• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

SFFILM

The Bay Area's home for the world's finest films and filmmakers.

  • Calendar
  • Festival
  • 2023 Festival
    • Festival Program
      • Calendar
    • Explore
      • Sections + Spotlights
      • Awards + Competition
      • Schools at the Festival
      • About the Festival
      • Dining + Travel
    • How-To
      • Tickets
      • FAQ
      • Press Center
      • PDF of Program
      • Volunteer
  • Join + Give
    • Join UsSFFILM is a community of film lovers and filmmakers dedicated to the art of cinema.
      • Become a Member
      • Become a Patron
      • Make a Gift
      • Volunteer
    • PartnerReach film fans through a customized partnership of the Festival and our many year-round programs!
      • Get Involved
      • Corporate Partners
      • Government + Foundations
      • Community Partners
  • Filmmakers + Education
    • Artist Development
      • Fund Your Film
      • FilmHouse Residency
      • Filmmaker Programming
      • Supported Projects
    • Education
      • Schools at the Festival
      • Family Programming
      • Teaching Tools
      • Video Library
      • See All
  • SIGN IN

Blog

SFFILM Festival Opening Night Features New Film About Local Legend Stephen Curry

Here’s why we’re excited for the West Coast and hometown premiere of Stephen Curry: Underrated, Peter Nicks’ new documentary about the four-time NBA champ.

Stephen Curry interviewing at Davidson College. Photo Courtesy of Apple Original Films.

The 66th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) will tip off with a feature-length documentary that scored some serious points from audiences at the 2023 Sundance International Film Festival: Stephen Curry: Underrated. Directed by Oakland local and Emmy Award-winner Peter Nicks, Underrated is the latest Apple Original Films and A24 movie you need to see.. The Steph Curry doc is also produced by Oaklander and Fruitvale Station and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who recently accepted the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction at SFFILM Awards Night. All of these Oakland connections are part of what makes us most excited for the SFFILM Festival Opening Night screenings of Underrated at the city’s historic Grand Lake Theatre.

What Is Stephen Curry: Underrated About?

Stephen Curry: Underrated is the remarkable coming-of-age story of one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in the history of basketball: Stephen Curry. This feature documentary—which blends intimate cinéma vérité, archival footage, and on-camera interviews—documents Curry’s rise from an undersized college player at a tiny Division I college to a four-time NBA champion, who built one of the most dominant sports dynasties in the world.

It is directed by Peter Nicks, who returns to the Festival for the fourth time. Nicks previously screened The Waiting Room (SFFILM Festival, 2012), The Force (SFFILM Festival, 2016), and Homeroom (SFFILM Festival, 2021) here at SFFILM and his latest film celebrates the iconic NBA superstar Stephen Curry. Nicks intertwines Curry’s emergence on the court at Davidson College with thrilling footage of the 2021–2022 Golden State Warriors season, when the team won its fourth championship of the Curry era. In the film, Nicks turns his lens to Curry’s feelings and thoughts about not only his sports ambitions but also his family and academic aspirations as well.

Stephen Curry: Underrated premiered at Sundance, and includes quiet moments of reflection from Steph Curry along with a wealth of behind the scenes access to the local legend. The film is produced by Peter Nicks, Ryan Coogler, Erick Peyton, Sean Havey, Ben Cotner, and Marissa Torres Ericson with Emily Osborne, Sev Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler as executive producers.

Stephen Curry in warmup gear before a game. Photo Courtesy of Apple Original Films.

Who Is Peter Nicks?

Emmy award-winning director and producer Peter Nicks has called Oakland, California home since 1997. He has been part of the SFFILM community as a filmmaker, grantee, honoree, mentor, and valued partner for well over a decade. His Oakland Trilogy has been part of three SFFILM Festival programs respectively: The Waiting Room (SFFILM Festival, 2012), The Force (SFFILM Festival, 2017), and Homeroom (SFFILM Festival, 2021).

