SFFILM hosted Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast for an exclusive behind-the-scenes behind-the-scenes look at some of the films that played during the 10th Anniversary of Doc Stories.
Photo by Pamela Gentile.
Deadline and NOS Studios’ Doc Talk podcast hosts John Ridley and Matt Carey made their way to SFFILM FilmHouse for an insightful conversation and thoughts about the changes in the nonfiction filmmaking landscape with SFFILM’s Executive Director Anne Lai and Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks.
They continued by going behind the scenes with SFFILM Education alum and director Jonah Mosshammer and fellow filmmaker Brennan McGee, directors of the short film Arepas en Bici, which premiered at Doc Stories.
Watch the full conversation and stay tuned for the next episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk coming very soon!
Deadline’s Doc Talk—Featuring SFFILM Doc Stories
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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.
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 Azazel Jacobs and actors Elizabeth Olsen and Jovan Adepo.
SFFILM honored Azazel Jacobs and his film His Three Daughters in the world-class Premier Theater at One Letterman. Before the screening of the film, SFFILM Board President Todd Traina presented the award to Azazel with a very special introduction calling attention to the masterful storytelling in His Three Daughters. After the screening, SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks was joined onstage by Azazel Jacobs and actors Elizabeth Olsen and Jovan Adepo. During the conversation, the filmmakers discussed everything from the structure of the film and the nuances behind its construction to the connection between the actors and their collaboration in the achievement of a singular goal.
“The fact that we get to be here is such a huge privilege to us. We didn’t make this with results in our minds. We made this because of a process that we had all missed. That’s where it came from,” said Elizabeth Olsen. “[We] wanted to support a filmmaker who we love as a person and as a creative.”
Watch the full conversation to hear more about the creation of Azazel Jacobs’s His Three Daughters, and be sure to watch the film on Netflix starting on Friday, September 20.
SF Honors: His Three Daughters—In conversation with Azazel Jacobs, Elizabeth Olsen, and Jovan Adepo
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.
At the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival, we celebrated the career of actor, filmmaker, and local legend Joan Chen. She discussed her love for storytelling and the history behind her work with the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Janet Yang.
SFFILM honored the inimitable Joan Chen with a career-spanning tribute. Before a very special 35mm screening of her award-winning feature directorial debut Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl, she and Janet Yang had an intimate—and illuminating—conversation about her path. From her early stardom in Beijing to her later ascension into fame in the US, their conversation touched on the difficulties of immigrating, learning how to navigate Hollywood, and making the jump from acting to directing.
“Films, Filmmaking, and being creative really has nourished me for almost 50 years.”
Watch the full conversation to hear more about Joan’s life and work including her most recent film Dìdi (弟弟), the Opening Night program for the 2024 SFFILM Festival. Dìdi (弟弟) opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 26, and in San Francisco on August 2. Be sure to get your tickets here!
A Tribute to Joan Chen—In conversation with Janet Yang
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.
The 67th San Francisco International Film Festival opened with Sean Wang’s feature directorial debut Dìdi (弟弟). We talked to him about the importance of this homecoming and the making of the film.
We kicked off the the 2024 SFFILM Festival with a dual screening of what is sure to be a Bay Area classic in Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟). Bay Area movie lovers filled two movie theaters San Francisco’s Marina District for this personal coming of age film with director Sean Wang, producers Josh Peters and Valerie Bush, and many cast and crew members in attendance.
The film features a brilliant cast including Izaac Wang, Shirley Chen, SFFILM Festival tributee Joan Chen, and Sean Wang’s real-life grandmother Chang Li Hua. The story follows 13-year-old Chris as he makes his way through a series of firsts preceding his freshman year in high school. Sean Wang cited his love for coming-of-age movies, and this film is a love letter to them.
Watch the full conversation to hear more about the story and making ofDìdi (弟弟), and make sure you get your tickets for the opening of this beautifully crafted film.
An Interview with the Filmmaker behind Dìdi (弟弟)
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.
Academy Award-nominated June Squibb closed the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival with a special screening and conversation about her latest starring role
The filmmakers and star of Thelma have the perfect summer movie
SFFILM Festival audiences were treated to a sneak preview of Thelma this April as the closing night film of the program including an onstage conversation with director and writer Josh Margolin, star June Squibb, producers Chris Kaye and Zoë Worth, and composer Nick Chuba.
The film, which opens June 21 in local and national theaters, features steely and hysterical June Squibb in her first leading role as a 93-year-old widow (Thelma) proudly living alone when she falls prey to a cash-grabbing hoax. Vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice, Thelma sets out on an odyssey across Los Angeles, accompanied by her old friend Ben (played by Richard Roundtree in his final performance). Together, the determined duo wields their charm, social invisibility, and elder-age devices to overcome numerous obstacles. Director Josh Margolin draws on action-hero genre cliches, playing with traditional set-ups to illustrate Thelma’s agency.
Watch the full conversation to hear about the making of Thelma, then call your grandma and get your tickets to see this one in the theater!
In Conversation with the Filmmakers of Thelma
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.
