MVFF44 Program 2021 by CAFILM

THANK YOU, MEMBERS! For continuing to support this community of film lovers and make all we do possible. Members receive early access to discounted tickets, behind the scenes content with stars and filmmakers, and invitations to exclusive member events all year long. Visit cafilm.org/membership to learn more and become a member today.

A SAFE FESTIVAL

Your safety is our top priority. Please visit mvff.com/covid for all up to date Covid-19 policies and procedures.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

All MVFF staff, volunteers, and attendees must show proof of vaccination and / or proof of negative Covid test (within 72 hours of attending) at all California Film Institute controlled venues.

All patrons must present a vaccination card, a photo of your card, or a digital vaccine record (e.g., my vaccine record. cdph.ca.gov) with matching photo ID.

We strongly urge all festival-goers to exercise caution from now until the festival date. The success of the festival is determined by our collective actions and attention.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

To borrow a phrase from one of the Bay Area’s better known bands, what a long, strange trip it’s been. Who would have guessed when COVID-19 lockdowns started in March 2020 that we would still be dealing with it over a year later? Yet here we are.

The world has opened again and so have theaters. Even though we live in a place that is as well-vaccinated as anywhere in the world, and our community is aligned in its view that safety is of the utmost importance, we know there is still anxiety. Our goal for MVFF is to create a safe experience, and a vibrant festival that entertains, excites, and addresses our universal need to gather together and share stories about our common humanity.

We are overjoyed to welcome festival-goers back to the Rafael, the Sequoia, and our other venues. Rest assured, we will follow all CDC and local guidelines to ensure a safe, fun visit to the theater. And for those who can’t join us in person or want to supplement their theater-going experience, we are offering a highly curated virtual selection of films.

Streaming became so popular during the pandemic when everyone was stuck at home that some have questioned the viability of theaters. I would argue that, in our deeply polarized world, theaters are more important than ever before, for theaters are where we come together as a community.

Maybe especially in a polarized world, the act of going to movies and seeing the type of films that MVFF supports is more important than ever. Film has the power to make us see other viewpoints, to encourage our empathy. It may be the antidote to the polarization of our post-pandemic world.

One other fear we had going into our 44th annual festival was

that with the 2020 lockdowns, pickings might be slim this year, but we were happily surprised. Even in the midst of disaster, enthralling films of high quality got made, and some wonderful films that could not be released in 2020 are stepping back into the spotlight.

Awards® season is once more upon us, and MVFF is in the thick of it, starting on Opening Night with Cyrano, Joe Wright’s highly-anticipated adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic, with Peter Dinklage in the title role.

Our other special events are a stellar array. Wes Anderson’s droll, literary ensemble piece The French Dispatch will be the featured film for Closing Night. Bay Area native Mike Mills occupies the centerpiece slot with his drama C’mon C’mon, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a radio journalist on a road trip. We have tributes this year to outstanding auteurs Jane Campion, who brings her latest, The Power of the Dog, to the Festival; and Kenneth Branagh, who will appear alongside his new semi-autobiographical drama, Belfast. We’re also pleased to offer our audience several Spotlights this year, as we salute Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, MVFF 2016) and his latest towering achievement, Dune; Paolo Sorrentino (Youth, MVFF 2015), who revisits his native Naples with The Hand of God; and the ensemble of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directing debut The Lost Daughter, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Olivia Colman.

Passing, Rebecca Hall’s powerful filmmaking debut exploring Black identity, is a Special Screening and our final special event. But it is not the end of big movies at MVFF. Among the others are Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s (Free Solo, MVFF 2018) new documentary, The Rescue, about the race to save a soccer team trapped in a Thai cave; and Pablo Larraín’s

(Jackie, MVFF 2017) Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as an unhappily married Princess Diana enduring Christmas with her husband’s family.

We also have an abundance of international films, many available as part of our virtual program. Pedro Aldomovar’s Parallel Mothers, Céline Sciamma’s (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, MVFF 2019) Petite Maman, and the Bangladeshi family drama Rickshaw Girl are only a few of our foreign-language titles.

The Festival would not be complete without films with a strong local element, and this year we have an abundance. A legendary San Francisco music journalist famous for his profiles becomes the subject of one in the documentary Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres. Another doc, Chris J. Russo’s Lady Buds, focuses on the role of women in pioneering the Northern California cannabis industry, relating a little-known history of the Emerald Triangle.

On the narrative side of things, longtime MVFF favorite Rob Nilsson brings us his latest, Center Divide, the second film in his Nomad Trilogy, as a couple traverses the country in search of connection, while Lissette Feliciano’s Women Is Losers tells the story of a young woman in San Francisco’s Mission District determined to make an independent life for herself despite the sexism that surrounds her in the 1960s and ‘70s.

This is far from all. We continue to foster youthful fascination with the moving image with our Family Film programs, celebrate short films of many flavors with our shorts slates, recognize women filmmakers with our Mind the Gap programming and panel discussion, and honor Latinx filmmakers with our ¡Viva el cine! initiative. You’ll be able to peer into the future of filmmaking

with our Variety 10 Screenwriters to Watch panel, and take the pulse of where we are today with my State of Cinema panel.

We are ecstatic to add Mill Valley’s Sweetwater back into the mix as we celebrate music and film. Among the treats to look forward to this year are Abel Sanchez, Malo cofounder Jorge Santana, and others performing music from Song for Cesar, a documentary about the 1960s labor movement and the music that inspired it, and one-time Dylan associate Barry Goldberg, Jimmy Vivino, blues harmonica player Rob Stone, and more bringing the blues from the documentary Born in Chicago.

