Feb 22, 2026
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Bay Area Voices at SF International Film Fest
by Jay Randy Gordon, The MARINsider
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
With a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the SF International's Fort Mason drive-in is arguably the most glorious in the country.. photo: Tommy Lau THE LONGEST-RUNNING FILM FESTIVAL
in the Americas, the San Francisco International, also called SFFilm, is back for its 64th installment, a treasure trove of new cinema discoveries both online and in-person, with live music and film events at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theater and elsewhere in San Francisco.
“We are thrilled to bring together some of the most daring and unique filmmaking from across the country and around the world," I was told by Anne Lai, who became executive director after the departure of Noah Cowan in May of 2019, although this is her first festival, since it was cancelled last year.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be joining SFFilm,” she wrote back then. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to build upon a strong legacy and amplify not only the voices of its supported films and artists, but deepen the organization’s commitment to community.” Indeed, this year’s festival boasts over half its films directed by women or BIPOC, which stands for black, indigenous, and people of color.
With the Bay Area largely in the orange—i.e. moderate Covid spread, meaning two to six cases per every 100,000 residents (see SF Chronicle article)—movie theaters and other indoor venues are gradually reopening.
Delivering much of the energy and spark of a traditional festival, this year’s 100-plus program includes 42 features, 56 shorts, and five so-called “mid-lengths,” a new category Lai and her colleagues felt was needed to keep 30 to 60 minute-long pieces from slipping through the cracks, see Spotlights.
Scene from 'Homeroom' from acclaimed Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks. photo courtesy: P Nicks There are also thirteen world and fifteen North American premieres and films from 40-plus countries, including some we rarely hear from like Qatar, Ghana, Iceland, and Saudi Arabia.
As usual, there will be juried awards, cash prizes, film parties, industry networking events and a roster of exciting filmmaker guests, albeit mostly handled through Zoom.
With screenings and events open to viewers from across the world, this provides a new way for audiences to connect with artists and fellow attendees. A good way to enjoy the festival and special events in my opinion is through the SFFilm Festival Streaming Pass for $75 ($50 for SFFS members) , see the festival's site.
"Our filmmakers, our community, and our country are all under enormous pressure right now,” noted Jessie Fairbanks, the festival’s head programmer. “We were continuously amazed and inspired by the original and provocative work being produced around the world under incredibly challenging circumstances.”
Although SFFilm always gets great openers and closers, we at cineSOURCE suggest looking at the less laureled offerings of the April 10-17th run. While the festival always celebrates its namesake city—indeed, it did a spectacular job for its 60th anniversary four years ago—Oakland is taking the lead this year.
Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks will receive the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award, which was established in 2011 to recognize distinguished service to cinema as art. The creator of the great “Waiting Room” (2014), about the city’s central hospital, Nicks celebrates the resilience and grit of an Oakland high school class during the challenging pandemic year in his immersive documentary, “Homeroom”. The award with a Q&A will be presented on April 9th, while the film, with a Q&A including students , will stream during the festival; and screen April 16th at the Fort Mason Flix Drive-in.
Meanwhile, another Oaklander, Dash Shaw, has created “Cryptozoo”, a hand-drawn animated feature. Called “funny, sexy, and ambitious,” “Cryptozoo” concerns mythological creatures in the San Francisco Zoo and the brave souls trying to protect them. Shaw will receive the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision, or POV, Award honoring artists working outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking. Topics of biodiversity and acceptance of the strange and wonderful underpin Shaw’s “Cryptozoo”, which won the Adobe's NEXT Innovator Prize at Sundance this January.
Dash Shaw's 'Cryptozoo' concerns mythological creatures in the San Francisco Zoo. photo courtesy: D Shaw A marquee Fort Mason Drive-In event on April 15th is Oakland-based, three-time Grammy-winner Fantastic Negrito performing a new “live” score for Rick Prelinger’s 70-minute collage documentary,, re-cut by Oakland co-creator alex cruse. Called “Lost Landscapes of Oakland”, it showcases surprising images of the somewhat forgotten history of Oakland. Born Xavier Dphrepaulezz, and self-taught in guitar, piano and drums, Fantastic Negrito re-emerged after a 1999, near-fatal car accident and developed a musical style he calls “black roots music for everyone.”
