SFFILM
The Bay Area's home for the world's finest films and filmmakers.
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Watch Over the Moon on Netflix then join us for a fun and educational Q&A to learn about the making of this visually stunning and moving animated musical adventure.
Join the SFFILM Programming Team for a virtual happy hour and preview of the 2020 Doc Stories film series.
Get ready for the upcoming Doc Stories film series with a free screening of a delightful, timely short film from the New York Times Op-Docs team. Sindha Agha’s wry seven-minute video essay riffs on a variety of quarantine quandaries, including how...
USA | Short Film |
Join the SFFILM Makers team for a conversation with documentarian Kirsten Johnson and editor Nels Bangerter.
We’re thrilled to have award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, and esteemed professor Carrie Lozano as our 2020 Doc Stories Keynote speaker.
The 1978 siege on the MOVE organization’s communal house in Philadelphia resulted in the death of one police officer and the life-sentence convictions of nine MOVE members. Among these nine are the mother and father of Mike Africa, Jr, who has spe...
USA | Documentary | 110
Join SFFILM’s Artist Development team for a discussion on the filmmaker-subject relationship in documentary filmmaking and the varied challenges that come with the depiction of vulnerable individuals and communities.
Op-Docs is the New York Times’s award-winning series of short-form documentaries by independent filmmakers.
The world of three stray dogs commingling among the inhabitants of the sprawling city of Istanbul is the subject of Elizabeth Lo’s beguiling documentary feature debut.
USA | Documentary | 73
On a farm in Norway is the beautiful sow, Gunda, first seen after she has just given birth to a litter of piglets. Over time, she tends to them as they gleefully thrive in harmony with their mother and surroundings.
Norway | Documentary | 93
Four exquisite short films examine the crucial, selfless, backbreaking, and sometimes joyous work that individuals put themselves through to survive.
This revelatory documentary exposes the ways that AI systems have developed algorithms that can infringe on our privacy and threaten civil rights.
USA | Documentary | 86
Join the documentarians and special guests behind some of the most powerful films of 2020 to discuss the complexities of reporting and filmmaking, and the people who bring to light the grave injustices of today.
A lone man paddles through reeds at sunset as bombs flare in the distance. A bare-bones theater g...
Italy | Documentary | 100
While all presidential elections have some urgency, nothing has quite felt like Election 2020. Several of this year’s most remarkable documentaries have revolved around key issues of our time, such as voting rights, prison sentencing, and Supreme ...
Loira Limbal’s poignant, heart-wrenching documentary Through the Night shines a light on the urgent need for universal child care for working parents.
USA | Documentary | 76
In this critical time of racial strife in America, Sam Pollard’s revelatory MLK/FBI exposes J. Edgar Hoover’s dogged and heinous attempts to discredit and humiliate Martin Luther King Jr. through rampant surveillance and wiretapping.
USA | Documentary | 106
Join us for an online screening of Wolfwalkers, the beautiful and magical animated feature from the gifted storytellers at Ireland's Cartoon Saloon.
Ireland | Fiction | 103
Join us for an online screening of Ammonite, recipient of the 2020 SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, and a live Q&A with the film's director and special guests from the scientific community.
UK | Fiction | 120
Join us for an online screening of the newest Pixar film Soul, a beautiful and moving celebration...
USA | Fiction | 101
From films beginning with Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992) to the documentary series When...
Tackling films of all shapes and sizes, our guests have designed for films ranging from period to...
I’m No Longer Here has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its moving portrait ...
Join us on March 25 for an insider preview of the 2021 SFFILM Festival program, and meet our new ...
For three to six hours every night of the week, a queer dance party with people from all over the world takes place online over Zoom. In this New York Times Op-Doc short, director Aurora Brachman celebrates how strangers moving to the beat made he...
USA | Documentary | 7
Film clips galore unreel on screen as the indomitable Rita Moreno recalls her dramatic, topsy-turvy life and 70-year film career in this hugely entertaining documentary. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
USA | Documentary | 90
This fascinating documentary delves into the origins of the beloved children’s show Sesame Street. With humor, never before-seen footage, and special guests, Street Gang explores the ongoing emotional resonance of this ubiquitous series. Recommend...
USA | Documentary | 107
Meticulously documenting the origin and spread of COVID-19, Nanfu Wang's fourth feature captures the collective trauma of this global pandemic while also celebrating human resilience.
USA | Documentary | 99
A young girl's passion for building and toppling vivid domino creations leads her to YouTube stardom and a career as an artist and entrepreneur. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
USA | Documentary | 91
Pulling from autobiographical anecdotes, sumptuous visuals, and his own music, hip-hop artist Topaz Jones updates the Black ABC's for a modern era. Screens with Dear Philadelphia ((Renee Maria Osubu, USA/UK 2021, 28 min).
USA | Mid-Lengths | 63
Actor Arley de Jesús Carvallido Lobo is unforgettable in this powerful drama as a fisherman searching for his sons' bodies after paramilitaries abduct them during Colombia's civil conflict.
Colombia | Fiction | 136
Shimmering portrait of the irrepressible bisexual artist and illustrator Tove Jansson, writer and illustrator of the globally beloved Moomins children’s book series.
Finland | Fiction | 100
Funny, sexy, and ambitious, Shaw’s hand-drawn feature captivates a far-out story of mythological creatures and the brave souls trying to protect them from harm.
USA | 95
Rich with whimsy and drama, this beautifully deft romance sets the relationship between a Swiss woman and her Lebanese astrophysicist husband against Lebanon's civil war. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
France | Fiction | 90
How about this: Syrian teens Fawzi and Mahmoud come of age amidst a refugee camp's harsh conditions, forging a friendship over soccer and shared questions about love in this captivating documentary. Recommended for ages 11 and up.
Egypt | Documentary | 73
Stewart Brand, Bay Area icon and founder of the Whole Earth Catalog, continues to shape culture and technology through his progressive and unconventional approach to the environment and wildlife conservation.
USA | Documentary | 92
A butterfly researcher in the US returns to his home in Michoacán where he reconnects with family and friends in this rich and romantic visual tapestry.
USA | Fiction | 97
Issues of representation and performance take center stage in Pereda’s wry feature about a couple – one a Narcos: Mexico actor – on a road trip to visit her dysfunctional family.
Mexico | Fiction | 70
This collection of narrative and new vision shorts shines a tender light on society's frictions, from single parenting in a new country to patriarchal workplaces to the stresses of a job interview. At the end of it all, we are met with a bid for h...
Short Film | 100
Maria de Jesús Patricio, known as Marichuy, is the first indigenous woman to run for president of Mexico. This powerful documentary follows her fraught campaign, detailing the intricacies of Mexican politics and the critical issues facing the indi...
Mexico | Documentary | 77
Contemporary artist Trevor Paglen prepares his most ambitious project to date in this intimate and stunningly beautiful journey inside his mind and art.
USA | Documentary | 98
Oscillating between chronicle, dream, and document, Gallisá Muriente uncovers environmental and colonial memories in her grandmother’s past and in the landscape of Puerto Rico. Screens with Here, Here (Joanne Cesario, Philippines 2020, 19 min).
Puerto Rico | Mid-Lengths | 60
Ru Wen last saw her parents when she was five years old. She resisted searching for them for the next four decades, until her filmmaker daughter, Tiffany, started asking questions. Spanning 14 years, this documentary chronicles Tiffany’s travels t...
Canada | Mid-Lengths | 41
This diverse collection of stories is sure to please the smallest members of your family, along with the young at heart and everyone in-between. Featuring a deeply moving documentary exploring race in America, a delicately animated adaption of a H...
Short Film | 77
In this humorous and biting film, an eclectic group of people living in Nairobi gathers over Zoom for a court-ordered anger management class. Screens with Al-Sit (Suzannah Mirghani, Sudan 2020, 20 min).
Kenya | Mid-Lengths | 70
Iranian filmmaker Firouzeh Khosrovani investigates her parents' unusual marriage between a secular man and devout Muslim woman in this poetic documentary steeped in bittersweet history.
Iran | Documentary | 82
Violence from Mexico's drug cartels threatens the serene, pastoral lives – steeped in ancient traditions – of the indigenous Rarámuri people in this elegant and evocative documentary.
100
John Boyega cements his leading-man status as an impassioned public defender who stumbles into a drug heist while his reality collapses all around him.
USA | Fiction | 93
Raucous music adorns this deep dive into the life of Poly Styrene, frontwoman of the pioneering English punk rock band, X-Ray Spex.
UK | Documentary | 96
Focusing on promising high-school graduate Ruthie, this coming-of-age drama is a deeply compassionate portrait of the day-to-day struggles present in America's rust belt.
USA | Fiction | 91
Inventing a next-generation blimp is the goal of the brilliant but poor young aviator in this buoyant drama of friendship, romance, and the science of aeronautics.
Poland | Fiction | 92
After Neil undergoes a magical transformation, he and his best friend Gilbert make unexpected alliances that cause pure mayhem in this hilariously profane, teens-gone-wild comedy.
Reality becomes increasingly tenuous in this intense, phantasmagoric drama when childhood friends visit the Sahara – one in pursuit of a terrorist – during Algeria's bloody civil war.
Algeria | Fiction | 133
The employer/employee relationship is explored with great nuance in the story of a middle-aged man who witnesses an accident at his job.
South Korea | Fiction | 82
Based on Jane Harper’s bestseller, this riveting Aussie mystery stars Eric Bana as an investigator burrowing into a brutal murder-suicide involving a childhood friend.
Australia | Fiction | 118
Using a dual storyline format to portray life in Lagos, this moving drama's protagonists dream of emigration and flight from the teeming city.
Nigeria | Fiction | 116
A trio of fearless female journalists expose rampant sexism and corruption in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in this moving and triumphant documentary.
