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All Stories are Local—A conversation with Sean Wang

Fremont native Sean Wang opens the 2024 SFFILM Festival with his award-winning, homegrown feature debut Dìdi (弟弟)

Sean Wang and a still from his film Dìdi (弟弟).

Sean Wang is a fan of coming-of-age movies, citing as a start Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, François Truffaut’s New Wave classic The 400 Blows, Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, Céline Sciamma’s Water Lilies, David Mickey Evans’ The Sandlot, and Eliza Hittman’s It Felt Like Love. But none of those movies stars an Asian kid or has a Taiwanese American kid from the East Bay as a protagonist. For that, Wang would have to make his own film, and he has with Festival opener Dìdi (弟弟).

“When I look at those movies, it’s not about a 13-year-old boy or girl, it’s about that 13-year-old boy or girl and it’s all the little details that culminate in their life that all of sudden make it feel like a movie you’ve never seen before,” Wang says during a recent Zoom call.

“That was the hope with our movie, too, that we can just make every detail sit on top of one another until it feels like this is a story that’s so specific, that feels like the rollercoaster of a great coming-of-age movie. The hope was for something that feels new but also feels familiar at the same time.”

What is Dìdi (弟弟) about?

Set and shot in Fremont, Wang’s hometown, the Sundance audience award winner and recipient of a special jury award for its ensemble, tells the semi-autobiographical tale of 13-year-old Chris (Izaac Wang) who experiences a rocky summer before starting high school. It is 2008 and Chris is locked into social media and is a budding videographer. But as he experiences first love, fights with his friends, tangles with his college-bound sister Vivian (Shirley Chen), and argues with his mom Chungsing (Festival honoree Joan Chen), his feelings are volatile and the sense of humiliation that comes with being 13 is too often present. His grandma Nai Nai (Wang’s real-life grandmother Chang Li Hua, one of the subjects of his Oscar®-nominated short film Nai Nai and Wài Pó) adores him but she can only provide so much comfort to a boy with roiling emotions.

“There’s a very clear one to one of the inspirations being a version of something that’s happened in my life, literally like my family, my friends, my upbringing,” Wang says. “I think a lot of it was sort of looking back at my childhood and things that I know intimately and realizing that the emotions I feel about certain experiences–I think emotions are universal, whether you’re talking about adolescence, adulthood, emotions of shame, love, fear joy. Everyone knows these emotions but the way you frame them and the way to get to those emotions vary from person to person.

“When I think of my specific experiences and me and my friends in Fremont, California, I realized I’ve never seen that version on screen and one that stars a group of friends in very multicultural community in a place like the Bay Area,” he adds. “It also takes place in the late 2000s and utilizes the sort of internet language that I think we were all sort of growing into. And the technology was moving so fast. I felt like I hadn’t seen this period captured accurately in the movies.”

What are the inspirations behind Wang’s first feature film?

Wang began writing Dìdi (弟弟) seven years ago. His original screenplay focused much more on Chris’ relationships with his friends. Wang describes his early efforts as akin to Stand By Me or Superbad. At the same time, he was making shorts that related to his mother, including 3000 Miles, a short documentary in which the voicemails she left him provides the film’s narration, and 1990, a short in which his sister becomes a mother and his mother a grandmother. And at work, he was working on projects for Mother’s Day.

Wang didn’t want to be “the mom filmmaker.” At the same time, when he read over his early efforts on Dìdi (弟弟), he realized there was something missing. Or someone.

“I think I have a very close but also complicated relationship with my mom that is so full of love,” Wang says. “I realized in writing the movie, I got to this point where I really wanted to write about my family, but especially my mom. I realized it’s the relationship in my life, that is the most of every emotion. It’s the most love and the most joy and the most care but also the root of the most anger and shame and regret and protection. It’s the most of every emotion, so I just felt there was a lot there.

“Once I realized it was about a mother-son relationship encased in the trappings of a movie like Stand By Me about adolescent friendships, that was the eureka moment. That cracked everything open for me.”