“SFFILM has been a supporter of mine from the beginning of my trilogy about Oakland institutions and I’m proud to partner with them on my latest project, which is about another Bay Area institution of sorts,” said Director, Peter Nicks. “Stephen Curry’s story is at once universal and personal, a thrilling expression of the power of pushing beyond expectations and fighting to be seen. These themes are not only woven deeply into Stephen’s story but also that of the town itself and I’m excited to share the film soon at Oakland’s legendary Grand Lake Theater.”

Director Peter Nicks on the red carpet of the Golden Gate Awards at the 2017 SFFILM Festival. Photo Courtesy of SFFILM.

Where Can I Watch Steph Curry: Underrated?

Stephen Curry: Underrated will open the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival with two screenings at the historic Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland. It’s exciting to welcome an Oakland-based filmmaker into a legendary local movie palace for a documentary about a person who remains near and dear to many residents of The Town. Director Peter Nicks and producer Ryan Coogler are expected to join us for both screenings.

Want to celebrate even more? A limited number of tickets will be available for public purchase to the Opening Night Party which will be held at OMCA, the Oakland Museum of California. See the film, hear from the filmmakers, and join us for our opening night party on Thursday, April 13. The two screenings of the film will happen at 6:30 pm PT and 9:30 pm PT. The SFFILM Opening Night Party will start at 9 pm PT and run until midnight.

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.

Will Michelle Yeoh Win An Oscar? SFFILM Thinks It’s About Time

Last spring, at the 65th SFFILM Festival, we paid tribute to cinematic icon Michelle Yeoh, who wrapped up the year by earning an Oscar nomination. Will she finally win big at the 2023 Academy Awards?

Michelle Yeoh. Photo by Pamela Gentile.

In April 2022, SFFILM welcomed Michelle Yeoh to the 65th San Francisco International Film Festival for a special tribute to the enduring icon, which was hosted by award-winning actor Sandra Oh. In a joyful and wide-ranging onstage conversation, the pair celebrated the career and gifts of this unparalleled international movie star. Yeoh carved out a now-legendary path in Hong Kong cinema in the late ‘80s and throughout the ‘90s, performing her own stunts in action films like Yes, Madam (1985), Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), and Holy Weapon (1993).

Then came the release of director Ang Lee’s Academy Award-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Whether you saw the film when it premiered in 2000, or joined SFFILM at the Castro Theatre for your first Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon viewing in the lead-up to the tribute, it’s clear why Yeoh gained critical recognition worldwide after this starring role. A standout supporting role in a little 1997 Bond film called Tomorrow Never Dies introduced her to even more audiences.

Called “one of the great international movie stars of the past quarter-century” by New York Times chief film critic A.O. Scott, Michelle Yeoh is a singular, tenacious talent—and that’s exactly why we honored her career last year. After decades of memorable roles, Yeoh has now earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her formidable performance in The Daniels’ (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) multiversal gut-punch Everything Everywhere All at Once. Will Michelle Yeoh win an Oscar on Sunday, March 12? SFFILM believes so—and forecasted it nearly a year ago.

Michelle Yeoh in Conversation with Sandra Oh at the 65th SFFILM Festival. Photo by Pamela Gentile.

Has Michelle Yeoh Been Nominated For An Oscar Before?

Despite her impressive and enduring career in film, Michelle Yeoh has never been nominated for an Oscar before. Even her BAFTA nomination for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon didn’t push the Academy to recognize Yeoh over two decades ago. Now, with Everything Everywhere All at Once—the most-nominated film at the 2023 Oscars—Michelle Yeoh is finally being given the recognition she has long deserved on the awards circuit.

At the Golden Globes, Michelle Yeoh became the first Malaysian actor to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy. This is also Yeoh’s first time being nominated for the Critics’ Choice Awards, and her second BAFTA nomination. Her role as Evelyn Wang, the laundromat owner who’s just trying to navigate an IRS audit when she’s pulled into a multiverse-spanning adventure, is a career-defining one. And that’s saying something given Yeoh’s decades’ worth of accomplishments.

The role has landed her numerous awards from critics associations, in addition to that Golden Globe, and her fellow Everything Everywhere All at Once Oscar nominees—Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Stephanie Hsu—have all earned accolades for their ensemble work in the film. Most recently, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman ever to win any individual category at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). She won the honor for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, of course. But does that SAG win—both as an individual and as a member of the year’s most outstanding cast—indicate a promising night at the Oscars?

