Apr 4, 2017
Festival
San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Film Society has announced an exciting array of special collaborations as part of the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 5–19), which aim to elevate and enhance various individual screenings from the main festival slate with a number of very special guests. Designed to illuminate key themes in the Festival program and address pressing social issues, these enhanced screenings will include luminary figures from many of the San Francisco Bay Area’s key culture, technology, and civic institutions-plus several notable out-of-town guests-participating in special introductions, guided discussions, in-depth analyses and much more. Representatives of such groups as YouTube, the World Bank, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Human Rights Watch, SFJAZZ, the San Francisco Opera, and local universities will join Festival filmmakers and programmers to explore the issues in a wide variety of films.
“Films can be such a meaningful stimulus to conversation and connection, and our special guests for these programs provide further catalyst for that interaction,” said SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen. “We have such a wonderful wealth of thinkers and experts in the Bay Area and in our Festival community, and their participation will broaden and deepen the film going experience for our audience. We’re pleased and privileged to have them join in the discussion.”
Additional collaborations and enhanced screenings may be announced in the days to come; visit sffilm.org/festival for more details.
Bending the Arc (dir. Kief Davidson, Pedro Kos)
Friday April 14, 5:00 pm, Castro Theatre
Dr. Jim Kim, President of the World Bank and subject of the film, will participate in a post-screening discussion following this screening, exploring the challenges of global health care.
About the film: Bending the Arc is the inspirational and timely story of intrepid doctors and humanitarians, Paul Farmer and Jim Kim (now the president of the World Bank), who have devoted their lives to providing innovative health care to the globe’s most impoverished nations. This comprehensive film follows their decades-long struggle to treat and eradicate TB and HIV/AIDS in rural areas of Peru, Haiti, and Africa. It is a timely reminder of how big ideas and international cooperation make social change a reality.
Bill Nye: Science Guy (dir. Jason Sussberg, David Alvarado)
Monday April 10, 6:00 pm, Victoria Theatre
This screening will include a special Q&A and conversation moderated by Tom McFadden, host of the YouTube show Science with Tom, featuring subject Bill Nye; co-directors David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg; producer Kate McLean and Dr. Eugenie C Scott, the former Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, an organization that defends the teaching of evolution and climate change in public schools.
About the film: The effortlessly charming, bow-tie sporting scientist Bill Nye is beloved by all generations who grew up watching his show, Bill Nye the Science Guy but vilified by climate change deniers and religious fundamentalists. Skilled documentarians (and fans!) David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg travel along with Nye as he works tirelessly to make the world a better place through science advocacy and education and reflects on his life and career as one of America’s most famous science minds.
City of Ghosts (dir. Matthew Heineman)
Thursday April 13, 6:00 pm, Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
Following this screening, director Matthew Heineman will participate in a special Q&A with Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division.
About the film: Matthew Heineman’s (Cartel Land, 2015) powerful documentary follows the men behind Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently-a group of activists who have risked their personal freedom and safety to confront the Islamic Brotherhood by sharing information. In our current political climate, the mission of this film’s subjects becomes more urgent than ever, as these men fight to share the truth for their family, their country, and the greater good.
I Called Him Morgan (dir. Kasper Collin)
Thursday April 6, 6:00 pm, Roxie Theater
Following this screening, Randall Kline, founder and Executive Director of SFJAZZ, will lead a conversation with director Kasper Collin about the life and music of Lee Morgan.
About the film: Discovered by Dizzy Gillespie and the leader of his own quintet, Lee Morgan was a key player in New York’s ’60s “hard-bop” scene. But a storied career was cut short in 1972 when his common-law wife Helen shot him to death. This riveting documentary draws an incredible portrait of the era’s after-hours jazz scene and recounts a wild amour fou story, in which two mercurial people can’t help turning their romance into something like a Greek tragedy.
Marie Curie. The Courage of Knowledge (dir. Marie Noëlle)
Sunday April 9, 3:00 pm, SFMOMA’s Phillis Wattis Theater
Produced in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this post-screening conversation will focus on women in science and how the situation has changed for them (or, in some cases, unfortunately stayed the same) in male-dominated fields. Participants include Moogega Cooper, Planetary Protection Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Mary K. Gaillard, Professor Emeritus at the UC Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics; and neuroscientist Indre Viskontas.
About the film: An engaging portrait of the turbulent life of one of history’s most celebrated scientists, Marie Noëlle’s stellar drama depicts the challenges and condescending societal attitudes faced by a woman in a male-dominated field. Noëlle gained access to the Nobel winner’s original diaries (which still bear traces of radiation) in preparation for the film. The result is an impressionistic biopic that draws the viewer into Curie’s subjective experiences through painterly cinematography, sumptuous period design, and an exquisite original score.
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (dir. Brian Knappenberger)
Thursday April 6, 8:30 pm, Roxie Theater
After the screening on April 6, there will be a conversation with Vickie Baranetsky from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Gennie Gebhart from Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Amy Pyle from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
About the film: The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media seemed like a standard sex-tape lawsuit after the private video was posted online. But Hogan’s lawyers (with the help of a Silicon Valley mogul) won the case, bankrupting Gawker, and signifying a major threat for journalists, the media, and First Amendment rights. Through this often absurd and timely documentary, it becomes clear that the outcome that impacted Gawker has much larger implications for the free press in the future.
Paris Opera (dir. Jean-Stéphane Bron)
Friday April 7, 6:00 pm, Dolby Cinema at 1275 Market
This screening will feature a special Q&A with Michael Shilvock, General Manager of the San Francisco Opera.
About the film: In the wake of the November 2015 terrorist attacks, the legendary Paris Opera has several shows to mount and numerous difficulties to face. Featuring multiple storylines, including labor disputes, live bulls, and charming Russians, this expertly crafted and brilliantly entertaining documentary demonstrates how the show manages to still go on.
Serenade for Haiti (dir. Owsley Brown)
Friday April 7, 6:00 pm, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
This screening will be followed by a special live musical performance uniting local talent with special guests from the film.
About the film: “Music is our refuge,” says a student at the Sainte Trinité Music School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Shot over a seven-year period both before and after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, this vibrant and inspiring tribute to the students and teachers of Sainte Trinité testifies to the role that art can play in creating community and sustaining hope under the most difficult of circumstances.
This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (dir. Barbara Kopple)
Wednesday April 12, 8:30 pm, Victoria Theatre
Following this screening, Gigi Gorgeous will be joined by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple; Ian Roth, who oversees development and launch of YouTube Originals; Joshua G, professor of xxx at University of San Francisco; and special guests for a conversation around YouTube, social media and its impact on our lives. More guests to be announced.
About the film: Using YouTube videos and interviews, Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple tells the story of how Gregory Lazzarato became Gigi Gorgeous, the internet superstar, beauty expert, and mentor who documented her transition online. With tender moments between family members, personal online confessions, and private procedures made public, Gigi’s life is movingly available for viewers to see and connect with.
For general information visit sffilm.org/festival
To request interviews or screeners, contact your Festival Press Office contact.
For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press
60th San Francisco International Film Festival The longest-running film festival in the Americas, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. The 60th edition runs April 5-19 at venues across the Bay Area and features nearly 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards with close to $40,000 in cash prizes, and upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests.