's' Magic Lights Up SFFS Screen
Dennis Harvey
Mar 4, 2011Apichatpong Weerasethakul returns to the jungle, and full-on magic realism, with 'Uncle Boonmee.'
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News & Blogs
SFIFF54 Announces Documentaries in Golden Gate Awards, Films in New Directors Competition
Mar 4, 2011Press 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.
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Home
Poetry in Motion: Working in Action
Lisa Rosenberg
Mar 1, 2011Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.
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March 3, 2011
Poetry in Motion: Working in Action
Lisa Rosenberg
Mar 1, 2011Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.
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Screenwriting
Poetry in Motion: Working in Action
Lisa Rosenberg
Mar 1, 2011Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.
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News & Blogs
SF Indiefest Announces Audience Award Winners
Feb 23, 2011Press Release: The Audience Award winners for the 13th San Francisco Independent Film Festival include ‘Kaboom,’ named as Best Narrative Feature, ‘Bathing and the Single Girl’ for Best Narrative Short, ‘Free Radicals’ for Best Documentary, ‘Burning Wigs of Sedition’ for Best Music Video and ‘Mars’ for Best Animated Film. More at sfindie.com.
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January 25, 2011
African Film Festival 2011
Jan 27, 2011Pacific Film Archive Theater hosts the African Film Festival 2011, presenting popular documentary and narrative films from eight African countries. The festival begins with Remi Vaughan-Richards’ 2010 ‘One Small Step.’
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Home
Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor
Sara Dosa
Jan 20, 2011A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.
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January 20, 2011
Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor
Sara Dosa
Jan 20, 2011A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.
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Reviews
Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor
Sara Dosa
Jan 20, 2011A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.
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December 14, 2010
'All Good Things'
Dec 17, 2010Director Andrew Jarecki revisits disquieting themes from his celebrated documentary ‘Capturing the Friedmans’ in his debut narrative feature, ‘All Good Things,’ which boasts riveting performances from actors Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. More at landmarktheatres.com.
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News & Blogs
SFFS/KRF Announce Fall 2010 Grant Recipients
Dec 6, 2010Press 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.
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December 2, 2010
Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
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Home
Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
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Screenwriting
Writing Screenplays Is not Painting by Numbers
Lisa Rosenberg
Nov 30, 2010When structuring a screenplay, sometimes you need to leave the "advice" behind.
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Festivals
Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments
Max Goldberg
Oct 22, 2010A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.
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Home
Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments
Max Goldberg
Oct 22, 2010A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.
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October 28, 2010
Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments
Max Goldberg
Oct 22, 2010A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.
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Home
Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'
Michael Fox
Oct 6, 2010The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
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In Depth
Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'
Michael Fox
Oct 6, 2010The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
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October 7, 2010
Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'
Michael Fox
Oct 6, 2010The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
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Home
'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History
Susan Gerhard
Sep 23, 2010Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.
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September 23, 2010
'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History
Susan Gerhard
Sep 23, 2010Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.
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Home
The Price of Fame
George Rush
Aug 31, 2010When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
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Legal
The Price of Fame
George Rush
Aug 31, 2010When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
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September 2, 2010
The Price of Fame
George Rush
Aug 31, 2010When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
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August 24, 2010
The Factory Year-End Screening
Aug 24, 2010Oakland's youth video-production collective The Factory showcases more than a dozen documentary, narrative, and experimental films made by students at the Pacific Film Archive on August 24. A panel discussion with student filmmakers follows.
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Home
Essential SF: 'Berkeley in the Sixties,' 'Brother Outsider,' 'Weather Underground'
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2010Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
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In Depth
Essential SF: 'Berkeley in the Sixties,' 'Brother Outsider,' 'Weather Underground'
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2010Three Bay Area documentaries correct the historical record.
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Home
Essential SF: 'Times of Harvey Milk,' 'Crumb,' 'Cockettes'
Michael Fox
Jul 23, 2010Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
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In Depth
Essential SF: 'Times of Harvey Milk,' 'Crumb,' 'Cockettes'
Michael Fox
Jul 23, 2010Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.
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Home
'Wild Grass' Finds Resnais Still Growing
Dennis Harvey
Jul 9, 2010Resnais remains elusive and detached, his films beautiful abstracts of intellectual rather than emotional impact.
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Reviews
'Wild Grass' Finds Resnais Still Growing
Dennis Harvey
Jul 9, 2010Resnais remains elusive and detached, his films beautiful abstracts of intellectual rather than emotional impact.
