Summer. Suburbia. Everyone is out having fun…except our 14-year-old hero, who in his pretentious precocity aims to write and stage the Great American Stage Drama. Even he gets distracted, however, once mom hires a hunky young handyman.
“Basically, it’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf meets American Beauty,” says the titular figure of his magnum opus Regrets of Autumn, a searing expose of the tarnished American Dream involving alcoholism, infidelity, and abortion. Rehearsals are just starting, but one senses the playwright probably already has that Pulitzer acceptance speech prepared. Trouble is…Griffin (Everett Blunck) remains as yet a pubescent suburban middle school student whose few friends and long-suffering mother (Melanie Lynskey) are already tired of his humorless devotion to the dramatic arts. While they reluctantly bend to his will, he faces distraction from "the work" this summer when mom hires young handyman Brad (Owen Teague, Eileen), who’s like a latter-day James Dean with better abdominal definition. Surprisingly, it turns out this monosyllabic hunk has theatrical ambitions, too. Nicholas Colia’s alternately hilarious and discomfiting debut combines an eccentrically singular coming-of-age (and coming out) story with elements of poignant insight.
Expected In Person Guest
Friday October 4, 2024 6:00pm - 7:30pm PDT
Rafael 3
Painter and sculptor Titus Kaphar brings his sense of wonder to the big screen with this affirming debut. The writer-director delivers a wrenching and deeply felt excavation of family, particularly the bonds that exist between fathers and sons.
André Holland delivers a tour de force performance as Tarrell Rodin, a successful painter, husband, and father haunted by nightmares of childhood abuse suffered at the hands of his hard-tasking father La’Ron (John Earl Jelks in a breakthrough performance). While preparing for a new gallery installation, Tarrell encounters a rude awakening when his father suddenly reappears in his life, a development that sends him spiraling. But with the insistence of his long-suffering mother Joyce (Oscar® nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and support of his wife Aisha (Andra Day), Tarrell confronts buried memories in his path to healing. In observing Tarrell’s complicated journey to self, the film teases out the usefulness of art as a medium for breaking the cycle of generational trauma. Radiating pain and love, tenderness and bitterness, sometimes all in the same scene, Exhibiting Forgiveness confronts the limits of unconditional love while withholding judgment of its characters.
Expected In Person Guest
Saturday October 5, 2024 12:00pm - 1:57pm PDT
Rafael 3
“I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up.” In this shorts program, we present a collection of true-life tales about extraordinary individuals and cultural changemakers from around the world. There hasn’t been a lesbian bar in San Francisco for almost a decade but Bay Area filmmakers Meg Shutzer and Brandon Yadegari Moreno’s Mother (US 2023, 23 min) introduces us to Malia Spanyol, a self-identified dyke who sets out to build one for the next generation of women and femmes. In the thought-provoking Alok (US 2024, 19 min), director Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker who challenges societal norms and explores the limitless expression of self. Sarah Klein and Tom Mason’s Out of the Dark: Cal Calamia (US 2024, 8 min) provides an intimate look at the journey of professional athlete Cal Calamia, a transgender marathon runner who’s advocating for inclusion in the running world. Part memoir-style reflection and part prayer, Kirhi Nath’s Paramita (2024, 24 min) reveals Prajna Paramita Choudhury’s 25-year coming out process with her traditional Bangladeshi mother employing Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.
Expected In Person Guest
Saturday October 5, 2024 3:00pm - 4:13pm PDT
Rafael 3
This beautifully understated Western is the story of a son raised by two fathers, one from the European East and one from the American West. On the cusp of the 20th century, somewhere on the American frontier, Igor, an immigrant and recent widower, struggles to raise his two-year-old son Ivo on his own. When his American friend and mentor Duncan decides to move his horse-breeding business and young family to California, Igor and Ivo join the wagon train headed West. Co-directors Biliana and Marina Grozdanova command the mise-en-scene with effortless elegance, and their mostly non-professional actors offer astonishing performances rich with verisimilitude and depth. The cast includes Igor Galijasevic, a Bosnian refugee, and his real-life young son Leo, as well as professional horse wrangler Duncan Vezain and his family, also playing versions of themselves transported in time. A tender and resonant tale of friendship, faith, and resolve.
Expected In Person Guest
Saturday October 5, 2024 7:30pm - 9:18pm PDT
Rafael 3
Jesselyn, 16, has a mischievous smile and the world’s best dad. Like him, she’s hooked on boxing. Director Emily Sheskin follows Jess on her road to the Junior Olympics, and her battle with the one opponent she’s unprepared to fight.
Jesselyn Silva (self-named “JessZilla”) is a 16 year old with a mischievous megawatt smile and undeniably one of the world’s best dads, Pedro. Academically gifted and athletically oriented, she became hooked on boxing as a tot after making herself a fixture in her dad’s gym—not as a spectator, but as a passionate participant in the sport. From Jess’s first fights in the ring at age seven, director Emily Sheskin has followed the pint-sized pugilist on her journey toward winning the gold belt as a three-time national champion, with further triumphs on her way, ready to compete in the Junior Olympics. But Jesselyn’s challenges don’t stop there: As she enters her teenage years, the first opponent she’s totally unprepared for enters her life and her greatest fight begins. JessZilla is an inspiring story of endurance, faith, and the love between a father and an extraordinary daughter: A knockout!
Age 10+
Jesselyn Silva (autodenominada “JessZilla”) tiene 16 años y una sonrisa electrizante, y sin lugar a dudas uno de los mejores papás del mundo, Pedro. Dotada académica y atléticamente, se enganchó al boxeo cuando era niña, después de convertirse en una habitual del gimnasio de su padre, no como espectadora, sino como apasionada participante del deporte. Desde las primeras peleas de Jess en el ring a los siete años, la cineasta Emily Sheskin ha seguido a la diminuta pugilista en su trayectoria hasta ganar el cinturón de oro como tres veces campeona nacional. Con más triunfos por venir, está lista para competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud. Pero los desafíos de Jesselyn no terminan ahí: al empezar su adolescencia, el primer oponente para el que no está para nada preparada entra en su vida y su mayor pelea comienza. JessZilla es una historia inspiradora de resistencia, fe y amor entre un padre y una hija extraordinaria: ¡Sensacional!
Sunday October 6, 2024 1:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
Rafael 3
Disruptive food allergies and terrible rashes debilitate a young woman. When she finds a secluded, nature-bound commune that believes sunlight’s energy can replace food, she believes she’s found her true home ... if she can survive it.
In Latin, “inedia” is the word for fasting. In our contemporary world, it is the name given to a pseudoscience that asserts that people can survive on energy absorbed from sunlight alone with no need for other nourishment. In writer-director Liz Cairns’ fascinating feature debut, the word is also the name of a commune living the theory that adopts a new member, Cora (Amy Forsyth). When her debilitating allergies—which may be psychological—escalate to the point where she’s unable to hold down most food and rashes pepper her body, she’s ripe for Inedia leader Joanna’s (Susanne Wuest) teachings and drawn to the community’s stable family vibe. But Cora begins to sense darkness at the center of Joanna’s “light feeds us” philosophy in a film that begins with a sense of foreboding and continually ratchets up the tension. In secluded, nature-bound Inedia, Cora believes she’s found her true home … if she can survive it.
Expected In Person Guest
Sunday October 6, 2024 4:00pm - 5:48pm PDT
Rafael 3
Filmmaker Bobby Roth embarks on a thought-provoking journey seeking candid answers to questions on masculinity, femininity, and whether we have the power to change.
“Man does not ask questions that he cannot answer.” With that bracing quote from Karl Marx, writer-director Bobby Roth (Berkeley, MVFF28) opens this thoughtful and personal documentary about what constitutes a good man. The filmmaker finds a multitude of responses along with sometimes poignant reflections to queries about masculinity, femininity, and whether we have the power to change. Roth’s deep dive into a multifaceted topic draws touching testimony from actors, among them the Bay Area’s Peter Coyote (whom Roth directed in 1984’s Heartbreakers), Ming-Na Wen, Henry Winkler, and Eric Dane; filmmakers that include MVFF favorite Rob Nilsson, Taylor Hackford, and Michael Mann; rabbis, psychotherapists, and even a lawyer. Nearly 40 people provide rich, sometimes painful, and candid answers that suggest that in order to become a good man, one must become a compassionate and reflective person first.