Izaac Wang stars as “Chris” in writer/director Sean Wang’s DÌDI, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / Talking Fish Pictures LLC © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Dìdi (弟弟) is not just a story about a boy and his mother and his friends. It is also a Bay Area story, joining a family of recent films that include Fruitvale Station, Sorry to Bother You, Earth Mama, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Blindspotting, Medicine for Melancholy, and Fremont. When Wang was growing up he says he took his hometown and its environs for granted, It’s only in looking back as an adult that he realizes how special the place is and how it has come to inspire so many personal films.

“So many things were special and unique, things that I had never seen before in movies, you know, like to grow up around such a diverse multicultural community and get to learn about all these different cultures,” Wang says. “Not because it was educational taught in school, but because of where I grew up because of the proximity of my friends and the happenstance that I grew up in a deeply rooted immigrant community.

“The Bay Area at large is such fertile soil for so many different types of stories,” he adds. “I’ve been so inspired by the stories that have come out of the Bay Area and wanted to be part of that canon.”

Wang says he went into Dìdi (弟弟) with the dream of having a big Bay Area hometown premiere at SFFILM Festival. The festival previously screened two of his shorts, Have a Good Summer and Nai Nai and Wài Pó, and Dìdi (弟弟) came into the world with support from SFFILM Rainin Grant, SFFILM Invest, and SFFILM Dolby Institute Fellowship. Filmmaker and festival enjoy a strong relationship. And San Francisco is just a short ride from Fremont.

“The word that I keep describing in making this movie and our ethos in making the movie was to try to keep it homegrown, to try to make it feel very local,” Wang says. “And so, to come back and have our hometown premiere here with SFFILM, I’m so excited for all my friends from home, my hometown friends, all the Bay Area locals to see it and hopefully notice the landmarks that we shot and just have it feel very familiar.”

About the Author

Pam Grady is a freelance writer, whose work appears in the San Francisco Chronicle, 48 Hills, and other publications. She also has her own web site.

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.

What do the Oscars Mean to You?

SFFILM Executive Director and Academy Member Anne Lai shares her thoughts around the annual film industry celebration

Photo by Pamela Gentile

SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Award: Oppenheimer

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Regina Hall, Sterling K Brown

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Nadim Cheikhrouha, Kaouther Ben Hania

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Robert Downey Jr.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Greta Gerwig

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino

Photo by Tommy Lau

Ryan Gosling

Photo by Tommy Lau

Boots Riley, Cord Jefferson

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Miri Navasky, Joan Baez, and Karen O’Connor

Celine Song, Greta Lee

Most of us have heard the phrase, “And the Oscar goes to…” whether we were practicing our fantasy acceptance speech in front of the bathroom mirror, or were gathered with friends and family around a television watching the annual celebration of Hollywood’s most glamorous event. Have you ever wondered why we all feel some curiosity about “The Academy?” Here’s Anne Lai to tell you a little bit about how the Oscars work, why it is important to the film industry, and why it is also a lot of fun!

It Started at the Local Movie Theater

In my career, there were two moments that validated to my parents that I was officially working in the movies. The first time was when my name appeared in the end credits of a feature film playing at a local movie house. The second time was an invitation from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences to become a member nearly three decades into my career. And, I must say, both of these moments had me feeling a swell of pride and accomplishment, as well.

I grew up in southwest Ohio, and an excursion out to the movies was an occasional treat in my family. That meant the multiplex or that one arthouse theater, both of which were a drive through suburbia and crops of corn and soybean fields. Movies were very far away from my everyday life. But, as this year marks 30 years of working in film, I realize how much I thoroughly enjoy the annual ritual known as the Academy Awards telecast.

What is The Academy?

