This documentary explores the slow but steady rise of the women's art community, which first blossomed when the Feminist Movement exploded in America during the 1960s and 1970s, thereby increasing cultural awareness of women artists. Through archival footage and interviews, the stories of activists such as the Guerrilla Girls and performance artists like Yoko Ono and Judy Chicago are told. The documentary also touches on the gender politics of the art world.

CON VISTA AL RIO The frustration of a rebellious border teenager will lead him and his younger sister to put themselves in grave danger, right along the wall that divides Mexico with the United States. Narrative Short Directed by Persia Campbell Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico BAILARINA Alicia only recognizes herself through her reflection in the mirror and the notes playing from her music box. Meanwhile, Alzheimer's consumes the rest of her existence. Narrative Short Directed by Verónica Palofox Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico AURORA AND THE HOUSE OF LIGHTS Aurora is 25 years old. She plays frantically in an arcade in order to win a giant teddy bear. She can’t stop because that would bring her back to reality, to what happened the day before. If she wins the teddy bear, everything will be okay, she will heal and be safe. But denial is only the first stage. Narrative Short Directed by Ángela Matiz, María Matiz Colombia US IN OCTAVES In a hyper color summer nightmare, two lovers are haunted by their last act of love: saying goodbye. Us In Octaves is an official two part narrative music video for veteran producer Caural and told through an all Womxn & Non-Binary cast. Music Video, Short Directed by Alex Mastoon Rockaway Beach, NY THE LITTLE DEATH A woman finds her sexual awakening and her near demise in one fell swoop. Narrative Short Directed by Autumn Palen United States THE WORDS IN-BETWEEN The film explores the intersection of language, identity, and belonging among mixed race, indigenous and immigrant members of Gen Z, who talk about the pain of diaspora and assimilation, but also the power of language to connect them to home. Documentary Short Directed by Katia Kalei Barricklow United States AS LEAVES IN THE WIND A story of two transgender women who migrate from their home countries seeking asylum and opportunities in a new continent. Their lives go through structural changes when they meet and take part in a new support network. Made by them for them. Documentary Short Directed by Sofia Luz Spain

"A Film About Coffee" is a love letter to, and meditation on, specialty coffee. It examines what it takes, and what it means, for coffee to be defined as "specialty." The film whisks audiences on a trip around the world, from farms in Honduras and Rwanda to coffee shops in Tokyo, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and New York. Through the eyes and experiences of farmers and baristas, the film offers a unique overview of all the elements-the processes, preferences and preparations; traditions old and new-that come together to create the best cups. This is a film that bridges gaps both intellectual and geographical, evoking flavor and pleasure, and providing both as well.

Charting Rowlands’ transformation as “Mabel” from endearingly kooky to bleakly incoherent and back again, A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE is perhaps the most important examination of mental health ever captured onscreen. Cassavetes observes the ricochets between Mabel’s health and her in-laws’ “influence”— but at the heart of this film is her relationship with her conservative husband (an equally amazing Peter Falk), who struggles in vain to pull Mabel out of her ever-worsening decline. Both tough-as-bricks and delicate, WOMAN goes straight for the throat.

Nestled away in wintry East Anatolia, public-school art teacher Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu) yearns to leave the sleepy village for cosmopolitan Istanbul. Further disenchanted when he and Kenan (Musab Ekici), a colleague, come under public scrutiny, Samet fears circumstances will keep him in Anatolia and his dreams of a new life permanently out of reach. A silver lining is a budding relationship with Nuray (Merve Dizdar), a fellow teacher and firebrand who develops connections with both Samet and Kenan, forcing Samet to confront what he can't readily accept. Renowned for his nuanced, visually ravishing imagery, award-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Winter Sleep) capstones the film with one of his greatest sequences, a dazzling metacinematic climax featuring an entrancing performance from Dizdar, who took home Best Actress at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now in its 40th year presents a new, never-before-seen restored version of the film. The new film Apocalypse Now Final Cut, has been remastered in 4K Ultra HD. Apocalypse Now Final Cut employs a ground-breaking sound system engineered to create a truly visceral experience. In addition, the film has been enhanced with High Dynamic Range HDR, delivering spectacular colors and highlights, with brighter brights and darker-dark the result is breathtaking realism.

