We’re thrilled to introduce SFFILM’s 2025 Programming team! Meet the collective responsible for selecting the films and events you’ll see at the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival.
At SFFILM, the beginning of the year brings a flurry of movement to get our annual Festival planned and produced. But, one team has been hard at work since last summer to bring films and filmmakers from around the world to join us at the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival this April 17–27.
“The Programming team for the 2025 San Francisco International Film Festival has been hard at work for several months building an exciting lineup of special events, awardees, and discovery titles to share with audiences in April,” shared Director of Programming, Jessie Fairbanks. “This group has incredible curatorial talent and it is a pleasure to work with this incredible group of programmers.
Jessie and the Programming team represent decades of curatorial experience and a variety of singular perspectives that make for the exciting slate of films that the SFFILM Festival is known for. Learn more about their backgrounds, and keep an eye out for interviews with the team on our Instagram and TikTok channels. Save the date for March 26 when we announce the full Festival lineup.
Born and raised in California, Jessie began her career producing documentaries and clip television for national networks. She spent a decade in NYC producing large-scale events, festivals, and creative projects for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Film Festival, HBO, The Documentary Group, David Byrne, and Google.
As the Director of Programming, Jessie oversees the artistic curation of the annual San Francisco International Film Festival, Doc Stories, SFFILM Presents series, College Days, the selection of honorees for SFFILM’s Awards Night, and other bespoke screening events.
Prior to becoming the Director of Programming for SFFILM, Jessie worked as a curator for DOC NYC, Tribeca Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, MountainFilm and others. Jessie is a voting member of Cinema Eye Honors, a grant evaluator for Chicken & Egg Pictures, a guest lecturer at local universities, and has participated in a variety of pitch sessions, industry panels and festival juries. She is particularly passionate about providing opportunities to underrepresented artists and documentary filmmaking.
Rod Armstrong, Associate Director of Programming
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Rod Armstrong was a cinephile before he could drive, highlighting all of the foreign films coming to the San Diego area and cajoling his parents to chauffeur him to local arthouses. The passion turned into a career with Reel.com, a website with a wide array of editorial content about films. Rod began as a contributing editor and wrapped up his work there as Director of Content. Having long been interested in the endeavors of SFFILM, Rod began in 2003 in the publicity department. Later that year, he joined the Programming team and has been there ever since. Though Rod’s interest in film is broad and omnivorous, his greatest passion, harking back to those teenage years without vehicular transportation, remains international narrative cinema.
Jordan Klein, Programmer
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A film lover and filmmaker at heart—Jordan Klein graduated from UC Berkeley and got his start as assistant to the legendary film producer Fred Roos (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Lost in Translation), marking the beginning of his career within the film industry in Los Angeles. He served on numerous productions in mediums ranging from feature film, television, commercials, short films, and music videos. His foundational working experiences helped facilitate his transition to being a production coordinator and administrative assistant to the president of film and television at PRG (Production Resource Group), a multinational company providing lighting and audio solutions to film productions and live concerts for renowned music artists around the globe.
Eventually returning to both film production and the San Francisco Bay Area, Jordan boarded both independent productions with the likes of American Zoetrope (Love Is Love Is Love) and major studio productions with Warner Brothers (The Matrix Resurrections) and Marvel Studios (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Jordan’s deep passion, love, and commitment towards cinema brought his heart to a home at SFFILM.
Kristal Sotomayor, Seasonal Curator
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Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx curator, journalist, and filmmaker based in Philadelphia. They have been distinguished as a 2023 DOC NYC Documentary New Leader and received the prestigious Rockwood Documentary Leadership Fellowship. Kristal is in their fourth year programming films for SFFILM. They have programmed for film festivals across the country including True/False Film Fest, Frameline, and Tri-Co Film Fest as well as being the Programming Director for the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival.