Expected In Person Guest
Sunday October 6, 2024 7:30pm - 9:00pm PDT
Rafael 3
“Tell me how should I feel when I know what I know.” This international collection is a vivid exploration of families who are confronted with some very harsh truths. In Marek Čermák's Everything Will Be OK Again (Czech Republic 2023, 20 min), a mother must come to terms with her son’s character when he unexpectedly makes the local news. In Juan Paulo Laserna’s Not My Name (Colombia 2024, 19 min), a family goes on a treacherous road trip when their country is beset by political violence. In Drew McCoy and Anthony Gilmore’s There Will Be Hurt (US 2024, 18 min), the release from prison of a man responsible for a young woman’s death sets her family reeling with its own set of questions and struggles. And in Talia Light Rake’s The Captives (US 2024, 14 min), a mother and daughter learn some surprising insights when they have a candid face-to-face. These stories remind us that a family’s complex dynamics can strike some very familiar chords.
Expected In Person Guest
Monday October 7, 2024 3:00pm - 4:11pm PDT
Rafael 3
In Sarah Friedland’s poetic debut feature, Kathleen Chalfant stars an octogenarian struggling to hold on to her memories and identity in a refreshing depiction of aging that celebrates the persistence of self.
This poetic debut feature by Sarah Friedland is an intimate exploration of the beauty and pain of transformation later in life. Kathleen Chalfant plays Ruth, an octogenarian struggling to hold on to her memories and identity as she transitions into an assisted living facility. As Ruth experiences cognitive decline, she balances her conflicting desires that are at once transient and immediate. Chalfant’s arresting performance reveals Ruth’s multitudes as she reaches for her past and present life. Friedland’s graceful writing and naturalistic direction paints an honest portrait of dementia that centers the person experiencing it and honors their spirit and humanity. Familiar Touch is a refreshing depiction of aging that celebrates the persistence of self and reminds us that we are always coming of age.
Expected In Person Guest
Monday October 7, 2024 6:00pm - 7:25pm PDT
Rafael 3
“Can you hold my hands and be my guide? Clouds filled with stars cover your skies.” This documentary shorts program reflects on the value of intergenerational community, love, and activism. In Yoontaek Hong’s Sunchong (US 2024, 14 min), an 89-year-old Korean immigrant who volunteers at a senior center reflects on his life’s journey with his beloved wife. An Indigenous women’s motorcycle group rides to end the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women while a member of their community searches for a missing sister in Prairie Rose Seminole and Katrina Lillian Sorrentino’s We Ride for Her (US 2023, 18 min). Derek Knowles’ The Bird Rescue Center (US 2023, 13 min) captures the people at a Northern California bird rescue who give wildlife a second chance. In Loren Waters’ ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) (US 2023, 9 min), a Cherokee Nation citizen, a Waterkeeper Warrior, leads the effort to restore Oklahoma’s Tar Creek. From Iowa to Guam, an aspiring costume designer visits their homeland to make costumes for a children’s theater and reconnect with distanced parents in Hao Zhou’s Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way (US 2024, 20 min).
Expected In Person Guest
Monday October 7, 2024 9:00pm - 10:14pm PDT
Rafael 3
“Can you hold my hands and be my guide? Clouds filled with stars cover your skies.” This documentary shorts program reflects on the value of intergenerational community, love, and activism. In Yoontaek Hong’s Sunchong (US 2024, 14 min), an 89-year-old Korean immigrant who volunteers at a senior center reflects on his life’s journey with his beloved wife. An Indigenous women’s motorcycle group rides to end the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women while a member of their community searches for a missing sister in Prairie Rose Seminole and Katrina Lillian Sorrentino’s We Ride for Her (US 2023, 18 min). Derek Knowles’ The Bird Rescue Center (US 2023, 13 min) captures the people at a Northern California bird rescue who give wildlife a second chance. In Loren Waters’ ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) (US 2023, 9 min), a Cherokee Nation citizen, a Waterkeeper Warrior, leads the effort to restore Oklahoma’s Tar Creek. From Iowa to Guam, an aspiring costume designer visits their homeland to make costumes for a children’s theater and reconnect with distanced parents in Hao Zhou’s Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way (US 2024, 20 min).