India | Documentary | 93
Based on true events, Dance of the 41 is the forbidden love story between a politician and a lawyer that became a society scandal that roiled early 20th-century Mexico.
Mexico | Fiction | 98
Director Yrsa Roca Fannberg's intimate documentary observes a husband and wife's final season tending their beloved flock on an isolated Icelandic sheep farm.
Iceland | Documentary | 78
Converging around a Mexican village’s yearly festival, this powerful drama depicts the upheaval created when three people who left return home in this tense, empathetic drama.
Mexico | Fiction | 92
Thirty years after leading the first-ever coast-to-coast expedition across the frigid continent to bring attention to climate change, renowned explorer Will Steger recalls that thrilling adventure.
USA | Documentary | 104
This explosive drama explores how a Romanian policeman's hidden life impacts his response to a protest at a Bucharest cinema over a film with queer content.
Romania | Fiction | 82
The internet brings the outside world to an isolated Russian whaling village in this involving coming-of-age tale shot through with offbeat humor and surprising pathos.
Russian Federation | Fiction | 93
A rich portrait of Turkish-German radical feminist, lawyer, and imam, Seyran Ateş unfolds like a rose in a documentary that limns a life devoted to reforming Islam.
Norway | Documentary | 81
Film censor Enid’s concern over protecting the public turns into chilling obsession when one particular horror movie strikes a chord with her past.
UK | Fiction | 84
Peter Nicks celebrates the resilience and grit of Oakland High School's class of 2020 during a year of extraordinary challenges with this compelling and immersive documentary. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
USA | 90
Whimsical and unique, this story of a dream auditor falling in love with the woman he’s scrutinizing depicts the priceless sanctuary of imagination.
USA | Fiction | 90
Single mom Danny races through COVID-era Pacoima, CA, on roller skates to try to amass an apartment deposit in this poignant and humorous debut.
Jane, a strong-minded and independent little girl, is sent off to stay with her grandma during the holidays while her mother struggles to overcome a bout with depression. Reluctant and angry at first, Jane brightens as the trip quickly turns into ...
France | Mid-Lengths | 30
With care and diligence, these filmmakers have created life-affirming documentary and new visions shorts that tell a wide range of stories about reconstructing memories, art therapy, call centers in Mexico, and old friends. As a whole, these films...
Short Film | 104
Featuring a boy’s first summer fasting for Ramadan, a face-off with a comically seedy insurance agent, and a chance romantic encounter on a late-night train, this fun group of narrative and animated shorts finds joy in the particularities of exper...
Short Film | 69
Tremendous dance sequences and a teenager's extraordinary talent drive this captivating documentary as a top Cuban ballet student immigrates and begins study anew in Florida. Recommended for ages 11 and up.
Italy | Documentary | 98
This selection of documentary shorts features flocks of wildfire-fighting sheep, the pursuit of happiness on behalf of a pet turtle, and a prison art activation from a renowned artist. Together, the films explore the effect of people and animals o...
Short Film | 93
A female physician challenges Saudi Arabia's patriarchal society when she runs for local office in Haifaa al-Mansour's pointed but buoyant and hopeful drama.
Saudi Arabia | Fiction | 105
Seventeen years after committing a heinous crime, Marvin returns home, attempting to pick up the pieces of his life and find redemption before he loses his last living family member.
Germany | Fiction | 100
Against the backdrop of a sun-drenched summer in Southern France, a surprise reunion stirs up old memories between two women who were once polyamorous lovers.
How do you relive a memory? Oskar Alegria revisits a place from his childhood and tries to answer that question in this poetic and pastoral documentary.
Spain | Documentary | 122
Peter Nicks celebrates the resilience and grit of Oakland High School's class of 2020 during a ye...
Inventing a next-generation blimp is the goal of the brilliant but poor young aviator in this buo...
Race and identity have long shaped the process of culture creation. As violence once again remind...
Join us for a very special conversation between co-creators of Language Lessons, director, co-wri...
From faraway locales to harsh environments to intimate spaces, this conversation features four fi...
As an extension of the Festival’s Cine Mexicano spotlight, this LIVE conversation features featur...
This panel of Oscar-nominated creators will shed light on the incredible craft and artistry showc...
Join Cryptozoo writer/director and Persistence of Vision Award-winner Dash Shaw in conversation w...
The Golden Gate Awards were established in 1957 with Satyajit Ray as the inaugural recipient for ...
SFFILM’s Impact Award acknowledges individuals with an impressive body of work who bring a fresh ...
Join us for a fun and educational Q&A with the filmmakers of the newest Disney and Pixar film...
USA | Fiction | 95
Humor can often diffuse a heated and polarizing situation or offer laughter as a method of healin...
Celebrate documentary storytelling with SFFILM! Attendees will hear directly from our programmers...
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...
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
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
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 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.
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
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.
Storytelling is not a singular art form when it comes to cinema. There are many people who shape ...
From A.I. and digitally altered subjects to restored archival footage and revelatory animation, d...
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