For his next project, successful music producer Frank Farian hires dancers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan and helps the two friends to a skyrocketing success. Under the name Milli Vanilli, Rob and Fab storm the international charts, land three number one hits in the USA and enjoy the extravagant life in Hollywood. Only a small circle of insiders know their secret: the duo don’t sing themselves, they just move their lips – to the voices of the real singers. At the height of their fame, Rob and Fab even win a Grammy, but the situation behind the scenes becomes increasingly tense and Milli Vanilli threatens to become the biggest scandal in music history. Not only the truth is at stake, but also their friendship…

His mother blames communism, his uncle an inheritance dispute, the others fall silent. Director Dieu Hao Do explores the fragmentation of his family. The American War in Vietnam scattered them across three continents. Nearly 50 years after their escape, contact between the seven family members has all but broken down. How have traumas from persecution and violence inscribed themselves on the bodies and souls of the survivors and their children?

It tells the story of the Austrian author Ingeborg Bachmann (starring Vicky Krieps) and her life in Berlin, Zurich and Rome, her relationship with Max Frisch, her trip to Egypt and her radical texts and readings.

A very special Swiss Film & Talks afternoon with Director Bettina Oberli in person. Featuring a 35 mm film projection of the Swiss classic “Late Bloomers” and Featuring an episode of the TV series “The Night in Question” Late Bloomers centers around four older ladies from the Emmental region. When four older women decide to turn the local corner shop into a chic lingerie store, the whole community is thrown into disarray. The Night in Question Newly married lawyer Clara is willing to go beyond all moral and ethical boundaries to have her father, the famous singer Carsten declared innocent after he is accused of raping her friend Leonie at a family party.

As a construction manager, drinking is more of a normality for Mark than not drinking. In addition to his work on construction sites, during business dinners and sprawling Berlin party nights, there is always a reason for him to fully indulge in alcohol intoxication. When he tries to drive his car out of a no-parking zone in a drunken stupor one night, he is promptly checked and immediately loses his driver’s license. For Mark, this is reason enough to make a bet with his best friend Nadim: He wants to manage not to touch any alcohol until he has his driver’s license again.

Based on the bestselling novel by musician Thees Uhlmann: Reiner’s doorbell rings, and standing in front is Morten de Sarg, who is actually his death. Reiner’s death is interrupted when the doorbell rings. It’s Reiner’s ex-girlfriend Sophia, who came to fetch Reiner for their scheduled train trip to visit Reiner’s mother for a birthday surprise. Running against time to the train station, they set off on a wild journey that will change all their lives.

Based on the bestselling autobiography by Felix Lobrecht: Four teenage friends – Lukas, Julius, Gino and Sanchez – are trying to survive everyday life in Neukölln, Berlin, between drugs, gangs, rap, violence and boredom. One day, they are forced to make a decision with serious consequences.

When one of her students is suspected of theft, teacher Carla Nowak decides to get to the bottom of the matter. Caught between her ideals and the school system, the consequences of her actions threaten to break her. Winner of 5 German Film Awards: Best Film (Gold), Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. US Release by Sony Pictures Classics

CAROL DODA TOPLESS AT THE CONDOR is a feature length documentary set in San Francisco in 1964 when Carol Doda became the first dancer to go topless and in the process, became a tourist attraction second only to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. Linda immediately asks for a meal of chicken with peppers, which reminds her of the dish her father used to make. But with a general strike closing stores all across town and pushing people into this streets, this innocent request quickly leads to an outrageous series of events that spirals out of control, as Paulette does everything she can to keep her promise and find a chicken for Linda.

The planet Zots is in danger. To save it, lavender-leaning aliens Zoinx, Zylar, and Barr descend to earth to have their hearts broken, scrounging together romances at coffee shops and hardware stores. Lisa Haas, Lesbian comedy’s unsung hero and Olnek’s frequent collaborator, is unforgettably hilarious as the scruffy, love-shy shop girl. CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME is an adaptation of a play Olnek originally wrote and directed for New York's WOW Café theater in 1992.

From Golden Bear winner Radu Jude, DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD takes a fierce and darkly comic swipe at modern day life. Overworked and underpaid production assistant Angela (Ilinca Manolache) is assigned to film a workplace safety video for a multinational corporation in Bucharest. When one of the interviewees makes a statement that ignites a scandal, Angela has to re-invent the story. Featuring appearances from Nina Hoss, Uwe Boll, and Angela’s TikTok alter-ego Bobiță, Jude’s anarchic satire is a wild and unforgettable ride through the vulgar indignities of the 21st century.

A Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo were Takumi and his daughter Hana lived. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house, offers a city resident and its affects Takumi's life.

After suffering from serial paranormal events, a wealthy family living in LA summons a young rising shaman duo Hwa-rim (KIM Go-eun) and Bong-gil (LEE Do-hyun) to save the newborn of the family. Once they arrive, Hwa-rim senses a dark shadow of their ancestor has latched on the family, so-called a ‘Grave’s Calling’. In order to exhume the grave and relieve the ancestor, Hwa-rim seeks help from the top-notch geomancer Sang-duk (CHOI Min-sik) and the mortician Young-geun (YOO Hai-jin). To their dismay, the four find the grave at a shady location in a remote village in Korea. Unaware of the consequences, the exhumation is carried out, yet this rather unleashes a malevolent force buried underneath…

Join us for a celebration of all things Fleischer Studios with brand new HD restorations of Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye the Sailor Man and more!

With high school in the rearview, five teenagers from inland Oregon embark on one last adventure. Piling into a van with a busted tail light, their mission takes them to a place they’ve never been—the Pacific coast, five hundred miles away. Their plan, in full: “Fuck it.”

Two archaeologists on a scientific dig come across a vampire burial ground and discover that the creatures are about to awaken and attack a nearby village.

Four friends embark on a quest to find offbeat tourist traps across the country—bringing them face-to-face with the murderous Firefly clan, whose house of horrors harbors an urban legend that is all too real.

How to Explain Your Mental Illness to Stanley Kubrick In this soul-baring essay film, a manic experimental filmmaker (played by Brubaker, actually undergoing psychosis onscreen) summons a manifestation of Stanley Kubrick into his apartment to confront him on the negative depiction of mental illness in his filmography. The two directors go on a feverish journey through Kubrick's oevre, as the master director is confronted for his negative portrayal of the burden of insanity. Characters from Dr. Strangelove, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket are re-evaluated, as the experimental filmmaker demands the recalcitrant Kubrick admit to his bias against the mentally ill.

With forty years of making music as the iconic folk-rock band Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have made their mark as musicians, songwriters, and dedicated activists. They have represented radical self-acceptance to many, leading multiple generations of fans to say, “the Indigo Girls saved my life.” Still, Amy and Emily battled misogyny, homophobia, and a harsh cultural climate chastising them for not fitting into a female pop star mold. With joy, humor, and heart-warming earnestness, Sundance award-winning director Alexandria Bombach brings us into a contemporary conversation with Amy and Emily—alongside decades of the band's home movies and intimate present-day verité.

Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth – in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera.

Hitman Jef Costello is a perfectionist who always carefully plans his murders and who never gets caught. One night however, after killing a night-club owner, he's seen by witnesses. His efforts to provide himself with an alibi fail and more and more he gets driven into a corner.

Travis, a jaded detective, arrives in the remote outback town of Limbo to investigate the cold case murder of local Indigenous girl Charlotte Hayes 20 years ago. As truths about the murder begin to unfold, the detective gains a new insight into the unsolved case from the victim’s fractured family, the surviving witnesses and the reclusive brother of the chief suspect. A poignant, intimate journey into the complexities of loss and the impact of the justice system on Aboriginal families in Australia.

Once a strong and independent woman, KathyLugavere finds herself struggling with her memory. In a quest to find his mother the best care, 32-year-old son Max moves home to New York City and begins to consult with top health experts to investigate the origins of Dementia, a disease which now affects a staggering 55 million people globally. The deeply personal film chronicles Kathy’s experience with Dementia as Max explores methods outside of prescription medication to slow her illness down. LITTLEEMPTYBOXES presents a raw perspective of Kathy's journey ,the hardships of being a caretaker, and a son willing to do anything to save his mother

From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.

