Apr 1, 2014
Festival
The 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 24-May 8) is proud to announce its highly anticipated Live & Onstage lineup. Special Festival guests entertain and enlighten in programs that unite film, music and performance in innovative ways, offering new and seasoned festivalgoers an unforgettable live experience.
“The Live & Onstage section makes explicit one of the foundational ideas of the Festival: bringing people together by providing direct and unpredictable ways for artists and audiences to engage with cinema,” said Sean Uyehara, programmer at the San Francisco Film Society. “These are one-time-only spectacles of art, humor and insight.”
A Conversation with K. K. Barrett
Sunday April 27, 7:00 pm, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Academy Award nominee K.K. Barrett joins the Festival for an in-depth conversation that will focus on his acclaimed work as a production designer on such films as Her(2013), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Marie Antoinette (2006) and Being John Malkovich (1999), and delve into his creative process, influences and favorite moments in production design.
Stand Up Planet
Monday April 28, 9:15 pm, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Stand Up Planet grew out of comic Hasan Minhaj’s recognition of several facts: “The world is full of struggle. Comedy comes from adversity. This must be one hilarious planet.” As a result, Minhaj embarked on a global journey to meet a new generation of comic rebels, investigating how humor might function as a critical force against some of our toughest global issues. Minhaj and local favorite Nato Green precede the film’s presentation with live, politically minded comedy sets.
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down
Tuesday April 29, 8:00 pm, Castro Theatre
Thao Nguyen and her band The Get Down Stay Down will perform with an assortment of classic, complex and funny silent films, including Charlie Chaplin’s anarchic The Pawn Shop, Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapich’s groundbreakingThe Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra, alchemical animation by Harry Smith and classic newsreels. Nguyen, whose juggernaut-like performances speak to resiliency, hope and an infectious, catalytic energy, will also present some of her own shorts.
Porchlight
Monday May 5, 9:15 pm, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas
Hosted by Arline Klatte and Beth Lisick, San Francisco’s beloved nonfiction storytelling series returns to the Festival for a special night of film industry-themed stories. This is a unique chance to hear some of the most creative figures in independent media spin real-life tales about their community and craft.
Stephin Merritt with The Unknown
Tuesday May 6, 8:00 pm, Castro Theatre
Magnetic Fields band leader Stephin Merritt pairs off with some of silent cinema’s quintessential iconoclasts, Tod Browning and master monster Lon Chaney, for the premiere of his new score for the Freaks director’s 1927 silent The Unknown. SFIFF faithful will fondly recall the multi-instrumentalist’s 2010 performance at the Festival with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
For tickets and information visit festival.sffs.org.
To request interviews contact your Festival publicist.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
57th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 57th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 24-May 8 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Castro Theatre and New People Cinema in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and nearly $40,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 65,000 in attendance.