• Deadlines
  
  

  Opportunities: International Film Festival Summit

  Dec 4, 2011

  International Film Festival Summit (December 4–6, 2011), held in Austin, Texas, is the largest international organization representing the film festival industry. The IFFS mission is to promote and strengthen the global film festival industry through education, networking, dissemination of information, and the cultivation of high standards. This year's featured topics include Anatomy of a Festival: South by Southwest, Programming: The Fine Art of Film Selection, Marketing Strategies: Integrating Social Media and Technology, The Festival Mission, Sponsorship Strategy, Box Office Technology Solutions, among others. Notable speakers include Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset), as well as SFFS' very own Steve Jenkins, Sarah Cathers, and Linda Butler. DEADLINE: Register by September 25, 2011 to receive discounted rate. WEBSITE: filmfestivalsummit.com/iffshome.html.
  

  
• Home
  
  

  Welcome to SF360

  Nov 15, 2011

  SF360.org represents a nearly six-year experiment in philanthropically funded film journalism, covering films and filmmaking in the Bay Area and beyond. Published by the San Francisco Film Society, the website debuted February 27, 2006 and was created in a unique collaboration between SFFS and Indiewire, with Susan Gerhard as editor. While SF360.org is no longer publishing feature stories, the SF360 Archive remains the most comprehensive collection of articles about the Bay Area film community, with more than 1,000 feature stories and reviews as well as Indie Toolkit's informative columns about the basics of creating a film and delivering it to audiences. Articles by some of the Bay Area’s most notable voices will remain at your fingertips for the foreseeable future.

  
• November 15, 2011
  
  

  Welcome to SF360

  Nov 15, 2011

  SF360.org represents a nearly six-year experiment in philanthropically funded film journalism, covering films and filmmaking in the Bay Area and beyond. Published by the San Francisco Film Society, the website debuted February 27, 2006 and was created in a unique collaboration between SFFS and Indiewire, with Susan Gerhard as editor. While SF360.org is no longer publishing feature stories, the SF360 Archive remains the most comprehensive collection of articles about the Bay Area film community, with more than 1,000 feature stories and reviews as well as Indie Toolkit's informative columns about the basics of creating a film and delivering it to audiences. Articles by some of the Bay Area’s most notable voices will remain at your fingertips for the foreseeable future.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: California Story Fund

  Nov 15, 2011

  The California Story Fund, presented by California Council for the Humanities (CCH), supports public humanities programs that bring light to compelling stories from California's diverse communities and provide opportunities for collective reflection and public discussion. ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must have California tax-exempt organizational status or partner with a California tax-exempt organization that will serve as a fiscal sponsor, not have an open grant with CCH, and be in good standing with CCH. Projects should be based on stories gathered from community members, include a public discussion component and at least one humanities expert. Film/video projects should not exceed a total budget of $50,000. AWARDS: Applicants may request up to $10,000, which must be matched by at least an equivalent contribution of non-federal funds or in-kind services. DEADLINE: November 15, 2011. WEBSITE: calhum.org/guidelines/guidelines_csf.htm.
  

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Cultural Equity Grants

  Nov 10, 2011

  San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Cultural Equity Grants provide "financial support for the enrichment of San Francisco's multicultural landscape." ELIGIBILITY: Organization Project Grants provide up to $15,000 to support the presentation of high quality works of art and arts activities, including film and video screenings and arts festivals. All art forms will be considered. To be eligible, organizations must have 501(c)(3) status or use a fiscal sponsor. Grant Period: June 15, 2012 - December 31, 2013. AWARDS: Grants awards are up to 15,000 to support the enhancement of arts facilities in the city. DEADLINE: November 10, 2011. WEBSITE: sfartscommission.org/ceg/grants/index.html#opg.
  

  
• Events
  
  

  Essential SF: Nov. 6

  Nov 6, 2011

  Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.

  
• Featured
  
  

  Essential SF: Nov. 6

  Nov 6, 2011

  Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Nov. 6

  Nov 6, 2011

  Essential SF shines a light on the Bay Area’s legendary, idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world at SF Film Society | New People Cinema, 7:00 pm. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column, the event this year also pays tribute to the half-decade-plus SF360.org project.

  
• 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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Shoot Online: "Bodega Goes Bicoastal, Opens San Francisco Office Under Exec Producer/Partner Clint Goldman"

  Nov 3, 2011

  "Bodega, a New York-based content creation/production company, has extended its reach Westward with the opening of a San Francisco shop headed by executive producer/partner Clint Goldman." More at shootonline.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Susan Gerhard

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 2, 2011

  Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Susan Gerhard

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 2, 2011

  Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Susan Gerhard

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 2, 2011

  Susan Gerhard talks copy, critics and the 'there' we have here.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Joshua Grannell

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 1, 2011

  Since its first event in 1998, Midnight Mass has become an SF institution, and Peaches Christ, well, she's its peerless warden and cult leader.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Joshua Grannell

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 1, 2011

  Since its first event in 1998, Midnight Mass has become an SF institution, and Peaches Christ, well, she's its peerless warden and cult leader.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Joshua Grannell

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Nov 1, 2011

  Since its first event in 1998, Midnight Mass has become an SF institution, and Peaches Christ, well, she's its peerless warden and cult leader.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: Durfee Foundation Artists' Resource for Completion Grants

  Nov 1, 2011

  Durfee Foundation Artists' Resource for Completion Grants give individual artists money to complete work for a specific, imminent opportunity that may significantly benefit their career. AWARDS: up to $3,500. ELIGIBILITY Artists must be Los Angeles County residents, 21 years or older and have secured an invitation from an established organization to present the work. Full-time students are ineligible. Current DEADLINE: Quarterly, current November 1, 2011. WEBSITE: durfee.org/programs/arc/index.html.
  

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Napa Register: "Napa Goes Big Right out of Film Fest"

  Nov 1, 2011

  "After whetting local appetites through a successful soft launch last year, 91 films are now listed in the 2011 Napa Valley Film Festival program guide. Those films—many of them short—will be played on 12 screens throughout the Napa Valley, including screenings in Calistoga, Yountville, St. Helena and the city of Napa." More at napavalleyregister.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Daily News: "Animator John Lasseter to Recieve Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame"

  Nov 1, 2011

  "John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, will receive the 2,453rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today," reports Daily News Wire Services. More at dailynews.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Karen Larsen

  Michael Fox
  Oct 31, 2011

  Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Karen Larsen

  Michael Fox
  Oct 31, 2011

  Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Karen Larsen

  Michael Fox
  Oct 31, 2011

  Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.

  
• Home
  
  

  Joshua Moore, on Location

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’

  
• October 28, 2011
  
  

  Joshua Moore, on Location

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Joshua Moore, on Location

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  Filmmaker and programmer Moore talks process, offers perspective on his debut feature and Cinema by the Bay opener, ‘I Think It’s Raining.’

  
• Home
  
  

  NFPF’s ‘Treasures 5’ Excavates 'The West'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  The National Film Preservation Foundation delivers another gem with the fascinating three-disc box set 'The West 1898-1938.'

  
• October 28, 2011
  
  

  NFPF’s ‘Treasures 5’ Excavates 'The West'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  The National Film Preservation Foundation delivers another gem with the fascinating three-disc box set 'The West 1898-1938.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  NFPF’s ‘Treasures 5’ Excavates 'The West'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2011

  The National Film Preservation Foundation delivers another gem with the fascinating three-disc box set 'The West 1898-1938.'

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Balboa Theatre Saved: SFNTF Partners With Gary Meyer to Keep Theatre Open

  Oct 27, 2011

  Press release: The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation announced today that it is partnering with Gary Meyer to keep the City’s historic Balboa Theatre (1926) open and to develop a sustainable long-term plan for the theater. The Theater Foundation also announced it has reached an agreement to lease the theater through 2024—securing the future of one of San Francisco’s oldest operating cinemas. More at sfntf.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Canyon Cinema

  Michael Fox
  Oct 26, 2011

  For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Canyon Cinema

  Michael Fox
  Oct 26, 2011

  For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Canyon Cinema

  Michael Fox
  Oct 26, 2011

  For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.

  
• October 28, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Canyon Cinema

  Michael Fox
  Oct 26, 2011

  For 50 years, Canyon Cinema has provided crucial support for a fertile avant-garde film scene.

  
• Home
  
  

  Under the Spell of French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 25, 2011

  Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.

  
• October 28, 2011
  
  

  Under the Spell of French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 25, 2011

  Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Under the Spell of French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 25, 2011

  Love permeates SFFS's francophone film series.

  
• Home
  
  

  Signs of the Times

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 24, 2011

  Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.

  
• October 28, 2011
  
  

  Signs of the Times

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 24, 2011

  Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Signs of the Times

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 24, 2011

  Director Mina T. Son talks about the creation of ‘Making Noise in Silence,’ screening the United Nations Association Film Festival this week.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Announces New Executive Director

  Oct 24, 2011

  Press release: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival announced its new Executive Director: Lexi Leban, who begins working with the festival November 7, 2011. A longtime member of the Bay Area film community, Lexi has worked in all aspects of film, from production to distribution. She’s also worked with numerous film festivals, including the Mill Valley Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and the Global Social Change Film Festival in Bali. Lexi is currently Academic Director of the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Program at the Art Institute of California, where she built the department from its inception. Her most recent feature documentary, Girl Trouble, which follows young girls in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system, aired on PBS’s acclaimed series Independent Lens in January of 2006, and won Best Bay Area Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival. More at sfjff.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Thompson on Hollywood: "Film Independent Names Lab Participants, Sloan Award Winners"

  Oct 24, 2011

  "After their weekend-long Film Independent Forum," reports Sophia Savage, "FIND announced eleven filmmakers and nine projects for their 11th annual Producers Lab, and named Brent Hoff and Malcom Pullinger the winners of the 5th annual $25,000 Sloan Producers Grant." More at indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood.

  
• 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.

  
• Events
  
  

  NY/SF International Children's Film Festival

  Oct 21, 2011

  The San Francisco Film Society joins the New York International Children’s Film Festival to present a three-day kid-ready fest of animated and non-animated shorts and features from around the world. The brief fest kicks off with a child-friendly opening night party on Friday, and for offers another chance to enjoy Alex Law's sweet Hong Kong Film Days entry, 'Echoes of the Rainbow.' More info sffs.org.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Children’s Film Festival Moves in and out of Shadows

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 20, 2011

  Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.

  
• Home
  
  

  Children’s Film Festival Moves in and out of Shadows

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 20, 2011

  Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.

  
• October 20, 2011
  
  

  Children’s Film Festival Moves in and out of Shadows

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 20, 2011

  Without marketing tie-ins, plastic toys or corn-syrup confections, a children’s film festival brings energy to the screen.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Wired: "At Popcorn Hackathon, Coders Team With Filmmakers to Supercharge Web Video"

  Oct 20, 2011

  "Filmmakers and coders hunkered down for two days of creative collaboration here during a first-of-its-kind hackathon that explored the future of web video — specifically Popcorn.js, Mozilla’s HTML5 media toolkit designed to amp up interactivity" reports Angela Watercutter. More at wired.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  San Francisco Chronicle: 'Online publication sf360.org closing down"

  Oct 19, 2011

  "The launch of SF360.org, an online publication devoted to covering the entire Bay Area film community, was one of San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Graham Leggat's first initiatives when he took over the organization," writes Pam Grady. "...in November, a victim of financial realities and organizational changes in the wake of Leggat's recent death, SF360.org will cease publication." More at SFGate.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Irving Saraf and Allie Light

  Michael Fox
  Oct 19, 2011

  Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Irving Saraf and Allie Light

  Michael Fox
  Oct 19, 2011

  Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.

  
• November 3, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Irving Saraf and Allie Light

  Michael Fox
  Oct 19, 2011

  Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.

  
• October 20, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: Irving Saraf and Allie Light

  Michael Fox
  Oct 19, 2011

  Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Clean White Lines Demos DIY Ethos

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 18, 2011

  Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?

  
• Home
  
  

  Clean White Lines Demos DIY Ethos

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 18, 2011

  Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?

  
• October 20, 2011
  
  

  Clean White Lines Demos DIY Ethos

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 18, 2011

  Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?

  
• Home
  
  

  Where Are their Stories?

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 17, 2011

  The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.

  
• October 20, 2011
  
  

  Where Are their Stories?

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 17, 2011

  The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Where Are their Stories?

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 17, 2011

  The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Opportunities: Cinequest Screenwriting Competition

  Oct 17, 2011

  Cinequest Screenwriting Competition, held in conjunction with the Cinequest Film Festival (February 28-March 11, 2012), is accepting submissions. ELIGIBILITY: The competition is open to screenplays of all genres and lengths up to 140 pages that have not been optioned, purchased, produced, or put into production. Scripts should be in English, properly formatted, and submitted in PDF format. Scripts written as adaptations of other works must have secured rights before being submitted. Entry fee $45-65. AWARDS: Finalists receive non-cash prizes, including exposure to literary agents, film studios, and producers. Top prize is $5,000. DEADLINE: September 26, 2011 (early); October 17, 2011 (late). WEBSITE: cinequest.org/sp_agent.php.
  

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Opportunities: Center for Asian American Media Fellowship Program

  Oct 17, 2011

  Furthering CAAM's work to nurture Asian American media professionals and advance the field of Asian American media, the second annual CAAM Fellowship Program will connect young, talented individuals with leading professionals in the field. ELIGIBILITY: Participating fellows will have access to the leading Asian American talent in film, television and digital media. Each fellowship will be individually tailored to best fit the needs of the fellows and advisers. Fellowships will range from fully integrated collaborations to regular feedback on current projects to an ongoing dialogue about professional development. AWARDS: The CAAM Fellowship Program Retreat will allow the mentor-mentee pairs to spend two full days together in a quiet and peaceful environment where they can focus on the mentees' career, whether it is a script being developed or an acting career that needs some guidance. DEADLINE: October 17, 2011. WEBSITE: caamedia.org/filmmaker-resources/fellowship/caam-fellowship-program-2011/.
  

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Wall Street Journal: "George Lucas Self-Finances Action Movie About Tuskegee Airmen"

  Oct 17, 2011

  "Star Wars creator George Lucas is betting millions of his own dollars that moviegoers will be drawn to an action movie about African-American fighter pilots in World War II," reports Christopher John Farley. "Mr. Lucas has self-financed a new film entitled Red Tails inspired by the true story of the first organized group of African-American fighter pilots in the U.S. armed forces." More at wsj.com.

  
• Events
  
  

  DocFest 2011

  Oct 14, 2011

  SF Indiefest offshoot DocFest kicks off its 10th edition this Friday with a screening of 'Dirty Pictures,' a film about underground ecstasy legend Dr. Alexander Shulgin. Featuring the wildest and wooliest independent docs emerging this year, the fest also boast a number of well-loved parties and one ’80s New Wave sing-along. More info at sfindie.virb.com.

  
• October 11, 2011
  
  

  DocFest 2011

  Oct 14, 2011

  SF Indiefest offshoot DocFest kicks off its 10th edition this Friday with a screening of 'Dirty Pictures,' a film about underground ecstasy legend Dr. Alexander Shulgin. Featuring the wildest and wooliest independent docs emerging this year, the fest also boast a number of well-loved parties and one ’80s New Wave sing-along. More info at sfindie.virb.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Changes You Can Believe In at SF DocFest

  Robert Avila
  Oct 13, 2011

  Nonfiction films offer view to revolutions. DocFest has a well-earned reputation for knocking the stuffiness out of a pretty sober word. The 10-year-old festival founded by IndieFest’s Jeff Ross has taken pride in equating “documentary” with the unconventional and idiosyncratic—fare that celebrates the offbeat, the weird, the wondrous. I’m thinking of wiener-dog races, yes, but that’s just the tip of the beast. This year’s festival (October 14–27), which opens at the Roxie with a profile of the creator of MDMA (Etienne Sauret’s Dirty Pictures) and ends with a look at a comic-book super-author (With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story), provides another...

  
• October 14, 2011
  
  

  Changes You Can Believe In at SF DocFest

  Robert Avila
  Oct 13, 2011

  Nonfiction films offer view to revolutions. DocFest has a well-earned reputation for knocking the stuffiness out of a pretty sober word. The 10-year-old festival founded by IndieFest’s Jeff Ross has taken pride in equating “documentary” with the unconventional and idiosyncratic—fare that celebrates the offbeat, the weird, the wondrous. I’m thinking of wiener-dog races, yes, but that’s just the tip of the beast. This year’s festival (October 14–27), which opens at the Roxie with a profile of the creator of MDMA (Etienne Sauret’s Dirty Pictures) and ends with a look at a comic-book super-author (With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story), provides another...

  
• 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 ...

  
• Home
  
  

  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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 10, 2011

  Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.

  
• October 14, 2011
  
  

  Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 10, 2011

  Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Arab Spring Arrives in a Festival-Packed Fall

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 10, 2011

  Arab Film Festival Executive Director Michel Shehadeh speaks to building an all-encompassing international space.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: TFI Documentary Fund

  Oct 10, 2011

  The TFI Documentary Fund provides grants and guidance to exceptional filmmakers developing engaging feature-length documentaries which emphasize character and that allow audiences to consider history, culture and society through the experiences of extraordinary individuals. ELIGIBILITY: Submissions must be non-fiction motion pictures with an intended length of at least 70 minutes and should creatively document unique character(s); submissions can be in the advanced stages of development, production or post-production and must not have aired on any form. Foreign language documentaries are eligible, but must be subtitled and suitable for an American audience. Applicants must be over 18-years old. $25 entry fee. AWARDS: Grants of at least $10,000 will be awarded in 2012. DEADLINE: October 10, 2011. WEBSITE: tribecafilminstitute.org/tfi_documentary/.
  

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: "Netflix Kills Plan to Split Off DVD Rentals"

  Oct 10, 2011

  "Netflix Inc. is abandoning its widely panned decision to separate its DVD-by-mail and Internet streaming services," reports Peter Svensson, "because it would make them more difficult to use." More at sfgate.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Variety: "Fritz Manes Dies at 79"

  Oct 10, 2011

  "Fritz Manes, who had a long association with Clint Eastwood, producing, exec producing or associate producing a dozen of the films Eastwood directed between 1977 and 1986," reports Variety, "died of lung and brain cancer on Sept. 27 in Sherman Oaks, Calif." More at variety.com.

  
• Events
  
  

  An Evening with Susan Orlean & Rin Tin Tin

  Oct 9, 2011

  Author and journalist Susan Orlean ('The Orchid Thief') appears in person at SF Film Society Cinema | New People to celebrate the release of her new book on American cinema's greatest animal actor, Rin Tin Tin. One of the canine's classics, 'Clash of the Wolves,' will screen following an illustrated introduction by Orlean. Q&A to follow. More info and tickets at sffs.org.

  
• October 4 2011
  
  

  An Evening with Susan Orlean & Rin Tin Tin

  Oct 9, 2011

  Author and journalist Susan Orlean ('The Orchid Thief') appears in person at SF Film Society Cinema | New People to celebrate the release of her new book on American cinema's greatest animal actor, Rin Tin Tin. One of the canine's classics, 'Clash of the Wolves,' will screen following an illustrated introduction by Orlean. Q&A to follow. More info and tickets at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• In Production
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• October 14, 2011
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• Events
  
  

  'American Teacher'

  Oct 7, 2011

  The Matt Damon-narrated SFIFF hit 'American Teacher' follows the lives of a few edu-system stars, one based in San Francisco, forced by low wages and crumbling job security to reconsider their chosen profession. Filmmaker Vanessa Roth and producers Dave Eggers and Nînive Calegari will be present for Q&A following Friday's screening; special reception Tuesday, October 11. More info at roxie.com.

  
• October 4 2011
  
  

  'American Teacher'

  Oct 7, 2011

  The Matt Damon-narrated SFIFF hit 'American Teacher' follows the lives of a few edu-system stars, one based in San Francisco, forced by low wages and crumbling job security to reconsider their chosen profession. Filmmaker Vanessa Roth and producers Dave Eggers and Nînive Calegari will be present for Q&A following Friday's screening; special reception Tuesday, October 11. More info at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• In Production
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• October 14, 2011
  
  

  ‘New Environmentalists’ Salutes Gutsy Grassroots Guerillas

  Michael Fox
  Oct 7, 2011

  Goldman Prize-winning environmentalists' work highlighted in short-form pieces by Parrinello, Antonelli and Dusenbery.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  AP: "Steve Jobs told us what we needed before we knew"

  Oct 6, 2011

  AP: "Steve Jobs saw the future and led the world to it. He moved technology from garages to pockets, took entertainment from discs to bytes and turned gadgets into extensions of the people who use them," writes Jordan Robertson. "Jobs, who founded and ran Apple, told us what we needed before we wanted it." More at sfgate.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  CNN: "Steve Jobs Led the Way in Pop Culture"

  Oct 6, 2011

  "As chairman and chief executive officer of Pixar," reports Lisa Respers France, "Jobs led the way in marrying the endless possibilities of technology with the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry." More at cnn.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Graham Leggat and the Art of Engagement

  Peter Coyote
  Oct 5, 2011

  In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Graham Leggat and the Art of Engagement

  Peter Coyote
  Oct 5, 2011

  In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'

  
• October 6, 2011
  
  

  Graham Leggat and the Art of Engagement

  Peter Coyote
  Oct 5, 2011

  In the illusory world of what we call ‘real life’, our beloved friend Graham pursued his practice of keeping his attention fixed firmly on 'the screen.'

  
• Home
  
  

  The Facts Behind Great Fiction

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Oct 4, 2011

  The path to authentic storytelling lies in research.

  
• October 6, 2011
  
  

  The Facts Behind Great Fiction

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Oct 4, 2011

  The path to authentic storytelling lies in research.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  The Facts Behind Great Fiction

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Oct 4, 2011

  The path to authentic storytelling lies in research.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  First Showing: "Disney Re-Releasing More Pixar/Disney Classics in 3D in 2012/2013"

  Oct 4, 2011

  "Disney has officially announced today that 'on the heels of the phenomenal success' of The Lion King 3D, they're now setting up 3D re-releases of four Disney/Pixar classics over the next two years, starting with Beauty and the Beast in 3D," reports Alex Billington. More at firstshowing.net.

  
• Home
  
  

  Goldmacher IDs Perps Behind Financial Crisis

  Michael Fox
  Oct 3, 2011

  An East Bay filmmaker takes another look at U.S. financial woes with 'Heist,' which world premieres at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

  
• October 6, 2011
  
  

  Goldmacher IDs Perps Behind Financial Crisis

  Michael Fox
  Oct 3, 2011

  An East Bay filmmaker takes another look at U.S. financial woes with 'Heist,' which world premieres at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Goldmacher IDs Perps Behind Financial Crisis

  Michael Fox
  Oct 3, 2011

  An East Bay filmmaker takes another look at U.S. financial woes with 'Heist,' which world premieres at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

  
• Events
  
  

  Film in the Fog: 'Dark Passage'

  Oct 1, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society and the Presidio Trust present the 10th anniversary edition of Film in the Fog, with pre-show entertainments (’50s-era newsreel, classic cartoon, music) to precede an outdoor screening of San Francisco-shot Humphrey Bogart noir treasure 'Dark Passage.' Film program begins at 7:15 p.m. at the Presidio Main Post Theater; more info at sffs.org.

  
• September 27 2011
  
  

  Film in the Fog: 'Dark Passage'

  Oct 1, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society and the Presidio Trust present the 10th anniversary edition of Film in the Fog, with pre-show entertainments (’50s-era newsreel, classic cartoon, music) to precede an outdoor screening of San Francisco-shot Humphrey Bogart noir treasure 'Dark Passage.' Film program begins at 7:15 p.m. at the Presidio Main Post Theater; more info at sffs.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Just Out: " 'We Were Here' Opens Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Fest"

  Sep 30, 2011

  "The 15th annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Fest opens tonight," reports Amanda Schurr, "with a screening of David Weissman’s latest documentary, We Were Here." More at justout.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Turturro Makes a Case for 'Passione'

  Max Goldberg
  Sep 29, 2011

  John Turturro shares his passion for the Neapolitan songbook.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Turturro Makes a Case for 'Passione'

  Max Goldberg
  Sep 29, 2011

  John Turturro shares his passion for the Neapolitan songbook.

  
• September 29 2011
  
  

  Turturro Makes a Case for 'Passione'

  Max Goldberg
  Sep 29, 2011

  John Turturro shares his passion for the Neapolitan songbook.

  
• 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.

  
• Events
  
  

  'The Hungry Wolves'

  Sep 29, 2011

  PFA series Anatolian Outlaw: Yilmaz Güney, showcasing the work of the Turkish actor-director cum revolutionary dubbed the "Ugly King" for his unique combination of charisma and rough-hewn looks, continues with the realist western riff 'The Hungry Wolves.' Series runs through October 9. More info at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• September 27 2011
  
  

  'The Hungry Wolves'

  Sep 29, 2011

  PFA series Anatolian Outlaw: Yilmaz Güney, showcasing the work of the Turkish actor-director cum revolutionary dubbed the "Ugly King" for his unique combination of charisma and rough-hewn looks, continues with the realist western riff 'The Hungry Wolves.' Series runs through October 9. More info at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  J Weekly: "Executive Director Stepping Down But Not Away From S.F. Jewish Film Fest"

  Sep 29, 2011

  "After an eight-year tenure as the festival’s director," reports Dan Pine, "[Peter Stein] is stepping down Oct. 3 — and once again becoming a regular film festival fan." More at jweekly.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Slade Channels Broughton’s ‘Big Joy’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2011

  Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Slade Channels Broughton’s ‘Big Joy’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2011

  Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.

  
• September 29 2011
  
  

  Slade Channels Broughton’s ‘Big Joy’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2011

  Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.

  
• Events
  
  

  'Shaolin'

  Sep 28, 2011

  Fresh from screening his wacky 'City Under Seige' in the SFFS Hong Kong Cinema program, the Cinema gives a short run to mainstay Benny Chan's more "serious" 2011 blockbuster, 'Shaolin,' with HK superstars Andy Lau, Jackie Chan and Nicholas Tse. More info at sffs.org.

  
• September 27 2011
  
  

  'Shaolin'

  Sep 28, 2011

  Fresh from screening his wacky 'City Under Seige' in the SFFS Hong Kong Cinema program, the Cinema gives a short run to mainstay Benny Chan's more "serious" 2011 blockbuster, 'Shaolin,' with HK superstars Andy Lau, Jackie Chan and Nicholas Tse. More info at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  On Chronicling Criminals

  George Rush
  Sep 27, 2011

  Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.

  
• Legal
  
  

  On Chronicling Criminals

  George Rush
  Sep 27, 2011

  Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.

  
• September 29 2011
  
  

  On Chronicling Criminals

  George Rush
  Sep 27, 2011

  Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  UC Berkeley: " ‘Presumed Guilty’ Wins Emmy for Best Investigative Journalism"

  Sep 27, 2011

  “Presumed Guilty was nominated for three Emmys — outstanding investigative journalism (long form), best documentary and best research — and has received some 20 festival awards," reports Cathy Cockrell. More at berkeley.edu.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Beyond the Box: " 'Art & Copy' Wins News and Doc Emmy Award"

  Sep 27, 2011

  "The documentary, which aired last season on Independent Lens, reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time." More at beyondthebox.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Broadly Comedic ‘My Afternoons with Margueritte’ a Harmless Indulgence

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 26, 2011

  Sentimental French film is no top-shelf vehicle, but Depardieu savors it as if it were the rarest vintage Bordeaux.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Broadly Comedic ‘My Afternoons with Margueritte’ a Harmless Indulgence

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 26, 2011

  Sentimental French film is no top-shelf vehicle, but Depardieu savors it as if it were the rarest vintage Bordeaux.

  
• September 29 2011
  
  

  Broadly Comedic ‘My Afternoons with Margueritte’ a Harmless Indulgence

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 26, 2011

  Sentimental French film is no top-shelf vehicle, but Depardieu savors it as if it were the rarest vintage Bordeaux.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  USA Today: "Netflix Snatches Dreamworks Rights From HBO"

  Sep 26, 2011

  "The multiyear deal announced Monday," reports Michael Liedtke, "will give Netflix's streaming service the exclusive rights to show the latest content from DreamWorks, the studio behind a list of popular franchises that includes Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar." More at usatoday.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Guy Maddin: Ann Savage and the Osmonds

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Sep 23, 2011

  Guy Maddin talks about movies, writing, himself—and the allure of the Osmonds, re-published on the occasion of Fandor's Maddin blogathon.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Guy Maddin: Ann Savage and the Osmonds

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Sep 23, 2011

  Guy Maddin talks about movies, writing, himself—and the allure of the Osmonds, re-published on the occasion of Fandor's Maddin blogathon.

  
• 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.

  
• Events
  
  

  IXFF Indie Erotic Film Festival

  Sep 22, 2011

  Peaches Christ and Dr. Carol Queen host the Sixth Annual Good Vibrations Indie Erotic Film Festival Short Film Competition this Thursday, boasting a Barbary Coast-themed party featuring food, drinks and an array of appropriately sexed-up performers and a curated screening of sexy short films from this year. Each event costs $10, more info castrotheatre.com.

  
• September 20, 2011
  
  

  IXFF Indie Erotic Film Festival

  Sep 22, 2011

  Peaches Christ and Dr. Carol Queen host the Sixth Annual Good Vibrations Indie Erotic Film Festival Short Film Competition this Thursday, boasting a Barbary Coast-themed party featuring food, drinks and an array of appropriately sexed-up performers and a curated screening of sexy short films from this year. Each event costs $10, more info castrotheatre.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Below the Line: "SPY Delivers Visual Effects, DI and Stereo Conversion for Coppola's 'Twixt' "

  Sep 22, 2011

  "San Francisco-based visual effects and post house SPY, a FotoKem company, recently contributed hundreds of visual effects shots, the digital intermediate and 3D conversion services for Francis Ford Coppola’s latest feature film, Twixt," reports Below the Line. More at btlnews.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Weimberg, Ryan Pick Berkeley ‘Brain’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 21, 2011

  Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Weimberg, Ryan Pick Berkeley ‘Brain’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 21, 2011

  Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.

  
• september 22 2011
  
  

  Weimberg, Ryan Pick Berkeley ‘Brain’

  Michael Fox
  Sep 21, 2011

  Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Wall Street Journal: "Discovery CEO Calls Netflix Pact a 'Win'"

  Sep 21, 2011

  "Discovery Communications Inc. said it believes its new deal to distribute its shows over Netflix Inc.'s content-streaming service is an 'economic win,'" reports Maxwell Murphy, "and Discovery will learn from the pact lessons that will help shape its digital strategy." More at online.wsj.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: "Oakland Shines for 'Moneyball' Premiere'"

  Sep 21, 2011

  "Brad Pitt, Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin were among those on the red carpet at the Paramount Theater in Oakland on Monday evening as Moneyball, the movie based on A's general manager Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland team, made its national premiere," reports Susan Slusser. More at www.sfgate.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: "Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Plan"

  Sep 21, 2011

  "The proposal for the 82,000-square-foot facility made public Wednesday evening comes 15 months after the university-owned institution restarted the effort to build itself a new home on the downtown edge of the UC Berkeley campus at Center and Oxford streets," reports John King. Read more at sfgate.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Identifying Your Documentary’s Signature Style

  Karen Everett
  Sep 20, 2011

  Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.

  
• september 22 2011
  
  

  Identifying Your Documentary’s Signature Style

  Karen Everett
  Sep 20, 2011

  Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Identifying Your Documentary’s Signature Style

  Karen Everett
  Sep 20, 2011

  Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.

  
• 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
  
  

  Tiffany Shlain Connects the Dots

  Michael Read
  Sep 16, 2011

  With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.

  
• January 27, 2011
  
  

  Tiffany Shlain Connects the Dots

  Michael Read
  Sep 16, 2011

  With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.

  
• January 31, 2011
  
  

  Tiffany Shlain Connects the Dots

  Michael Read
  Sep 16, 2011

  With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Tiffany Shlain Connects the Dots

  Michael Read
  Sep 16, 2011

  With 'Connected,' Tiffany Shlain weaves hope into a high risk story.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘Aurora’ Startles, Subtly

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 15, 2011

  Unhurried, character-driven story demonstrates the filmmaking finesse that’s brought Romanian cinema to the fore. Though it had made an occasional international impression before—notably with a long history of Cannes entries and prize winners—few could have anticipated the splash Romanian cinema would create in the last few years. Or that the attention paid it would bring a number of often long, difficult, obtuse movies out of their usual habitat (the festival circuit) into theaters around the world. The collapse of Communism and execution of Romania's quarter-century dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 freed the filmmaking industry from strict governmental control and propagandic content. But it took until the middle...

  
• September 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘Aurora’ Startles, Subtly

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 15, 2011

  Unhurried, character-driven story demonstrates the filmmaking finesse that’s brought Romanian cinema to the fore. Though it had made an occasional international impression before—notably with a long history of Cannes entries and prize winners—few could have anticipated the splash Romanian cinema would create in the last few years. Or that the attention paid it would bring a number of often long, difficult, obtuse movies out of their usual habitat (the festival circuit) into theaters around the world. The collapse of Communism and execution of Romania's quarter-century dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989 freed the filmmaking industry from strict governmental control and propagandic content. But it took until the middle...

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Announces Titles in 34th

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 14, 2011

  North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.

  
• Home
  
  

  Mill Valley Announces Titles in 34th

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 14, 2011

  North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.

  
• September 15, 2011
  
  

  Mill Valley Announces Titles in 34th

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 14, 2011

  North Bay world, independent showcase ready to screen wide range of films in early October.

  
• Home
  
  

  Iranian Teenage Love Sparks ‘Circumstance’

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 10, 2011

  Director, producer speak of challenges, inspirations behind a story of the urban Iranian underground.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Iranian Teenage Love Sparks ‘Circumstance’

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 10, 2011

  Director, producer speak of challenges, inspirations behind a story of the urban Iranian underground.

  
• September 15, 2011
  
  

  Iranian Teenage Love Sparks ‘Circumstance’

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 10, 2011

  Director, producer speak of challenges, inspirations behind a story of the urban Iranian underground.

  
• Sep 6 2011
  
  

  'Puzzle'

  Sep 9, 2011

  Week two of San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema features Argentinian Natalia Smirnoff’s first feature, a delicate character portrait in which a middle-aged housewife, cherished by her husband and two sons but nevertheless taken for granted, discovers an aptitude for jigsaw puzzles. More at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘Puzzle’ Pieces Together a Life

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Sep 9, 2011

  Maria Onetto quietly dazzles in Argentine film about a midlife jigsaw puzzler.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  ‘Puzzle’ Pieces Together a Life

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Sep 9, 2011

  Maria Onetto quietly dazzles in Argentine film about a midlife jigsaw puzzler.

  
• September 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘Puzzle’ Pieces Together a Life

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Sep 9, 2011

  Maria Onetto quietly dazzles in Argentine film about a midlife jigsaw puzzler.

  
• 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...

  
• Home
  
  

  Radical Light: ‘Movie Factory’

  George Kuchar
  Sep 7, 2011

  As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Radical Light: ‘Movie Factory’

  George Kuchar
  Sep 7, 2011

  As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'

  
• September 8 2011
  
  

  Radical Light: ‘Movie Factory’

  George Kuchar
  Sep 7, 2011

  As an appreciation of George Kuchar's inspired presence, we offer up the filmmaker in his own words, excerpted from 'Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000.'

  
• Home
  
  

  More than Cute Keeps 'Hedgehog' Going

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 6, 2011

  Mona Achache's first feature relies heavily on an 11-year-old narrator, but it's 60- and 65-year-old actors who steal the show.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  More than Cute Keeps 'Hedgehog' Going

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 6, 2011

  Mona Achache's first feature relies heavily on an 11-year-old narrator, but it's 60- and 65-year-old actors who steal the show.

  
• September 8 2011
  
  

  More than Cute Keeps 'Hedgehog' Going

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 6, 2011

  Mona Achache's first feature relies heavily on an 11-year-old narrator, but it's 60- and 65-year-old actors who steal the show.

  
• Home
  
  

  Stigma, Satisfaction Drive Indian 'Match' Game

  Michael Fox
  Sep 6, 2011

  Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Stigma, Satisfaction Drive Indian 'Match' Game

  Michael Fox
  Sep 6, 2011

  Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.

  
• September 8 2011
  
  

  Stigma, Satisfaction Drive Indian 'Match' Game

  Michael Fox
  Sep 6, 2011

  Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 2, 2011

  Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  
• Home
  
  

  Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 2, 2011

  Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  
• September 8 2011
  
  

  Telluride’s 38th Festival Underway in Colorado

  Jackson Scarlett
  Sep 2, 2011

  Berkeley-programmed Festival is a favorite for cinephiles; features Caetano Veloso as 2011 Guest Director.

  
• August 30, 2011
  
  

  'Film Socialisme'

  Sep 2, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema sets sail with Jean-Luc Godard's 2010 provocation, 'Film Socialisme.' As Robert Avila writes in SF360.org later this week, the "playful, somber meditation on where history has brought us is brimming with ideas and aesthetic pleasures." Screenings begin September 2. More info on the new SFFS venue at Post Street (between Webster and Buchanan) in sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Jean-Luc Godard Sets Course for Adventure

  Robert Avila
  Sep 1, 2011

  The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Jean-Luc Godard Sets Course for Adventure

  Robert Avila
  Sep 1, 2011

  The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.

  
• September 1, 2011
  
  

  Jean-Luc Godard Sets Course for Adventure

  Robert Avila
  Sep 1, 2011

  The first feature to play SFFS | New People Cinema, Godard's ‘Film Socialisme’ is both poetic rumination and urgent intervention.

  
• Home
  
  

  Sjogren Finds ‘Redemption’ in Petaluma

  Michael Fox
  Aug 31, 2011

  Britta Sjogren gets a second chance to make a film about how people rebound from trauma.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Sjogren Finds ‘Redemption’ in Petaluma

  Michael Fox
  Aug 31, 2011

  Britta Sjogren gets a second chance to make a film about how people rebound from trauma.

  
• September 1, 2011
  
  

  Sjogren Finds ‘Redemption’ in Petaluma

  Michael Fox
  Aug 31, 2011

  Britta Sjogren gets a second chance to make a film about how people rebound from trauma.

  
• Home
  
  

  Graham Leggat: Filmmakers, Writers, Fans Remember

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2011

  When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Graham Leggat: Filmmakers, Writers, Fans Remember

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2011

  When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.

  
• September 1, 2011
  
  

  Graham Leggat: Filmmakers, Writers, Fans Remember

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2011

  When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: The Roy W. Dean LA August Grant

  Aug 30, 2011

  The Roy W. Dean Film and Writing Grants fund shorts, documentaries and low budget independent features. ELIGIBILITY: New film and video projects (including works-in-progress) that are unique and benefit the society. Student filmmakers, independent producers or independent production companies are all welcome. AWARDS: Winner gets a variety of awards including scholarships and cash prizes for different production fields. DEADLINE: August 30, 2011. WEBSITE: fromtheheartproductions.com/grant-lavideo.shtml.
  

  
• Home
  
  

  Graham Leggat and a Film Society Transformed

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 26, 2011

  Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Graham Leggat and a Film Society Transformed

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 26, 2011

  Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.

  
• September 1, 2011
  
  

  Graham Leggat and a Film Society Transformed

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 26, 2011

  Leggat’s eventful six-year tenure with the San Francisco Film Society changed an institution as well as the filmmaking landscape in the Bay Area and beyond.

  
• Home
  
  

  Graham Leggat, 1960-2011

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 25, 2011

  Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Graham Leggat, 1960-2011

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 25, 2011

  Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.

  
• September 1, 2011
  
  

  Graham Leggat, 1960-2011

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 25, 2011

  Graham Leggat (b. March 12, 1960), executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, died at his San Francisco home on August 25, 2011, after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 51.

  
• August 25, 2011
  
  

  PFA Animates with Bay Area Works

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Aug 24, 2011

  SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.

  
• Home
  
  

  PFA Animates with Bay Area Works

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Aug 24, 2011

  SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  PFA Animates with Bay Area Works

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Aug 24, 2011

  SF State professor Karl Cohen’s animation collection investigates the nature of pictorial movement itself.

  
• 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
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• November 24, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Essential SF: Lynn Hershman Leeson

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Aug 23, 2011

  Lynn Hershman Leeson catalogues revolutions past and pushes the art and technology envelope well into the future.

  
• August 25, 2011
  
  

  Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 22, 2011

  The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

  
• Home
  
  

  Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 22, 2011

  The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Susannah Greason Robbins on Growing the City’s Film Industry

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 22, 2011

  The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.

  
• August 25, 2011
  
  

  San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

  SF360 Staff
  Aug 20, 2011

  The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

  
• Home
  
  

  San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

  SF360 Staff
  Aug 20, 2011

  The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates

  SF360 Staff
  Aug 20, 2011

  The Golden Gate Bridge remains in heavy rotation in sci-fi, action genres.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Vigilante, Vigilante' Opens Can of Worms

  Michael Fox
  Aug 18, 2011

  Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'Vigilante, Vigilante' Opens Can of Worms

  Michael Fox
  Aug 18, 2011

  Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...

  
• 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 16, 2011
  
  

  'Ugetsu' & 'Kwaidon'

  Aug 18, 2011

  Viz Cinema wraps up its Classic Summer Weekends series in style with two Japanese cinematic landmarks. Equally unforgettable and each ravishingly gorgeous, masterworks Kenji Mizoguchi's 'Ugetsu' and Masaski Kobayashi's 'Kwaidan' screen Saturday and Sunday respectively. More info at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• August 16, 2011
  
  

  'The African Queen'

  Aug 18, 2011

  Canonized director John Huston's 'The African Queen,' now mostly remembered for its tumultuous production history, was also the director's biggest grossing film, securing Humphrey Bogart his first Oscar for acting. The Alameda Theatre screens this battle-of-the-sexes classic on film Wednesday and Thursday only. More info at alamedatheatres.com.

  
• August 18, 2011
  
  

  ‘Dawn’ Salutes Lost Girls, Sainted Sister

  Michael Fox
  Aug 17, 2011

  A collaborative project recounts the life and work of a German-born nun located outside Nairobi and the Sudanese Lost Girls she helped find.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘Dawn’ Salutes Lost Girls, Sainted Sister

  Michael Fox
  Aug 17, 2011

  A collaborative project recounts the life and work of a German-born nun located outside Nairobi and the Sudanese Lost Girls she helped find.

  
• In Production
  
  

  ‘Dawn’ Salutes Lost Girls, Sainted Sister

  Michael Fox
  Aug 17, 2011

  A collaborative project recounts the life and work of a German-born nun located outside Nairobi and the Sudanese Lost Girls she helped find.

  
• 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
  
  

  What’s So Bleeping Funny?!

  Karen Everett
  Aug 15, 2011

  Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.

  
• Home
  
  

  What’s So Bleeping Funny?!

  Karen Everett
  Aug 15, 2011

  Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  What’s So Bleeping Funny?!

  Karen Everett
  Aug 15, 2011

  Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFFS Announces Winners of Spring 2011 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants

  Aug 15, 2011

  The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winners and two honorable mentions of the fifth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including a total of $788,000 already awarded in the first five grant rounds.
  
  Carlton Evans and Matthew Lessner (Ross), $50,000 for screenwriting; Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari), $88,000 for postproduction; Adam Keker (National Park), $35,000 for screenwriting; Timothy Kelly (The Cherokee Word for Water), $75,000 for production; Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of a Southern Wild), $55,000 for postproduction. Honorable Mentions went to: John Dilly (Rubbish), development and Ian Olds (The Western Habit), screenwriting. More at sffs.org.

  
• August 18, 2011
  
  

  Teens Tackle Production at SFFS Young Filmmakers Camp

  Kim Nunley
  Aug 12, 2011

  The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.

  
• Home
  
  

  Teens Tackle Production at SFFS Young Filmmakers Camp

  Kim Nunley
  Aug 12, 2011

  The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Teens Tackle Production at SFFS Young Filmmakers Camp

  Kim Nunley
  Aug 12, 2011

  The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.

  
• August 11, 2011
  
  

  Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 11, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

  
• Home
  
  

  Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 11, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Pagnol's Foodie Oeuvre Appreciated in East Bay

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 11, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive serves a full course of films by Marcel Pagnol.

  
• August 11, 2011
  
  

  Field Shoots ‘MLK in Palestine’ on the Fly

  Michael Fox
  Aug 10, 2011

  Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.

  
• Home
  
  

  Field Shoots ‘MLK in Palestine’ on the Fly

  Michael Fox
  Aug 10, 2011

  Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Field Shoots ‘MLK in Palestine’ on the Fly

  Michael Fox
  Aug 10, 2011

  Connie Field makes a radical shift to verité filmmaking, accompanied by an equally momentous switch in fundraising strategy with her latest project.

  
• August 9,2011
  
  

  'Meek's Cutoff' & 'Limbo'

  Aug 10, 2011

  The venerable Castro screen hosts a double feature of Kelly Reichardt's Malick-like 'Meek's Cutoff' and John Sayles' equally existentialist 'Limbo,' itself a good primer for less familiar viewers anticipating the release of his new film 'Amigo' in the coming months. More info castrotheatre.com.

  
• August 9,2011
  
  

  'Between Two Worlds'

  Aug 10, 2011

  Film buffs that missed SFJFF entry 'Between Two Worlds' at this year's festival have another opportunity to see the doc this week at the Roxie. A loose series of events beginning with the festival's own highly controversial screening of 'Rachel' in 2009, 'Between Two Worlds' is moored by a sublime ambient soundtrack by guitarist Fred Firth. For analysis, check out Ruby Rich's in-depth feature here on SF360. Filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman will be present for Q&A for 7:00 pm screenings Friday, Saturday and Sunday. More info at roxie.com.

  
• August 11, 2011
  
  

  Miranda July Throws Cautionary Tale to the Wind with ‘The Future’

  Sean Uyehara
  Aug 8, 2011

  The filmmaker talks about time, life, storytelling and her new film, ‘The Future.’

  
• Home
  
  

  Miranda July Throws Cautionary Tale to the Wind with ‘The Future’

  Sean Uyehara
  Aug 8, 2011

  The filmmaker talks about time, life, storytelling and her new film, ‘The Future.’

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Miranda July Throws Cautionary Tale to the Wind with ‘The Future’

  Sean Uyehara
  Aug 8, 2011

  The filmmaker talks about time, life, storytelling and her new film, ‘The Future.’

  
• August 2, 2011
  
  

  'Crime After Crime'

  Aug 8, 2011

  San Francisco International Film Festival audience-award winner and Sundance standout 'Crime After Crime' opens Friday at the Roxie. This week in SF360, Judy Stone profiles Yoav Potash, the director of the doc, which covers five years of the life and trials of Deborah Peagler, a woman serving 25-years-to-life for her involvement in the murder of her abuser. Potash will appear with guests for Q&A following some screenings. More info at roxie.com.

  
• August 11, 2011
  
  

  'Between Two Worlds' Places Politics of Speech in Spotlight

  B. Ruby Rich
  Aug 5, 2011

  Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Between Two Worlds' Places Politics of Speech in Spotlight

  B. Ruby Rich
  Aug 5, 2011

  Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  'Between Two Worlds' Places Politics of Speech in Spotlight

  B. Ruby Rich
  Aug 5, 2011

  Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.

  
• August 4, 2011
  
  

  McDonagh Finds Success in Family Path with 'The Guard'

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 4, 2011

  John Michael McDonagh's first feature echos the blackly comedic tenor of his ('In Bruges') brother Martin's oeuvre.

  
• Home
  
  

  McDonagh Finds Success in Family Path with 'The Guard'

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 4, 2011

  John Michael McDonagh's first feature echos the blackly comedic tenor of his ('In Bruges') brother Martin's oeuvre.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  McDonagh Finds Success in Family Path with 'The Guard'

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 4, 2011

  John Michael McDonagh's first feature echos the blackly comedic tenor of his ('In Bruges') brother Martin's oeuvre.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'Graham Leggat Takes a Bow at Tosca'

  Aug 4, 2011

  Writes Leah Garchik, "Graham Leggat had said that it probably would be a small group, a gathering of a few friends he'd asked to come to Tosca on Tuesday night to see him. But Leggat, who a month ago stepped down as executive director of the San Francisco Film Society because of illness, has more than a few friends. And it seemed almost all of them wanted to see him, to thank him for what he'd accomplished in six years and, more than that, to embrace him with family-like affection." More at sfgate.com.

  
• August 4, 2011
  
  

  Minott Tracks ‘Illness’ to Guam

  Michael Fox
  Aug 3, 2011

  Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.

  
• Home
  
  

  Minott Tracks ‘Illness’ to Guam

  Michael Fox
  Aug 3, 2011

  Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Minott Tracks ‘Illness’ to Guam

  Michael Fox
  Aug 3, 2011

  Berry Minott's work-in-progress travels to Guam seeking a cure, puzzling over scientific mystery.

  
• August 4, 2011
  
  

  In Theaters: 'Life in a Day,' 'The Tree,' 'Cameraman'

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 2, 2011

  Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.

  
• Home
  
  

  In Theaters: 'Life in a Day,' 'The Tree,' 'Cameraman'

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 2, 2011

  Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  In Theaters: 'Life in a Day,' 'The Tree,' 'Cameraman'

  Jackson Scarlett
  Aug 2, 2011

  Critics from the Bay Area and beyond weigh in on the weekend's openings.

  
• August 4, 2011
  
  

  Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

  Judy Stone
  Aug 1, 2011

  Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

  
• Home
  
  

  Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

  Judy Stone
  Aug 1, 2011

  Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Yoav Potash Takes 'Crime's' Case to Larger Audience

  Judy Stone
  Aug 1, 2011

  Deborah Peagler's case in 'Crime After Crime' gets its time in court and on screen, with moving results.

  
• July 26, 2011
  
  

  'Idiots and Angels' with Bill Plympton

  Aug 1, 2011

  Monday through Wednesday, the embattled Balboa Theatre screens Bill Plympton's outrageous, irreverent silent work, 'Idiots and Angels,' alongside acclaimed short 'The Cow that Wanted to be a Hamburger' and other undisclosed treasures from the director's oeuvre. Plympton will be in attendance to conduct a "Master Class," including a drawing demonstration and discussion, at each screening. More info at balboamovies.com.