Fans outside the Castro Theatre for the Tribute to Michelle Yeoh in Conversation with Sandra Oh. Photo by Pamela Gentile.

Can Michelle Yeoh Make Oscar History?

When Academy Award nominations were announced in January, Michelle Yeoh became the first Malaysian person, and the first Southeast Asian person, to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She’s also the second woman of Asian descent to be nominated in the category, with the first being biracial actor Merle Oberon. Nominated for her role in The Dark Angel in 1936, Oberon felt the need to conceal her biracial identity due to the pervasive racism in the studio system.

If Michelle Yeoh wins, it will be a landmark moment in film history. “[Other Asian folks] come up to me and they say, ‘You’re doing it for us’,” Yeoh said in an interview with TIME, which named her an icon of the year. And as the 2023 Oscars near, Yeoh is emerging as the category frontrunner. Even so, some film critics and cinephiles are still betting on two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Best Supporting Actress; Blue Jasmine, Best Actress) to nab the award again for her starring role in Tár.

SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks, Michelle Yeoh, and Sandra Oh onstage at the 65th SFFILM Festival. Photo by Pamela Gentile.

After receiving news of her nomination, Yeoh told Deadline that the most important part of her Oscars push was that it could show others, especially other Asian actors and filmmakers, that they can do it, too. “I’m very ordinary. I just work very hard,” Yeoh said. “There are so many brilliant actresses [and] actors out there who know that they have a seat at the table. All they have to do is find an opportunity and get there.”

So, can Michelle Yeoh make history? SFFILM thinks she can! And if Yeoh wins, we’ll be dancing just like she and Sandra Oh danced on stage at the Castro Theatre last year. It was a privilege to honor you, Michelle. You’ve got this—in every universe!

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.

In Memoriam—Former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan

former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan
Photo by Pamela Gentile.

Remembering former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan

On Wednesday, January 25, former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan passed away at his home in Los Angeles. Our staff and alumni are deeply saddened by his loss and we’ve been swapping many uproarious stories about Noah, a wonderful, wild, big-hearted, and complex person who did so much for this organization during his tenure. His legacy is still propelling SFFILM ever forward, with filmmaking and film appreciation at its center.

Noah stepped into the Executive Director role at SFFILM in 2014—then known as the San Francisco Film Society—and immediately got to work with his bold vision for the organization. He said at the time, “The Bay Area has a storied relationship to cinema’s century-plus history and is currently home to the technology companies that will decisively influence the medium’s future. SFFS is uniquely positioned to work with filmmakers, educators, and enthusiastic local audiences to embrace the dynamic and exciting changes taking place within the industry and continue to ensure that great cinema is made, seen and appreciated.”
 

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan on stage with Ellen Burstyn at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan on stage with Ellen Burstyn at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan on stage with Ellen Burstyn at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan on the red carpet with SF Mayor London Breed and former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Noah Cowan on the red carpet with SF Mayor London Breed and former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Noah Cowan on the red carpet with SF Mayor London Breed and former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Ellen Burstyn sitting together at SFFILM Awards Night.

Noah Cowan and Ellen Burstyn sitting together at SFFILM Awards Night.

Noah Cowan and Ellen Burstyn sitting together at SFFILM Awards Night.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Pat Cleveland and Stephen Burrows at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan with Pat Cleveland and Stephen Burrows at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan with Pat Cleveland and Stephen Burrows at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Marcus Hu and B. Ruby Rich at SFFILM Essential SF

Noah Cowan with Marcus Hu and B. Ruby Rich at SFFILM Essential SF

Noah Cowan with Marcus Hu and B. Ruby Rich at SFFILM Essential SF

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Johnnie To at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan with Johnnie To at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan with Johnnie To at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Shah Rukh Khan at the 2017 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan and Shah Rukh Khan at the 2017 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan and Shah Rukh Khan at the 2017 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan and Wesley Morris at the 2016 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan and Wesley Morris at the 2016 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan and Wesley Morris at the 2016 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CA Governor Gavin Newsom at the 2019 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan with Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CA Governor Gavin Newsom at the 2019 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan with Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CA Governor Gavin Newsom at the 2019 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and filmmakers of Darkest Hour at an SF Honors Award Presentation.

