Mar 31, 2015
Festival
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Film Society has announced its slate of music-related programming for the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 23–May 7). Since it was played live with silent films, music has been an integral part of the motion picture experience, and music and musicians have remained popular subjects for both fiction and non-fiction filmmakers.
As part of the innovative Live & Onstage section, the San Francisco Film Society will stage two of its highly praised live music with film performances at SFIFF58. A consistent audience favorite, these programs unite contemporary musicians of international and local renown with lost, rare or classic silent films. The dynamic Cibo Matto will deliver a new soundtrack to a curated collection of short films live at the historic Castro Theatre. San Francisco’s renowned string quartet Kronos Quartet will perform with an avant-garde project they commissioned from Bill Morrison in Beyond Zero: 1914–1918.
The Society also announced the fifth annual World Cinema Spotlight, which calls attention to a current trend in international filmmaking, bringing light to hot topics, reinvigorated genres, underappreciated filmmakers and national cinemas. This year’s Spotlight, Sounds of Cinema, highlights the enduring popularity of music in movies. The SFIFF58 World Cinema Spotlight is generously supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
“The World Cinema Spotlight is a wonderful opportunity to draw attention to the vital role of music in cinema. Though the musical forms they explore are varied, the films in this section all pay tribute to the transformative power of music,” said San Francisco Film Society’s director of programming, Rachel Rosen. “It’s wonderful that a year in which we celebrate music’s relationship to movies, we’re able to present two very different but equally thrilling programs of live music and film by two remarkably talented groups.”
“We are grateful that innovative tech music company Rdio and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have endorsed our world-famous music and film programming,” said SFFS Executive Director Noah Cowan. “Their support will enhance our mission to present crucial, one-of-a-kind experiences to San Francisco audiences.”
Cibo Matto New Scene: Cibo Matto’s hip-hop infused electro pop burrowed deep into our collective earholes throughout the 1990s, becoming a symbol for the new post-genre musical cool. When the group took an announced extended hiatus in 2001, fans wondered if it spelled the end of Miho Hattori and Yuka Honda’s creative collaboration responsible for beloved hits like “Know Your Chicken,” “Sci-Fi Wasabi” and “Sugar Water.” But with the release of the 2014 album Hotel Valentine, Cibo Matto has reestablished their reputation, thrilling audiences at their popular shows. Experts at establishing mood and always up for an experimental challenge, the duo has developed new musical soundtracks to a number of wild and abstract short films to be played in this one-time-only performance. Anchoring the screenings are two rare presentations of films made in 1970. First is Yoko Ono’s incredible Fluxus epic Fly, which features a fly roaming a woman’s body. Second is a modern re-staging of celebrated Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet—a movie that will blow your mind with its campy costumes, weird choreography and sheer delight. Animations by Calvin Frederick, Una Lorenzen, Miwa Matreyek and Grace Nayoon Rhee, and clips from some of the band’s favorite movies are also among the treats in store during this very special evening. Tuesday May 5, 8:00 pm at the Castro Theatre. Cibo Matto New Scene is generously supported by Rdio, the SFIFF58 Music in Film sponsor.
Kronos Quartet Beyond Zero: 1914–1918: For more than 40 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has enthralled audiences and expanded the range of what one might expect from a string quartet. Recognized the world over for their innovation and virtuosity, Kronos has long made collaborations a vital aspect of their process. In their newest such project, they turn to master experimental filmmaker and multiple SFIFF Golden Gate Award winner Bill Morrison (Decasia SFIFF 2002, Re:Awakenings SFIFF 2014). Sourcing original 35mm nitrate footage, Morrison has pieced together a unique visual exploration of World War I from footage that has never been viewed by modern audiences. The haunting score Kronos will perform was conceived by Serbian composer Aleksandra Vrebalov. Using antiwar writings, music and art created just after World War I as inspiration, Vrebalov constructed a score that speaks to the darkness, anxiety and hopes of the time. Wednesday May 6, 6:30 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Tickets to Cibo Matto New Scene are $20 for SFFS members, $25 for the general public. Tickets to Kronos Quartet Beyond Zero: 1914–1918 are $30 for SFFS members, $35 for the general public. Box office opens March 31 for SFFS members and April 3 for the general public, online at sffs.org.
