Oct 14, 2015
SFFILM
San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Film Society has announced the lineup of programs comprising its inaugural Doc Stories festival, November 5-8 at the Vogue Theatre (3290 Sacramento Street). An exciting addition to the SFFS Fall Season, Doc Stories gives the Bay Area a new voice in the end-of-year awards season conversation by celebrating the year’s most important long- and short-form documentaries. The lineup features brand-new films yet to be released alongside smash hits from the festival circuit deserving a fresh turn on the big screen, and nearly every screening will include filmmakers and/or special guests to illuminate the subjects of the films and the processes behind their creation. Doc Stories is presented with major support from HBO Documentary Films, Catapult Film Fund and Chicken & Egg Pictures.
“The historical strength of the Bay Area in documentary filmmaking is a known fact to most industry professionals,” said SFFS Executive Director Noah Cowan. “Doc Stories is an opportunity to help organize that community and inspire audiences through this vital art form. While the weekend will primarily focus on key films destined for awards consideration, we will also explore developing trends in the field, especially the rise of short form journalism, and gather together the major funders of the region to discuss opportunities for collaboration and how we want the future of documentary filmmaking to bloom.”
Designed to connect visiting filmmakers with the robust local doc industry and the Film Society’s enthusiastic film-loving audiences, Doc Stories will feature enhanced conversations around nearly every screening, often with directors in conversation with local thought leaders connected to issues raised in the films. From intensely personal essays to hard-hitting topical investigations into urgent global issues to examinations of some of culture’s most fascinating figures, the rich lineup of films provides something for everyone with an interest in the world around them. More information about special programming will be announced in the weeks to come; visit sffs.org for up-to-date information.
Alongside the feature film selections, Doc Stories will also include a number of programs of short films, which will explore the importance of the form to contemporary journalism and the realities of online content consumption. The Opening Night program of New York Times Op-Docs; Profiles in Courage: Short Documentaries from HBO, a selection of recent short work from the industry powerhouse; and an early look at work from the newly minted Field of Vision filmmaking unit will all take a close look at this classic form and its renewed relevance in the modern viewing landscape.
“The confluence of journalism, filmmaking and technology that makes San Francisco so vibrant and important to contemporary culture is also a huge driver of Field of Vision,” said filmmaker and Field of Vision cofounder Laura Poitras. “We look forward to introducing Field of Vision to the Bay Area and to discussing the future of visual journalism in one of the key centers of its creation and dissemination.”
In addition to the public screening schedule, Doc Stories will also feature a private Doc Congress event, which will gather a number of significant documentary funders together to discuss emerging trends in the field, present important case studies and explore best practices. This one-day workshop will allow participating individuals and organizations to dig deep into the issues and discuss the challenges and opportunities that define the current documentary financing and distribution landscape.
“While this may be a golden age of documentary film, filmmakers also face an increasingly complex landscape,” said Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director of the International Documentary Association. “The opportunities are myriad and how filmmakers navigate that landscape determines whether their films will reach the audience they want. The San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Congress represents a wonderful opportunity to dig in and explore to this dynamic ecosystem.”
For complete program information, visit sffs.org/Exhibition/Fall-Season. Guest information subject to change.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5
6:15 pm New York Times Op-Docs OPENING NIGHT
Filmmakers in conversation with Op-Docs series producer Kathleen Lingo
Op-Docs is the New York Times editorial department’s award-winning section for short, opinionated documentaries, produced with wide creative latitude and a range of artistic styles, covering current affairs, contemporary life and historical subjects. Begun in 2011, Op-Docs films are produced by both renowned and emerging filmmakers who express their views in the first person, through their subjects, or more subtly through an artistic approach to a topic. This program features a selection of Op-Docs, with an emphasis on Bay Area filmmakers. (70 min)
8:30 pm Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Evgeny Afineevsky (Ukraine/USA/UK 2015, 102 min)
This on-the-ground document of the Ukrainian civic uprising that resulted in the departure of President Viktor Yanukovych melds startling footage of events as they unfold with subsequent testimonials from witnesses and participants to create a visceral portrait of historic events and some of the individuals who made up a popular movement. Director Evgeny Afineevsky skillfully manages multiple perspectives and stories to create a coherent and vital rendering of history unfolding moment to moment.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6
6:30 pm Song of Lahore
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken (USA/Pakistan 2015, 82 min) Co-directors and special guests in person
Pakistan’s Sachel Studios was founded in 2004 in an attempt to preserve and revive centuries-old musical traditions that faced extinction after the imposition of Sharia law in the ’70s and more current Taliban pressure discouraging musical performance. When a video of the group’s version of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” performed on traditional Pakistani instruments goes viral online, they get a chance to gain the kind of acclaim that Lahore’s musicians once enjoyed.
9:15 pm What Happened, Miss Simone?
