SFFILM

The Bay Area's home for the world's finest films and filmmakers.

Doc Stories

Nov 2—5, 2023

Doc Stories returns with a joyous bang, presenting Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony, a profound and nuanced film about Grammy-winning musician, singer, and songwriter Jon Batiste. The documentary showcase is anchored by the Centerpiece presentation of Copa 71, a stunning archival excavation of the first Women's World Cup series that will leave you moved and inspired. Our 2023 program concludes with a special 3-D screening of Anselm—an immersive portrait of Anselm Kiefer’s monumental career—and a conversation with its director, Wim Wenders. These three spellbinding documentaries join a select program of new films, which explore the powerful effect of institutional erasure and the unlimited possibilities of human determination. Crafted by some of the finest documentarians working today, SFFILM’s Doc Stories includes in-person presentations from Lisa Cortés, Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, Kaouther Ben Hania, Roger Ross Williams, and many more. In addition, there will be a very special tribute to the late trailblazing filmmaker, Julia Reichert. A tireless advocate for womens’ rights, workers’ rights, and mentor to a legion of filmmakers, Julia’s impressive and illuminating body of work and deep ties to the Bay Area will be honored during a free community celebration. Words by Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM Director of Programming
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Live Events

Browse the live events in the 2023 Doc Stories program.

Community Screening: Little Richard: I Am Everything

Thu, Nov 2 at 3:00 pm
Nov 02

Community Screening: Little Richard: I Am Everything

November 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Brilliant and complicated, Richard Wayne Penniman (aka Little Richard) has never received the ful...

USA | Documentary | 98

John Batiste, a black man in a suit playing a piano as a large audience watches him.

Opening Night: American Symphony

Thu, Nov 2 at 6:30 pm
Nov 02

Opening Night: American Symphony

November 2, 2023 at 6:30 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman is no stranger to complex topics, but his most recent documentary may ...

USA | Documentary | 94

John Batiste, a black man in a suit playing a piano as a large audience watches him.

American Symphony

Thu, Nov 2 at 9:00 pm
Nov 02

American Symphony

November 2, 2023 at 9:00 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman is no stranger to complex topics, but his most recent documentary may ...

USA | Documentary | 94

a fabric sculpture of an atomic bomb hanging on a frame in the desert.

Richland

Fri, Nov 3 at 3:30 pm
Nov 03

Richland

November 3, 2023 at 3:30 pm PT Premier Theater

Kaleidoscopic in form and wry in its content, Richland is about two small towns in southeastern W...

USA | Documentary | 93

Shorts Block: New York Times Op-Docs

Fri, Nov 3 at 6:00 pm
Nov 03

Shorts Block: New York Times Op-Docs

November 3, 2023 at 6:00 pm PT Premier Theater

Op-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short-form documentaries showcasing some o...

Documentary |

a young man wearing a backpack smiles as he walks along a beach shore.

The Mission

Fri, Nov 3 at 8:30 pm
Nov 03

The Mission

November 3, 2023 at 8:30 pm PT Premier Theater

“God has an adventure out there for me,” teenager John Chau writes in his journal. Growing up in ...

USA | Documentary |

a graphic illustrating a silhouette of a man filled with people in an audience against a red backdrop.

Sorry/Not Sorry

Sat, Nov 4 at 12:30 pm
Nov 04

Sorry/Not Sorry

November 4, 2023 at 12:30 pm PT Vogue Theatre

The “Me Too” movement resulted in numerous mea culpas, not all of which were heartfelt. Louis C.K...

USA | Documentary | 93

four young girl siblings sit on a bed leaning and resting on each other.

Four Daughters

Sat, Nov 4 at 3:00 pm
Nov 04

Four Daughters

November 4, 2023 at 3:00 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Innovative in form and piercing in content, Four Daughters tells the story of the titular Tunisia...

France | Documentary | 107

a white woman soccer player holds up a trophy amongst her team in a soccer field full of audience members.

Centerpiece: Copa 71

Sat, Nov 4 at 6:00 pm
Nov 04

Centerpiece: Copa 71

November 4, 2023 at 6:00 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Rousing and infuriating, Copa 71 unearths 50-year-old footage of the forgotten women’s World Cup ...