The first Academy Awards (affectionately known as the Oscars) took place as a private dinner in 1929. To this day, the Oscars recognize achievement in excellence in motion pictures, and the honors are bestowed by peers who are members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There are just over 10,000 Academy members located around the world with a good amount here in the San Francisco Bay. A member is invited to join after being sponsored by two Academy members and is then voted in by a specific committee made up of current Academy members. (Each Academy member can only sponsor one candidate each year). There are 19 branches that represent different areas of film craft and expertise. The simplest way to understand what branches might exist (although it’s not necessarily a one-to-one correlation) is looking at the Award categories themselves—from Editing to Directing to Producing (i.e. Best Picture) to Film Composing to Visual Effects. The Academy membership embodies so many facets of skill and knowledge and effort that—not surprisingly—mimic what it takes to make a movie from conception, to script, to production, to post production, to distribution, and marketing. Is it any wonder that the telecast of the Academy Awards can hold that element of magic, as well?

Why We Love the Oscars

The Oscars remain a standard bearer of awards shows, and the Academy members I’m privileged to know take their responsibility seriously. (And the glamor is also fun!) Film, at its best, is reflective of ourselves and our world and continues to be a global cultural force. Each of us, whether a movie goer or an Academy member, has our own relationship to and experience with a film. These unique opinions around emotional resonance, satisfaction, admiration, and appreciation define our individual vote for what is “best.” Debating amongst friends about what movie you liked, what you didn’t like, and what got overlooked is part of that wonderful community that includes every person who sees the the same film. I can’t wait to have those final passionate conversations while I watch the envelopes being opened.

SFFILM Supported Films Nominated for Academy Awards

This year, SFFILM is thrilled to celebrate the nominations of films and filmmakers we have supported and honored through our curation and exhibition, artist development, and youth education programs. We are so proud to support the films and filmmakers whose vision ultimately makes it up on screen for all of us to see. I say this from a place of a little bit of awe, with that same sense of anticipation when the lights go down in the movie theater. Filmmaking is not the most romantic and gentle of processes—it’s a miracle that any movie gets made. It takes so much willpower, patience, tenacity, funding, and a truly complex series and volume of nuts and bolts and people power and skill. No one sets out to make a bad film. To make a truly notable one is not an exercise that can be engineered, but becomes an ephemeral piece of art, entertainment, and storytelling that lights up a screen. We are rooting for them this Sunday, and know that it is truly an honor to be nominated.

About The Author

Anne Lai is the Executive Director of SFFILM. Previously, she served as Director of Creative Producing and Artist Support at Sundance Institute, where she focused on discovering and nurturing emerging independent producers, screenwriters, and directors through their first or second feature films. During her tenure there, she worked with over 300 screenwriters, directors, and producers who represented a significant and bold collection of voices and films from early development through production and distribution. Anne began her career at Scott Free, the film and television company founded by Ridley and Tony Scott, serving lastly as Vice President of Production. Anne was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, attended the University of Michigan, and received her degree in film production from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the Academy Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

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 for what’s coming next.

Wrap Notes: An Evening of Palestinian Film

SFFILM welcomed guests at FilmHouse for a community gathering of Palestinian film and filmmakers

FilmHouse is the SFFILM community hub for filmmakers to work and collaborate, and where we host events that bring people together through film. Last Thursday night, SFFILM welcomed guests at FilmHouse for an evening of Palestinian film, conversation, and connection. The Arab Film & Media Institute (AFMI) selected a short film for the program, and then we heard from SFFILM FilmHouse Resident and Mexican-Palestinian American filmmaker Colette Ghunim for a sneak peek at her in-progress feature documentary Traces of Home.

A Space for Connection and Community Care

Guests began arriving to FilmHouse in the early evening, gamely dodging the persistent winter rains. They were welcomed with food and drinks, and time to say hello to old and new friends before the program began. We hit capacity and settled in. Masashi Niwano, the Director of Artist Development took the mic and explained how the program came together as a collaboration between SFFILM staff and Serge Bakalian, the Executive Director of AFMI. Masashi explained, “We at SFFILM have been processing all of the tragic news happening in the Middle East and navigating ways we can be helpful and contribute to our community. SFFILM believes in the power of cinema and understands that telling stories and exploring timely topics through film is vital. Our mission is to continue to nurture, support, and exhibit independent storytellers. Tonight’s program celebrates two films and filmmakers that are uniquely bold and powerful. Although different from each other, we feel that this pairing is a way to showcase the diversity in stories and creativity that center on Palestinians and Palestinian Americans.”