  
• July 26, 2011
  
  

  'Red Cliff' and 'Red Cliff II' Uncut

  Aug 1, 2011

  4 Star Theatre screens John Woo's sweeping, polarizing 'Red Cliff,' still Asia's largest production at $80 million, along with its sequel 'Red Cliff II', his most recent film. Both films play uncut, on the original celluloid. More info at lntsf.com.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Freedom On My Mind,’ ‘The Good War’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 28, 2011

  The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Freedom On My Mind,’ ‘The Good War’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 28, 2011

  The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.

  
• July 28, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Freedom On My Mind,’ ‘The Good War’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 28, 2011

  The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.

  
• Home
  
  

  Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

  Karen Everett
  Jul 27, 2011

  The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

  
• July 28, 2011
  
  

  Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

  Karen Everett
  Jul 27, 2011

  The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Notes on Leveraging the Big Bash Climax

  Karen Everett
  Jul 27, 2011

  The planned "reversal" gives documentary filmmakers a means to build drama from otherwise anti-climactic moments.

  
• 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.

  
• July 19, 2011
  
  

  Marius Watz: Automatic Writing

  Jul 22, 2011

  SFFS presents the work of pioneering software artist Marius Watz, who uses digital processes and authored algorithms to “automatically” produce numerous types of media including video, still imagery and sculpture through semi-autonomous software systems, as part of its KinoTek series. Look for sci-fi writer/theorist Bruce Sterling's essay on Watz in Thursday's SF360.org. Events: An exhibition in Super Frog Gallery at New People opens July 22; Artist Talk, July 26; Master Class, July 27. More at sffs.org.

  
• 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
  
  

  Last Showing: 'Harold and Maude'

  Jul 22, 2011

  SF institution The Red Vic Movie House celebrates both its anniversary and its closure with screenings of house favorite 'Harold and Maude'—perhaps the quintessential quirky romantic comedy. Those who haven't seen 'Harold and Maude' since its release will delight to revisit its many Bay Area locations and Cat Stevens soundtrack. Red Vic promises a "special birthday treat" for Monday's attendees. More info redvicmoviehouse.com

  
• Home
  
  

  Generator Everything

  Bruce Sterling
  Jul 21, 2011

  'If Marius Watz programmed it, then it's going to be vivid. It's going to be crisp, spiky and angular. It will be fast, bright and noisy. And there's going to be a whole, whole lot of it.'

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Generator Everything

  Bruce Sterling
  Jul 21, 2011

  'If Marius Watz programmed it, then it's going to be vivid. It's going to be crisp, spiky and angular. It will be fast, bright and noisy. And there's going to be a whole, whole lot of it.'

  
• July 21, 2011
  
  

  Generator Everything

  Bruce Sterling
  Jul 21, 2011

  'If Marius Watz programmed it, then it's going to be vivid. It's going to be crisp, spiky and angular. It will be fast, bright and noisy. And there's going to be a whole, whole lot of it.'

  
• July 19, 2011
  
  

  'Diva'

  Jul 21, 2011

  SF Museum of Modern Art's Opera on Film series screens Jean-Jacques Beineix's under-appreciated 'Diva' on Thursday. The Caesar Award-winning romance/thriller hybrid deftly handles a complex, opera-centric plot littered with brilliant pop-art inspired chase scenes and features a number of standout performances, including those by Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon and real-life opera singer Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez. More info sfmoma.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'Gary Meyer Leaving Balboa Theatre'

  Jul 21, 2011

  "Balboa Theatre operator Gary Meyer said Wednesday that this summer will be his last at the Richmond District movie house, leaving the future of the scrappy independent theater in doubt," reports Peter Hartlaub. More at sfgate.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 20, 2011

  Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 20, 2011

  Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.

  
• July 21, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 20, 2011

  Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.

  
• 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
  
  

  Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 18, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.

  
• July 21, 2011
  
  

  Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 18, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 18, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.

  
• Home
  
  

  Rapaport Brings Depth to Tribe Called Quest Doc

  Adam Hartzell
  Jul 15, 2011

  Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.

  
• July 21, 2011
  
  

  Rapaport Brings Depth to Tribe Called Quest Doc

  Adam Hartzell
  Jul 15, 2011

  Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Rapaport Brings Depth to Tribe Called Quest Doc

  Adam Hartzell
  Jul 15, 2011

  Actor’s first documentary outing pays tribute to Quest’s influence.

  
• July 12, 2011
  
  

  'Skatetown, U.S.A.'

  Jul 15, 2011

  Roxie presents as-yet-unreleased-to-DVD 'Skatetown, U.S.A.,' Patrick Swayze's first on-screen appearance. The big-budget camp classic, presented on film in all its sparkling, neon-pink, disco-soaked glory, will be accompanied by a "roller disco" at Cellspace. More info roxie.com.

  
• July 12, 2011
  
  

  Silent Film Festival

  Jul 14, 2011

  The SF institution returns to the Castro Theatre with 18 rediscovered films and live musical accompaniment. Highlights include a collection of Disney's Laugh-O-Grams, a travelogue of an expedition to the Antarctic and a film once cited as "the single greatest masterwork in the history of cinema" by stately film journal Cahiers du Cinema. More info castrotheatre.com.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Naked Truth on Nudity in Film

  George Rush
  Jul 12, 2011

  A legal expert offers advice on staying within the law while shedding extra layers.

  
• July 14, 2011
  
  

  The Naked Truth on Nudity in Film

  George Rush
  Jul 12, 2011

  A legal expert offers advice on staying within the law while shedding extra layers.

  
• Legal
  
  

  The Naked Truth on Nudity in Film

  George Rush
  Jul 12, 2011

  A legal expert offers advice on staying within the law while shedding extra layers.

  
• Home
  
  

  Torres Story Gains Focus

  Kim Nunley
  Jul 11, 2011

  Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.

  
• July 14, 2011
  
  

  Torres Story Gains Focus

  Kim Nunley
  Jul 11, 2011

  Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Torres Story Gains Focus

  Kim Nunley
  Jul 11, 2011

  Chusy Jardine has set out to tell the Andres Torres ADHD-to-World Series glory story in a feature-length documentary.

  
• July 5, 2011
  
  

  'The Big Uneasy'

  Jul 10, 2011

  Playing at Roxie, new Katrina doc 'The Big Uneasy,' questions the levees' failure in New Orleans and uncovers impending dangers in the city's future. Director and comedian Harry Shearer is scheduled to appear at both evening screenings on July 10. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Weitz Explores the Other L.A. with 'A Better Life'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 8, 2011

  'A Better Life' succeeds as an L.A.-set remake of bleak Italian neorealist classic 'The Bicycle Thief.'

  
• July 14, 2011
  
  

  Weitz Explores the Other L.A. with 'A Better Life'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 8, 2011

  'A Better Life' succeeds as an L.A.-set remake of bleak Italian neorealist classic 'The Bicycle Thief.'

  
• July 7, 2011
  
  

  Weitz Explores the Other L.A. with 'A Better Life'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 8, 2011

  'A Better Life' succeeds as an L.A.-set remake of bleak Italian neorealist classic 'The Bicycle Thief.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Weitz Explores the Other L.A. with 'A Better Life'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 8, 2011

  'A Better Life' succeeds as an L.A.-set remake of bleak Italian neorealist classic 'The Bicycle Thief.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Off the Charts,’ ‘Double Dare’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2011

  Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Off the Charts,’ ‘Double Dare’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2011

  Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.

  
• July 7, 2011
  
  

  Essential SF: ‘Off the Charts,’ ‘Double Dare’

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2011

  Surprising characters, narratives emerge in Jamie Meltzer and Amanda Micheli’s portraits of unlikely artists.

  
• July 5, 2011
  
  

  'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'

  Jul 7, 2011

  Viewers that may have missed the original run of Herzog's astounding 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams' have three "last" chances to catch it in the luxurious, historic environs of the Castro Theatre. Screens in 3D. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Red Vic Movie House to Close July 25

  Jul 7, 2011

  The Red Vic collective announced today that after 31 years of continuous operation as a cooperatively-run, single screen neighborhood theater, the theater will be closing its doors July 25.

  
• Home
  
  

  Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 6, 2011

  A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

  
• July 7, 2011
  
  

  Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 6, 2011

  A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Roko Belic Charts Path to ‘Happy’

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 6, 2011

  A former Bay Area filmmaker travels the world in search of the secrets of contentment.

  
• Home
  
  

  Graham Leggat Steps Down as Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society

  Jul 5, 2011

  Film Society’s leader for more than five years resigns due to health issues.

  
• July 7, 2011
  
  

  Graham Leggat Steps Down as Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society

  Jul 5, 2011

  Film Society’s leader for more than five years resigns due to health issues.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Graham Leggat Steps Down as Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society

  Jul 5, 2011

  Film Society’s leader for more than five years resigns due to health issues.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Silverdocs 2011: A Festival with Legs

  Sara Dosa
  Jul 1, 2011

  A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.

  
• Home
  
  

  Silverdocs 2011: A Festival with Legs

  Sara Dosa
  Jul 1, 2011

  A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.

  
• July 7, 2011
  
  

  Silverdocs 2011: A Festival with Legs

  Sara Dosa
  Jul 1, 2011

  A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.

  
• June 28, 2011
  
  

  'Watch out for Children' Triple Feature

  Jul 1, 2011

  Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, with his SF institution Midnites for Maniacs, presents a trio of “troubled teen” classics: ‘Tex,’ ‘River's Edge’ and the extremely rare ‘Over the Edge’ for a single admission price. Directors Tim Hunter, Jonathan Kaplan and others will be in attendance at the screening. More at roxie.com. Look for a full 'Over the Edge' feature by Dennis Harvey in Tuesday's edition of SF360.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Ninth Street Announces Incubator Participants

  Jul 1, 2011

  Press release: The Ninth Street Independent Film Center announced today five new participants for the Center's Media Arts Incubator Program for 2011-2012. "This is a great group of participants," says Skye Christensen, Executive Director of the Ninth Street Independent Film Center. "Each brings a very dynamic project to the Program, and we're really looking forward to what they'll accomplish during their time here." Ninth Street’s Media Arts Incubator Program is designed to nurture socially relevant independent media projects at Ninth Street Independent Film Center. The Incubator Program supports independent filmmakers, start-up film festivals and small media nonprofits through access to workspace and shared resources, such as cross-promotional opportunities, co-productions, affordable meeting or exhibition space and community connections with established media arts partners (Center for Asian American Media, Frameline, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and others). Participants are: Rachel Caplan (CEO) and Daniela Rible (Deputy Director) of the annual SF Green Film Festival; Jennifer Tipton and Cary McQueen Morrow, the directors of Art with Impact, which is a platform for the creation of new media on critical social issues; David Evan Harris, Executive Director of the Global Lives Project, a media arts nonprofit that seeks to collaboratively build a video library of human life experience; Scarlett Shepard is Executive Director of the SF Women’s Film Festival; and J.R. Flemming, director and producer of Guarding Dogs, which is a documentary film with a crowd-sourcing model currently in production that makes the case for adopting a dog instead breeding/buying.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Dues and Taxes Paid, Kornbluth Brothers Shoot for Glory

  Michael Fox
  Jun 29, 2011

  Jakob Kornbluth hopes to turn another of brother Josh’s monologues, ‘Love & Taxes,’ into celluloid gold.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Dues and Taxes Paid, Kornbluth Brothers Shoot for Glory

  Michael Fox
  Jun 29, 2011

  Jakob Kornbluth hopes to turn another of brother Josh’s monologues, ‘Love & Taxes,’ into celluloid gold.

  
• June 30, 2011
  
  

  Dues and Taxes Paid, Kornbluth Brothers Shoot for Glory

  Michael Fox
  Jun 29, 2011

  Jakob Kornbluth hopes to turn another of brother Josh’s monologues, ‘Love & Taxes,’ into celluloid gold.

  
• 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.

  
• June 21, 2011
  
  

  'Forgetting Dad'

  Jun 27, 2011

  Rick Minnick, oldest son a middle-aged father of five who started a new life after suffering from amnesia, returns to California in an attempt to discover the truth behind his father's disappearance in this haunting doc. Minnick and some film subjects will be present for Q&A at both screenings. More at redvic.com.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: A Day in the Life

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Jun 26, 2011

  One day of Frameline35 finds Witi Ihimaera offering insight into the writing of 'Kawa,' dour Norweigan drag kings processing endlessly and Ma Rainey being well-remembered.

  
• Home
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: A Day in the Life

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Jun 26, 2011

  One day of Frameline35 finds Witi Ihimaera offering insight into the writing of 'Kawa,' dour Norweigan drag kings processing endlessly and Ma Rainey being well-remembered.

  
• June 30, 2011
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: A Day in the Life

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  Jun 26, 2011

  One day of Frameline35 finds Witi Ihimaera offering insight into the writing of 'Kawa,' dour Norweigan drag kings processing endlessly and Ma Rainey being well-remembered.

  
• 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
  
  

  Hong Takes New Tack with 'Oki's Movie'

  Adam Hartzell
  Jun 24, 2011

  Hong Sang-soo's latest leaves us with an awkward ambivalence that resonates long after the film is finished.

  
• June 23 2011
  
  

  Hong Takes New Tack with 'Oki's Movie'

  Adam Hartzell
  Jun 24, 2011

  Hong Sang-soo's latest leaves us with an awkward ambivalence that resonates long after the film is finished.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Hong Takes New Tack with 'Oki's Movie'

  Adam Hartzell
  Jun 24, 2011

  Hong Sang-soo's latest leaves us with an awkward ambivalence that resonates long after the film is finished.

  
• Home
  
  

  SF Film Society Signs Lease on New Theatrical Home

  Jun 23, 2011

  SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...

  
• June 23 2011
  
  

  SF Film Society Signs Lease on New Theatrical Home

  Jun 23, 2011

  SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...

  
• June 23, 2011
  
  

  SF Film Society Signs Lease on New Theatrical Home

  Jun 23, 2011

  SFFS to offer daily, year-round programming, classes and events in dedicated state-of-the-art theater for the first time in its 54-year history. The San Francisco Film Society and New People today announced significant news for Bay Area filmgoers: the signing of a lease that brings the Film Society’s exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs and events to one primary theater on a daily, year-round basis, beginning in September. The San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema opens its doors in September in the state-of-the art...

  
• June 21, 2011
  
  

  'Oki's Movie'

  Jun 23, 2011

  Prolific producer, art-house fave and proponent of "radical banality" Hong Sang-Soo juxtaposes moments from a young woman's relationships with two men, a year apart, in the formalist comedy/romance ‘Oki's Movie.’ Screens at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. More at ybca.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Voluntary Organ Donor Inspires Krawitz

  Michael Fox
  Jun 22, 2011

  Filmmaker Jan Krawitz explores the nature of altruism in a story about a woman seeking to donate an organ to a perfect stranger.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Voluntary Organ Donor Inspires Krawitz

  Michael Fox
  Jun 22, 2011

  Filmmaker Jan Krawitz explores the nature of altruism in a story about a woman seeking to donate an organ to a perfect stranger.

  
• June 23 2011
  
  

  Voluntary Organ Donor Inspires Krawitz

  Michael Fox
  Jun 22, 2011

  Filmmaker Jan Krawitz explores the nature of altruism in a story about a woman seeking to donate an organ to a perfect stranger.

  
• June 23, 2011
  
  

  Voluntary Organ Donor Inspires Krawitz

  Michael Fox
  Jun 22, 2011

  Filmmaker Jan Krawitz explores the nature of altruism in a story about a woman seeking to donate an organ to a perfect stranger.

  
• Home
  
  

  A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

  Julia Barbosa
  Jun 21, 2011

  Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

  
• June 23 2011
  
  

  A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

  Julia Barbosa
  Jun 21, 2011

  Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

  
• June 23, 2011
  
  

  A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

  Julia Barbosa
  Jun 21, 2011

  Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A City’s Smutty History, Embraced

  Julia Barbosa
  Jun 21, 2011

  Stabile film at Frameline, Tribeca and, soon, YBCA, looks at San Francisco’s sex-film history.

  
• Home
  
  

  Percifield Runs with Board of Supes Candidate

  Michael Fox
  Jun 19, 2011

  First-time doc-maker Dain Percifield offers notes on capturing the highs and lows of drag queen Anna Conda's 2010 run for S.F. Supervisor.

  
• June 23 2011
  
  

  Percifield Runs with Board of Supes Candidate

  Michael Fox
  Jun 19, 2011

  First-time doc-maker Dain Percifield offers notes on capturing the highs and lows of drag queen Anna Conda's 2010 run for S.F. Supervisor.

  
• June 23, 2011
  
  

  Percifield Runs with Board of Supes Candidate

  Michael Fox
  Jun 19, 2011

  First-time doc-maker Dain Percifield offers notes on capturing the highs and lows of drag queen Anna Conda's 2010 run for S.F. Supervisor.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Percifield Runs with Board of Supes Candidate

  Michael Fox
  Jun 19, 2011

  First-time doc-maker Dain Percifield offers notes on capturing the highs and lows of drag queen Anna Conda's 2010 run for S.F. Supervisor.

  
• June 14, 2011
  
  

  'These Amazing Shadows'

  Jun 19, 2011

  Directors Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton inspect the treasures held in the Library of Congress' revered National Film Registry and consider their lasting impact on the American experience. The locally made doc features insightful interviews with prominent celebrities and critics. Both filmmakers will be present for Q&A after screening at Smith Rafael Film Center. More at cafilm.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Vintage Kinski Uncorked at YBCA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 17, 2011

  YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Vintage Kinski Uncorked at YBCA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 17, 2011

  YBCA digs a delightfully disturbing live Kinski document from the archives.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 16, 2011

  The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.

  
• Home
  
  

  Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 16, 2011

  The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.

  
• June 16, 2011
  
  

  Frameline35 Opens, Features Wildly Diverse Program

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 16, 2011

  The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival delivers internationally as well as locally made films of every identity and genre stripe.

  
• June 14, 2011
  
  

  'Klaus Kinski: Jesus Christ the Savior'

  Jun 16, 2011

  Herzog "best fiend" Klaus Kinski battles hecklers and personal ghosts in this newly restored print of his 1971 one-man show, one of scant few opportunities for English audiences to bear witness to his truly unhinged, but deeply compelling public persona. Plays at YBCA; more info YBCA.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Dutch Director's Obsession Leads to Bay Area

  Michael Fox
  Jun 15, 2011

  One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Dutch Director's Obsession Leads to Bay Area

  Michael Fox
  Jun 15, 2011

  One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.

  
• June 16, 2011
  
  

  Dutch Director's Obsession Leads to Bay Area

  Michael Fox
  Jun 15, 2011

  One film was not enough to quench Frans Weisz’s fascination with Nazi-era artist Charlotte Salomon.

  
• June 14, 2011
  
  

  'David Holzman's Diary'

  Jun 15, 2011

  Indie/art-film portal Fandor screens the rare and influential mock-doc 'David Holzman's Diary' at the Victoria Theatre. Filmmaker Jim McBride will be in attendance. Free, RSVP required. More at eventbrite.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  We Want Answers

  Karen Everett
  Jun 14, 2011

  Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.

  
• June 16, 2011
  
  

  We Want Answers

  Karen Everett
  Jun 14, 2011

  Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  We Want Answers

  Karen Everett
  Jun 14, 2011

  Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.

  
• Home
  
  

  Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 13, 2011

  An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  
• June 16, 2011
  
  

  Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 13, 2011

  An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lewis Rides Herd on Lusty ‘Longhorns’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 13, 2011

  An SF Chronicle editor speaks about his third feature, a Texas-set sex comedy making its debut at Frameline35.

  
• June 7, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Hush’

  Jun 11, 2011

  The Historic Bal Theatre brings us a screening of Bay Area filmmaker Vincent Cortez’s latest feature, ‘The Hush,’ a 2011 Oakland International Film Festival selection and LA Festival honorable mention. The film is a locally shot supernatural film noir piece that has a hitman looking for redemption. More at mitchellstreetpictures.com.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Hush’

  Jun 11, 2011

  The Historic Bal Theatre brings us a screening of Bay Area filmmaker Vincent Cortez’s latest feature, ‘The Hush,’ a 2011 Oakland International Film Festival selection and LA Festival honorable mention. The film is a locally shot supernatural film noir piece that has a hitman looking for redemption. More at mitchellstreetpictures.com.

  
• 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
  
  

  ‘Kuroneko’

  Jun 10, 2011

  Red Vic Movie House offers up Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 Japanese horror masterpiece ‘Kuroneko.’ More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  ‘Kuroneko’

  Jun 10, 2011

  Red Vic Movie House offers up Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 Japanese horror masterpiece ‘Kuroneko.’ More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• June 7, 2011
  
  

  Cult of the Kuchars

  Jun 10, 2011

  Throughout the month of June, Pacific Film Archive features a half century of alternately feverish, dark, confessional, parodic work from filmmaker brothers George and Mike Kuchar, starting with their 1965 feature, ‘Sins of the Fleshapoids,’ at which Mike Kuchar appears in person. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• June 7, 2011
  
  

  Arthur Penn, a Liberal Helping

  Jun 10, 2011

  Arthur Penn is the focus of a monthlong series at Pacific Film Archive, beginning with 1958’s Gore Vidal-written revisionist Western, ‘The Left Handed Gun,’ which features Paul Newman. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• June 7, 2011
  
  

  ‘My Heart Is an Idiot’

  Jun 10, 2011

  David Meiklejohn’s first feature-length documentary, ‘My Heart Is An Idiot,’ which follows Davy Rothbart as he travels and receives love-life advice from those he encounters, plays at Roxie Theater. Zooey Deschanel, Ira Glass, Newt Gingrich and Davy’s mom are among those contributing thoughts. More at roxie.com.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  ‘My Heart Is an Idiot’

  Jun 10, 2011

  David Meiklejohn’s first feature-length documentary, ‘My Heart Is An Idiot,’ which follows Davy Rothbart as he travels and receives love-life advice from those he encounters, plays at Roxie Theater. Zooey Deschanel, Ira Glass, Newt Gingrich and Davy’s mom are among those contributing thoughts. More at roxie.com.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Celebrating a Reel Education

  Jennifer Preissel
  Jun 9, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  Celebrating a Reel Education

  Jennifer Preissel
  Jun 9, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Celebrating a Reel Education

  Jennifer Preissel
  Jun 9, 2011

  San Francisco Film Society commemorates 20 years of education programs in 2011. Since 1991, the San Francisco Film Society has been educating youth in film, but it’s not all elementary, or middle, or high school-oriented: What began as a K–12 Schools at the Festival program that brought students and international cinema together has, 20 years later, grown into year-round educational programming that serves not just under-18s, but lifelong learners, professional and novice filmmakers and university students.

  
• June 7, 2011
  
  

  ‘Playtime’

  Jun 8, 2011

  The 1967 nearly dialogue-free comedy ‘Playtime,’ which is the fourth feature and the most notably boldest piece from late French filmmaker-actor Jacques Tati, plays at Castro Theatre. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 7, 2011

  A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 7, 2011

  A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  Richardson Wraps Circus ‘Net’

  Michael Fox
  Jun 7, 2011

  A filmmaker finds the rigors of circus life match the rigors of growing up in poverty in Brazil.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Production Values: Michael Whalen

  Adrianne Anderson
  Jun 6, 2011

  Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.

  
• Home
  
  

  Production Values: Michael Whalen

  Adrianne Anderson
  Jun 6, 2011

  Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  Production Values: Michael Whalen

  Adrianne Anderson
  Jun 6, 2011

  Whalen speaks from experience on the importance of story and drama in nonfiction filmmaking.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Blank City' Looks Back at Underground 'B' Heyday

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 3, 2011

  A documentary digs into New York's 'No Wave' movement that briefly flourished in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  'Blank City' Looks Back at Underground 'B' Heyday

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 3, 2011

  A documentary digs into New York's 'No Wave' movement that briefly flourished in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Blank City' Looks Back at Underground 'B' Heyday

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 3, 2011

  A documentary digs into New York's 'No Wave' movement that briefly flourished in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Another Hole in the Head Scares Up New Round

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 2, 2011

  The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.

  
• Home
  
  

  Another Hole in the Head Scares Up New Round

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 2, 2011

  The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.

  
• June 2, 2011
  
  

  Another Hole in the Head Scares Up New Round

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 2, 2011

  The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.

  
• June 9, 2011
  
  

  Another Hole in the Head Scares Up New Round

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 2, 2011

  The adventure of Another Hole in the Head Film Festival requires you risk seeing the occasional dud to seek out the gems.

  
• May 31, 2011
  
  

  Sidney Lumet Double Feature

  Jun 2, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts a double feature of Oscar-nominated Sidney Lumet films, beginning with 1976’s ‘Network’ and following with 1957’s ’12 Angry Men.’ More castrotheatre.com.

  
• May 31, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Best & The Brightest’

  Jun 2, 2011

  Josh Shelov’s comedy ‘The Best & The Brightest’ plays at Roxie Theater before its wide release this summer. The film features Neil Patrick Harris and Bonnie Somerville as yuppies from New York fighting to get their daughter into an elitist private kindergarten. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  ‘Kiss the Cook’ Sparks Weidlinger’s Appetite

  Michael Fox
  Jun 1, 2011

  Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.

  
• In Production
  
  

  ‘Kiss the Cook’ Sparks Weidlinger’s Appetite

  Michael Fox
  Jun 1, 2011

  Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.

  
• June 2, 2011
  
  

  ‘Kiss the Cook’ Sparks Weidlinger’s Appetite

  Michael Fox
  Jun 1, 2011

  Tom Weidlinger creates a cooking show that offers surprises for the slow-foodie.

  
• Home
  
  

  New Era Takes Hold at the Roxie

  Michael Guillén
  May 31, 2011

  The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.

  
• June 2, 2011
  
  

  New Era Takes Hold at the Roxie

  Michael Guillén
  May 31, 2011

  The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  New Era Takes Hold at the Roxie

  Michael Guillén
  May 31, 2011

  The Roxie's new leaders offer notes on their unique vision for the rep house.

  
• May 17, 2011
  
  

  ‘Big in Bollywood’

  May 29, 2011

  Red Vic Movie House hosts ‘Big In Bollywood,’ a film about a struggling 27-year-old actor who lands a dream role in a overly successful Bollywood film. Directors Kenny Meehan and Bill Bowles are in attendance. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• May 24, 2011
  
  

  ‘Big in Bollywood’

  May 29, 2011

  Red Vic Movie House hosts ‘Big In Bollywood,’ a film about a struggling 27-year-old actor who lands a dream role in a overly successful Bollywood film. Directors Kenny Meehan and Bill Bowles are in attendance. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• May 24, 2011
  
  

  ‘Kamikaze Girls’

  May 29, 2011

  Viz Cinema at New People hosts their third fundraiser event, presenting the Japanese film ‘Kamikaze Girls.’ Proceeds benefit Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Funds. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Into Eternity' Ponders a Present-Day Paradox

  Susan Gerhard
  May 27, 2011

  Danish filmmaker/artist Michael Madsen turns questions around a European nuclear-waste project into an operatic doc.

  
• June 2, 2011
  
  

  'Into Eternity' Ponders a Present-Day Paradox

  Susan Gerhard
  May 27, 2011

  Danish filmmaker/artist Michael Madsen turns questions around a European nuclear-waste project into an operatic doc.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Into Eternity' Ponders a Present-Day Paradox

  Susan Gerhard
  May 27, 2011

  Danish filmmaker/artist Michael Madsen turns questions around a European nuclear-waste project into an operatic doc.

  
• May 24, 2011
  
  

  The Castro Remembers Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011

  May 27, 2011

  Castro Theatre pays tribute to the Dame Elizabeth Taylor with six days of benefit double features, beginning with 1958’s ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,’ in which Taylor performs alongside Paul Newman, and 1959’s ‘Suddenly, Last Summer,’ also featuring Katherine Hepburn. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• 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
  
  

  Patrick Raises Child ‘Booksellers’

  Michael Fox
  May 24, 2011

  S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Patrick Raises Child ‘Booksellers’

  Michael Fox
  May 24, 2011

  S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.

  
• May 26, 2011
  
  

  Patrick Raises Child ‘Booksellers’

  Michael Fox
  May 24, 2011

  S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.

  
• Home
  
  

  Topp Twins Agitate, Yodel, Entertain

  Adam Hartzell
  May 23, 2011

  Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.

  
• May 26, 2011
  
  

  Topp Twins Agitate, Yodel, Entertain

  Adam Hartzell
  May 23, 2011

  Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Topp Twins Agitate, Yodel, Entertain

  Adam Hartzell
  May 23, 2011

  Leanne Pooley's Topp Twins documentary views world politics through the prism of two eccentric lesbian performers from New Zealand.

  
• May 17, 2011
  
  

  ‘Eatrip’

  May 21, 2011

  Viz Cinema at New People hosts the DVD release of the establishment's personal favorite food film, ‘Eatrip,’ a lyrical documentary that explores the impact that sharing food has on personal relationships by specifically looking at the food culture of Japan. Those that attend the screening can purchase a poster and the DVD. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  On Kickstarting a Campaign to Bring Back the Parkway

  Kim Nunley
  May 20, 2011

  A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.

  
• May 26, 2011
  
  

  On Kickstarting a Campaign to Bring Back the Parkway

  Kim Nunley
  May 20, 2011

  A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  On Kickstarting a Campaign to Bring Back the Parkway

  Kim Nunley
  May 20, 2011

  A local fan of a local cinema has big dreams for his favorite, now-defunct East Bay movie-theater.

  
• 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.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  I Wake Up Dreaming 2011: The Legendary and the Lost

  May 19, 2011

  Roxie Theater brings in two weeks of rare film noir in its I Wake Up Dreaming 2011: The Legendary and the Lost program. A full 14 double features, including ‘The Web’ and ‘711 Ocean Drive,’ are presented in 35mm prints. More at roxie.com.

  
• May 17, 2011
  
  

  I Wake Up Dreaming 2011: The Legendary and the Lost

  May 19, 2011

  Roxie Theater brings in two weeks of rare film noir in its I Wake Up Dreaming 2011: The Legendary and the Lost program. A full 14 double features, including ‘The Web’ and ‘711 Ocean Drive,’ are presented in 35mm prints. More at roxie.com.

  
• May 17, 2011
  
  

  Coen Brothers Double Feature

  May 19, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts a double feature of films by writers-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, beginning with 1987's ‘Raising Arizona’ and followed by 1998's ‘The Big Lebowski.’ More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• May 17, 2011
  
  

  ‘My Brother Mike’

  May 19, 2011

  Filmmaker Lisa and Zen Priest Tai Sheridan are in person for a benefit screening of ‘My Brother Mike,’ a documentary on the impact that music and a loving support system has on a family struggling with mental illness. More at cafilm.org.

  
• May 24, 2011
  
  

  The Art of ‘Howl’ at the Cartoon Art Museum

  May 19, 2011

  The vivid mindscapes of Allen Ginsberg's poems come to radical life in Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's James Franco-fied 'Howl' via the art of Ginsberg collaborator Eric Drooker. The Cartoon Art Museum showcases 'The Art of Howl,' with Drooker's work, storyboards, photos and multimedia. More at cartoonart.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Antonelli Contrasts Africa’s ‘Killing Seasons’

  Michael Fox
  May 18, 2011

  John Antonelli finds good news, bad news and plenty of drama in African environmental stories.

  
• May 19, 2011
  
  

  Antonelli Contrasts Africa’s ‘Killing Seasons’

  Michael Fox
  May 18, 2011

  John Antonelli finds good news, bad news and plenty of drama in African environmental stories.

  
• Home
  
  

  New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

  Karen Everett
  May 17, 2011

  Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

  
• May 19, 2011
  
  

  New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

  Karen Everett
  May 17, 2011

  Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  New Approaches Embolden Doc Genre

  Karen Everett
  May 17, 2011

  Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.

  
• Home
  
  

  Park Jung-bum Offers Notes on his Unique POV

  Adam Hartzell
  May 16, 2011

  The director of South Korean film 'The Journals of Musan,' a prize winner at SFIFF54, speaks about bringing cinematic light to social darkness.

  
• May 19, 2011
  
  

  Park Jung-bum Offers Notes on his Unique POV

  Adam Hartzell
  May 16, 2011

  The director of South Korean film 'The Journals of Musan,' a prize winner at SFIFF54, speaks about bringing cinematic light to social darkness.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Park Jung-bum Offers Notes on his Unique POV

  Adam Hartzell
  May 16, 2011

  The director of South Korean film 'The Journals of Musan,' a prize winner at SFIFF54, speaks about bringing cinematic light to social darkness.

  
• 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.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee “Scratch” Perry

  May 13, 2011

  The San Francisco premier of ‘The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee “Scratch” Perry,' Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala’s documentary presenting the life of the Jamaican musician, plays at Red Vic Movie House. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  Legacy Film Festival on Aging

  May 13, 2011

  Viz Cinema at New People hosts the Legacy Film Festival on Aging, offering three days of shorts and features from around the world that deal with the difficulties and appreciation of growing older. The program begins with ‘Ruth Awasa: Roots of an Artist,’ a documentary about the famous artist, with director Bob Toy and Ruth’s children in attendance for a Q&A following the screening. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Double Hour (La Doppia Ora)’

  May 13, 2011

  ‘The Double Hour (La Doppia Ora),’ an Italian thriller from first-time director Giuseppe Capotondi that The New York Times touted as “the best movie of its kind,” plays at Smith Rafael Film Center. More at cafilm.org.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  Midnites for Maniacs

  May 13, 2011

  Castro Theatre celebrates Friday the 13th with Midnites for Maniacs, a late night triple feature including 1979's ‘Rock ‘N Roll High School,’ 1980's ‘The Blues Brothers’ and ‘Out of the Blue.’ The collection is curated and hosted by Jesse Hawthorne Ficks. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  We Are All Made of Stars in Patrico Guzmán's Universe

  B. Ruby Rich
  May 12, 2011

  'Nostalgia for the Light' may be the most optimistic film in Guzmán's oeuvre, but he still knows how to make us cry, mourn and remember.

  
• May 12, 2011
  
  

  We Are All Made of Stars in Patrico Guzmán's Universe

  B. Ruby Rich
  May 12, 2011

  'Nostalgia for the Light' may be the most optimistic film in Guzmán's oeuvre, but he still knows how to make us cry, mourn and remember.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  We Are All Made of Stars in Patrico Guzmán's Universe

  B. Ruby Rich
  May 12, 2011

  'Nostalgia for the Light' may be the most optimistic film in Guzmán's oeuvre, but he still knows how to make us cry, mourn and remember.

  
• May 10, 2011
  
  

  ‘COINTELPRO 101’

  May 12, 2011

  Director Claude Marks participates in a discussion following the screening of his film, ‘COINTELPRO 101,’ which presents the history and impact of the FBI Counter Intelligence Program. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Devor Mulls Odd Journey of Sara Jane Moore

  Michael Fox
  May 11, 2011

  'Zoo' director Robinson Devor uncovers the strange history behind the Gerald Ford assassination attempt in ’70s San Francisco.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Devor Mulls Odd Journey of Sara Jane Moore

  Michael Fox
  May 11, 2011

  'Zoo' director Robinson Devor uncovers the strange history behind the Gerald Ford assassination attempt in ’70s San Francisco.

  
• May 12, 2011
  
  

  Devor Mulls Odd Journey of Sara Jane Moore

  Michael Fox
  May 11, 2011

  'Zoo' director Robinson Devor uncovers the strange history behind the Gerald Ford assassination attempt in ’70s San Francisco.

  
• 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
  
  

  Gifts My Mother Gave Me

  Michael Guillen
  May 8, 2011

  Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.

  
• May 12, 2011
  
  

  Gifts My Mother Gave Me

  Michael Guillen
  May 8, 2011

  Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Gifts My Mother Gave Me

  Michael Guillen
  May 8, 2011

  Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.

  
• 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
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• May 12, 2011
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  ‘These Amazing Shadows’

  May 6, 2011

  Opening weekend of ‘These Amazing Shadows,’ a docu on American movies, features Q&As with its Bay Area filmmakers, as well as other local figures, including SF Chron critic Mick LaSalle, SF Public Defender (and filmmaker) Jeff Adachi and cinematographer Frazer Bradshaw. More at theseamazingshadows.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• May 12, 2011
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Unsinkable Joel Hodgson Floats New Show

  Damon O'Donnell
  May 6, 2011

  Mystery Science Theater returns to the Castro in the form of ‘Cinematic Titanic.’ Fans rejoice.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF54 Closing Night

  May 5, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts the final evening of SFIFF54, which features Mathieu Amalric’s ‘On Tour,’ a film that tells the story of a has-been French TV producer who stages his comeback with burlesque performers. A party follows at The Factory. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  SFIFF Brings in Burlesque as Closer

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  May 4, 2011

  Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’

  
• May 5, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF Brings in Burlesque as Closer

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  May 4, 2011

  Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF Brings in Burlesque as Closer

  Stephanie Rosenbaum
  May 4, 2011

  Cabaret New Burlesque gets the French art-house treatment with ‘On Tour.’

  
• 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.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  ‘William Burroughs: A Man Within’

  May 3, 2011

  Red Vic Movie House presents ‘William Burroughs: A Man Within,’ a documentary that offers a look into the life of one of the first writers to address queer and drag culture in the '50s. Director Yony Leyser participates in a Q&A following select showings. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘American Teacher’/20 Years of Schools at the Festival

  May 3, 2011

  SFFS's Schools at the Festival toasts its 20 years with clips, stories, tributes, food and drink (5:00 pm), followed by a special Teacher Appreciation Night screening of ‘American Teacher’ (6:30 pm), a documentary exploring the frustrating realities facing public school teachers, with special guests in attendance. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘Letters from the Big Man’

  May 3, 2011

  ‘Letters from the Big Man,’ a story of a friendship built between a young woman and a sasquatch, plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and New People with director Christopher Munch in town. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• May 3, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘The Joy’

  May 3, 2011

  A 16-year-old teenager overcomes the harsh realities of life in Rio de Janeiro by using her imagination in ‘The Joy,’ which plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. Director Felipe Bragança in attendance. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Unrestrained at SFIFF54, Barney Offers Live Insight

  Robert Avila
  May 2, 2011

  Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.

  
• Home
  
  

  Unrestrained at SFIFF54, Barney Offers Live Insight

  Robert Avila
  May 2, 2011

  Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.

  
• May 5, 2011
  
  

  Unrestrained at SFIFF54, Barney Offers Live Insight

  Robert Avila
  May 2, 2011

  Matthew Barney talks art, sports and spectacle at the Sundance Kabuki.

  
• April 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘Circumstance’

  May 1, 2011

  The Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner, ‘Circumstance,’ which tells the story of two Iranian women who fall in love, plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on May 1 and May 3. Director Maryam Keshavarz attends each screening of her debut feature. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• April 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘The Salesman’

  May 1, 2011

  ‘The Salesman,’ a feature that follows an aging car salesman in a struggling Quebec town, plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on May 1 and Pacific Film Archive on May 3. Director Sebastian Pilote attends the screenings. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• April 28, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF54 Embraces Barney's Unique POV

  Carmen Winant
  Apr 30, 2011

  In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF54 Embraces Barney's Unique POV

  Carmen Winant
  Apr 30, 2011

  In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.

  
• Home
  
  

  SFIFF54 Embraces Barney's Unique POV

  Carmen Winant
  Apr 30, 2011

  In a quarter century of filmmaking feats, persistence and vision are defining qualities for Matthew Barney.

  
• April 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF Centerpiece: ‘Terri’

  Apr 30, 2011

  San Francisco International Film Festival’s 2011 Centerpiece selection, ‘Terri,’ featuring John C. Reilly as a vice principle who befriends an insecure junior high student, plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas with director Azazel Jacobs and actor Jacob Wysocki in attendance. The evening’s after party is at Clift's Velvet Room. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• April 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘The Selling’

  Apr 29, 2011

  San Francisco director Emily Lou attends the screening of her comedic horror film, ‘The Selling,’ which tells the story of a real estate agent who struggles to sell a haunted house. Film plays at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Film Society Awards Night Shines Light on ’70s, City

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 29, 2011

  Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film Society Awards Night Shines Light on ’70s, City

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 29, 2011

  Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.

  
• May 5, 2011
  
  

  Film Society Awards Night Shines Light on ’70s, City

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 29, 2011

  Beginnings, endings and the dazzling cinema in between honored in SFFS's annual awards show.

  
• 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: ‘Asleep In The Sun’

  Apr 28, 2011

  The metaphysical mystery ‘Asleep In The Sun,’ featuring a watchmaker and his dog-loving wife in the 1950s, plays at Sundance Kubaki Cinemas on April 28 and New People on April 30, with director Alejandro Chomski in attendance. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• April 28, 2011
  
  

  Bay Area Doc-makers of SFIFF54 Map Future

  Michael Fox
  Apr 27, 2011

  The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.

  
• Home
  
  

  Bay Area Doc-makers of SFIFF54 Map Future

  Michael Fox
  Apr 27, 2011

  The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Bay Area Doc-makers of SFIFF54 Map Future

  Michael Fox
  Apr 27, 2011

  The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.

  
• 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 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘Crime After Crime’

  Apr 27, 2011

  Bay Area director Yoav Potash attends screenings of his documentary ‘Crime After Crime,’ which showcases the story of a female prisoner and the two pro bono lawyers who fight for her release over five and a half years. The film plays at Pacific Film Archive on April 27 and Sundance Kubaki Cinemas on May 2. 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 26, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘Better This World’

  Apr 26, 2011

  Bay Area directors are high profile in the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival; catch them in person this week. Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega appear Tuesday with Bradley Crowder, a principal of ‘Better This World,’ a documentary that traces the paths of activists deemed the "Texas Two." The film plays at Pacific Film Archive on April 26 and Sundance Kubaki Cinemas on April 29. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• April 28, 2011
  
  

  Terence Stamp Honored with Owens Award

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 25, 2011

  Terence Stamp has treated acting not as a job, but as a restless quest for new frontiers.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Terence Stamp Honored with Owens Award

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 25, 2011

  Terence Stamp has treated acting not as a job, but as a restless quest for new frontiers.

  
• Home
  
  

  Terence Stamp Honored with Owens Award

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 25, 2011

  Terence Stamp has treated acting not as a job, but as a restless quest for new frontiers.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  New People Entertainment Launches Online Channel

  Apr 25, 2011

  Press release: New People Entertainment, a film division of New People, Inc. that focuses on the licensing and distribution of Japanese films and media, has announced the beta launch of its own exclusive web channel where audiences will be able to stream a variety of the company’s films and content. More at newpeoplechannel.com.

  
• April 28, 2011
  
  

  Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 24, 2011

  Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 24, 2011

  Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

  
• Home
  
  

  Explosive Actors, Anecdotes Light Up SFIFF54’s Midnight Awards

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 24, 2011

  Zoe Saldana and Clifton Collins, Jr., share candid thoughts with a raucous audience.

  
• April 19, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF State of Cinema: Christine Vachon

  Apr 24, 2011

  Renowned producer Christine Vachon addresses cinema in the year 2011, gleaning wisdom from her extensive career producing films, from 1995's ‘Kids’ to 1999's ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ to the recent HBO mini-series 'Mildred Pierce.' More at fest.sffs.org.

  
• 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 19, 2011
  
  

  SFIFF: ‘Miss Representation’

  Apr 22, 2011

  ‘Miss Representation,’ former San Francisco Mayoral First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom's documentary examining the impact of media on the self-image of female teenagers, screens Friday, with the filmmaker herself in town. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Terence Stamp to Receive Peter J. Owens Award at 54th San Francisco International Film Festival

  Apr 22, 2011

  Press release: The San Francisco Film Society announced today that Terence Stamp will be the recipient of the Peter J. Owens Award at the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21–May 5). The Owens Award, named for the longtime San Francisco benefactor of arts and charitable organizations and Film Society board member, honors an actor whose work exemplifies brilliance, independence and integrity. The award will be presented to Stamp at Film Society Awards Night, Thursday, April 28 at Bimbo’s 365 Club. More at fest11.sffs.org.

  
• april 22 2011
  
  

  SFIFF54 Finds Life Among the Ruins

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 21, 2011

  As the San Francisco International Film Festival opens, key films consider the value of place.

  
• Home
  
  

  SFIFF54 Finds Life Among the Ruins

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 21, 2011

  As the San Francisco International Film Festival opens, key films consider the value of place.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF54 Finds Life Among the Ruins

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 21, 2011

  As the San Francisco International Film Festival opens, key films consider the value of place.

  
• april 22 2011
  
  

  Looking for the Moral with Bill Nichols

  Michael Fox
  Apr 20, 2011

  Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.

  
• Home
  
  

  Looking for the Moral with Bill Nichols

  Michael Fox
  Apr 20, 2011

  Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Looking for the Moral with Bill Nichols

  Michael Fox
  Apr 20, 2011

  Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.

  
• April 19, 2011
  
  

  Road to Hollywood Tour: ‘Elmer Gantry’

  Apr 20, 2011

  In celebration of the upcoming Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood, Castro Theatre participates in the one-night nationwide Road to Hollywood Tour with a free screening of ‘Elmer Gantry.’ Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz and Academy Award winner Shirley Jones are present. Tickets are acquired through tcm.com/roadtohollywood. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• April 19, 2011
  
  

  ATA Film & Video Festival

  Apr 20, 2011

  Roxie Theater hosts Playback: ATA Film & Video Festival 2006-2010, a one-day event that showcases a selection of short films from the experimental media arts gallery. More at roxie.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  indieWIRE: "'Restrepo' Filmmaker Tim Hetherington Killed in Libya"

  Apr 20, 2011

  Reports Peter Knegt: "Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington has been killed in Libya, it is being reported by Vanity Fair (where Hetherington worked as a contributing photographer)." More at indieWIRE.com.

  
• 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
  
  

  On Producing Killer Films

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 18, 2011

  Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.

  
• Home
  
  

  On Producing Killer Films

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 18, 2011

  Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  On Producing Killer Films

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 18, 2011

  Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  The Unorthodox Documentary: Lourdes Portillo

  Apr 18, 2011

  SFFS Education and Lourdes Portillo, director/producer of ‘The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo’ and ‘The Devil Never Sleeps,’ present a Master Class titled ‘The Unorthodox Documentary,’ in which Portillo shares her techniques and reviews students proposals. More at sffs.org.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  Afterimage: The Films of Patricio Guzmán

  Apr 16, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive's Patricio Guzmán series continues with ‘The Pinochet Case’ and ‘Chile, Obstinate Memory.’ Later this month, Guzman's latest, a poignant and provocative reflection called 'Nostalgia for the Light,' closes the collection and screens as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival, April 26 and 28. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu and fest11.sffs.org.

  
• 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 12, 2011
  
  

  'Circo'

  Apr 15, 2011

  Director Aaron Schock speaks at Landmark’s Lumiere Theatre San Francisco and Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley following select opening weekend showings of his new film, ‘Circo,’ which tells the story of a family’s financial and emotional battles as they struggle to successfully run a circus in Mexico. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  ‘Bullitt’ and ‘Freebie and the Bean’ Double Feature

  Apr 15, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts a double feature of cop films set in San Francisco, beginning with Peter Yates’ 1968 ‘Bullitt,’ which features Steve McQueen, and Richard Rush’s 1974 ‘Freebie and the Bean,’ featuring James Caan and Alan Arkin. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  ‘Henry’s Crime’

  Apr 15, 2011

  Keanu Reeves, James Caan and Vera Farmiga star in Malcolm Venvile’s ‘Henry’s Crime,’ which opens at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco, Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley and other Bay Area theaters. The film was an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  ‘Some Days are Better Than Others’

  Apr 15, 2011

  Roxie Theater presents ‘Some Days are Better Than Others,’ a debut feature-length film by Matt McCormick that explores the mutual struggles of hope shared amongst a group of eclectic characters. The film features Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) as well as James Mercer (The Shins). More at roxie.com.

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  'Sleeping Ember' Reignites

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 14, 2011

  A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Sleeping Ember' Reignites

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 14, 2011

  A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Sleeping Ember' Reignites

  Matt Sussman
  Apr 14, 2011

  A grad student brings a rare screening of silent classic 'Braza Dormida' to the PFA, with live jazz accompaniment.

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  Film Globally, Screen Locally

  Michael Fox
  Apr 13, 2011

  Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film Globally, Screen Locally

  Michael Fox
  Apr 13, 2011

  Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Film Globally, Screen Locally

  Michael Fox
  Apr 13, 2011

  Local filmmakers reflect on the opportunities presented by screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  The Art of the Steal

  George Rush
  Apr 12, 2011

  Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Art of the Steal

  George Rush
  Apr 12, 2011

  Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.

  
• Legal
  
  

  The Art of the Steal

  George Rush
  Apr 12, 2011

  Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.

  
• April 12, 2011
  
  

  ‘The Price of Sex’

  Apr 12, 2011

  Filmmaker Mimi Chakarova is at Sutardja Hall Auditorium, UC Berkeley, to present her documentary, ‘The Price of Sex,’ which is an award-winning investigation into sex trafficking throughout Europe and the Middle East. More at priceofsex.org.

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  Journalist-Activist Chakarova Exposes ‘Price of Sex’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 11, 2011

  Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Journalist-Activist Chakarova Exposes ‘Price of Sex’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 11, 2011

  Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Journalist-Activist Chakarova Exposes ‘Price of Sex’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 11, 2011

  Mimi Chakarova gains a new perspective on journalism as well as international crime in investigating 'The Price of Sex.'

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Current TV Launches 'The Current Cause' for Filmmakers

  Apr 8, 2011

  Press release: Current TV is launching a new pro-social program, called 'The Current Cause,' which invites both amateur and professional filmmakers to create promotional spots focusing on pro-social themes and organizations. The program focuses on a different theme every quarter, beginning with a sustainability-themed "Earth Fights Back" initiative to commemorate Earth Day 2011. More at current.com/cause.

  
• April 14, 2011
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Getting Behind 'Bill Cunningham'

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 8, 2011

  Richard Press and Philip Gefter pay tribute to a worker's devotion in making 'Bill Cunningham New York.'

  
• April 7, 2011
  
  

  The Power of ‘Poetry’

  Adam Hartzell
  Apr 7, 2011

  A South Korean gem, Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Poetry’ inspires.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Power of ‘Poetry’

  Adam Hartzell
  Apr 7, 2011

  A South Korean gem, Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Poetry’ inspires.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Power of ‘Poetry’

  Adam Hartzell
  Apr 7, 2011

  A South Korean gem, Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Poetry’ inspires.