It is an exciting program that I am pleased to share with festival-goers. And I would be remiss if I did not thank our talented dedicated staff, board of directors, and filmmakers (without whom there would be no MVFF), as well as the thousands of members of our community who have sustained us through this pandemic: our audience, comprised of avid movie lovers, CFI members, sponsors, and major donors. I look forward to seeing all of you as we come together once again for the love of cinema.

MARK FISHKIN

MVFF Founder + Director

CFI Executive Director + Founder

SIGNATURE

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY

MAJOR

PREMIER MEDIA

SILVER CIRCLE

FESTIVAL CIRCLE

MAJOR FOUNDATION SUPPORT

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

HELLMAN FOUNDATION

RESONANCE PHILANTHROPIES

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

COUNTY OF MARIN

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

T. WOLF

DONOR CIRCLE

LEADERSHIP

Christopher B. Smith Family

Project No. 9

Jennifer Coslett MacCready

Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

Vickie Soulier

Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

Ken and Jackie Broad Family Fund

Gruber Family Foundation

Daniel Kenyon and Michelle Marchetta Kenyon

INVESTOR

Gordon Radley Resonance Philanthropies

Christine A. Schantz

Michael and Susan Schwartz Fund

PLATINUM

Anonymous

Kamala Geroux-Berry and David Berry

Genuine Article Pictures

Vivian Kaufman Fund

Mobley Family Fund

Maggie O’Donnell and Josh Floum

Jonathan and Deborah Parker

Kenneth Birdwell

Joy Chik

Alice Corning

Stephanie DiMarco

Michael Dyett and Heidi Richardson

Egide Family Foundation

Dennis P. Fisco and Pamela Polite Fisco

Lorrie and Mark Fishkin

Nick Forlenza

Griswold Family Fund, Bob and Alex Griswold

Tom and Barbara Harrison

Nancy Abodeely

Jane Bay

Dave and Ann Peckenpaugh Becker

Susan and William Beech

Inez Brooks-Myers

Marc and Robin Bussin

Kerry Campbell

Joe and Sue Carlomagno

Leslie Chatham

Tom Cohen and Kristi Denton Cohen

Gayle Donsky and Morton J. Stein

Catherine and Peter Flaxman

SILVER

Andree and John Jansheski

Willa Jefferson-Stokes

Pat Kendall

K.C. and Steve Lauck

Catherine McKown

Kenneth and Vera Meislin

Harrison Miller and Clare McCamy

Stephen and Mary Mizroch

James Mochizuki of Friends Productions

Linda Morgan

Cathy and Robert Nourafshan

The Jay Pritzker Foundation

BRONZE

Gerald L. and Sheree A. Friedman

Michelle Griffin and Tom Parker

Richard J. Idell and Susan Kornblatt Idell

Elisabeth and Howard Jaffe

Ray and Carla Kaliski

Amy Keroes and Jeff Fisher

Sandra Kurtzig

Caroline Labe

Letty Ledbetter

Janice Link

Ellen Loring

Cynthia Maram

Cindy and John McCauley

Rosemary and Kevin McNeely

Robert Schroedl

Eric Schwartz and Magda Wesslund

Jack and Judy Sherman

Jann Stanley and Soren Dalsager

Mona Steinberg

Biz and Livia Stone

Patricia Tanoury

Henry O. Timnick

Sue and Steve Weinswig

Kate Wilson

Monahan Parker, Inc.

Tucky Pogue

John Miller

Suki and Russell Munsell

Andra Munteanu

Constance Oclassen

Roberta O’Neale

Lorne and Ilona Parker

Steve Riffkin

Carolyn Cavalier Rosenberg, Dr. Sanford Rosenberg and Media Research Associates

Karen and Harry Rosenbluth

Susan and Joel Sklar

Lucinda Watson

Zach and Marlies Zeisler

BOX OFFICES

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St, San Rafael

11 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley

Oct 7 4:00 6:00pm

Oct 8 17 One hour before the first screening each day to 15 min after the last show starts.

CFI MEMBERSHIP TICKET SALES:

Premier Patron + above Sept 12 4:00 8:00pm

Director’s Circle + above Sept 13 4:00 — 8:00pm

All CFI members Sept 14 4:00 8:00pm (At mvff.com and Smith Rafael Film Center only)

General public Sept 16 Oct 6 4:00 8:00pm

Oct 7 17 One hour before the first screening each day to 15 min after the last show starts.

TICKET PRICES

General admission

CFI members

Seniors (65+)

Students

Shorts programs

Youth (12 & under)

MVFF ONLINE PASSES

$16.50

$14.00

$15.00

$8.00 student ID required

$10.50

$8.00

The MVFF Online Pass gives you access to online films, programs, conversations, and special events streaming October 7-17. Quantities are limited. Some films may only be streamed to passholders within California, and some films may only be streamed during specific, 48-hour windows of time during the Festival.

CA RESIDENT ONLINE PASS

$139 General | $119 CFI Members

NON-CA RESIDENT ONLINE PASS

$129 General | $109 CFI Members

INDIVIDUAL FILM STREAM

$8 General | $6 CFI Members

BADGE PICKUP

If you have arranged for a Festival badge, we encourage you to pick up that badge before the Festival starts. No badges will be mailed this year due to covid safety protocols.

Thu, Sep 30 – Wed, Oct 6 | 2:00 – 8:00 pm

Mark Fishkin Room | 1112 Fourth St, San Rafael

Please bring a valid photo ID and either proof of full vaccination or negative covid test.

If you cannot pick-up your badge pre-festival, you must pick it at the Smith Rafael Film Center box office during the Festival. You will need to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative covid test within 72 hours before being admitted into a venue. Badges will not be available for pick-up at any other Festival venues during the Festival.

