Calendar

This page displays programs you can stream and live events at a scheduled time

LIVE EVENTS STREAMING

Live Events

Browse the live events in the 2021 Doc Stories program. Each of these events occur at a specific time.

Attica (Opening Night)

Thu, Nov 4 at 7:30 pm

Attica (Opening Night)

November 4, 2021 at 7:30 pm Castro Theatre

A suspenseful and meticulous reconstruction of the 1971 Attica Correctional Facility uprising, ca...

USA | Documentary | 118

Lead Me Home

Fri, Nov 5 at 5:30 pm

Lead Me Home

November 5, 2021 at 5:30 pm Castro Theatre

Filmed over three years in three cities that face seemingly intractable circumstances involving l...

USA | Documentary | 39

Ascension

Fri, Nov 5 at 8:00 pm

Ascension

November 5, 2021 at 8:00 pm Castro Theatre

A visceral exploration of contemporary China’s identity and the paradoxes of economic progress. D...

USA | Documentary | 98

Supported by SFFILM

New York Times Op-Docs

Sat, Nov 6 at 11:30 am

New York Times Op-Docs

November 6, 2021 at 11:30 am Castro Theatre

Always a Doc Stories highlight, this year’s selection includes work that showcases art from an in...

How Many Storytellers Does it Take?

Sat, Nov 6 at 12:00 pm

How Many Storytellers Does it Take?

November 6, 2021 at 12:00 pm Online

Storytelling is not a singular art form when it comes to cinema. There are many people who shape ...

Simple as Water

Sat, Nov 6 at 12:30 pm

Simple as Water

November 6, 2021 at 12:30 pm Vogue Theatre

The modern world has become all too familiar with images of refugees fleeing their home. But what...

USA | Documentary | 98

Storytelling in a Synthetic World

Sat, Nov 6 at 2:00 pm

Storytelling in a Synthetic World

November 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm Online

From A.I. and digitally altered subjects to restored archival footage and revelatory animation, d...

Cusp

Sat, Nov 6 at 3:00 pm

Cusp

November 6, 2021 at 3:00 pm Castro Theatre

A poignant and disturbing portrait of three bored teenage girls passing a Texas summer of bonfire...

USA | Documentary | 83

The First Wave

Sat, Nov 6 at 3:30 pm

The First Wave

November 6, 2021 at 3:30 pm Vogue Theatre

Featuring four frontline workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic during the first wave that ravage...

USA | Documentary | 93

Julia

Sat, Nov 6 at 6:30 pm

Julia

November 6, 2021 at 6:30 pm Vogue Theatre

This sumptuously shot biography from the Oscar-nominated directors of RBG (2018) exposes the moti...

USA | Documentary | 95

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Co...

Sat, Nov 6 at 8:00 pm

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

November 6, 2021 at 8:00 pm Castro Theatre

Dust off your dancing shoes and join us for the most joyous documentary of 2021 in its Castro pre...

USA | Documentary | 117

Burning

Sun, Nov 7 at 1:00 pm

Burning

November 7, 2021 at 1:00 pm Castro Theatre

Burning profiles the ‘Black Summer’ of 2019-2020 when 59 million acres burned in Australia. The f...

Documentary | 94

Finding Home: Seeking Remedies for a National Crisis

Sun, Nov 7 at 1:30 pm

Finding Home: Seeking Remedies for a National Crisis

November 7, 2021 at 1:30 pm Online

Amid many national crises, the one of housing seems one of the most intractable–especially here i...

Searching for Truth: Authorship in Documentary Ci...

Sun, Nov 7 at 3:30 pm

Searching for Truth: Authorship in Documentary Cinema

November 7, 2021 at 3:30 pm Online

As the documentary film landscape strives to be more equitable and diverse, the question of autho...

Flee

Sun, Nov 7 at 4:30 pm

Flee

November 7, 2021 at 4:30 pm Castro Theatre

Winner of the 2021 Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at Sundance, this moving and innovative...

Denmark | Documentary | 90

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over

Sun, Nov 7 at 8:00 pm

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over

November 7, 2021 at 8:00 pm Castro Theatre

An inspirational portrait of a living legend, this documentary begins with Warwick’s youth in New...

USA | Documentary | 95

2021 SFFILM Awards Night

2021 SFFILM Awards Night

December 6, 2021

Streaming Programs

Browse the streaming events in the 2021 Doc Stories program. Each of these events have an expiring window of availability.

Burning

Burning

Burning profiles the ‘Black Summer’ of 2019-2020 when 59 million acres burned in Australia. The film offers California audiences a rare glimpse into another country grappling with fake news, muzzled scientists, and local efforts to combat climate ...

Australia | Documentary | 94

Flee

Flee

Winner of the 2021 Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at Sundance, this moving and innovative animated portrait tells the story of Amin (not his real name), a refugee from Afghanistan, currently residing in Denmark.

Denmark | Documentary | 90

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over

An inspirational portrait of a living legend, this documentary begins with Warwick’s youth in New Jersey, recounts her first forays at the Apollo Theater, details her tour in the south under Jim Crow laws, and depicts shopping for couture with Mar...

USA | Documentary | 95

New York Times Op-Docs

New York Times Op-Docs

Always a Doc Stories highlight, this year’s selection includes work that showcases art from an inmate of Guantánamo Bay and profiles an unforgettable Black female basketball player.

Simple as Water

Simple as Water

The modern world has become all too familiar with images of refugees fleeing their home. But what happens after? This timeless film explores ties that bind and the dreams that empower humans to overcome the unthinkable.

USA | Documentary | 98

Cusp

Cusp

A poignant and disturbing portrait of three bored teenage girls passing a Texas summer of bonfire parties, booze and weed, and boys who don’t understand that no means no.

USA | Documentary | 83

The First Wave

The First Wave

Featuring four frontline workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic during the first wave that ravaged NYC, this clear-eyed film documents the harrowing experience of health workers and their remarkable dedication to those in need.

USA | Documentary | 93

Ascension

Ascension

A visceral exploration of contemporary China’s identity and the paradoxes of economic progress. Deftly observing factory workers create everything from binoculars to sex dolls, the film tracks the collective pursuit of success in a communist socie...

USA | Documentary | 98

Supported by SFFILM

Lead Me Home

Lead Me Home

Filmed over three years in three cities that face seemingly intractable circumstances involving large populations of unhoused people, this mid-length film depicts powerful individual stories to weave an unforgettable tapestry that challenges commo...

USA | Documentary | 39

Attica

Attica

A suspenseful and meticulous reconstruction of the 1971 Attica Correctional Facility uprising, cataloging the five-day prison takeover, the bloodiest and most profound prison rebellion in US history.

USA | Documentary | 118