Masashi then introduced Serge, who told the gathering about his selected short called Ambience by Palestinian filmmaker Wisam Al-Jafari. It tells the story of two young Palestinians trying to record a demo for a music competition inside a noisy, crowded refugee camp. Serge DM’d with Wisam who was home in Jenin earlier in the day to let him know we’d be screening the film, a true honor for SFFILM since it had premiered, “at a little festival in France.” (Serge was of course referring to the film’s award-winning performance at Cannes!)

After the short film, Masashi welcomed 2024 FilmHouse Resident Colette Ghunim to the front for conversation and Q&A. Colette shared an in-progress trailer for her documentary Traces of Home, a personal story where Colette embarks on journeys with her parents to find the ancestral homes they fled from as children in both Mexico (mother), and Palestine (father). She explains, “…the film then becomes this healing journey of me figuring out where home is for myself through the journeys of us returning to Mexico and Palestine.” Below are some highlights from their conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

In Conversation with Filmmaker Colette Ghunim

Because Colette’s film is intensely personal, but feels incredibly urgent and relevant globally, Masashi asked Colette, “How do you as a filmmaker balance what is true to your story and what’s unique, but then also making a film that can kind of connect with people outside and represent a larger community?” Her responses were enlightening and generous, “the thing that is really fascinating about film is that the more intimate we go and the more personal that we go, that’s how we’re actually able to create it to be more universal. There’s this intergenerational trauma piece that is the core message of the film, but especially now with what’s happening in Palestine and the genocide in Gaza, that it has now become a tool to show my dad’s story, and give context to what has been happening for the past 75 years. And that people don’t realize that this is not something that just happened on October 7. And so through this very intimate story of us returning, it is now going to the global space of understanding the context of the occupation and the siege.”

Colette also explained that even in the face of the horrific violence and grief she came to understand her role as a filmmaker and storyteller to be essential and will, “create the long term narrative change that is needed to create the liberation of Palestine and that and the whole world. This is why I feel the mode of film is just so powerful and, and art in general, that it allows us to open up about these things in ways that we wouldn’t be able to if it was just political activism and just protests.”

She also regaled us with tales of guerilla documentary filmmaking, and is looking ahead to completing and releasing the film this year with an impact campaign to follow at colleges and universities. The film is a co-production with Kartemquin Films and funded by Latino Public Broadcasting, among others.

We are so grateful to Wisam for sharing his film with us from afar, and for Serge and Colette’s time being in community with us. Film is our favorite connection point. We look forward to the next one!

About The Author

Justine Hebron is the Director of External Relations at SFFILM where she leads the communications, marketing, cultural, and PR strategy. For over a decade, Justine worked in feature film production on films like The Patriot, Mystery Men, The Replacement Killers, and Anaconda. An interest in organizing and cultural strategy moved her into nonprofit communications where she worked with people and organizations including Tom Steyer’s Next Generation, Hillary Rodham Clinton and The Clinton Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Propper Daley, Mom 2.0, Ford Foundation, The Opportunity Agenda, and more.

Justine was born in New York City, and grew up in Telluride, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She received her BA in English from San Diego State University and is a trained high school teacher.

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 for what’s coming next.

2023 Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities Grant Recipients

Meet the three filmmakers who are the recipients of the 2023 SFFILM Rainin Filmmaker with Disabilities Grant.

Directors Vivien Hillgrove, Andrew Reid, and Daniela Muñoz have been selected to receive funding through SFFILM’s suite of Artist Development programs, which provides financial and artistic support to artists worldwide. The Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities Grant, introduced in 2020, supports filmmakers whose films specifically address stories from the diverse disability community. Ensuring underserved communities have access to artistic and financial support in order to create a more inclusive film landscape is at the core of SFFILM and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s partnership.

The panel who chose the grantees noted in a statement: “We are delighted to support these three outstanding filmmakers, who impressed us with their boldness and creativity. With this strong cohort, we are proud to provide funding and artist development benefits to narrative and documentary films, features, and shorts all at different stages of production. We are extremely grateful to the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for their continued partnership in this initiative that supports filmmakers from underserved communities and gives space to vital stories that expand our understanding of disability within our communities.”

The panel that reviewed submissions for the Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities Grant included Filmmaker and FilmHouse alumni Javid Soriano; Erika Arnold, Artist Development, SFFILM Artist Development Associate Manager; Rosa Morales, SFFILM Artist Development Manager: Narrative Film; Joshua Moore, SFFILM Artist Development Manager of Documentary Programs; Masashi Niwano, SFFILM Director of Artist Development.

About the SFFILM Rainin Grant

The SFFILM and Kenneth Rainin Foundation partnership is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the United States. SFFILM Rainin Grants are awarded to filmmakers whose narrative feature films will have a significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community and/or meaningfully explore pressing social issues.

The SFFILM Rainin Grant is currently accepting applications for the 2024 cycle; the final deadline to apply is Friday, May 3, 2024. For more information visit sffilm.org/makers.

About the Filmmakers and Films

Vivien Hillgrove, Director, $10,000 for post-production

Vivien Hillgrove is a documentary film director and a picture and dialogue editor in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 50 years of experience in the film business. She has worked extensively on both narrative and documentary films. She is a member of AMPAS, and has served as an advisor for numerous Sundance Documentary Composer/Edit Labs.

Vivien’s Wild Ride Synopsis
After a long career in cinema, veteran film editor Vivien Hillgrove discovers she is losing her sight, catapulting her into unknown territory where she is haunted by a previous loss. What unfolds is an unconventional documentary memoir that invites viewers into the artist’s inner world while she grapples with encroaching blindness and struggles to reinvent herself at age 70.

Andrew Reid, Director, $5,000 for post-production

Andrew Reid is a disabled Jamaican-Cuban storyteller who migrated to the United States at the age of 10. He was an undocumented immigrant for several years before receiving US citizenship under the wet foot, dry foot policy from the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. He is a DGA Award winning director and MFA graduate from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His award-winning projects have screened at Slamdance, CAA Moebius, Paramount Pictures, HollyShorts, Cleveland, Pan African and over 70 other film festivals worldwide. He was recently nominated at the NAACP Image Awards, HBO Max Latino Short Film Competition and Best of NewFilmmakers LA.

Iron Lun Synopsis
When a storm knocks out the power to her iron lung, a polio survivor and her sister find themselves in a race against time to find a new way for her to breathe.

Daniela Muñoz, Director, $10,000 for production

Daniela Muñoz is a cuban documentary filmmaker, producer and photographer who graduated in DOP. from the University of Arts, Havana in 2017. Co-founder of the independent Cuban production company ESTUDIO ST, with which she has produced the short films Tundra, El Rodeo, The Rubber Boy and most recently, History is written at night, Blue, and 4 Holes. Her films have also been selected at festivals like Sundance, Rotterdam, Locarno, IDFA, Clermont-Ferrand, Ji.hlava, Bogoshorts, BAFICI, Miami, among others.

Her films understand and explore cinema from the perspective of her hypoacusia, proposing others sound universes. An example of this is her feature documentary Mafifa (2021), which premiered at Luminous of IDFA and selected in numerous international festivals. It had its North American premiere at True/False Film Festival and screened at IDA Spring Docs/Nonfiction Access Initiative in 2023. She also directed the documentary short films Gloom (2021) which premiered at FICViña, Chile, with which she participated in the Open Doors program at the Locarno Film Festival in 2022. And recently finished 4 Holes which had its world premiere at IDFA, and North American premiere at RIDM in Canada at the end of 2023.

Her current feature-length documentary project “Silence Diaries” was selected for the Spanish Academy Residencies for 2023–2024, and won the prestigious Chicken & Egg fund awarded to women documentary filmmakers for the research phase. She is also currently working on the development of several hybrid and fiction feature films. She also participated in the Producers Lab at Locarno Open Doors, 2023.

