“When I’m standing in this mirror, after all these years, what I’m viewing is a little different.” These shorts immerse themselves—and the adventurous viewer—in entertaining flights of fancy. In Kara Herold’s The Callback (US 2024, 13 min), an ambitious actress finds her way, and herself, on the road to building a character. Cassie Shao’s beautifully surreal landscape is the entrancing hook to the animated This Is a Story without a Plan (US 2023, 8 min). A deep dive into microbiology is the core of Jesseca Ynez Simmons’ remarkable experimental film Heaven in a Wild Flower (US 2024, 6 min). In Alexander Seltzer’s film, a grieving couple find a bizarre portal when they deal with loss in The Door (Canada 2024, 14 min). The arrival of aliens dovetails nicely with a dissatisfied wife’s wishes in Timothy Michael Cooper’s Knead (US 2024, 11 min). And finding your true identity sometimes means revisiting ghosts from the past in Skye Schoenhoeft’s touching The Curtains Glow at Night (US 2024, 13 min).
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 2:30pm - 3:35pm PDT
Rafael 3
With an extraordinary acting ensemble and an astute sense of cinema, Malcolm Washington’s memorable directing debut continues his father Denzel Washington’s (Fences) project of adapting playwright August Wilson’s work to the screen. Set in 1936 during the depths of the Great Depression, Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning story of siblings battling over legacy is riveting. Boy Willie (the director’s brother John David Washington, BlacKkKlansman), a sharecropper, wants to sell an heirloom piano in order to buy land that his family once worked as slaves. But his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler, Till, MVFF45) insists on keeping the instrument, which is embellished with images carved by their enslaved great-grandfather of his wife and son. The inimitable Samuel L. Jackson costars as their Uncle Doaker, who attempts to mediate the dispute but is disturbed by ghosts of the past in this beautifully rendered, searing drama exploring identity, birthright, and generational trauma.
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 2:45pm - 4:50pm PDT
Sequoia 2
A carefree teen must care for his sister and win a cheese-making competition to secure their future in this heartwarming, funny, and uplifting coming-of-age tale that captures the essence of family and friendship.
In Louise Courvoisier's feature film debut, a teenager’s carefree days of drinking beers and partying in the idyllic French countryside are interrupted when he must care for his 7-year-old sister and find a way to support the two of them. His solution? To craft the best Comté cheese and win 30,000 euros, along with a prestigious gold medal, at an agricultural competition. Holy Cow is a sweet and uplifting coming-of-age story, capturing the essence of friendship, first love, and the struggles of growing up without parents. Courvoisier's masterful simplicity and authenticity bring a refreshing comedic touch to themes often steeped in drama. The film delves into youth culture, employment challenges, and the cherished traditions of cheese-making, all while highlighting the importance of family, friendship, and love. With its engaging narrative and relatable characters, this winner of the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes is a perfect film to enchant all audiences.
Thursday October 10, 2024 3:00pm - 4:30pm PDT
Rafael 1
This urgent documentary reveals the devastation inflicted on pregnant Texans, effectively barred from emergency obstetric care, due to the state’s draconian post-Roe abortion ban. Women push back, giving their suffering purpose by engaging in an epic legal battle with the state. With a maternal instinct to protect others, the three phenomenal women profiled in this indelible film share harrowing stories of loss and survival. The plaintiffs unite as they heal and move forward in their unique mothering journeys, while their attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights challenges the Texas Supreme Court to clarify medical exemptions that allow patients and their doctors to make informed choices based on medicine, not fear of retaliation. A blend of vérité scenes and courtroom footage underline the high stakes involved, especially for poor women. The movement for reproductive justice for all is gaining momentum, and these lawsuits are just the beginning.
Thursday October 10, 2024 4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Rafael 2
Two longtime friends, unpredictable and laidback Rickey and organized and anxious Glenn, embark on a road trip to scatter the ashes of Rickey’s father. Longtime best friends Glenn (Michael Cera, Molly’s Game, MVFF40) and Rickey (co-writer-director Michael Angarano) could not be more different. Glenn is organized and anxious; Rickey is unpredictable and laid-back. Glenn lives a quiet life with his wife preparing for the birth of his first child, while Rickey just got kicked out of a convalescent home and has nowhere to go. Despite their divergent paths, the pair have maintained a tight bond over the years. So, when Rickey suddenly appears in Glenn’s backyard, it’s not surprising that this unannounced visit leads to the two taking a spontaneous road trip to Sacramento to spread the ashes of Rickey’s father. Throughout the journey, the two explore the bounds of their friendship and finally learn to process their emotions. Kristen Stewart (Seberg, MVFF42) and Maya Erskine costar in this heartwarming and emotional comedy.
Michael Angarano is an Emmy-nominated actor who most recently appeared in the films Oppenheimer (2023) and Horizon (2024) and the Peacock series Laid (2024). He made his writing and directing debut in 2017 with Avenues (2017). He received a 2019 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for an episode of This Is Us.
