The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival claims to be the oldest and largest Jewish film festival in the world. And at 34, it may also be the oldest film festival geared to a particular ethnicity. Since I am personally of that ethnicity, this festival catches my attention more than the others. Which explains why I'm … Continue reading This Year’s SF Jewish Film Fest Coming in July
Category: Festivals
San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
One of the major problems with life is that it intrudes on watching movies. Saturday, other responsibilities kept me away from the Castro, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, until mid-afternoon. Among other things, I missed Serge Bromberg's Treasure Trove. What a pity. But here's what I saw on Saturday and Sunday. You can … Continue reading San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 2
San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 1
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival is the closest thing to a movie marathon I've experienced in decades. For three of its four days, it runs movie after movie from 10:00am until nearly midnight, with breaks that generally last an hour or less. Seeing everything--or almost everything--requires stamina and sleep deprivation. Attending the festival, and … Continue reading San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Part 1
Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
Saturday afternoon, I made my way to the Roxie to attend a program in the theater's current Film Noir festival, I Wake Up Dreaming. Like most of the 13 programs on the festival's schedule, it was a double bill (the rest are triple bills). It was a fun afternoon, but not an exceptional one. The … Continue reading Two Pre-code Crime Flix at Roxie Noir Festival: I Wake Up Dreaming
The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival ended Thursday night at the Castro with a screening of Chris Messina's directorial debut, Alex of Venice. It was not a perfect way to end the festival, but it was a good way. The crowd was surprisingly thin. There was an empty seat next to me, and the … Continue reading The San Francisco International Film Festival closes with Alex in Venice
A Classic Comedy and a Colombian Thriller: Sunday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
This year's San Francisco International Film Festival is beginning to wind down. Sunday was the last non-workday of the festival. I attended two events, and hit the jackpot both times. The Mel Novikoff Award Ceremony and The Lady Eve More than anyone else, Mel Novikoff helped bring repertory cinema to the Bay Area. The SFIFF's … Continue reading A Classic Comedy and a Colombian Thriller: Sunday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I managed to get to three San Francisco International Film Festival screenings at the Kabuki yesterday. Let me tell you about it. B Bauyr (Little Brother) This seems to be the year of young boy films at SFIFF. Bauyr is the fourth such movie I’ve seen at this festival so far. It was pretty good, … Continue reading Saturday at the San Francisco International Film Festival
SFIFF: Boyhood and an Evening with Richard Linklater
Last night at the Castro, the San Francisco International Film Festival honored Richard Linklater with their Founder's Directing Award. The event included a discussion between Linklater and actor Parker Posey, followed by a screening of Linklater's new film, Boyhood. When I arrived, more than an hour before the show, the line was already around the … Continue reading SFIFF: Boyhood and an Evening with Richard Linklater
I Wake Up Dreaming about Silents: Bay Area May Film Festivals
Taking some time off of the San Francisco International Film Festival, I thought I'd tell you about three other festivals opening in May. I Wake Up Dreaming May 16 - 25 Noir City isn't the only local festival to concentrate on the dark side of cinema. The Roxie's I Wake Up Dreaming series offers its … Continue reading I Wake Up Dreaming about Silents: Bay Area May Film Festivals
SFIFF: Getting Down and Staying Down at the Castro
Tuesday night I visited the Castro for a special San Francisco International Film Festival event: Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. SFIFF has a tradition for daring silent movie accompaniment. They bring in a local musician or group, one with a significant following, and have them accompany a silent feature or a collection of … Continue reading SFIFF: Getting Down and Staying Down at the Castro
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