Kristal’s immigrant rights documentary short “Expanding Sanctuary” won the Philadelphia Filmmaker Award at the 2024 BlackStar Film Festival. Their short documentary “Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens” has screened across the globe at Newport Beach Film Festival, NewFest, GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival, and Sidewalk Film Festival. Kristal is currently in post-production on their debut narrative short film “Las Cosas Que Brillan,” a coming of age story about a Trans Latina mermaid, produced with support from the BlackStar Filmmaker Lab. They are in development on a number of short and feature-length directorial projects through their company Sotomayor Productions. Kristal’s work has been supported by the Outfest Creative Hope Fellowship, If/Then & CIFF North Shorts Residency, MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute Visiting Fellowship, DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab, and NeXtDoc Fellowship.
Bedatri D. Choudhury, Seasonal Curator
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Bedatri studied literature and cinema in New Delhi and attended graduate school at Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked extensively with documentary films, particularly in the areas of program management and commissioning. She was most recently the Managing Editor of Documentary magazine, and is a programmer with DOCNYC and SFFILM. An alumna of the NYFF Critics Academy, Sundance and SXSW Press Inclusion Initiatives, the National Critics’ Institute, and Berlinale Talents, she lives in New York City and can often be heard on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. She is presently The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Arts and Entertainment Editor.
Amir George, Seasonal Curator
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Amir George is an award-winning filmmaker based in Chicago. George has served as a programmer at True/False Film Fest and Chicago International Film Festival. George co-founded Black Radical Imagination, an experimental short film screening series. As an artist, George creates spiritual stories, juxtaposing sound and image into an experience of non-linear perception. Amir’s films have screened at film festivals including BlackStar Film Festival, Rockaway Film Festival and Camden International Film Festival, as well as cultural institutions, including Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; Moma PS1; Royal College of Art; Museum of Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles; and The Walker Art Center.
Schools at the Festival Program Returns for its 34th Year
Since 1991, SFFILM’s Education team has developed a Festival program that brings over titles from the main program and special selects for school-age students. Meet the team behind this exciting program which serves over 10,000 students annually.
Keith Zwölfer, Director of Education
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Director of Education Keith Zwölfer oversees SFFILM’s Education and public-facing family programming initiatives. This includes year-round K–12 school programming, Schools at the Festival, Schools at Doc Stories, Youth Filmmakers Camp, and Youth FilmHouse Residency. Keith started his journey with SFFILM in 2004 as an intern for the Education program during the San Francisco International Film Festival. He joined the staff later that year where he quickly moved to expand youth programming to year-round. Over the course of his time at SFFILM, Keith has programmed educational events that have reached hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, parents and children here in the Bay Area as well as across the country through online offerings.
Growing up, his love of the arts was cultivated by parents who saw the importance of providing constant exposure to it through film, theater, music, dance, and museums. Keith began his career working with youth audiences at the Disney Animation and Live Action Production Studios in Orlando, Florida. He then worked and volunteered wherever he could with a wide variety of arts and educational organizations, including everything from chamber music to Cirque du Soleil. He is incredibly proud to be able to provide accessible and meaningful arts experiences to the next generation of artists and art lovers.
Soph Schultz Rocha, Education Manager
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Soph Schultz Rocha is the Education Manager at SFFILM. They support the year round K–12 school and education programs and co-lead the Youth Filmmakers Camp and Youth FilmHouse Residency. With a background in filmmaking, art, youth mentorship, and community organizing, they are passionate about giving youth the tools and access they need for their artistic vision to flourish. They are a mentor with First Exposures in San Francisco and was their 2021 Residency Lead Teaching Artist. Soph also co-founded Moments Co-Op, a bookstore and residency space elevating the voices of BIPOC artists and writers in Oakland, CA.
Stay In Touch With SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.
Celebrate this wonderful group of future filmmakers with us.
Photo by Tommy Lau.
SFFILM Education’s Youth FilmHouse Residency, in partnership with SFFILM Makers, is an annual program that begins in the Fall semester for Bay Area students grades 9–12 who identify themselves as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC) and are excited to explore careers in film and filmmaking.