Edward Yang’s penultimate film is an acerbic, sprawling tragicomedy, a poison love letter to Taipei as a rising cosmopolis of big money, big dreams, and big cons. Once more focusing on directionless youth, Yang depicts the four immature toughs who share the same apartment and, frequently, the same women. Led by the amoral Red Fish (Tang Tsung-sheng), the crew implements a slate of swindles and illicit business deals aimed at naive foreigners—including French teenager Marthe (Virginie Ledoyen), who is looking to reconnect with her older English lover (Nick Erickson)—and superstitious gold diggers (Carrie Ng). But when mobsters seek to collect on a debt owed by Red Fish’s ex-criminal father (Chang Kuo-chu), they accidentally abduct translator Luen-Luen (Lawrence Ko), the only crew member with scruples and, seemingly, an ounce of compassion. In several intertwined tales of greed, violence, and shattered principles, Mahjong examines how a city can grow in power and wealth while abandoning its heart and soul.

In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet’s capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the face of the universe.

Open Country is a journey into the roots of American Country music, reclaiming it as the creative musical expression of working people of all colors. Through archival clips, contemporary interviews, performances, and animated graphics, Open Country repositions country music into its rightful place as a people’s music.

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

The story of a group of Rembetes, singers and musicians of the Greek equivalent to the blues, in the early decades of the 20th century...

A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Ryuichi Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career, from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album,12. Intimately filmed in a space he knew well and surrounded by his most trusted collaborators, including director Neo Sora, his son, Sakamoto bares his soul through his exquisitely haunting melodies, knowing this was the last time he would be able to present his art.

Filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal takes inspiration from the story of Qandeel Baloch in crafting this compelling drama. Baloch was Pakistan’s first social media celebrity, who often used her platform to speak out against the patriarchy, until her brother murdered her in an act of “honor” killing. Her life planted the seeds from which spring this film’s widowed schoolteacher Noor and her queer best friend Guchhi. To live out their dreams and aspirations, the pair leads double lives. In bright makeup and flashy wigs, Noor and Guchhi adopt brash, fearless social media personas, representing a freedom so enticing that people can’t look away. Too often the cinemascape has portrayed Muslim women and queer people from the Global South as victimized objects of pity. Wakhri has a different tale to tell, one that celebrates the resilience with which its protagonists demand equality within a flawed society.

An encore screening of the Audience Award Documentary Feature. Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. The 11 day event features a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, new digital media work, live music performances, and dazzling red carpet events. The SFFILM Festival is deeply rooted in the culture and process of film appreciation—film as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change—and is an important showcase for the most searching and innovative films from around the globe.

An encore screening of the Audience Award Narrative Feature: Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. The 11 day event features a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, new digital media work, live music performances, and dazzling red carpet events. The SFFILM Festival is deeply rooted in the culture and process of film appreciation—film as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change—and is an important showcase for the most searching and innovative films from around the globe.

Sean Wang‘s auspicious, semi-autobiographical feature debut centers on a universally recognizable phase of adolescence — that moment we begin the lifelong process of self-determination. Set in 2008 Fremont, this Sundance audience award winner follows 13-year-old Taiwanese American Chris (Izaac Wang) in the fleeting months prior to freshman year as he clumsily pursues his first crush, nurtures his passions for filming and skating, and experiments with the dawning intensity of online relationships via AIM chat and MySpace. At home, Chris’s college-bound sister Vivian (Shirley Chen) and weary mother Chunsing (an illuminating Joan Chen) annoy him, while his acerbic grandma Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua, the director’s real-life grandmother) frets over his diet. All three women draw his ire as Chris stumbles through a series of hilarious coming-of-age situations. Nuanced and tender, Wang‘s film is a layered exploration of learning to love oneself against the Darwinian backdrop of teenage cliques, cultural conformity, and the maddening frustrations of growing up.

In this drama inspired by co-director Nara Normande’s own life, teenage Tamara spends the summer of 1996 hanging with her group of friends before leaving them behind to study in Brasilia. While restlessly exploring her village on Brazil’s northwest coast, Tamara’s relationships begin to shift. She grows apart from her boyfriend Kinzão while developing an attraction for another girl, nicknamed “Heartless” for the surgical scar on her chest. Dazzling images illustrate this magical realist coming-of-age tale that touches on a young woman’s blossoming sexuality and anxious anticipation of the future. Normande and her co-director Tião elegantly weave poetic sentiments with fantastical elements to spin a strikingly poignant story of the connection between nature, sexuality, and growing up.