  
• April 5, 2011
  
  

  An Evening with Les Blank

  Apr 7, 2011

  Award-winning Bay Area director Les Blank introduces his 1969 short film, ‘The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins,’ and his 1979 project, ‘Always for Pleasure,’ which play at Red Vic Movie House. Viewers receive rice and beans made with Les’ special recipe. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• April 5, 2011
  
  

  Fearless: Independent Chinese Documentaries

  Apr 7, 2011

  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts hosts and dGenerate Films and Fandor present ‘Fearless: Independent Chinese Documentaries,’ which features six independent Chinese political docs; continuing this week with 'Tape' (April 7), 'Ghost Town' (April 10) and '1428' (pictured, April 14). More at ybca.org.

  
• April 5, 2011
  
  

  ‘Maestra’

  Apr 7, 2011

  Mission Cultural Center presents Catherine Murphy’s ‘Maestra,’ a 30-minute documentary that follows female literacy workers in Cuba. Murphy and former literacy campaign teacher Norma Guillard participate in a Q&A with film critic B. Ruby Rich following the film. More at missionculturalcenter.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  54th San Francisco International Film Festival Will Present Founder’s Directing Award to Oliver Stone

  Apr 7, 2011

  Press release: The San Francisco Film Society announced today that Oliver Stone will be the recipient of the Founder’s Directing Award at the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21–May 5). The FDA will be presented to Stone at Film Society Awards Night, Thursday, April 28 at Bimbo’s 365 Club. The Film Society’s Youth Education program will be the beneficiary of the fundraiser honoring Stone. The soon-to-be-announced recipient of the Peter J. Owens Award for excellence in acting and Frank Pierson, recipient of the Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting will also be honored. More at sffs.org.

  
• 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.

  
• April 5, 2011
  
  

  The 7th Annual San Francisco Women’s Film Festival

  Apr 6, 2011

  The 7th Annual San Francisco Women’s Film Festival opens with ‘Grace, Milly, Lucy… Child Soldiers’ and runs five days, with shows and events at the Roxie Theater, Ninth Street Independent Film Center and Mission Workshop. More at roxie.com and womensfilminstitute.com.

  
• April 7, 2011
  
  

  Uncomplicating the Casting Process

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 5, 2011

  Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Uncomplicating the Casting Process

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 5, 2011

  Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.

  
• Home
  
  

  Uncomplicating the Casting Process

  Kim Nunley
  Apr 5, 2011

  Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  SFFS Film Arts Forum: Beyond Film School

  Apr 4, 2011

  Tiffany Shlain keynotes a discussion of education and opportunity, while panelists Mark Decena, Rob Epstein, Barry Jenkins, Lexi Leban and Jenni Olson share their experiences and stories of how they’ve sustained their careers over time. It begins at 7:30 pm at the Lab. More at sffs.org.

  
• April 7, 2011
  
  

  Kehr Recalls ‘When Movies Mattered’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 4, 2011

  A collection of Dave Kehr's analytical, entertaining pieces from 30-plus years ago offers critical enlightenment for a short-form era.

  
• Home
  
  

  Kehr Recalls ‘When Movies Mattered’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 4, 2011

  A collection of Dave Kehr's analytical, entertaining pieces from 30-plus years ago offers critical enlightenment for a short-form era.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kehr Recalls ‘When Movies Mattered’

  Michael Fox
  Apr 4, 2011

  A collection of Dave Kehr's analytical, entertaining pieces from 30-plus years ago offers critical enlightenment for a short-form era.

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  Afterimage: The Films of Patricio Guzman

  Apr 2, 2011

  ‘Salvador Allende,’ the first feature in the month-long series ‘Afterimage: The Films of Patricio Guzman,’ which showcases a variety of Guzman’s work, plays at Pacific Film Archive. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  IndieWIRE: "Meet the San Francisco International Film Fest Programmers (In Their Own Words)"

  Apr 2, 2011

  IndieWIRE reports: "With the sheer number of arts-related events in San Francisco, one might mistake the city as one of America’s largest metropolises, but in fact it’s California’s fourth largest city. San Francisco has however had a long tradition of embracing arts on the cusp, reflecting its vibrant and diverse citizens." More at indieWIRE.com.

  
• April 7, 2011
  
  

  Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 1, 2011

  Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  
• Home
  
  

  Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 1, 2011

  Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Ozon's 'Trophy Wife' Is a Winner

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 1, 2011

  Ozon's Deneuve vehicle, filled with comedy and politics, travels well.

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  ‘Orgasm, Inc.’

  Apr 1, 2011

  Liz Canner’s astounding and yet amusing documentary ‘Orgasm, Inc.,’ which examines the attempt of pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of women’s desire to orgasm to sell perhaps ineffective and possibly dangerous medications, plays at Roxie Theater. Opening reception with Canner takes place at Good Vibrations on April 2 and a panelist discussion featuring Dr. Carol Queen follows an April 4 showing. More at roxie.com.

  
• 03.31.11
  
  

  SFMOMA's Muybridge Experiments with Time, Space

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 31, 2011

  SFMOMA's Eadweard Muybridge exhibit is essential viewing for Bay Area film lovers. More than 150 years after Eadweard Muybridge set up shop on Montgomery Street, San Francisco Museum Modern Art is featuring a splendid retrospective of the photographer’s work just a few blocks away. A tireless self-promoter with chutzpah enough to adapt “Helios” as a nom de plume early in his career (this after already having left “Muggeridge” behind in England), Muybridge would surely have been pleased by this showcase. From A Trip Down Market Street

  
• Home
  
  

  SFMOMA's Muybridge Experiments with Time, Space

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 31, 2011

  SFMOMA's Eadweard Muybridge exhibit is essential viewing for Bay Area film lovers. More than 150 years after Eadweard Muybridge set up shop on Montgomery Street, San Francisco Museum Modern Art is featuring a splendid retrospective of the photographer’s work just a few blocks away. A tireless self-promoter with chutzpah enough to adapt “Helios” as a nom de plume early in his career (this after already having left “Muggeridge” behind in England), Muybridge would surely have been pleased by this showcase. From A Trip Down Market Street

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  Patricia Woodbridge on Art Direction

  Mar 31, 2011

  Behind the Scenes: Art director Patricia Woodbridge introduces ‘I Am Legend’ at Pacific Film Archive with a formal discussion of her work on that film and others on March 31. SFFS hosts Woodbridge at Ninth Street Independent Film Center for a Master Class on April 2, and then she returns to PFA to informally present ‘Shutter Island,’ on April 3. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu and sffs.org.

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  ‘The Storm That Swept Mexico’

  Mar 31, 2011

  Filmmakers Ray Telles and Kenn Rabin are in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center to present their documentary, ‘The Storm That Swept Mexico,’ which illustrates the story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and explores the subsequent changes in relationship dynamics between Mexico, the United States and Europe. More at cafilm.org.

  
• 03.31.11
  
  

  Good’s ‘Vigilante’ Tags Graffiti Showdown

  Michael Fox
  Mar 30, 2011

  A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.

  
• Home
  
  

  Good’s ‘Vigilante’ Tags Graffiti Showdown

  Michael Fox
  Mar 30, 2011

  A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Good’s ‘Vigilante’ Tags Graffiti Showdown

  Michael Fox
  Mar 30, 2011

  A nonfiction tagging doc takes a novel approach, looking at those who erase graffiti as opposed to those who make it.

  
• March 29 2011
  
  

  ‘Daddy I Do’

  Mar 30, 2011

  Director Cassie Jaye and producer Nena Jaye are in person for a discussion following their documentary, ‘Daddy I Do,’ which explores the need to provide youth and young adults with sexual education. More at cafilm.org.

  
• 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.

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  'Hula Girls'

  Mar 26, 2011

  New People at Viz Cinema hosts three showings of ‘Hula Girls,’ a 2006 film based in the recently devastated Fukushima, Japan. Showings are free, but donations of $10, which will go directly to Japanese earthquake relief funds, are requested. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  First Person Rural: The New Nonfiction

  Mar 26, 2011

  Lisandro Alonso’s 2001 ‘La Libertad’ is the first film in Pacific Film Archive’s First Person Rural: The New Nonfiction series, which presents works that utilize documentary filmmaking techniques in fictional storytelling. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  Sing Along 'The Wizard of Oz'

  Mar 25, 2011

  The Sing Along ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ featuring an interactive experience with song and goody bags, plays for seven days at the Castro Theatre. Laurie Bushman, Joe Wicht and David Hawkins host. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  'Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?'

  Mar 25, 2011

  Director Taggart Siegel participates in a Q&A at Roxie Theater following the evening showings on March 25, 27 and 28 of his recent documentary, ‘Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?,’ which examines the recent global disappearance of bees. More at roxie.com.

  
• 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...

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  Disposable Film Festival

  Mar 24, 2011

  Created in 2007 by Eric Slatkin and Carlton Evans to celebrate possibilities of media we might consider "throwaway" (devices like cell phones and pocket cameras), the Disposable Film Festival has grown into a popular one-day event and year-round traveling showcase. This year, it debuts at the Castro Theatre. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• March 22, 2011
  
  

  'Voces Inocentes'

  Mar 24, 2011

  Screenwriter Oscar Torres appears in person at Mission Cultural Center to talk following his award winning film ‘Voces Inocentes,’ based on Torres’ real-life tale of growing up and avoiding mandatory army recruitment in San Salvador. More at missionculturalcenter.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Merk Mixes ‘Cocktails’ for Television

  Michael Fox
  Mar 23, 2011

  Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Merk Mixes ‘Cocktails’ for Television

  Michael Fox
  Mar 23, 2011

  Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.

  
• March 24, 2011
  
  

  Merk Mixes ‘Cocktails’ for Television

  Michael Fox
  Mar 23, 2011

  Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms

  Erica Marcus
  Mar 22, 2011

  The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.

  
• Home
  
  

  Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms

  Erica Marcus
  Mar 22, 2011

  The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.

  
• March 24, 2011
  
  

  Filmmakers Bring Stories to New Platforms

  Erica Marcus
  Mar 22, 2011

  The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Talent Emerges at SXSW 2011

  Julia Barbosa
  Mar 22, 2011

  Issues, philosophies spark SXSW's 2011 films.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW

  Sara Dosa
  Mar 21, 2011

  New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW

  Sara Dosa
  Mar 21, 2011

  New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.

  
• March 24, 2011
  
  

  The Future Messes with Texas at SXSW

  Sara Dosa
  Mar 21, 2011

  New technology and futuristic themes featured prominently at South by Southwest this year.

  
• Home
  
  

  Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 18, 2011

  Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.

  
• March 24, 2011
  
  

  Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 18, 2011

  Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kiarostami’s Enigmatic ‘Copy’ Fascinates

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 18, 2011

  Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ is a puzzling provocation that gets better with multiple viewings.

  
• March 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘Heartbeats'

  Mar 18, 2011

  Xavier Dolan’s ‘Heartbeats,’ the 2010 Winner of Un Certain Regard Youth Prize at Cannes International Film Festival, opens at Landmark Theatres in San Francisco and Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas. The film follows two best friends and their attempt to attain the affection of a charming man they’ve just met. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• March 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘Certified Copy’

  Mar 18, 2011

  Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy,’ featuring Juliette Binoche, opens at Landmark's Clay and Shattuck as well as the Smith Rafael Film Center. The films tells the story of a man and woman who begin pretending they’re romantically involved and subsequently experience the dynamics of being in a couple. More at landmarktheatres.com and cafilm.org.

  
• March 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘You Won’t Miss Me’

  Mar 18, 2011

  Ry Russo-Young’s 2009 Gotham Independent Film Award winner and Sundance Film Festival Selection, ‘You Won’t Miss Me,’ plays for one week at Roxie Theater. The film features Stella Schnabel, who plays a 23 year-old just released from a psychiatric hospital. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  YBCA Brings Attention to Embattled Iranian Artists

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 17, 2011

  YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.

  
• March 17, 2011
  
  

  YBCA Brings Attention to Embattled Iranian Artists

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 17, 2011

  YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  YBCA Brings Attention to Embattled Iranian Artists

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 17, 2011

  YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.

  
• Home
  
  

  Seely Treks Long Distances for Shorts

  Michael Fox
  Mar 16, 2011

  Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Seely Treks Long Distances for Shorts

  Michael Fox
  Mar 16, 2011

  Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.

  
• March 17, 2011
  
  

  Seely Treks Long Distances for Shorts

  Michael Fox
  Mar 16, 2011

  Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.

  
• Home
  
  

  Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

  Karen Everett
  Mar 15, 2011

  A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

  
• March 17, 2011
  
  

  Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

  Karen Everett
  Mar 15, 2011

  A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Nonfiction's Future Lies in Optimism

  Karen Everett
  Mar 15, 2011

  A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.

  
• March 15, 2011
  
  

  ‘William S. Burroughs: A Man Within’

  Mar 15, 2011

  “At times William S. Burroughs seemed less the author of fiction than a creation of it,” writes Dennis Harvey in SF360; director Yony Leyser offers what Harvey calls a "fascinating, impressionistic" treatment of the subject in ‘William S. Burroughs: A Man Within.’ Leyser and other special guests offer a Q&A following the showing of their film, Tuesday, March 15. More at roxie.com.

  
• 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.

  
• March 8, 2011
  
  

  Oscar-winners Discuss Effects and Music in 'Tarzan Finds a Son!'

  Mar 13, 2011

  Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt reveal the special effects used in 1939s ‘Tarzan Finds a Son!’ and present live audio demonstrations. The event takes place at Smith Rafael Film Center and is presented by Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. More at cafilm.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Burroughs’ Story Still Stranger than Fiction

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 11, 2011

  A new Burroughs documentary revisits a familiar story, but delivers fresh insight.

  
• March 17, 2011
  
  

  Burroughs’ Story Still Stranger than Fiction

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 11, 2011

  A new Burroughs documentary revisits a familiar story, but delivers fresh insight.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Burroughs’ Story Still Stranger than Fiction

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 11, 2011

  A new Burroughs documentary revisits a familiar story, but delivers fresh insight.

  
• March 8, 2011
  
  

  SF Int'l Asian American Film Festival

  Mar 11, 2011

  San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival begins March 10 and runs for 11 days, celebrating Opening Night at the Castro Theatre with Andy De Emmony’s 2009 ‘West Is West,’ the sequel to the successful 1999 ‘East Is East.’ About 120 films will play at a variety of venues around San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. More at festival.asianamericanmedia.org.

  
• 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...

  
• March 8, 2011
  
  

  Film and Video Makers at Cal

  Mar 10, 2011

  Pacific 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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Hollywood Reporter: New Film Site Fandor Launches

  Mar 10, 2011

  Hollywood Reporter: ""What the film industry desperately needs is a merger of social networks and content," says Ted Hope, the celebrated producer of American Splendor and dozens of indie hits at Sundance and elsewhere. That's why he just joined former Facebook chief privacy officer Chris Kelly on the board of Fandor, the indie film streaming site built by Dan Aronson and Jonathan Marlow, a veteran of Amazon and GreenCine. After several months in beta (trial-run mode), Fandor made its full-fledged debut Wednesday," writes Tim Appelo. More at hollywoodreporter.com.

  
• 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 8, 2011
  
  

  Images of Nature, or The Nature of the Image: Canadian Artists at Work

  Mar 9, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive offers the latest in their Alternative Visions series with Images of Nature, or The Nature of the Image: Canadian Artists at Work, which explores the techniques and strategies utilized by four decades of Canadian short films as they showcase images of nature and Canadian landscapes. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• 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.

  
• 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
  
  

  SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut

  Michael Fox
  Mar 7, 2011

  Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.

  
• March 10, 2011
  
  

  SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut

  Michael Fox
  Mar 7, 2011

  Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIAFF Director Primed for Debut

  Michael Fox
  Mar 7, 2011

  Masashi Niwano, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival's new director, speaks about bringing new worlds to this world cinema event.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  Balboa Birthday Bash: Rare Valentino

  Mar 6, 2011

  The Balboa Theatre celebrates its 81st year with a rare early film of Rudolph Valentino, ‘Moran of the Lady Letty,’ lensed here in San Francisco and Tiburon. The evening includes short-subject films, live accompaniment and performance, your own take on Jazz Age attire, and, of course, birthday cake. More at balboamovies.com.

  
• 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.'

  
• February 22, 2011
  
  

  Ariel Award Best Picture 'Nora's Will'

  Mar 4, 2011

  Mariana Chenillo’s comedy ‘Nora’s Will' (Cinco Dias Sin Nora), winner of seven Mexican Ariel Awards, including best picture, actor, supporting actress and screenplay opens at the Smith Rafael as well as Landmark's Bridge and Shattuck. More at cafilm.org and landmarktheatres.com.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  Ariel Award Best Picture 'Nora's Will'

  Mar 4, 2011

  Mariana Chenillo’s comedy ‘Nora’s Will' (Cinco Dias Sin Nora), winner of seven Mexican Ariel Awards, including best picture, actor, supporting actress and screenplay opens at the Smith Rafael as well as Landmark's Bridge and Shattuck. More at cafilm.org and landmarktheatres.com.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  'Exposed on Film'

  Mar 4, 2011

  San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Castro Theatre present ‘Exposed on Film,’ a three-day series featuring films that explore the themes presented in the concurrent San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit, Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870, including Warhol's 'The Nude Restaurant,' Antonioni's 'Blow Up' and David Lynch's 'Lost Highway.' More at castrotheatre.com and sfmoma.org.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  Tom Shadyac in Person to Present 'I Am'

  Mar 4, 2011

  Director Tom Shadyac, known for comedies ‘Ace Ventura,’ ‘Liar, Liar’ and ‘Bruce Almighty,’ will be at Smith Rafael Film Center to present his new documentary, ‘I Am,’ which investigates the extreme change he experienced after an accident caused him to get rid of all his possessions and rethink his outlook on life. More at cafilm.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFIFF54 Announces Documentaries in Golden Gate Awards, Films in New Directors Competition

  Mar 4, 2011

  Press release: The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21 - May 5) today announced its documentaries in competition for the Golden Gate Awards and films in competition for the New Directors Prize. The International will award close to $100,000 in total prizes this year. Sixty thousand dollars will be awarded to winners in three categories: investigative documentary feature ($25,000), documentary feature ($20,000) and Bay Area documentary feature ($15,000). The New Directors Prize of $15,000 is given to a narrative first feature that exhibits a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Seventeen countries contributed to the production of the 11 films in this year's competition. Click through for titles or visit sffs.org.

  
• 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.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  Justin Hunt and James Hetfield in Person for 'Absent' Screening

  Mar 3, 2011

  Smith Rafael Film Center hosts filmmaker Justin Hunt and composer James Hetfield (Metallica) as they present and discuss their documentary ‘Absent,’ which looks at the absence of father figures. More at cafilm.org.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  San Francisco Green Film Festival

  Mar 3, 2011

  San Francisco's first ever Green Film Festival takes off with a collection that includes Werner Herzog's 'Happy,' Patrick Rouxel's 'Green' and Fredrik Gertten’s 'Bananas!*' More at sfgreenfilmfest.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  LA Times: "Mexican Movie Is 'Censored'"

  Mar 3, 2011

  Los Angeles Times: "The documentary “Presumed Guilty” (“Presunto Culpable”) has received accolades far and wide, from human rights groups, audiences and Mexican legislators. It is a damning look at the Mexican judicial system that hastens to put a man in prison on the flimsiest of evidence," writes Tracey Wilkinson. More at latimes.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Ehrlich Clicks with Icelandic ‘Mouse’

  Michael Fox
  Mar 2, 2011

  After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Ehrlich Clicks with Icelandic ‘Mouse’

  Michael Fox
  Mar 2, 2011

  After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.

  
• March 3, 2011
  
  

  Ehrlich Clicks with Icelandic ‘Mouse’

  Michael Fox
  Mar 2, 2011

  After her own Assange story broke big, a Bay Area filmmaker followed another lead...to Iceland.

  
• March 1, 2011
  
  

  Ido Haar in Person for Q&A following 'Melting Siberia'

  Mar 2, 2011

  Ido Haar continues his two-week residency with the San Francisco Film Society; he appears in person for a Q&A following the screening of ‘Melting Siberia,’ which will play at New People. A reception with Haar will follow at Viz Cinema Café. More at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Poetry in Motion: Working in Action

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Mar 1, 2011

  Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.

  
• March 3, 2011
  
  

  Poetry in Motion: Working in Action

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Mar 1, 2011

  Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Poetry in Motion: Working in Action

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Mar 1, 2011

  Build an action picture with a poor script? At your own risk.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Reuters: "'Toy Story 3' Wins Oscar for Animated Feature"

  Feb 27, 2011

  Reuters: "'Toy Story 3' won the Oscar for animated feature on Sunday, becoming the fourth Pixar release to win the category in as many years." More at reuters.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  LA Times: "Oscars: 'Inside Job' Wins for Documentary Feature"

  Feb 27, 2011

  LA Times Blogs: "Inside Job” won the Oscar for documentary feature at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. “Inside Job” is an exploration of the causes and corollaries of the 2008 financial crisis. The award goes to Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs." More at latimesblogs.latimes.com. And from SF360.org: Bay Area-based Ferguson's speech began with a statement of fact, "After financial fraud not a single financial executive has gone to jail," before thanking his colleagues.

  
• 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
  
  

  Triple Feature of Claymation and Puppetry

  Feb 26, 2011

  Film on Film Foundation and Red Vic Movie House offer a triple feature of claymation and puppetry projects, including ‘Gumby, The Movie,’ ‘The Adventures of Mark Twain,’ and ‘Meet the Feebles.’ More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• 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 22, 2011
  
  

  'The Woman Chaser'

  Feb 25, 2011

  Director Robinson Devor and actor Patrick Warburton are in person at Roxie Theater to show their 1999 noir film, ‘The Woman Chaser,’ which tells the story of a used care salesman who strives to write and direct his own film in an attempt to find fame and fortune. More at roxie.com.

  
• February 22, 2011
  
  

  'We Were Here'

  Feb 25, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts seven days of ‘We Were Here,’ David Weissman's documentary examining the initial arrival of AIDS in San Francisco and its subsequent influence the community. Opening night features a VIP reception prior to and a Q&A with director David Weissman following the screening. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• February 22, 2011
  
  

  SFFS KinoTek: Laurel Nakadate Double Feature

  Feb 24, 2011

  As part of Laurel Nakadate: Fever Dreams, photographer and filmmaker Nakadate appears in person at the Roxie Theater for a Q&A following a double-feature of her transfixing, transforming feature-length films, including 2010's 'The Wolf Knife' and 2009's 'Stay the Same Never Change.' More, including info on Nakadate work on display in the Mission, at sffs.org.

  
• February 24, 2011
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• Home
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFGate: Philip Kaufman’s 'Hemingway & Gellhorn' Looks for Extras in San Francisco

  Feb 23, 2011

  Reports SFGate: “The HBO production ‘Hemingway & Gellhorn,’ starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen and being filmed almost entirely in San Francisco, needs some local extras. But the open call only welcomes 18- to 40-year-old, Spanish-looking, English-speaking men with fair to medium complexions, dark hair, eyes and lean physiques.” Open calls take place through Sunday, February 27 12:30 to 4:00 pm at Beau Bonneau Casting. More at sfgate.com and beaubonneaucasting.com.

  
• February 24, 2011
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• Home
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nakadate’s Fever Dreams Heat the Screen

  Sean Uyehara
  Feb 23, 2011

  Filmmaker/photographer Laurel Nakadate talks about acting, power and identity.

  
• February 22, 2011
  
  

  Noise Pop Film Series

  Feb 22, 2011

  A festival whose curation was called "stupefyingly good" by Dennis Harvey in SF360.org last week, the Noise Pop Film Series complements the live music it's meant to accompany as the likes of Feist, Devendra Banhart and Tom Ze cross the screen. More at 2011.noisepop.com/film.

  
• February 24, 2011
  
  

  'We Were Here' Wrings Hope from the AIDS Crisis

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 22, 2011

  Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.

  
• Home
  
  

  'We Were Here' Wrings Hope from the AIDS Crisis

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 22, 2011

  Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'We Were Here' Wrings Hope from the AIDS Crisis

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 22, 2011

  Weissman and Weber's 'We Were Here' pulls a surprising degree of hope and inspiration out of the AIDS tragedy.

  
• February 17, 2011
  
  

  Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 18, 2011

  Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

  
• Home
  
  

  Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 18, 2011

  Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Soderbergh's Spalding Gray Rings True

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 18, 2011

  Steven Soderbergh's Spalding Gray tribute gives us the true beating heart of the artist instead of talking-head punditry.

  
• February 15, 2011
  
  

  Gregg Araki in Person with 'Kaboom'

  Feb 18, 2011

  Andrew O'Hehir called Gregg Araki's latest "trashy," "sweet," and "downright disturbing" in Salon. It opens this weekend at the Bridge with Araki in person at evening shows Friday and Saturday. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• February 17, 2011
  
  

  Noise Pop 2011's Film Series Rawks

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 17, 2011

  Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Noise Pop 2011's Film Series Rawks

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 17, 2011

  Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.

  
• Home
  
  

  Noise Pop 2011's Film Series Rawks

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 17, 2011

  Noise Pop brings the noise as well as great filmmaking to its annual music-and-movie event.

  
• February 17, 2011
  
  

  Lagarde, Lozano Jam with NY Jazzman

  Michael Fox
  Feb 16, 2011

  Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde find a life-and-death story in the making of 'My Coma Dreams.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Lagarde, Lozano Jam with NY Jazzman

  Michael Fox
  Feb 16, 2011

  Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde find a life-and-death story in the making of 'My Coma Dreams.'

  
• In Production
  
  

  Lagarde, Lozano Jam with NY Jazzman

  Michael Fox
  Feb 16, 2011

  Carrie Lozano and Charlotte Lagarde find a life-and-death story in the making of 'My Coma Dreams.'

  
• February 17, 2011
  
  

  On the Making of 'Crooked Beauty'

  Ken Paul Rosenthal
  Feb 15, 2011

  A filmmaker delves deep into the process of embodying 'madness' in movie form.

  
• First Person
  
  

  On the Making of 'Crooked Beauty'

  Ken Paul Rosenthal
  Feb 15, 2011

  A filmmaker delves deep into the process of embodying 'madness' in movie form.

  
• Home
  
  

  On the Making of 'Crooked Beauty'

  Ken Paul Rosenthal
  Feb 15, 2011

  A filmmaker delves deep into the process of embodying 'madness' in movie form.

  
• 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 17, 2011
  
  

  Stone Tour Cultivates the City

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 14, 2011

  Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

  
• Home
  
  

  Stone Tour Cultivates the City

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 14, 2011

  Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stone Tour Cultivates the City

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 14, 2011

  Film professor and farmer Melinda Stone tours San Francisco community centers with film and food for thought.

  
• February 8, 2011
  
  

  Scary Cow 13th Indie Film Festival

  Feb 13, 2011

  Short and feature films completed over the previous year by the Scary Cow’s co-op members play at Castro Theater. Attendees vote on which filmmakers should receive funding for future projects. More at scarycow.com.

  
• February 8, 2011
  
  

  San Francisco Silent Film Festival Winter Event

  Feb 12, 2011

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival's Winter Event, a one-day affair to showcase silent films, returns to the Castro. Features include Charlie Chaplin shorts, Marcel L’Herbier’s 1928 ‘L’Argent’ and King Vidor’s 1926 ‘La Boheme,' each accompanied with live music. More at silentfilm.org and castrotheatre.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Come Undone' Disrupts Domesticity

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 11, 2011

  Neither tragedy nor grand romance, 'Come Undone' captures an evocative everyday mess.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Come Undone' Disrupts Domesticity

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 11, 2011

  Neither tragedy nor grand romance, 'Come Undone' captures an evocative everyday mess.

  
• 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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Ro*co Films Lands Educational Distribution of Jennifer Siebel Newsom's 'Miss Representation'

  Feb 11, 2011

  Press Release: Bay Area-based ro*co films announced that they will be distributing Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s documentary film, 'Miss Representation' in the North American educational market. ro*co will distribute the film to academic institutions, universities, and libraries for both classroom use and educational screenings. More at rocofilms.com.

  
• February 10, 2011
  
  

  Silent Film Festival Is in the Money

  Michael Fox
  Feb 10, 2011

  SF Silent Film Festival's Winter Event offers financial dramas that speak volumes.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Silent Film Festival Is in the Money

  Michael Fox
  Feb 10, 2011

  SF Silent Film Festival's Winter Event offers financial dramas that speak volumes.

  
• Home
  
  

  Silent Film Festival Is in the Money

  Michael Fox
  Feb 10, 2011

  SF Silent Film Festival's Winter Event offers financial dramas that speak volumes.

  
• February 10, 2011
  
  

  Scary Cow Stampede Continues Apace

  Michael Fox
  Feb 9, 2011

  Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.

  
• Home
  
  

  Scary Cow Stampede Continues Apace

  Michael Fox
  Feb 9, 2011

  Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Scary Cow Stampede Continues Apace

  Michael Fox
  Feb 9, 2011

  Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.

  
• February 10, 2011
  
  

  Im Sang-soo Re-hires a Troubling 'Housemaid'

  Adam Hartzell
  Feb 8, 2011

  A South Korean classic is re-envisioned.

  
• Home
  
  

  Im Sang-soo Re-hires a Troubling 'Housemaid'

  Adam Hartzell
  Feb 8, 2011

  A South Korean classic is re-envisioned.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Im Sang-soo Re-hires a Troubling 'Housemaid'

  Adam Hartzell
  Feb 8, 2011

  A South Korean classic is re-envisioned.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  'The Garden of Sinners'

  Feb 8, 2011

  Viz Cinema at New People hosts the U.S. premiere of the Japanese animated film ‘The Garden of Sinners,’ based on Kinoko Nasu’s successful cult novel. Producers are in attendance for a discussion panel following. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• February 8, 2011
  
  

  'The Garden of Sinners'

  Feb 8, 2011

  Viz Cinema at New People hosts the U.S. premiere of the Japanese animated film ‘The Garden of Sinners,’ based on Kinoko Nasu’s successful cult novel. Producers are in attendance for a discussion panel following. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• 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.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  Sketchfest: 'Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman'

  Feb 5, 2011

  The Castro Theatre hosts as SF Sketchfest and Midnight Mass present Idol Worship: An Evening with Cloris Leachman, which will offers a screening of Mel Brooks’ ‘High Anxiety’ and drag queen music performances including exchanges with Cloris Leachman. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• February 10, 2011
  
  

  SFFS Screen Returns with New Suleiman

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 4, 2011

  Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.

  
• Home
  
  

  SFFS Screen Returns with New Suleiman

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 4, 2011

  Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFFS Screen Returns with New Suleiman

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 4, 2011

  Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  SFFS Screen: 'The Time That Remains'

  Feb 4, 2011

  SFFS Screen returns to the Sundance Kabuki with a new one from Elia Suleiman, a story about the the lives and hardships of Palestinians who were branded "Israeli Arabs." It's a film that the Toronto International Film Festival calls a "fusion of the political and personal, the historical and hysterical." More at sffs.org.

  
• 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.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  Mostly British Film Festival

  Feb 3, 2011

  The eight-day Mostly British Film Festival opens with Andy DeEmmony’s ‘West is West,’ the sequel to 1999s ‘East is East.’ Films from the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and Ireland play for eight days at the Vogue Theatre and the Smith Rafael Film Center. More at mostlybritish.org.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  'We Women Warriors'

  Feb 3, 2011

  Filmmaker Nicole Karsin shares the latest cut of her documentary ‘We Women Warriors,’ which showcases three Colombian women’s nonviolent efforts to protect their liberties while caught in the crosshairs of a rebellious war. The film plays at The Women’s Building. More at wewomenwarriors.com.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  SF Indiefest

  Feb 3, 2011

  Roxie Theater hosts the 13th SF Indiefest, which presents 15 raucous days of both feature and short independent films. Opening Night features Gregg Araki’s ‘Kaboom,’ with an afterparty at CELLspace and live music. More at sfindie.com.

  
• Feb 3 2011
  
  

  Schneider-Jarmel Clan Take ‘Balz’ to Cuba

  Michael Fox
  Feb 2, 2011

  Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.

  
• Home
  
  

  Schneider-Jarmel Clan Take ‘Balz’ to Cuba

  Michael Fox
  Feb 2, 2011

  Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Schneider-Jarmel Clan Take ‘Balz’ to Cuba

  Michael Fox
  Feb 2, 2011

  Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider follow 'Speaking in Tongues' with a doc that talks baseball.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  Cruel Cinema: New Directions in Tamil Film

  Feb 2, 2011

  3rd i launches its ‘Cruel Cinema: New Directions in Tamil Film’ weekend series at the Pacific Film Archive Theater. Four current new wave films from Tamil play, beginning with India’s highly successful crime thriller ‘Pudhuppettai.’ More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• Feb 3 2011
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part Two

  Karen Everett
  Feb 1, 2011

  An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.

  
• Home
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part Two

  Karen Everett
  Feb 1, 2011

  An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part Two

  Karen Everett
  Feb 1, 2011

  An expert offers advice on solving the issues rough-cut screenings raise.

  
• February 1, 2011
  
  

  'Lemmy'

  Feb 1, 2011

  ‘Lemmy,’ Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski’s 2010 documentary exploring the over 40-year music career of lead singer of Motörhead, Lemmy Kilmister, plays at Roxie Theater. More at roxie.com.

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  SF Sketchfest: 'Airplane!' Tribute

  Jan 31, 2011

  The Castro Theatre hosts a tribute to ‘Airplane!’ in conjunction with the SF Sketchfest. Following the film is a Q&A with leading actor Robert Hays, screenwriter Jim Abrahams and directors David and Jerry Zucker. More at sfsketchfest.com.

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  Herzog in Focus

  Jan 31, 2011

  The Roxie Theater and San Francisco Film Society present ‘Herzog In Focus,’ a class taught by Bill Nichols, which analyzes the work of German filmmaker Werner Herzog. More at roxie.com and sffs.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  indieWIRE: "OWN Buys Another Sundance Title for the Doc Club"

  Jan 31, 2011

  Reports indieWIRE: "Oprah Winfrey Network has added another member to its Documentary Film Club with Yoav Potash’s “Crime After Crime,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition." More at indiewire.com.

  
• Feb 3 2011
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: 285 Steps

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 28, 2011

  Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: 285 Steps

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 28, 2011

  Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

  
• Home
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: 285 Steps

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 28, 2011

  Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

  
• January 31, 2011
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: 285 Steps

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 28, 2011

  Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  By, For and About George Kuchar

  Jan 28, 2011

  The Roxie showcases filmmaker and educator George Kuchar with ‘By, For and About George Kuchar,’ including a Frankenstein series recently completed with his San Francisco Art Institute students, a selection of his shorts and Jennifer Kroot’s 2009 documentary, ‘It Came From Kuchar.’ More at roxie.com.

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  African Film Festival 2011

  Jan 27, 2011

  Pacific 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.’

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  'August to June' World Premiere

  Jan 27, 2011

  Filmmakers Amy and Tom Valens appear in person at Smith Rafael Film Center for the world premiere of their documentary ‘August to June,’ which follows Amy in her final year as an instructor at a public elementary school in the city of Lagunitas. More at cafilm.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Olsson Feels ‘Soldier’s Heart’ Beat

  Michael Fox
  Jan 26, 2011

  Stephen Olsson looks into novel methods of treating PTSD in 'A Soldier’s Heart and the Long Road Home.'

  
• In Production
  
  

  Olsson Feels ‘Soldier’s Heart’ Beat

  Michael Fox
  Jan 26, 2011

  Stephen Olsson looks into novel methods of treating PTSD in 'A Soldier’s Heart and the Long Road Home.'

  
• January 27, 2011
  
  

  Olsson Feels ‘Soldier’s Heart’ Beat

  Michael Fox
  Jan 26, 2011

  Stephen Olsson looks into novel methods of treating PTSD in 'A Soldier’s Heart and the Long Road Home.'

  
• January 27, 2011
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: Strange and Charmed Visions

  SFFS Staff
  Jan 25, 2011

  Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."

  
• January 31, 2011
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: Strange and Charmed Visions

  SFFS Staff
  Jan 25, 2011

  Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF360 Live at Sundance: Strange and Charmed Visions

  SFFS Staff
  Jan 25, 2011

  Sean Uyehara: "If you wanted, you could say that Calvin Lee Reeder channels the love child of Dario Argento and Maya Deren..."

  
• January 25, 2011
  
  

  Final Week of Noir City

  Jan 25, 2011

  The final week of Noir City plays at Castro Theatre. Two Film Noir features play nightly through January 30, ending with 1952’s ‘Angel Face’ and 1948’s ‘The Hunted.’ More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Red Lantern Meetup Reels in Film Fans

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 24, 2011

  The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.

  
• January 27, 2011
  
  

  Red Lantern Meetup Reels in Film Fans

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 24, 2011

  The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Red Lantern Meetup Reels in Film Fans

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 24, 2011

  The Red Lantern Meetup group brings Asian film fans together.

  
• Home
  
  

  Temporary Insanity Takes Hold at Noir City

  Max Goldberg
  Jan 21, 2011

  Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.

  
• January 27, 2011
  
  

  Temporary Insanity Takes Hold at Noir City

  Max Goldberg
  Jan 21, 2011

  Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Temporary Insanity Takes Hold at Noir City

  Max Goldberg
  Jan 21, 2011

  Noir City 9's "madness" theme means a few more gothic titles and a fresh context to appreciate noir’s signature motifs.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  Noir City 9

  Jan 21, 2011

  Eddie Muller and Anita Monga bring 10 days of finely curated noir to the Castro Theatre, where it's promised "you'll find all kinds of crazy" in 24 films. We never doubted. The festival opens with 1947's ‘High Wall’ and 1940's ‘Stranger on the Third Floor.' More at castrotheatre.com and noircity.com.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  'Two in The Wave'

  Jan 21, 2011

  Roxie Theater presents ‘Two In The Wave,’ a documentary showcasing the friendship and eventual fall out of French New Wave filmmakers Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Actual short works from Truffaut and Godard play after the film. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

  Sara Dosa
  Jan 20, 2011

  A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

  
• January 20, 2011
  
  

  Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

  Sara Dosa
  Jan 20, 2011

  A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Costa's 'Ne change rien' Captures Singer's Dreaminess, Rigor

  Sara Dosa
  Jan 20, 2011

  A Portuguese filmmaker builds a rich visual landscape from French singer Jeanne Balibar's vocal practice.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  'Ne change rien'

  Jan 20, 2011

  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts offers the latest by Pedro Costa, what they call a "ravishing, entrancing study of light, shadow and voice" from the Portuguese filmmaker. More at ybca.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Bay Area Doc Makers Breathe Deep Before Sundance Debuts

  Michael Fox
  Jan 19, 2011

  Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Bay Area Doc Makers Breathe Deep Before Sundance Debuts

  Michael Fox
  Jan 19, 2011

  Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.

  
• January 20, 2011
  
  

  Bay Area Doc Makers Breathe Deep Before Sundance Debuts

  Michael Fox
  Jan 19, 2011

  Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.

  
• January 31, 2011
  
  

  Bay Area Doc Makers Breathe Deep Before Sundance Debuts

  Michael Fox
  Jan 19, 2011

  Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  'Beauty and the Beast' with Lecture

  Jan 19, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive Theater and UC Berkeley’s Department of Film and Media present Jean Cocteau’s 1946 ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ A lecture by Professor Russell Merritt follows. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  BAVC Wins MacArthur Grant

  Jan 19, 2011

  SF Chronicle: "It was creative projects like 'The Revolutionary Optimists'," writes Benny Evangelista, "that helped the nonprofit San Francisco organization, which advocates social change through the integration fo storytelling with the latest media technologies, win a $1 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation." More at sfgate.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Ford Foundation: $50 Million Fund Launched for Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers

  Jan 19, 2011

  Press release: "...The new initiative, called JustFilms, will invest $10 million a year over the next five years to support and expand the community of filmmakers and mediamakers around the world focused on creating documentaries with passion and purpose, but who often lack funding to realize their visions or reach audiences." More at fordfoundation.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Alexander Excavates Educational Film Treasures

  Michael Fox
  Jan 18, 2011

  Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.

  
• January 20, 2011
  
  

  Alexander Excavates Educational Film Treasures

  Michael Fox
  Jan 18, 2011

  Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Alexander Excavates Educational Film Treasures

  Michael Fox
  Jan 18, 2011

  Geoff Alexander opens a window into the 20th century with a book about films for/from the classroom.

  
• January 11, 2010
  
  

  Peter Weir Presents 'The Way Back'

  Jan 18, 2011

  An advance screening of Peter Weir’s new film, ‘The Way Back’, which features Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris and Colin Farrell, plays at the Smith Rafael Film Center, with Weir presenting and discussing the film. More at cafilm.org.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  Peter Weir Presents 'The Way Back'

  Jan 18, 2011

  An advance screening of Peter Weir’s new film, ‘The Way Back’, which features Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris and Colin Farrell, plays at the Smith Rafael Film Center, with Weir presenting and discussing the film. More at cafilm.org.

  
• January 18, 2011
  
  

  'Genghis Blues'

  Jan 18, 2011

  Roxie Theater presents ‘Genghis Blues,’ Roko Belic’s 1999 Oscar nominated Best Documentary feature about the unlikely throat-singing champion Paul Pena. Current throat-singing artist Kongar-Ol Ondar attends and performs following the feature. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Patrick Marks Takes a Green Eye to Noir

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 17, 2011

  Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.

  
• January 20, 2011
  
  

  Patrick Marks Takes a Green Eye to Noir

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 17, 2011

  Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Patrick Marks Takes a Green Eye to Noir

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 17, 2011

  Notable Noir City enthusiast Patrick Marks, owner of the Green Arcade, offers thoughts on the genre as well as festival's 2011 selections.

  
• January 11, 2010
  
  

  World Cinema Foundation: Safeguarding Cinematic Treasures Series

  Jan 15, 2011

  Pacific Film Archive Theater offers the World Cinema Foundation: Safeguarding Cinematic Treasures series, highlighting WCF's preservation efforts. It opens with Edward Yang's 1991 ‘A Brighter Summer Day’. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• 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.

  
• January 11, 2010
  
  

  German Gems Film Festival

  Jan 14, 2011

  Castro Theatre hosts the German Gems Film Festival, a three day event showcasing recent German features, shorts and documentaries. It begins on Friday with ‘Mahler On The Couch,' a feature directed by father and son team Percy and Felix Adlon, with an Opening Night after party following. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• January 11, 2010
  
  

  'On the Bowery'

  Jan 14, 2011

  Lionel Rogosin's 1956 Oscar-nominated film, 'On the Bowery,' blends documentary and fiction in its look at three days of New York’s skid row; it's followed by an archival 'making-of' look at the project by Rogosin's son, Michael. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  German Gems Program Shines

  Michael Fox
  Jan 13, 2011

  The German Gems series moves beyond Berlin in bringing attention to worthy new work out of Germany.

  
• January 13, 2011
  
  

  German Gems Program Shines

  Michael Fox
  Jan 13, 2011

  The German Gems series moves beyond Berlin in bringing attention to worthy new work out of Germany.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  German Gems Program Shines

  Michael Fox
  Jan 13, 2011

  The German Gems series moves beyond Berlin in bringing attention to worthy new work out of Germany.

  
• January 11, 2010
  
  

  For Your Consideration

  Jan 13, 2011

  The Smith Rafael Film Center offers 'For Your Consideration,' a sampling of this year’s 65 submitted and accepted Oscar Foreign Language Films. The event begins with Italy's ‘The First Beautiful Thing.' More at cafilm.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Nanstad Tracks Down 'Sisters' Act

  Michael Fox
  Jan 12, 2011

  Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Nanstad Tracks Down 'Sisters' Act

  Michael Fox
  Jan 12, 2011

  Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.

  
• January 13, 2011
  
  

  Nanstad Tracks Down 'Sisters' Act

  Michael Fox
  Jan 12, 2011

  Rachel Nanstad finds a unique American story in the Reed Sisters' musical act.

  
• First Person
  
  

  American Doc Showcase Visits Angola

  Xandra Castleton
  Jan 11, 2011

  A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.

  
• Home
  
  

  American Doc Showcase Visits Angola

  Xandra Castleton
  Jan 11, 2011

  A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.

  
• January 13, 2011
  
  

  American Doc Showcase Visits Angola

  Xandra Castleton
  Jan 11, 2011

  A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.

  
• Home
  
  

  VCinema Podcast Finds Its Audience

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 10, 2011

  An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.

  
• January 13, 2011
  
  

  VCinema Podcast Finds Its Audience

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 10, 2011

  An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  VCinema Podcast Finds Its Audience

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 10, 2011

  An Asian cinema talk-radio show broadcasts from San Mateo to the world.

  
• January 4, 2010
  
  

  Hitchcock Double Features

  Jan 8, 2011

  The Castro Theatre hosts six days of double features from the unsurpassed master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The series starts with two of the finest films from Hitchcock’s late British period, ‘The Lady Vanishes’ and ‘The 39 Steps.’ More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• January 4, 2010
  
  

  ‘In It For the Money’

  Jan 8, 2011

  The Film on Film Foundation and Oddball Film and Video offer a little financial advice to start the new year with their program of 16mm ’70s-era shorts, ‘In It For the Money: Short Films You Can Take to the Bank.’ The program plays at 8:00 p.m., Oddball Films, 275 Capp St. More at filmonfilm.org and oddballfilm.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 7, 2011

  'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

  
• January 13, 2011
  
  

  De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 7, 2011

  'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  De Oliveira's 'Angelica' Balming, Enlivening

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 7, 2011

  'The Strange Case of Angelica' finds Manoel de Oliveira, at 102 years old, in fine form.

  
• January 4, 2010
  
  

  'The Strange Case of Angelica'

  Jan 7, 2011

  A deceased bride comes to life before the lens of a young photographer in this mysterious film from Portugal’s most prolific film director, Manoel de Oliveira. ‘The Strange Case of Angelica’ plays at the Roxie Theater. More at roxie.com.

  
• January 4, 2010
  
  

  'Bhutto' with Duane Baughman in Person

  Jan 7, 2011

  The life story of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, the first ever female leader in a Muslim nation, is examined in ‘Bhutto,’ which plays at the Smith Rafael, Clay and Shattuck, with in person filmmaker appearances at select screenings over the weekend. More at caflim.org and landmarktheatres.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Deathstalker' Muscles its Way Back to Big Screen

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 6, 2011

  Sword, sandals and a sinister real-life epilogue: 'Deathstalker' earns top billing in a Midnite for Maniacs evening at the Castro. As one of 1982's bigger box-office hits, Conan the Barbarian accomplished two things. First, it finally made a movie star out of thick-bodied, thicker-accented Arnold Schwarzenegger after several failed attempts. Second, it spawned a legion of cheaper imitations cashing in on the early 1980s' seemingly bottomless need for films to fill cable airtime and video rental shelves. (Remember, until that time there the only commercial outlets for movies were theatrical release and network TV—so these were entirely...

  
• January 6, 2010
  
  

  'Deathstalker' Muscles its Way Back to Big Screen

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 6, 2011

  Sword, sandals and a sinister real-life epilogue: 'Deathstalker' earns top billing in a Midnite for Maniacs evening at the Castro. As one of 1982's bigger box-office hits, Conan the Barbarian accomplished two things. First, it finally made a movie star out of thick-bodied, thicker-accented Arnold Schwarzenegger after several failed attempts. Second, it spawned a legion of cheaper imitations cashing in on the early 1980s' seemingly bottomless need for films to fill cable airtime and video rental shelves. (Remember, until that time there the only commercial outlets for movies were theatrical release and network TV—so these were entirely...

  
• Home
  
  

  Politics, Sacrifice Define 'Bhutto,' Director

  Michael Fox
  Jan 5, 2011

  Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Politics, Sacrifice Define 'Bhutto,' Director

  Michael Fox
  Jan 5, 2011

  Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.

  
• January 6, 2010
  
  

  Politics, Sacrifice Define 'Bhutto,' Director

  Michael Fox
  Jan 5, 2011

  Director Duane Baughman's day job in direct mail/political consulting brought him unbelievable access to Benazir Bhutto.

  
• January 4, 2010
  
  

  'Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer'

  Jan 5, 2011

  The Rec Vic hosts a second run of Alex Gibney’s ‘Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,’ which chronicles the accomplishments and scandals surrounding the once popular New York politician. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part One

  Karen Everett
  Jan 4, 2011

  Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.

  
• January 6, 2010
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part One

  Karen Everett
  Jan 4, 2011

  Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  How to Fix Your Documentary's Structural Problems, Part One

  Karen Everett
  Jan 4, 2011

  Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.

  
• Home
  
  

  Rudolf Frieling Looks to Technologies New, Old for SFMOMA's Screens

  Michael Fox
  Jan 3, 2011

  SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.

  
• January 6, 2010
  
  

  Rudolf Frieling Looks to Technologies New, Old for SFMOMA's Screens

  Michael Fox
  Jan 3, 2011

  SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Rudolf Frieling Looks to Technologies New, Old for SFMOMA's Screens

  Michael Fox
  Jan 3, 2011

  SFMOMA's Rudolf Frieling talks about media arts, chance encounters and low/high-tech transformations.

  
• December 21, 2010
  
  

  'Rabbit Hole'

  Dec 30, 2010

  David Lindsay-Abaire adapts his Pulitzer Prize-winning play for the big screen in director John Cameron Mitchell’s ‘Rabbit Hole,’ the story of a husband and wife struggling to gain control over their lives after a devastating accident. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• December 21, 2010
  
  

  'Boxing Gym'

  Dec 27, 2010

  While 'The Fighter' and 'Black Swan' duke it out at the multiplex, the Roxie offers its own take on male and female athletes via Frederick Wiseman's 'Boxing Gym.' Unexpected views of the American institution emerge in Wiseman's look at Lord's Gym in Austin, Texas. A master of his craft, Wiseman brings out the sport's hypnotic beauty without the aid of narration or interviews. More at roxie.com.

  
• December 21, 2010
  
  

  'Casino Jack'

  Dec 27, 2010

  George Hickenlooper’s final film, ‘Casino Jack,’ features Kevin Spacey in the true story of Jack Abramoff, a Washington D.C. lobbyist whose unabashed greed and reckless behavior throws him and his colleagues into a world of thugs and criminals who solve problems the old-fashioned way. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• 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: YouTube, WeTube

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 22, 2010

  Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?

  
• December 28, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: YouTube, WeTube

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 22, 2010

  Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?

  
• Home
  
  

  Film 2010: YouTube, WeTube

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 22, 2010

  Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Film 2010: YouTube, WeTube

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 22, 2010

  Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?