WILL CALL

You must bring a valid photo ID that corresponds with the name on the credit card used to purchase tickets.

RUSH TICKETS

Rush tickets (day-of-show) tickets) often become available 15 minutes prior to showtime for shows that no longer have advance tickets for sale. The Rush line forms outside each venue one hour before showtime. Rush tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis approximately 15 minutes prior to showtime. No discounts.

REFUND POLICY

All ticket orders are final. No refunds, echanges, substitutions, or reprints. MVFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten, or damaged tickets, or tickets misdirected by the post office. We will refund your ticket(s) if you are unable to attend a screening due to your (or someone in your household) COVID-19 exposure, or due to community conditions that require a screening or event cancellation.

CONSENT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED/FILMED

California Film Institute and its representatives may photograph, film, and/or otherwise record attendees at all festival activities. By attending, you consent to such photography, filming and/or recording and to any use in any and all media throughout the universe in perpetuity and without compensation for the use of your appearance, voice, and name for promotional and/or advertising, or any other purpose by California Film Institute and its affiliates and representatives.

COVID-19 HEALTH + SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

We strongly urge all festival-goers to exercise caution from now until the festival date. The success of the festival is determined by our collective actions and attention. mvff.com/covid

ACCESSIBILITY

Please contact us here if you require any assistance with early seating and/or assisted-listening devices and check in with on-site staff once you arrive. If you require effective communication in the form of an ASL Interpreter, please contact us at least 10 days prior to the screening you will be attending. If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please reach out to info@cafilm.org.

VENUES

CINÉARTS SEQUOIA

25 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St, San Rafael BAMPFA

2155 Center St, Berkeley

SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL

19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley

GUIDELINES + RULES

ARRIVE EARLY To guarantee admittance, ticket and pass holders must be in the appropriate line 30 minutes prior to published showtime. Doors typically open 30 minutes before showtime.

Except programs at the BAMPFA & the Sweetwater Music Hall, entry to theaters occurs in the following order:

Seat saving is not allowed.

Outside food and beverages are not permitted. Cell phones and devices must be turned off prior to program start.

The use of cameras and other recording equipment is strictly prohibited during all screenings and programs.

ONLINE

Stream our online program on your computer, iPad, tablet, or mobile at watch.cafilm.org or via the CAFILM app on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Firestick.

FILMMAKER LOUNGE

MARK FISHKIN ROOM

1112 Fourth St, San Rafael, CA 94901 Oct 8 - 17 Mon - Thurs 4:00 8:00 pm Fri / Sat / Sun 1:00 8:00 pm

ACCESS: All badges with an L

BAG + PACKAGE POLICY

To enhance the safety and security of the festival, any bags or packages measuring larger than 12” x 12” x 6” will not be permitted into the theatre. Exception: Medical equipment bags and diaper bags.

RESERVED SEATS

Please DO NOT sit in a reserved seat unless it has been arranged for you. Please DO NOT stand near the reserved seats in hopes that they will be released. MVFF staff and volunteers will release reserved seats whenever possible, but it is not guaranteed, and the aisles need to remain clear while the theater is being seated.

CYRANO

UK/ITALY/CANADA/US 2021, 120 min Director Joe Wright

This new musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac shares the original’s 17th-century setting but offers a few tricks of its own. Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) is a gifted poet and skilled duelist who secretly loves the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett) but believes himself unlovable. After she confides in him her passion for the handsome cadet Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Cyrano ghostwrites love letters to Roxanne on behalf of the tongue-tied suitor. Filming during the pandemic, director Joe Wright says he was determined to make something “really beautiful.” With songs and score by members of The National, as well as colorful costumes and choreography, this sumptuous production fits that bill, but the show’s secret weapon is Dinklage, who perfectly embodies Cyrano’s pride, wit, and romantic yearning. Wright adds, “It feels like it’s the kind of movie that I need to be making, especially now.” –Richard Peterson

In Person: JOE WRIGHT

JANE CAMPION | MIND THE GAP AWARD

Throughout her career, Jane Campion has been a groundbreaker. Not just because in 1993 she was the first director who’s a woman to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for The Piano. And not just because, also for The Piano, she was the second female director to receive a Best Director Academy Award® nomination (we are now up to 7 nominations and two wins, after 93 years), winning for Best Original Screenplay that same year. She’s also a groundbreaker because she is truly an artist, whose career has been uncompromisingly on her own terms. From the estimable talent that revealed itself in her early shorts (Peel, Passionless Moments, A Girl’s Own Story), Campion has distinguished herself with singular commitment to her own distinct sensibility. Her work embraces people who may be a little oddball, outsider, eccentric (An Angel At My Table, Sweetie, The Piano), whose lives may reveal some kind of subversiveness (In the Cut) or spiritual quandary (Holy Smoke!). She upped the ante in her foray into episodic storytelling (Top of the Lake), and now returns with a new feature, The Power of the Dog, retaining a beautiful signature sense of cinema craft, and proving again she’s among most original and compelling filmmakers today. It’s no wonder she is held in such esteem; no wonder she continues to be a role model for so many. She’s one of the greats. Zoë Elton

THE POWER OF THE DOG

UK/Australia/US/Canada/New Zealand 2021, 125 min Director Jane Campion

Set on a ranch in mid-1920s Montana, Campion’s first Western is a rich story of longing, love and betrayal. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a powerful performance as well-heeled, consummate bully Phil, whose world is thrown out of kilter when brother George (Jesse Plemons) brings a wife (Kirsten Dunst) home to the family ranch. Zoë Elton

In Person: JANE CAMPION, TANYA SEGHATCHIAN

SIMON REX | MVFF AWARD

Mill Valley Film Festival is delighted to honor San Francisco native Simon Rex with the MVFF Award for his breakthrough, career-defining moment as an actor. His work can be seen at MVFF both in Red Rocket and in a supporting role in Fabio Frey’s My Dead Dad, confirming that Simon Rex continues to captivate audiences through dynamic and unconventional roles across the multimedia landscape. Rex’s performance in filmmaker Sean Baker’s Red Rocket is breathtaking. His high energy, audacious, tour de force rendition of a unique American hustler leaves an indelible impression, bringing the part a charisma that is nigh-on irresistible. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to a rapturous response, followed by the US Premiere at theTelluride Film Festival.

RED ROCKET

US 2021, 128 min Director Sean Baker

The Florida Project auteur Sean Baker returns with an engrossing tragicomedy about a washed-up former porn star who returns to his Texas hometown. Simon Rex gives a revelatory performance, and he’s matched by electric newcomer Suzanna Son as a flirtatious local teen. Red Rocket is a brilliantly unflinching portrait of a hustler you’ll never forget.. –Tim Grierson

In Person: SIMON REX

C’MON C’MON

US 2021, 108 min Director Mike Mills

One of the most tender and beautiful familial love stories we’ve seen in years, Mike Mills’s new drama is as aesthetically stunning as it is emotionally resonant. Joaquin Phoenix plays a radio journalist who interviews kids across the country about the future of the world, and supervises his 8-year-old nephew (Woody Norman, an astonishing discovery) while the boy’s mom (Gaby Hoffmann) helps his dad (Scoot McNairy) through a mental-health crisis. With its singular balance of scruffy humanity and sharp composition—DP Robbie Ryan’s gorgeous black-and-white imagery seems to embrace all that it beholds—C’Mon C’Mon has all of Mills’s hallmarks: intelligence, compassion, deep attunement to family dynamics, and outstanding style. Led by Phoenix at his most endearing and Hoffmann as radiantly intuitive as ever, the fine ensemble, also including Jaboukie Young-White and a lovely bunch of young non-actor interviewees, achieves a whole new standard of relatability. –Jonathan Kiefer

DENIS VILLENEUVE | MVFF AWARD

Director Denis Villeneuve shot to international acclaim with 2010’s Incendies, his star rising ever since. He received his first Oscar® nomination for Arrival (MVFF 2016). With Dune, his hotly anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel, Villeneuve seems destined for another. Join us as we screen it and pay tribute to its brilliant maker, one of the most exciting directors working today.

DUNE

US 2021, 155 min Director Denis Villeneuve

This dazzling adaptation is the realization of a longtime dream for Villeneuve. Set thousands of years in the future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young man propelled by fate into an intergalactic power struggle. Paul’s father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), assumes stewardship of Arrakis, a forbidding desert planet populated by the indigenous Fremen, made hazardous by colossal sandworms, and the sole source of a priceless element called Spice. With a competing family intent on undermining their efforts, the stage is set for war and Paul’s journey to fulfill an ancient prophecy. This monumental tale features an equally spectacular cast, including—among others—Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. With superb design in all its sights and sounds, Dune is, in Denis Villeneuve’s own words, “a love letter to the big screen.” –Richard Peterson

In Person: DENIS VILLENEUVE

SPONSORED BY DANIEL KENYON and MICHELLE MARCHETTA KENYON

Wednesday, October 13, 6:00pm, Rafael

$40 CFI Member / $45 General

Reception sponsored by

NINA YANG BONGIOVI

MIND THE GAP AWARD

Nina Yang Bongiovi‘s stellar reputation as a visionary producer is well-founded. With a consistent commitment to projects by innovative, visionary filmmakers and to works that give voice to those who have been underrepresented in mainstream media, her work also suggests a commitment to the true practice of inclusivity. It’s evident in all she does, both in films she and producing partner Forest Whitaker have championed through their company, Significant Productions, and in the multicultural film fund she launched in 2020, the AUM Group. Yang Bongiovi is known as a discoverer of talent and opener of doors, as she did for then-newcomer Ryan Coogler by producing his striking debut, Fruitvale Station, which led Coogler to the iconic Marvel film Black Panther. Her other films include Chloé Zhao’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me and Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. She is that producer who puts her estimable talents behind what she believes in, supporting works that help change the world. The Mind the Gap team is honored to celebrate her great work! —Zoë Elton

Our Special Screening program features the presentation of the Mind the Gap Award as Independent Producer of the Year to Nina Yang Bongiovi, a screening of Passing, and post-screening conversation with director Rebecca Hall and actor Ruth Negga, conducted by Faridah Gbadamosi.

PASSING

MIND THE GAP / US / US CINEMA

US 2021, 98 min Director Rebecca Hall

Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga deliver their most powerful performances to date in Rebecca Hall’s exquisitely nuanced drama centered on one form of Black resistance to the Jim Crow one-drop rule (“passing as white”), and the complexities of identity, privilege and sacrifice that follow. Fine supporting performances from André Holland and Alexander Skarsgård round out the all star cast.