Indeed, there’s quite a bit of Bay Area talent this year. “After Antarctica”, a documentary about explorers, was directed by Tasha Van Zandt, who lives in San Francisco's Richmond/Laurel Heights neighborhood. The main subject of “Cuban Dancer’, by Roberto Salinas, also lives in The City. while “Language Lessons”, by Natalie Morales, is set in Oakland.
SFFilm’s “Bay Area Voices” series focuses on work set in the Bay or made by local filmmakers and often SFFilm-supported projects. Here is a partial list:
• “Ale Libre” , Maya Cueva (Shorts 3), the director is based in Berkeley.
• “Freezerburn”, Sarah Rattay-Maloney (Shorts 2), the director resides in Richmond.
• “If You Hum at the Right Frequency” , Daniel Freeman (Shorts 3), the director is based in Berkeley.
• “Last Days at Paradise High”, Derek Knowles/Emily Thomas (Shorts 4), filmmakers are based in Oakland.
• “Since you arrived, my heart stopped belonging to me”, Erin Semine Kökdil (Shorts 3), director is Oakland-based.
• “Tehachapi”, JR/Tasha Van Zandt (Shorts 4), director lives in SF.
• “Wavelengths”, Jesse Zinn (Shorts 3), the director is a Stanford student who lives in Palo Alto.
Then there’s the long-awaited “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”, by Mariem Pérez Riera, whose subject is a glorious almost 90 and still lives in the Berkeley Hills, not far from where she was raised. Puerto Rican-born and with a career spanning 70 years,, Moreno is one of the few performers to become an EGOT, ie win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, see the film trailer.
West Oakland's, three-time Grammy-winner, Fantastic Negrito performs at the Fort Mason Drive-In April 15th. photo courtesy: F. Negrito With remarkable candor, Mareno spills all about her life, loves and career, including how she was horrifically raped by her first agent. Film clips galore tell the dramatic, topsy-turvy story of this hugely entertaining documentary.
The SFFilm lineup will also include four features and two short films supported by SFFilm’s development branch, which provides significant grants, residencies, and professional development opportunities (for more info here.
A lot of this is thanks to Anne Lai, who began her career over 20 years ago at Scott Free Productions, the company founded by the brothers Sir Ridley and Tony Scott, giving her deep production and development experience.
A big believer in balancing expertise, pragmatism and humor, Lai served as the Sundance Institute's founding Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support, ultimately working with over 300 screenwriters, directors, and producers to produce and distribute a bold collection of films.
Of course, opening night on April 9th will be superb with the world premiere of “Naked Singularity”, directed by Chase Palmer. In this suspense thriller, it feels like actor John Boyega (who played Finn in various “Star Wars” episodes) cements his leading-man status. An impassioned public defender, he stumbles into and exposes a drug heist even as his own life is collapsing all around him.
The closing night film on April 17th is the idiosyncratic “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” from director Marilyn Agrelo. A fascinating doc, it delves into the origins of the beloved children’s show with humor, never-before-seen footage, and special guests from the kids’ series.
John Boyega in SFFilm's Opening Night 'Naked Singularity', directed by Chase Palmer. photo courtesy: C Palmer Indeed, SFFilm provides something for everyone including us sports fanatics. In its North American premiere, “Captains of Zaatari", the first film by Egyptian director Ali El Arabi, is a documentary delving into a deep friendship between Syrian teens Fawzi and Mahmoud, whose passion and talent for soccer provides their escape from a Jordanian refugee camp.