A heroine hides in plain sight as a dishwasher in a Connecticut Whole Foods in Lucy Walker‘s astonishing documentary. The film tells the inspiring story of Lhakpa Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to conquer Mount Everest and survive. Walker captures this elite athlete’s life as she prepares for a tenth summit — a new record for women mountaineers. The world knows her from her top-of-the-world exploits but Walker’s portrait reveals a range of seemingly insurmountable challenges that Lhakpa manages to transcend. At this “low altitude,” the mother of three endures hardscrabble challenges as an immigrant and single parent. Through it all, she perseveres, finding purpose in both daily and historic accomplishments. Mountain Queen shines a deserving spotlight on Lhakpa’s unyielding determination and spirit as it brings her incredible saga to triumphant heights.

When the Russians invade Ukraine, husband-and-wife artists Slava and Anya, their faithful dog Frodo, and dear friend Andrey, seize their destiny as they choose to stay and fight. Setting aside their civilian life and past selves, Slava and Andrey join a special ops unit on the frontlines, while Anya makes delicate porcelain art amid constant bombardment. Made in partnership with US-based co-director Brendan Bellomo, these first- time film collaborators steel themselves against the atrocities of war by cherishing spring blossoms, lifelong friendships, and long walks through their beautiful, ravaged country. It is rare for a documentary to capture a war unfolding in real time with such lucidity, while also transcending the immediacy of violence to celebrate the indomitable power of the human spirit. Buoyed by a passion for living and charming animated sequences, this Sundance Documentary Grand Jury prize-winner vividly depicts the human need to create and compulsion to survive.

Ten-year-old Tinh’s family flees Vietnam after the 1975 fall of Saigon, undertaking an arduous journey to Quebec in Charles Oliver-Michaud’s gripping adaptation of Kim Thúy’s award-winning novel. As Tinh works to overcome the trauma and memories of war and forge an identity in Canada, her educated, formerly wealthy family struggles to adapt to their new circumstances as refugees. Chloé Djandji is riveting as Tinh in a drama that combines a harrowing recreation of the family’s flight from Vietnam, striking cinematography, vivid flashbacks, and a compelling narrative to create a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of healing told from the powerful perspective of a young girl coming to terms with her past.

Terry Goon is keeping strict quarantine in his ex-husband’s Brooklyn brownstone while caring for his nephew — a 19-year-old model from Morocco named Bahlul — bedridden in a full leg cast after an electric scooter accident. Unfortunately for Terry, everyone in his life wants to meet the model.

Terrestrial Verses follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.

American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.

From Robert Eggers, the visionary filmmaker behind modern horror masterpiece The Witch, comes this hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Lucy (Rosanna Arquette) is a under-paid, under-appreciated waitress at a terminally hip NYC restaurant called Dali. She’s also an aspiring escape artist desperately in need of cash to buy Harry Houdini’s wedding ring. Monte (David Bowie) is the shady but charming new bartender who desperately needs to get married at any cost. Together they join forces— along with Lucy’s best friend, the self-defense bra designing Viv (Eszter Balint)— to rob the popular restaurant, and all the “trend-sucking leeches" who dine there. As one might expect, it doesn’t go as planned, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Funny, romantic and wonderfully odd, the cult classic THE LINGUINI INCIDENT, co-starring Andre Gregory, Buck Henry and Marlee Matlin, is "an off the wall treat,” according to the LA Times. “A contemporary screwball comedy that actually works.”

The Old Oak is the last pub standing in a once thriving mining village in northern England, a gathering space for a community that has fallen on hard times. There is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope among the residents, but the pub and its proprietor TJ are a fond presence to their customers. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, a decisive rift fueled by prejudices develops between the community and its newest inhabitants. The formation of an unexpected friendship between TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara opens up new possibilities for the divided village in this deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope. The release of The Old Oak reunites legendary British director Ken Loach with Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber following our 2020 release of his film Sorry We Missed You. Loach, who is 87 years old, has announced that The Old Oak will be his final film.

This revolutionary DIY parody film and hilarious reimagining of the classic autobiographical coming-of-age story follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big as a comedian by joining the cast of UCB Live - a government-sanctioned late night sketch show in a world where comedy has been outlawed. As mainstream success eludes our heroine, leading her to unite with a ragtag team of rejects, misfits, and a certain love interest named Mister J, "Joker the Harlequin" is born again as a confident (and psychotic) joker on a collision course with the city's fascist caped crusader. Vats of feminizing chemicals, sexy cartoon interludes, scarecrow psychiatrists, CGI Lorne Michaels, and psychedelic gender dysphoria all play supporting roles. Helmed by writer/director/editor/star Vera Drew and using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, THE PEOPLE'S JOKER is a deeply personal journey that's as much documentary as it is parody.