In the fifth annual World Cinema Spotlight: Sounds of Cinema, five films examine unique styles of popular music and focus on bold and uncompromising musicians. From revealing unique views of iconic performers like Brian Wilson and Nina Simone to documenting the residents of the war-ravaged border regions of Sudan where music is a force for cultural preservation and resilience, these films from various Festival sections illuminate the powerful role that music can play in cinema and in our lives.
Beats of the Antonov (Sudan/South Africa 2014) – Filmed in the civil war-ravaged region between South and North Sudan, war reporter and documentary filmmaker Hajooj Kuka’s Beats of the Antonov paints an inspiring portrait of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain refugee communities and their reliance on music-making not only as a healing force in the face of devastating loss and displacement, but also as a vital instrument to keep their cultural heritage alive. Beats of the Antonov screens Saturday April 25, 6:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas; Saturday May 2, 1:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas; Monday May 4, 6:30 pm at Pacific Film Archive.
Eden (France 2014) – In Eden, acclaimed filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve, director of All Is Forgiven (SFIFF 2008), Father of My Children (SFIFF 2010), Goodbye First Love (SFIFF 2011), dives deep into the 1990s French house music scene through Paul (Félix de Givry), a trailblazing DJ who injected the “French touch” into electronic music and whose career parallels the rise of Daft Punk. Loosely based on the life of the director’s brother and co-screenwriter, Sven, this rise-and-fall story is set against the backbeat of electronica during one of the genre’s most significant eras. The talented cast includes Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne and Greta Gerwig. Eden screens Thursday April 30, 9:15 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas; Friday May 1, 2:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Love & Mercy (USA 2014) – Bill Pohlad’s powerful musical biopic tells Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s dramatically compelling story in—to use ancient recording jargon—two tracks. In the 1960s as the band rides surf music onto the charts, a creatively restless Wilson (Paul Dano) writes the songs that will become Pet Sounds, but alienates himself from other band members. The 1980s Wilson (John Cusack) is a shell-shocked man trying to emerge from an overmedicated isolation with the love and mercy of a good woman. Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti round out the cast. Love & Mercy screens Friday May 1, 6:15 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas; Monday May 4, 2:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents (USA 2015) – Covering the origins, history, philosophy, business and maybe, but probably not, the identities of the world’s most famous anonymous band, San Francisco’s The Residents, Theory of Obscurity weaves wonderful archival artifacts, recordings of live shows and interviews with those influenced by the band, including Matt Groening, Les Claypool and Penn Jillette. Award-winning photojournalist Don Hardy’s documentary is the perfect primer for the curious and a must for fans of one of the most unique and infamous musical projects ever undertaken. Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents screens Saturday April 25, 8:45 pm at Pacific Film Archive; Friday May 1, 9:00 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas; Sunday May 3, 6:15 pm at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas.
What Happened, Miss Simone? (USA 2014) – This documentary leaves audiences awestruck at the genius, tenacity and musical prowess of Nina Simone. A full biography filled with candid conversations, interviews, letters and performances, this film is the definitive take on Simone’s life. Paying special attention to her career-jeopardizing choices during the Civil Rights movement and her insistence on justice and unflinching when presenting her surprising weaknesses, What Happened, Miss Simone? is a fitting portrait of an inimitable and powerful artist. Liz Garbus’ documentary screens Friday April 24, 6:00 pm at the Castro Theatre.
The five films included in the Spotlight highlight just a portion of sound innovation and music-related screenings at the festival. Presentation of these films is supported in part by Rdio.
In recent years the San Francisco Film Society has presented the following live music and film programs—many of which were commissioned as world premieres—at the San Francisco International Film Festival: Stephin Merritt with The Unknown; Thao Nguyen and The Get Down Stay Down; Waxworks with Mike Patton, Scott Amendola, Matthias Bossi and William Winant; Buster Keaton Shorts with Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs) and Ava Mendoza; Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009 with Tindersticks; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt; The Lost World with Dengue Fever; The Golem with Black Francis; The Phantom Carriage with Jonathan Richman; Heaven and Earth Magic with Deerhoof; Street Angel with American Music Club; Sunrise with Lambchop; A Page of Madness with Superchunk; Jean Painlevé: The Sounds of Science with Yo La Tengo; and Tom Verlaine: Music for Film.
For general information visit festival.sffs.org.
To request interviews or screeners, contact your Festival publicist.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
58th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23-May 7 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Castro Theatre, Landmark’s Clay Theatre and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, SFIFF is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring nearly 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards with nearly $40,000 in cash prizes and upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests.