SPECIAL EVENTS
SFFS Film Arts Forum—Thinking Outside the Doc Box
Monday, February 8, 7:30 pm
Monday, February 8, 7:30 pm
SF360 FILM+CLUB
A Sneak Preview of a Film About Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields
Sunday, February 28, 8:00 pm, doors 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 28, 8:00 pm, doors 7:00 pm
Releases
Documentaries in Golden Gate Awards Competition at 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
World, North American and U.S. Premieres Among Contenders for $60,000 In Prizes
3/5/2009
San Francisco, CA – The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival (April 23–May 7) announced today its Documentaries in Competition for the prestigious Golden Gate Award. The International will award over $100,000 in total prizes this year. $60,000 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 jury’s selection of winners will be announced at the Golden Gate Awards on Wednesday, May 6.
SFIFF52 Golden Gate Award Feature Documentary Competition Films:
The Age of Stupid
Franny Armstrong, England 2008
An archivist (Pete Postlethwaite) on the dying planet Earth circa 2055 looks back at our species’ current reluctance to address climate change in this cautionary, apocalyptic tale that blends verité storytelling, cutting-edge graphics and gallows humor.
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
Anders Østergaard, Denmark 2008
This harrowing, breathless documentary revisits the 2007 protests by hundreds of silent monks and thousands of chanting citizens against Burma’s military dictatorship, using stunning concealed-camcorder footage smuggled abroad by a cadre of courageous young reporters.
California Company Town
Lee Anne Schmitt, USA 2008
A portrait of forgotten California industrial towns unsparingly documents their current condition with poignant commentary amid a backdrop of vast horizons and vacant factories.
City of Borders
Yun Suh, USA/Israel/Palestine 2009, U.S. Premiere
At Jerusalem’s only gay bar Israelis and Palestinians share common need for belonging and acceptance while facing extraordinary risks for challenging society’s greatest taboos.
Crude
Joe Berlinger, USA/Ecuador 2008
This lively and gripping documentary directed by Joe Berlinger follows the shifting course of a lawsuit that pits 30,000 Ecuadoreans against Chevron over the contamination of a large region in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador.
D tour
Jim Granato, USA 2009
Pat Spurgeon, charismatic drummer for local indie rockers Rogue Wave, needs to keep playing music—and a new kidney. This remarkable travelogue follows his double quest during an eventful US tour, mixing interviews with performances by Rogue Wave and Ben Gibbard, among others.
Kimjongilia
N.C. Heikin, USA/South Korea 2009
Through a series of extraordinary interviews with North Korean refugees, N.C. Heikin's stylistically inventive documentary presents a devastating indictment of Kim Jong Il, one of the world's most controversial and elusive dictators.
My Neighbor, My Killer
Anne Aghion, USA 2009
A documentary about the justice process currently taking place in Rwanda where those who committed genocide have been returned to their community but are asked to confess to their crimes.
New Muslim Cool
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, USA 2009, World Premiere
From behind the headlines of the War on Terror comes this unexpected yet utterly American story, an intimate portrait of Hamza Pérez, Puerto Rican–born former drug dealer turned politically conscious hip-hop musician, community activist, family man and devout Muslim.
Nomad’s Land
Gaël Métroz, Switzerland 2008
Gaël Métroz, inspired by the writings of the famous Swiss adventurer/philosopher Nicolas Bouvier, discovers a deep connection to nomadic peoples and the physical and spiritual beauty of their worlds. A travel film unlike any you’ve seen.
The Reckoning
Pamela Yates, USA 2009
The International Criminal Court’s attempts to prosecute instigators of mass genocide who acted with impunity is examined through accounts of victims, prosecutors and human rights activists in this fascinating, often encouraging, account of the pursuit of justice.
Speaking in Tongues
Marcia Jarmel, Ken Schneider, USA 2009, World Premiere
Veteran documentarians Marcia Jarmel-Schneider and Ken Schneider tangle with the debate over bilingual education by following the diverse stories of four San Francisco public schoolchildren enrolled in Chinese and Spanish language-immersion programs.
Z32
Avi Mograbi, Israel 2008, North American Premiere
Israeli ”docu-essayist” Avi Mograbi reveals the deepest longings of a nation in conflict in this genre-breaking and original work in which a young Israeli soldier examines his participation in a revenge operation and anonymously speaks of his experiences to his girlfriend.
In addition to these 13 documentary features, the Golden Gate Awards will also include competitors in eight other categories. These films will be announced at the opening press conference Tuesday, March 31.
For tickets and information go to www.sffs.org or call 925-866-9559.
The San Francisco Film Society
San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange; Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth; Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture; and Exploring New Media.
SFFS shows the best of world cinema year-round on its SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and presents the San Francisco International Animation Festival, New Italian Cinema and French Cinema Now annually in the fall. In all, the Film Society presents more than 300 days of programming each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed youth education program introduces international cinema and media literacy to more than 7,000 teachers and students annually.
The Film Society publishes a daily online magazine, SF360.org, with broad-ranging news and features on Bay Area film culture and provides crucial support to the Bay Area filmmaking community through SFFS filmmaker services including grants & residencies, fiscal sponsorship, production assistance and development, networking and conference events, and professional-level filmmaker classes and workshops.
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23–May 7, 2009 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and Landmark’s Clay Theatre in San Francisco; and the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring 25 juried awards, 200 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 75,000+ people.
SFIFF52 Golden Gate Award Feature Documentary Competition Films:
The Age of Stupid
Franny Armstrong, England 2008
An archivist (Pete Postlethwaite) on the dying planet Earth circa 2055 looks back at our species’ current reluctance to address climate change in this cautionary, apocalyptic tale that blends verité storytelling, cutting-edge graphics and gallows humor.
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
Anders Østergaard, Denmark 2008
This harrowing, breathless documentary revisits the 2007 protests by hundreds of silent monks and thousands of chanting citizens against Burma’s military dictatorship, using stunning concealed-camcorder footage smuggled abroad by a cadre of courageous young reporters.
California Company Town
Lee Anne Schmitt, USA 2008
A portrait of forgotten California industrial towns unsparingly documents their current condition with poignant commentary amid a backdrop of vast horizons and vacant factories.
City of Borders
Yun Suh, USA/Israel/Palestine 2009, U.S. Premiere
At Jerusalem’s only gay bar Israelis and Palestinians share common need for belonging and acceptance while facing extraordinary risks for challenging society’s greatest taboos.
Crude
Joe Berlinger, USA/Ecuador 2008
This lively and gripping documentary directed by Joe Berlinger follows the shifting course of a lawsuit that pits 30,000 Ecuadoreans against Chevron over the contamination of a large region in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador.
D tour
Jim Granato, USA 2009
Pat Spurgeon, charismatic drummer for local indie rockers Rogue Wave, needs to keep playing music—and a new kidney. This remarkable travelogue follows his double quest during an eventful US tour, mixing interviews with performances by Rogue Wave and Ben Gibbard, among others.
Kimjongilia
N.C. Heikin, USA/South Korea 2009
Through a series of extraordinary interviews with North Korean refugees, N.C. Heikin's stylistically inventive documentary presents a devastating indictment of Kim Jong Il, one of the world's most controversial and elusive dictators.
My Neighbor, My Killer
Anne Aghion, USA 2009
A documentary about the justice process currently taking place in Rwanda where those who committed genocide have been returned to their community but are asked to confess to their crimes.
New Muslim Cool
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, USA 2009, World Premiere
From behind the headlines of the War on Terror comes this unexpected yet utterly American story, an intimate portrait of Hamza Pérez, Puerto Rican–born former drug dealer turned politically conscious hip-hop musician, community activist, family man and devout Muslim.
Nomad’s Land
Gaël Métroz, Switzerland 2008
Gaël Métroz, inspired by the writings of the famous Swiss adventurer/philosopher Nicolas Bouvier, discovers a deep connection to nomadic peoples and the physical and spiritual beauty of their worlds. A travel film unlike any you’ve seen.
The Reckoning
Pamela Yates, USA 2009
The International Criminal Court’s attempts to prosecute instigators of mass genocide who acted with impunity is examined through accounts of victims, prosecutors and human rights activists in this fascinating, often encouraging, account of the pursuit of justice.
Speaking in Tongues
Marcia Jarmel, Ken Schneider, USA 2009, World Premiere
Veteran documentarians Marcia Jarmel-Schneider and Ken Schneider tangle with the debate over bilingual education by following the diverse stories of four San Francisco public schoolchildren enrolled in Chinese and Spanish language-immersion programs.
Z32
Avi Mograbi, Israel 2008, North American Premiere
Israeli ”docu-essayist” Avi Mograbi reveals the deepest longings of a nation in conflict in this genre-breaking and original work in which a young Israeli soldier examines his participation in a revenge operation and anonymously speaks of his experiences to his girlfriend.
In addition to these 13 documentary features, the Golden Gate Awards will also include competitors in eight other categories. These films will be announced at the opening press conference Tuesday, March 31.
For tickets and information go to www.sffs.org or call 925-866-9559.
The San Francisco Film Society
San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange; Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth; Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture; and Exploring New Media.
SFFS shows the best of world cinema year-round on its SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and presents the San Francisco International Animation Festival, New Italian Cinema and French Cinema Now annually in the fall. In all, the Film Society presents more than 300 days of programming each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed youth education program introduces international cinema and media literacy to more than 7,000 teachers and students annually.
The Film Society publishes a daily online magazine, SF360.org, with broad-ranging news and features on Bay Area film culture and provides crucial support to the Bay Area filmmaking community through SFFS filmmaker services including grants & residencies, fiscal sponsorship, production assistance and development, networking and conference events, and professional-level filmmaker classes and workshops.
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23–May 7, 2009 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and Landmark’s Clay Theatre in San Francisco; and the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring 25 juried awards, 200 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 75,000+ people.