  
• December 23, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: We’re Not Here to Make Friends

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 21, 2010

  'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.

  
• December 28, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: We’re Not Here to Make Friends

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 21, 2010

  'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Film 2010: We’re Not Here to Make Friends

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 21, 2010

  'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film 2010: We’re Not Here to Make Friends

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 21, 2010

  'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.

  
• December 21, 2010
  
  

  'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

  Dec 21, 2010

  Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s stop-motion Christmas classic centers on Jack, the Pumpkin King, a bored Halloween trickster who discovers the innocent town of Christmas and becomes one bad Santa. Plays at the Red Vic. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• December 23, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: Think Globally, View Locally

  Adam Hartzell
  Dec 20, 2010

  Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.

  
• December 28, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: Think Globally, View Locally

  Adam Hartzell
  Dec 20, 2010

  Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film 2010: Think Globally, View Locally

  Adam Hartzell
  Dec 20, 2010

  Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Film 2010: Think Globally, View Locally

  Adam Hartzell
  Dec 20, 2010

  Why one local cineaste has made a resolution to support his local theater, the Bridge.

  
• 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 14, 2010
  
  

  'All Good Things'

  Dec 17, 2010

  Director 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.

  
• December 16, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: Big Pictures Light up the Small Screen

  Michael Fox
  Dec 16, 2010

  Perhaps it's OK to bring art film home for the holidays with sophisticated collections of DVDs and must-buy film books.

  
• December 28, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: Big Pictures Light up the Small Screen

  Michael Fox
  Dec 16, 2010

  Perhaps it's OK to bring art film home for the holidays with sophisticated collections of DVDs and must-buy film books.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film 2010: Big Pictures Light up the Small Screen

  Michael Fox
  Dec 16, 2010

  Perhaps it's OK to bring art film home for the holidays with sophisticated collections of DVDs and must-buy film books.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Film 2010: Big Pictures Light up the Small Screen

  Michael Fox
  Dec 16, 2010

  Perhaps it's OK to bring art film home for the holidays with sophisticated collections of DVDs and must-buy film books.

  
• December 14, 2010
  
  

  'Vincent: A Life in Color' Star and Director in Person

  Dec 16, 2010

  One man’s bridge is another man’s catwalk in this inspirational documentary about Chicago’s most eccentric fashion model, Vincent P. Falk, whose spectators aren’t industry icons but passing by boats. Director Jennifer Burns and star Vincent P. Falk in person at the Red Vic. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• December 14, 2010
  
  

  'Stranger than Paradise'

  Dec 16, 2010

  An early example of Jim Jarmusch’s thorough craftsmanship and characteristic sense of humor, ‘Stranger than Paradise’ stars John Lurie as a young New Yorker obligated to look after his visiting Hungarian cousin for ten days. This seminal ‘80s independent production plays at the Roxie Theater. More at roxie.com.

  
• December 16, 2010
  
  

  John Waters, New Leadership Renew Roxie

  Robert Avila
  Dec 15, 2010

  Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.

  
• Home
  
  

  John Waters, New Leadership Renew Roxie

  Robert Avila
  Dec 15, 2010

  Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  John Waters, New Leadership Renew Roxie

  Robert Avila
  Dec 15, 2010

  Waters’ live Christmas show at the Roxie raised money for San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating theater as it moves full-steam into its second century.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'SF panel woos film crews with discounts'

  Dec 15, 2010

  SF Chronicle: "To attract more motion pictures and commercials to shoot in the city, the Film Commission today launched the Scene in San Francisco Vendor Discount Program offering participating productions discounts at businesses from restaurants and hotels to fitness clubs and entertainment venues." More at SFGate.

  
• December 16, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: 'Social Network' Tops S.F. Film Critics Circle Awards

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.

  
• December 28, 2010
  
  

  Film 2010: 'Social Network' Tops S.F. Film Critics Circle Awards

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film 2010: 'Social Network' Tops S.F. Film Critics Circle Awards

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Film 2010: 'Social Network' Tops S.F. Film Critics Circle Awards

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Critics Circle winners for 2010 included 'Social Network,' 'Black Swan,' 'The Tillman Story' and Elliot Lavine.

  
• December 14, 2010
  
  

  SFFS Special Presentation: Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats in Solo Performance

  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Society presents the world premiere of John Darnielle’s score to Mauritz Stiller’s silent masterpiece ‘Sir Arne’s Treasure.’ The celebrated singer-songwriter plays live at the Castro Theatre to accompany the film. More at sffs.org.

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  SFFS Special Presentation: Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats in Solo Performance

  Dec 14, 2010

  San Francisco Film Society presents the world premiere of John Darnielle’s score to Mauritz Stiller’s silent masterpiece ‘Sir Arne’s Treasure.’ The celebrated singer-songwriter plays live at the Castro Theatre to accompany the film. More at sffs.org.

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  'Remembering Playland' with Tom Wyrsch in Person

  Dec 12, 2010

  Bay Area filmmaker Tom Wyrsch examines the history of San Francisco’s one-time seaside amusement park, Playland, whose origins dated back nearly a century before being torn down in 1972. Wyrsch appears in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center. More at cafilm.org.

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  ‘Meat Grinder’

  Dec 11, 2010

  YBCA’s ‘Go To Hell For The Holidays: Horror in December’ series continues with Kiwa Moethaisong’s ‘Meat Grinder,’ the story of a disturbed chef who increases her noodle soup sales by adding a simple and grotesque ingredient. More at ybca.org.

  
• December 9, 2010
  
  

  Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 10, 2010

  The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

  
• Home
  
  

  Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 10, 2010

  The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Stiller's 'Sir Arne's Treasure' Brought Back to Life, Musically

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 10, 2010

  The Mountain Goats offer an original score for Mauritz Stiller's rambunctious adventure-turned tragedy/morality tale of 1919.

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  ‘Bad Writing’

  Dec 10, 2010

  Ever wonder how a literary heavyweight might critique your angst-ridden teenage poetry? In ‘Bad Writing’ filmmaker Vernon Lott hands his dusty pages over to some seasoned pros in search of honest feedback and an answer to the film’s predominant question: What’s the difference between good writing and bad? Plays at the Roxie Theater. More at roxie.com.

  
• December 9, 2010
  
  

  Stanford's MFA Doc Program Teaches Cardinal Rules, and How to Break Them

  Sara Dosa
  Dec 9, 2010

  A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.

  
• Home
  
  

  Stanford's MFA Doc Program Teaches Cardinal Rules, and How to Break Them

  Sara Dosa
  Dec 9, 2010

  A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Stanford's MFA Doc Program Teaches Cardinal Rules, and How to Break Them

  Sara Dosa
  Dec 9, 2010

  A night with Stanford’s Doc Film MFAs offers insight into a storied program.

  
• December 9, 2010
  
  

  Lukitsch Pedals into the ‘Gap’

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2010

  Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.

  
• Home
  
  

  Lukitsch Pedals into the ‘Gap’

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2010

  Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Lukitsch Pedals into the ‘Gap’

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2010

  Laura Lukitsch's new project asks whether we can replace car culture with biking, public transportation and high-speed rail.

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  'Pixar: 25 Years of Animation' Exhibition

  Dec 8, 2010

  This popular Oakland Museum of California exhibition is an all encompassing look at the world’s leading animation studio and includes artwork from 'Ratatouille', 'Wall E', 'Up' and 'Toy Story 3.' More at museumca.org

  
• December 7, 2010
  
  

  Fellini Double Feature

  Dec 8, 2010

  Federico Fellini made a name for himself with 1954’s ‘La Strada,’ which centers on the adventures of a young girl sold into the circus, and he capitalized, emboldened and underlined that name with 1969’s ‘Satyricon,’ his audacious take on Petronius Arbiter’s fragmented first-century Roman satire. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• December 9, 2010
  
  

  Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips

  Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
  Dec 7, 2010

  The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips

  Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
  Dec 7, 2010

  The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.

  
• January 31, 2011
  
  

  Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips

  Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
  Dec 7, 2010

  The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips

  Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
  Dec 7, 2010

  The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.

  
• December 9, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Anne McGuire

  Sean Uyehara
  Dec 6, 2010

  San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Anne McGuire

  Sean Uyehara
  Dec 6, 2010

  San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Anne McGuire

  Sean Uyehara
  Dec 6, 2010

  San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Anne McGuire

  Sean Uyehara
  Dec 6, 2010

  San Francisco has not quite been the same since it began experiencing the cinema/performance antics of an uncontainable Anne McGuire.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  ‘Saint Misbehavin' —The Wavy Gravy Movie'

  Dec 3, 2010

  The Red Vic hosts the U.S. theatrical premiere of Michelle Esrick’s ‘Saint Misbehavin’—The Wavy Gravy Movie,’ which chronicles the rousing life and times of Wavy Gravy, the world’s most endearing hippie-clown-peace activist. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  'The Temptation of St. Tony'

  Dec 3, 2010

  Veiko Õunpuu's dream-like study of a middle-aged man’s morality struggle has drawn comparisons to the work of cinema’s most notorious surrealists. ‘The Temptation of St. Tony’ is Estonia’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards. Plays at the Roxie. More at roxie.com.

  
• 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.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  Voices of Light / ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’

  Dec 2, 2010

  Of the countless musical compositions inspired by ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc,’ Richard Einhorn’s ‘Voices of Light’ is the only one featured as an audio option on the film’s Criterion Collection release. Einhorn’s oratorio accompanies Carl Theodor Dreyer’s masterpiece live at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre. More at silentfilm.org.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  'Red White & Blue'

  Dec 2, 2010

  Simon Rumley’s low budget Texas-set horror film tells the story of a disconnected, promiscuous young woman who finds friendship in a mysterious Iraq veteran. ‘Red White & Blue’ kicks off YBCA’s Go To Hell For The Holidays: Horror in December series. More at ybca.org.

  
• December 2, 2010
  
  

  De Michiel and Constantinou Offer Food for Thought

  Michael Fox
  Dec 1, 2010

  Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.

  
• Home
  
  

  De Michiel and Constantinou Offer Food for Thought

  Michael Fox
  Dec 1, 2010

  Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.

  
• In Production
  
  

  De Michiel and Constantinou Offer Food for Thought

  Michael Fox
  Dec 1, 2010

  Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  Maya Rudolph in Conversation with Paul Lancour

  Dec 1, 2010

  The former Saturday Night Live player was an essential element to some of the most memorable moments in the show’s recent history. In 2009 the actress displayed her versatility in the Sam Mendes-directed ‘Away We Go,’ costarring with John Krasinski. Maya Rudolph discusses her career as a comedienne with Bay Area broadcasting veteran Paul Lancour at Herbst Theater. More at cityarts.net.

  
• 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.

  
• November 30, 2010
  
  

  Rough Cuts at The Lab: ‘We Women Warriors’

  Nov 30, 2010

  A local drug war, an unjust court case and an ignorant police state are the antagonists to three resilient native Colombians in Nicole Karsin’s documentary-in-progress, ‘We Women Warriors.’ More at thelab.org.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Going Guerrilla with Zombies

  Holly Million
  Nov 23, 2010

  Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."

  
• Home
  
  

  Going Guerrilla with Zombies

  Holly Million
  Nov 23, 2010

  Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."

  
• November 24, 2010
  
  

  Going Guerrilla with Zombies

  Holly Million
  Nov 23, 2010

  Horror legend George Romero offers fundraising advice to first-timers: "Just make the movie. Don’t worry about the money."

  
• November 16, 2010
  
  

  Nora Ephron in Conversation with Paul Lancour

  Nov 22, 2010

  The mutli-talented Nora Ephron is credited to some of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time and recently won praise for last year’s ‘Julie and Julia.’ The journalist/screenwriter/director/author discusses life and her latest book, ‘I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections’ with Bay Area broadcasting veteran Paul Lancour. More at cityarts.net.

  
• Home
  
  

  Radical Light: 'A Haven for Radical Art and Experimental Film and Video'

  Steve Anker
  Nov 19, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Radical Light: 'A Haven for Radical Art and Experimental Film and Video'

  Steve Anker
  Nov 19, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'

  
• November 24, 2010
  
  

  Radical Light: 'A Haven for Radical Art and Experimental Film and Video'

  Steve Anker
  Nov 19, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the second of three excerpts from its monumental work, 'Radical Light.'

  
• November 16, 2010
  
  

  ‘Kamui Gaiden’

  Nov 19, 2010

  The story of 17th-century ninja who makes the dangerous decision to run from his own clan, ‘Kamui Gaiden’ is one of Japan’s most expensive movies in history and brings Sampei Shirato’s celebrated '70s comic to the big screen as part of The Red Lantern: Bay Area Asian Cinephiles film series. More at newpeopleworld.com.

  
• November 16, 2010
  
  

  Destroy All Movies!!!

  Nov 19, 2010

  This Roxie Theater double feature rejoices in ‘80s punk cinema with ‘Surf II,’ a sequel to a film that was never made, and the outrageous story of a young geek who seeks to destroy surfers by turning them into zombies, plus the classic ‘Times Square,’ which tells of The Sleaze Sisters, two insane asylum runaways who become heroes of New York’s disenchanted youth and features music by Talking Heads and Roxy Music. Presented by editors of the book ‘Destroy All Movies!!!: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film’ and Alamo Drafthouse programmers Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly. More at roxie.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Client 9' Reclaims Spitzer

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 18, 2010

  'Client 9' makes the case that Wall Street, not women, brought Eliot Spitzer down. This month commenced with the most stellar edition yet of what's become America's favorite political pasttime, a game we call Out with the (Sorta) Old, In with the (Kinda) New.  Payback was especially directed at the current administration's failure to get the economy back to booming. Yet as one of the year's biggest documentaries, Charles Ferguson's Inside Job, noted, conservative politicos and their allies were very much in on the policies that got our collective piggy bank broken and looted in the first place. Though it can certainly stand on its own merits, Client 9 (which opens at local theaters this...

  
• November 18, 2010
  
  

  'Client 9' Reclaims Spitzer

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 18, 2010

  'Client 9' makes the case that Wall Street, not women, brought Eliot Spitzer down. This month commenced with the most stellar edition yet of what's become America's favorite political pasttime, a game we call Out with the (Sorta) Old, In with the (Kinda) New.  Payback was especially directed at the current administration's failure to get the economy back to booming. Yet as one of the year's biggest documentaries, Charles Ferguson's Inside Job, noted, conservative politicos and their allies were very much in on the policies that got our collective piggy bank broken and looted in the first place. Though it can certainly stand on its own merits, Client 9 (which opens at local theaters this...

  
• 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 10, 2010
  
  

  New Italian Cinema

  Nov 17, 2010

  San Francisco Film Society celebrates Italy’s freshest film offerings in the New Italian Cinema series at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. Films new and old from director Ferzan Ozpetek begin the weeklong festival, which focuses on a diverse group of work from some of Italy’s most gifted filmmakers, many appearing in person. Opening Night is Ozpetek’s most recent, ‘Loose Cannons,’ which precedes a party at Cigar Bar & Grill, 850 Montgomery Street. More at sffs.org.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  IndieWIRE: "'Zeitgeist Latches Onto a 'Revolution'"

  Nov 17, 2010

  "Following its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, Lynn Hershman Leeson’s '!Women Art Revolution' has been acquired by Zeitgeist Films for North American distribution," reports Nigel M. Smith. More at indiewire.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Copyright Crosses Borders

  George Rush
  Nov 16, 2010

  Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Copyright Crosses Borders

  George Rush
  Nov 16, 2010

  Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

  
• November 18, 2010
  
  

  Copyright Crosses Borders

  George Rush
  Nov 16, 2010

  Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.

  
• November 16, 2010
  
  

  ‘Life During Wartime’

  Nov 16, 2010

  Writer-director Todd Solondz revisits familiar themes and characters in his latest offering, a sequel to 1998’s critically acclaimed ‘Happiness.’ In ‘Life During Wartime’ Solondz proves he is one dark comedy’s most serious players as he further dissects the struggles of the Jordan family. Plays at the Red Vic on $7 night. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.

  
• November 16, 2010
  
  

  Carl Theodor Dreyer Series Continues

  Nov 16, 2010

  The Pacific Film Archive’s series on film giant Carl Theodor Dreyer continues well into the month December and showcases the Danish director’s greatest achievements. Dreyer’s influence on cinema is colossal and ageless as proven in Lars Von Trier’s ‘Medea,’ which he directed for television decades after Dreyer penned the original screenplay. Dreyer’s ‘Michael’ precedes ‘Medea.’ ‘The Master of the House,’ and ‘Leaves from Satan’s Book’ also screen this weekend. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Marlon Riggs

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 15, 2010

  From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Marlon Riggs

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 15, 2010

  From 'Tongues Untied' to 'Black Is.....Black Ain't,' Marlon Riggs' art was a series of radical acts that were both overdue and ahead of their time. Two decades ago, in post-Reagan America, the arts were under fire—one lit by a very particular religious right match. Feeling the heat was the National Endowment for the Arts, a then 25-year-old institution already pretty pitifully funded by comparison with most other developed nations’ governmental arts support. But the small portion of NEA grants that helped avant-garde or otherwise edgy art—as opposed to, say, the local Gilbert & Sullivan society or annual craft fair—provided plenty of opportunities...

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  New to SFIAF: Online Screening Room

  Andrew Provost
  Nov 13, 2010

  SFIAF's Online Screening Room gives the festival's animation another dimension.

  
• Home
  
  

  New to SFIAF: Online Screening Room

  Andrew Provost
  Nov 13, 2010

  SFIAF's Online Screening Room gives the festival's animation another dimension.

  
• November 18, 2010
  
  

  New to SFIAF: Online Screening Room

  Andrew Provost
  Nov 13, 2010

  SFIAF's Online Screening Room gives the festival's animation another dimension.

  
• Home
  
  

  Semiconductor's Binary Opposition

  Sean Uyehara
  Nov 12, 2010

  San Francisco International Animation Festival: Semiconductor's Ruth Jarman and Joseph Gerhardt talk about their work in music, movies and animation. What do you call a duo that considers itself a trio? Or videomakers who call themselves sculptors? Semiconductor has been making video and installation work for over ten years. They consist of Joseph Gerhardt, Ruth Jarman and a computer. They create animations and present live music and visual shows. Everything they do is slightly inside out. The computer is more or less an antagonist in their midst. They haven’t quite broken up the band yet, because the....

  
• November 11, 2010
  
  

  Semiconductor's Binary Opposition

  Sean Uyehara
  Nov 12, 2010

  San Francisco International Animation Festival: Semiconductor's Ruth Jarman and Joseph Gerhardt talk about their work in music, movies and animation. What do you call a duo that considers itself a trio? Or videomakers who call themselves sculptors? Semiconductor has been making video and installation work for over ten years. They consist of Joseph Gerhardt, Ruth Jarman and a computer. They create animations and present live music and visual shows. Everything they do is slightly inside out. The computer is more or less an antagonist in their midst. They haven’t quite broken up the band yet, because the....

  
• November 10, 2010
  
  

  San Francisco International Animation Festival

  Nov 11, 2010

  Animated stories from around the world gather at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema for the fifth SFIAF. Six wide-ranging shorts programs as well as features like Brent Green’s ‘Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then’ and Sunao Katabuchi’s ‘Mai Mai Miracle’ take the screen. Four diverse animators interpret folk rock band The Decemberists’ 2009 concept album in ‘Here Come the Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized,’ which opens the festival. Opening Night party follows the screening at La Mar Cebichería Peruana at Pier One and One-Half on the Embarcadero. More at sffs.org.

  
• November 10, 2010
  
  

  ‘Ran’ turns 25 at the Castro

  Nov 11, 2010

  Akira Kurosawa was well into his 70s when he began shooting ‘Ran,’ the war epic that took over a year to film and was then Japan’s most expensive movie in history. The Castro Theater celebrates the 25th anniversary of Kurosawa’s 'King Lear' adaptation, which the iconic director considered his best film. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• Home
  
  

  Manning’s ‘Al Capp’ Sketches Grandpa

  Michael Fox
  Nov 10, 2010

  Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Manning’s ‘Al Capp’ Sketches Grandpa

  Michael Fox
  Nov 10, 2010

  Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.

  
• November 11, 2010
  
  

  Manning’s ‘Al Capp’ Sketches Grandpa

  Michael Fox
  Nov 10, 2010

  Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.

  
• November 10, 2010
  
  

  Roman Polanski Shorts with Live Music by Sza/Za

  Nov 10, 2010

  Taking the legendary director of 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'Chinatown' and 'The Pianist' out of headlines and back to his filmmaking and geographic roots, this program pairs a live performance by Warsaw electro-acoustic duo Sza/Za with early Polanski shorts at Letterman Digital Arts Center’s Premier Theater. More at sffs.org.

  
• November 10, 2010
  
  

  ‘Carlos’ continues at Kabuki

  Nov 10, 2010

  Olivier Assayas’s five-and-a-half hour masterpiece about Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal continues on SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. A 15-minute intermission divides the epic. More at sffs.org.

  
• November 2, 2010
  
  

  SFFS Screen: 'Carlos'

  Nov 9, 2010

  Olivier Assayas's five-and-a-half hour epic (with a 15-minute intermission) about Venezuelan terrorist Carlos The Jackal is being regarded as the director’s masterpiece. ‘Carlos’ plays for a week at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. More at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Les Blank

  Michael Fox
  Nov 6, 2010

  Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: Les Blank

  Michael Fox
  Nov 6, 2010

  Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.

  
• November 11, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Les Blank

  Michael Fox
  Nov 6, 2010

  Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Les Blank

  Michael Fox
  Nov 6, 2010

  Eat, dance, love: Les Blank brings nonfiction back to life in a long and storied career.

  
• 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....

  
• November 4, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF

  Susan Gerhard, Editor
  Nov 5, 2010

  SF360.org profiles the 2011 roster of Essential SF, an ongoing compendium of the film community’s vital figures and institutions.

  
• November 2, 2010
  
  

  American Indian Film Festival

  Nov 5, 2010

  The 35th Annual AIFF kicks off at Landmark’s Embarcadero Cinema. Armand Garnet Ruffo interweaves two stories inspired by Ojibway spiritualism in the opening night film, ‘A Windigo Tale.’ The festival also includes animation and shorts programs, as well a toy drive. More at aifisf.com.

  
• 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.

  
• November 2, 2010
  
  

  Ed Burns Master Class and ‘Nice Guy Johnny’

  Nov 4, 2010

  The Roxie Theater hosts a San Francisco Film Society special presentation: Hollywood 2.0 is a discussion with Ed Burns on the making, marketing and distributing of his new film, ‘Nice Guy Johnny,’ which screens after the event. More at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Gail Silva

  Michael Fox
  Nov 3, 2010

  Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Gail Silva

  Michael Fox
  Nov 3, 2010

  Former Film Arts Foundation head Gail Silva continues to catalyze the film community. It would be a simple matter to collect testimonies to Gail Silva’s extraordinary impact and influence on the Bay Area film community—and beyond—from the countless artists and novices she has counseled, coached, prodded and pushed in the last 30-plus years and counting. But an extensive public appreciation already exists, you see, in the hundreds and hundreds of films, long and short, that prominently acknowledged her contribution in the end credits. The longtime executive director of Film Arts Foundation (of blessed memory) and creative and strategic consultant for a host of individual clients, Silva is deservedly included in the inaugural class of Essential SF honorees.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: Rick Prelinger

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 2, 2010

  Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.

  
• November 3 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: Rick Prelinger

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 2, 2010

  Rick Prelinger’s efforts at preserving ephemeral films have made him indispensable to the cinema of San Francisco—and the world.

  
• November 2, 2010
  
  

  French Cinema Now Continues

  Nov 2, 2010

  The SFFS fall festival of French cinema continues at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy,’ starring Juliet Binoche (in a role that won her a best actress prize at Cannes) closes the festival. More at sffs.org.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  Nicole Krauss in Conversation with Andrew Sean Greer

  Nov 1, 2010

  Poet turned novelist Nicole Krauss, whose international bestseller ‘The History of Love’ was optioned before completion as a project for Alfonso Cuaron to direct, discusses art and process with bestselling author Andrew Sean Greer. More at cityarts.net.

  
• Home
  
  

  Ed Burns Looks to Future by Getting Back to Basics

  Andrew Provost
  Oct 31, 2010

  Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.

  
• November 4, 2010
  
  

  Ed Burns Looks to Future by Getting Back to Basics

  Andrew Provost
  Oct 31, 2010

  Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ed Burns Looks to Future by Getting Back to Basics

  Andrew Provost
  Oct 31, 2010

  Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  ‘Straight to Hell Returns’

  Oct 31, 2010

  'Straight to Hell Returns,' Alex Cox’s re-tweaked version of his bloody spaghetti western parody, featuring performances by Dennis Hopper, Jim Jarmusch and Courtney Love, arrives at the Roxie Theater in time to scare up some laughs on Halloween. Director Alex Cox appears in person to talk about the film's added scenes or anything else you have in mind. More at roxie.com.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  'Left in the Dark' Photographer and Essayists in Person

  Oct 30, 2010

  Celebrations of photographer R.A. McBride’s and Julie Lindow's elegiac ‘Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres,' which features photographs cinemas of the past and present matched with scholarly essays on local industry themes, continue. Pacific Film Archive hosts a slide show presentation by McBride and readings by writers including Lindow, Katherine Petrin, Melinda Stone. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  ‘Poltergeist’ with JoBeth Williams in Person

  Oct 30, 2010

  Marc Huestis presents the '80s horror classic at the Castro Theatre with a tribute to star JoBeth Williams preceding the screening. This special event includes (of course) a live performance, and it's titled ‘Poltergayest, A Horrific Fashion Show.’ An autograph signing concludes the night’s otherworldly celebration. More at castrotheatre.com.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Oakland Tribune: "'Friday the 13th' creator's life in Alameda is one of interesting contradictions"

  Oct 30, 2010

  "Friday the 13th. On the list of Hallmark holidays, this one rarely makes the cut. But for Alamedan Victor Miller, it's the luckiest day of the year," writes Ginny Prior. "Miller wrote the terrifying screenplay for Friday the 13th back in 1980 and 30 years later, he's still hearing from fans. 'On Friday the 13th I spend the day answering e-mails," he says. "And smiling.' Just how did a guy who turned a hockey mask into a symbol of paralyzing fear end up in a sleepy island town like Alameda? To understand this, you need to know how Miller's mind works." More at InsideBayArea.com.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  'The Freebie'

  Oct 29, 2010

  Katie Aselton stars in her heartfelt and humorous directorial debut as one half of a married couple struggling with fading desire. They decide that a ‘freebie,’ a guilt-free night with a stranger, may serve as a sexual reawakening and help save their relationship. More at landmarktheatres.com.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Marquee Names Light Up French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 28, 2010

  The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.

  
• Home
  
  

  Marquee Names Light Up French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 28, 2010

  The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.

  
• October 28, 2010
  
  

  Marquee Names Light Up French Cinema Now

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 28, 2010

  The latest finds from France's national cinema play in an SFFS showcase.

  
• October 26, 2010
  
  

  French Cinema Now

  Oct 28, 2010

  SFFS’s annual showcase of modern French filmmaking includes some of the country’s most important work from the past year, from Éléonore Faucher's 'Sisters' to Katell Quillévéré's 'Love Like Poison.' Mark Fitoussi's ‘Copacabana,’ starring Isabelle Huppert, opens the festival; it's followed by a reception at the Bubble Lounge, 714 Montgomery Street. All films play at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. More at sffs.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Brown Follows Injuries in ‘Going the Distance’

  Michael Fox
  Oct 27, 2010

  David L. Brown explores traumatic brain injuries with 'Going the Distance.' When ABC’s Bob Woodruff and his cameraman were badly injured by an IED in Iraq in January of 2006, it was the top story for days. We may not know any of the estimated 320,000 soldiers who’ve returned home with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), but we do remember the co-anchor of World News Tonight. To his credit, he and his family created the Bob Woodruff Foundation to advocate for and raise money for veterans with head injuries, and to educate the public. Longtime Brisbane documentary maker David L. Brown was at one of those benefits, a 22-mile traverse....

  
• October 28, 2010
  
  

  Brown Follows Injuries in ‘Going the Distance’

  Michael Fox
  Oct 27, 2010

  David L. Brown explores traumatic brain injuries with 'Going the Distance.' When ABC’s Bob Woodruff and his cameraman were badly injured by an IED in Iraq in January of 2006, it was the top story for days. We may not know any of the estimated 320,000 soldiers who’ve returned home with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), but we do remember the co-anchor of World News Tonight. To his credit, he and his family created the Bob Woodruff Foundation to advocate for and raise money for veterans with head injuries, and to educate the public. Longtime Brisbane documentary maker David L. Brown was at one of those benefits, a 22-mile traverse....

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'Rainin Foundation selects 10 finalists'

  Oct 27, 2010

  "Ten Bay Area filmmakers got good news this month when the San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation announced that they had narrowed their choices to a short list of contenders competing for $225,000 in cash," writes Hugh Hart. "The awards will go toward funding projects that explore civil rights, discrimination, gender and sexual identity. Winners will be named in November." More at SFGate.

  
• Home
  
  

  Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

  Margarita Landazuri
  Oct 26, 2010

  With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

  Margarita Landazuri
  Oct 26, 2010

  With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

  
• October 28, 2010
  
  

  Film Arts: How Cinema Was Born by the Bay

  Margarita Landazuri
  Oct 26, 2010

  With Eadweard Muybridge's motion experiments and Niles Essanay's early productions, the San Francisco Bay Area brought the silent film to life.

  
• Home
  
  

  Mike Ott on the Guileless Filmmaking of 'Littlerock'

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 25, 2010

  Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'

  
• October 28, 2010
  
  

  Mike Ott on the Guileless Filmmaking of 'Littlerock'

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 25, 2010

  Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Mike Ott on the Guileless Filmmaking of 'Littlerock'

  Jessica Sapick
  Oct 25, 2010

  Mike Ott, now up for a Gotham Award, speaks on filmmaking process and his indie film 'Littlerock.'

  
• October 19, 2010
  
  

  'Straight Is the Way'

  Oct 24, 2010

  The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival's series "Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters In Film" concludes with Paul Sloane's 'Straight Is the Way' at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Franchot Tone stars as the morally conflicted Benny Horowitz, an ex-con struggling to steer clear of old accomplices as he tries to make a fresh start in New York's Lower East Side. More at ybca.org.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 22, 2010

  A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.

  
• Home
  
  

  Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 22, 2010

  A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.

  
• October 28, 2010
  
  

  Berlin & Beyond Provides Genius Genre Treatments

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 22, 2010

  A pair of expert heist films top Berlin & Beyond.

  
• October 19, 2010
  
  

  Berlin & Beyond Film Festival

  Oct 22, 2010

  The Berlin & Beyond Film Festival returns to the Castro with its collection of contemporary cinema from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ‘Die Fremde’ is the centerpiece film (and Germany’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards) about a young woman living in Istanbul who, along with her son, decides to leave her abusive husband and reunite with her family in Berlin. More at berlinbeyond.com.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Taiwan Film Days Returns

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 21, 2010

  New stories emerge from a storied cinema nation in the second year of the Taiwan Film Days showcase.

  
• Home
  
  

  Taiwan Film Days Returns

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 21, 2010

  New stories emerge from a storied cinema nation in the second year of the Taiwan Film Days showcase.

  
• October 21, 2010
  
  

  Taiwan Film Days Returns

  Adam Hartzell
  Oct 21, 2010

  New stories emerge from a storied cinema nation in the second year of the Taiwan Film Days showcase.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Turkey Creek' Bridges the Gulf

  Michael Fox
  Oct 20, 2010

  Leah Mahan's 'Turkey Creek' finds a variety of disasters in Mississippi.

  
• In Production
  
  

  'Turkey Creek' Bridges the Gulf

  Michael Fox
  Oct 20, 2010

  Leah Mahan's 'Turkey Creek' finds a variety of disasters in Mississippi.

  
• October 21, 2010
  
  

  'Turkey Creek' Bridges the Gulf

  Michael Fox
  Oct 20, 2010

  Leah Mahan's 'Turkey Creek' finds a variety of disasters in Mississippi.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Pitchers Craft Hits at SFFS Film Arts Forum

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Oct 19, 2010

  At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.

  
• Home
  
  

  Pitchers Craft Hits at SFFS Film Arts Forum

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Oct 19, 2010

  At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.

  
• October 21, 2010
  
  

  Pitchers Craft Hits at SFFS Film Arts Forum

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Oct 19, 2010

  At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.

  
• October 12, 2010
  
  

  SF Docfest

  Oct 19, 2010

  SF Docfest continues through October 28 with its reliable blend of eccentricity and outrage. Films screening during week two include 'Trampoline' and 'Vanishing of the Bees.' More at sfindie.com.

  
• October 19, 2010
  
  

  SF Docfest

  Oct 19, 2010

  SF Docfest continues through October 28 with its reliable blend of eccentricity and outrage. Films screening during week two include 'Trampoline' and 'Vanishing of the Bees.' More at sfindie.com.

  
• October 19, 2010
  
  

  Arab Film Festival

  Oct 19, 2010

  The Arab Film Festival wraps up this weekend in Berkeley at Shattuck Cinemas. Closing Night films include ‘Every Day is a Holiday,' the story of three women in Lebanon and their very different intentions for boarding the same bus to a men’s penitentiary, and ‘Cinecitta,' about a struggling filmmaker who decides to rob a bank to fund his latest project. More at arabfilmfestival.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  Charles Ferguson Solves ‘Inside Job’

  Michael Fox
  Oct 18, 2010

  Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'

  
• October 21, 2010
  
  

  Charles Ferguson Solves ‘Inside Job’

  Michael Fox
  Oct 18, 2010

  Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Charles Ferguson Solves ‘Inside Job’

  Michael Fox
  Oct 18, 2010

  Charles Ferguson offers intel on the world financial crisis with 'Inside Job.'

  
• October 12, 2010
  
  

  'Metropolis'

  Oct 18, 2010

  After the discovery of a premiere release print in an Argentine film museum, a German restoration crew has pieced together the most complete version yet of Fritz Lang’s silent science fiction masterpiece. ‘Metropolis’ plays at the Smith Rafael Film Center with 25 minutes of added footage.

  
• October 12, 2010
  
  

  Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film

  Oct 17, 2010

  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival offer plenty to chew on in the series Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film. Mervyn LeRoys’ ‘Little Caesar’ has Edward G. Robinson as an Italian gangster in a breakout performance. The series plays through the month of October. More at ybca.org.

  
• October 12, 2010
  
  

  Montgomery Clift Double Feature

  Oct 17, 2010

  Montgomery Clift's birthday brings two of his most revered performances to the Castro screen: Fred Zinnemann’s ‘From Here to Eternity,’ and Elia Kazan’s ‘Wild River.’

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF Docfest Still Stranger than Fiction

  Matt Sussman
  Oct 15, 2010

  A critic offers not-to-be-missed entries in the ninth annual SF Docfest.

  
• Home
  
  

  SF Docfest Still Stranger than Fiction

  Matt Sussman
  Oct 15, 2010

  A critic offers not-to-be-missed entries in the ninth annual SF Docfest.

  
• October 21, 2010
  
  

  SF Docfest Still Stranger than Fiction

  Matt Sussman
  Oct 15, 2010

  A critic offers not-to-be-missed entries in the ninth annual SF Docfest.

  
• October 12, 2010
  
  

  'Eatrip'

  Oct 15, 2010

  VIZ Cinema celebrates World Food Day with a screening of Yuri Yomura’s ‘Eatrip,’ a Japanese documentary exploring the detailed splendors of food preparation and, of course, consumption. A live broadcast connects Tokyo and San Francisco audiences as they say “Itadakimasu” ("I humbly receive") in unison to kick off the event. Audience members also receive an onigiri rice ball and complementary drink.

  
• 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 12, 2010
  
  

  Arab Film Festival

  Oct 14, 2010

  Lyes Salem’s dark comedy ‘Masquerades’ opens the Arab Film Festival at the Castro; it tells the story of Mounir, a young Algerian misfit who informs the whole town his narcoleptic sister Nim is engaged to a handsome, wealthy foreigner. The festival runs October 14–24. More at arabfilmfestival.org.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Better This World' Takes a Look at Criminal Injustice

  Michael Fox
  Oct 13, 2010

  Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.

  
• October 14, 2010
  
  

  'Better This World' Takes a Look at Criminal Injustice

  Michael Fox
  Oct 13, 2010

  Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Are You Expecting Your Producer to Save You?

  Fernanda Rossi
  Oct 12, 2010

  What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.

  
• Home
  
  

  Are You Expecting Your Producer to Save You?

  Fernanda Rossi
  Oct 12, 2010

  What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.

  
• October 14, 2010
  
  

  Are You Expecting Your Producer to Save You?

  Fernanda Rossi
  Oct 12, 2010

  What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.

  
• October 5, 2010
  
  

  'Enemies of the People'

  Oct 11, 2010

  Journalist Thet Sambath’s family was among an estimated two million executed during the Khmer Rouge’s rule of Cambodia. ‘Enemies of the People’ documents Sambath’s journey to discover the truth as he obtains graphic confessions from a wide range of murderers, including ‘Brother Number Two’ Nuon Chen, Pol Pot’s deputy between 1975 and 1979. Codirector Rob Lemkin appears in person at the Balboa Theater. (Screenings continue at UC Berkeley October 12 the Grand Lake October 13. More at enemiesofthepeoplemovie.com.)

  
• October 5, 2010
  
  

  'Left in the Dark' Book Party

  Oct 10, 2010

  Space Gallery hosts the official release of ‘Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres’ featuring over 50 full color photographs by R.A. McBride, who was granted access to many of the city’s vanished venues as well as its cinema survivors. Events continue all month, all over, from City Lights to Pacific Film Archive to the Exploratorium. More at leftinthedark.info.

  
• Home
  
  

  Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 8, 2010

  A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

  
• October 14, 2010
  
  

  Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 8, 2010

  A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Savoring Fishbone in its Third Insane Decade

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 8, 2010

  A film about the legendary band Fishbone brings California's past 25 years into close relief.

  
• October 5, 2010
  
  

  'Redline'

  Oct 8, 2010

  VIZ Cinema hosts the U.S. premiere of this highly anticipated racing animation film the same day it opens in Japan. Five years in the making, ‘Redline’ is a collaboration between the creators of the 'Kill Bill Vol. 1' animation segments and 'The Animatrix.'

  
• October 5, 2010
  
  

  'Talking with Gods'

  Oct 8, 2010

  Peter Meaney’s thorough documentary focuses on the eccentric and prolific Scottish comic book writer Grant Morrison, with insight from several of Morrison’s closest collaborators including Phil Jimenez, Frank Quitely, and Jill Thompson. ‘Talking With Gods’ plays at the Roxie Theater.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 6, 2010

  The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 6, 2010

  The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.

  
• October 7, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter,' 'Paulina,' 'First Person Plural'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 6, 2010

  The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.

  
• October 5, 2010
  
  

  'Cecil Taylor: All the Notes'

  Oct 6, 2010

  Free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor is captured in performance and interviewed in Christopher Felver’s documentary ‘Cecil Taylor: All the Notes’. A discussion between Felver and California Poet Laureate Al Young follows the screening at the Smith Rafael Film Center.

  
• 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.

  
• september 29, 2010
  
  

  Lit Flicks: Litquake's Literary Film Festival

  Oct 3, 2010

  Litquake lights up the Embarcadero Center Cinema all day Sunday and features not only 'Dante's Inferno' and 'Ghost World,' but also SF360.org-moderated discussions for 'Red Poet' (director Matthew Furey and poet Jack Hirschman, left, with Michael Fox) and 'The Practice of the Wild' (producer Will Hearst and Jack Shoemaker with Robert Avila).

  
• september 29, 2010
  
  

  Film in the Fog: 'The Incredible Shrinking Man'

  Oct 2, 2010

  This year's free outdoor screening in the Presidio marks a return to '50s sci-fi classics with Jack Arnold's 'The Incredible Shrinking Man,' the story of a businessman who after being exposed to a strange poisonous mist grows smaller and smaller. Disney short 'The Skeleton Dance' is the warm-up.

  
• 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.

  
• september 29, 2010
  
  

  'Fresh'

  Oct 1, 2010

  MacArthur "genius" grant recipient (2008) Will Allen is featured in this documentary about the building a healthier American food system, which also features 'Omnivore's Dilemma' author Michael Pollan. Director Ana Joanes will be present for an opening night Q&A at the San Francisco premiere of the film at the Red Vic Movie House.

  
• Home
  
  

  Rwanda Moves Forward in New Documentary

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 30, 2010

  The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Rwanda Moves Forward in New Documentary

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 30, 2010

  The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.

  
• September 30, 2010
  
  

  Rwanda Moves Forward in New Documentary

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 30, 2010

  The latest Deborah Scranton film takes another look at the Rwandan genocide.

  
• september 29, 2010
  
  

  'Earth Made of Glass'

  Sep 30, 2010

  A special screening of Deborah Scranton'’s searing documentary about two Rwandan genocide survivors' quest for truth features a Phil Bronstein–moderated panel discussion with director Scranton; Robert Rosenthal, executive director of the Center for Investigative Reporting; and Mathilde Mukantabana, president of Friends of Rwanda, at Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Chan Is Missing,' 'Thousand Pieces of Gold,' 'Heat and Sunlight'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2010

  San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Chan Is Missing,' 'Thousand Pieces of Gold,' 'Heat and Sunlight'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2010

  San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.

  
• September 30, 2010
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Chan Is Missing,' 'Thousand Pieces of Gold,' 'Heat and Sunlight'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2010

  San Francisco narrative filmmakers offer nuanced visions of their city.

  
• Home
  
  

  Gardner's Global Views Unnerve at YBCA

  Sara Dosa
  Sep 26, 2010

  Three decades of Robert Gardner films scrutinize the human condition.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Gardner's Global Views Unnerve at YBCA

  Sara Dosa
  Sep 26, 2010

  Three decades of Robert Gardner films scrutinize the human condition.

  
• September 30, 2010
  
  

  Gardner's Global Views Unnerve at YBCA

  Sara Dosa
  Sep 26, 2010

  Three decades of Robert Gardner films scrutinize the human condition.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Children's Film Festival Finds Inspiration for All Ages

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Sep 24, 2010

  The NY/SF International Children's Film Festival offers a mix of animation, live action, fantasy, entertainment and insight.

  
• Home
  
  

  A Children's Film Festival Finds Inspiration for All Ages

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Sep 24, 2010

  The NY/SF International Children's Film Festival offers a mix of animation, live action, fantasy, entertainment and insight.

  
• September 30, 2010
  
  

  A Children's Film Festival Finds Inspiration for All Ages

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Sep 24, 2010

  The NY/SF International Children's Film Festival offers a mix of animation, live action, fantasy, entertainment and insight.

  
• September 21, 2010
  
  

  A 'Howl' Exclusive

  Sep 24, 2010

  'Howl' filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will host a Q&A and present the San Francisco opening of their new film at the Sundance Kabuki.

  
• September 21, 2010
  
  

  The Lost Films of Charles Ludlam

  Sep 24, 2010

  After seeing one of Charles Ludlam's early plays, theater critic Brendan Gill famously remarked, "This isn't farce. This isn't absurd. This is absolutely ridiculous!" Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents two of Ludlam's rarely seen films: a digitally remastered version of 'The Sorrows of Dolores' (September 24–25) and 'The Impostors' (September 26), where Ludlam stars as a gay magician.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 23, 2010

  Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.

  
• September 23, 2010
  
  

  'Howl' Revisits Key Literary Chapter in SF History

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 23, 2010

  Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman offer insight into the making of 'Howl,' a movie about a poem and a time.

  
• September 21, 2010
  
  

  SF Irish Film Festival

  Sep 23, 2010

  The San Francisco Irish Film Festival offers Roxie audiences three days of contemporary Irish cinema, including features, documentaries and short films paired with free pints of Irish cider. Closing night film 'His & Hers' won the Cinematography Award at Sundance 2010.

  
• Home
  
  

  Irving Glides from Parrots to Pelicans

  Michael Fox
  Sep 22, 2010

  Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.

  
• September 23, 2010
  
  

  Irving Glides from Parrots to Pelicans

  Michael Fox
  Sep 22, 2010

  Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.

  
• Home
  
  

  Lixin Fan's 'Train' Arrives

  Michael Fox
  Sep 20, 2010

  The creator of award-winning documentary 'Last Train Home' speaks about the new China.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lixin Fan's 'Train' Arrives

  Michael Fox
  Sep 20, 2010

  The creator of award-winning documentary 'Last Train Home' speaks about the new China.

  
• September 23, 2010
  
  

  Lixin Fan's 'Train' Arrives

  Michael Fox
  Sep 20, 2010

  The creator of award-winning documentary 'Last Train Home' speaks about the new China.

  
• Home
  
  

  Altman Versus the World

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 20, 2010

  A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Altman Versus the World

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 20, 2010

  A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

  
• September 23, 2010
  
  

  Altman Versus the World

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 20, 2010

  A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.

  
• Home
  
  

  Radical Light: 'Image Dissectors'

  Rebecca Solnit
  Sep 17, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Radical Light: 'Image Dissectors'

  Rebecca Solnit
  Sep 17, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'

  
• September 23, 2010
  
  

  Radical Light: 'Image Dissectors'

  Rebecca Solnit
  Sep 17, 2010

  Pacific Film Archive offers the first of three excerpts from its monumental new book, 'Radical Light.'

  
• September 14, 2010
  
  

  'The Parking Lot Movie'

  Sep 17, 2010

  There's no better better place to see 'The Parking Lot Movie,' about the physical-spiritual life of an attended lot, than in . . . a parking lot! ITVS offers this unique opportunity at the Good Hotel parking lot, Seventh and Minna, SF, at 7:00 pm, to celebrate the global Park(ing) Day (where metered spaces are turned into art worldwide) and to launch the ninth season of the Independent Lens series on PBS. Find out more at www.itvs.org.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

  B. Ruby Rich
  Sep 16, 2010

  A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

  
• Home
  
  

  Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

  B. Ruby Rich
  Sep 16, 2010

  A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

  
• September 16, 2010
  
  

  Toronto's New Lightbox Offers Transcendence

  B. Ruby Rich
  Sep 16, 2010

  A festival transforms itself and transports audiences with a visionary new theater.

  
• Home
  
  

  Tushinski Brings San Francisco into 'Dirty Poole'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 15, 2010

  A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Tushinski Brings San Francisco into 'Dirty Poole'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 15, 2010

  A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.

  
• September 16, 2010
  
  

  Tushinski Brings San Francisco into 'Dirty Poole'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 15, 2010

  A filmmaker revisits '70s gay erotic life in the work of Wakefield Poole.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Canada.com: 'How Facebook Got Involved in Human Rights'

  Sep 15, 2010

  A Bay Area filmmaker's trip to Africa cemented her "bond with Facebook and created a new way for human rights activists to spread the word--while promoting the social networking site's month-old streaming video channel," writes Alex Ben Block. More at Canada.com.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Online Film Contests: Friend or Foe?

  Hannah Eaves
  Sep 14, 2010

  Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.

  
• Home
  
  

  Online Film Contests: Friend or Foe?

  Hannah Eaves
  Sep 14, 2010

  Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.

  
• September 16, 2010
  
  

  Online Film Contests: Friend or Foe?

  Hannah Eaves
  Sep 14, 2010

  Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.

  
• Home
  
  

  Innovative Characters, Concepts Inform New California Website

  Adam Hartzell
  Sep 13, 2010

  A new film/photography website offers compelling characters, bold artistry and innovative storylines.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Innovative Characters, Concepts Inform New California Website

  Adam Hartzell
  Sep 13, 2010

  A new film/photography website offers compelling characters, bold artistry and innovative storylines.

  
• September 16, 2010
  
  

  Innovative Characters, Concepts Inform New California Website

  Adam Hartzell
  Sep 13, 2010

  A new film/photography website offers compelling characters, bold artistry and innovative storylines.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFGate: 'New Director at Film Festival'

  Sep 13, 2010

  SF Chronicle: "Masashi Niwano, who most recently was executive director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival in Austin, Texas, has been named festival and exhibitions director for the San Francisco International Asian American Festival." More at SFGate.

  
• Home
  
  

  Phil Spector, the Spectacle, Viewed in New Doc

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 10, 2010

  A look at Phil Spector brings back memories, if not that loving feeling.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Phil Spector, the Spectacle, Viewed in New Doc

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 10, 2010

  A look at Phil Spector brings back memories, if not that loving feeling.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2010

  'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2010

  'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  
• September 16, 2010
  
  

  'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2010

  'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  
• September 9 2010
  
  

  'Change of Plans' Finds Humor in Mid-Life

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2010

  'Change of Plans' charts an eventful year in the lives of a dozen or so disparate Parisians.

  
• Home
  
  

  Mallimson surveys 'Edge of the Wild' on San Bruno Mountain

  Michael Fox
  Sep 8, 2010

  A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Mallimson surveys 'Edge of the Wild' on San Bruno Mountain

  Michael Fox
  Sep 8, 2010

  A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.

  
• September 9 2010
  
  

  Mallimson surveys 'Edge of the Wild' on San Bruno Mountain

  Michael Fox
  Sep 8, 2010

  A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Them Greeks' Tests Independent Digital Production Model

  Jessica Sapick
  Sep 7, 2010

  An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Them Greeks' Tests Independent Digital Production Model

  Jessica Sapick
  Sep 7, 2010

  An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.

  
• September 9 2010
  
  

  'Them Greeks' Tests Independent Digital Production Model

  Jessica Sapick
  Sep 7, 2010

  An animator collaborates over the ether to bring 'Them Greeks....!' to life.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  A Family Implodes in Biting 'Dogtooth'

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 3, 2010

  A Greek film incriminates the viewer.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  A Family Implodes in Biting 'Dogtooth'

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 3, 2010

  A Greek film incriminates the viewer.

  
• Home
  
  

  Going McCarey's Way

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 2, 2010

  A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Going McCarey's Way

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 2, 2010

  A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  
• September 2, 2010
  
  

  Going McCarey's Way

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 2, 2010

  A Mechanics' Institute series appreciates Leo McCarey's genius with comedy.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Sweet' Beat Drives Fruchtmans’ Rwanda Doc

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2010

  Lisa Fruchtman moves from feature-film editing to documentary film directing with a hopeful story out of Rwanda.

