Opening Night: Stay Awake
PROGRAM DETAILS
Thu, Apr 21
7:30 PM Stay Awake
Castro Theatre
9:00 PM Opening Night Party
The San Francisco Mint
Stay Awake
A tender portrait emerges of the day-to-day fight for sobriety and the hopeful resilience of families attempting to overcome addiction in this powerful drama that will make you laugh and cry.
Party
Kick off the 2022 Festival in style with a soirée at the historic San Francisco Mint, featuring live entertainment, dancing, and treats from some of the Bay Area’s finest food and beverage purveyors.
Guests Expected
Director Jamie Sisley, producer Shrihari Sathe, and actors Albert Jones, Chrissy Metz, Fin Argus, and Quinn McColgan are expected to attend.
Description
Rarely conveyed in the headlines decrying the opioid epidemic are the personal struggles of addicts – daily fighting for sobriety and the hopeful resilience of their families. For teenagers Derek (Fin Argus) and Ethan (Wyatt Oleff), the situation is all too familiar as they pace the streets searching for their painkiller-dependent mother, Michelle. This Is Us star Chrissy Metz, playing Michelle, delivers a nuanced portrayal of guilt and shame that fearlessly digs into the trauma of recovery, while newcomers Argus and Oleff infuse the film with vulnerability and unexpected humor. First-time feature director Jamie Sisley masterfully builds a relatable world full of characters that vibrate with authenticity in this powerful, SFFILM-supported drama that will stick with you long after you exit the theater. North American premiere
Jamie Sisley has an MFA in film from Columbia University. Among his short films are Ladybug (2012), Love in Four Parts (2013), and We’re All Gonna Die (2016). He also directed, with Miguel ‘M.i.G.’ Martinez, Farewell Ferris Wheel (2018), a documentary that was nominated for an Outstanding Business and Economic News & Documentary Emmy Award. His 2015 short film, Stay Awake, won the Best Narrative Short Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival. Stay Awake (2022), his adaptation of that short and his first feature, won the AG Kino Gilde – Cinema Vision 14plus prize and a Youth Jury Special Mention at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Film Details
Language English
Year 2022
Premiere North American
Runtime 94
Country USA
Director Jamie Sisley
Executive Producer Shannon Akegarasu, Heidi Castelein, Saaz Haque, Ozo Jaculewicz, Adam Kirszner, Nion McEvoy, Chrissy Metz, Barbara Perry, Hannah Pillemer, Rick Rosenthal, Nancy Stephens, Fernando Szew, Yoshinobu Tsuji, Jennifer Westin
Producer David Ariniello, Shrihari Sathe, Eric Schultz, Kelly Thomas
Writer Jamie Sisley
Editor Alan Canant
Cinematographer Alejandro Mejía
Music Ben Sollee
Cast Wyatt Oleff, Fin Argus, Chrissy Metz
Print Source Dialecticinfo@dialectic.nyc
Closed Captions Closed captions are not available for this screening.
Audio Description Audio description is not available for this screening.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is not currently scheduled for this event. For more information about ASL interpretation at our events, e-mail ADA@SFFilm.org.