Silence Diaries Synopsis
Silence Diaries is the record of a journey to learn a new language. An autobiographical documentary where the director deals, through memories, with uprooting and hearing loss. It is an exploration of hypoacusia and exile as successive mourning processes.

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Meet the Programmers for the 2024 SFFILM Festival

Today, we’re happy to introduce our 2024 Programming team, a collective responsible for selecting the films and events you’ll see at the Festival.

At SFFILM, the new year brings a flurry of movement to get our yearly Festival planning underway. However, one team has been hard at work since last summer to bring filmmakers from around the world to join us at the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival this April.

“The programming team for 2024 comprises curators who I admire and respect; it has been a pleasure building the 67th Festival line-up with each of these individuals.” shared Director of Programming, Jessie Fairbanks. “The group includes year round programmers, Rod Armstrong Jordan Klein, and myself, as well as several talented seasonal programmers who curate with organizations around the globe.”

Under Jessie’s leadership, the team is grounded in the longevity and community of SFFILM. Learn more about each programmer below. We look forward to sharing the programmer’s selects and the full program on March 27.

Who’s Programming for the Festival this year?

Jessie Fairbanks, Director of Programming

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, Tribeca Film Festival, New York Film Festival, HBO, The Documentary Group, David Byrne, and Google.

Prior to becoming the Director of Programming for SFFILM, Jessie spent 14 years curating 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, screens for Sundance, and is a grant evaluator for Chicken & Egg Pictures. She served on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Independent Film Alliance for several years, as well as numerous film festival juries and selection committees.

Rod Armstrong, Associate Director of Programming

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 and Curations Manager

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 (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 as their Programming Coordinator.

Samah Ali, Festival Programmer—Shorts

Samah Ali is a distributor and film programmer based in New York City. She is the Video Programming Manager at Stellar Entertainment, putting movies and television shows on airplanes around the world. She also programs for Academy Award qualifying festivals San Francisco International Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Hot Docs Film Festival. In her spare time, Samah sits on the Board of Directors at The Black Screen Office in Canada and wastes time on the app formerly known as Twitter, reach out to her @sistersamah.

Kristal Sotomayor, Festival Programmer—Features

Kristal Sotomayor is a bilingual Latinx programmer, 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 third year programming feature 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 short immigrant rights documentary Expanding Sanctuary premiered at the 2023 St. Louis International Film Festival. They are in post-production on a short documentary Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens about a legendary drag queen and in-development on the short docu-animation adventure film Alx Through The Labyrinth. Kristal is an Outfest Creative Hope Fellow, If/Then North Shorts Resident, MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute Visiting Fellow, DCTV Docu Work-In-Progress Lab Fellow, and NeXtDoc Fellow.

Bedatri Choudhury, Festival Programmer—Features

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.

Amada Torruella, Festival Programmer—Shorts

Amada is a mixed Salvadoran artist, filmmaker and film programmer raised in El Salvador and Canada, based between El Salvador and Southern California. Amada centers joy, tenderness and beauty in the mundane among nuanced and difficult situations and is passionate about exploring memory, grief, Central American landscapes and the relationship between people and territory. Amada’s work has been shown in The New Yorker, BlackStar Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, amongst others; Amada is currently developing their first feature film: Vena Acuatica, a finalist at the IF/THEN Global Pitch Competition on Environmental Stories at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Since 2014, Amada has worked as a film programmer and has programmed for Indie Grits, New Orleans FF, Wildscreen Festival and Alharaca El Salvador (Feminist Newsroom).

Joseph Flores, Programming Manager

Joseph Flores brings a wealth of experience to SFFILM in working within the Bay Area nonprofit media arts scene. As the organization embarks on a new journey at the familiar surroundings of 9th Street, Joseph has literally come full circle as that’s where he began his career having previously worked as an Office Manager during his stint at the Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA). Since then, he was fortunate enough to have caught on to SFFILM as a coordinator while preparing for its 50th Anniversary and has since worked within the Programming Department in different capacities. Joseph currently oversees the departmental interoffice systems as the Programming Manager and also handles the annual submissions process for the SFFILM Festival.