Confessions of a Good Samaritan
Guests Expected
Penny Lane
Description
Am I a good person? What does it mean to be a good person anyway? These are questions at the heart of what might be director Penny Lane’s (Nuts!, Festival 2016) most strikingly personal feature to date. What begins with the filmmaker’s decision to give a kidney to a stranger, a so-called “Good Samaritan” donation, becomes a search into the history of surgical medicine, kidney donation, and what drives altruism. At the intersection of these inquiries is Lane’s own vulnerable introspection. As her surgery date approaches, she wavers between steadfastness and trepidation, wondering all the while both why anyone donates a kidney, and why no one donates a kidney. Infused with Lane’s signature humor, Confessions of a Good Samaritan is an inspiring journey into the world of kidney donation.
Penny Lane began her career making short films before moving into feature documentaries. Among her short films are The Abortion Diaries (2004), The Commoners (2009), and Just Add Water: The Story of the Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys (2016). Her first feature was the all-archival Our Nixon (2013), winner of numerous awards, including Best of the Festival and the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the documentary prize at the Seattle International Film Festival. Her other features include NUTS! (Festival 2015), The Pain of Others (2018), Hail Satan? (Festival 2018), and Listening to Kenny G (2021).
Film Details
Language English
Year 2023
Premiere California
Runtime 105
Country USA
Director Penny Lane
Executive Producer Greg Boustead, Jessica Harrop, Tim Lee, Michael Cho, Mimi Rode
Producer Gabriel Sedgwick
Editor Hannah Buck
Cinematographer Naiti Gamez
Music Carolina Eyck
Closed Captions Yes, closed captions are available for this screening. Please let us know if you would like a device when purchasing your ticket or by emailing ADA@SFFilm.org.
Audio Description Audio Descriptions are not currently confirmed and will be updated soon.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation American Sign Language Interpretation is not currently confirmed and will be updated. For any questions about accessibility at SFFILM Events, please email ADA@SFFilm.org.
