GGA McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature Award Winner: I Didn’t See You There

Presented at the Festival since its inaugural year in 1957, the Golden Gate Award Doc Competition features the most significant non-narrative films of the season. The manifold qualities of the Bay come into focus with these docs set in the Bay or made by local filmmakers. Join us for an encore presentation of the GGA McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature Award Winner.

Oakland resident and filmmaker Reid Davenport reflects on matters of visibility, family, and the freak show in his latest personal film, winner of Sundance’s Directing Award for US Documentary. Visits to his family in Connecticut prompt memories of growing up before moving west to be an artist. A circus tent erected near his apartment elicits thoughts about America’s fascination with freak shows and how his disability affects the perceptions of those around him. As he reveals his observations in voiceover, Davenport’s movements are depicted from the vantage point of his wheelchair, so the frustrations caused by people blocking sidewalks and access ramps or bus drivers issuing unachievable demands are made abundantly clear.