  
• In Production
  
  

  'Sweet' Beat Drives Fruchtmans’ Rwanda Doc

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2010

  Lisa Fruchtman moves from feature-film editing to documentary film directing with a hopeful story out of Rwanda.

  
• September 2, 2010
  
  

  'Sweet' Beat Drives Fruchtmans’ Rwanda Doc

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2010

  Lisa Fruchtman moves from feature-film editing to documentary film directing with a hopeful story out of Rwanda.

  
• Home
  
  

  The Price of Fame

  George Rush
  Aug 31, 2010

  When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.

  
• Legal
  
  

  The Price of Fame

  George Rush
  Aug 31, 2010

  When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.

  
• September 2, 2010
  
  

  The Price of Fame

  George Rush
  Aug 31, 2010

  When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.

  
• Home
  
  

  Bar-Lev on the True 'Tillman Story'

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2010

  Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bar-Lev on the True 'Tillman Story'

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2010

  Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'

  
• September 2, 2010
  
  

  Bar-Lev on the True 'Tillman Story'

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 30, 2010

  Amir Bar-Lev follows a family's continuing fight in 'The Tillman Story.'

  
• August 24, 2010
  
  

  Inside the PFA Film Vault

  Aug 27, 2010

  The Pacific Film Archive has dusted off a collection of rarely seen shorts from its new film vault; the kaleidoscopic collection full of "grain, color and noise" displays on a summer evening, outdoors, at a free screening on Friday, August 27.

  
• 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 24, 2010
  
  

  Rare Summer Vampires

  Aug 26, 2010

  Rare vampire films, including Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark and Carl Dreyer's unsettling Vampyr, come out of the dark for a weekend at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

  
• August 26 ,2010
  
  

  Medina Stokes SF-set ‘Furnace’

  Michael Fox
  Aug 25, 2010

  Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.

  
• Home
  
  

  Medina Stokes SF-set ‘Furnace’

  Michael Fox
  Aug 25, 2010

  Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Medina Stokes SF-set ‘Furnace’

  Michael Fox
  Aug 25, 2010

  Dolissa Medina uncovers more ashes in a new, historical piece on San Francisco and its many great fires.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  KQED Forum: 'Endangered Cinemas'

  Aug 25, 2010

  The Clay theater in San Francisco's Pacific Heights became the latest neighborhood movie theater to announce it would go dark. Wednesday's KQED Forum offered multiple takes on the fight to save the city's remaining historic single-screen theaters; listen to the podcast here.

  
• August 26 ,2010
  
  

  Getting Perspective on your Story

  Fernanda Rossi
  Aug 24, 2010

  Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Getting Perspective on your Story

  Fernanda Rossi
  Aug 24, 2010

  Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?

  
• Home
  
  

  Getting Perspective on your Story

  Fernanda Rossi
  Aug 24, 2010

  Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?

  
• 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.'

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'Clay Goes Dark'

  Aug 23, 2010

  SF Chronicle: "One of San Francisco's oldest movie houses plans to shut the lights for good this month. Landmark Theatres will walk away from the Clay on Sunday, leaving the Pacific Heights neighborhood without its single-screen theater. More at SFGate.

  
• August 26 ,2010
  
  

  'Army of Crime' Revisits the Not-Always French Resistance

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 20, 2010

  'Army of Crime’s' portraits in heroism remain admirably restrained, unlike so many Resistance fantasies.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Army of Crime' Revisits the Not-Always French Resistance

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 20, 2010

  'Army of Crime’s' portraits in heroism remain admirably restrained, unlike so many Resistance fantasies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Army of Crime' Revisits the Not-Always French Resistance

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 20, 2010

  'Army of Crime’s' portraits in heroism remain admirably restrained, unlike so many Resistance fantasies.

  
• 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.

  
• August 17, 2010
  
  

  What is Noir?

  Aug 20, 2010

  The pairing of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' and 'The Creeping Unknown'–the first of many double features with a "decidedly bent perspective on the human condition"– kicks off the Roxie's genre-busting series Not Necessarily Noir.

  
• August 19 2010
  
  

  Noirish New Lavine Series Hits the Roxie

  Sura Wood
  Aug 19, 2010

  Elliot Lavine speaks of noir, noirishness, and the series of potent, paranoid, and often genre-busting classics he brings to the Roxie.

  
• Home
  
  

  Noirish New Lavine Series Hits the Roxie

  Sura Wood
  Aug 19, 2010

  Elliot Lavine speaks of noir, noirishness, and the series of potent, paranoid, and often genre-busting classics he brings to the Roxie.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Noirish New Lavine Series Hits the Roxie

  Sura Wood
  Aug 19, 2010

  Elliot Lavine speaks of noir, noirishness, and the series of potent, paranoid, and often genre-busting classics he brings to the Roxie.

  
• August 19 2010
  
  

  Rubio Rolls Cameras in 'Too Perfect' Orinda

  Michael Fox
  Aug 18, 2010

  Drawing from reality, and yoga practice, an independent production team catalogues childhood's end.

  
• Home
  
  

  Rubio Rolls Cameras in 'Too Perfect' Orinda

  Michael Fox
  Aug 18, 2010

  Drawing from reality, and yoga practice, an independent production team catalogues childhood's end.

  
• August 19 2010
  
  

  Of Longing and Laforgue

  Jenni Olson
  Aug 17, 2010

  A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Of Longing and Laforgue

  Jenni Olson
  Aug 17, 2010

  A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

  
• Home
  
  

  Of Longing and Laforgue

  Jenni Olson
  Aug 17, 2010

  A filmmaker offers a script excerpt in appreciation of Jules Laforgue on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

  
• August 19 2010
  
  

  Back with a 'Vengeance'

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 13, 2010

  Johnnie To delivers on his trademark themes with 'Vengeance.'

  
• Home
  
  

  Back with a 'Vengeance'

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 13, 2010

  Johnnie To delivers on his trademark themes with 'Vengeance.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Back with a 'Vengeance'

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 13, 2010

  Johnnie To delivers on his trademark themes with 'Vengeance.'

  
• August 10 2010
  
  

  'Lourdes'

  Aug 13, 2010

  Jessica Hausner's film, set in the French "City of Healing" from which it takes its name, opens at the Roxie this week. 'Lourdes' examines the nature of miracles with a combination of humor and curiosity.

  
• 08-12-10
  
  

  Sausalito Film Festival Views New Horizons

  Adam Hartzell
  Aug 12, 2010

  Run, walk, bike, or bus to Sausalito for a festival filled with environmental (and other) surprises. The Sausalito Film Festival at Cavallo Point offers an impressive natural/urban backdrop to complement the worlds on view inside its theaters. Situated in the less-crowded film festival calendar space of August, it offers residents of the Bay Area ample room for their eyes to roam, with gorgeous vistas to greet those coming and going from its two restored theaters, the Mission Blue and Callippe. (Cavallo Point, a backdrop for the 22nd century in Star Trek: Enterprise, also provides a view of the San Francisco that will never get old.)

  
• Home
  
  

  Sausalito Film Festival Views New Horizons

  Adam Hartzell
  Aug 12, 2010

  Run, walk, bike, or bus to Sausalito for a festival filled with environmental (and other) surprises. The Sausalito Film Festival at Cavallo Point offers an impressive natural/urban backdrop to complement the worlds on view inside its theaters. Situated in the less-crowded film festival calendar space of August, it offers residents of the Bay Area ample room for their eyes to roam, with gorgeous vistas to greet those coming and going from its two restored theaters, the Mission Blue and Callippe. (Cavallo Point, a backdrop for the 22nd century in Star Trek: Enterprise, also provides a view of the San Francisco that will never get old.)

  
• August 10 2010
  
  

  Francesco Rosi: 'Chronicle of a Death Foretold'

  Aug 12, 2010

  Chronicle of a Death Foretold screens at the Pacific Film Archive as part of the Modernist Masters series on August 12. Gabriel García Marquez' novella, which unfolds around uncertain crimes of passion, is faithfully adapted by Francesco Rosi, who focuses on his own recurring theme, motives behind violence.

  
• August 10 2010
  
  

  'Fruit Fly' Director and Cast in Person

  Aug 11, 2010

  H.P. Mendoza (Colma: The Musical) has redirected his interests from the Peninsula to San Francisco with his latest, and we couldn't be happier: The cast from Fruit Fly, about a Filipina woman who arrives in the city and moves into a Mission District Artists’ commune, will be on stage for a Q & A at the Castro Theatre on Wednesday, August 11, at 8:30 p.m.

  
• 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.

  
• 08-05-2010
  
  

  Looking to the Skies for Cinema

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Aug 5, 2010

  Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Looking to the Skies for Cinema

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Aug 5, 2010

  Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.

  
• Home
  
  

  Looking to the Skies for Cinema

  Gianmaria Franchini
  Aug 5, 2010

  Think summer's almost over? In the Bay Area, think again: Outdoor screenings are just getting started.

  
• 08-05-2010
  
  

  Media Pulse: The Closed Net Threat

  Sara Dosa
  Aug 4, 2010

  The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.

  
• Home
  
  

  Media Pulse: The Closed Net Threat

  Sara Dosa
  Aug 4, 2010

  The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Media Pulse: The Closed Net Threat

  Sara Dosa
  Aug 4, 2010

  The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.

  
• 08-05-2010
  
  

  'Winnebago Man' Hits the Road

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 2, 2010

  Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Winnebago Man' Hits the Road

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 2, 2010

  Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Winnebago Man' Hits the Road

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 2, 2010

  Director Ben Steinbauer and Bay Area-based producer Malcolm Pullinger talk about anger, RVs, and "going viral" with their new film.

  
• Home
  
  

  Crime on the Mind

  Sura Wood
  Jul 29, 2010

  The Pacific Film Archive's Criminal Minds series offers a liberating mix of asocial outlaws and sordid stories based on the ripped-from-the-headlines exploits of real-life gangsters and killers.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Crime on the Mind

  Sura Wood
  Jul 29, 2010

  The Pacific Film Archive's Criminal Minds series offers a liberating mix of asocial outlaws and sordid stories based on the ripped-from-the-headlines exploits of real-life gangsters and killers.

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Getting Down, Dirty with Bob Ray and Chad Holt

  Sean Uyehara
  Jul 26, 2010

  Bob Ray brings his Down & Dirty Austin Film Tour to the Bay Area. And you can't stop him.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Getting Down, Dirty with Bob Ray and Chad Holt

  Sean Uyehara
  Jul 26, 2010

  Bob Ray brings his Down & Dirty Austin Film Tour to the Bay Area. And you can't stop him.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Beyond the Box: ITVS Programs Nominated for Six Emmys

  Jul 26, 2010

  "The nominees for the 31st Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards were announced today and ITVS programs received an impressive six nominations," reports Beyond the Box.

  
• Home
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Times of Harvey Milk,' 'Crumb,' 'Cockettes'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 23, 2010

  Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Essential SF: 'Times of Harvey Milk,' 'Crumb,' 'Cockettes'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 23, 2010

  Three films document essential chunks of San Francisco's tragic and mythic past, told in empathetic but non-hagiographic testimony.

  
• 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
  
  

  Wilson-Shepard Doc Blooms in AIDS Grove

  Michael Fox
  Jul 21, 2010

  Tom Shepard and Andy Abrahams Wilson are redefining activist filmmaking with educational films, such as their documentary on the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.

  
• Home
  
  

  Wilson-Shepard Doc Blooms in AIDS Grove

  Michael Fox
  Jul 21, 2010

  Tom Shepard and Andy Abrahams Wilson are redefining activist filmmaking with educational films, such as their documentary on the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Wilson-Shepard Doc Blooms in AIDS Grove

  Michael Fox
  Jul 21, 2010

  Tom Shepard and Andy Abrahams Wilson are redefining activist filmmaking with educational films, such as their documentary on the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.

  
• 07-21-2010
  
  

  A Need to Think Outside the Box (Office)

  Jon Reiss
  Jul 20, 2010

  The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.

  
• First Person
  
  

  A Need to Think Outside the Box (Office)

  Jon Reiss
  Jul 20, 2010

  The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.

  
• Home
  
  

  A Need to Think Outside the Box (Office)

  Jon Reiss
  Jul 20, 2010

  The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.

  
• 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.

  
• 07-21-2010
  
  

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival Speaks Volumes

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 15, 2010

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival offers its now expected collection of rare finds, live music and early film amazements

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival Speaks Volumes

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 15, 2010

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival offers its now expected collection of rare finds, live music and early film amazements

  
• Home
  
  

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival Speaks Volumes

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 15, 2010

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival offers its now expected collection of rare finds, live music and early film amazements

  
• Home
  
  

  Koons Garcia Runs Fingers Through 'Soil'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 14, 2010

  Deborah Koons Garcia's latest film explores the mystery and complexities of one of the earth's most valuable resources.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Koons Garcia Runs Fingers Through 'Soil'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 14, 2010

  Deborah Koons Garcia's latest film explores the mystery and complexities of one of the earth's most valuable resources.

  
• Home
  
  

  Crowd Control

  George Rush
  Jul 13, 2010

  No matter what kind of film you’re making, eventually all filmmakers encounter the common legal problem of filming in a crowd.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Crowd Control

  George Rush
  Jul 13, 2010

  No matter what kind of film you’re making, eventually all filmmakers encounter the common legal problem of filming in a crowd.

  
• Home
  
  

  Charlotte Buchen, Wheels Turning

  Adam Hartzell
  Jul 12, 2010

  Charlotte Buchen’s Bay Area Street Portraits take us on a ride with the everyday bicycling citizen of Berkeley and Oakland.

  
• Home
  
  

  Charlotte Buchen, Wheels Turning

  Adam Hartzell
  Jul 12, 2010

  Charlotte Buchen’s Bay Area Street Portraits take us on a ride with the everyday bicycling citizen of Berkeley and Oakland.

  
• Home
  
  

  'Wild Grass' Finds Resnais Still Growing

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 9, 2010

  Resnais remains elusive and detached, his films beautiful abstracts of intellectual rather than emotional impact.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Wild Grass' Finds Resnais Still Growing

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 9, 2010

  Resnais remains elusive and detached, his films beautiful abstracts of intellectual rather than emotional impact.

  
• Home
  
  

  Perkins Places 'Trust' in Convicts and Parolees

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2010

  Tamara Perkins' The Trust is intended to provide a rare lens into the lives of incarcerated men and their families.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Perkins Places 'Trust' in Convicts and Parolees

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2010

  Tamara Perkins' The Trust is intended to provide a rare lens into the lives of incarcerated men and their families.

  
• Home
  
  

  Crafting Motifs in Documentary Films

  Karen Everett
  Jul 6, 2010

  Choosing and implementing the right motif can help convey a narrative documentary's theme.
  
  Now…what exactly is a motif? And why would you want to edit one into a documentary film?
  During one of my recent group coaching calls, we addressed these questions. . . .

  
• 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.

  
• Home
  
  

  Media Pulse: A Crude Interpretation of the Law

  Jennifer Preissel
  Jul 1, 2010

  Jennifer Preissel examines the film and the court case that could redefine a journalist’s protection under First Amendment rights.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Media Pulse: A Crude Interpretation of the Law

  Jennifer Preissel
  Jul 1, 2010

  Jennifer Preissel examines the film and the court case that could redefine a journalist’s protection under First Amendment rights.

  
• 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
  
  

  Guevara-Flanagan Soars with 'Wonder Woman'

  Michael Fox
  Jun 30, 2010

  East Bay filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan muscles her way through her new documentary feature, The History of the Universe as Told by Wonder Woman.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Guevara-Flanagan Soars with 'Wonder Woman'

  Michael Fox
  Jun 30, 2010

  East Bay filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan muscles her way through her new documentary feature, The History of the Universe as Told by Wonder Woman.

  
• 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
  
  

  Frameline34, a Festival Refreshed

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 25, 2010

  Critical consensus on Frameline34 marks it a good year. The audience wanted something different, and the festival has largely obliged.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  On the Road with 'Joan,' Stern and Sundberg Talk Big Picture

  Michael Fox
  Jun 14, 2010

  The makers of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work speak about their latest, as well as the state of documentary filmmaking.

  
• 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.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  The Story Beyond the Story

  Fernanda Rossi
  Jun 11, 2010

  Screens are getting smaller. From the cineplex to TV to the computer or iPhone screen, surfaces have shrunk but creativity and resourcefulness have expanded.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  San Francisco Habitue John Waters Offers Role Models

  Michael Fox
  Jun 10, 2010

  With a new book, gallery exhibition, appearances on local radio and stages, John Waters is quickly becoming a Bay Area fixture, a welcome addition to the film and cultural landscape.

  
• 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.

  
• Digital
  
  

  A Digital Glossary

  Hannah Eaves
  Jun 8, 2010

  What s the difference between streaming and download rights? Here s a glossary of terms filmmakers should know before signing a contract or hiring a web developer.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Studio B Films Wins Telly Awards

  Jun 8, 2010

  San Francisco-based video production company recognized for work for Adobe Systems and Izze Sparkling Juice.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bowden Exposes San Francisco in Full Picture

  Michael Fox
  Jun 7, 2010

  San Francisco filmmaker Jon Bowden brings a second comic feature, The Full Picture, to screens.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Field's Anti-Apartheid Series Returns to Bay Area

  Michael Fox
  Jun 4, 2010

  By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  On Loving the Best Worst Movie of All Time

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 3, 2010

  For many, the mother of all brain-scrambling cinematic boondoggles is Troll 2; a documentary takes stock of the phenomenal success of this epic failure.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Breaux Leads Search Party Through Southwestern Country

  Michael Fox
  Jun 1, 2010

  Maria Breaux, deep in the heart of production on Mother Country talks about politics, process and her existential road movie.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Thinking Like a Screenwriter for your Documentary

  Karen Everett
  May 31, 2010

  Moving past genre distinctions may help some filmmakers find the best dramatic arc and the most powerful truths.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Looking for Comedy in Ken Loach's 'Eric'

  Dennis Harvey
  May 28, 2010

  It s not a laugh-out-loud film, but Looking for Eric can be considered a comedy…in comparison to just about any other Ken Loach movie you could name.

  
• 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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'Frameline film festival to showcase 219 films'

  May 26, 2010

  Frameliine 34 presents a Beat movement mini-theme and 10 gay-themed films from South America.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Festivals from Cannes to Marfa, San Francisco Filmmakers Reporting

  Emile Bokaer, Cynthia Mitchell
  May 21, 2010

  Bay Area filmmakers report back from film festivals far (Cannes) and wide (Marfa).

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Stevenson's Oddball Scandinavian Cinema

  Dennis Harvey
  May 21, 2010

  Former San Franciscan Jack Stevenson returns from Denmark to promote the U.S. publication of Scandinavian Blue: The Erotic Cinema of Sweden and Denmark in the 1960s and 1970s.

  
• 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
  
  

  Judge's Crude Behavior Infuriates Documentary Makers

  Michael Fox
  May 18, 2010

  From chilling to dangerous to horrendous, local reactions to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan s ruling in favor of Chevron in New York on May 6 ran an unsurprisingly narrow gamut.

  
• 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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'Chevron's 'Crude' Attempt to Suppress Free Speech'

  May 15, 2010

  A Federal Judge has ordered documentary producer and director Joe Berlinger to turn over to Chevron 600 hours of footage used to create Crude: The Real Price of Oil.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Typeface' Makes Art of a Lost Craft

  Adam Hartzell
  May 14, 2010

  Gary Hustwit s Helvetica turned a font into a fascination, and Justine Nagan's Typeface takes the topic of type one step further by moving into the past.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Griffin and Jordan Getting Nails Done

  Michael Fox
  May 12, 2010

  Today s fun fact: San Francisco has more nail salons per capita than any city in the country.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Ideas that Last at the Disposable Film Festival

  Adam Hartzell
  May 11, 2010

  I sat down for a chat with Festival Director and cofounder Carlton Evans, Art Director Rebecca Bortman, and Jessica Meek, project coordinator for a fest sponsor.

  
• Funding
  
  

  A Short Guide to Funding Short Narratives

  Holly Million
  May 11, 2010

  If you re making a short narrative, foundations give you no respect. Financiers turn a cold shoulder. Government grantors snort. And festivals slot your film Sunday at midnight.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Conner Forever Moving Forward

  Dennis Harvey
  May 10, 2010

  Bruce Conner, the sculptor, painter, photographer and filmmaker who loomed large in the Bay Area's shifting avant-garde currents for 50 years, resurfaces with Three Screen Ray.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  New York Times: 'A Filmmaker’s Quest for Journalistic Protection'

  May 7, 2010

  Documentary film footage is caught in the middle of a court battle between Chevron and Ecuadorian plaintiffs over pollution of the Amazon rain forest.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Chronicle: 'S.F. Film Festival Bestows Prizes'

  May 7, 2010

  Almost $300,000 was given out Wednesday night for awards and grants honoring documentary winners.

  
• 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
  
  

  SFIFF53 Reports: Divine Madness at 'All About Evil' Premiere

  Dennis Harvey
  May 4, 2010

  Judging from Saturday night s festivities, half the capacity Castro Theatre audience had worked on or otherwise invested in Joshua Grannell a.k.a. Peaches Christ s debut feature.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Behind the Music with 'Simonal'

  Julia Barbosa
  May 3, 2010

  The documentary Simonal: No One Knows How Tough it Was explores the polemic surrounding a man considered by many to be the greatest singer in Brazilian history.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Dialogues: Gary Snyder on Art, Anarchy and the Environment

  Robert Avila
  May 3, 2010

  Poet, essayist, environmentalist, Buddhist, public intellectual and teacher Gary Snyder speaks on life and the making of 'The Practice of the Wild.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dialogues: Gary Snyder on Art, Anarchy and the Environment

  Robert Avila
  May 3, 2010

  Poet, essayist, environmentalist, Buddhist, public intellectual and teacher Gary Snyder speaks on life and the making of 'The Practice of the Wild.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  New York-set Charlie Barker's Big S.F. Break

  Michael Fox
  May 2, 2010

  Along with selfless sacrifices and random luck, low-budget independent films often depend on the timely intervention of an angel.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF53 Reports: California Dreamin' at Film Society Awards Night

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 30, 2010

  San Francisco itself took a lead role at Film Society Awards Night, the dinner and awards program benefiting the Film Society s year-round Youth Education initiative.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF53: The Art of Revival

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 29, 2010

  Through most of its history, the Festival has featured revivals of restored classics and little-known gems. This year s selections run an unusually wide gamut.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF53 Reports: 'Utopia,' 'Morning'

  SF360
  Apr 27, 2010

  Live & Onstage thought globally and drafted locally with Sam Green and musician Dave Cerf s live Utopia in Four Movements, which never takes the exact same form.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hernandez's Guilty Verdict

  Michael Fox
  Apr 26, 2010

  If there's a sure-fire crowd-pleaser in this year's San Francisco International Film Festival, it s Roberto Hernandez and Geoffrey Smith's Presumed Guilty.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Do You Pass the Test?

  George Rush
  Apr 26, 2010

  You are awesome. Spectacular, incredible, interesting, accomplished and generally just way awesome. Everyone wants to hear every possible thing there is to know about you.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF53 Reports: The Butcher Block; Opening Night

  SF360
  Apr 24, 2010

  To be from the Bay Area and called The Butcher Brothers might mean you get mixed up with purveyors of grass fed meats.

  
• In Depth
  
  

  Dialogues: Jim Harrison on Poetry, Documentary

  Robert Avila
  Apr 23, 2010

  Writer Jim Harrison offers thoughts about his relationship to Gary Snyder and his contributions to 'The Practice of the Wild.'

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dialogues: Jim Harrison on Poetry, Documentary

  Robert Avila
  Apr 23, 2010

  Writer Jim Harrison offers thoughts about his relationship to Gary Snyder and his contributions to 'The Practice of the Wild.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF53: Deft Dussollier In 'Micmacs,' 'Wild Grass'

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 21, 2010

  How many foreign stars do U.S. moviegoers know? Not many, alas. My favorite living French actor, André Dussollier, appears prominently in two high-profile festival films.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Roxie's New Leadership

  Michael Fox
  Apr 21, 2010

  The Statton era has begun. Kate and Chris Statton have officially assumed the positions of co-executive directors of the venerable Mission District cinema.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'It Came from Kuchar,' 'La Mission' in Theatres

  sf360
  Apr 16, 2010

  Bay Area-made and Mission-inspired, Peter Bratt's La Mission joins Jennifer Kroot's wild and woolly It Came from Kuchar in Bay Area theaters this week.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF53: Ephemeral Film and Music, Live & Onstage

  Marc Capelle
  Apr 14, 2010

  If you imagine the S.F. International Film Festival as an circus tent, with Opening and Closing nights the main supports, the other tent poles are interactive live experiences.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Rajendra Serber's Confident Steps into Film

  Michael Fox
  Apr 13, 2010

  From Michael Powell to Carlos Saura to Sally Potter, a stratum of directors has progressively reimagined the relationship between dance and film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Christina Yao's solid Empire of Silver

  Michael Fox
  Apr 12, 2010

  First-time filmmaker Christina Yao is soft-spoken and exceedingly polite, but it s apparent that very little intimidates her.

  
• 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.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  The Empathetic Storyteller

  Karen Everett
  Apr 6, 2010

  Beware of Save the Day My Way Syndrome. Now, learn from your mistakes.

  
• 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.

  
• 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
  
  

  Streetfilms' Two-Wheeled Revolution

  Adam Hartzell
  Mar 31, 2010

  Pedestrians have always propelled cinema narratives, but the bicycle has rarely had a starring role.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Nuclear Family Secrets in Silvia's Atomic Mom

  Michael Fox
  Mar 30, 2010

  One of the oldest points of contention in documentary is whether the camera s presence alters the subject s behavior.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Green by Design: Purebred Productions

  Michael Behrens
  Mar 28, 2010

  San Francisco has a variety of excellent soundstages, but one is trying to save the earth.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Riffe's Raw Milk Germ

  Michael Fox
  Mar 23, 2010

  There's so much about this product called milk that we think we know everything about, declares Jed Riffe with his usual blend of enthusiasm and amazement.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Childhood's Richness on Film

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Mar 23, 2010

  When a child assumes center stage on film, the potential for both thematic richness and unexpected plot directions increases exponentially.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF International Asian American Film Festival's Archival Tour

  Adam Hartzell
  Mar 19, 2010

  A theme that emerged in this year s SFIAFF was the importance of archives in the film world.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bong Joon-ho's 'Mother' Pleases

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 18, 2010

  One of the heroes of South Korean cinema's recent renaissance wisely sticks to home terrain with his follow-up to The Host.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Hiler and Brown's Visionary Music

  Michael Fox
  Mar 17, 2010

  The culture war is over, and the reactionaries have won. In this climate, Jerome Hiler and Owsley Brown III s Music Makes a City is a revelation,

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Lesh Sabreen?' On Red Vic Screen

  Robert Avila
  Mar 15, 2010

  Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, was not even aware there was such a thing as Palestinian cinema until, as a teenager, he came to the Bay Area to visit his brother and sister.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Borshay Liem's Double Exposure of Korean Adoptions

  Michael Fox
  Mar 12, 2010

  Deann Borshay Liem's 1999 doc First Person Plural recounted her experience as an orphaned Korean adoptee raised in an East Bay suburb.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  28th SF Int'l Asian American Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 10, 2010

  The Center for Asian American Media, formerly known as NAATA and founded to nurture Asian American filmmakers as well as counter ethnic stereotypes, has accomplished that and more.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Village' a New Look at New Orleans

  Judy Stone
  Mar 10, 2010

  S. Leo Chiang knew what it was like to be an outsider in the U.S., so the rebellion of Vietnamese residents in New Orleans was an ideal subject.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  West with 'Sweetgrass'

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 9, 2010

  There will probably never be a theatrical release for James Benning's landscape movies. Amazingly, Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor have scored distribution and made a splash.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Pixar's Latest Oscar High

  Michael Fox
  Mar 8, 2010

  Cementing its status as the preeminent animation company of the 00s, Pixar won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the third time in seven years.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Hurt and Belief in 'The Yellow Handkerchief'

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 5, 2010

  William Hurt didn't fulfill the promise of major stardom in the 80s, but it's become clearer that he probably didn't want that.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Reed's Promise of Prodigal Sons

  Michael Fox
  Mar 3, 2010

  If Kimberly Reed took a not particularly unique path into filmmaking, she certainly took an interesting road out of it.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Laotian Tourists Focus Murray's Camera

  Michael Fox
  Mar 2, 2010

  When Laos revised its visa structure to allow visitors to stay for more than one week, Westerners with digital cameras surged over the border.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Do Ask, Do Tell

  Holly Million
  Mar 1, 2010

  I've asked people for all kinds of money for all kinds of reasons. Whether I'm asking for $1,000 or $100,000, I've found some key concepts rule.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Sid Ganis on Hollywood South and North

  Michael Fox
  Feb 28, 2010

  From his modest start as a staff writer at 20th Century Fox, Sid Ganis has built an uncommonly long and successful career in Hollywood.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Beyond 'Berlin,' Eggers' New German Gems

  Michael Fox
  Feb 26, 2010

  The moving arrow anoints a new hot spot of contemporary cinema every few years, and then moves on. Yet Germany never makes the cool list.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Cohen and Lipman's Recovering Friend in Forest

  Michael Fox
  Feb 23, 2010

  Injured in a crash on the Golden Gate Bridge, Dr. Grace Dammann spent 45 days in a coma and 13 months in the hospital.

  
• 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?

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Cinequest at 20

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 21, 2010

  Wasn't it just yesterday that Cinequest was the scrappy upstart amongst Bay Area festivals? Apparently not: San Jose's annual cinematic blowout is entering its third decade.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Herzog's Unexpected 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 19, 2010

  With its comfortable suburban setting, flashback structure and mystery-suspense framework, My Son, My Son is, by Herzogian standards, almost mainstream-conventional. I said almost.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Freak Flag Flying at YBCA

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 17, 2010

  YBCA has sustained a major place in S.F.'s cultural landscape without receiving the due it would have had its mission been narrower and more easily defined.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Final Chapter in Kelly and Yamamoto's Art Trilogy

  Michael Fox
  Feb 16, 2010

  Transformation, of any kind, an ephemeral, elusive thing to capture on film. One advisor told Nancy Kelly she'd never do it. Difficult, sure, but impossible?

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ehrlich, Goldsmith on Pentagon Papers

  Michael Fox
  Feb 14, 2010

  The Oscar nomination for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers is a validation of the doc's right-now relevance.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Buscemi in Fine, Droll Form in 'St. John of Las Vegas'

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 11, 2010

  Steve Buscemi is one of those actors people are instantly happy to see on screen, even if their recall stretches no farther than, Hey, it's that guy!

  
• Reviews
  
  

  San Francisco Cinematheque's Spring Action

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 10, 2010

  The spring edition of the Cinematheque calendar is making the rounds, and my copy is dog-eared with wishful thinking. Grab your datebook for a rundown.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Wendy Slick's 'Virtuoso' Turn

  Michael Fox
  Feb 9, 2010

  Olga Samaroff, the path-breaking 20th-century concert pianist, critic and teacher, was born Lucy Hickenlooper in San Antonio, Texas. That's right, she reinvented herself.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Best Length for Documentary Films

  Karen Everett
  Feb 9, 2010

  How long should your documentary be? If your audience begins to glaze over or feel restless, you've lost the opportunity to leave them wanting more.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Scott MacDonald on Art in Cinema at SFMoMA

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 7, 2010

  The film historian looks back at Frank Stauffacher's seminal mid-century series, which hatched a Bay Area avant-garde.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mostly British and Very Entertaining

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 4, 2010

  Tragically underrepresented in the Bay Area's densely packed world of globally oriented film festivals is the land(s) of our erstwhile colonial rulers!

  
• 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
  
  

  Pacific Film Archive's Young Filmmakers on Big Screen

  Jane Riccobono
  Feb 3, 2010

  In the YouTube-Facebook-viral video era, it's hard to remember the time when youth-made media was rare.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bay Area's Strong Presence at 82nd Oscars

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 3, 2010

  Films with Bay Area connections featured prominently in the 82nd Academy Award nominations announced yesterday.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Sam Green's 'Utopia' at Sundance

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 31, 2010

  I found Sam Green deep in preparation, but he found time to walk me through the greatest dreams and worst nightmares of the 20th century.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Elizabeth Duran

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Jesse Dubus

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Duc Bieu Pham

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Michael Lyons

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Jon Ho

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Jennie-Marie Adler

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Ashley Soares

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 28, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• 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?

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Natalie Mulford

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 27, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Robyn Arville

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 27, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stephen Talbot's World Music

  Ryan Prendiville
  Jan 24, 2010

  Stephen Talbot left PBS s Frontline World to create and develop original media properties, including a globe-trotting TV series about world music.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words from Sundance Staffers: Landon Zakheim

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 21, 2010

  Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Butchers Chop Shop at Sundance

  Glen Helfand
  Jan 21, 2010

  The Butcher Brothers The Violent Kind is a nightmare-with-bikers-in-the-woods fantasy shot in Petaluma and Cotati, and it fits their collaborative moniker.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Darkness Of Noir City On Castro Screen

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 20, 2010

  In late January, many tune their radar to the snowy, showy glare of Sundance. With Noir City here, the stay-at-homes are the luckier ones.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Nao Bustamante's 'Silver and Gold' in Park City

  Glen Helfand
  Jan 19, 2010

  The late, great Jack Smith was all about the strange sway classic Hollywood movies, particularly obscure stars and low-budget yet opulent art direction, have had on us.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Michael House's Translation of Tati at YBCA

  Michael Guillen
  Jan 17, 2010

  Riding the crest of the Tati tsunami hitting our shores is The Magnificent Tati by Michael House, who lived in S.F. for 12 years before moving to Paris.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Michael House's Translation of Tati at YBCA

  Michael Guillen
  Jan 17, 2010

  Riding the crest of the Tati tsunami hitting our shores is The Magnificent Tati by Michael House, who lived in S.F. for 12 years before moving to Paris.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Unspoken Fascist Future In Wings of White Ribbon

  Matt Sussman
  Jan 15, 2010

  In Michael Haneke's masterful film, everyone lives in fear and suspicion.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  It's 'Playtime' with Jacques Tati in New Series

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 13, 2010

  You could make a case for Tati as the last great silent comedian even if he didn't begin making features until two decades into the sound era.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Connie Field's Magnum Opus on Anti-Apartheid Movement

  Michael Fox
  Jan 12, 2010

  By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Road-Tested Rules For Bang-up Fundraising Events

  Holly Million
  Jan 12, 2010

  Seems like every filmmaker I know is ready to party! Everyone s throwing fundraising events for their films. So many babes in the party-planning woods.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jennifer Phang On Half-Life and Identity

  Judy Stone
  Jan 8, 2010

  Jennifer Phang has experienced more than enough culture shocks in her life to empathize with the identity challenges of the characters in her debut feature.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Animal-Rescue Mine In Katrina's Emotional Aftermath

  Michael Fox
  Jan 7, 2010

  Geralyn Pezanoski s doc about the separation and occasional reunion of pets and owners in post-Katrina New Orleans beat the shelf-life odds.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Nani Walker's 'Other Nature' At 15,000 Feet

  Michael Fox
  Jan 5, 2010

  Nani Sahra Walker went to Nepal for seven months, and returned with a one-hour documentary. OK, a rough cut. No big deal? Enlightenment guaranteed, indeed.

  
• Legal
  
  

  What's In a Name?

  George Rush
  Jan 5, 2010

  The thing about titles is they re too short to receive copyright protection. For copyright purposes, a title is like a label of a copyrighted work.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  George Csicsery's Hard Problems

  Michael Fox
  Jan 4, 2010

  With more than 25 documentaries to his credit, many on mathematicians and scientists, George Csicsery is arguably the most prolific filmmaker in the Bay Area.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Citizen Critics' New Outlets, Challenges in 2009

  Adam Hartzell
  Jan 2, 2010

  The silver lining to a decade that saw traditional critics in conventional media dwindle? The explosion of socially networked citizen critics.

  
• 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.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Best Practices For Naming Sequences

  Karen Everett
  Dec 30, 2009

  For handy access to your most valuable footage, here s a method of organizing sequences.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Top 10s of the 2000s

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 30, 2009

  Not surprisingly, Bay Area critics, fans, exhibitors and filmmakers did not arrive at a consensus on the best films of the decade.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Top 10s of 2009: Insiders and Fans

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 29, 2009

  It was a big year for 3D, but Bay Area critics and film-industry folk found many other dimensions in the cinema of 2009.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  3D Reloaded: Where Does 3D Go From Here?

  Sean Uyehara
  Dec 27, 2009

  The release of Avatar puts a fitting capstone on a frenzied campaign by studios to reintroduce stereoscopic 3-D to audiences in 2009.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Bay Area Narrative Filmmakers Thriving in Doc Capital

  Michael Fox
  Dec 23, 2009

  Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Soulful "35 Shots of Rum" Gently Intoxicating

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 17, 2009

  Claire Denis proves her unpredictability and versatility as a director with the 2008 release 35 Shots of Rum.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Shannon and Ryan own the screen in "The Missing Person"

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 17, 2009

  Shannon and Ryan own the screen in the contemporary indie noir The Missing Person.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Filmmakers Stuff 'Bag!' With Self-Distribution Dreams

  Michael Fox
  Dec 15, 2009

  Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  David Thomson Revisits 'Psycho's' Critical Moment

  Michael Fox
  Dec 14, 2009

  David Thomson's new book commemorates the golden anniversary of Hitchcock's "Psycho."

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Holiday Film Preview, Part II

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 11, 2009

  Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Wintering with the SF Silent Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 9, 2009

  Highlights from the 2009 San Francisco Silent Film Festival winter event.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Legal Eagle Eye Kristine Enea Zooms 'Off the Grid'

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2009

  Kristine Enea's documentary shows The EcoCenter, a San Francisco environmental educational facility that treats and recycles wastewater and generates its own solar power.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Coming Around to 'Convergence'

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 7, 2009

  The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves compiles some questions about "convergence", the increasingly popular practice of combining television and computer usage. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Catherine Galasso's 'Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice'

  Michael Fox
  Dec 7, 2009

  Catherine Galasso talks about her performance piece Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice, which features dance, theater and projected video.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Workin' It: 'La Danse" and "Everything Strange and New'

  Michael Fox
  Dec 4, 2009

  Frederick Wiseman documents the frantic routine of choreographers for the Paris Opera Ballet as Frazer Bradshaw gives a more familiar portrayal of workplace satisfaction.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Cockettes' Celluloid Afterglow Still Strong at 40

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 3, 2009

  The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art honors the 40th anniversary of The Cockettes with a one-night-only program.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Sequence Names

  Karen Everett
  Dec 1, 2009

  The Edit Room: Karen Everett shares tips on how to track multiple versions of Final Cut Pro projects and sequences.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Antonelli's 'Crossing Over' and Cooke's Soulful Genius

  Michael Fox
  Dec 1, 2009

  Marin County filmmaker John Antonelli talks about his documentary on influential late singer-songwriter Sam Cooke for PBS's "American Masters" series.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  David Sherman and Wasteland Utopias

  Michael Fox
  Nov 30, 2009

  In town for the premiere of Wasteland Utopias, the artist, curator and administrative director of Canyon Cinema gives us the scoop on Wilhelm Reich and other shadowy figures.

  
• 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.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  The Upside of Downtime

  Fernanda Rossi
  Nov 24, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: The Doc examines patience in filmmaking.

  
• 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
  
  

  Shamir's 'Defamation' a Vintage Documentary Dust-up

  Michael Fox
  Nov 19, 2009

  Reminiscent of Marcel Ophuls' fearless provocations in Hotel Terminus (1988), Yoav Shamir breaks every rule of polite documentary filmmaking in Defamation.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Daven Gee Docs on the New American Family

  Michael Fox
  Nov 17, 2009

  Two films from Oakland filmmakers, Dhana & Indra and Family 2469, illuminate the changing face of the country as the 21st Century unfolds.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Carmen Madden on Watching People, Writing Characters

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Nov 16, 2009

  Writer/director Carmen Madden's writing reflects just how intimately she comes to see and know a screenplay's world and the characters that inhabit it.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Gerald Peary on the Rise and Fall of the Film Critic

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 14, 2009

  Boston Phoenix film critic Gerald Peary's film tours the rise, fall and reorientation of film criticism in the United States.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Gerald Peary on the Rise and Fall of the Film Critic

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 14, 2009

  Boston Phoenix film critic Gerald Peary's film tours the rise, fall and reorientation of film criticism in the United States.

  
• 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
  
  

  New Italian Cinema's Fact, Fiction, Fascination

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 12, 2009

  The 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  On the Road Before 'The Recess Ends'

  Michael Fox
  Nov 10, 2009

  Shot in depressed burgs and 'burbs across the country, this documentary looks at the U.S. at its lowest economic ebb in generations.

  
• Funding
  
  

  How to Entice and Reward Potential Donors

  Holly Million
  Nov 10, 2009

  Here are a few ways to both entice and reward your donors, as well as some tips for thanking them when all's said and done.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Russell Merritt at the SF International Animation Festival

  Sura Wood
  Nov 9, 2009

  A conversation on Walt Disney's Alice Comedies with a lively raconteur and Professor of Film Studies at UC Berkeley.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Exiled Ingrid Bergman at PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 6, 2009

  The PFA is offering a rare overview of Bergman's European films in the series, A Woman's Face: Ingrid Bergman in Europe.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Tour Through the 2009 Taiwan Film Days

  Adam Hartzell
  Nov 5, 2009

  For three days, the SFFS offers a chance to see contemporary Taiwanese cinema beyond the work of the usual Taiwanese film masters.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Marissa Aroy Unearths Forgotten California history

  Michael Fox
  Nov 3, 2009

  Aroy's film excavates the history and contributions of Filipino farmworkers in the Golden State since the 1920s.

  
• Legal
  
  

  A Challenge to Filmmakers

  George Rush
  Nov 3, 2009

  George Rush skips legal concerns and instead speaks to a larger issue: the lack of quality independent filmmaking today.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Parker and di Napoli on Parody and High Art

  Adam Hartzell
  Nov 1, 2009

  Bay Area locals Jonathan Parker and Catherine di Napoli discuss (Untitled), a hilarious romp through the world of conceptual art and atonal music.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Yes Men Take On the World

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 30, 2009

  The documentary chronicles several large-scale pranks devised in the hopes of fooling corporate/government event attendees and/or the media.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Don't Criticize it: 'Holding On to Jah'

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2009

  It’s hard to imagine a venue where the new documentary Holding On to Jah will sound better than it did at Mezzanine last Wednesday night.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Structuring Your Doc With Your Voice - and Vision

  Fernanda Rossi
  Oct 27, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: I'm told the way to structure my doc is by adding narration. Others say voice-over will ruin the film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Robert Mailer Anderson on Mendo Madness of 'Pig Hunt'

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 26, 2009

  After ripping it up at various genre fests, the Bay Area indie horror flick settles in for a theatrical run at the Red Vic.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Sorry, Thanks' Lavishes Love on the Mission

  Michael Fox
  Oct 24, 2009

  From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Sorry, Thanks' Lavishes Love on the Mission

  Michael Fox
  Oct 24, 2009

  From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Remembering Chick Strand

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 23, 2009

  Chick Strand, a crucial pioneer of West Coast experimental cinema, died July 11 at 78.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Anne, Anne, Anne: McGuire Comes Alive

  Michael Fox
  Oct 20, 2009

  Anne McGuire finds the beauty in the strange, and the strangeness in the beautiful. That's not perversity, people; that's poetry.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Live from Mill Valley: Woody Harrelson and Uma Thurman

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 19, 2009

  At their respective festival tributes, the actors gave entertaining and revealing onstage interviews.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dave Eggers, Spike Jonze and 'Wild Things'

  Michael Read
  Oct 19, 2009

  Where the Wild Things Are is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Jonze and Bay Area–based writer Dave Eggers, based on the classic 1963 picture book by Maurice Sendak.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Turn-off Sex Cinema of Koji Wakamatsu

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 16, 2009

  Probably no one pushed the artistic carte blanche of "pink" films further—at least into the realm of serious political engagement—than the Japanese auteur.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  What's up, DocFest?

  Robert Avila
  Oct 14, 2009

  Fans of the San Francisco festival, now in its eighth year, have developed a well-honed appreciation for the eccentric.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Christopher Upham Back to 'Dakto,' Vietnam

  Michael Fox
  Oct 13, 2009

  The writer has had ample opportunity in the last 40 years to come to terms with his stint as an ambulance driver and medic.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Pamela Jean Smith Brings Home Movies to Big Screen

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 12, 2009

  Though often made for private reasons, home movies are treasure troves of culture ephemera and social history.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Film Festival's 32nd

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 9, 2009

  The program offers a surprisingly potent mainstream industry presence, with tributes to A-list types more frequently seen at the multiplex than at the art house.

  
• First Person
  
  

  A Fat Line Between Love and Hate

  David Munro
  Oct 6, 2009

  First Person: How can people respond in diametric and, at times, vitriolic opposition to the same film? Mine.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  San Francisco Cinematheque Fall Program Underway

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 3, 2009

  A year after Jonathan Marlow took the helm as executive director, the organization is showing fresh signs of life.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Heddy Honigmann and the Art of Interview

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 2, 2009

  With the Netherlands-based filmmaker's latest portrait in resilience, Oblivion, opening Friday, it's a good time to celebrate one of documentary's most engaging storytellers.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Tangerine Dreams: Cinematheque de Tanger's Morocco Showcase

  Simona Schneider
  Oct 1, 2009

  Tangier has created an identity as a great fount of stories and light, complete with an independent cinema that opened in 2007.

  
• 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.

  
• Digital
  
  

  TechCrunch 50: Clicker and AnyClip

  Hannah Eaves
  Sep 28, 2009

  AnyClip and Clicker are standouts at TechCrunch's annual conference, where startups a chance to pitch to expert judges and investors.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Impact of Joe Berlinger's 'Crude'

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 25, 2009

  Joe Berlinger speaks about the making of an environmental disaster in the Amazon, as seen in his new film, Crude.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Roy Andersson on "You, the Living"

  Erik Augustin Palm
  Sep 25, 2009

  A study in contrasts, Everyman and intellectual, Roy Andersson speaks about his career and new film, You, the Living.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Simon and Gosling Play Strachwitz's Tunes

  Michael Fox
  Sep 23, 2009

  Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling's documentary-in-progress, tentatively titled No Mouse Music! The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records, pays tribute to an underappreciated artist.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Franny Armstrong's S.O.S. to the World

  Sean Uyehara
  Sep 19, 2009

  Franny Armstrong talks about the moral imperative of her films, the importance of Hopenhagen, and the unexpected magnitude of her success.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lucrecia Martel and "The Headless Woman"

  Gail Spilsbury
  Sep 18, 2009

  To viewers of Lucrecia Martel's earlier work, The Headless Woman is the crowning achievement; the filmmaker speaks about her vision of the world.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Columbia Pictures' noir lights at the Roxie

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 17, 2009

  The Roxie's Best of Columbia Noir seroes features great films capitalizing on a simple formula: a girl, a guy and a gun.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Telles charts 'Storm' of Mexican Revolution

  Michael Fox
  Sep 15, 2009

  Ray Telles's ambitious two-hour film, The Storm that Swept Mexico, with a budget north of $1.2 million, reaches out to the world.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Writing a Kick-Ass Funding Proposal

  Holly Million
  Sep 14, 2009

  Fear-Free Fundraising: Notes on assembling the basic ingredients for a great foundation funding proposal.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Cory McAbee and 'Stingray Sam'

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 13, 2009

  High-concept cabaret-act favorite in the Bay Area who sidelines as a filmmaker, Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) speaks about his latest, Stingray Sam.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  William Klein's Restless Mind

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2009

  The movies of William Klein are suffused with the same impudence, social commentary and aesthetic surprise found in his photos.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Sad Dance of 'Tony Manero'

  Michael Guillen
  Sep 9, 2009

  Chilean director Pablo Larraín offers insight into his sophomore feature, Tony Manero, on a man obsessed with the idea of impersonating John Travolta.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Foraging for 'Swamp Cabbage'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 8, 2009

  Miami-born Julia Kahn offers strange revelations about the South in the long-gestating, cliche-crunching documentary Swamp Cabbage.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  War Vets as Stars in 'Common Sky'

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2009

  Five years ago, Common Sky director Kathy Carlson committed herself to the task of bridging the gulf between those who've fought in battle and the rest of us.

  
• First Person
  
  

  E-news You Can Use

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2009

  The rapid adoption of e-newsletters by documentary filmmakers is the latest example of resourcefulness and efficiency among contemporary independents.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ellen Schneider's Active Voice

  Michael Fox
  Aug 31, 2009

  Ellen Schneider speaks on the impact of social-issue documentaries and her San Francisco-based strategic communications company Active Voice.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kim Longinotto and Women Make Movies Film Festival

  Adam Hartzell
  Aug 27, 2009

  A mini-retrospective of the work of Kim Longinotto plays during the Women Make Movies Film Festival at the Roxie.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Lee, Schamus and Woodstock

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 27, 2009

  The release of Woodstock provides an opportunity to look back on Ang Lee and Schamus's very impressive, diverse screen resume.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Hess, Janos and the Volunteers of America

  Michael Fox
  Aug 25, 2009

  With in-process Volunteer Nation: Stories of Service, veteran producer-directors Ben Hess and Dan Janos are mobilizing the millennials.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Understanding Backstory

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Aug 25, 2009

  Behind any narrative for the screen is the story that came before it—the life that shaped the central character, who arrives fully formed as your story opens

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bob Goldthwait, Fate and 'World's Greatest Dad'

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 23, 2009

  Bay Area favorite Bob Goldthwait, whose pop culture moment seemed to expire in the mid '80s, returns with comedic vengeance via World's Greatest Dad.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Pete Nicks Impatient in 'Waiting Room'

  Michael Fox
  Aug 18, 2009

  East Bay documentary producer Pete Nicks places interactive storytelling booths in hospital waiting rooms.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Fine points on Festivals

  George Rush
  Aug 17, 2009

  Avoiding Disaster: Festivals are a good way to have your film discovered by distributors, to build buzz and to build an audience—if you're well prepared.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'District 9' a Summer Sci-fi Surprise

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 14, 2009

  This fanboy-anticipated New Zealand-produced film set in South Africa, with gang activity, theft, riots, and ever-mounting interspecies hostility, is a summer breakout.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Dina Ciraulo's 'Opal'

  Michael Fox
  Aug 11, 2009

  Dina Ciraulo's debut feature reconsiders the curious case of nature writer Opal Whiteley, who burst to prominence—and controversy— in the 1920s.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Seiji Horibuchi on VIZ Cinema

  Michael Fox
  Aug 8, 2009

  Seiji Horibuchi, founder and chairman of VIZ Media, speaks about VIZ Cinema, a built-from-scratch venue located in the New People building in Japantown.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Thirst' and the Vampire Genre Still Bleeding

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 7, 2009

  Vampires are still the It Ghoul of our cultural moment and South Korean film Thirst is as precisely crafted as it is gleefully over-the-top in content both carnal and carnivorous.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Swedish Muckrakers Enlist Local Help

  Michael Fox
  Aug 4, 2009

  Oakland attorney Richard Lee speaks on the legal case surrounding the Swedish filmmakers of the hot-button documentary Bananas!.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  How a Story Consultant Saved Me

  Karen Everett
  Aug 4, 2009

  The 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.