Throughout the residency, students have engaged with other SFFILM residents, SFFILM staff, film industry professionals. This year’s curriculum balances practical skills like production strategy and technique along with training, panels, and lectures to highlight industry knowledge and possible career paths through our artist network.
Who are the SFIFLM Youth FilmHouse Residents?
Aisha Rae McCulloch
My name is Aisha (Rae) McCulloch and I’m a sophomore at St. Ignatius College Preparatory. I’ve lived in San Francisco all my life, and the vibrant community I’m surrounded with has shaped my interests (both art-related and not) profoundly. I am a student athlete and committed to learning and growing inside the classroom, but also spend much of my time working on creative projects like poetry (spoken word/slam), drawing, and films (screenwriting and, of course, watching).
Who would play you in a movie and why?
My twin sister would probably play me in a movie because she looks similar to me, knows all about my experience, and is convinced she’s an amazing actor (although I’m not).
Ali-David Abdullah
My name is Ali-David Abdullah, I’m in the 12th grade and I live in Oakland. I have done a few projects with my teachers, learning about camera work and lighting. I make videos for content creation documenting various scenes in my life.
Aztli Ortega Arriaga
My name is Aztli (as-tlee) and I’m a senior taking my first film class at Berkeley High School. I have been writing and drawing many fictional stories ever since I could pick up a pencil, usually about relationships between people with hidden strengths and weaknesses- with a sci-fi twist. I just moved back to Berkeley two months ago, and have lived in many states and cities in the U.S. Besides writing and drawing, I like playing the trumpet as part of the 11:00 BHS Jazz Band, listening to experimental EDM, playing video games, and watching movies/shows. Other than making a couple animal documentaries as part of the Maine STEM film challenge, I’m early in my journey as a filmmaker specifically, but not as an artist.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
I’m inspired by every artist who has ever put out a piece of themselves into the world for everyone to see. I also admire the boldness and determination of artists who have had their films overlooked due to it having a diverse protagonist or complex message.
Cipriano Villalon
I’m Cipriano or Cip, I’m in 12th grade at Abraham Lincoln High School, and I live in San Francisco. My experience in filmmaking is pretty small. I only took a short camp this summer on how to do some stuff and made a documentary about water conservation. Since that’s the only work I’ve done I have multiple themes or narrative I’ve worked on, but I definitely would like to. As for accomplishments I guess I watch a lot of movies. I try to watch one or two a week so I’ve probably watched 100 in the last year.
What are some goals you have for your filmmaking career?
I want to be able to properly put what I think or ideas I have on a paper and hopefully a screen.
Diego Zarate
My name is Diego Zarate and I’m a 17 year old 12th grader at Berkeley High School. I’ve had a passion for filmmaking ever since I was eight years old and making iMovies with my cousins. As I’ve gotten older I’ve moved on to taking a number of video production and media classes at school, along with film workshops over the summer. As a result, I’ve produced a number of original short films which tend to cover topics that are personal to me such as religion, music, and the experience of growing up. I started with a more experimental lens in my work, but I’ve been moving more towards narrative storytelling as I develop my voice as a filmmaker.
Ella Killingsworth
My name is Ella and I’m a senior at Skyline High School in Oakland. I’ve always had an inkling for filmmaking at a young age but I had really started to pursue this passion during high school. In the past, I focused more on observing and helping others on their projects, but it’s time I put my ideas into fruition. I’m currently working on my first independent narrative film that I hope to release this year, which I’m very excited about!
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
I think my dad inspires me a lot. He’s always there to listen to my ideas and gives great advice when I’m stuck. And by being here I hope to make him proud.
Emi Harris
I’m Emi Harris, a junior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and resident of San Francisco. I get my filmmaking experience from the Film + Media art department at SOTA, as well as programs such as SFFILM. I enjoy exploring themes that navigate growing up and the fear of getting older. I would like to continue to explore narrative filmmaking and incorporating sentimental and nostalgic values and themes into my films.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
I really admire films that explore deep meanings through creative and inventive storytelling with distinct visual styles.