UK | Documentary | 90

a black woman looking at us wearing a frilled collared shirt, behind her is smoke and a figure of a violent racist group.

Stamped from the Beginning

Sat, Nov 4 at 8:30 pm
Nov 04

Stamped from the Beginning

November 4, 2023 at 8:30 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Adapting Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning history of the same name, Roger Ross Willia...

USA | Documentary | 85

a young black man hunches over a workshop desk sketching.

Story & Pictures By

Sun, Nov 5 at 10:00 am
Nov 05

Story & Pictures By

November 5, 2023 at 10:00 am PT Vogue Theatre

Children’s picture books have brought creativity, joy, and a deeper understanding of the world eq...

USA | Documentary | 84

a sled being pulled by dogs across a snowy plain as the sun breaks over the trees.

Shorts Block: Ideology vs. Identity

Sun, Nov 5 at 1:30 pm
Nov 05

Shorts Block: Ideology vs. Identity

November 5, 2023 at 1:30 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Featuring a unique group of shorts that explores the chasms in ideology and identity on national ...

Documentary |

A Tribute to Julia Reichert: A Woman’s Work

Sun, Nov 5 at 4:00 pm
Nov 05

A Tribute to Julia Reichert: A Woman’s Work

November 5, 2023 at 4:00 pm PT Vogue Theatre

In December of 2022, the documentary community lost the brilliant, warm, and tenacious filmmaker ...

Documentary |

At Capacity!
a lone figure standing beside a tall statue with wings watches the sunrise in an open field.

Closing Night: Anselm

Sun, Nov 5 at 7:30 pm
Nov 05

Closing Night: Anselm

November 5, 2023 at 7:30 pm PT Vogue Theatre

Anselm Kiefer is one of our most important contemporary artists, and Wenders’s stunningly beautif...

Germany | Documentary | 93

Wonka

Sun, Dec 10 at 11:00 am
Dec 10

Wonka

December 10, 2023 at 11:00 am PT Vogue Theatre

Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Da...

UK | 116

At Capacity!

Streaming Programs

Browse the streaming events in the 2023 Doc Stories program. Each of these events have an expiring window of availability.

four young girl siblings sit on a bed leaning and resting on each other.

Four Daughters

Four Daughters

Innovative in form and piercing in content, Four Daughters tells the story of the titular Tunisian quartet and their unflinching, unforgiving, immensely complicated mother. This is a woman who bludgeoned her husband on their wedding night and used...

France | Documentary | 107

Streaming Window Ended
a fabric sculpture of an atomic bomb hanging on a frame in the desert.

Richland

Richland

Kaleidoscopic in form and wry in its content, Richland is about two small towns in southeastern Washington state that share an interesting history—they manufactured weapons-grade plutonium for over 40 years. Now decommissioned, the Hanford site is...

USA | Documentary | 93

Streaming Window Ended
a sled being pulled by dogs across a snowy plain as the sun breaks over the trees.

Shorts Block: Ideology vs. Identity

Shorts Block: Ideology vs. Identity

Featuring a unique group of shorts that explores the chasms in ideology and identity on national and personal level. Each film underscores how individual actions can challenge and reshape societal norms through five tales of inspiration. With inti...

Streaming Window Ended

Shorts Block: New York Times Op-Docs

Shorts Block: New York Times Op-Docs

Op-Docs is the New York Times’ award-winning series of short-form documentaries showcasing some of the freshest new work by independent filmmakers. Curated from the current library of NYT Op-Docs titles, SFFILM hand-selects five films that themati...

Documentary | 95

Streaming Window Ended
a graphic illustrating a silhouette of a man filled with people in an audience against a red backdrop.

Sorry/Not Sorry

Sorry/Not Sorry

The “Me Too” movement resulted in numerous mea culpas, not all of which were heartfelt. Louis C.K.’s response to accusations is an interesting case in point. When the story of his sexual harassment broke, it initially seemed that the extremely suc...

USA | Documentary | 93

Streaming Window Ended
a young black man hunches over a workshop desk sketching.

Story & Pictures By

Story & Pictures By

Children’s picture books have brought creativity, joy, and a deeper understanding of the world equipped for all ages. Story & Pictures By presents the history of children’s literature and how it has been a tool to both present a mirror of soci...

USA | Documentary | 84

Streaming Window Ended