| ||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
|
now showing | ||
|
SFFS educates, entertains and enriches a wide and diverse range of audiences with programs and events in four core areas: Internationalism, Education, Citywide Outreach and Exploring New Media.
OCTOBER October 3 Idit Cebula’s charming comedic drama tracks a schoolteacher’s gradual awakening to her own voice as a writer set against the conventional stresses of daily life. October 8 Desplechin’s A Christmas Story—with Catherine Deneuve as the matriarch of a dysfunctional family and Mathieu Amalric as her estranged son—is a sprawling, wickedly funny family drama. October 9 This little charmer—a warm and uproarious send-up of regional prejudices and an embrace of inclusiveness—came out of nowhere this year to become the most successful French film of all time. FRENCH CINEMA NOW A tour de force for director/cowriter/star Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Actresses is a pointed and poignant portrait of a middle-aged woman who is artistically successful but generally unhappy. October 10 In his first film, little-seen in the U.S., Arnaud Desplechin begins his revelatory investigation into the web of relationships that comprise the modern family. FRENCH CINEMA NOW In this crisply paced and witty Agatha Christie adaptation, a poolside murder reveals an intricate web of sexual intrigue and tangled romantic jilting. FRENCH CINEMA NOW Benjamin Marquet’s feature-length documentary takes us into the world where young teens adopt a grueling training regimen in hopes of landing an elusive career: riding at professional horse races. October 11 Arnaud Desplechin perfectly captures the heady milieu of graduate school in this keenly funny and exceedingly intelligent film about people on the edge of adulthood but scared to death of the potential abysses lying below. FRENCH CINEMA NOW Benjamin Marquet’s feature-length documentary takes us into the world where young teens adopt a grueling training regimen in hopes of landing an elusive career: riding at professional horse races. FRENCH CINEMA NOW In the delightful Six in Paris, a sextet of French New Wave directors write and direct stories structured around a particular Parisian neighborhood’s topography. FRENCH CINEMA NOW In this crisply paced and witty Agatha Christie adaptation, a poolside murder reveals an intricate web of sexual intrigue and tangled romantic jilting. FRENCH CINEMA NOW Refreshingly complex, vividly unsettling, and artfully shot, Franck Vestiel’s sci-fi feature offers ample chills and much food for thought. October 12 This little charmer—a warm and uproarious send-up of regional prejudices and an embrace of inclusiveness—came out of nowhere this year to become the most successful French film of all time. FRENCH CINEMA NOW A tour de force for director/cowriter/star Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Actresses is a pointed and poignant portrait of a middle-aged woman who is artistically successful but generally unhappy. FRENCH CINEMA NOW–CLOSING NIGHT Unanimously voted the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Laurent Cantet’s The Class plunges viewers into a lively classroom set in the tough, multiethnic Paris neighborhood. FRENCH CINEMA NOW In the delightful Six in Paris, a sextet of French New Wave directors write and direct stories structured around a particular Parisian neighborhood’s topography. October 17 Tony Gerber, Jesse Moss (USA 2008) Deep in the Mojave Desert lies the Fort Irwin National Training Center, where soldiers about to go to the Middle East receive a unique type of preparation. Shown with Adam Keker's short film On the Assassination of the President. October 17-23 Philippe Aractingi (Sous les bombes, France/Lebanon/England/Belgium 2007) Improvised during the actual bombing of Lebanon in 2006, Phillipe Aractingi’s raw and heart wrenching Under the Bombs sets aside the politics of the situation to depict war’s ravages. October 18 Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss, the directors of Full Battle Rattle, will discuss issues of access, point of view, and structure as it relates to their film as well as how their knowledge about both feature and documentary filmmaking informed their cinematic choices. October 21 Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire (Peur(s) du noir, France 2007) This highly anticipated, beautifully scary animated portmanteau of animated films portrays a collection of dark nightmares in black, white and gray. It’s “...a loving exploration into the surreal atmosphere of your creepiest dreams.” October 23 Jim Isaac (USA 2008) Deep country bliss turns into a verdant hell when John (Travis Aaron Wade), his girlfriend, and a group of buddies head out from San Francisco for a weekend of pig hunting. S.F.'s own writer/producer Robert Mailer Anderson and director/producer Jim Isaac have come up with a darkly comic hell ride with a uniquely Northern California sensibility. October 24–30 Andrea Štaka (Das Fräulein, Switzerland/Germany/Bosnia/Serbia 2006) Winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno, this tender film centers on three women who come from a country that no longer exists—Yugoslavia—and the sorrow and longing that comes with such a heritage. Secrecy Peter Galison, Robb Moss (USA, 2008) The SFIFF51 hit returns for a one-week run. The seduction and power of secrets are at the core of this fascinating and timely documentary exploring why the U.S. government spends more time and money than ever before to keep information away from the American public. October 25 Robb Moss, the codirector of Secrecy, will discuss the different facets of making an investigative documentary, the possible methods of presentation and representation used in the film, among other topics. SFFS FOCUS: INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY/Secrecy October 31–November 6 S. Pierre Yameogo (Léve-toi et marche, Burkina Faso/France/Switzerland 2005) Based on true events, Delwende is a vibrantly photographed and fiercely feminist tale of patriarchal injustice and a woman’s courage in the great tradition of Sissoko’s Finzan and Sembene’s Moolaadé. NOVEMBER November 13–16 November 15 Maverick animator Gene Deitch discusses his 50-plus years in animation. November 16–23 |
||||
©
2008 San Francisco Film Society
Site Design by Counterform