Liz Garbus (USA 2014, 102 min) Director and special guest in person
After its glorious reception at SFIFF58, the Film Society offers another opportunity to see this extraordinary documentary on the big screen. A full biography filled with candid conversations, interviews, letters and performances, this film is the definitive take on Nina Simone’s life. Paying special attention to her career-jeopardizing choices during the Civil Rights movement and her insistence on justice and unflinching when presenting her surprising weaknesses, What Happened, Miss Simone? is a fitting portrait of an inimitable and powerful artist.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7
1:00 pm Cartel Land
Matthew Heineman (USA/Mexico 2015, 100 min) Director and special guests in person
This bold film gives extraordinary access to dangerous and sometimes deadly skirmishes in the Mexico-US drug wars, following vigilante groups on either side of the border as they empower themselves to take action against drug cartels that they feel are endangering their everyday lives. A vivid and sometimes brutal portrait of citizens motivated to take the law into their own hands, Cartel Land reveals fault lines and grey areas in every aspect of the conflict.
4:00 pm A Conversation with Davis Guggenheim
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim will participate in an intimate onstage conversation about his documentary work and current film, He Named Me Malala, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai and her fight for the rights of girls around the world. Guggenheim has directed some of the most successful documentaries of the last decade and this will be a rare opportunity to hear about his approach to his craft, and thoughts about the documentary form. (70 min)
6:00 pm Field of Vision
Series producer AJ Schnack in person
Launched in late September, Field of Vision is a new film unit committed to artistically thoughtful documentaries, rooted in investigative journalism. Created by Oscar winner Laura Poitras (Citizenfour), AJ Schnack (Caucus) and Charlotte Cook, Field of Vision will pair filmmakers with developing and ongoing stories around the globe. Join co-creator AJ Schnack for a selection of original films from the inaugural season and a conversation about the series’ creation and the current state of short-form documentary. (TRT 90 min)
8:30 pm Janis: Little Girl Blue
Amy Berg (USA 2015, 106 min) Director and special guests in person
Most of us are familiar with the iconic Janis Joplin, troubled wild child of the San Francisco music scene of the ’60s who died tragically of an overdose at the age of 27. Amy Berg goes beyond the legend to present an intimate portrait of a complicated artist, weaving archival material-some of it never seen before-with compelling interviews and Joplin’s reflective letters to friends and family, read with a bright sweetness by Chan Marshall (Cat Power).
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9
11:30 am Profiles in Courage: Short Documentaries from HBO
Filmmakers in person
Ebola in Liberia, LGBT rights in Cuba, a brave Nepalese couple seeking to regain their eyesight. HBO has long been the acknowledged leader in the documentary world, and never more so than now. These inspiring short films-all strong contenders for the Academy’s short list for short documentary films-show the unique global perspective and entertaining storytelling style that make HBO such an important contributor to film culture. (TRT 93 min)
2:00 pm Thank You for Playing
David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall (USA 2015, 82 min) Co-directors in person
When video game developer Ryan Green’s very young son Joel is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, he turns to what he knows best to combat his family’s emotional upheaval-he creates a game. With great emotional power, co-directors David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall create an intimate space for their heart-rending documentary that demonstrates how art and technology can help process grief and combat the various dragons everyone must try to slay.
4:30 pm Hitchcock/Truffaut
Kent Jones (France/USA 2015, 80 min) Director in person
One of cinema’s most influential books is brought vividly to life in Kent Jones’s enjoyable and expertly constructed documentary that illuminates the careers of and relationship between two of cinema’s greats, Alfred Hitchcock and François Truffaut. Featuring audio recordings of the interview between the two masters, gorgeous film clips and interviews with directors such as Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Olivier Assayas and Martin Scorsese, this is essential viewing for any lover of cinema.
7:00 pm Heart of a Dog CLOSING NIGHT
Laurie Anderson (USA 2015, 75 min) Director in person
Laurie Anderson’s playful essay film is nominally a tribute to her rat terrier, Lolabelle. In her inimitable way, Anderson takes this canine paean as her center and folds in a world of moving, funny and salient ideas about life, death, love, truth, memory, Buddhism and our four-legged soul mates. Skillfully weaving personal memories with inspired connections to current events and philosophy, Anderson creates a funny and moving meditation for dog lovers and other humans.
Film tickets $12 for SFFS members, $14 general, $13 seniors, students and persons with disabilities, $10 children (12 and under); Fall Season CineVoucher 10-Packs $110 for SFFS members, $130 general. Box office opens October 14 for members and October 15 for the general public online at sffs.org.
To request screeners and interviews contact bproctor@sffs.org.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
Doc Stories is made possible by Presenting Sponsor HBO Documentary Films, with major support from Catapult Film Fund and Chicken & Egg Pictures. National Media Partner is the New York Times; local media sponsors are KQED, SF Weekly, San Francisco Examiner and SF Evergreen.