  
• 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
  
  

  'Desert of the Tartars' Saved from Obscurity

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 2, 2009

  The Desert of the Tartars is a story in which the grim certainty that "Nothing will ever happen" is a slow poison that drives men to madness, suicide or other inglorious ends.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Lion's Den' and '24 City'

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 31, 2009

  Veteran filmmakers Pablo Trapero and Jia Zhang-ke complicate their genres with Lion's Den and 24 City.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Until the Light Takes Us'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 29, 2009

  Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell's documnetary, Until the Light Takes Us examines the dark intersection of local Norwegian history and Death Metal.

  
• 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
  
  

  Shelley Diekman Reflects on Well-Spent life

  Hilary Hart
  Jul 27, 2009

  Newly-retired Pacific Film Archive publicist Shelley Diekman discusses her cinephile tastes, her past and her future.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Whip-smart, Witty 'In the Loop'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 23, 2009

  Director Armando Iannucci's razor-sharp satire is about how the politics of spin can determine critical decisions on both sides of the Atlantic.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Social Justice and the S.F. Jewish Film Festival

  Michael Fox
  Jul 22, 2009

  The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival arrives with an expansive program spotlighting the Jewish tradition of social justice and human rights.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Why Isn't Chris von Sneidern Famous?'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 21, 2009

  A revealing portrait of veteran local singer-songwriter-guitarist with a cult following investigates existential questions about fame with respect, empathy and self-reflection.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  The Real Deal

  Fernanda Rossi
  Jul 21, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: How do I choose the right crew for my story?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Berkeley-based writer Barry Gifford's wild screen-rides

  Sura Wood
  Jul 19, 2009

  A peripatetic childhood laid fertile ground for the heated imagination of Berkeley-based author Barry Gifford, who has written Wild at Heart and Lost Highway. 

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Lucrecia Martel and a Case for Decadence

  Sean Uyehara
  Jul 17, 2009

  Lucrecia Martel's films, including La Ciénaga and The Headless Woman feature what have come to be known as her primary concerns: classism, decay and femininity.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Britta Sjogren and "Women's Film"

  Max Goldberg
  Jul 16, 2009

  Sjogren threads her vexations with feminist film theory into a study of sound and voice in "women's film" touchstones like Letter from an Unknown Woman.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Britta Sjogren and "Women's Film"

  Max Goldberg
  Jul 16, 2009

  Sjogren threads her vexations with feminist film theory into a study of sound and voice in "women's film" touchstones like Letter from an Unknown Woman.

  
• In Production
  
  

  J.P. Allen and the Landscape of Love

  Michael Fox
  Jul 14, 2009

  J.P. Allen and Janis DeLucia Allen's latest imagining, Sex and Imagining, is a two-character piece thick with dialogue and psychological undercurrents.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Are Your "Friends" Worthless?

  Holly Million
  Jul 13, 2009

  Fear-Free Fundraising: Are Your "Friends" Worthless?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Anita Monga and the SF Silent Film Festival

  Sura Wood
  Jul 11, 2009

  During her tenure at the venerable Castro Theatre, film programmer Anita Monga made her mark shepherding the venue to international prominence.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  An Ample Display of Tilda Swinton's Edge

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 10, 2009

  Tilda Swinton's edge of riskiness is on ample display in Julia, a new film by French director Erick Zonca.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF Silent Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 9, 2009

  Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho is one of the many highlights on screen during the three-day San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Weissman's 'Heartbreak and Heroism'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 7, 2009

  David Weissman speaks on his new project, Heartbreak and Heroism, revisiting the early years of the AIDS outbreak in San Francisco.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Beyond Words: Comedy That Sticks

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Jul 7, 2009

  What's the key to writing comedy that sticks with us, despite perhaps an overblown story line or how lost and low-down the characters seem at the time?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Kutner and Goldstein on 'The Snake'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 6, 2009

  Adam Goldstein and Eric Kutner discuss their debut, The Snake, an unapologetically impertinent, made-in-S.F, comedy that marks its creators as resourceful wiseguys.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'The Greatest Year in Film' at the Castro

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 2, 2009

  A series at the Castro marks 1939 as the high-water mark of cinema.

  
• In Production
  
  

  The horror, the horror: 'Tweaker With an Axe'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 1, 2009

  An interview with Flynn Witmeyer about his debut feature Tweaker With an Axe, and the desire to make genre films—horror or sci-fi or fantasy—that incorporate gay and lesbian characters.

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Story Structures that Funders Love

  Karen Everett
  Jun 29, 2009

  The Edit Room: I decided to set my New Doc Editing research team on a mission to find out what structural models are getting funded these days.

  
• 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
  
  

  Suspense, Stillness and Beauty in 'Three Monkeys'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 26, 2009

  Turkey may be lonely, but it is indeed beautiful in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Three Monkeys.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline33: Icons and Unsung Heroes

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 25, 2009

  A festival full of drama finds no more emotional screening than the homophobia-in-sports double bill of Training Rules and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline33: Icons and Unsung Heroes

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 25, 2009

  A festival full of drama finds no more emotional screening than the homophobia-in-sports double bill of Training Rules and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Tejada-Flores on "Road" for a Change

  Michael Fox
  Jun 23, 2009

  When Rick Tejada-Flores decided to explore his family's checkered Bolivian past, he accepted that he had to be a character.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Cronenwett's 'Maggots and Men' at Frameline

  Michael Fox
  Jun 20, 2009

  A case could be made that Cary Cronenwett's Maggots and Men isn't just the most unique work in Frameline33, but of any festival all year.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Iron Curtain Call in the Poland of 'Katyn'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 19, 2009

  Katyn is a sizable period saga about a tragic, still-controversial chapter in Poland's 20th-century history, one with particular resonance for Andrzej Wadja.

  
• 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
  
  

  Tom Shepard's 'Whiz Kids' Blinding with Science

  Michael Fox
  Jun 14, 2009

  Tom Shepard revisits the overachieving, hyper-ambitious world of science-obsessed high school seniors in his new film, Whiz Kids.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lee Isaac Chung on 'Munyurangabo'

  Elizabeth Rader
  Jun 12, 2009

  One can't help but think about the concept of cinematic language, as well as spoken language, when talking with Munyurangabo filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Marco Ferreri's Anarchic Filmmaking

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 12, 2009

  Wild man of Italian cinema, Marco Ferreri left many films in need of rediscovery (or simply discovery) since his death in 1997.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Social Fury 'In the Realm of Oshima' at PFA

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 11, 2009

  Oshima's output grazed on familiar genres, such as the youth-gone-wild and domestic drama, while freely incorporating elements from avant-garde and documentary filmmaking.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Nutritious eating on the cheap for Potash film

  Michael Fox
  Jun 9, 2009

  Like most social-issue documentaries, Food Stamped sprang from an activist impulse for Shira and Yoav Potash.

  
• Funding
  
  

  "Just Make Them Love It"

  Holly Million
  Jun 8, 2009

  Make them love it. Make? Oh, words of dread! How do you MAKE somebody love your film?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Weimberg/Ryan on Conflict and Conscience

  Sura Wood
  Jun 7, 2009

  Berkeley-based filmmaking team Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan speak about social justice as a career and their film Soldiers of Conscience.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Fados' finds Saura on his toes

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 4, 2009

  Fados, about a Portuguese musical genre, reveals Carlos Saura as an effortless master at weaving together disparate performances.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Another Hole in the Head

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 4, 2009

  At a film festival called Another Hole in the Head, dedicated to sci-fi, horror and fantasy, catastrophic carnage meets comedy more often than not.

  
• 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.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  When the Personal is Political

  Fernanda Rossi
  Jun 2, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: Where does the filmmaker stop existing to give way to the reporter/activist/responsible citizen with camera in hand?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lawrence Jordan: to Infinity and Beyond

  Sean Uyehara
  Jun 1, 2009

  Leading light of avant-garde cinema Lawrence Jordan speaks on the occasion of his Gallery Extraña show and his 75th birthday.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Raimi's Return to Horror: Drag Me to Hell

  Dennis Harvey
  May 29, 2009

  Despite a few flaws in story and continuity, Drag Me to Hell offers the pleasures of a first-class entertainer thoroughly enjoying himself.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Berkeley Hosts Karel Vachek Retrospective

  Dennis Harvey
  May 28, 2009

  Berkeley hosts Karel Vachek: Poet Provocateur, the first-ever full U.S. retrospective for this unclassifiable Czech filmmaker.

  
• Digital
  
  

  The Future of Video—In Our Hands?

  Hannah Eaves
  May 26, 2009

  The Sixth Screen: Eaves analyzes the future of video in developing countries, specifically the proliferation of mobile communication.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Cyrus Omoomian's 'Democracy': From Iran to Chile

  Michael Fox
  May 26, 2009

  Iranian filmmaker Cyrus Omoomian documents post-Pinochet Chile in work-in-progress Pushing Towards Democracy.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Dinner and a Movie Discussion: Igor Sinyak

  Michael Fox
  May 24, 2009

  Michael Fox interviews Igor Sinyak, founder of Subtitles & Subtleties, about his dinner and a movie discussion forum.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'A Wake for Analog'

  Jonathan Kiefer
  May 21, 2009

  A Wake for Analog honors analog experimental films like Patrolling the Ether, Bassline Baseline and Zuse Strip.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  'In-World War:' Brant Smith's Directorial Debut

  Michael Fox
  May 20, 2009

  Michael Fox reviews Brant Smith's In-World War, a dark sci-fi comedy about a beta tester trapped in a futuristic war on terror.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  The Hero, Deconstructed

  Lisa Rosenberg
  May 18, 2009

  Beyond Words: Linda Rosenberg explores the transformation of the contemporary film hero in Doubt and In Bruges.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Bruce Goldstein: From NY to SF to 'Con'

  Judy Stone
  May 17, 2009

  Bruce Goldstein recalls his adventures in film land as he prepares to host the Con Film Festival at the Film Forum in New York.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Garrel's 'Frontier of Dawn'

  Dennis Harvey
  May 15, 2009

  Philippe Garrel sticks to his highly-personal aesthetic in Frontier of Dawn.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Recession-Proof Theaters, to a Point

  Michael Fox
  May 14, 2009

  Arthouse theaters like The Roxie, Red Vic and The Balboa resist the economic downturn and adjust calendars to meet audience demands.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Kaufman and Snitow: New Jewish Identity

  Michael Fox
  May 12, 2009

  Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow explore the customs and modernity of the next generation of Jews in their documentary Dis-Continuity.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Elliot Lavine: 'I Wake Up Dreaming'

  Sura Wood
  May 11, 2009

  Elliot Lavine, a Bay Area film scene fixture, returns to The Roxie to curate I Wake Up Dreaming: The Haunted World of the B Film Noir, a series of 28 lowdown and tawdry films.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF52 Blogs: Keeping Scores

  Marc Capelle
  May 11, 2009

  Marc Capelle's ode to Westerns and Buddy films as well as noteworthy festival scores.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kubrick and Altman's Fear, Desire, and Delinquency

  Dennis Harvey
  May 8, 2009

  The Roxie present Fear and Desire and Delinquents by Stanley Kubrick and Robert Altman

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52 Blogs: Dinosaurs, Disease, and Delirium

  Robert Avila
  May 7, 2009

  The Lost World, the 1925 silent fantasy

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF52: Planet Armstrong

  Lynn Rapoport
  May 6, 2009

  Franny Armstrong's The Age of Stupid is a documentary encased like a time capsule inside a fictive but science-based, frighteningly possible future

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  Crafting an Elegant Essay Documentary

  Karen Everett
  May 4, 2009

  The Edit Room: How do you keep your audience engaged rather than putting them to sleep?

  
• 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: Cataloguing California

  Jennifer Preissel
  May 4, 2009

  California Company Town, blends the sights and sounds of the state's economically depressed towns, industrial wastelands and failed utopian communities.

  
• 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: Movie-Scribe Meltdown

  David Winks Gray
  May 2, 2009

  SF360.org interviews film critics about the changing landscape of film criticism. A panel discussion and screening of For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism will take place on Sunday, May 3, at 6 p.m.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Leone's 'Once Upon a Time in the West'

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 30, 2009

  Once Upon a Time in the West is grand, cynical, lavish and above all huge, Sergio Leone's penchant for the iconically gargantuan (perhaps at the willing expense of relatable human detail) expressed in ultimate form.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52 Blogs: Portillo's 'Al Más Allá'

  David Winks Gray
  Apr 29, 2009

  Lourdes Portillo's partly autobiographical documentary Al Más Allá draws a laugh from the San Francisco International Film Festival crowd.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Repeating Yourself?

  Fernanda Rossi
  Apr 28, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi advises on the distinction between repetition and reinforcement in documentary filmmaking.

  
• 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 Blogs: Mission, Midnight and Under the Influence

  Marc Capelle
  Apr 28, 2009

  Marc Capelle meets and greets with actress Gena Rowlands, composer Bo Harwood and other film mavens and mavericks at a post-screening party for Cassavette's A Woman Under the Influence and the Mission Awards

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Lourdes Portillo, Persistence of Vision Award Recipient

  Robert Avila
  Apr 27, 2009

  The San Francisco-based and internationally acclaimed documentarian Lourdes Portillo speaks about her work; she wins the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival Persistence of Vision Award.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Chris Felver's "Ferlinghetti" Captures an Icon

  David Winks Gray
  Apr 26, 2009

  Chris Felver traces the life of antiauthoritarian Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Books, from his days as a Navy serviceman in World War II through the landmark First Amendment trial in Ferlinghetti.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Chris Felver's "Ferlinghetti" Captures an Icon

  David Winks Gray
  Apr 26, 2009

  Chris Felver traces the life of antiauthoritarian Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of City Lights Books, from his days as a Navy serviceman in World War II through the landmark First Amendment trial in Ferlinghetti.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Yun Suh's "City of Borders"

  David Winks Gray
  Apr 26, 2009

  City of Borders, the debut film by Bay Area filmmaker Yun Suh, follows several Palestinian characters seeking refuge at a gay bar. The film testifies to the intolerance that members of the LGBTQ community face in addition to all of the other walls, physical and social, separating people in the region.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Jarmel and Schneider's "Speaking in Tongues"

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 25, 2009

  Jarmel and Schneider's Speaking in Tongues follows the stories of four public school children studying Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish along with their English.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: "Lightness of Being" – Eight Wry Films

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 24, 2009

  The eight films in the San Francisco International Film Festival's Lightness of Being spotlight are Laila's Birthday, Small Crime, Mid-August Lunch, Every Little Step, (Untitled), In the Loop, Our Beloved Month of August and Still Walking.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFIFF52: Jim Granato's "D tour"

  Dan Cowles
  Apr 19, 2009

  Local filmmaker Jim Granato, whose movie D tour follows the band Rogue Wave and its ailing drummer Pat Spurgeon, on tour and on dialysis, is competing for the San Francisco International Film Festival's Golden Gate Award in Documentary.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bahrani Earns Ebert's Praise for "Goodbye Solo"

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 17, 2009

  Ramin 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.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Holtzman: Psychedelic Cambodian Rock in 'Dengue Fever'

  Michael Fox
  Apr 15, 2009

  Zac Holtzman scores The Lost World with Dengue Fever, creating a sound that has been described as a psychedelic version of vintage Cambodian rock'n'roll, fueled by Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol's vocal stylings and Ethan Holtzman's organ and accordion shadings.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Augmented Reality at SXSWi

  Hannah Eaves
  Apr 14, 2009

  The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves recommends Twitter, Meebo, Facebook, Ning and eNewsletters as film promotion tools.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF52: Light and Saraf's 'Empress Hotel'

  David Winks Gray
  Apr 13, 2009

  Local filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf's latest film Empress Hotel delves into the lives of the residents at the titular building, a Tenderloin housing facility for the recently homeless. The film makes visible an area many city dwellers may only experience in the fringe of their consciousness and provides insight into the lives of the residents within.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Observe and Report:" Seth Rogen Strikes Again

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 9, 2009

  If it grows darker than one might expect, Observe still hesitates at becoming a true black comedy; it's more medium-gray, earning stripes for breaking from current comedy norms on a moment-to-moment basis without quite arriving at an original, fully-developed whole. But Hill has a good eye, ear (the soundtrack choices are notably sharp), sense of off-kilter pacing, and, most importantly, a firm grasp on character.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Walsh sets off on Rainer's parade

  Michael Fox
  Apr 9, 2009

  Bringing Rainer's work to a larger audience: Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, a feature-length documentary about the choreographer and experimental filmmaker.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Fans, Friends & Followers"—an excerpt

  Scott Kirsner
  Apr 8, 2009

  Fans, Friends & Followers, focuses on strategies artists can use to support their careers in the digital age.

  
• Screenwriting
  
  

  Character, Stripped to the Bone

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Apr 7, 2009

  Chop Shop, and Frozen River, present challenges in the building of character: attention to details of behavior and shifts in the character's world signal a hero's journey both profound and deeply internal.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF52: Jennifer Maytorena Taylor and a 'New Muslim Cool'

  Sura Wood
  Apr 6, 2009

  Jennifer Maytorena Taylor's documentary, New Muslim Cool, focuses on Hamza Perez, a Catholic hip hop artist, who converted to Islam; whose life is now a crucible of disparate urban influences.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Beloved publicist Bill McLeod dies

  Apr 4, 2009

  William W. (Bill) McLeod, 59, one of the Bay Area's most respected film publicists died at his home on March 29th, 2009.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Box set "Treasures" unearths buried avant-garde

  Michael Fox
  Apr 2, 2009

  National Film Preservation Foundation, Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986, is a splendid package of 26 films, drawn from New York and San Francisco.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Box set "Treasures" unearths buried avant-garde

  Michael Fox
  Apr 2, 2009

  National Film Preservation Foundation, Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986, is a splendid package of 26 films, drawn from New York and San Francisco.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Michael Jacobs 'Audience of One' at the Roxie

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 30, 2009

  Michael Jacobs talks about his documentary, which follows Pentecostal Pastor Richard Gazowsky engaged in the creation of an ambitious, multi-million dollar sci-fi-feature on God.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Michael Jacobs 'Audience of One' at the Roxie

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 30, 2009

  Michael Jacobs talks about his documentary, which follows Pentecostal Pastor Richard Gazowsky engaged in the creation of an ambitious, multi-million dollar sci-fi-feature on God.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Back to Nature with Ben Rivers

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 27, 2009

  Ben Rivers makes his Bay Area debut this week presenting in person two programs, both providing a slightly dislocative experience at once tranquil and sinister.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Back to Nature with Ben Rivers

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 27, 2009

  Ben Rivers makes his Bay Area debut this week presenting in person two programs, both providing a slightly dislocative experience at once tranquil and sinister.

  
• 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

  
• Story Structure
  
  

  How to Rate Your Doc's Story Potential

  Karen Everett
  Mar 24, 2009

  A mini-tutorial on story structure: in a character-driven documentary there are a few simple questions you have to answer in order to vet your story potential.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Kitchell on Another Hot Topic with Environmental Movement Doc

  Michael Fox
  Mar 24, 2009

  Mark Kitchell current project is an ambitious summation of the environmental movement, from the protests of the 1960s, the '70s focus on pollution, the Greenpeace campaigns and the global climate change.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Livin' la Vida Arnold with Lyndall Grant

  Justin Juul
  Mar 23, 2009

  When a challenge turns into opportunity: the Bay Area professional tribute artist talks about how he managed to leverage his striking similarity to Arnold Schwarzenegger into a successful acting career.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Sam Green's Utopian Experiment

  Michael Fox
  Mar 18, 2009

  Sam Green talks about his latest project, an experimental documentary where the stories tease out, in more of an emotional way, ideas about hope and imagination of the future

  
• Popular
  
  

  Sam Green's Utopian Experiment

  Michael Fox
  Mar 18, 2009

  Sam Green talks about his latest project, an experimental documentary where the stories tease out, in more of an emotional way, ideas about hope and imagination of the future

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SXSW: From the Producer's Chair

  Holly Million
  Mar 17, 2009

  Holly Million reviews some of the documentaries shown at this year's festival: It Came >From Kuchar, MIne and Motherland.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  On the Road, in Search of a Film

  Michael Fox
  Mar 10, 2009

  Caroline Kraus is embarking on a project with a rough outline, a firm destination, little money and no ending, but with a unifying theme: underdogs, and our notions of success, failure and disappointment.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Buzz on H.P. Mendoza's 'Fruit Fly'

  Sura Wood
  Mar 9, 2009

  H.P. Mendoza talks about being a filmmaker in the Bay Area and the opening of his last musical, where he is both director and composer of the film 19 original songs.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Examined Life' Puts Ideas into Action

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 6, 2009

  An engaging documentary sampler of nine leading contemporary theorists, interviewed in settings that one way or another in real world terms illustrate (or contrast with) the concepts they discuss.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Medicine for Melancholy' in the City it Re-discovered

  Michael Fox
  Mar 5, 2009

  Barry Jenkins talks abut his background, making movies in San Francisco and the issues of black identity, assimilation and gentrification, which are at the heart of his film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Medicine for Melancholy' in the City it Re-discovered

  Michael Fox
  Mar 5, 2009

  Barry Jenkins talks abut his background, making movies in San Francisco and the issues of black identity, assimilation and gentrification, which are at the heart of his film.

  
• Legal
  
  

  'Medicine for Melancholy' and the Art of DIY Legal Agreements

  George Rush
  Mar 3, 2009

  For many narrative filmmakers, hiring a lawyer is either an afterthought or not a financial reality, but moving forward with a film without considering legal is a huge mistake.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Cinequest, Transforming

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 1, 2009

  What you'll get at Cinequest's three downtown San Jose venues is a mix of tributes, seminars, parties and, of course, a whole lot of movies, including no fewer than 18 world premiere features.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Noise Pop Film Festival 2009

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 26, 2009

  About as far from the ever-increasing corporatization of popular music as you can get is the annual dose from the Noise Pop Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Strand Releasing Turns 20

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 26, 2009

  Twenty years after its founding, Strand Releasing remains an active, irreplaceable and distinctive presence on the U.S. distribution scene.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Ten Commandments Before Diving into Digital Delivery

  Larry Daressa
  Feb 24, 2009

  First-Person: Larry Daressa provides helpful hints on distribution strategy.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Peled's Globalization Trilogy in India's Cotton Fields

  Michael Fox
  Feb 24, 2009

  The throughline of Micha Peled's film is a farmer in a village in Vibharba, in central India's cotton belt, over a farming season.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Leban and Szajko's Gay Marriage Doc

  Michael Fox
  Feb 18, 2009

  The tentatively titled Winter of Love uses Prop. 8 as a framework for a look at the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Leban and Szajko's Gay Marriage Doc

  Michael Fox
  Feb 18, 2009

  The tentatively titled Winter of Love uses Prop. 8 as a framework for a look at the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Just Another Love Story' Offers Shock Treatment

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 17, 2009

  A title like this is its own disclaimer, hinting there will be nothing "normal," or very loving, about this story.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Intersections of 'Harrison Montgomery' with Daniel Davila

  Michael Fox
  Feb 16, 2009

  SF360.org interviews Davila on his film about a bottom-rung Tenderloin drug dealer with aspirations of becoming an artist.

  
• Funding
  
  

  Lightening Your Fundraising Load

  Holly Million
  Feb 13, 2009

  Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million suggests ways to make approaching individual donors that much easier.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Chantal Akerman's Everyday, and More, at SFMOMA

  Glen Helfand
  Feb 13, 2009

  With films that focus a patient eye on common human conditions, Belgian-born auteur Chantal Akerman is a formalist with heart–and global interests.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco Silent Film Festival Winter Event

  Jonathan Kiefer
  Feb 12, 2009

  The S.F. Silent Film Festival's Winter Event allows you to spend hours in the dark with the madcap movie entertainments of 80-plus years ago.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Ellen Lake's Miniatures Fit Right In

  Michael Fox
  Feb 11, 2009

  When we're finally all watching movies on the most expedient of platforms–our mobile phone–Ellen Lake will be at the head of the parade.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Terence Davies' 'Of Time and the City' is Poetic, Personal

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 10, 2009

  Davies' latest film recalls his earlier autobiographical narratives, but is also unlike anything he has done before, being nonfiction.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Stephane Gauger on 'Owl and the Sparrow'

  Judy Stone
  Feb 9, 2009

  In this fable-like movie, an indomitable young orphan finds friendship with a lonely flight attendant and a teen-age caretaker of elephants.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Growing a Good Story, Naturally

  Fernanda Rossi
  Feb 6, 2009

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: If my doc doesn't follow a fiction three-act model, will it fail in the market?

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Strand' Follows Thread to Rep Cinema's Glory Days

  Michael Fox
  Feb 3, 2009

  In Strand: A Natural History of Cinema, Christian Bruno pays homage to the pivotal and shifting role of movie theaters in San Francisco's cultural life.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SF Cinematheque: New Year, New Direction

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 2, 2009

  SF360.org joined in on a conversation about Cinematheque's past and present when Steven Jenkins lunched with Jonathan Marlow at Caffe Centro.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Warhol's Screen Tests Get Dean & Britta Treatment

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 2, 2009

  13 Most BeautifulÉSongs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests offers a cherry-picking of the famous Warhol reels accompanied by live original-soundtracking.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SF Cinematheque: New Year, New Direction

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 2, 2009

  SF360.org joined in on a conversation about Cinematheque's past and present when Steven Jenkins lunched with Jonathan Marlow at Caffe Centro.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Essay Films at the Pacific Film Archive

  David Winks Gray
  Jan 30, 2009

  The PFA's series of "essay films," a collection of diverse work, offers the viewer an opportunity to adapt to the peculiar tone of these films.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Veteran Berkeley Filmmaker's Baseball Doc

  Michael Fox
  Jan 28, 2009

  While ballplayers were relaxing in the off-season, Eugene Corr plowed ahead with his baseball documentary From Ghost Town to Havana.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  César Charlone Directs 'The Pope's Toilet'

  Miguel Pendás
  Jan 27, 2009

  Oscar-nominated cinematographer César Charlone recently codirected his first theatrical feature film, a darkly comic farce about Pope John Paul II.

  
• 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.

  
• In Production
  
  

  A Composer Almost Ready for His Close-Up

  Michael Fox
  Jan 23, 2009

  Michael Fox looks behind the scenes of a film on the maverick Seattle composer-performer-inventor Trimpin.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Sundance Blogs: 'Everything Strange and New' and 'La Mission'

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 22, 2009

  Susan Gerhard blogs on what is strange and new about watching movies in these particular mountains.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Scott Walker: 30 Century Man'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 21, 2009

  In this documentary, Walker tells the tale of his delayed popularity the ever-more adventurous music with which he feeds his latterday cult.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Funder as Supplicant

  John R. Killacky
  Jan 20, 2009

  First-Person: A program officer at the San Francisco Foundation has a sobering experience making a documentary.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Sundance Blog: Urban Hiker's Guide

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 20, 2009

  Susan Gerhard reports on film and physique highlights at Sundance 2009.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Eddie Muller and Noir City

  Sura Wood
  Jan 18, 2009

  SF360.org spoke with Eddie Muller, who launched Noir City, an annual noir festival that has attracted an avid following in the Bay Area and beyond.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Sundance Blog: Midnight at the Egyptian

  Hilary Hart
  Jan 18, 2009

  Hilary Hart blogs her 14th year at Sundance, back on the midnight shift at the Egyptian Theatre.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bruce LaBruce's 'Otto': Zombies With Heart

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 13, 2009

  A look at Otto; or, Up with Dead People, from a late arrival in the New Queer Cinema wave.

  
• In Production
  
  

  'Tongues' Cracks the Language Barrier

  Michael Fox
  Jan 13, 2009

  The forthcoming film Speaking in Tongues follows four diverse local public-school students enrolled in language-immersion programs.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bruce LaBruce's 'Otto': Zombies With Heart

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 13, 2009

  A look at Otto; or, Up with Dead People, from a late arrival in the New Queer Cinema wave.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Wendy Levy on the Politics of Participation

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 12, 2009

  Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Wendy Levy on the Politics of Participation

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 12, 2009

  Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Unresolutions of 2009

  Hannah Eaves
  Jan 9, 2009

  Certain questions in 2008 endlessly plagued the film world, leading to outlandish predictions, flame-war mayhem and an outbreak of opinionated public speaking.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Che: The Roadshow' reclaims a legend

  Michael Fox
  Jan 8, 2009

  Steven Soderbergh's fascinating portrait of legendary revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is willfully disinterested in the conventions of mainstream movies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Autobio-Animation and the Horrors of War

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 6, 2009

  Waltz with Bashir is another animated feature that embraces a more grown-up story and audience than anything in the long history of "cartoons."

  
• In Production
  
  

  Elizabeth Pepin's 'Wasted!'

  Michael Fox
  Jan 6, 2009

  If you've been waiting for a punk-rock doc about sewage and wastewater treatment–admit it–it's in the pipeline and heading your way by year's end.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Debra Chasnoff's 'Straightlaced'

  Judy Stone
  Jan 5, 2009

  50 California students talk about their problems with gender in the new documentary Straightlaced–How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Year in Film 2008: Oscar Odds

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 2, 2009

  Instead of breaking it down strictly category-by-category, Dennis Harvey meanders through some principal heat-seeking prestige films and their various chances.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Year in Film: What did Women Want?

  Matt Sussman
  Jan 1, 2009

  Matt Sussman draws conclusions about women and Hollywood from three big women-oriented films of 2008.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  The Year in Film, 2008: Top Unreleased Films

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 30, 2008

  Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bursting with 'Button'

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 23, 2008

  Dennis Harvey reviews The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Tom E. Brown on 'Pushing Dead' and Stayin' Alive

  Michael Fox
  Dec 23, 2008

  Tom E. Brown talks about producing and funding Pushing Dead, a film about an HIV-positive writer forced to give up his daily drug regimen.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Pamela Harris, GFEM, and Filmmaker Funding

  Michael Fox
  Dec 22, 2008

  Oakland's Pamela Harris and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media are connecting media makers with financial resources.

  
• 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
  
  

  Reading Between the Frames: Fleming and Sturges

  Michael Fox
  Dec 18, 2008

  Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master and Glenn Lovell's Escape Artist: The Life and Films of John Sturges are splendid biographies by critics with local ties.

  
• Funding
  
  

  From Gauche to Great

  Holly Million
  Dec 16, 2008

  Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million on how donor cultivation can make you a successful film fundraiser.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Season's Gleanings, a Holiday Preview

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 15, 2008

  Dennis Harvey reviews some of 2008's year-end sobering dramas.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Audience of One?

  Fernanda Rossi
  Dec 12, 2008

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi discusses pros and cons of having to sit through a screening of one's own film.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Sundance Harvests an Eclectic Crop of Local Films

  Michael Fox
  Dec 11, 2008

  Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Québec Film Week's Unprovincial Pleasures

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 10, 2008

  Québec's thriving regional cinema is showcased in San Francisco Film Society's latest mini-festival addition to the annual Bay Area movie calendar.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Genuflection: 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell'

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 9, 2008

  Gini Reiticker's fine documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, opens at SF's Red Vic Movie House and Berkeley's Shattuck Cinemas.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  New at Frameline: K.C. Price

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2008

  Frameline's new executive director discusses his non-profit background and graduate school pipe dream of being a novelist.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  New at Frameline: K.C. Price

  Michael Fox
  Dec 8, 2008

  Frameline's new executive director discusses his non-profit background and graduate school pipe dream of being a novelist.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Greenscreen Envy

  Hannah Eaves
  Dec 5, 2008

  The Sixth Screen: Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management and iFanboy producer and co-host Ron Richards talks about Revision3, the next generation of TV.

  
• 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.

  
• Funding
  
  

  What Crisis? Fundraising During an Economic Meltdown

  Holly Million
  Dec 3, 2008

  Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million advises filmmakers on where to get funding when the going gets tough.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Something Wild: Martha Colburn's Collage Animations

  Max Goldberg
  Dec 1, 2008

  Martha Colburn's recent shorts plunge the interstices of Americana for a hidden history of fanaticism and double-faced hypocrisies.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Sragow on 'An American Movie Master'

  Michael Fox
  Nov 30, 2008

  Former San Francisco Examiner film critic Michael Sragow talks about his newly released book Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Kroot's Planet Kuchar

  Michael Fox
  Nov 25, 2008

  Bay Area filmmaker Jennifer Kroot talks about her inspiration to make a documentary on legendary, underground filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar.

  
• 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.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Perfect Pitch

  Fernanda Rossi
  Nov 21, 2008

  Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi weighs in on how many different pitches you really need for your documentary.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Global Lens on Link TV

  Judy Stone
  Nov 20, 2008

  Global Film Initiative's Global Lens series offers a regular spot in your home theater for edgy world-cinema narratives don't often get a place at local multiplexes.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Scott MacDonald's 'Canyon Cinema' Book--Both History and How-to

  Michael Fox
  Nov 17, 2008

  Scott McDonald's Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, details the formation of the revered Bay Area artists' collective in the early 1960s.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Soviet-Critical 'Cargo 200' at YBCA

  Matt Sussman
  Nov 11, 2008

  The controversial Cargo 200, a take-down of the Soviet era, makes its U.S. theatrical debut at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Sean Uyehara On the S.F. International Animation Festival

  Michael Guillen
  Nov 10, 2008

  If, in the ol' days, they were called "'toons," these days, some heavy-duty words are required to express the strength and breadth of contemporary animation.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Another Ingmar Bergman in 'Monika'

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 6, 2008

  A newly restored print of Bergman's Monika, which deals with underage, guiltlessly unfaithful femininity, plays the Red Vic.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SF360 Film+Club: 'Silver Jew'

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 5, 2008

  Michael Tully's 51-minute documentary Silver Jew proves semi-revealing as it records the Jews' tour dates in the Holy Land itself.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Supernaturalism with 'Let the Right One In'

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 4, 2008

  Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, Let the Right One In is a poignant, nuanced, original addition to the cinematic vampire canon.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  David Thomson and 1,000 Unusual Suspects

  Michael Fox
  Nov 3, 2008

  Film historian and essayist David Thomson talks to SF360 about his new book, Have You Seen . . . ? A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films.

  
• Digital
  
  

  Basics of Web 3.0?

  Hannah Eaves
  Oct 31, 2008

  The Sixth Screen: If you're interested in the future of online technology, 'jaguar' is the evergreen example used to explain what's called The Semantic Web.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Christmas on Mars' Non Halloween

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 30, 2008

  Wayne Coyne's Flaming Lips movie extends a long, lately rising number of narrative features made by musicians.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFFS Screens 'Delwende'

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 28, 2008

  Veteran Burkina Faso director S. Pierre Yameogo's new film shows an isolated society still vulnerable to superstition.

  
• In Production
  
  

  A Documentary on Death and Survival in Paradise

  Michael Fox
  Oct 28, 2008

  A husband and wife filmmaking pair are in the midst of a documentary on mysterious disappearances in the Galapagos.

  
• Digital
  
  

  The Dimensions of Dialogue

  Lisa Rosenberg
  Oct 24, 2008

  Beyond Words: Skillful dialogue on film can achieve a structural dimension that shapes the narrative as surely as plot does.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Susan Oxtoby and the Pacific Film Archive

  Michael Fox
  Oct 24, 2008

  The PFA senior curator talks about her cinematic influences, curating in Canada and the U.S., and recent additions to the world of film.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Secrecy' Up For Debate

  Robert Avila
  Oct 22, 2008

  Robb Moss and Peter Galison's deliberative, atmospheric and engrossing documentary, Secrecy, puts democratic transparency to the test.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  12th Arab Film Festival

  Robert Avila
  Oct 20, 2008

  In its 12th season, the country's first and largest independent exhibitor of Arab cinema has gotten to be one of the bigger small fests in the Bay Area.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lance Hammer on Beauty and 'Ballast'

  Michael Guillen
  Oct 17, 2008

  Hammer discusses his debut feature premiered at Sundance to resounding critical fanfare, winning prizes for best director and cinematography.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Lance Hammer on Beauty and 'Ballast'

  Michael Guillen
  Oct 17, 2008

  Hammer discusses his debut feature premiered at Sundance to resounding critical fanfare, winning prizes for best director and cinematography.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Full Battle Rattle' On the Endless War

  Matt Sussman
  Oct 16, 2008

  Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss's film candidly explores 'the ground truth' of Iraq without setting foot in the country.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Carnival of Nonfiction Filmmaking

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 16, 2008

  The extreme, the strange, the silly and surreal all have big seats at the SF DocFest table.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Talk With Arab Film Festival's Executive Director

  Michael Fox
  Oct 13, 2008

  We sat down with Michel Shehadeh, who joined the festival earlier this year, for a wide-ranging interview on Arab film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Talk With Arab Film Festival's Executive Director

  Michael Fox
  Oct 13, 2008

  We sat down with Michel Shehadeh, who joined the festival earlier this year, for a wide-ranging interview on Arab film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Documenting the Lyme Epidemic

  Michael Fox
  Oct 9, 2008

  Andy Abrahams Wilson talks about Under Our Skin, his elegantly crafted film on the underreported epidemic of Lyme disease.

  
• Legal
  
  

  Notes on Digital Distribution

  George Rush
  Oct 8, 2008

  Avoiding Disaster: George Rush offers tips on bridging the worlds of creativity and business.

  
• Documentary
  
  

  Trailer Talk

  Fernanda Rossi
  Oct 8, 2008

  The Doc Doctor prescribes cures for common pitfalls of demo reels.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  MVFF: Mulford and Cruz On Chile's Dark Past

  Michael Fox
  Oct 8, 2008

  Marilyn Mulford collaborated with Quique Cruz on the pensive, humanistic, and inspiring Archaeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFFS's Inaugural French Cinema Now

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 7, 2008

  The SFFS has added a Gallic counterpart to its long-running New Italian Cinema series.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jack Stevenson on 'The Superstars Next Door'

  Matt Sussman
  Oct 6, 2008

  Freelance curator and film fanatic Jack Stevenson brings grainy reels documenting live, nude girls to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Dead Channels 2008 Comes Alive

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 3, 2008

  Those inclined toward healthy doses of sleaze, gore, and retro-shlock can rejoice that it's time for the second annual edition of Dead Channels.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Film Festival's Maher Moment

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 2, 2008

  Religulous is a desperately awaited and already vehemently decried film by Bill Maher and director Larry Charles.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Straight and Not So Narrow 'Crooked Beauty' In Production

  Michael Fox
  Oct 1, 2008

  In 'Crooked Beauty,' mental health is re-imagined and redefined.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Yiyun Li, The Voice of 'A Thousand'

  Judy Stone
  Sep 30, 2008

  The title story of her Hemingway/Pen Award-winning collection of short stories, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, has been adapted by Wayne Wang.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  James Savoca's 'Around June' Casts Spell Around Potrero Hill

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2008

  It used to be standard for San Francisco to be portrayed in movies as a magical, mythical, and slightly mysterious catalyst for transformation.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  James Savoca's 'Around June' Casts Spell Around Potrero Hill

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2008

  It used to be standard for San Francisco to be portrayed in movies as a magical, mythical, and slightly mysterious catalyst for transformation.

  
• Digital
  
  

  SWAG: Free Feature Films On the Web

  Hannah Eaves
  Sep 26, 2008

  The Sixth Screen: Here are some browser-based legal zones for free online feature film viewing pleasure. No installation required.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  7th SF DocFest Program

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 25, 2008

  The seventh San Francisco International Documentary Film Festival has the potential to be every bit as raucous as the other festivals under the organization's umbrella.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Vida Ghahremani: Star is Reborn in Wayne Wang's Latest

  Judy Stone
  Sep 24, 2008

  When Vida Ghahremani became a movie star at 16 in the Shah's Iran, she felt as if she were in prison.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stephen Parr's Oddball Films

  Sean Uyehara
  Sep 21, 2008

  Parr licenses film and video footage, and presents some of the best screenings in town through his Oddball Films series.

  
• 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!'

  
• In Production
  
  

  Mendocino's Swine Country

  Michael Fox
  Sep 17, 2008

  "Horror films can hold a lot of crazy ideas and political ideas and no one blinks," says Pig Hunt writer and producer Robert Mailer Anderson, "and that serves our purposes."

  
• In Production
  
  

  Jerusalem's Lone Gay Bar

  Michael Fox
  Sep 17, 2008

  Yun Suh's film City of Borders documents group dynamics and conflict through the doors of a Jerusalem's only gay bar: a locale where anyone can, "come, be themselves, and be accepted."

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Cosmic Dance-Floor of Arthur Russell

  Amy Taubin
  Sep 16, 2008

  Matt Wolf's biodoc is a remarkably affecting portrait that's a remembrance for those who knew the composer/vocalist/cellist and an introduction for potential fans.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ariella Ben-Dov's Madcat Archives

  Matt Sussman
  Sep 14, 2008

  What do women want to watch? With Diane English’s recent unfunny and product placement-filled re-make of The Women hitting theaters last week, Hollywood’s answer, predictably, is more of the same.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Toronto 2008: Slow Food, Fast Festival

  B. Ruby Rich
  Sep 12, 2008

  Every year, people grumble. Every year, someone points out how much worse it is than before. And every year, there are films that pull everyone out of the doldrums and guarantee it all continues. Welcome to this season’s Toronto International Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Curators at Bay Area Now 5

  Sean Uyehara
  Sep 11, 2008

  YBCA's triennial exhibition has developed a deserved reputation for presenting an energetic survey of current Bay Area artistic practice.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley's 31st Program

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 10, 2008

  This year's Mill Valley Film Festival shows healthy signs of life for the independent film business.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Fantastical Imagination of 'Wind Man'

  Dennis Harvey
  Sep 9, 2008

  When Wind Man appeared on the SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas' schedule, moral crisis ensued.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Room for Thought at SFMOMA

  Michael Fox
  Sep 4, 2008

  A film in a darkened theater commands our undivided attention, but a video installation in a museum doesn't have the same effect.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Scott Crocker's 'Ghost Bird' Phenomenon

  Michael Fox
  Sep 2, 2008

  Scott Crocker's documentary brings the truth behind the "Lord God" bird phenomenon out of the bushes.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Educational 'Split' Helps Troubled Children of Divorce

  Michael Fox
  Sep 2, 2008

  There is little question that so-called educational films with specific social-welfare goals don’t get much respect as examples of craft or art.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Chris Marker Comes Home, At Last

  Michael Fox
  Sep 1, 2008

  I confess that for a long while I had the misperception, based on almost no exposure to his work, that French essayist Chris Marker made dense, dry films steeped in political theory and inaccessible to anyone but a narrow strata of irrelevant European intellectuals.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Inside the Telluride Film Festival

  Hilary Hart
  Aug 29, 2008

  A Telluride veteran gives a festival overview, and explains why film lovers and filmmakers travel to a remote corner of Colorado on blind faith.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Rob Nilsson on Himself

  Rob Nilsson
  Aug 27, 2008

  SF360.org asked this veteran indie auteur for his thoughts, which he gamely and intelligently offers here.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Days and Clouds' Finds Changes in the Weather

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 26, 2008

  Economic troubles reveal the true depths of a couple's long-taken-for-granted bond in a film by Italian director Silvio Soldini.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Hats Off' Fascinated With 93-Years-Young Actress

  Lynn Rapoport
  Aug 21, 2008

  A local filmmaker looks at Mimi Weddell, a perennial bit part-player with a jaw-dropping collection of hats and endless show biz energy.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Second Stage of Film Arts Foundation's Legacy of Advocacy

  Michael Fox
  Aug 20, 2008

  Film Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by 15 independent filmmakers in 1976, joins forces with SFFS.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stephen Olsson and Link TV

  Michael Fox
  Aug 17, 2008

  SF360.org talks to the senior director of original programming at Link TV, which provides an antidote to the standard television news mix.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Not Quite Quiet Desperation

  Jonathan Marlow
  Aug 14, 2008

  First Person: Jonathan Marlow rehashes commentary on film that has caused a kerfuffle of late.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Parvez Sharma and 'A Jihad for Love'

  Judy Stone
  Aug 14, 2008

  Sharma might never have made his film had he not felt guilty about causing unhappiness to his dying mother by telling her he was homosexual.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  In Spain with 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 12, 2008

  Woody Allen's latest is a superb travel guide in addition to being an amusing, intelligent if not exactly profound meditation on fate, chance, and romance.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Global Film Initiative: Funding the Bigger Picture

  Robert Avila
  Aug 12, 2008

  The Legend of the Holy Net Potato, the first feature by Kerala-based filmmaker Vipin Vijay, concerns a cyborg, black magic, and a hacker.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Exhuming History with "The Judge and the General"

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 11, 2008

  SF360.org asked Bay Area filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth about her film, which follows Judge Juan Guzmán as he investigates General Pinochet's crimes.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Exhuming History with "The Judge and the General"

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 11, 2008

  SF360.org asked Bay Area filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth about her film, which follows Judge Juan Guzmán as he investigates General Pinochet's crimes.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Vertigo's 50th Anniversary

  Miguel Pendás
  Aug 8, 2008

  Not many movies call for a celebration of their anniversaries, but one exception is what many have called 'the ultimate San Francisco film.'

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'The Dark Cinema of David Goodis' at the PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 7, 2008

  The Pacific Film Archive screens a survey of Goodis-related works from both the big and small screen, spanning nearly five decades.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Saluting the Ultimate Whistleblower

  Michael Fox
  Aug 6, 2008

  SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Saluting the Ultimate Whistleblower

  Michael Fox
  Aug 6, 2008

  SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Not About Royalty

  Michael Fox
  Aug 6, 2008

  Empress Hotel looks at residents of a hotel turned homeless people's residence through San Francisco's Access to Housing program.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Nik Sheenan's 'FliCKer'

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 5, 2008

  A documentary looks into a machine designed to harness the hallucinatory potential of flickering light, and sketches a portrait of its troubled creator.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Canyon Cinema's Dominic Angerame

  Erika Young
  Aug 4, 2008

  A conversation with the executive director of an experimental/avant-garde film distribution company, who both runs a profitable business and creates dynamic art.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Jacques Nolot and 'Before I Forget'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 31, 2008

  Dyspeptic rather than tragic, Jacques Nolot's Before I Forget may be the best gay feel-bad movie ever.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Muayad Alayan, Christian Bruno

  Robert Avila
  Jul 29, 2008

  Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, speaks about the making of Lesh Sabreen?.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Riffling through '1000 Journals' with Someguy

  Michael Fox
  Jul 28, 2008

  Andrea Kreuzhage speaks about her documentary, 1000 Journals, which raises a host of fascinating questions about creativity, collaboration, community, and communication.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Riffling through '1000 Journals' with Someguy

  Michael Fox
  Jul 28, 2008

  Andrea Kreuzhage speaks about her documentary, 1000 Journals, which raises a host of fascinating questions about creativity, collaboration, community, and communication.

  
• Digital
  
  

  What's Fair is not Foul

  Hannah Eaves
  Jul 24, 2008

  The Sixth Screen: The first installment of a new, monthly column by filmmaker and journalist Hannah Eaves looks at just how "fair use" is being utilized.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The 28th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

  Lynn Rapoport
  Jul 23, 2008

  The 60th birthday of Israel is recognized in the festival via a slew of films examining the country from various perspectives, films that fight over how to tell the story.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Beard world and Swenson's Salton Sea

  Michael Fox
  Jul 22, 2008

  The first of SF360.org's In Production columns looks at two works-in-progress: Laura Lukitsch's film about beards and Lise Swenson's Salton Sea pic.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  S.F. Jewish Film Festival's Stein and Fishman

  Michael Fox
  Jul 21, 2008

  Programmers for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Peter Stein and Nancy Fishman, speak about never taking the path of least resistance.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  A Week at Flaherty

  Chi-hui Yang
  Jul 18, 2008

  On curating the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, a social Petri dish that annually brings together a different programmer, a captive and engaged audience, and filmmakers.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  A Week at Flaherty

  Chi-hui Yang
  Jul 18, 2008

  On curating the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, a social Petri dish that annually brings together a different programmer, a captive and engaged audience, and filmmakers.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'CSNY: Deja Vu'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 16, 2008

  Those attracted to the new film CSNY: Deja Vu simply expecting an opportunity to recall the old days might be in for a surprise.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Mystical and Everyday in 'A Listener's Tale'

  Max Goldberg
  Jul 15, 2008

  A Listener's Tale is a lovely if unclassifiable mixture of ethnography and poetic reverie which screened at last winter's Rotterdam Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Catherine Breillat's 'The Last Mistress'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 14, 2008

  French author and director Catherine Breillat speaks about the fierce passion play of her latest, The Last Mistress.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Catherine Breillat's 'The Last Mistress'

  Michael Fox
  Jul 14, 2008

  French author and director Catherine Breillat speaks about the fierce passion play of her latest, The Last Mistress.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hard Look at China in 'Blind Mountain'

  Judy Stone
  Jul 11, 2008

  Li Yang speaks about commercial pressures in Chinese film and the story behind Blind Mountain.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival

  Mary B. Scott
  Jul 9, 2008

  Back at the Castro this weekend for the 13th year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival presents a variety of titillating titles.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Swinging '60s suburbs in 'Viva'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 8, 2008

  Viva's cautionary tale is aptly encapsuled by the poster line: 'They were housewives seeking kicks, in a world of swingers, orgies, booze, and sin.'