Noah Cowan and filmmakers of Darkest Hour at an SF Honors Award Presentation.

Noah Cowan and filmmakers of Darkest Hour at an SF Honors Award Presentation.

previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Slider

 

Launched in March of 2017, Noah delivered the rebranding of the organization, integrating all programs including year-round exhibitions, the world-renowned San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM Makers, and SFFILM Education under the banner of SFFILM. This new SFFILM was the foundation of who we are today—an organization that prioritizes supporting filmmakers young and old, bringing together the local film community, and inspiring film lovers throughout the Bay Area.

“Noah’s impact on SFFILM was indelible and lasting, and I was honored to carry the stewardship of the organization from Noah’s visionary work. He helped to bring us into a more modern and accessible era, starting with our name change from the San Francisco Film Society, as well as elevating our artist development and education programs to a higher visibility aligned with our legacy festival,” said SFFILM Executive Director, Anne Lai. “His energy and excitement about what we do continue to echo in the new initiatives he created during his time here. Like the movies, he was bigger than life and will be greatly missed.”

Photo by Tommy Lau.

And of course, his love and knowledge of film drove his ambitions for the artform, and for SFFILM. Associate Director of Programming Rod Armstrong shared this remembrance, “Talking about cinema with Noah was a great pleasure for me during his time at SFFILM. Following his departure, we’d pick up our cinephilic chats when we saw one another, sprinkled with nifty gossip. It’s to my great dismay that I won’t be able to continue this conversation with Noah; he made me smarter, better at my job, and hearing his always-at-the-ready laugh made my day a little brighter. The ways he expanded the scope and reach of SFFILM are just one element of his impressive legacy; I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”

We will miss Noah and we know many film communities around the world will as well. We will continue to find solace in his legacy and work, and on especially hard days, we’ll look back at his musings on filmmaking to remind ourselves of the man he was and the devotion he had for filmmaking and film loving.

 

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Spike Lee on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan and Spike Lee on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan and Spike Lee on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Dolores Huerta and Peter Bratt on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan with Dolores Huerta and Peter Bratt on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan with Dolores Huerta and Peter Bratt on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Ben Fong-Torres on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan and Ben Fong-Torres on the red carpet.

Noah Cowan and Ben Fong-Torres on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan onstage at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan onstage at an SFFILM event.

Noah Cowan onstage at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Photo by George F. Gund

Photo by George F. Gund

Photo by George F. Gund

Noah Cowan in front of an SFFILM Festival venue.

Noah Cowan in front of an SFFILM Festival venue.

Noah Cowan in front of an SFFILM Festival venue.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan on stage for the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan on stage for the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan on stage for the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan posing for a photo at the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan posing for a photo at the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Noah Cowan posing for a photo at the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan onstage at the 2019 SFFILM Festival with the filmmakers of Tales of the City.

Noah Cowan onstage at the 2019 SFFILM Festival with the filmmakers of Tales of the City.

Noah Cowan onstage at the 2019 SFFILM Festival with the filmmakers of Tales of the City.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Boots Riley and Steve McQueen at SFFILM Awards Night.

Noah Cowan with Boots Riley and Steve McQueen at SFFILM Awards Night.

Noah Cowan with Boots Riley and Steve McQueen at SFFILM Awards Night.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Noah Cowan with former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Noah Cowan with former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Doron Weber and Josh Singer in front of the Castro Marquee.

Noah Cowan with Doron Weber and Josh Singer in front of the Castro Marquee.

Noah Cowan with Doron Weber and Josh Singer in front of the Castro Marquee.

previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Slider

Meet the 2023 SFFILM FilmHouse Residents

Help us give a warm welcome to 2023’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 asa 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 2023 FilmHouse Residents were:

Masashi Niwano, Director of Artist Development, SFFILM
Joshua Moore, Artist Development Manager of Documentary Projects, SFFILM
Rosa Morales, Artist Development Associate Manager of Narrative Projects, SFFILM
Sabrina Sellers, Artist Development Coordinator, SFFILM
Manijeh Fata, Executive Director, Film SF
Dana Merwin, Producer
Natalie Baszile, Writer, Director, and FilmHouse Resident Alumni

“FilmHouse is an ecosystem of creative people and exciting projects in motion, and this year’s diverse group of residents all bring with them their own unique talents and perspectives,” said the 2023 Selection Committee.“There is an intentional balance of emerging filmmakers and more established filmmakers who have built a foundation from which to grow. These exceptional storytellers also share a personal connection to the material they are working with and we couldn’t be more thrilled to offer them the support and guidance the FilmHouse residency provides.” FilmHouse Residents Selection Committee

Let’s meet the residents that will be taking their projects to the next stage—whether it be screenwriting or post-production—at FilmHouse in 2023!

Feature Residents

Adnan Khan

Dreama’s Room – Narrative Short
When a 7-year-old girl gets a letter from her incarcerated father, she sets out on an imaginative fantasy adventure in her room to free him.

Albert Fernandez

Numero – Narrative Short
When a gifted baseball player is discovered in Cuba, an MLB scout must navigate him through the dangerous web of human traffickers to reach the multimillion-dollar contracts and redemption that await some 90 miles away. Inspired by a current DOJ investigation.

Asad Durrani

She Fell From the Sky – Narrative Feature
A struggling single dad’s life gets further complicated when his late wife falls out of the sky and back into his life.

Betsy Tsai

A Land of Long Shadows – Hybrid Feature
An aspiring journalist from working-class Belfast investigates epidemic suicide rates amongst her millennial peers. When it hits close to home, she exposes why the violence still persists in 2010s Northern Ireland, but is turning inwards.

Cheo Tyehimba Taylor

Untitled – Narrative Feature
An egotistical journalist convinces his HIV-positive brother to participate in a controversial AIDS clinical trial he’s documenting during the height of the AIDS epidemic, but the consequences reveal hidden truths.

Dominic Mercurio

He Won’t Belong – Narrative Short
In the midst of a storm on a desolate strip of California’s lost coast, two strangers begin to uncover each other’s past.

Estevan Padilla

Pangea Ultima – Narrative Feature
Convinced that their parent’s separation is the root cause of their inability to foster relationships and mature, a delusional brother and sister brazenly kidnap their estranged parents in hopes of forcing them to fall back into love.

LaTajh Weaver

Queerling – Narrative Feature
After taking a cushy tech job to make ends meet, an Oakland native struggles to stay morally grounded while benefiting from the same luxuries that are destroying her community. All while stumbling through the complexities of Bay Area’s Queer scene.

Osinachi Ibe

Tales From Under the Sun – Narrative Feature
During their first summer apart, two childhood best friends discover they have fallen in love with each other and embark on a spiritual journey that changes them forever.

Steven Liang

Godfrey’s Time, Out – Narrative Feature
After 14 years behind bars, Godfrey receives a weekend pass out of his transitional house to celebrate his newfound freedom in his hometown in the San Gabriel Valley, only to discover his city and his people have moved on without him. When the pressure to make up for lost time becomes unbearable, he wrestles with the delusion of home and the reality of new beginnings.

Documentary Residents

Aurora Brachman

Dear You – Documentary Feature
After fleeing an abusive husband and leaving behind her Pacific Island home of Kiribati—projected to be one of the first countries to disappear due to climate change—Grace is detained while seeking asylum in the US. Anchored by love letters she writes while in prison, Dear You follows Grace as she fights for stability and a new sense of purpose while contemplating the future of the rapidly-disappearing home to which she can never return.

Briana Nieves

Arise! My Beloved – Documentary Short and Feature
A group of carmelite nuns living secluded from friends and family reflect on what it means to know God and be alive in a state of profound isolation.

Caron Creighton

Dispossessed – Documentary Feature
Residents of Oakland’s largest homeless encampment struggle to keep their community united as they fight dual evictions from both the city and state.

Elivia Shaw

Untitled Central Valley Project – Documentary Feature
Land has a time limit. Untitled Central Valley Project explores the impact of decades of agricultural extraction and increasingly extreme climate on community health in California’s Central Valley through intimate short stories that investigate our changing relationship to the environment.

Ines Pedrosa e Melo

The dark knot at the center – Documentary Short
In a road movie set in post Roe v. Wade America, an anonymous group of people reckons with the current state of abortion rights in a deeply divided country. As they share their thoughts, reflections and experiences on the struggles of accessing abortion care, their voices reshape the road and the vast scenery around it, shedding light on the disparate realities of reproductive health care access in contemporary the United States.

J.P. Dobrin

Untitled asian deportation Project – Documentary Feature
After twenty years in prison, two Cambodian-American men lose their residency status due to their convictions and face potential deportation back to a country they never knew. Yet despite the insurmountable odds, the two friends try to savor their freedom and make up for a childhood lost, showing us what it means to be young at heart.

Javid Soriano

The Impossible Dream (working title) – Documentary Feature
The artistry of an opera singer endures on the streets of San Francisco, where the performer recounts his past fame while struggling to re-establish himself with his children.

Jessica Zitter

The Chaplain of Oakland – Documentary Feature
Frustrated by watching Black patients suffer in hospitals due to end-of-life healthcare inequities, a dedicated chaplain works to transform an unjust medical system, one patient at a time.

Michael Workman

The Richest Hill On Earth – Documentary Feature
Unfolding through the lives of a diverse cross-section of people in a town haunted by its history of labor struggle, The Richest Hill on Earth is an intergenerational story exploring what it means to be working class in the United States.

Rajan Gill

Harvest Party at Camp Two – Documentary/Hybrid Short
It was a summer of romance, race-wars, and rock n’ roll. Unable to attend their local prom, Harvest Party at Camp Two recounts the story of the Punjabi farmworkers in 1980s California who throw the biggest party their small town has ever seen.

Yeelen Cohen

Fighting for the Light – Documentary/Hybrid Feature
Named after the African cinema classic, Yeelen journeys to Bamako to make a movie about the enigmatic elder who inspired their name. Souleymane Cisse, director of Yeelen, readily assumes the role of godfather to the multimedia artist, but soon begins questioning the millennial’s vision. What starts as a playful personal film about the origin of a name, spirals into an existential interrogation of representation, collective imagination, and the power manifested through image creation. Juxtaposing the past, present, and future, archival footage and reimaginings of the film Yeelen, the documentary odyssey explores a fated relationship that defies cultural and generational divides.

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.

Meet the 2022 Documentary Film Fund Winners

Since its launch in 2011, the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund (DFF) has supported feature-length documentaries in post-production that are distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters, and an innovative visual approach. DFF has distributed nearly $1 million to advance new work by filmmakers worldwide, many of whom go on to premiere at festivals like Sundance, our own San Francisco International Film Festival, Tribeca and more, as well as collect dozens of nominations and awards including the Oscars.

This year’s winners include Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn’s Going Varsity in Mariachi (premiering at Sundance this month), Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan’s Made in Ethiopia, Nadav Kurtz’s Untitled Sam and Omar Project, and Kevin Duncan Wong, Kar Yin Tham, and Todd Still’s Home is a Hotel (Working Title).

“In an incredibly competitive slate of submissions, we are thrilled with the winning selections. All of these films explore the human experience in new and powerful ways that truly moved our jury to tears,“ said Masashi Niwano, Director of Artist Development at SFFILM.

The panelists who reviewed the submissions were Ximena Amescua, Artist Manager at Firelight Media; Jameka Autry, Principal and Producer at Beholden Films; Joshua Moore, Manager of Documentary Programs at SFFILM; Masashi Niwano, Director of Artist Development at SFFILM; Sabrina Sellers, Artist Development Coordinator at SFFILM.

“With over 300 submissions and ten exceptional finalists to choose from, this was one of the most competitive review panels we’ve had for the Doc Film Fund,” remarked the panel. “Ultimately our jury selected four superb and distinct films that we believe will be successful and accessible as they near the end of post-production.”

“We felt these four projects not only presented compelling, compassionate, and timely subject material, but each have a unique and creative approach that sets them apart,” they said. “The winners are all emerging filmmakers making their feature debuts, some having already made award-winning shorts, and we couldn’t be more excited to see the impact this grant will have on their burgeoning careers.”

Previous DFF winners include Sarvnik Kaur’s Against the Tide making its 2023 Sundance debut, ​​Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing With Fire, which won Audience and Special Jury Awards at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s Honeyland, which won a record number of juried awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Language Film, RaMell Ross’ Hale County This Morning, This Evening, which won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2018 and was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and many others.

The 2022 Documentary Film Fund is made possible thanks to support from Jennifer Hymes Battat and the Jenerosity Foundation along with Tom Knutsen and Katie Hall.

2022 Documentary Film Fund Winners

Going Varsity in Mariachi

Alejandra Vasquez, Director; Sam Osborn, Director; Julia Pontecorvo, Producer; James Lawler, Producer; Luis Miranda, Producer

In the richly competitive world of high school mariachi, the musicians from the borderlands of South Texas reign king. Under the guidance of coach Abel Acuña, the teenage captains of Edinburg North High School’s acclaimed Mariachi Oro must turn a shoestring budget and motley crew of inexperienced musicians into state champions.

Made in Ethiopia

Xinyan Yu, Director/Producer; Max Duncan, Director/Producer/Cinematographer; Tamara Mariam Dawit, Producer

Three pioneering women navigate the bumpy expansion of the biggest Chinese industrial zone in Ethiopia.

Untitled Sam and Omar Project

Nadav Kurtz, Director/Producer; Diane Quon, Producer; Jeremiah Zagar, Executive Producer; Jeremy Yaches, Executive Producer; Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Executive Producer

Omar Bader was only eight years old when his father Sam, a film producer, was arrested and sentenced to a 24-year prison sentence. Now twenty-three, Omar struggles under the weight of his father’s long absence. But through a creative collaboration facilitated by prison visits and phone calls, Sam helps Omar summon the courage to pursue his artistic dreams and begins the process of healing their relationship.

Home is a Hotel (Working Title)

Kevin Duncan Wong, Director/Producer; Kar Yin Tham, Co-Director/Producer; Todd Sills, Co-Director/Producer

Within the walls of their 80-square-foot SRO hotel rooms, five diverse San Francisco residents strive against cyclical forces and a housing crisis in their search for a place to call home.

About SFFILM Makers

SFFILM Makers, SFFILM’s artist development program, provides significant strategic and creative resources to independent filmmakers through grants, fellowships, residencies, and individual consultations. Since 2009, over $8.5 million has been disbursed to more than 250 feature projects. SFFILM’s suite of grants includes the SFFILM Rainin Grant and several programs in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; and the Documentary Film Fund, a partnership with the Jenerosity Foundation.

Notable narrative films and filmmakers that have received support from SFFILM Makers include Rainin Grant recipients Channing Godfrey Peoples’ Miss Juneteenth, Fernando Frias’ I’m No Longer Here, Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Monsters and Men, Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods, Nijla Mu’min’s Jinn, and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station. Supported documentary features include Documentary Film Fund recipients CJ Hunt’s The Neutral Ground, Assia Boundaoui’s The Feeling of Being Watched, Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s Honeyland, Liza Mandelup’s Jawline, Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family, and RaMell Ross’ Hale County This Morning, This Evening.

Learn more about the SFFILM Makers program here.

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.

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 8
  • Go to Next Page »

Visit

  • Tickets
  • FAQ
  • Code of Conduct
  • Accessibility

Films

  • Year-Round
  • Doc Stories
  • Festival

Press

  • Press Center
  • Accreditation
  • Press Releases
  • Press Materials

About

  • Contact
  • About SFFILM
  • Careers
  • Blog

Stay in Touch

© 2020 SFFILM  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy  

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Manage SFFILM Account
  • Tickets
  • My Membership
  • Help
  • Sign Out
  • Upcoming Events
  • Manage SFFILM Account
  • Cart
My Account
  • Contact Info
  • Password
  • Upcoming Events
  • My Membership
  • Order History
  • Sign OUT