One of the biggest pre-festival buzzes concerns the Centerpiece Film, which tent-poles the SFFilm lineup. Called “Socks on Fire”, from Alabama filmmaker Bo McGuire, and about alternative gender folk in the South, it won the Best Documentary Feature Jury Award at Tribeca Film Festival. Pre-screening at the April 10th drive-in will feature a drag show headlined by Rock M. Sakura, a fan-favorite from RuPaul's Drag Race, and Oakland-based, gender-fluid performer “Freddie”—a do-not-miss event!
Will you still love SFFilm, when it’s 64?
Twitter: @SFFILM
Instagram: @sffilm
Facebook: facebook.com/SFFILM
Jay “Randy” Gordon, The MARINsider, is a marketing expert, film writer and author of 'BusiBUZZ: Business Buzzwords for Survivin’ and Thrivin’ in The Big City' and can be reached .
Posted on Apr 08, 2021 - 02:28 PM
by Jay Randy Gordon, The MARINsider
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
With a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the SF International's Fort Mason drive-in is arguably the most glorious in the country.. photo: Tommy Lau in the Americas, the San Francisco International, also called SFFilm, is back for its 64th installment, a treasure trove of new cinema discoveries both online and in-person, with live music and film events at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theater and elsewhere in San Francisco.
“We are thrilled to bring together some of the most daring and unique filmmaking from across the country and around the world," I was told by Anne Lai, who became executive director after the departure of Noah Cowan in May of 2019, although this is her first festival, since it was cancelled last year.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be joining SFFilm,” she wrote back then. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to build upon a strong legacy and amplify not only the voices of its supported films and artists, but deepen the organization’s commitment to community.” Indeed, this year’s festival boasts over half its films directed by women or BIPOC, which stands for black, indigenous, and people of color.
With the Bay Area largely in the orange—i.e. moderate Covid spread, meaning two to six cases per every 100,000 residents (see SF Chronicle article)—movie theaters and other indoor venues are gradually reopening.
Delivering much of the energy and spark of a traditional festival, this year’s 100-plus program includes 42 features, 56 shorts, and five so-called “mid-lengths,” a new category Lai and her colleagues felt was needed to keep 30 to 60 minute-long pieces from slipping through the cracks, see Spotlights.
Scene from 'Homeroom' from acclaimed Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks. photo courtesy: P Nicks As usual, there will be juried awards, cash prizes, film parties, industry networking events and a roster of exciting filmmaker guests, albeit mostly handled through Zoom.
With screenings and events open to viewers from across the world, this provides a new way for audiences to connect with artists and fellow attendees. A good way to enjoy the festival and special events in my opinion is through the SFFilm Festival Streaming Pass for $75 ($50 for SFFS members) , see the festival's site.
"Our filmmakers, our community, and our country are all under enormous pressure right now,” noted Jessie Fairbanks, the festival’s head programmer. “We were continuously amazed and inspired by the original and provocative work being produced around the world under incredibly challenging circumstances.”
Although SFFilm always gets great openers and closers, we at cineSOURCE suggest looking at the less laureled offerings of the April 10-17th run. While the festival always celebrates its namesake city—indeed, it did a spectacular job for its 60th anniversary four years ago—Oakland is taking the lead this year.
Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks will receive the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award, which was established in 2011 to recognize distinguished service to cinema as art. The creator of the great “Waiting Room” (2014), about the city’s central hospital, Nicks celebrates the resilience and grit of an Oakland high school class during the challenging pandemic year in his immersive documentary, “Homeroom”. The award with a Q&A will be presented on April 9th, while the film, with a Q&A including students , will stream during the festival; and screen April 16th at the Fort Mason Flix Drive-in.
Meanwhile, another Oaklander, Dash Shaw, has created “Cryptozoo”, a hand-drawn animated feature. Called “funny, sexy, and ambitious,” “Cryptozoo” concerns mythological creatures in the San Francisco Zoo and the brave souls trying to protect them. Shaw will receive the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision, or POV, Award honoring artists working outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking. Topics of biodiversity and acceptance of the strange and wonderful underpin Shaw’s “Cryptozoo”, which won the Adobe's NEXT Innovator Prize at Sundance this January.