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  In Memoriam: Bruce Conner (1933-2008)

  Steve Seid
  Jul 8, 2008

  Bruce Conner, the great, irascible, and ever-evolving San Francisco-based artist known for his assemblages, films, drawings, and interdisciplinary works, passed away on July 7, 2008.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Fatih Akin and 'The Edge of Heaven'

  Robert Avila
  Jul 7, 2008

  The Edge of Heaven weaves two stories together across geopolitical, cultural, and generational lines.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFFS Screen's 'Hank and Mike'

  Pam Grady
  Jul 3, 2008

  Thomas Michael remembers well the birth of Hank and Mike, the titular blue-collar Easter bunnies in director Matthiew Klinck's absurdist workplace comedy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'The Gits,' the Movie

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 2, 2008

  The Gits offers both an appreciation of a unique quartet's too-brief career and consideration of Mia Zapata's death.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline's New Lesson Plan

  Lynn Rapoport
  Jul 1, 2008

  Critic's notebook: Marriage changes everything at the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Niles Essanay's Voguing Eunuchs, Raving Madmen

  Mary B. Scott
  Jul 1, 2008

  Having just spent three invigorating days in Niles watching crowds cheering to films from the years between 1903 and 1917, I can report that silent films are alive and well.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Alex Gibney on Going 'Gonzo'

  Cathleen Rountree
  Jun 30, 2008

  SF360.org sits down with director Alex Gibney, whose film, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson played at the 51st SFIFF.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Alex Gibney on Going 'Gonzo'

  Cathleen Rountree
  Jun 30, 2008

  SF360.org sits down with director Alex Gibney, whose film, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson played at the 51st SFIFF.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Herzog's 'Encounters at the End of the World'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 26, 2008

  Eternally fascinated with extremes of location, Werner Herzog's latest documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, finds the filmmaker exploring life on the edge in Antarctica.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The World of 'Derek' at Frameline32

  Max Goldberg
  Jun 25, 2008

  A documentary tribute to Derek Jarman, Isaac Julien's Derek does not seek to enlarge or complicate the filmmaker's legacy so much as succor its loss.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The World of 'Derek' at Frameline32

  Max Goldberg
  Jun 25, 2008

  A documentary tribute to Derek Jarman, Isaac Julien's Derek does not seek to enlarge or complicate the filmmaker's legacy so much as succor its loss.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: Frameline32

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 24, 2008

  Critic Dennis Harvey reviews select films screened at the 32nd San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  New Rohmer on SFFS Screen

  Max Goldberg
  Jun 24, 2008

  Eric Rohmer's latest "moral tale," The Romance of Astrea and Cèladon, filled with evanescent beauty, plays as part of SFFS Screen.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: Frameline32

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 24, 2008

  Critic Dennis Harvey reviews select films screened at the 32nd San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ruby Yang on 'A Double Life'

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 23, 2008

  SF360 caught up with Ruby Yang during a recent Bay Area visit to discuss her "latest and most lyrical film yet," A Double Life.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ruby Yang on 'A Double Life'

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 23, 2008

  SF360 caught up with Ruby Yang during a recent Bay Area visit to discuss her "latest and most lyrical film yet," A Double Life.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Mongol's' Mr. Nice Guy: Genghis Khan

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 20, 2008

  Dennis Harvey reviews Sergei Bodrov's Mongol, a distinctive look at the early life of the conqueror.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Argentina's New Wave at Frameline

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 19, 2008

  A look at the films in the 32nd San Francisco International LGBT FIlm Festival indicates the rise of Argentina's new wave.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Argentina's New Wave at Frameline

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 19, 2008

  A look at the films in the 32nd San Francisco International LGBT FIlm Festival indicates the rise of Argentina's new wave.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Hong Sang Soo on the SFFS Screen

  Adam Hartzell
  Jun 18, 2008

  Woman on the Beach is a wonderful introduction to South Korean director Hong Sang Soo's films, in large part due to its subtle comedy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Critic's Notebook: Hole Head, Week One

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 17, 2008

  Dennis Harvey covers the first week of low-budget geeks, weirdos and gore on display at the Another Hole in the Head Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Strand's Marcus Hu and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin

  Marcus Hu
  Jun 16, 2008

  Strand Releasing President Marcus Hu speaks with Frameline Artistic Director Lumpkin about Frameline, queer cinema and the future of this niche festival.]

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Strand's Marcus Hu and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin

  Marcus Hu
  Jun 16, 2008

  Strand Releasing President Marcus Hu speaks with Frameline Artistic Director Lumpkin about Frameline, queer cinema and the future of this niche festival.]

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The List: Michael Lumpkin Looks Back

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 13, 2008

  Michael Lumpkin's mini-retrospective of features that highlight some personal favorites that made waves at the Frameline Festival (and sometimes in the larger cinematic world).

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFFS Screen at Sundance Kabuki

  Robert Avila
  Jun 12, 2008

  The SF Film Society is optimistic that its year-round screen at the Sundance Kabuki will contribute to the spectrum of films in Bay Area theaters.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Screen Test, San Jose

  Sean Uyehara
  Jun 11, 2008

  Exhibitions in San Jose feature art drawn from and inspired by online social networking sites, Youtube, video games and blogs.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: 'Surfwise'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 10, 2008

  In 'Surfwise', documentarian Doug Pray examines the eccentric Paskowitz clan, whose patriarch and nine children have been legends in the surfing world for decades.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Up the Yangtze' with Yung Chang

  Judy Stone
  Jun 6, 2008

  Filmmaker Yung Chang talks about 'Up the Yangtze,' his superb documentary that examines the surreal changes in China around the controversial Three Gorges Dam.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Travel Guide Through Another Hole in the Head Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 5, 2008

  The Hole Head Festival takes audiences back to terrifying locales and dangerous situations that should be pleasantly familiar to horror aficionados.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  San Francisco Black Film Festival's 10th

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 4, 2008

  In 2008 the San Francisco Black Film Festival marks its 10th anniversary with the most expansive program yet, flagging the theme "10 Years, 10 Days, 100 Films."

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: 'Love Songs'

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 3, 2008

  'Love Songs', a truly gay musical utterly devoid of camp, causes critic Dennis Harvey to reassess France's take on the genre.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dawn and David Katznelson

  Miriam Wolf
  Jun 2, 2008

  Katznelson, a co-founder of the Dawn festival at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, sat down to talk about Judaism, culture, film and the festival.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Contemporary Jewish Museum's DAWN

  Miriam Wolf
  May 30, 2008

  Looking for something meaningful to do Sunday at 2 a.m.? Try the all-night Dawn festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIAF: 'Mordake' and Week Two -- Reviewed, Previewed

  Robert Avila
  May 28, 2008

  Composer Erling Wold's solo chamber opera enjoys a thrillingly intimate world premiere this week under the banner of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Jimmy Stewart at 100

  Dennis Harvey
  May 22, 2008

  For all his lasting wholesome appeal, Stewart was an oddity: Gangly, stammering, Pennsylvania-drawling and not particularly attractive by 1930s studio standards.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline's 32nd SFLGBT Festival Program

  Susan Gerhard
  May 20, 2008

  The historic Castro Theatre, its marquee recently revamped for the Milk biopic shoot, hosted Frameline's announcement of its 2008 festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline's 32nd SFLGBT Festival Program

  Susan Gerhard
  May 20, 2008

  The historic Castro Theatre, its marquee recently revamped for the Milk biopic shoot, hosted Frameline's announcement of its 2008 festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Doctor and the Documentarian Behind "The English Surgeon"

  Jennifer Preissel
  May 19, 2008

  When The English Surgeon had its U.S. premiere at the SFIFF this month, Geoffrey Smith and Henry Marsh received a standing ovation.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Doctor and the Documentarian Behind "The English Surgeon"

  Jennifer Preissel
  May 19, 2008

  When The English Surgeon had its U.S. premiere at the SFIFF this month, Geoffrey Smith and Henry Marsh received a standing ovation.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: "Mister Lonely"

  Max Goldberg
  May 19, 2008

  Part Luis Bunuel parable, Artforum spread, Jonestown ballet and Warhol camp, Harmony Korine's latest is a prime, insomniac two hours of midnight-movie drifting.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Q&A: Alex Rivera, 'Sleep Dealer'

  Michael Guillen
  May 14, 2008

  Rivera's debut centers on a young man grappling with a technological future in which neural implants, telerobotics and ubiquitous computing serve a global economy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Finding Warren Sonbert

  Max Goldberg
  May 14, 2008

  Unlike most experimental filmmakers, Sonbert's collected works have had the benefit of full retrospectives at major museums (SFMOMA, NYMOMA, Guggenheim) and a strong preservation effort.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Q&A: Alex Rivera, 'Sleep Dealer'

  Michael Guillen
  May 14, 2008

  Rivera's debut centers on a young man grappling with a technological future in which neural implants, telerobotics and ubiquitous computing serve a global economy.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: 'The Living End,' remixed and remastered

  Dennis Harvey
  May 13, 2008

  Gregg Araki's "irresponsible" movie was the first to respond to the AIDS crisis with ACT UP-style radical rage rather than lamentation or case-pleading.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: 'The Living End,' remixed and remastered

  Dennis Harvey
  May 13, 2008

  Gregg Araki's "irresponsible" movie was the first to respond to the AIDS crisis with ACT UP-style radical rage rather than lamentation or case-pleading.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  "Standard Operating Procedure" and the Stories We Tell

  Staff
  May 9, 2008

  Joan Didion famously said, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." We've internalized the American narrative of Abu Ghraib and accepted its implications.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  In Other Words: States of Cinema, Music and Mind

  Eve O'Neill
  May 8, 2008

  "There are no movies without music," Kevin Kelly asserted last Saturday in his State of Cinema address.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF International's Golden Gate Awards: Alive and Cooking

  Susan Gerhard
  May 8, 2008

  Food scents and film sensibilities mingled in a pungent party atmosphere at the California Culinary Academy.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Capelle on Composers: Day Three

  Staff
  May 8, 2008

  The final installment in the San Francisco composer and musician's blog from the 2008 SFIFF.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Capelle on Composers: Back to Back

  Marc Capelle
  May 7, 2008

  Back to music.

  

  I have some friends that were in a Sub Pop band that pre-dated Nirvana. They were known as the Dwarves. Their music is and was a snotty suburban unholy mixture of the Sonics, the Orlons, the Stooges and a vat of amphetamines. Their record covers usually featured midgets and half-naked woman covered in either blood or some sort of Nestle syrup of some sort. Here is one of their lines.

  

  [Editor’s note: For the San Francisco International’s 51st edition, SF360.org has asked Bay Area musician/composer/cineaste Marc Capelle to blog his thoughts on movies, music, and the films showing in the Festival. This is the third of three installments.]

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Cinemania at the SF International

  Susan Gerhard
  May 5, 2008

  The Jules Feiffer quote at the bottom of festival superfan Sue Jean Halvorsen's email reads, "Movies are better than real life."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Shampoo.' Rinse. Repeat.

  Judy Stone
  May 4, 2008

  Warren Beatty on the sexual and political message of Shampoo and a new film in the works about romantic revolutionary journalist John Reed.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  'Shampoo.' Rinse. Repeat.

  Judy Stone
  May 4, 2008

  Warren Beatty on the sexual and political message of Shampoo and a new film in the works about romantic revolutionary journalist John Reed.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Nights on the Towne: Film Society Awards Night

  Susan Gerhard
  May 4, 2008

  You know a festival is working its way into your brain when, in a landscape of intersecting ideas, you begin to witness the collisions.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Capelle on Composers: Day Two

  Staff
  May 2, 2008

  Errol Morris has a giant brain. Anybody who wants to argue against that thesis does not have a giant brain. So let's move on.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  In Other Words: Standard Operating Procedure

  Staff
  Apr 30, 2008

  Joan Didion famously said, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." We have internalized the narrative of Abu Ghraib and accepted its implications.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Capelle and Composers: Day One

  Staff
  Apr 30, 2008

  Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts is a very close-quartered and loving documentary, a year in the life of the composer.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy World

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 29, 2008

  SF Film Society’s Founder’s Directing Award winner Mike Leigh's work has created a distinctive insider’s portrait of working-to-middle class English life.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: Katherin McInnis Cues the Carnival Music

  Jennifer Preissel
  Apr 28, 2008

  The longtime Bay Area resident, who recently relocated to Brooklyn, screens Woodward's Gardens in the shorts program "In A Lonely Place: New Experimental Cinema."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: Katherin McInnis Cues the Carnival Music

  Jennifer Preissel
  Apr 28, 2008

  The longtime Bay Area resident, who recently relocated to Brooklyn, screens Woodward's Gardens in the shorts program "In A Lonely Place: New Experimental Cinema."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: Barry Jenkins' San Francisco Story

  Michael Fox
  Apr 26, 2008

  Medicine for Melancholy is a graceful and poignant film about fleeting urban connections, black identity and invisibility, cultural adventures and this gentrified city's lost soul.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: Eddie Muller's Muses

  Jennifer Preissel
  Apr 26, 2008

  A self-described "cultural archeologist," the noir expert's debut short, The Grand Inquisitor, pays homage to the Dashiell Hammett-style detective story.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  I [heart] Jason Lee

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 25, 2008

  The star of My Name Is Earl is (alongside Grindhouse superstarlet Rose McGowan) the recipient of this year's SFIFF Midnight Award.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Asia Argento, In Full Flower

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 23, 2008

  Motherhood has supposedly had a slowing-down effect on Asia Argento, though at present evidence points rather wildly to the contrary. Not only does she star in this week’s San Francisco International Film Festival official opener, Catherine Breillat’s costume intrigue The Last Mistress, she also figures heavily in two other SFIFF features. Both are programmed in the culty "Late Show" section: Go Go Tales, Abel Ferrara’s most acclaimed film in years, and The Mother of Tears, a latest horror opus directed by her own fan-idolized gorehound dad Dario Argento. A couple weeks ago yet another vehicle opened commercially, Olivier Assayas’ Boarding Gate, which is entirely dominated by her feverish and highly physical performance.

  

  Conventional logic might suggest all this visibility means it’s "breakthrough" time for Asia Argento, that moment when an actor goes from being a familiar face to a marquee name that can singlehandedly draw folks into the multiplex, or at least the arthouse. (In Europe she’s already quite well-known.) But as her project choices among other things bear out, Argento probably isn’t very interested in becoming a "star" in the conventional sense. In fact, she seems the girl most likely to run from any such fate.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: On the Breeding Behind "Evolution: The Musical!"

  Robert Avila
  Apr 22, 2008

  Think of it as The Sound of Music meets Quest for Fire, or Jesus Christ Superstar rocks Land of the Lost.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: On the Breeding Behind "Evolution: The Musical!"

  Robert Avila
  Apr 22, 2008

  Think of it as The Sound of Music meets Quest for Fire, or Jesus Christ Superstar rocks Land of the Lost.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: California Newsreel at 40

  Erika Young
  Apr 21, 2008

  Founded in 1968, San Francisco-based Newsreel is the oldest nonprofit, social-issue documentary film center in the U.S.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFIFF51: Craig Baldwin Shoots the Moon, and the Desert

  Michael Fox
  Apr 18, 2008

  The Mission filmmaker has slaved in the underground for some three decades, a guide and shaman for other artists working on the fringes.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF51: The Miller Brothers on writing, pitching, acting, directing, and hitting one out of the ballpark

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 16, 2008

  Touching Home by Bay Area-raised identical twins Logan and Noah Miller is a largely autobiographical coming-of-age film that radiates sincerity.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF51: Renee Tajima- Pe–a's trip down “Calavera Highway'

  Michael Fox
  Apr 15, 2008

  If making a movie about one’s family could be equated with a fire-walk in August, then making a documentary about one’s partner’s family might be akin to a midsummer sauna. Yet veteran L.A. filmmaker Renee Tajima-Pe–a (Who Killed Vincent Chin?) signed on to a road trip with her husband from L.A. to Washington state to Texas in search of "la verdad" about the father that abandoned Armando’s mother Rosa and his six brothers several decades ago. An intimate and elegantly crafted work of cinema verita, Calavera Highway encompasses universal familial tensions, Mexican-American identity, the responsibilities of fathers (and sons) and the psychic malleability of map-drawn borders.

  

  Tajima-Pe–a, who’s an associate professor at UC Santa Cruz, will receive the Golden Gate Award for long-form television documentary at the S.F. International Film Festival, where Calavera Highway screens three times in early May. Via email, she talked about searching for "Calaveras" hidden in closets and elsewhere.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Johnny Symons and "Ask Not"

  Michael Fox
  Apr 12, 2008

  East Bay filmmaker Johnny Symons' documentary "Ask Not" moves beyond stereotypes to examine what experience is really like for gays and lesbians in the military.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Cachao: Uno Mas"

  Chuy Varela
  Apr 10, 2008

  Cachao: Uno Mas documents acclaimed bassist and cuban music innovator Israel "Cachao" Lopez's work and San Francisco concert at Bimbo's

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Thomas Beard exposes "Live Cinema"

  Michael Fox
  Apr 7, 2008

  Bodies of work have emerged from the intersections of performance, film and electronic art. Cinematograph 7ÑLive Cinema: A Contemporary Reader, edited by Thomas Beard's provides thoughtful writing on the subject.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jeff Nichols on "Shotgun Stories"

  Eve O'Neill
  Mar 31, 2008

  First-time writer/director Jeff Nichols discusses the inspiration behind Shotgun Stories, the initial hurdles in making the film, and the noble nature of his characters.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFMOMA's "Nonwestern Westerns" Series

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 26, 2008

  A series of films at SFMOMA present an outsiders take on the outmoded American staple, the Western.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "2 Husbands," One Amazing Race?

  Sean Uyehara
  Mar 24, 2008

  Tanner Shea and Zach Slow have launched the 2 Husbands contest and website, where they ask women to post videos in consideration of becoming their wives. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "2 Husbands," One Amazing Race?

  Sean Uyehara
  Mar 24, 2008

  Tanner Shea and Zach Slow have launched the 2 Husbands contest and website, where they ask women to post videos in consideration of becoming their wives. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Q&A: Brillante Mendoza

  Sean Uyehara
  Mar 18, 2008

  Filipino Director Brillante Mendoza discusses his aesthetic: a basic approach that resists facade and pretense and desires to depict to things as they really are.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Q&A: Brillante Mendoza

  Sean Uyehara
  Mar 18, 2008

  Filipino Director Brillante Mendoza discusses his aesthetic: a basic approach that resists facade and pretense and desires to depict to things as they really are.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Ten SFIAAFF Picks From Judy Stone

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 13, 2008

  Longtime San Francisco Chronicle film critic Judy Stone offers her top ten picks from the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival 2008

  Erika Young
  Mar 12, 2008

  The 26th annual SFIAAFF plays in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, and kicks off with Wayne Wang's A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Donnie Yen, "Flashpoint"

  Laura Irvine
  Mar 9, 2008

  Here Donnie Yen wears two hatsÑas an actor in his signature role of a dedicated cop , and as an action choreographer who stages electric fight sequences using Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Cinequest's surprises

  Dennis Harvey
  Mar 7, 2008

  A "discovery" festival from Day OneÑmeaning they premiere a lot of films, including many other fests might pass overÑSan Jose's Cinequest actually adopted "Discover" as motto for its 16th year.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "A Genuine Tribute to Peter Bogdanovich"

  Max Goldberg
  Mar 5, 2008

  "A Genuine Tribute to Peter Bogdanovich" is a major coup for Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, after all these years later, he's ready for a retrospective of his own.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The San Francisco Irish Film Festival

  Eve O'Neill
  Mar 4, 2008

  San 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

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Girls Rock" with Arne Johnson & Shane King

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 2, 2008

  Girls Rock watches a few select 8-18 -year-olds overcome the obstacles to claim their rightful place on Earth and wail away.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Danny Glover, "Honeydripper," and Us

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 27, 2008

  In Honeydripper it will no doubt be pleasure to see Danny Glover play a familiar character: The good man trying to gain a leg-up when fortune has rained on his hopes.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Noise Pop Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 26, 2008

  In addition to practically every extant band you’d want to see, an art exhibit, and comedy shows, there are movies at Noise Pop.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  L.Q. Jones Talks Dogs and Cult Movies

  Miriam Wolf
  Feb 24, 2008

  The list of talking dog movies is long and storied, but one stands head and forelocks above the others: A Boy and His Dog.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  L.Q. Jones Talks Dogs and Cult Movies

  Miriam Wolf
  Feb 24, 2008

  The list of talking dog movies is long and storied, but one stands head and forelocks above the others: A Boy and His Dog.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: "The Signal"

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 19, 2008

  An idea so vivid yet simple you've got to wonder why more movies haven't used it: Something happens that turns the populace into irrational maniacs.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Emiko Omori and Wendy Slick's "Passion & Power"

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 18, 2008

  “Passion & Power, the Technology of Orgasm” gives Rachel Maines’ entertaining academic book on the subject a new life onscreen.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Emiko Omori and Wendy Slick's "Passion & Power"

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 18, 2008

  “Passion & Power, the Technology of Orgasm” gives Rachel Maines’ entertaining academic book on the subject a new life onscreen.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bollywood By the Bay

  Laura Irvine
  Feb 16, 2008

  Every morning I wake up with Bollywood movie tunes going through my head. Every. Single. Morning.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF Indiefest, From Day One

  Eve O'Neill
  Feb 13, 2008

  Despite the blanket of financial and technical doom constantly smothering Independent Filmdom, Indiefest serves as a satisfying reminder that great indie film isn't going anywhere.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Eran Kolirin and "The Band's Visit"

  Judy Stone
  Feb 12, 2008

  Underneath The Band's Visit's poignant humor, the film subtly reflects the director's attempt to comprehend Israel's pull between the Middle East and the West.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Carl D. Brown and Erin Beach of "2nd Verse"

  Michael Fox
  Feb 11, 2008

  The unassuming young director and producer spent five years on their optimistic yet unsentimental doc spotlighting four teenagers from the S.F.-based Youth Speaks project.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF Indiefest at 10

  Michael Fox
  Feb 7, 2008

  Way back in 1998, Jeff Ross founded the San Francisco Independent Film Festival to showcase iconoclastic, grassroots moviemakers locked out of the standard channels of distribution. As the 10th SF Indiefest kicks off tonight, Ross and his rotating cast of programmers remain as idealistic as ever, but the indie landscape has largely changed for the worse.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SF Indiefest Opening Night: Riding "Shotgun" With Jeff Nichols

  Eve O'Neill
  Feb 6, 2008

  The first-time filmmaker managed to build, for under half a million dollars, a relatable story and characters with substance rarely seen in mainstream film.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: "Taxi to the Dark Side"

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 5, 2008

  Praise any god you like for Alex Gibney, who has quietly risen from stellar PBS series to a run of exceptional theatrical-release docs.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Cristian Mungiu's 24 Hours of "4 Months, 3 Weeks"

  Howard Feinstein/indieWIRE
  Feb 4, 2008

  The Romanian film takes place over 24 hours in a provincial town in 1987 before Ceaucescu was deposed.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "The Medieval Remake" at the PFA

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 31, 2008

  A five-week series features an assortment of some of the less commercially-minded, artistically imaginative, philosophically thoughtful treatments the era has gotten.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Location Scouting at Sundance

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 30, 2008

  Susan Gerhard reflects on Sundance's program with particular attention to sense of place.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Paradjanov and Godard on DVD

  Michael Fox
  Jan 29, 2008

  Michael Fox reviews the release of a Sergei Paradjanov DVD boxed set and the arrival of a Jean-Luc Godard box spotlighting his underrated mid-'80s work.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Alan K. Rode on Noir and Charles McGraw

  Michael Fox
  Jan 28, 2008

  Alan K. Rode, a cofounder of the Film Noir Foundation, sang the praises of San Francisco movie audiences on the horn from L.A., then got down to brass tacks.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Alan K. Rode on Noir and Charles McGraw

  Michael Fox
  Jan 28, 2008

  Alan K. Rode, a cofounder of the Film Noir Foundation, sang the praises of San Francisco movie audiences on the horn from L.A., then got down to brass tacks.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Noir City 2008

  Max Goldberg
  Jan 24, 2008

  Noir City 6 offers a spread of special guests, rare titles, and newly struck prints across ten nights of double-features.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Amanda Micheli Going for La Corona

  Sean Uyehara
  Jan 23, 2008

  A reprinting of an interview with Amanda Micheli because her film, now playing Sundance, has just made the final cut for an Academy Award.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Peter Galison, "Secrecy," and Sundance

  indieWIRE
  Jan 22, 2008

  Galison, whose film is competing at Sundance '08, answers questions about the world of hidden national security policy.

  
• 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
  
  

  Gail Silva's Sundance Primer

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 14, 2008

  As filmmakers, fans, and skiers get zipped up to head off to Parka City for the annual Sundance Festival this week, SF360.org checked in with Gail Silva.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF-Based Distributor Viz Pictures

  Erika Young
  Jan 9, 2008

  The live-action film division of Viz Media has just marked its second year of bringing a broader range of Japanese film to the growing audience for Japanese pop culture.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'Be Kind Rewind' Brings Michel Gondry to SF

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 7, 2008

  Susan Gerhard enjoys an hour or so inside the wilds of Gondry's brain at the Apple Store, SF.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SFMOMA's Emile de Antonio Series

  B. Ruby Rich
  Jan 3, 2008

  As this retrospective makes clear, de Antonio's documentaries are a different species entirely from the kind of celebrity-driven, headline chasing theatricals now in favor.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bollyhood, a Concept, a Cafe

  Laura Irvine
  Dec 19, 2007

  Ivan Jaigirdar's joint offers a screen filled with Bollywood eye candy, plates filled with South Asian food, and drinks to warm both.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Walk Hard"; "Charlie Wilson's War"

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 18, 2007

  Judd Apatow has come to so dominate American comedy that I often find myself thinking, "If only this movie had been written by Apatow..."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Starting Out in the Evening" With Andrew Wagner

  indieWIRE
  Dec 17, 2007

  The Sundance feature follows a 70-year-old novelist trying to complete the book he's been working on for the last 10 years.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Starting Out in the Evening" With Andrew Wagner

  indieWIRE
  Dec 17, 2007

  The Sundance feature follows a 70-year-old novelist trying to complete the book he's been working on for the last 10 years.

  
• 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
  
  

  Five Great Skate Features

  Justin Juul
  Dec 7, 2007

  In honor of Gus Van Sant's new film, 'Paranoid Park,' five skate films that matter to the skate junkie, and three honorable mentions.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Christopher Coppola Wants You

  Robert Avila
  Dec 6, 2007

  Somewhere between iPhone and YouTube there’s a wee festival known as miniPAH. A more slender version of PAH-FEST, the touring weeklong digital film festival founded a year and a half ago by filmmaker Christopher Coppola, “miniPAH: San Francisco” happens this weekend at Coppola’s alma mater, San Francisco Art Institute, ahead of a full-fledged Bay Area PAH sometime next year.

  
• 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.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Review: "Diva"

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 4, 2007

  How does Jean-Jacques Beineix's breakthrough hold up a quarter-century later, duly remastered and freshly subtitle-translated?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jesse Hawthorne Ficks's Midnight Movie Empire

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 3, 2007

  Midnites for Maniacs unearths populist yet esoteric genre and exploitation flicks that have mostly disappeared into the netherworld of discarded VHS rental tapes.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jesse Hawthorne Ficks's Midnight Movie Empire

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 3, 2007

  Midnites for Maniacs unearths populist yet esoteric genre and exploitation flicks that have mostly disappeared into the netherworld of discarded VHS rental tapes.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'Her Name is Sabine' With SF360 Movie Night

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 29, 2007

  The entire Bay Area is invited to watch a film simultaneously in the comfort of home, and the selection is a delicate and heartfelt depiction of the director's autistic sister.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Hannah Takes the Stairs"

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 27, 2007

  A perfect example of the emerging genre of improv-based, digitally shot, minimally budgeted seriocomedies about twentysomethings stumbling through, you know, relationship stuff.

  
• 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.

  
• 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
  
  

  The Many Faces of Dylan

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 21, 2007

  Todd Haynes' I'm Not There both replicates and examines the hazy landscape of fact, fiction, art and myth comprising Dylanology.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Reverend Billy on Missionary Mall Work

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 19, 2007

  The documentary What Would Jesus Buy? makes bad news go down easy, thanks largely to its "star," Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Reverend Billy on Missionary Mall Work

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 19, 2007

  The documentary What Would Jesus Buy? makes bad news go down easy, thanks largely to its "star," Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Redacted"

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 13, 2007

  Sometimes even presumably good intentions can warp into artistic misdeeds most foul.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Second S.F. International Animation Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 12, 2007

  The S.F. International Animation Festival experienced a major bounce, with a number of sold-out shows in its venue at the Embarcadero Center Cinema.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Herzog, Docs, and Truth at AFI Fest

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Nov 12, 2007

  Herzog's remarks challenged the audience to reconsider its views on non-fiction film at AFI Fest.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Sean Uyehara Talks S.F. International Animation Festival

  Eve O'Neil
  Nov 7, 2007

  SFFS programmer Sean Uyehara gives some perspective on the shifting dimensions of animated filmmaking.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Sean Uyehara Talks S.F. International Animation Festival

  Eve O'Neil
  Nov 7, 2007

  SFFS programmer Sean Uyehara gives some perspective on the shifting dimensions of animated filmmaking.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Connie Field, from Berkeley to Johannesburg

  Robert Avila
  Nov 5, 2007

  The filmmaker talks about her recent projects, including Salud!, which looks at Cuba's world-class health system.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Connie Field, from Berkeley to Johannesburg

  Robert Avila
  Nov 5, 2007

  The filmmaker talks about her recent projects, including Salud!, which looks at Cuba's world-class health system.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Jumping the Shark

  Doug Young
  Nov 2, 2007

  The 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The 32nd American Indian Film Festival

  Eve O'Neill
  Nov 1, 2007

  This festival is home to an array of talent that promotes Indians in roles other than that of Indians, in movies other than westerns.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Mister Jalopy's Urban Guerrilla Movie House

  Erika Young
  Oct 31, 2007

  Make: magazine gives tons of fascinating advice on how to do everything from turn two lengths of sewer pipe into a lens focuser to the proper way to mount a heat shield.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Aaron Woolf Seeding Doubt in "King Corn"

  Jonathan Marlow
  Oct 29, 2007

  Woolf shares insights drawn from his disparate experiences as a filmmaker in Peru, a fisherman in Alaska, and a restauranteur in New York.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Aaron Woolf Seeding Doubt in "King Corn"

  Jonathan Marlow
  Oct 29, 2007

  Woolf shares insights drawn from his disparate experiences as a filmmaker in Peru, a fisherman in Alaska, and a restauranteur in New York.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  MobMov and the New-School Drive-In Movie

  Erika Young
  Oct 24, 2007

  MobMov combines the four-wheeled charm of an old-time drive-in with the technologist's urge to pimp his or her ride into a rolling film-projection booth.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Shooting People's Ingrid Kopp

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 22, 2007

  Kopp's organization is helping filmmakers collaborate by accessing virtual communities, facilitating live gatherings, expanding into book publishing, and more.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Shooting People's Ingrid Kopp

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 22, 2007

  Kopp's organization is helping filmmakers collaborate by accessing virtual communities, facilitating live gatherings, expanding into book publishing, and more.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Robert Arnold, in "The Key of G"

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 19, 2007

  We spoke with the filmmaker about his own intersections with his award-winning film on a young man with Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Robert Arnold, in "The Key of G"

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 19, 2007

  We spoke with the filmmaker about his own intersections with his award-winning film on a young man with Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Film Festival 30

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 15, 2007

  Mill Valley retains its genuinely alterna-vibe and local (rather than professional outta-towner) audience after 30 years.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Joseph Cornell at SFMOMA

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 11, 2007

  Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination comes to San Francisco for the first major west-coast exhibition of the artist's work in 40 years.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jamie Meltzer on "Welcome to Nollywood"

  Michael Fox
  Oct 8, 2007

  Jamie Meltzer talks about his new film on Nigeria, where the digital revolution enables entrepreneurs to churn out movies quickly and inexpensively.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jamie Meltzer on "Welcome to Nollywood"

  Michael Fox
  Oct 8, 2007

  Jamie Meltzer talks about his new film on Nigeria, where the digital revolution enables entrepreneurs to churn out movies quickly and inexpensively.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nine Questions for Rob Nilsson

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 5, 2007

  SF360.org caught up with the filmmaker, who has been extraordinarily prolific since abandoning celluloid for the lighter, cheaper, more flexible digital realm.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nine Questions for Rob Nilsson

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 5, 2007

  SF360.org caught up with the filmmaker, who has been extraordinarily prolific since abandoning celluloid for the lighter, cheaper, more flexible digital realm.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Anywhere Road's Robert Ogden Barnum

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 1, 2007

  SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Anywhere Road's Robert Ogden Barnum

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 1, 2007

  SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ariella Ben-Dov, Madcat Mastermind

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 24, 2007

  As the Madcat Women's International Film Festival heads into its final stretch this coming week in San Francisco, SF360.org felt it was important to catch up with its chief curator, Ariella Ben-Dov.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Tomo Uchida at the PFA

  Matt Sussman
  Sep 19, 2007

  Does Tomo Uchida, whose retrospective is currently at the PFA, merit the same sort of reverent revival treatment that has been given many times over to other Japanese filmmakers of his generation?

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Five from Madcat

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 14, 2007

  Here are a few quick takes on programs that look particularly worthwhile at Madcat.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  George Kuchar, Neither Boil nor Blister

  Michael Fox
  Sep 13, 2007

  Michael Fox interviews director and Mission District icon George Kuchar

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Lucy Gray's Telluride

  Lucy Gray's
  Sep 12, 2007

  Lucy Gray reports from the 35th Telluride Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Finn Taylor on Natural Selection and "The Darwin Awards"

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 10, 2007

  SF360.org spoke with director Finn Taylor about ÔThe Darwin Awards' and all the films he's directed in a Bay Area that's offered him years of inspiration.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  SOFA, so good? "Straight outta Film Arts" (SOFA) shines a light on youth filmmaking

  Matt Sussman
  Sep 6, 2007

  Matt Sussman looks at the final products of the talented young directors in TILT's Summer Film Camp showcase (screening as part of of Straight Outta Film Arts program at YBCA).

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Telluride in Transition

  Michael Fox
  Aug 29, 2007

  An intimate four-day buffet of tributes, premieres, restorations, and revivals laid out in the Colorado mountains, Telluride is an oasis for film lovers.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Off the Lot With Mateen Kemet

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 28, 2007

  SF360.org caught up with the Oakland director, who was one of seven finalists on the Fox reality show On the Lot.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Off the Lot With Mateen Kemet

  Matt Sussman
  Aug 28, 2007

  SF360.org caught up with the Oakland director, who was one of seven finalists on the Fox reality show On the Lot.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy

  Michael Fox
  Aug 24, 2007

  Delpy, who studied film at NYU in the early '90s, spoke fluent, rapid-fire English during a late-July visit to San Francisco.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "2 Days in Paris" with Julie Delpy

  Michael Fox
  Aug 24, 2007

  Delpy, who studied film at NYU in the early '90s, spoke fluent, rapid-fire English during a late-July visit to San Francisco.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Peaches Christ Superstar

  Claire Faggioli
  Aug 22, 2007

  A conversation with Joshua Grannel, a.k.a. Peaches Christ, founder and host of camp/cult-fest extravaganza Midnight Mass.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "The King of Kong;" "2 Days in Paris"

  Dennis Harvey; Kristi Mitsuda
  Aug 21, 2007

  SF360.org reviews a masterpiece of train-wreck voyeurism and "Sunset" stripped.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Coffy" and Other Tales of Female Revenge

  Claire Faggioli
  Aug 17, 2007

  The List: While one might take comfort that the following list lies isolated in the filmic realm, do play it safe: don't piss off the ladies in your life.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Crossing the Line" and "Death at a Funeral"

  Dennis Harvey and Kristi Mitsuda
  Aug 14, 2007

  One film takes us from the American South to the Korean North, another to Frank Oz's last gasp.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Irina Leimbacher and Konrad Steiner on "kino21"

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 13, 2007

  The co-programmers discuss their newest endeavor, though those already from the Bay Area will be familiar with their work at S.F. Cinematheque.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Irina Leimbacher and Konrad Steiner on "kino21"

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 13, 2007

  The co-programmers discuss their newest endeavor, though those already from the Bay Area will be familiar with their work at S.F. Cinematheque.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Arctic Tale" and the Melting of Hearts

  Claire Faggioli
  Aug 10, 2007

  In this film, those creatures of the polar region, who've long been ready for their closeup, carry the global warming message on their so very cute backs.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jeffrey Blitz and Reece Thompson on "Rocket Science"

  Michael Guillen
  Aug 8, 2007

  A conversation with the Oscar-nominated Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) on his new feature, which screened at the S.F. International Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jeffrey Blitz and Reece Thompson on "Rocket Science"

  Michael Guillen
  Aug 8, 2007

  A conversation with the Oscar-nominated Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) on his new feature, which screened at the S.F. International Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "This is England;" "Rocket Science"

  Dennis Harvey and Anthony Kaufman
  Aug 7, 2007

  SF360.org reviews Shane Meadows' finest directorial effort yet and an offbeat coming-of-age comic-drama.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bruce Fletcher, Dead Channels and the Living

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 6, 2007

  Fletcher explains what will hopefully be an annual event that encompasses all kinds of worldwide cult-skewing fun.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bruce Fletcher, Dead Channels and the Living

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 6, 2007

  Fletcher explains what will hopefully be an annual event that encompasses all kinds of worldwide cult-skewing fun.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Laurent Tirard on "Moliere"

  Erica Abeel/indieWIRE
  Aug 3, 2007

  Tirard takes an ingenious tack in conjuring the creative evolution of France's master of satiric comedy.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Mighty Wurlitzer Player

  Michael Guillen
  Aug 1, 2007

  SF360.org speaks with Edward Millington Stout, III, who is undoubtedly the world's foremost theatrical organ restorationist.

  
• 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
  
  

  Marc Huestis on the Runway

  Michael Guillen
  Jul 30, 2007

  SF360.org talks to Marc Huestis, who exhibits a playful flair to his showmanship, putting the "imp" back in impresario.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Marc Huestis on the Runway

  Michael Guillen
  Jul 30, 2007

  SF360.org talks to Marc Huestis, who exhibits a playful flair to his showmanship, putting the "imp" back in impresario.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Fabulous Fashion in Film

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 26, 2007

  Elegant screen sartorial highs and garishly campy lows alike will be well-represented in an eight-day series on fashion at the Castro.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Saul Bass, "Phase IV"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 25, 2007

  Few people not employed as directors, producers, cinematographers, costume or production designers have had as much impact on the "look" of movies.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Mateen Kemet, "On the Lot"

  Matt Sussman
  Jul 24, 2007

  While reality television may have reduced Warhol's 15 minutes to a 15 second sound byte, Kemet is setting his sights well beyond his time.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Shonali Bose on "Amu"

  indieWIRE
  Jul 23, 2007

  The '05 feature imagines a 21-year-old Indian American returning to India to visit her family and discover where she was born.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Shonali Bose on "Amu"

  indieWIRE
  Jul 23, 2007

  The '05 feature imagines a 21-year-old Indian American returning to India to visit her family and discover where she was born.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  In the ring with Jewish boxers at SFJFF

  Nancy Fishman
  Jul 19, 2007

  The List: San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is showing five great films that showcase the moxie and smart fighting style of Jewish boxers, both old and new.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Sunshine" on my shoulders

  Claire Faggioli
  Jul 18, 2007

  Sunshine tells the story of the eight astronauts aboard the ominously named "Icarus II," a vessel bound to kick-start the sun, Earth's last hope for survival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky on "Manufactured Landscapes"

  Glen Helfand
  Jul 16, 2007

  Manufactured Landscapes, the film, extends photographer Edward Burtynsky's vision into a new medium, the documentary, and engages a dialog about global capitalism's impact on Earth.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky on "Manufactured Landscapes"

  Glen Helfand
  Jul 16, 2007

  Manufactured Landscapes, the film, extends photographer Edward Burtynsky's vision into a new medium, the documentary, and engages a dialog about global capitalism's impact on Earth.

  
• 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."

  
• 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."

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox;" "Ten Canoes"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 10, 2007

  Reviews: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox and Ten Canoes

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stacey Wisnia, talking silent pictures

  Sean Uyehara
  Jul 9, 2007

  Stacey Wisnia has been a vibrant fixture in the San Francisco film scene for years and has became the Executive Director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival,

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stacey Wisnia, talking silent pictures

  Sean Uyehara
  Jul 9, 2007

  Stacey Wisnia has been a vibrant fixture in the San Francisco film scene for years and has became the Executive Director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival,

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Parker Posey's return in "Broken English"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 5, 2007

  Parker Posey: one more-than-worthies in an often less-than-worthy medium. It's particularly exciting when they get a rare expansive part in a good movie.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  International Stories Find Audiences at L.A. Film Fest

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Jul 3, 2007

  "People in this town are coming to realize that Los Angeles needs a world-class film festival," proclaimed Rich Raddon, who's led LAFF since 1999.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jasmine Dellal on her "Gypsy Caravan"

  Michael Fox
  Jul 2, 2007

  Jasmine Dellal's affinity for Roma (or Gypsy) and new film, Gypsy Caravan is a spectacular portrait of five top-drawer Roma acts.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Macbeths we have known

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 29, 2007

  List: While the following list may hold few such surprises, these adaptations are some of the most intensely unsettling (and most cinematically rich) re-stagings of Shakespeare's dark plays.

  
• 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
  
  

  "Lover Other"

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 26, 2007

  Review: startling portraits Claude Cahun, her half-sister and lover Marcel Moore took of themselves and each other dressed in a variety of personas, costumes and genders in Lover Other.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Andrea Sperling, powering up

  Claire Faggioli
  Jun 24, 2007

  Sperling's Itty Bitty Titty Committee closes the SF International LGBT Film Festival, at which Sperling—17 films strong—receives the Frameline Award.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Andrea Sperling, powering up

  Claire Faggioli
  Jun 24, 2007

  Sperling's Itty Bitty Titty Committee closes the SF International LGBT Film Festival, at which Sperling—17 films strong—receives the Frameline Award.

  
• 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
  
  

  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
  
  

  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.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Movies and Martinis, A Movement

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 15, 2007

  For some movies, Sprite and popcorn aren't enough. You need gin and vodka and a room of unruly bodies shouting when they're not supposed to,

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline31

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 14, 2007

  Now past its third-decade anniversary, SFILGBTFF — the producing organization keeps trying to change its public-recognition name to something more manageable, which this annum would be Frameline31 — now has filmmakers and distributors banging on its door.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Jackson Hole Film Festival

  Ben Friedland
  Jun 13, 2007

  Strangely enough, perhaps the most compelling reason to attend the Jackson Hole fest is precisely the reason not to see a film: Jackson Hole itself.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Brand Upon the Brain!", "Golden Door"

  Matt Sussman
  Jun 12, 2007

  Brand is no short supply of Guy Maddin's usual firecrackers: apostrophe, hyperbole, and of course, catastrophe.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Lumpkin and Morris on Frameline's Big Picture

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 11, 2007

  Frameline directors Michael Lumpkin and Jennifer Morris speak about the programming, controversy and the landscape of LGBT films.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Lumpkin and Morris on Frameline's Big Picture

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 11, 2007

  Frameline directors Michael Lumpkin and Jennifer Morris speak about the programming, controversy and the landscape of LGBT films.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Strandful at Frameline31

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 8, 2007

  Strand Releasing can always be relied upon for some of the best art films and queer indies, and it has a strong festival presence,

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Strandful at Frameline31

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 8, 2007

  Strand Releasing can always be relied upon for some of the best art films and queer indies, and it has a strong festival presence,

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dennis Nyback and "Bad Bugs Bunny"

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 6, 2007

  "SF Indiefest: Gets Animated," piggybacking on the 4th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, co-presents an animation program with the popular archivist.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "La Vie en Rose;" "Crazy Love"

  Steve Ramos
  Jun 5, 2007

  Despite the best efforts of method actors, methodical directors, and talented costume designers, biopics can usually be relied upon to disappoint.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dan Klores and "Crazy Love"

  indieWIRE
  Jun 4, 2007

  Industy vets will identify Klores with his PR firm, but he's also produced and directed TV docs and Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Once" Again -- A Date With Carney, Hansard, and Irglova

  Michael Guillen
  Jun 1, 2007

  Walking in to interview John Carney and actors/musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the frenetic edge to their on-the-road exhaustion is apparent.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Fred Astaire, "Also Dances..."

  Dennis Harvey
  May 31, 2007

  SFMOMA offers plenty of chances to appreciate Astaire's feather-light charm this month in Also Dances: The Films of Fred Astaire.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "The Prodigy," The Roxie, Delirium, God

  Michael Guillen
  May 30, 2007

  San Franciscans have a poignant symbiotic relationship with William Kaufman's freshman feature, The Prodigy, which returns to the city this week.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Bamako" and "Angel-A"

  Robert Avila
  May 29, 2007

  A masterful stroke by writer-director Abderrahmane Sissako; Luc Besson returns to American theaters after a nearly decade-long absence.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Liane Yasumoto and Superfest International Disability Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  May 27, 2007

  A week before the 27th festival, SF360.org spoke with the executive director on what Superfest gets about disability that the rest of the filmmaking world doesn't.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Liane Yasumoto and Superfest International Disability Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  May 27, 2007

  A week before the 27th festival, SF360.org spoke with the executive director on what Superfest gets about disability that the rest of the filmmaking world doesn't.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Guillen's Top Five from Another Hole in the Head

  Michael Guillen
  May 25, 2007

  Five recommendations chosen from among the gore, ghouls, ghosts, gags, and animation at Indiefest's Holehead festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  2007 Mendocino Film Festival

  Robert Avila
  May 24, 2007

  The four-day festival offered over 100 films, with an emphasis on documentaries, and attracted some 60 filmmakers, including Albert Maysles.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline Announces 31st Program

  Susan Gerhard
  May 23, 2007

  The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival lineup includes several world premieres and international features from Korea, Argentina, and Cuba.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline Announces 31st Program

  Susan Gerhard
  May 23, 2007

  The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival lineup includes several world premieres and international features from Korea, Argentina, and Cuba.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Meet the Jury/A Palme d'Or 20

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  May 18, 2007

  No sooner does the Festival de Cannes open than attendees start buzzing about the potential award-winners.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline, Scalped

  Laura Irvine
  May 16, 2007

  Jeff Iorillo on the fourth festival trailer that he's written and directed for the S.F. International LGBT Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hal Hartley, Not So simple

  Robert Avila
  May 13, 2007

  Changes in Hal Hartley's geography and work styles have put distance between his early films and also given the director a chance to experiment with form.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hal Hartley, Not So simple

  Robert Avila
  May 13, 2007

  Changes in Hal Hartley's geography and work styles have put distance between his early films and also given the director a chance to experiment with form.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Golden Gate Award to "The Key of G"

  Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
  May 10, 2007

  Mexican director Francisco Vargas Quevedo’s "The Violin" (El violin) won the San Francisco International Film Festival’s Skyy Prize, while Israeli duo Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat’s "Souvenirs" took best documentary feature (West Coast premiere), capping the Golden Gate Awards ceremony Wednesday evening for the festival’s landmark 50th edition.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Live from Fog City

  Dennis Harvey
  May 9, 2007

  While the SF International Film Festival has always had celebrity guests, the 50th edition featured a particular concentration of unique one-offs.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SFIFF50, Diving In

  Johnny Ray Huston
  May 8, 2007

  The 50th annual SF International Film Festival is as good a time to put forth an argument. Here’s one: The most compelling movie stars of the current era are athletes, and the most dynamic 21st-century cinema is sports cinema.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hal Hartley, Not So Simple: Part II

  Robert Avila
  May 7, 2007

  The Unbelievable Truth helped jumpstart the independent film movement in the U.S. in 1989, followed by eight more Hartley features in the next decade.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Hal Hartley, Not So Simple: Part II

  Robert Avila
  May 7, 2007

  The Unbelievable Truth helped jumpstart the independent film movement in the U.S. in 1989, followed by eight more Hartley features in the next decade.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Film Society Awards Night

  Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
  May 4, 2007

  If the Bay Area oozed self-regard last night, it couldn't exactly be blamed.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Picturing Politics at SFIFF50

  Robert Avila
  May 1, 2007

  A shot in Wonders Are Many makes visual reference to Guernica as shorthand for art's charge to speak for the voiceless.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Daniel Wu, Heavenly King

  Jennifer Young
  Apr 30, 2007

  Daniel Wu and fictitious boy band Alive from his directorial debut The Heavenly Kings on Cantpop, the Bay Area, and Hong Kong film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Daniel Wu, Heavenly King

  Jennifer Young
  Apr 30, 2007

  Daniel Wu and fictitious boy band Alive from his directorial debut The Heavenly Kings on Cantpop, the Bay Area, and Hong Kong film.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  SF360 Film Culture Confidential: Shhhhhh....

  Staff
  Apr 28, 2007

  How did Kink.com make it to the Mission? How did Straight Outta Hunters Point get out of Hunters Point? How'd the Roxie get saved?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Rob Nilsson 10

  Staff
  Apr 27, 2007

  The List: An Amerindie helmer well before the term was invented, Nilsson names 10 films which deeply affected him.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Kerry Laitala and Her New "Muse"

  Katherin McInnis
  Apr 25, 2007

  The artist's filmsÑsensual, intricate, tactileÑare a magical combination of optical artistry, snippets of forgotten films, and bits of lace, tape, and glitter.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Kerry Laitala and Her New "Muse"

  Katherin McInnis
  Apr 25, 2007

  The artist's filmsÑsensual, intricate, tactileÑare a magical combination of optical artistry, snippets of forgotten films, and bits of lace, tape, and glitter.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Festival, a Half Century

  B. Ruby Rich
  Apr 24, 2007

  Is there anyone who doesn't know that the San Francisco International Film Festival is turning 50 this month?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jon Else On Acts of Creation

  Michael Fox
  Apr 23, 2007

  Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic blends World War II history with composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars’ staging of a new opera on the subject.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Uyehara Hits High Notes on Music of SFIFF50

  Sean Uyehara
  Apr 20, 2007

  Thinking about the upcoming SFIFF, music may not be the first thing that pops into your head. It may not even be the second.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Dead Channels : The San Francisco Festival of Fantastic Film

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 19, 2007

  Taste a bit of the vintage grindhouse experience at the last of Dead Channels' Month of Sleazy Sundays triple bill of under-the-radar movies.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Remembering Jim Lyons: 1960 - 2007

  Staff
  Apr 18, 2007

  The editor and actor, known for his frequent work with Todd Haynes, died in New York. His friends share their thoughts.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Remembering Jim Lyons: 1960 - 2007

  Staff
  Apr 18, 2007

  The editor and actor, known for his frequent work with Todd Haynes, died in New York. His friends share their thoughts.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: 'Comedy of Power'

  Robert Avila
  Apr 17, 2007

  in Claude Chabrol's latest film, Isabelle Huppert plays a judge plunging headlong into a dangerous investigation of french corruption and gender dynamics.