The film includes LGBTQ+ and cross-cultural talkback sessions, including Buddhist, Judaic, Christian, and Passamaquoddy perspectives on theocracy, residential schools & those that follow or leave religion. An Iranian woman tells her attempts to survive as a musician after police terror. Individuals & religious leaders from Maine to Boston discuss positive & negative experiences with faith, including a rare look at the Sipayik tribal perspective on the Catholic Church’s role in their lives with the planned demolition of St. Ann’s Residential School Church in coastal Maine. Faiths directly represented include Islamic, Catholic, Baptist, United Church of Christ, Vedic (Hindi), Judaic, Buddhist & Pagan, with racial implications of recent theocratic directions in censored education and government. The West Coast premiere of “The Religion Move” at The Little Roxie offers a rare opportunity for cross-cultural and multi-faith conversation in a time of great polarity and struggle. The audience talkback session includes the film’s director with Bay Area representatives from diverse backgrounds, including Rev. Gerald Caprio from The Interfaith Center at the Presidio. A rare look at an "Indian Residential School" church before demolition, carries a special message by Passamaquoddy survivors Annette Sockabasin & Dwayne Tomah, in Sipayik at the Northernmost Coast of Maine. Rabbi Bill Seimers, Islamic Center Leader Omar Conteh, and Palestinian singer Ahlam Khamis illuminate perspectives that open doors of communication, along with stories of faith, rejection and acceptance in an increasingly theocratic nation.

From 2011 to 2013, tubas were stolen from Los Angeles high schools. This is not a story about thieves or missing tubas. Instead, it asks what it means to listen.

Set in contemporary San Francisco, on the night of their wedding anniversary, a bohemian theatre actress and a beatnik inspired writer confront the truth of their relationship, dreams, and the city they once loved. THIS IS YOUR SONG debuted in Los Angeles to rave reviews - premiering to a 100% fresh audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Winner of Best Actor (Briana Walsh), Best Screenplay (Hassan Said & Lourdes Figueroa), and Best Film Score (Brad Fischer) at the DTLA Film Festival.

Those Who Wait is a poetic retelling of the Millerite doomsday movement that swept across America in the 1840s. The film follows the town of Portland, Maine as its residents navigate waves of apocalyptic prophecy and disappointment. Mixing the genres of historical re-enactment and fantastic parable, this queer gaze into the colonial past explores the powers and perils of "believing it's over."

Toney W. Merritt in person! Presented by Canyon Cinema Screening line-up: A Fire’s Poem (2022), A Kiss of Death (1974), By the Sea (1982), Conquest Piece (1982), Lonesome Cowboy (1979), Not a Music Video (1987), Asiam (1982), Masked Incident (1979), The Shadow Line (1985), Welcome to the House of Raven (1997), EF (1979)

Raul Peralta, a middle-aged criminal in 1970's Chile, is obsessed the idea of impersonating Tony Manero, John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever. Every Saturday night, he unleashes his passion for the film's music by imitating his idol and leading a small group of dancers as they perform at a bar in the outskirts of the city. His dream of being recognized as a successful showbiz star is about to become a reality when a Tony Manero impersonating contest is announced on national television. However, his obsession to reproduce his idol's likeness and perfect his act drives him to commit a series of violent crimes and thefts, leading to shocking violence and murder.

Emerging from research on the many roles women have played in the history of Canyon Cinema, this program provides a glimpse into the array of films by women in the organization's beginnings in the 1960s through the end of the 1990s. These filmmakers explore an array of aesthetic and conceptual approaches to topics from women at work behind the scenes as well as domestic life, sexism in art, puritanical attitudes about sexuality and life, complexities of love, issues of control, photographic reproduction, optical printing and feminist critique of pornography.

Each member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.

Made over 6 years, acclaimed director Jeanie Finlay charts the rise of writer and activist Aubrey Gordon from anonymous blogger to NYTimes best selling author and beloved podcaster. Her aim? A paradigm shift in the way we see fat people and the fat on our own bodies. Her life changing work has brought her an ardent, international audience but also threats to her life. One of her biggest challenges is getting her parents to listen. Your Fat Friend, a film about fatness, family, the complexities of change and the deep, messy feeling we hold about our bodies.