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Home
Crafting Motifs in Documentary Films
Karen Everett
Jul 6, 2010Choosing 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. . . .
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Festivals
Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Home
Storylines of Silverdocs 2010
Sara Dosa
Jul 1, 2010Storytelling took center stage at the U.S.'s pre-eminent documentary film festival, Silverdocs, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Festivals
Frameline34, a Festival Refreshed
Matt Sussman
Jun 25, 2010Critical consensus on Frameline34 marks it a good year. The audience wanted something different, and the festival has largely obliged.
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Festivals
Frameline34 Focuses on Warhol and Worlds of LGBT Cinema
Dennis Harvey
Jun 17, 2010Frameline34 takes a fresh look at Andy Warhol's world while offering a view to the world of international LGBT cinema 2010.
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Story Structure
Thinking Like a Screenwriter for your Documentary
Karen Everett
May 31, 2010Moving past genre distinctions may help some filmmakers find the best dramatic arc and the most powerful truths.
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Funding
A Short Guide to Funding Short Narratives
Holly Million
May 11, 2010If 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.
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Festivals
SFIFF53: Golden Gate Awards and Juried Prizes/Grants Announced
Susan Gerhard
May 5, 2010Cash prizes totaling nearly $300,000 for filmmakers highlighted the San Francisco International Film Festival s Golden Gate Awards Wednesday night.
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Q & A
'Utopia' in San Francisco
Susan Gerhard
Apr 18, 2010I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.
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In Production
Rajendra Serber's Confident Steps into Film
Michael Fox
Apr 13, 2010From Michael Powell to Carlos Saura to Sally Potter, a stratum of directors has progressively reimagined the relationship between dance and film.
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Reviews
Streetfilms' Two-Wheeled Revolution
Adam Hartzell
Mar 31, 2010Pedestrians have always propelled cinema narratives, but the bicycle has rarely had a starring role.
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Reviews
Unresolved Conflict in 'American Radical,' 'Promised Lands'
Dennis Harvey
Mar 25, 2010YBCA s month-long, six-part Human Rights and Film series closes with two documentaries on the Arab-Israeli conflict made 35 years apart.
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Festivals
SF International Asian American Film Festival's Archival Tour
Adam Hartzell
Mar 19, 2010A theme that emerged in this year s SFIAFF was the importance of archives in the film world.
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Legal
Public, Private: A Need-to-Know Guide
George Rush
Feb 23, 2010People 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?
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Reviews
Herzog's Unexpected 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'
Dennis Harvey
Feb 19, 2010With its comfortable suburban setting, flashback structure and mystery-suspense framework, My Son, My Son is, by Herzogian standards, almost mainstream-conventional. I said almost.
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Q & A
Sam Green's 'Utopia' at Sundance
Susan Gerhard
Jan 31, 2010I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.
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Documentary
Talking Heads to Storytellers
Fernanda Rossi
Jan 27, 2010You might fare better in today's market with a character-driven story, the Doc Doctor advises.
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In Production
Bay Area Narrative Filmmakers Thriving in Doc Capital
Michael Fox
Dec 23, 2009Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
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In Production
Bay Area Narrative Filmmakers Thriving in Doc Capital
Michael Fox
Dec 23, 2009Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
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Reviews
Soulful "35 Shots of Rum" Gently Intoxicating
Dennis Harvey
Dec 17, 2009Claire Denis proves her unpredictability and versatility as a director with the 2008 release 35 Shots of Rum.
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Reviews
New Social Issue Dramas from Rainin Grant-Winners
Michael Fox
Nov 24, 2009The scoop on the projects of the inaugural class for the SFFS/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants, which support lively, intelligent social-issue narrative films.
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Festivals
New Italian Cinema's Fact, Fiction, Fascination
Dennis Harvey
Nov 12, 2009The 13th New Italian Cinema festival finds the political and personal mixing more frequently than you'd find in any assortment of U.S. narrative films.
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Q & A
Robert Mailer Anderson on Mendo Madness of 'Pig Hunt'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 26, 2009After ripping it up at various genre fests, the Bay Area indie horror flick settles in for a theatrical run at the Red Vic.
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Q & A
'Sorry, Thanks' Lavishes Love on the Mission
Michael Fox
Oct 24, 2009From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.
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Reviews
The Turn-off Sex Cinema of Koji Wakamatsu
Dennis Harvey
Oct 16, 2009Probably no one pushed the artistic carte blanche of "pink" films further—at least into the realm of serious political engagement—than the Japanese auteur.