Dash Shaw's 'Cryptozoo' concerns mythological creatures in the San Francisco Zoo. photo courtesy: D Shaw Indeed, there’s quite a bit of Bay Area talent this year. “After Antarctica”, a documentary about explorers, was directed by Tasha Van Zandt, who lives in San Francisco's Richmond/Laurel Heights neighborhood. The main subject of “Cuban Dancer’, by Roberto Salinas, also lives in The City. while “Language Lessons”, by Natalie Morales, is set in Oakland.
SFFilm’s “Bay Area Voices” series focuses on work set in the Bay or made by local filmmakers and often SFFilm-supported projects. Here is a partial list:
• “Ale Libre” , Maya Cueva (Shorts 3), the director is based in Berkeley.
• “Freezerburn”, Sarah Rattay-Maloney (Shorts 2), the director resides in Richmond.
• “If You Hum at the Right Frequency” , Daniel Freeman (Shorts 3), the director is based in Berkeley.
• “Last Days at Paradise High”, Derek Knowles/Emily Thomas (Shorts 4), filmmakers are based in Oakland.
• “Since you arrived, my heart stopped belonging to me”, Erin Semine Kökdil (Shorts 3), director is Oakland-based.
• “Tehachapi”, JR/Tasha Van Zandt (Shorts 4), director lives in SF.
• “Wavelengths”, Jesse Zinn (Shorts 3), the director is a Stanford student who lives in Palo Alto.
Then there’s the long-awaited “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It”, by Mariem Pérez Riera, whose subject is a glorious almost 90 and still lives in the Berkeley Hills, not far from where she was raised. Puerto Rican-born and with a career spanning 70 years,, Moreno is one of the few performers to become an EGOT, ie win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, see the film trailer.
West Oakland's, three-time Grammy-winner, Fantastic Negrito performs at the Fort Mason Drive-In April 15th. photo courtesy: F. Negrito The SFFilm lineup will also include four features and two short films supported by SFFilm’s development branch, which provides significant grants, residencies, and professional development opportunities (for more info here.
A lot of this is thanks to Anne Lai, who began her career over 20 years ago at Scott Free Productions, the company founded by the brothers Sir Ridley and Tony Scott, giving her deep production and development experience.
A big believer in balancing expertise, pragmatism and humor, Lai served as the Sundance Institute's founding Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support, ultimately working with over 300 screenwriters, directors, and producers to produce and distribute a bold collection of films.
Of course, opening night on April 9th will be superb with the world premiere of “Naked Singularity”, directed by Chase Palmer. In this suspense thriller, it feels like actor John Boyega (who played Finn in various “Star Wars” episodes) cements his leading-man status. An impassioned public defender, he stumbles into and exposes a drug heist even as his own life is collapsing all around him.
The closing night film on April 17th is the idiosyncratic “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” from director Marilyn Agrelo. A fascinating doc, it delves into the origins of the beloved children’s show with humor, never-before-seen footage, and special guests from the kids’ series.
John Boyega in SFFilm's Opening Night 'Naked Singularity', directed by Chase Palmer. photo courtesy: C Palmer One of the biggest pre-festival buzzes concerns the Centerpiece Film, which tent-poles the SFFilm lineup. Called “Socks on Fire”, from Alabama filmmaker Bo McGuire, and about alternative gender folk in the South, it won the Best Documentary Feature Jury Award at Tribeca Film Festival. Pre-screening at the April 10th drive-in will feature a drag show headlined by Rock M. Sakura, a fan-favorite from RuPaul's Drag Race, and Oakland-based, gender-fluid performer “Freddie”—a do-not-miss event!
Will you still love SFFilm, when it’s 64?
Twitter: @SFFILM
Instagram: @sffilm
Facebook: facebook.com/SFFILM
Jay “Randy” Gordon, The MARINsider, is a marketing expert, film writer and author of 'BusiBUZZ: Business Buzzwords for Survivin’ and Thrivin’ in The Big City' and can be reached .
Posted on Apr 08, 2021 - 02:28 PM