In Person: REBECCA HALL, RUTH NEGGA, NINA YANG BONGIOVI

Reception sponsored by

Thursday, October 14, 6:30, Rafael

$20 CFI Member / $25 General Film + Reception $40 / $45

Photo: Monica Orozco

KENNETH BRANAGH MVFF AWARD

Kenneth Branagh was an acclaimed theater actor with a rising star in film when he made his Oscar®-nominated writing-directing debut and took the starring role in his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Over 30 years, he has built a singular director’s resume that encompasses The Bard and the rock-’em-sock-’em action of Marvel’s Thor. In 2012, Branagh was knighted for his services to drama and the community of Northern Ireland. It is fitting then that MVFF pays tribute to this storied writer-director-actor and his art in tandem with Branagh’s cinematic return to the country of his birth. Join us for a screening of Belfast and a lively conversation with this cinema giant. -–Pam Grady

BELFAST

UK 2021, 97 min Director Kenneth Branagh

Belfast is beautiful work: From the outset, Branagh draws us right into the heart and soul of a city and its people with an immediacy that captures the moment. A young boy grows up amidst the 1960s’ Troubles in a working-class family in a place where conflict and whimsy, wisdom and passion daily inform their lives. Charming newcomer Jude Hill delights in the central role of Buddy, with warmly winning turns from Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan as his parents, and Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds as his grandparents, their performances perfectly complemented by the film’s soulful Van Morrison-infused soundtrack and stylish black-and-white cinematography. Viewing a time of conflict with such love and humanity is something rare: Perhaps it takes a native sensibility to do that. As Branagh once said of himself, “I don’t think you can take Belfast out of the boy,” and here you have it: That compassionate eye on his hometown, coupled with his extraordinary artistry, makes for compelling cinema. –Lily Buchanan

In Person: KENNETH BRANAGH

Friday, October 15, 6:30pm, Rafael

$40 CFI Member / $45 General Film + Reception $75 / $85

Reception sponsored by +

WITH SUPPORT FROM PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

PAOLO SORRENTINO MVFF AWARD

Paolo Sorrentino has established himself as an international presence with films like Youth (MVFF 2015) while forging a singular career exposing the foibles and corruption of Italy’s ruling class and the Catholic Church. His latest masterpiece, The Hand of God, is a departure, an ’80s-era autobiographical drama set in Sorrentino’s native Naples. Join us as MVFF throws a Spotlight on this fascinating auteur. Pam Grady

THE HAND OF GOD (È stata la mano di Dio)

ITALY 2021, 130 min Director Paolo Sorrentino

Sorrentino returns with his most personal movie to date, about an awkward young man (Filippo Scotti) growing up in ’80s Naples, for whom life isn’t easy: There’s trouble brewing between his parents, his favorite aunt may be suffering from mental illness, he has the teenage hormonal-free-fall blues, and his postschool future is a giant question mark. When news spreads that Argentine soccer godhead Diego Maradona will soon be playing for Napoli, our hero and his equally football-obsessed dad (Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo) consider it an equivalent of the second coming. Then tragedy, and a legendary film director arriving in their quaint coastal city for a shoot, changes everything. Filmed in Sorrentino’s hometown, this cinematic roman à clef brims with humor, tenderness, beauty, and the modern-day auteur’s own signature brand of Fellinesque surrealism. It’s an absolute masterpiece. In Italian with English subtitles. –David Fear

In Person: PAOLO SORRENTINO

Saturday, October 16, 2:00pm, Rafael

$20 CFI Member / $25 General

THE LOST DAUGHTER | MVFF ENSEMBLE AWARD

US/UK/GREECE/ISRAEL 2021, 121 min Director Maggie Gyllenhaal

For her indelible feature directing debut, Maggie Gyllenhaal (MVFF Mind the Gap Award, 2018) adapts Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novel, in which a vacationing professor’s concern for a young mother triggers an uneasy reckoning with her own volatile introduction to parenthood. Oscar®-winner Olivia Colman commands in the prickly lead role, effortlessly navigating a tempestuous sea of subtext. Psychological undertones imbue a rich register of suspense that transcends genre. Gyllenhaal’s provocative, emotionally intelligent sensibility is as finely developed in writing and directing as it has been in her acting, and what’s so bold about The Lost Daughter is its refreshingly frank assessment of the tension between fulfillment in erotic adult life and responsibility for the nurturance of children.

It’s also to Gyllenhaal’s great credit that Colman’s shrewdly cast co-stars, including Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Peter Sarsgaard, seem like kindred spirits. This is an exemplary ensemble. –Jonathan Kiefer

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

GERMANY/US 2021, 103 min Director Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson’s films are intricate little universes, each a playground of impeccable production design and delightfully droll characters. With The French Dispatch, he pays homage to the literary world of The New Yorker, imagining the rich history of a long-running fictional American publication in France by way of vignettes about different writers at work on their most enduring pieces. Fans of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel will relish the director’s attention to detail, while enjoying keenly idiosyncratic performances from the likes of Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, and Jeffrey Wright. Visually, this may be Anderson’s most dazzlingly dense creation, with one viewing hardly sufficient to absorb all the jokes, cultural references, and stylistic tricks on display. Journalism may be under attack in the modern age, but The French Dispatch makes the case for that venerable institution’s artistry and importance—finding poignancy and humor along the way. –Tim Grierson

SPONSORED BY CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY +

Party sponsored by

Sunday, October 17, 5:00pm, Sequoia + Rafael $50 CFI Member / $55 General Simulcast $40 / $45

Introducing Strands, a new way to explore the MVFF program and discover the stories that speak to you.

CREATE

Art. Dance. Music. Theater. Creative minds.

DEBATE Investigations. Controversies. Advocacy around issues and ideas. Discuss!

GROW

Ecology. Geography. Environment. The human relationship with the natural world.

HEART

Love. Like. Lust. Passion. Romance.

LAUGH

Humor. Wit. Satire. Irony. Comedy. From LOL to WTF.

PASSAGES

Life passages. Journeys. Coming of age. Transcending obstacles.

SPIRIT

Body. Soul. The wholeness of being human.

SURPRISE

Expect the unexpected. Eye-openers and risk takers.

Us = US = United States. As viewed from inside and outside its borders.