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Reviews
Tangerine Dreams: Cinematheque de Tanger's Morocco Showcase
Simona Schneider
Oct 1, 2009Tangier has created an identity as a great fount of stories and light, complete with an independent cinema that opened in 2007.
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Reviews
Lee, Schamus and Woodstock
Dennis Harvey
Aug 27, 2009The release of Woodstock provides an opportunity to look back on Ang Lee and Schamus's very impressive, diverse screen resume.
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Screenwriting
Understanding Backstory
Lisa Rosenberg
Aug 25, 2009Behind 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
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In Production
Dina Ciraulo's 'Opal'
Michael Fox
Aug 11, 2009Dina Ciraulo's debut feature reconsiders the curious case of nature writer Opal Whiteley, who burst to prominence—and controversy— in the 1920s.
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Story Structure
How a Story Consultant Saved Me
Karen Everett
Aug 4, 2009The Edit Room: I knew the right thing to do was to turn the project over to an editor. The problem was that I didn't have the $45,000 a good editor would require.
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Reviews
'Howl' is Poetry in Post
Michael Fox
Jul 28, 2009Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman combine live-action period drama and animation in retelling of Ginsburg's Howl
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Funding
Are Your "Friends" Worthless?
Holly Million
Jul 13, 2009Fear-Free Fundraising: Are Your "Friends" Worthless?
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Q & A
Richard Levien, from 'Immersion' to 'La Migra'
Jennifer Preissel
Jun 29, 2009New Zealand transplant Richard Levien, a longstanding fixture of the San Francisco indie film community, breaks out of the editing room with Immersion.
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Q & A
Cronenwett's 'Maggots and Men' at Frameline
Michael Fox
Jun 20, 2009A 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.
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Festivals
SFIFF52: Golden Gate Awards Uncorked, SFFS/KRF Grant Winner Announced
Susan Gerhard
May 7, 2009SFIFF handed out approximately $100,000 and announced the winner San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant during its Golden Gate Awards.
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Legal
Risky (Film) Business - What (Not) to Do
George Rush
Apr 21, 2009Avoiding Disaster: George Rush advises on how to secure funding for your film and protect yourself along the way.
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In Production
SFIFF52: New Narrative Trend for Bay Area Cinema
Michael Fox
Apr 21, 2009Four 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.
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Reviews
SFIFF52: Jim Granato's "D tour"
Dan Cowles
Apr 19, 2009Local 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.
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Reviews
Bahrani Earns Ebert's Praise for "Goodbye Solo"
Dennis Harvey
Apr 17, 2009Ramin Bahrani's Goodbye Solo prompted Roger Ebert to pronounce him "the new great American directorâ" a couple weeks ago. The film is definitely the writer-helmer's most accessible work to date, one that might very well provide him with an arthouse breakthrough.
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Reviews
William Kentridge at SFMOMA
Robert Avila
Mar 25, 2009The 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
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Story Structure
How to Rate Your Doc's Story Potential
Karen Everett
Mar 24, 2009A 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.
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Legal
'Medicine for Melancholy' and the Art of DIY Legal Agreements
George Rush
Mar 3, 2009For 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.
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News & Blogs
Social Justice Filmmaking Grants Announced
Susan Gerhard
Jan 28, 2009Grants totaling $3 million for narrative feature films made in the Bay Area will be distributed by the SFFS and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
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Legal
Casting: Names and Numbers
George Rush
Jan 16, 2009Avoiding 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.
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Reviews
Autobio-Animation and the Horrors of War
Dennis Harvey
Jan 6, 2009Waltz with Bashir is another animated feature that embraces a more grown-up story and audience than anything in the long history of "cartoons."
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News & Blogs
Sundance Harvests an Eclectic Crop of Local Films
Michael Fox
Dec 11, 2008Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
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Reviews
Global Lens on Link TV
Judy Stone
Nov 20, 2008Global 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.
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Reviews
Soviet-Critical 'Cargo 200' at YBCA
Matt Sussman
Nov 11, 2008The controversial Cargo 200, a take-down of the Soviet era, makes its U.S. theatrical debut at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
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Digital
The Dimensions of Dialogue
Lisa Rosenberg
Oct 24, 2008Beyond Words: Skillful dialogue on film can achieve a structural dimension that shapes the narrative as surely as plot does.
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Reviews
Crossing Borders with 'Fraulein'
Dennis Harvey
Oct 21, 2008A 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.
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Legal
Notes on Digital Distribution
George Rush
Oct 8, 2008Avoiding Disaster: George Rush offers tips on bridging the worlds of creativity and business.