Julia Hayden Fung
My name is Julia Hayden Fung. I’m a senior and love all things film, theatre, photography, and dance. Recently, I won best female filmmaker at the April Sweden Film Awards, and best cinematography at Berlin Women’s Cinema Festival. I have been a part of numerous short programs at New York Film Academy, Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts in Berlin, Germany and jump at any opportunity to learn something new.
What are some goals you have for your filmmaking career?
I am super set on becoming a cinematographer, but I’ve spent a lot of time in acting, music, and directing too. I would love if my career includes any of that. I’m looking forward to being a part of creative, passionate sets and leaving an impact on people through my work 🙂
Kayen Manovil
Kayen Manovil is a bilingual Oakland-based filmmaker, actress, and high school senior at Berkeley High. As a student, Kayen works in leadership positions to bridge her school’s communities and create opportunities for underprivileged students. She recently worked as a Creative Collaborator and Host on KQED’s “The Fieldtrip Game” and sat on the Reel Stories Student Board during the 2023–2024 semester. Her films have screened at the Luminescence Youth Film Festival, SFFILM, and her newest work will screen at the All American High School Film Festival in October.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
My mom is the one who brought me into the industry in the first place, without her I likely wouldn’t have considered filmmaking as a primary career choice for myself.
Leela Chandra
My name is Leela Chandra, I’m from Oakland and I’m a junior at Bentley Upper School. I’ve gone to a few filmmaking camps before and I’m getting into creating short films by myself. In my films, I like to create coming-of-age stories that involve emotionally moving relationships and themes of growth and change.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
A lot of my inspiration comes from my own real-life experiences. I am also inspired by music, such as Bob Dylan and Charli XCX, and directors, such as Mike Mills and Emma Seligman that I like.
Luciana OrRico-Gomes
I’m Luciana, a sophomore at Oracle’s Design Tech High School, and I fell in love with filmmaking the second I gained access to the internet and the camera on my mom’s phone. I’ve been making films, writing music, and scripting plays since before I even started school. More recently, I’ve made films with SFFILM, at my high school, and through projects with a nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, what I love the most are psychological horror films for their ability to explore the deeper meaning of everything and who we are as people.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
Everyday life inspires me to be a filmmaker. The people I meet, the experiences we share – they all tell a story and I want to tell those stories through film.
Olive Read
Olive’s a high school senior who began making videos 6 years ago with her sister and has done that same routine ever since. She enjoys throwing bursts of color and glitter in her films and is inspired by filmmakers like Jacques Demy and Henry Selick. As an aspiring director, she independently creates films and promo videos for her school.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
My mom and uncle definitely inspired me to be a filmmaker. I grew up with all the 80’s movies they watched as kids and that definitely sparked my passion for storytelling and the aesthetics of the 80s has definitely become prevalent in my filmmaking.
Ray Li
I am Ray, currently a senior at Mills High School in Millbrae. The project I am working on at the moment is a sci-fi romance kind of story.
Who or what inspires you to be a filmmaker?
My mother used to take me out for movies every weekend when I was small, and I have always been interested in making stories and turning them into films.
Stay In Touch With SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers, to support emerging filmmakers, and to educate youth through cinema. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.
Help us give a warm welcome to 2025’s group of Bay Area–based storytellers who will take up residence at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s dynamic shared workspace for independent filmmakers.
The FilmHouse Residency is managed by SFFILM Makers, the artist development program at SFFILM and is made possible in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and additional funding from the San Francisco Film Commission and the San Francisco Foundation. The program supports both narrative and documentary projects (including features, shorts, and series) by providing 12-month residencies to local filmmakers actively engaged in various stages of production.
FilmHouse Residents receive a variety of benefits including special access to established industry professionals offering artistic guidance and support from their various areas of expertise as well as a robust guest speaker series featuring lectures and presentations by leading industry professionals; workshops led by prominent filmmakers and other members of the independent film industry; peer-to-peer support; work-in-progress screenings; bi-weekly production meetings; access to meaningful networking opportunities; and numerous other community-building programs.