ACTIVE CINEMA

A forum for films united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues, engage audiences, and transform ideas into action

MIND THE GAP

A platform for inclusion and equity, committed to helping marginalized filmmakers break through the gatekeeping that has long made the industry exclusionary and help undo a harmful history of defaults

¡VIVA EL CINE!

A showcase of Latin American, Latinx, and Spanish-language stories, connecting audiences with a diversity of cultures, identities, and histories explored through the magic of cinema

MIND THE GAP

ANIMA

BAD ATTITUDE: THE ART OF SPAIN RODRIGUEZ

BECOMING COUSTEAU

BERGMAN ISLAND

CELTS

LA CIVIL

CLARA SOLA

COEXTINCTION

COW

THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON

FOUND

HAUTE COUTURE

INDIA SWEETS AND SPICES

JULIA

LADY BUDS

LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES

THE LOST DAUGHTER

LUNAFEST

MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE

MISSION: JOY - FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES

MOTHERING SUNDAY

NINJABABY

THE NOVICE

PASSING

PETITE MAMAN

THE POWER OF THE DOG

QUEEN OF GLORY

REHAB CABIN

THE RESCUE

SAMI, JOE AND I

SHORTS: THERE SHE GOES AGAIN

SUBJECTS OF DESIRE

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

WOMEN IS LOSERS

¡VIVA EL CINE!

7 PRISONERS

BAD ATTITUDE: THE ART OF SPAIN RODRIGUEZ

LA CIVIL

CLARA SOLA

MEMORIA

MY DEAD DAD

PARALLEL MOTHERS

SONG FOR CESAR

WOMEN IS LOSERS

ACTIVE CINEMA

COEXTINCTION

LADY BUDS

MISSION: JOY - FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES

REFLECTION: A WALK WITH WATER

BERGMAN ISLAND: MIND THE GAP

PETITE MAMAN: MIND THE GAP

LA CIVIL: ¡VIVA EL CINE!

WORLD CINEMA

Stories from six continents that foster a new understanding of our global neighbors and ourselves

US CINEMA

A showcase of new films by master and emerging American filmmakers who share a talent for independent storytelling

DOCS

The latest in non-fiction filmmaking, from heartfelt stories of activism to historical profiles, current events, and more

FAMILY FILMS

A sampling of stories, cultures, and adventures for new generations and old that inspire and nurture a love of film

SHORTS

Collections of short cinematic gems from every genre including narratives, documentaries, animation, family films, and youth works

WAREHAM DEVELOPMENT

SPONSORED

BELLAM SELF STORAGE & BOXES

WORLD CINEMA

7 PRISONERS

ANIMA

BELFAST

BERGMAN ISLAND

BOILING POINT

CELTS

LA CIVIL

CLARA SOLA COW

CYRANO

DRIVE MY CAR

THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

THE HAND OF GOD

HAUTE COUTURE

A HERO

THE LAST BUS

THE LAST FILM SHOW

LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

MEMORIA

MOTHERING SUNDAY NINJABABY

PARALLEL MOTHERS

PETITE MAMAN

THE POWER OF THE DOG

SAMI, JOE AND I SPENCER

US CINEMA

CENTER DIVIDE

C’MON C’MON

DUNE

INDIA SWEETS AND SPICES

JOCKEY

THE LOST DAUGHTER

MY DEAD DAD

THE NOVICE

PASSING

QUEEN OF GLORY

RED ROCKET

REHAB CABIN

WOMEN IS LOSERS

DOCS

AMERICAN GADFLY

BAD ATTITUDE: THE ART OF

SPAIN RODRIGUEZ COW

BECOMING COUSTEAU

BERNSTEIN’S WALL

BORN IN CHICAGO

COEXTINCTION

COURTROOM 3H FOUND

JULIA

LADY BUDS

LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES

MISSION: JOY - FINDING HAPPINESS

IN TROUBLED TIMES

PAPER & GLUE

REFLECTION: A WALK WITH WATER

THE RESCUE

SONG FOR CESAR

SUBJECTS OF DESIRE

VELVET UNDERGROUND

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

FAMILY FILMS

THE BEARS’ FAMOUS INVASION BULADÓ

MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE

THE PRINCESS DIARIES

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

RICKSHAW GIRL

SHORTS: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES

SHORTS: FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG

SHORTS: SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY

SHORTS

SHORTS: SOME KINDA LOVE

SHORTS: THE OCEAN

SHORTS: THERE SHE GOES AGAIN

SHORTS: PALE BLUE EYES

SHORTS: THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

LUNAFEST

REHAB CABIN: US CINEMA

CLARA SOLA: WORLD CINEMA

BORN IN CHICAGO: DOCS

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY | PANEL

LIVE EVENT: Saturday, October 9, 10:30am | Elks Lodge Terrace, San Rafael | FREE

The film industry is always changing, but since Eadweard Muybridge ushered in the age of motion pictures with chronophotographic images of horses galloping at Leland Stanford’s Palo Alto farm, there has never been upheaval like we have experienced in the COVID era. On the bright side, theaters are open again and films are back in production. But moviegoers are still fearful in the face of pandemic surges. And with COVID came a move to erase or shorten theatrical windows in favor of streaming. What does that mean for veteran filmmakers and artists just beginning their careers? What does that portend for the future of theatrical exhibition and film festivals? At this critical juncture when the whole world seems to be in flux, we will discuss these and coming changes. Moderator Mark Fishkin hosts several industry veterans in conversation.