  
• 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.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Sonoma Valley Film Festival

  Staff
  Apr 12, 2007

  At many larger fests, daily life is less a stroll in the park than a pentathalon. The SVFF is all about the good life.

  
• 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.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  S.F. International Announces Lineup for 50th

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 4, 2007

  The festival kicks off with Emanuele Crialese's Golden Door and closes with Olivier Dahan's Edith Piaf biopic, La vie en rose.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Police Beat"; "The Page Turner"

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 3, 2007

  It's taken over two years for Police Beat to go from one of the most praised films at Sundance to a theatre near you.

  
• 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.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Grace Lee on the Zombie in You and Me

  Miljenko Skoknic
  Mar 23, 2007

  Director Grace Lee talks about the personal horror movie genre in American Zombie and the ethical dilemmas documentary filmmakers face.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Favorite Artists at the SFIAAFF

  Jennifer Young
  Mar 21, 2007

  SF360.org checked in with actors and filmmakers roaming this year's festival to give props to their favorite Asian American artist, past or present.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Video-Diary Pioneer Spencer Nakasako

  Michael Fox
  Mar 17, 2007

  Spencer Nakasako gets the credit for starting the still-cresting wave of first-person camcorder documentaries back in 1995, but he claims it was largely an accident.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Video-Diary Pioneer Spencer Nakasako

  Michael Fox
  Mar 17, 2007

  Spencer Nakasako gets the credit for starting the still-cresting wave of first-person camcorder documentaries back in 1995, but he claims it was largely an accident.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Black Snake Moan"; "Cinemachismo"

  Michael Guillen
  Feb 27, 2007

  risks ridiculousness in chasing down unpolished redemption, while de la Mora delivers essential reading in Mexican film, gender studies, and theories of queer spectatorship.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Black Snake Moan"; "Cinemachismo"

  Michael Guillen
  Feb 27, 2007

  risks ridiculousness in chasing down unpolished redemption, while de la Mora delivers essential reading in Mexican film, gender studies, and theories of queer spectatorship.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  'The Departed' Wins Best Picture, Scorsese Best Director at 79th Oscars

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Feb 26, 2007

  When all was said and done in Los Angeles tonight, The Departed was the big winner at the 79th Academy Awards.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Royal Family

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 21, 2007

  It's a big week for Peter Morgan, partly because the SFFS announced he'll receive the Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting at the 50th SFIFF.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reviews: "Family Law"; "Amazing Grace"

  Michael Fox
  Feb 20, 2007

  Daniel Burman's smartest play was casting Daniel Hendler as his onscreen alter ego. Michael Apted's worthy Grace, reminds that period pieces make effective message movies.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Rory Kennedy and 'The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib'

  Michael Fox
  Feb 19, 2007

  Filmmaker Rory Kennedy talks about her process and approach with making her new chilling documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Film Arts Foundation's 'Bay Area Film Festivals'

  Michael Read
  Feb 16, 2007

  Boasting dozens upon dozens of homegrown events anchored by the country's most visible festivals, San Francisco has evolved into the quintessential festival town.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Alternative Visions" at the PFA

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Feb 15, 2007

  The Pacific Film Archive's standing as a cinema-centric educational institution brings the avant-garde into conversation with a broad program of film history.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Alternative Visions" at the PFA

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Feb 15, 2007

  The Pacific Film Archive's standing as a cinema-centric educational institution brings the avant-garde into conversation with a broad program of film history.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Iraq in Fragments, "The Lives of Others"

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 13, 2007

  James Longley's Fragments stands out amongst the crowded field of Iraqumentaries, while Others pulls back the Iron Curtain to powerful effect.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Von Donnersmarck's Oscar-nominated "The Lives of Others"

  Miljenko Skoknic
  Feb 12, 2007

  Von Donnersmarck talks about his Lola-winning and Oscar-nominated debut during a visit to San Francisco.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Red Vic Movie House's Top 5

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 9, 2007

  We asked the collectively owned and operated theater to come up with a list of their five favorite screenings over the years.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The Other Side of Indie at SF Indiefest's 9th

  Max Goldberg
  Feb 8, 2007

  The alarm has been sounding for some time now that "indie" doesn't mean what it used to. Jeff Ross simply ignores the cranky clamor.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The Eye Candy of 'Tears of the Black Tiger'

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 6, 2007

  Tears of the Black Tiger is Thai eye candy, an exercise pastiche where color just about leaps off the screen, and a star-crossed love story.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Seraphim Falls': Myth in the Western Canon

  Dennis Harvey
  Feb 6, 2007

  The new western isn't really about violence, it's about Myth, in a symbolic, sort of Old Testament-meets-Sergio Leone way.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Cheryl Eddy, Behind the New "SF360 Movie Scene"

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 5, 2007

  The latest launch under the SF Film Society's SF360 banner premieres this week on ComcastSF, Channel 11.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  15 Minutes of YouTube

  Justin Juul
  Feb 2, 2007

  The List: A collection of individuals who caught my eye in an intense week of YouTube scouring. Most have gotten upwards of one million views.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Key Events of 50th SFIFF Announced at Sundance

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 23, 2007

  Highlights of the upcoming festival were presented by the San Francisco Film Society Executive Director.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Lynn Hershman Leeson and "Strange Culture"

  Susan Gerhard
  Jan 22, 2007

  Inteview with the artist and filmmaker on her work and her latest movie, presented at Sundance.

  
• 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

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "The Lubitsch Touch"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jan 18, 2007

  The Pacific Film Archive retrospective on Ernst Lubitsch encompasses 21 features, including many seldom-seen silent movies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Samoan Wedding"; "Romantico"

  Robert Avila
  Jan 16, 2007

  A delightfully funny movie on boy-men redeeming themselves from New Zealand, and Mark Becker's absorbing documentary on a musician in the Mission. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Mark Becker's Mission-Inspired "Romantico"

  indieWIRE
  Jan 15, 2007

  Hailed as one of the best films of 2005 without distribution, Becker's doc hits theaters nearly two years after it debuted at Sundance.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  A Chilean Top Four

  Miljenko Skoknic
  Jan 12, 2007

  Miljenko Skoknic's list of favorites in Chilean Cinema.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  2006, The Remix

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 27, 2006

  SF360.org ended the year the way we started it--asking enormous favors from some of our favorite filmmakers: Caveh Zahedi, Sam Green, and Danny Plotnick.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  2006, The Remix

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 27, 2006

  SF360.org ended the year the way we started it--asking enormous favors from some of our favorite filmmakers: Caveh Zahedi, Sam Green, and Danny Plotnick.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  James Broughton, and a DVD Eden

  Robert Avila
  Dec 20, 2006

  The product of a true cinematic innovator and gloriously individual poet, Broughton's film work remains much too idiosyncratic to be deconstructed,

  
• Reviews
  
  

  James Broughton, and a DVD Eden

  Robert Avila
  Dec 20, 2006

  The product of a true cinematic innovator and gloriously individual poet, Broughton's film work remains much too idiosyncratic to be deconstructed,

  
• Reviews
  
  

  I, Spy

  Dennis Harvey
  Dec 19, 2006

  Spies are frequent movie characters, in part because we know so little about them. Nonetheless, The Good Shepherd is an unusual Hollywood project.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  James T. Hong on Heidegger, Hitler, and His New Film

  Cheryl Eddy
  Dec 18, 2006

  San Francisco artist James T. Hong is currently working on a documentary, tentatively titled New History Zero, which explores his interest in revisionist World War II history.

  
• 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
  
  

  Written and Directed by Preston Sturges

  Max Goldberg
  Dec 13, 2006

  It would not seem to bode well for the stewardship of studio classics that Preston Sturges's indomitable comedies have been so slow to DVD.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SF Film Critics Circle Announces Awards

  Susan Gerhard
  Dec 12, 2006

  The group chose ;Little Children as its Best Picture of 2006 and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth the Best Foreign Language Film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Frank Lee on 4 Star Theatre's Second Life

  Laura Irvine and Jennifer Young
  Dec 11, 2006

  Last week, theater operators Frank and Lida Lee won the battle to save the 4 Star, and announced they'd purchased the building.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Radical Closure" at the PFA

  Robert Avila
  Dec 7, 2006

  This series of cinematic responses to war, curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari, opens up possibilities for re-imagining the dehumanized landscape of violence.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Radical Closure" at the PFA

  Robert Avila
  Dec 7, 2006

  This series of cinematic responses to war, curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari, opens up possibilities for re-imagining the dehumanized landscape of violence.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Nathaniel Dorsky's Secret World

  Michael Fox
  Dec 5, 2006

  Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Nathaniel Dorsky's Secret World

  Michael Fox
  Dec 5, 2006

  Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Man Push Cart" Director's New York-by-Way-of-Pakistan Story

  Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
  Dec 4, 2006

  Ramin Bahrani's debut feature follows a solitary, quiet immigrant struggling to make a go of it in New York City.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Man Push Cart" Director's New York-by-Way-of-Pakistan Story

  Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
  Dec 4, 2006

  Ramin Bahrani's debut feature follows a solitary, quiet immigrant struggling to make a go of it in New York City.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Otto Motives, A Preminger Perspective

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 30, 2006

  The director, producer and sometime actor enjoyed a painless ride from well-off circumstances to well-connected beginnings to one of Hollywood's biggest names for decades.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Music Videos At the Museum

  Max Goldberg
  Nov 29, 2006

  MTV's boat has long since sailed, but music videos are as ubiquitous on YouTube and Myspace as YBCA brings music videos to its downstairs gallery.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Word From Our Sponsored Films

  Max Goldberg
  Nov 28, 2006

  Collector and archivist Rick Prelinger puts on a show at the Other Cinema to celebrate his new book, A Field Guide to Sponsored Films.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Adrian Belic Goes 'Beyond the Call'

  Justin Juul
  Nov 27, 2006

  The filmmaker talks about tagging along with three renegade activists on their self-funded humanitarian excursions to war zones and disaster sites.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Robert Altman 1925-2006

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Nov 22, 2006

  One month ago today, the maverick filmmaker was at the Hamptons International Film Festival reflecting upon his career at a tribute in his honor.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Killing My Lobster Gets Krunk With Andrew Bancroft

  Sean Uyehara
  Nov 21, 2006

  Half of Illbilly Productions and 1/45th of Killing My Lobster, Bancroft has made claymation shorts and perhaps the quintessential rap video, Maximum Wage.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Killing My Lobster Gets Krunk With Andrew Bancroft

  Sean Uyehara
  Nov 21, 2006

  Half of Illbilly Productions and 1/45th of Killing My Lobster, Bancroft has made claymation shorts and perhaps the quintessential rap video, Maximum Wage.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  InDplay and The New Art of Film Distribution

  Justin Juul
  Nov 20, 2006

  The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  InDplay and The New Art of Film Distribution

  Justin Juul
  Nov 20, 2006

  The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Cinequest 35

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 17, 2006

  Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  KQED's Wild West in "Truly CA"

  Justin Juul
  Nov 16, 2006

  The weekly series is a platform for independent filmmakers in California, showcasing short and full-length documentaries about the state.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  50 Years of Janus Films

  Max Goldberg
  Nov 15, 2006

  It doesn't seem like a stretch to group Janus with those American institutions which have represented a vision of what art is and can be.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Second Look at 3rd I

  Jennifer Young
  Nov 14, 2006

  Three days, nine films, eight shorts, and endless bliss courtesy of last weekend's fourth annual 3rd I South Asian Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Cinema, New Italian Style

  Michael Fox
  Nov 9, 2006

  The relationship between intellectualism and passion, a distinctly Italian concern, propels the 2006 edition of New Italian Cinema.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Case Studies in Indie Distribution at Digimart

  Sean Uyehara
  Nov 8, 2006

  The resounding refrain at Digimart 2006 was that the traditional model of independent film and video distribution was dying.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Reopening "Pandora's Box"

  Dennis Harvey
  Nov 7, 2006

  By Dennis Harvey

  

  Many stars are forgotten for a while, then “rediscovered” and newly appreciated by a later generation. But the case of Louise Brooks is somewhat unique — she was, really, only a “star” in retrospect. Her Hollywood profile was headed that-a-way when she foolishly (according to the industry) abandoned it to make a couple European movies. When she returned, her moment had passed.

  

  A paltry if promising career and early dead-end-at the time, it constituted barely a blip on the radar. Yet those European films grew in stature over ensuing years, and with that the gradual realization that Brooks had been one of the great screen presences, however briefly. Her striking look — porcelain skin, alert features, sleek jet-black flapper bob — and naturalistic acting haven’t dated at all.

  

  As a result, it seems there’s more interest in her with each passing year. The latest evidence is critic and historian Peter Cowie’s new book “Louise Brooks: Lulu Forever,“ published in time to commemorate the centenary of her birth. He’ll be signing copies and presenting a special commemorative film program at the Balboa this Sunday. The evening promises a rarely screened feature, a short and trailers showcasing Brooks, as well as “special guests, door prizes and more.” (Cowie will also appear the prior night at the Smith Rafael Film Center to screen a new 35mm print of her best-known vehicle “Pandora’s Box.”)

  

  Why the fuss? Why, indeed, is there such a thing as The Louise Brooks Society (which is co-presenting this event with The Booksmith)? The explanation is all on-screen, in any role where she wasn’t entirely wasted.

  

  Kansas-born Brooks started out as a dancer, first in touring troupes and then in Broadway revues. This led to Hollywood in 1925, where bit parts led steadily to larger ones, finally female leads in two good 1928 Paramount releases: Howard Hawks’ rollicking “A Girl in Every Port” and William Wellman’s more delicate “Beggars of Life.”

  

  She hadn’t set the world on fire yet, but was certainly expected to graduate from starlet to star. Paramount was not pleased, however, when she chose — just as “talking pictures” were becoming the rage — to end her contract and accept a silent-film offer in Germany. This was G.W. Pabst’s “Pandora’s Box,” drawn from Franz Wedekind’s play “Lulu,” and with beguiling lack of affectation she played that titular seducer/destroyer of both men and women, herself finally destroyed by Jack the Ripper. Perhaps even better (if less shocking) than that famous classic was a second Pabst movie, “Diary of a Lost Girl,” in which her victimized innocent is indelibly touching. She also starred as an exploited beauty-contest winner in a French film, 1930’s “Prix de Beaute.” These are all wonderful movies in which she was superb. But for a long time they were little seen outside their home countries — particularly in the U.S., where silent cinema was already stone-cold-dead.

  

  Returning to Hollywood, Brooks was now — at age 24 — a has-been. She unwisely turned a couple good offers and accepted a handful of humiliatingly poor ones, including bit parts. Those few who remembered her considered her “difficult” and past expiration date. Her last movie role was a nondescript heroine in a nondescript 1938 “Z” western, “Overland Stage Raiders” — one of a zillion such that John Wayne starred in before becoming an “A”-list star.

  

  Found living in seclusion in the mid-‘50s, Brooks was surprised and delighted that latterday film buffs not only remembered but worshipped her. She returned the favor by writing very intelligently about her own movies and the art form in general (mostly famously in the essay collection “Lulu in Hollywood,” which is still in print). She admitted sabotaging her own career as readily as she enjoyed her new iconic status in retirement, dying at a no doubt satisfied age 80 in 1985 — secure in the knowledge that her legend would continue to grow.

  

  [“Pandora’s Box” plays Sat., Nov. 11, at 7 pm, Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 4th St., San Rafael. $6.25-9.50. (415) 454-1222. “Celebrating Louise Brooks: An Evening of Rare Films,” issues Sun., Nov. 12, at 7:30 pm, Balboa Theatre, 2630 Balboa, SF. $6-8.50. (415) 221-8184.]

  
• Q & A
  
  

  51 Birch Street, Revisited

  indieWIRE
  Nov 6, 2006

  Through a close examination of his own family, filmmaker Doug Block explores universal questions about our own mothers and fathers in 51 Birch Street.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  51 Birch Street, Revisited

  indieWIRE
  Nov 6, 2006

  Through a close examination of his own family, filmmaker Doug Block explores universal questions about our own mothers and fathers in 51 Birch Street.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Truman Capote , 1974

  Susan Gerhard
  Nov 1, 2006

  A visit to the 50th anniversary portion of San Francisco Film Society’s web site nets not just the real Truman Capote candidly essaying on life and the movies in a 1974 visit to the SF International Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Stanley Nelson on the Jonestown Tragedy

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 30, 2006

  The veteran documentary maker describes the making of Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Stand Up, Be Counted: Grassroots Docs Warn of Electronic Voting

  Jonny Leahan
  Oct 27, 2006

  With the midterm elections less than two weeks away, a crop of documentaries are collectively trying to get a message across that has largely been passed over by the mainstream media.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Crossing That Bridge

  Michael Fox
  Oct 24, 2006

  Eric Steel's disturbing, controversial documentary, The Bridge, focuses on people who end their lives at the famous landmark at the edge of the continent.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Crossing That Bridge

  Michael Fox
  Oct 24, 2006

  Eric Steel's disturbing, controversial documentary, The Bridge, focuses on people who end their lives at the famous landmark at the edge of the continent.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Amy Berg's "Deliver Us From Evil"

  indieWIRE
  Oct 23, 2006

  Segueing from network television news to documentary features, Amy Berg makes her debut with a shocking, powerful film about pedophile priest Oliver Grady.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Amy Berg's "Deliver Us From Evil"

  indieWIRE
  Oct 23, 2006

  Segueing from network television news to documentary features, Amy Berg makes her debut with a shocking, powerful film about pedophile priest Oliver Grady.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  A U.N. Ten

  Robert Avila
  Oct 20, 2006

  The List: Ten to catch at the 9th annual United Nations Association Film Festival October 25 through 29 at Stanford University in Palo Alto.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Things You May or May Not Know About Miranda July

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 19, 2006

  For close to a decade now, Miranda July has been exploring and often crossing the traditional boundaries between life and the movies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Things You May or May Not Know About Miranda July

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 19, 2006

  For close to a decade now, Miranda July has been exploring and often crossing the traditional boundaries between life and the movies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Found: 'Marie Antoinette' in Paris

  Max Goldberg
  Oct 18, 2006

  After weeks of Western Europe, what better way for the young cineaste to crash the City of Light than a trip to the silver screen?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Poetic Terrorism and Wholphin #2

  Sean Uyehara
  Oct 17, 2006

  When Brent Hoff was checking into a hotel for a film festival, the concierge thrust a business card into his hand, “Remember me next time you’re casting a film." So he asked the biggest directors he knows to cast the concierge in a series of short films.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Poetic Terrorism and Wholphin #2

  Sean Uyehara
  Oct 17, 2006

  When Brent Hoff was checking into a hotel for a film festival, the concierge thrust a business card into his hand, “Remember me next time you’re casting a film." So he asked the biggest directors he knows to cast the concierge in a series of short films.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Joseph McBride: All is Welles

  Michael Fox
  Oct 16, 2006

  Joseph McBride's What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of An Independent Career catalogs the director's amazingly prolific final 15 years.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "One Man Band," two Pixar geniuses, and "The Iron Giant" revisited

  Sean Uyehara
  Oct 13, 2006

  Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez co-wrote and co-directed the unexpected, surprisingly funny short about two musicians vying for a young girl's lone coin.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "One Man Band," two Pixar geniuses, and "The Iron Giant" revisited

  Sean Uyehara
  Oct 13, 2006

  Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez co-wrote and co-directed the unexpected, surprisingly funny short about two musicians vying for a young girl's lone coin.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International Animation Showcase

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 12, 2006

  San Francisco Film Society programming associate Sean Uyehara has pulled off a feat with the opening program for the first San Francisco International Animation Showcase.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International Animation Showcase

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 12, 2006

  San Francisco Film Society programming associate Sean Uyehara has pulled off a feat with the opening program for the first San Francisco International Animation Showcase.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Dog Day Afternoon in the Castro

  Laura Irvine and Jennifer Young
  Oct 11, 2006

  Crossdressers, canines, and Cruellas de Vil occupied the Castro theater last weekend as part of the first Canine Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  City Poet Bruce Baillie Returns

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 10, 2006

  When onlookers or bystanders disparagingly refer to experimental film as torturous or a bore, it’s a safe bet that they’ve never seen anything by Bruce Baillie.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  City Poet Bruce Baillie Returns

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Oct 10, 2006

  When onlookers or bystanders disparagingly refer to experimental film as torturous or a bore, it’s a safe bet that they’ve never seen anything by Bruce Baillie.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Roxie, The Vote

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 6, 2006

  The List: 25 Bay Area landmarks, including the Roxie and the Fox Oakland, are vying for $1 million in preservation grants from American Express.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Film Festival 2006

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 5, 2006

  By the youth-rhetoric standards of another era, this is the last year we can trust the Mill Valley Film Festival. Next year, it turns 30.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  A War Movie Lost to Time

  Dennis Harvey
  Oct 4, 2006

  Though it won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1975, Overlord is one of those movies that mostly slipped through the cracks.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Fighting for Freedom: Exploring Vachon's "Killer Life"

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Oct 3, 2006

  Killer Films' Christine Vachon's new memoir, A Killer Life (written with Austin Bunn), bolsters the producer as the driving force of independent film.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Fighting for Freedom: Exploring Vachon's "Killer Life"

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Oct 3, 2006

  Killer Films' Christine Vachon's new memoir, A Killer Life (written with Austin Bunn), bolsters the producer as the driving force of independent film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  John Cameron Mitchell's long "Shortbus" ride

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 2, 2006

  John Cameron Mitchell's latest film: A bright, sexually explicit ensemble piece featuring American friends and acquaintances who might have made good primetime TV.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  John Cameron Mitchell's long "Shortbus" ride

  Susan Gerhard
  Oct 2, 2006

  John Cameron Mitchell's latest film: A bright, sexually explicit ensemble piece featuring American friends and acquaintances who might have made good primetime TV.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Two Wheels, Five Films

  Justin Juul
  Sep 29, 2006

  People-powered transportation propels the movies in the 2006 Bicycle Film Fest.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Jack Stevenson's vault of vice

  Michael Fox
  Sep 28, 2006

  The expat archivist and writer makes his near-annual pilgrimage to San Francisco with a flurry of shows teeming with goodies from his personal collection.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  The "remake," re-made

  Michael Fox
  Sep 26, 2006

  Why do updates of Jerry Lewis flicks get more slack from critics than Zailian's "All the King's Men" and Demme's "The Manchurian Candidate?"

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ian Inaba on Stolen and Influenced Elections

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 25, 2006

  The real voter fraud is orchestrated under the radar, says the director of American Blackout.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Netflix 101, a Dispatch from IFP's Filmmaker Conference

  Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
  Sep 22, 2006

  A panel discussion yields insights into the presentÑand futureÑof indie distribution.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Global Lens 2006

  Michael Fox
  Sep 21, 2006

  The annual series of films from countries with less developed or out-of-favor national cinemas has several winners.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Another Other Cinema, Now on DVD

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Sep 20, 2006

  Craig Baldwin and Noel Lawrence bring their brand of smart, quirky, avant-garde and political programming into the home.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Opening "Red Doors" in Asian American Family

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 19, 2006

  Filmmaker Georgia Lee discusses her narrative feature with family member Frances Chang.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre on Border Life

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 18, 2006

  The Maquilapolis filmmakers talk about empowering their subjectsÑwomen factory workers in Tijuana.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Voting Protection-Related Sites

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 15, 2006

  The List: American Blackout director Ian Inaba names the top four Web sites.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Peter Whitehead's '60s

  Max Goldberg
  Sep 14, 2006

  The provocative documentary filmmaker is recalled with a retrospective at Yerba Buena Center For the Arts.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Mill Valley Film Festival 2006 Announcement

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 13, 2006

  Tributes to Helen Mirren and Tim Robbins highlight the 29th annual edition .

  
• Q & A
  
  

  MPAA in Sights of This Film Is Not Yet Rated

  Michael Fox
  Sep 12, 2006

  Filmmaker Kirby Dick talks about censorship, and discrimination against independent films.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Ariella Ben-Dov on View-Mastery and "Women's Work"

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 11, 2006

  The founder of the Madcat International Film Festival talks about the 2006 lineup.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Indie Distributors Strategize for Fall 2006 Releases

  Steven Rosen
  Sep 8, 2006

  Distributors of independent films reveal their strategies and assessment of the market heading into the all-important fall season.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Arab Film Festival 2006

  Robert Avila
  Sep 7, 2006

  Executive director Bashir Anastas discusses this year's lineup.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Telluride Film Festival 2006

  Hilary Hart
  Sep 5, 2006

  A longtime seasonal staffer recounts her experience and highlights at the '06 fest.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  David Thomson on Nicole Kidman

  Michael Fox
  Sep 4, 2006

  The renowned local critic and historian talks about his book about the iconic Hollywood beauty.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema 2006

  Susan Gerhard
  Sep 1, 2006

  The List:10 local filmmakers describe what they love about shooting on the streets of San Francisco.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Pacific Film Archive's "A Theater Near You"

  Max Goldberg
  Aug 31, 2006

  This 2006 series of recent releases and restorations that played theaters for only a day or, at most, a week is exceptionally varied.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Netflix Rolling Roadshow: Return to Alcatraz

  Jennifer Young
  Aug 30, 2006

  Austin's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema touring program brings classics to the locations they made famous, with a mobile outdoor projection unit and inflatable screen.

  
• 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.”

  
• 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.”

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Fall 2006 Festival Season

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 25, 2006

  SF360 checks in with a few Bay Area festival insiders to see what they're excited about at upcoming festivals.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bukowski By the Bunch

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 24, 2006

  The author's cult gets another buck-up from the release of Norwegian director Bent Hamer;s first English-language feature, Factotum.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Academy Grant Jump Starts SF International's 50th

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 23, 2006

  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Academy Foundation bestowed a surprise grant of $150,000 over three years.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Naut Humon, Recombinant Media Labs Explore Limits of Sight, Sound

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Aug 22, 2006

  Through Asphodel Records and RML, Humon pursues his fascination with sound's spatial properties.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ryan Fleck: Wrestling with 'Half Nelson'

  indieWIRE
  Aug 21, 2006

  Ryan Fleck talks about his new film Half Nelson, his filmmaking career, and his creative inspirations and tastes.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Ryan Fleck: Wrestling with 'Half Nelson'

  indieWIRE
  Aug 21, 2006

  Ryan Fleck talks about his new film Half Nelson, his filmmaking career, and his creative inspirations and tastes.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  TurnHere's Travel Videos

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 18, 2006

  There's one resource on the Net where some of the best travel videos have congregated, the Emervyille company aptly named TurnHere.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Seventeen" Might be Greatest Movie Ever About Teenagers: 17 Reasons Why

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Aug 17, 2006

  Jeff Kreines and Joel DeMott's legendary and obscure 1982 documentary set in Muncie, Indiana, highlights the PFA series "Screenagers: Documents from the Teenage Years."

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Morpho Power at SIGGRAPH

  Sean Uyehara
  Aug 16, 2006

  The Association for Computing Machinery Ôs 2006 conference and exhibition offered animation, new media art exhibits and the latest techniques in interactivity.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Sweet "Quinceañera" vs. MTV's greedy "My Super Sweet 16"

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Aug 15, 2006

  Richard 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. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Night Listening with Patrick Stettner

  indieWIRE
  Aug 14, 2006

  The director of The Business of Strangers talks about his second feature, starring Robin Williams.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Night Listening with Patrick Stettner

  indieWIRE
  Aug 14, 2006

  The director of The Business of Strangers talks about his second feature, starring Robin Williams.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  All About Eva

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 11, 2006

  The List: Ten faves from Eva Sollberger's YouTube series, The Deadbeat Club, which revisits the decade she spent working in the Bay Area film community.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Tale of Two Shorts Festivals

  Robert Avila
  Aug 10, 2006

  SF Shorts and the SF Underground Short Film Festival provide a big-screen showcase for oft-overlooked short subjects.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Keith Fulton and "Brothers of the Head"

  indieWIRE
  Aug 8, 2006

  The co-director talks about his provocative fictional documentary about conjoined twins groomed for rock Ôn' roll stardom.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Keith Fulton and "Brothers of the Head"

  indieWIRE
  Aug 8, 2006

  The co-director talks about his provocative fictional documentary about conjoined twins groomed for rock Ôn' roll stardom.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  ZeroOne Through Ten

  Susan Gerhard
  Aug 4, 2006

  The List: ZeroOne San Jose Global Festival of Art on the Edge presents an array of = augmented realities, artificial intelligences, and interactive pieces.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Mary Woronov Visits Midnight Mass

  Dennis Harvey
  Aug 3, 2006

  An appreciation of the great actress of cult and mainstream films, before her appearance at a Midnight Mass screening of Death Race 2000.

  
• 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.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Amos Gitai's Reality

  Michael Fox
  Aug 1, 2006

  The veteran Israeli filmmaker, in town for the Jewish Film Festival, talks about radical art and Free Zone.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer, from the Salton Sea to San Francisco

  Michael Fox
  Jul 31, 2006

  Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer talk about their acclaimed debut Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, their influences, and making films in San Francisco.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Visconti's Signature Features

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 27, 2006

  The Istituto Italiano di Cultura screens Visconti's signature features, from his 1942 debut Ossessione through 1976's The Innocent, which he died before completing.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Adrian Belic and Just Think Youth Media Educators

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 26, 2006

  Belic helped a group of youths learn about documentary filmmaking in a program designed to offer media skills to under-served Bay Area high schoolers.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Documentary on Peru's Terror War

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 25, 2006

  A conversation with Pamela Yates, director of State of Fear, on Peru's 20-year war on terror, which bears an unsettling resemblance to U.S. current events.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Documentary on Peru's Terror War

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 25, 2006

  A conversation with Pamela Yates, director of State of Fear, on Peru's 20-year war on terror, which bears an unsettling resemblance to U.S. current events.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga on the Weight of Words

  Michael Fox
  Jul 24, 2006

  Arriaga, who authored Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, discusses working in collaboration and across mediums.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga on the Weight of Words

  Michael Fox
  Jul 24, 2006

  Arriaga, who authored Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, discusses working in collaboration and across mediums.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Preteens on Surprise Endings

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 21, 2006

  A California Film Institute-procured class of 13somethings needed no help deciding their top ten list of surprise movie endings.

  
• 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.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Filmmaking in 48 Hours

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 19, 2006

  Leena Prasad talks about making a sci-fi comedy featuring a pillow and a character named Mark Pantagenet, Foreign Ambassador in just 48 hours.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Filmmaking in 48 Hours

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 19, 2006

  Leena Prasad talks about making a sci-fi comedy featuring a pillow and a character named Mark Pantagenet, Foreign Ambassador in just 48 hours.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  25 Years of Sundance at the CFI's Rafael

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 18, 2006

  California Film Institute's Executive Director, Mark Fishkin, comments on the Sundance Institute's "Art House Project."

  
• Q & A
  
  

  SFMOMA Curator on Matthew Barney

  Thomas Logoreci
  Jul 17, 2006

  Benjamin Weil took time out from preparations for the upcoming Barney show to answer questions about the artist's "Drawing Restraint" series.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The San Francisco Silent Film Festival

  Mary B. Scott
  Jul 13, 2006

  Back at the Castro this weekend for the 13th year, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival presents a variety of titillating titles.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Patsy Desmond, Survivor on Screen

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 12, 2006

  Danielle Beverly, director of Learning to Swallow, offers some backstory on her filmmaking relationship with artist Patsy Desmond.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Car Talk with Chris Paine

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 11, 2006

  SF360 talked to the director of Who Killed the Electric Car?, which opened last week, after his recent stop through the City.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Tracy Flannigan Watches Tribe 8 "Rise Above"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 10, 2006

  SF360 spoke to the director of Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary, showing at the Red Vic Movie House and an imminent DVD release.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Tracy Flannigan Watches Tribe 8 "Rise Above"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 10, 2006

  SF360 spoke to the director of Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary, showing at the Red Vic Movie House and an imminent DVD release.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Best of Balboa

  Susan Gerhard
  Jul 7, 2006

  We checked in with Gary Meyer to find out what films have rocked the 1926 foundations of the Balboa in the past six years.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Celebrating "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"

  Dennis Harvey
  Jul 6, 2006

  The beloved cult classic will screen in conjunction with a live cast reunion at Peaches Christ's Midnight Mass series.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Larry Clark's New Kids on the Block

  Glen Helfand
  Jul 3, 2006

  SF360 spoke with Clark about Impaled, in which his exploration of adolescent mores reaches in discomfiting, yet fascinating new directions.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Would Football By Any Other Name Smell As Sweet?

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 30, 2006

  Bay Area soccer fans offer their takes on the best football films.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Zack Bazzi, War Correspondent

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 28, 2006

  In The War Tapes, Deborah Scranton exposes war as an industry - for those who fight it and for those who don't.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  We Want Our "Dykeback Mountain"

  Staff
  Jun 27, 2006

  Conference discusses the difficulties for lesbian features to get made and do well at the box office.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  We Want Our "Dykeback Mountain"

  Staff
  Jun 27, 2006

  Conference discusses the difficulties for lesbian features to get made and do well at the box office.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Mat Whitecross and the Rough "Road to Guantanamo"

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 26, 2006

  Mat Whitecross talks about his documentary The Road to Guantanamo, which takes a look at the inhumanity of U.S. "detainment" camps in Cuba.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bay Area Filmmakers at SF International LGBT Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 23, 2006

  16 filmmakers from the Bay Area find at least 15 minutes of fame in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival this year.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Bay Area Filmmakers at SF International LGBT Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 23, 2006

  16 filmmakers from the Bay Area find at least 15 minutes of fame in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival this year.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Critic's Notebook, Frameline30

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 22, 2006

  S.F. International LGBT Film Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary as a forum for the LGBT community to celebrate its own hard-won survival and progress. 

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Critic's Notebook, Frameline30

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 22, 2006

  S.F. International LGBT Film Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary as a forum for the LGBT community to celebrate its own hard-won survival and progress. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  By the Numbers -- The Making of "Colma: The Musical"

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 21, 2006

  Wong weighs in on the hardest song to bring to life in Colma: The Musical, a story about a city in which the dead outnumber the living.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Broken Sky" and "Two Drifters" at the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Jun 20, 2006

  Julián Hernández and João Pedro Rodrigues show their second features at the S.F. International LGBT Film Festival.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Matthew Barney, "Drawing Restraint"

  Glen Helfand
  Jun 19, 2006

  Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Barney talks to SF360 about his film and gallery project.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Matthew Barney, "Drawing Restraint"

  Glen Helfand
  Jun 19, 2006

  Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Barney talks to SF360 about his film and gallery project.

  
• 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.

  
• 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
  
  

  San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 15, 2006

  Highlights from San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival's 30th annual edition.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 15, 2006

  Highlights from San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival's 30th annual edition.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Outsiders

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 14, 2006

  Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  The Outsiders

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 14, 2006

  Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking. 

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Marc Huestis and a Wrinkle in Time

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 13, 2006

  Marc Huestis talks about his latest film, , and the pros and cons of getting old.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Marc Huestis and a Wrinkle in Time

  Susan Gerhard
  Jun 13, 2006

  Marc Huestis talks about his latest film, , and the pros and cons of getting old.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  The San Francisco Black Film Festival

  Cheryl Eddy
  Jun 12, 2006

  Highlights of San Francisco Black Film Festival's eighth annual edition.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Rare Horror

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 8, 2006

  Highlights from the 4th year ofAnother Hole in the Head, the S.F. Indiefest-produced celebration of horror, sci-fi, fantasy and just plain sick cinema.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Kees Kino: The Film Work of Weldon Kees"

  Jenni Olson
  Jun 7, 2006

  San Francisco Cinematheque guest curator Jenni Olson reflects on her show, Kees Kino: The Film Work of Weldon Kees.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Zero Hour

  Carrie Lozano
  Jun 6, 2006

  Carrie Lozano talks about her inspiration to make Reporter Zero, a documentary on Chronicle reporter Randy Shilts, who documented the early years of the AIDS epidemic.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jesse Ficks and "Midnites for Maniacs"

  Max Goldberg
  Jun 5, 2006

  Film programmer Jesse Hawthrone Ficks talks about the enduring appeal of midnight movies.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Jesse Ficks and "Midnites for Maniacs"

  Max Goldberg
  Jun 5, 2006

  Film programmer Jesse Hawthrone Ficks talks about the enduring appeal of midnight movies.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "An Inconvenient Truth" Strikes a Nerve

  Jonny Leahan
  Jun 2, 2006

  Al Gore's documentary keeps the viewer thoroughly engaged while offering what may be the most comprehensive explanation of global warming for the layperson that exists.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Songbirds" New Tune

  Dennis Harvey
  Jun 1, 2006

  Songbirds is a "documentary musical" Ñ something that sounds like a pure contradiction-in-terms until you actually see it.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dominic Angerame on Making "Consume"

  Dominic Angerame
  May 31, 2006

  Dominic Angerame describes the techniques he used while making Consume, and their surprising results.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Dominic Angerame on Making "Consume"

  Dominic Angerame
  May 31, 2006

  Dominic Angerame describes the techniques he used while making Consume, and their surprising results.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Conversation with Farmer John (Peterson)

  Susan Gerhard
  May 30, 2006

  A conversation with John Peterson on his unusual farming practices, and the documentary that captures them.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Conversation with Farmer John (Peterson)

  Susan Gerhard
  May 30, 2006

  A conversation with John Peterson on his unusual farming practices, and the documentary that captures them.

  
• 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
  
  

  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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Ten Near Masterpieces Rescued from the Dustbin

  Jonathan Marlow
  May 26, 2006

  An alphabetical accounting of ten titles well worth watching that somehow slipped through the cracks.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  2006 San Francisco International Arts Festival

  Robert Avila
  May 25, 2006

  The 2006 San Francisco International Arts Festival focuses on Latino culture across North and South America.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  2006 San Francisco International Arts Festival

  Robert Avila
  May 25, 2006

  The 2006 San Francisco International Arts Festival focuses on Latino culture across North and South America.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline's 30th San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  May 23, 2006

  The 2006 program for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival features an eclectic mix of genres and narrative types.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Frameline's 30th San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival

  Susan Gerhard
  May 23, 2006

  The 2006 program for the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival features an eclectic mix of genres and narrative types.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Four Performers on Getting "Fired!"

  Susan Gerhard
  May 19, 2006

  Four stories from familiar performers who once found themselves in the "formerly employed by" category, taken from Fired!, which plays Docfest 2006.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" Remains an Unlikely Masterpiece

  Max Goldberg
  May 18, 2006

  Perfumed Nightmare, a Filipino art film in which process is ultimately indivisible from form, is largely forgotten today but created a minor sensation upon its release.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Kidlat Tahimik's "Perfumed Nightmare" Remains an Unlikely Masterpiece

  Max Goldberg
  May 18, 2006

  Perfumed Nightmare, a Filipino art film in which process is ultimately indivisible from form, is largely forgotten today but created a minor sensation upon its release.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Showstopping Filmmakers Rodney Ascher and Syd Garon

  Danny Plotnick
  May 17, 2006

  Rodney Ascher and Syd Garon are only two people whose works curator Danny Plotnick would show sight unseen.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Docfest: Not to Be Believed?

  Susan Gerhard
  May 11, 2006

  Docfest founder Jeff Ross explains the S.F. Indie empire's definition of reality filmmaking.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Writer and Filmmaker Bring "Alice" to the Screen

  Staff
  May 10, 2006

  Insights into the initial process of bringing the screenplay adaptation of a short story to the screen.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  A Writer and Filmmaker Bring "Alice" to the Screen

  Staff
  May 10, 2006

  Insights into the initial process of bringing the screenplay adaptation of a short story to the screen.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Werner Herzog, Setting the Record Straight

  Robert Avila
  May 9, 2006

  The 2006 recipient of the Film Society Directing Award was full of raised-finger pronouncements, self-effacing demurrals, and unsolicited rebuttals at a Q&A preceding his film.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Werner Herzog, Setting the Record Straight

  Robert Avila
  May 9, 2006

  The 2006 recipient of the Film Society Directing Award was full of raised-finger pronouncements, self-effacing demurrals, and unsolicited rebuttals at a Q&A preceding his film.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Terry Zwigoff, "Confidential" and Uncensored

  Michael Fox
  May 8, 2006

  San Francisco filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, a former curmudgeon softened by success, discusses Art School Confidential.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International Film Festival's Award Winners

  Susan Gerhard
  May 5, 2006

  A complete list of the winners of the Golden Gate Awards show, which was all about celebrating the city, with filmmakers of all genres saying a kind word or two about it.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Tilda Swinton: The 2006 SFIFF "State of Cinema" Address

  Marshall Plan
  May 4, 2006

  An address delivered by Tilda Swinton to an audience at the Kabuki Theatre on April 29, 2006, during the San Francisco International Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Addictive TV's VJ-style "Eye of the Pilot" at the Kabuki

  Michael Fox
  May 3, 2006

  An intimate group caught Addictive TV's VJ-style show of ÔEye of the Pilot' at the Kabuki, and stayed late for an enthusiastic Q&A.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Addictive TV's VJ-style "Eye of the Pilot" at the Kabuki

  Michael Fox
  May 3, 2006

  An intimate group caught Addictive TV's VJ-style show of ÔEye of the Pilot' at the Kabuki, and stayed late for an enthusiastic Q&A.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  San Francisco International Film Festival, Week Two

  Cheryl Eddy
  May 1, 2006

  The second week of the 49th SFIFF was packed with tributes and special events, luring diverse crowds with honorees like Werner Herzog and Ed Harris.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Words on work with Michael Glawogger

  Michael Fox
  May 1, 2006

  A conversation with director Michael Glawogger on his film, Workingman's Death, which screens at the 2006 SFIFF.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Unleash the Blogs, II

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 30, 2006

  Is it possible that Big Tilda in the real is bigger than Lucy Gray's larger-than-life projections of her onto City Hall?

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Choose Your Words

  Robert Avila
  Apr 27, 2006

  Memorize these words that supposedly can bring you under government scrutiny when said over the phone, or written in a text message or email.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Choose Your Words

  Robert Avila
  Apr 27, 2006

  Memorize these words that supposedly can bring you under government scrutiny when said over the phone, or written in a text message or email.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Andy Lau, The Magic Man

  Jennifer Young
  Apr 26, 2006

  The Kabuki turned into a mosh pit at the Sunday screening of All About Love as Andy Lau's fans rushed the stage to greet him.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Andy Lau, The Magic Man

  Jennifer Young
  Apr 26, 2006

  The Kabuki turned into a mosh pit at the Sunday screening of All About Love as Andy Lau's fans rushed the stage to greet him.

  
• 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.

  
• 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.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Masharawi Finds Palestinians In States of Suspended Animation

  Robert Avila
  Apr 20, 2006

  Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi's Waiting intricately and ingeniously intertwines irony, humor, and pathos.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Tommy Pallotta's Reanimation of "A Scanner Darkly"

  Daniel Cowles
  Apr 18, 2006

  The producer talks about the barriers filmmakers have faced in bringing Philip K. Dick's novel to the screen.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  "Full Grown Men" On the Road

  Michael Fox
  Apr 17, 2006

  David Munro and Xandra Castleton speak about making their indie Full Grown Men and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Hot Fuzz' a Cheeky Riposte to H-wood

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 17, 2006

  This English comedy, the second feature made by the guys behind that genius horror spoof, 'Shaun of the Dead,' satirizes fake cinematic testosterone.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Five Moments on Market Street, 1905-2006

  Melinda Stone
  Apr 14, 2006

  I first saw the remarkable A Trip Down Market Street, 1905 at the Exploratorium seven years ago, feeling chills as I gazed into the past.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  "Reel SF" Finds a Tough, Moody Kinda Town

  Dennis Harvey
  Apr 13, 2006

  Until the 1960s, Hollywood cast S.F. as a city where everyone was too busy brawling, floozing,and plotting intrigue to exclaim,"Look at that view!"

  
• First Person
  
  

  Sam Green's Tour Through "Lot 63, Grave C"

  Sam Green
  Apr 12, 2006

  For people who know their rock trivia, or saw Gimme Shelter, Altamont represents one of the most infamous moments in Bay Area cultural history.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Totally, Tenderly 20th-Century: Lopate Curates Critics

  Thomas Logoreci
  Apr 11, 2006

  With American Movie Critics: An Anthology From the Silents Until Now, N.Y. essayist Phillip Lopate compiles nearly a century of groundbreaking and entertaining criticism.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Happiness Is...Finding a Film Club? Adam Werbach Riffs

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 10, 2006

  George Bush Senior's thousand points of light may never have materialized, but Adam Werbach believes that millions of pixels can truly accomplish something.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Zahedi and Field on I Am a Sex Addict

  Susan Gerhard
  Apr 4, 2006

  Director Caveh Zahedi and his partner, Amanda Field, speak about turning their personal lives over to the public with I Am a Sex Addict.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nothing and Everything Sacred in Reygadas' Films

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 27, 2006

  Filmmaker Carlos Reygadas discusses his life and work upon the release of his second film, Battle in Heaven.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Nothing and Everything Sacred in Reygadas' Films

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 27, 2006

  Filmmaker Carlos Reygadas discusses his life and work upon the release of his second film, Battle in Heaven.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Tehran Contemporary Art Exhibit On Tour

  Robert Avila
  Mar 23, 2006

  The documentary Persian Garden chronicles the grandest art exhibition in Iran since the 1979 Revolution.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  A JT LeRoy Reader

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 23, 2006

  The List: How JT LeRoy went from fiction to fact in the media.

  
• First Person
  
  

  Chuck Stephens on the Set of "Citizen Dog"

  Chuck Stephens
  Mar 22, 2006

  Chuck Stephens shares his thoughts, existential and otherwise, on the Bangkok set of Citizen Dog.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Filmmaker Ham Tran Rights an Historical Wrong

  Thomas Logoreci
  Mar 21, 2006

  Vietnamese American filmmaker Ham Tran rights an historical wrong in his debut feature film on the Vietnam War.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  Cambodian Americans Exiled in New Film, Sentenced Home

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 20, 2006

  A conversation with the filmmakers and one star of "Sentenced Home," about three Cambodian Americans in the process of being exiled.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Future Stars of SFIAAFF

  Jennifer Young
  Mar 17, 2006

  The List: Taro Goto posits who will go on to superstardom from the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Transnational Tales at This Year's SFIAAFF

  Johnny Ray Huston
  Mar 16, 2006

  Transnational tales stand out at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Shigeta's Presence at the SFIAAFF

  Chi-Hui Yang
  Mar 15, 2006

  Six degrees of James Shigeta: an actor ahead of his time sustains a presence in American and Asian American cinema.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  A Talk with SFIAAFF Directors Chi-hui Yang and Taro Goto

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 14, 2006

  Asian America everywhere: A talk with San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival directors Chi-hui Yang and Taro Goto.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Tiburon Film Festival Turns a Tourist Town Around

  Louise Carroll
  Mar 9, 2006

  The newest film festival on the dock, Tiburon International, turns a tourist town around.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Garrett Scott, Filmmaker, 1968-2006

  Christopher D. Cook
  Mar 8, 2006

  A tribute to the life and work of the late documentary maker Garrett Scott.

  
• Q & A
  
  

  David Kipen Posits New Auteur Theory

  Michael Fox
  Mar 6, 2006

  A conversation with David Kipen about his book, The Schreiber Theory, which reclaims the contribution of screenwriters to motion pictures.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Measuring Cities By Their Taste in Film

  Susan Gerhard
  Mar 3, 2006

  A quick guide to measuring a city's taste in films by its critics' organizations.

  
• Festivals
  
  

  Human Rights Watch Film Festival: More Than "Watching"

  Robert Avila
  Mar 2, 2006

  HRW's series of films chosen for aesthetic value and human rights content continues to grow as it stays true to its roots.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  Leacock-Pennebaker Tribute at SF State's Documentary Film Institute

  Susan Gerhard
  Feb 27, 2006

  With a Leacock-Pennebaker tribute, SF State's Documentary Film Institute proves there's no reason to "revive" cinema verite; it never died.

  
• Reviews
  
  

  'Il Divo' outdoes himself

  Paolo Sorrentino takes on the notorious Italian Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti, in Il Divo.

  
• In Production
  
  

  Delicious 'All About Evil' In Production

  Michael Fox goes behind the scenes on Peaches Christs' slice-'em-up.

  
• Deadlines
  
  

  Funding: Academy Film Scholars Program

  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Foundation Film Scholars Program is stimulating and supporting new and significant works of film scholarship. ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be established scholars, writers, historians or researchers possessing either a significant record of achievement, or exceptional promise and demonstrated accomplishments in their field. Applicants must have written and published at least one book or a comparable collection of articles or monographs. AWARDS: Two grants of $25,000 will be made to qualified and worthy applicants, as reviewed and selected by the Academy's Grants Committee and staff. The Academy will distribute the grant money in two parts: at the commencement and upon completion of the proposed project. The Academy will also cover travel, lodging and per diem expenses, if necessary, for the recipients to attend the Film Scholars awards luncheon and to make their lecture presentation. DEADLINE: Application materials must be received by October 3, 2011. WEBSITE: oscars.org/education-outreach/grants/filmscholars/apply.html.
  

  
• 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.
  

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFGate: 'Major studios sign on to Netflix streaming'

  Netflix has struck a deal with a joint venture formed by powerhouse studios Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate Entertainment Corp., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  SFFS and Kenneth Rainin Foundation Announce Fall 2010 Grant Finalists

  SFFS Press Release: "The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation announced the ten finalists for the fourth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants of up to a total of $225,000, to be given to one or more feature films that through plot, character, theme or setting significantly explore human and civil rights, discrimination, gender and sexual identity and other urgent social justice issues of our time." More at sffs.org

  
• News & Blogs
  
  

  Variety: ''Die Fremde' wins in Ghent'