The selection committee for the 2025 FilmHouse Residents were:
Masashi Niwano, Director of Artist Development, SFFILM
Joshua Moore, Artist Development Manager of Documentary, SFFILM
Rosa Morales, Artist Development Manager of Narrative, SFFILM
Erika Arnold, Artist Development Associate Manager, SFFILM
Sofia Alicastro, Deputy Director, Film SF
Ines Pedrosa e Melo, Filmmaker
Let’s meet the residents that will be taking their projects to the next stage at FilmHouse in 2025!
Meet the 2025 Residents
Andres Gallegos
The Darkest Night—Narrative Short
Stage: Pre-Production
Diego, a 16-year-old from a low socioeconomic background, starts working as a construction assistant in an wealthy neighborhood thanks to the help of Sergio, a father figure he never had. There, he falls for Marta, but everything changes when Sergio’s life-changing accident threatens their future, Diego must make a dangerous choice and use stolen money to save him. As the thief comes back for the loot, Diego plans a robbery to set a trap, only to find that his own involvement in the crime may cost him everything, including his relationship with Marta.
Che ’Chichi’ Castillo
Be Here Now (working title)
Celeste, an underpaid artist and disinterested sugar baby, travels to their hometown for a short visit, but when their ride’s car is stolen, they must embark on a journey that reconnects them to the intimacy and magic of queer life.
Henry Kinder
The Gathering—Narrative Feature
Stage: Screenwriting
Aimless, Evan returns home to Berkeley to sort through his late mother’s house, finding himself with a new roommate: his estranged, ornery uncle Eugene.
The unlikely pair work through the collected baggage of their shared past as Evan’s sister quietly works to sell the house and a newcomer, Alice, inadvertently helps both Evan and Eugene— each in their own way— embrace the ineluctability of change.
Quirky Filipinx kid Ray can’t wait to leave their youth and family in Hawai’i to pursue college in the mainland. When Ray’s outgoing single mother faces the consequences of her own rebellion, the duo embarks on an adventurous summer that includes keeping secrets from grandma.
Kyle Casey Chu
After What Happened at the Library—Narrative Feature
Stage: Screenwriting
A drag queen goes viral after extremists storm her Story Hour at a local library. Reality bends under the weight of public attention as she loses her grip of her own narrative.
Linda Mai Green
Jane (working title) Narrative Feature
Stage: Screenwriting
In this Gothic thriller set in 1880s California, a vulnerable young Chinese American woman is taken in by a charismatic scientist and her mute companion. Enamored with her new friends, the young woman must choose between adopting the scientist’s worldview or forging her own sense of self.
Meera Angelica Joshi
The Sale—Narrative Short
Stage: Pre-Production
In 1993, California, a young immigrant mother has a dream to start a new life for herself and her family. The first step is to make her first encyclopedia sale.
Octavian Kelly
Tattletale—Narrative Feature
Stage: Screenwriting
Daniel, a locksmith and single father in San Francisco, confronts his wealthy sister after his seven-year-old son is molested by his nephew.
Sahand Nikoukar
Abracadabra TV Repair—Narrative Feature
Stage: Pre-Production
A father and son search for a stolen big screen television in 1995 San Francisco.
Sepi Mashiahof
Tell Me About The Fairies—Narrative Feature
Stage: Development
Alienated by the sexual wonderland of college life, a sheltered queer Iranian “boy” has an encounter with fairies who curse with an aroma that makes men hopelessly attracted to him as his body rots away like spoiled fruit.
In a near-future America dominated by autonomous self-driving vehicles, a group of Tibetan refugees go on an existential road trip across the American landscape in their manually driven car.
Yvette Solis
Untitled 3PD Project—Hybrid Short
Stage: Screenwriting
A self-reflective narrator embarks on a chaotic journey navigating a mysterious neurological disorder, forcing them to confront the fragmented nature of their new reality.
Adamu T. Chan
Babylon by the Bay (working title)—Documentary Feature
Stage: Development
Babylon by the Bay (working title) tells the stories of the pioneers and tastemakers from San Francisco’s youth street fashion and counterculture scene in the 1990s and early 2000s. It serves as a love letter to “the city by the bay,” capturing a bygone era when the city’s character was profoundly influenced by the art and culture of young people pushing back against conservatism and rising wealth concentration.
Deann Borshay Liem
Relative Strangers—Documentary Feature
Stage: Production
During and after the Korean War, thousands of mixed-race children were abandoned by their American GI fathers, stigmatized by Korean society, and sent to be adopted by couples in the West. Today many are searching for their original families, initiating unexpected discoveries about self, family, race, and culture. Relative Strangers follows their stories, uncovering the racial and social inequalities of the world’s largest international adoption program, and its impact on individuals and societies.
Felix Uribe Jr.
Melodies of Salvation (working title)—Documentary Short
Stage: Development
Through personal footage and collaborative storytelling, this project delves into the resilience and complexity of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, sharing the lived experiences and interconnected stories of its residents as they navigate systemic challenges and create meaningful change.
Jessica Jones
Women Who Ride—Documentary Short
Stage: Post-Production
Women Who Ride is the tenacious story of the woman behind Oakland’s first Black women’s motorcycle club, D’Vious Wayz. This character-driven portrait is told through the lens of Tish Edwards, the founder of D’Vious Wayz as she struggles to keep the club afloat. A symbol of sisterhood, D’Vious Wayz highlights the influence of Black matriarchs, female comradery, and women’s battle to continue doing what they love in the face of responsibilities. As Tish balances caring for her disabled son and grapples with her own health conditions, she works to keep the sisterhood alive and start riding again.
Masha Karpoukhina
In Between Worlds—Documentary Feature
Stage: Pre-Production
In the face of impending climate chaos, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe fights to keep a sacred promise to return their ancestral salmon just as the salmon runs across the globe are collapsing.
Guided by Chief Colleen, they must journey to New Zealand where miraculously, the descendants of their salmon survived.
“Whatever happens to the salmon, happens to us” – Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
In the beginning, everything came from the sacred spring atop Mt. Shasta. All stars & all beings & among them, little humans who seemed lost and naked and had no voice. The salmon felt compassion for them & gave up their voice, so humans could communicate with all life. But only under 1 condition. That they would forever use it to speak up for the salmon.
Meg Shutzer & Brandon Yadegari Moreno
The Prison Outside—Documentary Feature
Stage: Production
Sentenced to life for crimes he committed as a child, Terrence Graham took his fight for freedom all the way to the Supreme Court and won. After twenty-one years behind bars, he is finally getting out – but is life outside just another prison?
Samantha Berlanga
Pleasure Seekers—Documentary Feature
Stage: Production
In Brooklyn, New York two best friends are determined to embrace their boldest, most unapologetically sexy selves—only to confront the deeply ingrained politics of sex and bodily autonomy. As they navigate their journey toward empowerment, the filmmaker explores how sexuality can flourish beyond the weight of institutionalized guilt and shame.
Susannah Smith
We Belong—Documentary Feature
Stage: Post-Production
For 18 rowdy years, the Lexington Club was the only dyke bar in the “Gay Mecca” of San Francisco (1997–2015). Not just a safe space, the Lexington Club was headquarters for a Queer rebellion that was transforming the world. Now, ten years later, We Belong immerses us in this iconic space to tell the story of its impact on three profound decades of LGBTQ+ history.
Tara Baghdassarian
The Dragon Under Our Feet—Documentary Feature
Stage: Pre-Production
A Bay Area artist and organizer reconnects with her Armenian culture while piecing together stained glass fragments of ancient symbols. Their rich meaning lies within traditionally woven carpets collected by older diasporans struggling to gain interest from younger generations.
