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SFFILM has announced the full lineup for the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival).
Curated from almost 5,000 submissions, films featured in the 67th annual festival will screen in theaters in San Francisco’s Marina and Presidio neighborhoods and in Berkeley from April 24 to April 28. Moreover, a selection of titles will be presented from May 2 to May 4 as SFFILM Festival encore days at the historic Roxie Theater.
Opening night will feature Sean Wang’s Sundance award-winning first feature Didi. Wang was recently nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary short for Nai Nai & Wài Pó. Closing night will feature Thelma, starring June Squibb, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Malcolm McDowell, Fred Hechinger and Richard Roundtree.
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SFFILM will also include tributes of actor, screenwriter and director Chiwetel Ejiofor (alongside the West Coast premiere of his film Rob Peace) and actor, screenwriter, producer and director Joan Chen (with a special screening of a rare 35 mm print of her debut directorial feature Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl).
Other titles on the lineup include The Idea of You, directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway; Janet Planet, directed by Annie Baker and starring Julianne Nicholson; Sing Sing, directed by Greg Kwedar and starring Colman Domingo; Porcelain War, winner of Sundance’s U.S. grand jury prize for documentary, directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev; Luther: Never Too Much from SFFILM Festival alum Dawn Porter; and Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, from renowned wildlife cinematographer Charlie Hamilton James.
“We have been boldly imagining a future where the San Francisco Bay Area is thriving in its celebration of and engagement with the arts and community,” Anne Lai, executive director of SFFILM, says in a statement. “Film — always a reflection of and beacon for society — remains the gateway to a vibrant, healthy future of our culture and city. This year’s festival brings the pleasure of movie-going to a footprint highlighting San Francisco’s unparalleled and iconic beauty. We look forward to welcoming guests to be inspired, entertained and connected in the way only movies can do.”
See below for the full program. For more information on the titles, click here.
Big Nights + Special Events
Opening Night: Dìdi (弟弟)
Sean Wang (USA 2023, 90) Narratives: USA
Closing Night: Thelma
Josh Margolin (USA 2024, 97)
A Tribute to Chiwetel Ejiofor + “Rob Peace” (Sloan Science on Screen)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (USA 2024, 146)
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Honoree + Director/Writer/Actor
Rob Peace
A Tribute to Joan Chen + “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl”
Joan Chen (China 1998, 147)
Joan Chen Honoree + Director
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl
Festival Talk: Filmmaking in the Bay Area and “Dìdi (弟弟)”
Special Events
Festival Talk: Soundscapes with Richard King
Special Events
Cartoon Saloon Workshop: “Puffin Rock and the New Friends”
Jeremy Purcell (Ireland 2023, 120)
Special Events
Awards
Mel Novikoff Award:
Gary Meyer + “Macario” + “Sour Death Balls”
Persistence of Vision Award:
Johan Grimonprez + “Soundtrack for a Coup d’Etat”
Sloan Science on Screen Award:
“On the Invention of Species”
Documentaries: International
Agent of Happiness
Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó (Bhutan 2024, 94) Documentaries: International
Black Box Diaries
Shiori Ito (Japan 2024, 104) Documentaries: International
Eternal You
Hans Block, Moritz Rieswieck (Germany 2024, 87) Documentaries: International
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Lucy Walker (USA 2023, 98)
US Premiere
Documentaries: International
Porcelain War
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev (Ukraine 2024, 90) Documentaries: International
Sugarcane
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie (Canada 2024, 107) Documentaries: International
The Cats of Gokogu Shrine
Kazuhiro Soda (Japan 2024, 119) North American Premiere Documentaries: International
Zinzindurrunkarratz
Oskar Alegría (Spain 2023, 89) Documentaries: International
Documentaries: USA
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
Charlie Hamilton James (UK 2023, 78) Documentaries: USA
Counted Out
Vicki Abeles (USA 2024, 89) Documentaries: USA
Luther: Never Too Much
Dawn Porter (USA 2024, 131) Documentaries: USA
Seeking Mavis Beacon
Jazmin Renée Jones (USA 2024, 103) Documentaries: USA
Uncropped
D.W. Young (USA 2023, 111) Documentaries: USA
Narratives: International
Alemania
María Zanetti (Argentina 2023, 87) Narratives: International
Banel & Adama
Ramata-Toulaye Sy (Senegal 2023, 87) Narratives: International
Empty Nets
Behrooz Karamizade (Germany 2023, 101) Narratives: International
Eureka
Lisandro Alonso (Argentina 2023, 146) Narratives: International
Great Absence
Kei Chika-ura (Japan 2023, 152)
US Premiere
Narratives: International
Heartless
Nara Normande, Tião (Brazil 2023, 90)
US Premiere
Narratives: International
Ru
Charles-Olivier Michaud (Canada 2023, 116) Narratives: International
Sidonie in Japan
Élise Girard (Japan 2023, 95)
US Premiere
Narratives: International
Sloan Science on Screen Award: “On the Invention of Species”
Tania Hermida (Ecuador 2024, 91)
World Premiere
Narratives: International
The Practice
Sat Apr 27 at 8:45 pm PT at Marina 2 Martín Rejtman (Argentina 2023, 95) Narratives: International
Argentina’s master of deadpan humor Martín Rejtman (Silvia Prieto, Festival 1999; Two Shots Fired, Festival 2014) returns with a droll satire of relationships and wellness culture in a tale centered on an Argentinian yoga instructor living in Chile. Gustavo (Esteban Bigliardi) is recently divorced and struggling with the end of his marriage, problems at his yoga studio, and an injury he is trying to treat with exercise instead of the recommended surgery. An ex-wife he is still in love with, a nagging mother who wants him to return to Chile, a student recovering from a brain injury, another student who may be a thief, and a comely pharmacist are among the characters whose lives and problems intersect in Rejtman’s surreal, absurd, and complex comedy.