Moderator: MARK FISHKIN | Invited guests: ARIANNA BOCCO, president, IFC Films | SID GANIS, producer, former president, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences | TED HOPE, producer, former head of production, Amazon Original Movies | J ULIE HUNTSINGER, co-director, Telluride Film Festival | J AN KLINGELHOFER, Pacific Film Resources, U.S. Art House consultant and programmer

VARIETY’S 10 SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH | PANEL

LIVE EVENT: Sunday, October 17, 11:00am PDT | Outdoor Art Club | FREE

Variety has honored “10 Screenwriters to Watch” for more than a decade, and once again MVFF will showcase the honorees. Whether reinventing big franchise action films or ensuring the inclusion of otherwise unheard voices, screenwriters lay the foundation for storytelling through film. With Variety spotlighting the brightest and most promising writers of the year, we’re thrilled for the occasion to discuss their work in an intimate setting—a great opportunity as much for aspiring filmmakers as for casual fans.

PARTICIPANTS:

ZACH BAYLIN, King Richard | CAMILLA BLACKETT, Queen | AKELA COOPER, Malignant | JULIA COX, Nyad

MIKEY DAY + STREETER SEIDELL, Home Alone | JEREMY O. HARRIS, Zola | JESSICA KNOLL, Luckiest Girl Alive

STEVEN LEVINSON, Tick, Tick...Boom! | RON MAEL + RUSSELL MAEL, Annette | RANDY MCKINNON, Safety

PANEL SPONSOR:

CFI EDUCATION PRESENTS:

PAINT

AND SIP—ANIMATION! | WORKSHOP

LIVE EVENT: Sunday, October 17, 4:00pm PDT | Outdoor Art Club | $50/easel (Up to 3 people/easel) LIMITED CAPACITY. Children under 10 must be accomapnied by an adult.

Brian Scott, animator at Disney Studios, and his six-year-old daughter Lucy (an international spy-in-training) will lead kids, parents, and grandparents in a “paint and sip style” artmaking workshop. Join us for this family-friendly outdoor activity for safe, creative, and socially-distanced fun!

Behind the Screens Program Manager: SHAKIRA REFOS

Get full details and updated panelist information for all Behind the Screens events at mvff.com

RADICAL ACTS OF FILMMAKING:

CHANGING THE WAY MOVIES GET MADE | PANEL

90 min | PRE-RECORDED

Meet the filmmakers who are challenging industry standards by building new practices that change the moviemaking experience from what has historically been an extractive, exploitative process into a transformative one. This conversation highlights the innovative ways of opening up the creative process to welcome a multitude of perspectives during script development, casting, and production. Not only are the resulting films richer for it, but hiring, training, and mentoring folk from the communities these films are about allows a new cohort to access careers in the industry. Listen and learn as they share what they did to create ethical models and equitable sets, so that you can too. Three case studies will be featured, with two guest speakers from each film.

Guest Curators: CHARLIE HIDALGO, LUCY MUKERJEE

CFI EDUCATION PRESENTS:

BLACK GIRLS FILM CAMP | SHOWCASE + PANEL

104 min | PRE-RECORDED

In the summer of 2021, The Urban Education Collaborative at UNC Charlotte, UNC Charlotte’s Film Studies Department, Women + Girls Research Alliance, and I AM not the MEdia, Inc. collaborated to host a four-week interactive virtual learning experience, the inaugural Keepin It REEL: Black Girls Film Camp, where a group of teens learned about the film industry and how to tell their own stories on film. Working with individual professional production teams, these talented young (all first-time) filmmakers produced a powerful—and empowering—collection of 10 short films that we are thrilled to share with MVFF audiences.

In the one-hour panel discussion following the screening, Black Girls Film Camp participants and award-winning filmmakers will engage in a rich dialogue centering the experiences of Black girl voices in film. With a new and old school lens—from future Black girl filmmakers and industry veterans—the panel discusses topics ranging from Black girl invisibility to counter-storytelling and finding one’s voice in the field. Teen filmmakers will also share stories and inspiration behind their films created at this year’s Black Girls Film Camp.

Guest Curator: JIMMEKA ANDERSON, Executive Director, I AM not the MEdia, Inc.

YOU POP ‘EM ‘CAUSE WE POP ‘EM LIKE ORVILLE REDENBACHER | ONE-MAN SHOW

15 min | PRE-RECORDED

Join comedian and film enthusiast Reginald Desjardins on a journey through his love for popcorn. Learn nearly everything there is to know about everyone’s favorite movie snack in this quick and clever history—from ancient times to Orville Redenbacher.

Guest Curators: REGINALD DESJARDINS | HUGO FONSECA SUARE, Director of Photography & Producer

ERIK RODRIGUEZ, Director, Producer

MIND THE GAP

RECONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY

As our world continues to evolve, Mind the Gap this year embraces the topical theme of re-connecting with community. Both a celebration and call to action, Mind the Gap is MVFF’s platform for inclusion and equity, amplifying and championing filmmaking by women, non-binary people, and other marginalized groups through a vibrant collection of films, Q&As, Panels, and Conversations. Join us: Full details at mvff.com.

2021 MIND THE GAP AWARD WINNERS

Innovative Artist: JANE CAMPION, The Power of the Dog

Independent Producer: NINA YANG BONGIOVI, Passing

PANELS

MIND THE GAP DIRECTORS FORUM

A strikingly multi-talented group of first-time feature directors in conversation about their experiences in filmmaking at this transitional time in the industry, their creative approaches to their work, and their insights into the importance of creating their own projects in this annual investigation of the state of the art for directors.