Thursday October 10, 2024 5:00pm - 6:24pm PDT
Sequoia 1
Wild Diamond explores the relentless pursuit of fame through the eyes of Liane, a fiery 19-year-old. Living with a dysfunctional mother and caring for her younger sister in the sun-drenched town of Fréjus, Liane is determined to escape grim reality. Her weapon of choice? Beauty. With a fierce resolve and harboring the belief that desirability equals power, she shapes herself to become irresistible. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she auditions for Miracle Island, a reality show she sees as her ticket to validation and love. Shot in an immersive 4:3 aspect ratio, the film draws you into Liane’s world, capturing the intensity of her gaze and the desperation behind her Instagram-perfect facade. Agathe Riedinger’s empathetic direction in her feature debut reveals the raw, often painful, reality of a young woman caught between the harshness of life and the seductive allure of superficial success. Wild Diamond is a gripping exploration of identity, self-worth, and the cost of being seen.
Thursday October 10, 2024 5:45pm - 7:28pm PDT
Rafael 3
This exuberant, unconventional musical biopic of singer Robbie Williams blends extravagant song-and-dance sequences with a frank portrayal of the demons that accompanied his rise to worldwide acclaim.
Two decades before Harry Styles, there was Robbie Williams drawing the map Styles followed from boy-band fame to solo superstardom. This exuberant musical biopic charts Williams’ journey as a child raised to worship at the altar of Frank Sinatra who finds his own voice first as a teenager with Take That and later as a solo artist. No hagiography, the drama frankly portrays the addictions and demons that accompany Williams’ rise to acclaim as well as the impostor syndrome that vividly manifests as he performs. The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey’s sophomore feature contrasts Williams’ personal struggles with the absolute joy of his music, adding to the mix of recording sessions, club dates, and arena shows, extravagant and irresistible song-and-dance sequences. But the film’s biggest strengths are in its unconventional approach to an artist’s life and Jonno Davies’ soulful, cheeky, and self-lacerating performance that proves he is, indeed, a “better man,” as is Williams himself.
Expected in person guest.
Thursday October 10, 2024 6:00pm - 8:11pm PDT
Sequoia 2
This fond, furry portrait dubs cats “the quiet royalty of the living room.” But they’ve got a gripe: The ongoing practice of surgical declawing, a contentious issue this documentary examines.
Rhetoric around “childless cat ladies” be danged, Americans love their kitties—there are by some estimates nearly 100 million of them here. Yet, while most people would certainly consider themselves pro-animal welfare, there remains one practice routine amongst US pet owners that’s considered “barbaric” almost everywhere else. That would be declawing, the surgery that’s promoted as healthy for cats (not to mention your furniture) but is really an “amputation” that can leave them crippled, in pain, and more likely to bite. It’s also a lucrative procedure for the veterinary industry, which has lobbied against laws banning it. Todd Bieber’s documentary follows comedienne Amy Hoggart from reality TV spoof Almost Royal and Full Frontal With Samantha Bee on the investigative trail. She probes both sides of a divisive issue, while also glimpsing myriad other points of interest—from domestication history to today’s celebrity cats—within the feline universe.
Expected in person guest.
Thursday October 10, 2024 6:30pm - 8:01pm PDT
Rafael 1
Middle-aged widow Rosa lives a quiet life dominated by the ghosts of her long ago marriage. As she makes a new life for herself, jarring revelations force her to face facts about her past and who she is today.
Amidst a suburban existence, a woman struggles with the ghosts of her troubled marriage in this quiet but emotional and full-bodied indie. Rosa is a middle-aged widow living on her own with her beloved dog Coquita but still in thrall to her former life. The story starts quietly, in an unassuming way that mirrors Rosa herself—except there is turbulence deep below the surface. Her incarcerated son Sergio refuses her visits, while her daughter-in-law Alejandra won’t see her or allow her near her grandson Sebas. Rosa’s life receives an unexpected spark when a friend introduces her to the world of tango, igniting a passion she shares with recent acquaintance Juan. Along the way, there are fissures that hint at truths Rosa has buried deep. And as so often with life, things flip. Rosa receives jarring revelations about the people around her but, ultimately, the biggest surprise is what she learns about herself.
En medio de una vida suburbana, una mujer enfrenta los fantasmas de un matrimonio problemático en esta sutil pero profunda película independiente cargada de significado emocional. Rosa es una viuda de mediana edad que vive sola con su amada perra Coquita, pero todavía es esclava de su vida anterior. La historia comienza de una manera modesta, como la propia Rosa, pero hay turbulencias muy por debajo de la superficie. Sergio, su hijo encarcelado, rechaza sus visitas, y su nuera, Alejandra, no la ve ni le permite acercarse a su nieto Sebas. La vida de Rosa cambia inesperadamente cuando una amiga la introduce al mundo del tango, encendiendo una pasión que comparte con un recién conocido, Juan. Con el tiempo, se hace evidente que hay verdades que Rosa ha enterrado profundamente. Y, como tantas veces ocurre en la vida, todo cambia. Rosa hace un descubrimiento estremecedor sobre las personas que la rodean, pero, en última instancia, la mayor sorpresa es lo que aprende sobre sí misma.