The Teacher
Farah Nabulsi (UK 2023, 118)
Narratives: International
A Tribute to Joan Chen + “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl”
Joan Chen (China 1998, 147)
Narratives: International
Wakhri
Iram Parveen Bilal (Pakistan 2023, 99)
Narratives: International
Woodland
Elisabeth Scharang (Austria 2023, 100)
Narratives: International
Narratives: USA
Dìdi (弟弟)
Sean Wang (USA 2023, 90)
Narratives: USA
Janet Planet
Annie Baker (USA 2023, 113)
Narratives: USA
Sing Sing
Greg Kwedar (USA 2023, 107)
Narratives: USA
Sloan Science on Screen: “Mabel”
Nicholas Ma (USA 2023, 84)
World Premiere
Narratives: USA
The Idea of You
Michael Showalter (USA 2024, 115)
Narratives: USA
Thelma
Josh Margolin (USA 2024, 97)
Narratives: USA
A Tribute to Chiwetel Ejiofor + “Rob Peace” (Sloan Science on Screen)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (USA 2024, 146)
Narratives: USA
Shorts
Shorts 1: I’m Just a Girl
Short Films
Rizoo
Azadeh Navai (Iran 2023, 16)
Can We Pretend
Samantha Toy Ozeas (USA 2023, 12)
VOID
Yusuke Iwasaki (Japan 2023, 24) North American Premiere
Muna
Warda Mohamed (UK 2023, 19) North American Premiere
Little Queen
Julien Guetta (France 2023, 25) US Premiere
Shorts 2: Of Body and Mind
Short Films
Thirstygirl
Alexandra Qin (USA 2023, 10)
Playground
Raul Villalba (Spain 2023, 16) North American Premiere
La Perra
Carla Melo Gampert (Colombia 2023, 14)
I Did Not Wake Up Dead Today
Erin Macpherson (Belgium 2023, 18) North American Premiere
Don’t Look Down
Ilanna Barkusky (USA 2023, 8)
Choices
Kameishia Wooten (USA 2022, 12)
Punta Salinas
Maria del Mar Rosario (Puerto Rico 2023, 16) North American Premiere
Shorts 3: Lineages of Love
Short Films
Salone Love
Tajana Tokyo (USA 2023, 5)
a film is a goodbye that never ends
María Luisa Santos (Costa Rica 2024, 13) World Premiere
I Was Here
Noëlle Gentile (USA 2023, 17) World Premiere
Layover
Taylor Sanghyun Lee (USA 2024, 12) World Premiere
The Medallion
Ruth Hunduma (UK 2023, 19)
We Exist in Memory
Darian Woehr (USA 2023, 14)
Weekend Visits
Pete Quandt (USA 2024, 9)
Battery Mommy
Seungbae Jeon (South Korea 2023, 8)
Shorts 4: Migration Flows
Short Films
Bogotá Story
Esteban Pedraza (Colombia 2023, 16)
Boat People
Thao Lam (Canada 2023, 10)
Primero, Sueño
Andrés Lira (USA 2023, 17)
Confused Blood
James Cutler (South Korea 2023, 17)
Until He’s Back
Jacqueline Baylon (Morocco 2023, 40)
Shorts 5: Family Films
Short Films
A Little Beetle Returns
Elene Sebiskveradze (Georgia 2023, 4) North American Premiere
Self
Searit Kahsay Huluf (USA 2023, 7)
Where Do Ideas Come From?
Joysi Olijhoek (Netherlands 2023, 5) World Premiere
Yuck!
Loïc Espuche (France 2024, 13)
Dynasty and Destiny
Travis Lee Ratcliff (USA 2024, 7)
Bottle George
Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi (Japan 2024, 13) World Premiere
Coach Pancake
Gabriel Olson (USA 2024, 6)
Battery Mommy
Seungbae Jeon (South Korea 2023, 8)
Little Fan
Sveta Yuferova (Germany 2023, 5)
Shorts 6: Youth Works
Short Films
Make Art, Reese!
Mika Lim (USA 2023, 8)
Weathered
Patrick Jang (USA 2023, 9) World Premiere
Comma
Sonia Leliukh (Ukraine 2023, 4)
like a stone or flower
Kaiya Jordan (USA 2023, 10) World Premiere
FATALE
Kayen Manovil (USA 2024, 4) World Premiere
Sil-tteu-gi
Yezy Suh (USA 2023, 5)
Majid, the Muslim Rapper
Kea Morshed (USA 2023, 10) World Premiere
Substratum
Harvey Abrahams (Australia 2023, 7)
Puppet Back Up
Maxwell Downer (UK 2023, 9) World Premiere
Maps
Esmé Nix (USA 2023, 8)
Gentle Breeze
Wenwei Hu (China 2023, 4) North American Premiere
Family Workshop
Cartoon Saloon Workshop: “Puffin Rock and the New Friends”
Jeremy Purcell (Ireland 2023, 120)
Special Events
Members Screening
Members Screening: Mother Couch
Niclas Larsson (USA 2023, 96)
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