Expected In Person Guest
Tuesday October 8, 2024 2:00pm - 3:14pm PDT
Rafael 3
“I come from a family of great athletes” says young Lionel Conacher IV. His great grandfather—LC the first, also known as “The Big Train”—was such a phenomenon that he won 11 championships and was inducted into five different sports’ Halls of Fame. But the competitive “ideal man” he represented for many, and which Lionels II and III also personified, is not exactly a mold that fits this latest Conacher. After a rocky adolescence marked by “fear of being a sissy” and prescription-drug addiction, Lionel IV has embraced an identity that is queer and nonbinary, with a penchant for performance well off the playing field. This documentary draws on bounteous archival footage to chronicle a great Canadian family legacy in athletics, including interviews with Wayne Gretzky and other hockey legends. But it also makes room on the trophy shelf for a new generation’s different priorities and goals, with Lionel IV’s dad fully supportive of Junior’s “gender journey.”
Expected In Person Guest
Tuesday October 8, 2024 5:15pm - 6:38pm PDT
Rafael 3
“You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” In this program Indigenous filmmakers embody this belief expressed by Vice President Kamala Harris in their explorations of how, where, and who we came from informs the person we are today. Phumi Morare’s Why The Cattle Wait (South Africa 2024, 21 min) is the intimate tale of a goddess who tries to win back the affection of her former lover who has moved on in life without her. Three generations of women in a Sámi family have connected over time through practicing joik—a Sámi oral tradition that combines music and storytelling in Radio-Jus Sunná, Sunná Nousuniemi, Guhtur Niillas Rita Duomis, and Tuomas Kumpulaine’s Áhkuin (Finland 2024, 19 min). Filmmaker Lansana Mansaray documents his returns home in From God to Man (Ma ŋaye ka Masaala a se ka Wɔmɛti) (Sierra Leone 2024, 15 min). In Laha Mebow’s coming-of-age film TAYAL FOREST CLUB (Taiwan 2024, 19 min), it’s through the help of their ancestors that two Atayal teens manage to find not only their way home but also themselves. Rana Nazzal Hamadeh’s We Would Be Freer (Canada/Palestine 2023, 9 min) reflects on the connection between colonization and nature through the use of sumac by a Palestinian refugee and a woman from the Mohawk community of Kahnawá:ke.
Tuesday October 8, 2024 8:30pm - 9:53pm PDT
Rafael 3
“I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up.” In this shorts program, we present a collection of true-life tales about extraordinary individuals and cultural changemakers from around the world. There hasn’t been a lesbian bar in San Francisco for almost a decade but Bay Area filmmakers Meg Shutzer and Brandon Yadegari Moreno’s Mother (US 2023, 23 min) introduces us to Malia Spanyol, a self-identified dyke who sets out to build one for the next generation of women and femmes. In the thought-provoking Alok (US 2024, 19 min), director Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker who challenges societal norms and explores the limitless expression of self. Sarah Klein and Tom Mason’s Out of the Dark: Cal Calamia (US 2024, 8 min) provides an intimate look at the journey of professional athlete Cal Calamia, a transgender marathon runner who’s advocating for inclusion in the running world. Part memoir-style reflection and part prayer, Kirhi Nath’s Paramita (2024, 24 min) reveals Prajna Paramita Choudhury’s 25-year coming out process with her traditional Bangladeshi mother employing Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.