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 7:00pm - 8:46pm PDT
BAMPFA
Bay Area directors create warmly emotional odes to family members’ World War II travails. Allie Light’s The Ship That Turned Back chronicles late spouse Irving Saraf’s childhood escape from occupied Poland; Jeanne C. Finley’s Red Boat Crossing recalls her mother’s dramatic Red Cross service. Two treasured longtime Bay Area filmmakers’ new mid-length films memorialize family members’ tumultuous experiences during World War II. Jeanne C. Red Boat Crossing utilizes archival footage, miniatures, narration, onscreen text, and experimental techniques to recreate her mother Cecily Barker’s service as a psychiatric social worker for the battle-wounded on a Red Cross vessel. It’s an admiring tribute to quiet heroism that’s equal parts documentary and poetical reverie. Oscar®- and Emmy-winner Allie Light’s The Ship That Turned Back also draws on a mix of elements in letting late husband-collaborator Irving Saraf recall his Jewish family’s harrowing flight from Nazi-occupied Poland. It took them from Vienna to Trieste to Malta, then finally Palestine, dodging bombs and the custody of opposing armies en route. These “nerve-wracking adventures” (as his father put it) somehow left the then-7-year-old Saraf’s humor intact, as his playful recollections attest.
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 7:30pm - 8:43pm PDT
Rafael 2
The mysterious arrival of a piano at a Catholic shelter near Venice in the early 1800s sets progressive and orthodox musical outlooks ablaze in this rousing musical drama.
The mysterious arrival of a piano at a Catholic shelter near Venice in the early 1800s sets progressive and orthodox musical outlooks ablaze in this rousing musical drama. When the imperious chapel master Perlina announces that the institute’s choir will have the honor of playing for Pope Pius VII, his conservative opinions about composition and singing butt up against those of women who have bolder ideas. Preeminent among these is Teresa—nicknamed The Mute because of her seeming inability to speak—who evinces a prodigious and forward-thinking talent at the piano. When Perlina discovers Teresa’s gift, tensions rise and sides are chosen. Director Vicario is a well-known singer-songwriter and brings a playful harmony to a story that looks frankly at patriarchal and religious stifling of female talent. And once the climactic performance hits its first notes, it’s nearly impossible not to hum along.
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 8:00pm - 9:46pm PDT
Sequoia 1
“Words can’t express what I feel inside of my flesh.” Whether they’re new partners or soulmates, these stories of love and attraction run the gamut of experiences both fresh and familiar. Steve Sanders’ Crab Claw (US 2024, 9 min) features an incredibly awkward marriage counseling session. In Lucy Teitler’s Keep It Open (US 2023, 10 min), the prospect of a ménage à trios does not quite go as expected. An old flame and trans friend discover that the road to identity can be beautifully fluid in Nadia Johnson and Ben Snyder’s Something Borrowed, Something Pink (US 2024, 10 min). A young man and his cat find their household in upheaval when a new girlfriend appears in Britney Fan’s animated There Can Only Be One... (US 2024, 3 min). Being the object of attention yields some surprising responses for a young girl in Scott Burkhardt’s Exuvia (US 2024, 12 min). A queer teen finds herself at a crossroads when her choices are challenged by religious dogma in Naomi Iwamoto’s Sixteen (US 2024, 14 min). And a moment and a lifetime are encapsulated in a single, hypnotic point of view in Paula Levine’s amazing Five Minutes to Five Years (US 2024, 11 min). Don’t miss this collection that has a lot of laughs and a surplus of heart.
Expected In Person Guest
Thursday October 10, 2024 8:30pm - 9:39pm PDT
Rafael 3
IN PERSON: Director Michael Gracey and lead actor Jonno Davies
Better Man:
Two decades before Harry Styles, there was Robbie Williams drawing the map Styles followed from boy-band fame to solo superstardom. This exuberant musical biopic charts Williams’ journey as a child raised to worship at the altar of Frank Sinatra who finds his own voice first as a teenager with Take That and later as a solo artist. No hagiography, the drama frankly portrays the addictions and demons that accompany Williams’ rise to acclaim as well as the impostor syndrome that vividly manifests as he performs. The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey’s sophomore feature contrasts Williams’ personal struggles with the absolute joy of his music, adding to the mix of recording sessions, club dates, arena shows, and extravagant and irresistible song-and-dance sequences. But the film’s biggest strengths are in its unconventional approach to an artist’s life, and Jonno Davies’ soulful, cheeky, and self-lacerating performance that proves he is, indeed, a “better man,” as is Williams himself.