Tony Nguyen
Year of the Cat—Documentary Feature
Stage: Pre-Production
Year of the Cat follows filmmaker Tony Nguyen on an extraordinary quest to solve the mystery of his father, lost in the chaos of the Fall of Saigon 50 years ago. Told as an investigative home movie, this powerful documentary weaves together moments of humor and heartache, offering an intimate look at how the children of refugees are shaped by war and loss. As Tony delves into his family’s history, the film reveals the emotional lengths we go to in confronting the ghosts of the past—and the possibility of healing as we reclaim and transform our futures.
Stay In Touch With SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.
SF Honors is our annual award presentation in celebration of a filmmaker’s singular vision in our current cinema landscape, and we were honored with a discussion between director Steve McQueen and SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks.
Recently, SFFILM honored award-winning director Steve McQueen and his film Blitz. Before the screening of the film, SFFILM Board President Todd Traina presented the award to Steve with a very special introduction calling attention to the deftness with which Steve navigates storytelling. Along with the award presentation, we all sat for a screening of the film in the world-class Premier Theater at One Letterman followed by an onstage conversation between SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks and director Steve McQueen.
“San Francisco has always been important for me as a filmmaker. It’s very special to be back here at SFFILM because I know they have the most remarkable film community here. When I think of San Francisco, I think of excellence in filmmaking and also nurturing of filmmaking, which is extremely important,” said director Steve McQueen.
Watch the full conversation to hear more about the creation of Steve McQueen’s Blitz, and be sure to watch the film on Apple TV+.
SF Honors: Blitz—In conversation with Steve McQueen
Stay In Touch With SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM brings the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers all year long. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.
SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announce Sara Crow and David Rafailedes’s Satoshi and Lara Palmqvist’s The Garden as the 2024 Sloan Science in Cinema Fellows
L to R: Sara Crow and David Rafailedes; Lara Palmqvist. Photos courtesy of the filmmakers and SFFILM.
Designed to ensure that narrative feature films tell compelling stories about the worlds of science and technology continue to be made and seen, the fellowship will support the development of the fellows’ narrative feature screenplays. Through the Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowship, SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation aim to advance the understanding of science and technology through the artform of film.
“The key to making a truly successful film is a strong foundation,” said Anne Lai, Executive Director of SFFILM. “We’re thrilled that our partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recognizes the significance of a well-crafted script, all while providing screenwriters with the support and resources they need to see their projects through a crucial filmmaking stage.
“We are proud to partner with SFFILM in supporting these talented screenwriters whose scripts examine not only vital issues in the fields of science and technology, but in society at large,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “This year’s Sloan Science in Cinema Fellows are part of a nationwide program that has supported over 850 science and film projects and include award-winning filmmakers from twelve distinguished film schools and six outstanding screenplay development partners.”
SFFILM’s partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation—the nation’s leading philanthropic grantor for science and the arts—culminates in the SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative. SFFILM launched the program in 2015 to celebrate and highlight cinema that brings together science and the art of storytelling, showing how these two seemingly disparate areas can combine to enhance the power of one another. The selections are meant to immerse a broad public audience in the challenges and rewards of scientific discovery, as well as to engage members of the scientific community.
Meet the 2024 SFFILM Sloan Science In Cinema Fellowship Recipients
From an open call for submissions, three screenwriters have been selected to receive the 2024 Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship. The fellowship, which will support the development of their narrative feature screenplays, is designed to ensure that narrative feature films that center on science and technology continue to be made by filmmakers.
Satoshi
Sara Crow, Screenwriter/Director and David Rafailedes, Screenwriter/Producer
The potentially true story of a teenage anime-obsessed hacktivist who, after losing her scholarship to Stanford, returns home to Arizona to become the mysterious inventor of a new digital currency called Bitcoin.
The Garden
Lara Palmqvist, Screenwriter
In a world of advanced climate change and deep class divides, a passionate plant breeder tries to secure his family’s future by developing genetically enhanced seeds while working for a controlling socialite who wants to create her own Garden of Eden on a Kentucky estate.
Stay In Touch With SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.