Expected In Person Guest
Wednesday October 9, 2024 3:30pm - 4:43pm PDT
Rafael 3
Stunning shots of a forest and a haunting soundtrack set the stage for this contemporary riff on Little Red Riding Hood. First-time feature writer-director Kelsey Taylor explores what might have inspired the original fairy tale: the Woodsman (Ivan Martin) lives a simple life, clinging to routine in his cabin nestled deep in the fog-cloaked pines of the Oregon Cascades. Isolated in his nearly off-grid property, he is hidden from his past and the outside community—until a half-frozen Dani (Maddison Brown) appears on his doorstep. Taylor’s fascination with fairy tales and their deeper meaning shines through this thriller that reveals not only Dani and the Woodsman’s difficult pasts but also what wolves they are fleeing. But the wolves may not be who we expect them to be—and neither are the ones working so hard to keep them at bay.
Expected In Person Guest
Wednesday October 9, 2024 6:00pm - 7:31pm PDT
Rafael 3
“Tell me how should I feel when I know what I know.” This international collection is a vivid exploration of families who are confronted with some very harsh truths. In Marek Čermák's Everything Will Be OK Again (Czech Republic 2023, 20 min), a mother must come to terms with her son’s character when he unexpectedly makes the local news. In Juan Paulo Laserna’s Not My Name (Colombia 2024, 19 min), a family goes on a treacherous road trip when their country is beset by political violence. In Drew McCoy and Anthony Gilmore’s There Will Be Hurt (US 2024, 18 min), the release from prison of a man responsible for a young woman’s death sets her family reeling with its own set of questions and struggles. And in Talia Light Rake’s The Captives (US 2024, 14 min), a mother and daughter learn some surprising insights when they have a candid face-to-face. These stories remind us that a family’s complex dynamics can strike some very familiar chords.
Expected In Person Guest
Wednesday October 9, 2024 9:00pm - 10:11pm PDT
Rafael 3
“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
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
“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
“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
Friday October 11, 2024 3:00pm - 4:09pm PDT
Rafael 3
While searching on Facebook for her estranged father, a young woman finds a man (John Leguizamo) with the same name, a caring father figure, who also could use a friend.
An accidental connection blossoms into a loving father-daughter-like relationship in writer-director Tracie Laymon’s gentle and deeply personal feature debut. Upbeat Lily (Barbie Ferreira) strives to please everyone around her, including her narcissistic, deeply disinterested father Robert Trevino (French Stewart), a jerk who blames his daughter for everything wrong in his life and ghosts her. In desperate need of a real friend, Lily finds one when she discovers a different Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) while searching for her estranged dad on Facebook. This Bob is the opposite of her difficult parent: a decent, ethical, and warm married man who could use a new friend himself. Ferreira and Leguizamo are wonderful together; their vulnerable performances touch the heart in a winning film that reminds us that the spontaneous bonds we make can be sometimes far more enriching and loving than the family ties we’ve been assigned.
Expected In Person Guest
Friday October 11, 2024 6:00pm - 7:42pm PDT
Rafael 3
“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
Friday October 11, 2024 8:45pm - 9:50pm PDT
Rafael 3
Jesselyn, 16, has a mischievous smile and the world’s best dad. Like him, she’s hooked on boxing. Director Emily Sheskin follows Jess on her road to the Junior Olympics, and her battle with the one opponent she’s unprepared to fight.
Jesselyn Silva (self-named “JessZilla”) is a 16 year old with a mischievous megawatt smile and undeniably one of the world’s best dads, Pedro. Academically gifted and athletically oriented, she became hooked on boxing as a tot after making herself a fixture in her dad’s gym—not as a spectator, but as a passionate participant in the sport. From Jess’s first fights in the ring at age seven, director Emily Sheskin has followed the pint-sized pugilist on her journey toward winning the gold belt as a three-time national champion, with further triumphs on her way, ready to compete in the Junior Olympics. But Jesselyn’s challenges don’t stop there: As she enters her teenage years, the first opponent she’s totally unprepared for enters her life and her greatest fight begins. JessZilla is an inspiring story of endurance, faith, and the love between a father and an extraordinary daughter: A knockout!