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Reviews
SFMOMA's "Nonwestern Westerns" Series
Dennis Harvey
Mar 26, 2008A series of films at SFMOMA present an outsiders take on the outmoded American staple, the Western.
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Festivals
SFIAAFF's winners
Susan Gerhard
Mar 21, 2008Two top winners at the SFIAAFF focused on breakadancing, an art form taken up with vengeance by Asians, with Koran teams a particularly dominant force.
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Reviews
"Paranoid Park"
Dennis Harvey
Mar 11, 2008Just when Gus Van Sant seemed on the verge of turning into just another Hollywood selloutÑhe did a total about-face. His four features since have been true art films
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Festivals
The San Francisco Irish Film Festival
Eve O'Neill
Mar 4, 2008San Francisco Irish Film Festival begins this Wednesday at the Roxie with a slate of narratives and documentaries imbued with Ireland's particularly unique sense of time and place
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Reviews
"Warts & All: The Films of Danny Plotnick"
Michael Fox
Mar 3, 2008Warts & 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.
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Q & A
Jessica Yu, "Protagonist"
indieWIRE
Dec 10, 2007Yu's latest doc centers on four rather damaged individuals, applying the dramatic structure of Greek playwright Euripedes to contemporary life.
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Q & A
Q&A with "Holly" Filmmakers
Jennifer Young
Dec 5, 2007"I suddenly found myself surrounded by a group of 15 little [Cambodian] girls aggressively soliciting me for prostitution," Guy Jacobson told a MVFF audience.
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Reviews
Jumping the Shark
Doug Young
Nov 2, 2007The List: While Rob Stewart's film is winning awards around the world, he offered his thoughts on the five films that have done the most damage to sharks' reputation.
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Q & A
Aaron Woolf Seeding Doubt in "King Corn"
Jonathan Marlow
Oct 29, 2007Woolf shares insights drawn from his disparate experiences as a filmmaker in Peru, a fisherman in Alaska, and a restauranteur in New York.
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Reviews
"This is England;" "Rocket Science"
Dennis Harvey and Anthony Kaufman
Aug 7, 2007SF360.org reviews Shane Meadows' finest directorial effort yet and an offbeat coming-of-age comic-drama.
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Reviews
"Private Property;" "One to Another"
Dennis Harvey and Michael Koresky/indieWIRE
Jul 31, 2007A non-rich family is torn apart by money matters, and young actors lie atop, next to, and around each other with youthful, sexual abandon.
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Q & A
'Joshua's' George Ratliff
indieWIRE
Jul 11, 2007George Ratliff talks about his first feature narrative Joshua, described by Sundance as a "horror story disguised as a sophisticated family drama."
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Q & A
'Joshua's' George Ratliff
indieWIRE
Jul 11, 2007George Ratliff talks about his first feature narrative Joshua, described by Sundance as a "horror story disguised as a sophisticated family drama."
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Q & A
A Rob Nilsson 10
Staff
Apr 27, 2007The List: An Amerindie helmer well before the term was invented, Nilsson names 10 films which deeply affected him.
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News & Blogs
Remembering Jim Lyons: 1960 - 2007
Staff
Apr 18, 2007The editor and actor, known for his frequent work with Todd Haynes, died in New York. His friends share their thoughts.
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Q & A
Mike White's Alter Egos
Michael Fox
Apr 14, 2007White's heroes and heroines are content with their mundane lives until some uninvited intruder or unforeseen event exposes their frustration and complacency.
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Q & A
Weerasethakul Talks Hospitals, Aerobics, and a Boy From Mars
Johnny Ray Huston
Apr 9, 2007One of Apichatpong Weerasethakul Ôs goals as a filmmaker is to simply show what he likes, and what he likes to see.
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Reviews
Reviews: "Police Beat"; "The Page Turner"
Dennis Harvey
Apr 3, 2007It's taken over two years for Police Beat to go from one of the most praised films at Sundance to a theatre near you.
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Q & A
Phillip Haas on "The Situation"
Michael Fox
Mar 26, 2007An interview with documentary and narrative filmmaker Philip Haas upon the release of his latest film, The Situation.
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Q & A
Phillip Haas on "The Situation"
Michael Fox
Mar 26, 2007An interview with documentary and narrative filmmaker Philip Haas upon the release of his latest film, The Situation.