Age 10+
Jesselyn Silva (autodenominada “JessZilla”) tiene 16 años y una sonrisa electrizante, y sin lugar a dudas uno de los mejores papás del mundo, Pedro. Dotada académica y atléticamente, se enganchó al boxeo cuando era niña, después de convertirse en una habitual del gimnasio de su padre, no como espectadora, sino como apasionada participante del deporte. Desde las primeras peleas de Jess en el ring a los siete años, la cineasta Emily Sheskin ha seguido a la diminuta pugilista en su trayectoria hasta ganar el cinturón de oro como tres veces campeona nacional. Con más triunfos por venir, está lista para competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud. Pero los desafíos de Jesselyn no terminan ahí: al empezar su adolescencia, el primer oponente para el que no está para nada preparada entra en su vida y su mayor pelea comienza. JessZilla es una historia inspiradora de resistencia, fe y amor entre un padre y una hija extraordinaria: ¡Sensacional!
Saturday October 12, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm PDT
Rafael 3
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.
Saturday October 12, 2024 5:30pm - 6:54pm PDT
Rafael 3
A woman discovers the corpse of her uncle, a man who caused her considerable pain, in this darkly funny portrait of Zambia’s matriarchal society that grippingly explores the younger generation’s desire to break free from the sins of the past.
Death and secrets permeate writer-director Rungano Nyoni’s dazzling second feature, the winner of Best Director in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival. Driving through the night after a party, Shula (Susan Chardy) happens across the corpse of her Uncle Fred. That she’s learned that he’s dead isn’t shocking—that she doesn’t care at all is. A portrait of Zambia’s matriarchal society and the lingering emotional scars left behind by sexual abuse, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl combines dark comedy and bruising drama—absurdism and stripped-down realism—to investigate lies that have smothered Shula’s family for years. The filmmaker of 2017’s equally stellar I Am Not a Witch continues to demonstrate an ability to craft modern parables that grapple with both history and a younger generation’s desire to break free from the sins of the past. Funerals have rarely been so cathartic.
Saturday October 12, 2024 8:00pm - 9:35pm PDT
Rafael 3
“I come from a family of great athletes” says young Lionel Conacher IV. His great grandfather—LC the first, also known as “The Big Train”—was such a phenomenon that he won 11 championships and was inducted into five different sports’ Halls of Fame. But the competitive “ideal man” he represented for many, and which Lionels II and III also personified, is not exactly a mold that fits this latest Conacher. After a rocky adolescence marked by “fear of being a sissy” and prescription-drug addiction, Lionel IV has embraced an identity that is queer and nonbinary, with a penchant for performance well off the playing field. This documentary draws on bounteous archival footage to chronicle a great Canadian family legacy in athletics, including interviews with Wayne Gretzky and other hockey legends. But it also makes room on the trophy shelf for a new generation’s different priorities and goals, with Lionel IV’s dad fully supportive of Junior’s “gender journey.”
Expected In Person Guest
Sunday October 13, 2024 1:00pm - 2:23pm PDT
Rafael 3
Inspired by Chris Marker’s classic La Jetée, this experimental drama-documentary gives The Last of Us vibes mixed with the familiar horror of watching democracy and humanity imperiled daily.
The year is 2073—a not-so-distant dystopian future—and the setting is New San Francisco, the scorched-earth tech-dominant police state where democracy and personal freedom have been well and truly obliterated. Academy Award®-winning director Asif Kapadia's (Amy, 2015; The Warrior, MVFF25) experimental drama-documentary is a mind-bending stunner that gives The Last of Us vibes mixed with the familiar horror of watching humanity collapse in real time on our phones. Inspired by Chris Marker’s classic 1962 French New Wave sci-fi short La Jetée, which was constructed entirely of black-and-white still photos, 2073 takes a wildly daring approach that uses actual international news footage, photography, and journalist interviews to create a terrifyingly plausible timeline of events from the early 1990s to our present and beyond. Samantha Morton (The Whale, MVFF45;The Walking Dead) anchors the narrative in voiceover and as the silent protagonist who embodies the film’s imperative message (perfectly timed for election season): Time is ticking; we must act while we can.
Sunday October 13, 2024 8:00pm - 9:25pm PDT
Rafael 3