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Reviews
Reviews: "Black Snake Moan"; "Cinemachismo"
Michael Guillen
Feb 27, 2007
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Q & A
Michael Arndt, Little Mr. Sunshine
Michael Guillen
Feb 23, 2007The Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine made a Cody's San Francisco bookstore appearance promoting the publication of the shooting script.
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Q & A
Von Donnersmarck's Oscar-nominated "The Lives of Others"
Miljenko Skoknic
Feb 12, 2007Von Donnersmarck talks about his Lola-winning and Oscar-nominated debut during a visit to San Francisco.
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Reviews
"Absolute Wilson"; "Army of Shadows"
Robert Avila
Jan 9, 2007A 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.
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Reviews
Nathaniel Dorsky's Secret World
Michael Fox
Dec 5, 2006Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.
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Q & A
"Man Push Cart" Director's New York-by-Way-of-Pakistan Story
Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
Dec 4, 2006Ramin Bahrani's debut feature follows a solitary, quiet immigrant struggling to make a go of it in New York City.
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Reviews
Teshigahara at The Castro
Dennis Harvey
Nov 23, 2006Filmmaking was just one among many creative outlets for Japanese multimedia artist Hiroshi Teshigahara.
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Festivals
A Cinequest 35
Susan Gerhard
Nov 17, 2006Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.
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Reviews
Found: 'Marie Antoinette' in Paris
Max Goldberg
Oct 18, 2006After weeks of Western Europe, what better way for the young cineaste to crash the City of Light than a trip to the silver screen?
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Q & A
John Cameron Mitchell's long "Shortbus" ride
Susan Gerhard
Oct 2, 2006John Cameron Mitchell's latest film: A bright, sexually explicit ensemble piece featuring American friends and acquaintances who might have made good primetime TV.
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Q & A
Opening "Red Doors" in Asian American Family
Susan Gerhard
Sep 19, 2006Filmmaker Georgia Lee discusses her narrative feature with family member Frances Chang.
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Q & A
Opening "Red Doors" in Asian American Family
Susan Gerhard
Sep 19, 2006Filmmaker Georgia Lee discusses her narrative feature with family member Frances Chang.
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Q & A
Laura Poitras" "My Country, My Country"
indieWIRE
Aug 28, 2006Director Laura Poitras’ traveled to Iraq for her latest film, “My Country, My Country.”
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Reviews
Sweet "Quinceañera" vs. MTV's greedy "My Super Sweet 16"
Johnny Ray Huston
Aug 15, 2006Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's exploration of a teen's rite of passage is the warmhearted opposite of MTV's glorification of wasteful and selfish spending.
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Q & A
Night Listening with Patrick Stettner
indieWIRE
Aug 14, 2006The director of The Business of Strangers talks about his second feature, starring Robin Williams.
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Q & A
Keith Fulton and "Brothers of the Head"
indieWIRE
Aug 8, 2006The co-director talks about his provocative fictional documentary about conjoined twins groomed for rock Ôn' roll stardom.
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Reviews
Francois Ozon, Mortal
B. Ruby Rich
Aug 2, 2006Ozon'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.
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Q & A
Amos Gitai's Reality
Michael Fox
Aug 1, 2006The veteran Israeli filmmaker, in town for the Jewish Film Festival, talks about radical art and Free Zone.
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Festivals
The San Francisco Black Film Festival
Cheryl Eddy
Jun 12, 2006Highlights of San Francisco Black Film Festival's eighth annual edition.
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Q & A
New Executive Director of S.F. Cinematheque on Experimental Film
Michael Fox
May 29, 2006Newly appointed S.F. Cinematheque executive director Caroline Savage discusses the state of experimental film.
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Festivals
Frameline's 30th San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
Susan Gerhard
May 23, 2006The 2006 program for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival features an eclectic mix of genres and narrative types.
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Q & A
Terry Zwigoff, "Confidential" and Uncensored
Michael Fox
May 8, 2006San Francisco filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, a former curmudgeon softened by success, discusses Art School Confidential.
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Festivals
Words on work with Michael Glawogger
Michael Fox
May 1, 2006A conversation with director Michael Glawogger on his film, Workingman's Death, which screens at the 2006 SFIFF.
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Festivals
Graham Leggat, SFIFF Executive Director, Indexed
Susan Gerhard
Apr 21, 2006"I got a call out of the blue," Graham Leggat says, explaining how he left the Film Society of Lincoln Center for the left coast.
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Q & A
"Full Grown Men" On the Road
Michael Fox
Apr 17, 2006David Munro and Xandra Castleton speak about making their indie Full Grown Men and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival.
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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.
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