HALLE BERRY, Bruised | MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, The Lost Daughter | REBECCA HALL, Passing | NANA MENSAH, Queen of Glory | Moderator: ZOË ELTON, MVFF + Mind the Gap Director of Programming

BAY AREA RESOURCE NETWORKING EVENT

The pandemic didn’t just lay bare the gap between filmmakers and resources available to make their films; it also widened the gap. This event will reintroduce local filmmakers who fall within the Mind the Gap paradigm, and attending festival filmmaker guests, to many Bay Area resources. Representatives from film organizations including the California Film Institute, SFFILM, Frameline, CAAM, and many others will be available for discussion as well as an informal happy hour combined with light speed networking.

EVOLUTION OF LATINA ROLES ONSCREEN

Our ongoing annual virtual roundtable series, Evolution of Roles On Screen for Historically Excluded Communities, began in 2020 with Evolution of Black Women’s Roles Onscreen. This year’s conversation will be with film creatives, actors, and curators, and will chart the changing nature of the portrayal of Latinas on screen. By revisiting the simplistic type-casting of Latinas in film since its inception, the speakers will discuss how representation in Hollywood and beyond has moved toward a variety of depictions and voices, while also addressing the current limitations. This conversation is a joint Mind the Gap ¡Viva el cine! event.

MASTERCLASS: SCREENWRITING AND BEYOND WRITING, DEVELOPING, AND CREATING RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

The collaborative processes that it takes to bring together a major film are addressed by key creatives from Raya and the Last Dragon. They’ll unpack how screenwriting and storyboard artists work together; what cultural inspirations and research informed the film; and the work done with Disney’s in-house South East Asian artists and cultural trust. Bringing an insider’s look into what it takes to bring a film to life, their insights inform filmmaking of all kinds.

OSNAT SHURER, producer, Raya and the Last Dragon, Moana | QUI NGUYEN, co-writer, Raya and the Last Dragon FAWN VEERASUNTHORN, head of story, Raya and the Last Dragon MIND THE GAP SPONSORED

ACTIVE CINEMA

A forum for films united in their commitment to explore the world and its issues (both local and global), engage audiences, and transform ideas into action for positive change. Join us for screenings throughout the Festival, support the grassroots activism of the filmmakers, and engage with the admirable work of special guests, co-presenters, and partners.

COEXTINCTION

LADY BUDS

MISSION: JOY—FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES

REFLECTION: A WALK WITH WATER

COEXTINCTION

MISSION: JOY

REFLECTION: A WALK WITH WATER

LADY BUDS

VIVA EL CINE!

MVFF’s ¡Viva el cine! Initiative is a showcase of Latin American, Latinx, and Spanish-language stories, connecting audiences with a diversity of cultures, identities, and histories explored through the magic of cinema. This year will include films from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Spain, and we will celebrate the opening night of ¡Viva el cine! with the North American Premiere of La Civil, by Teodora Ana Mihai.

7 PRISONERS (Brazil)

BAD ATTITUDE: THE ART OF SPAIN RODRIGUEZ (US)

LA CIVIL (Mexico/Romania/Belgium)

CLARA SOLA (Costa Rica/Sweden)

MEMORIA (Colombia/Mexico/Thailand)

MY DEAD DAD (US)

PARALLEL MOTHERS (Spain)

SONG FOR CESAR (US)

WOMEN IS LOSERS (US/Puerto Rico/Ecuador)

CLARA SOLA

MY DEAD DAD

PARALLEL MOTHERS

WOMEN IS LOSERS

CFI Education has been offering free education programs to Bay Area schools for more than 30 years, welcoming thousands of students to the Festival to view new films and meet filmmakers from around the world. We continue this tradition with two free online programs available exclusively to K-12 schools across the country:

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

A series of free online screenings of narrative features, documentaries, and shorts programs curated from the general Festival program. All screenings include pre-recorded Q&As with filmmakers and subject experts as well as free curriculum resources including film analysis toolkits, lesson plans, and discussion guides.

FILMMAKERS GO TO SCHOOL

For a more interactive festival experience, our Filmmakers Go to School program connects Festival filmmakers with students for virtual classroom visits and live online discussions about their films and the art and craft of filmmaking.

For more information about CFI Education programs or how to get your school involved, visit cfieducation.org

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

RESONANCE PHILANTHROPIES

THE FAIRY TALE: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES

LOUIS’S SHOES: FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG

THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

RICKSHAW GIRL

FAMILY FILMS

For the best—and safest!—way to travel the world with your family, join us for some inspiring cinematic journeys through the mountains of Italy, the streets of Dhaka, the island of Curaçao (in our first MVFF film ever from that Caribbean nation), and more—along with dozens of short films from Los Angeles to Lithuania, and the latest ambitious work by youth filmmakers.

ONLINE + IN-THEATER SCREENINGS

THE BEARS’ FAMOUS INVASION BULADÓ

MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE

RICKSHAW GIRL

SHORTS: FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG

SHORTS: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES

SHORTS: SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY

IN-THEATER SCREENING

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 40th Anniversary

Sunday, October 10, 8:00pm, Sequoia

MONOPHONICS

Saturday October 9 Film 3:00 / Doors 8:00 / Show 9:00

Film only: $14 MEM / $16.50 GEN Music only: $25 / $30 Film + Music: $35 / $40

MONDAY OCT

TUESDAY OCT 12

RAFAEL RAFAEL RAFAEL SEQUOIA SEQUOIA BAMPFA

WEDNESDAY OCT 13

FRIDAY OCT

SUNDAY OCT 17

Friday, Oct 15, 7:30pm, Rafael

Monday, Oct 11, 8:15pm, Sequoia

Tuesday, Oct 12, 7:30pm, Sequoia

Streaming (US only)

¡VIVA EL CINE! / SURPRISE / WORLD

BRAZIL 2021, 93 min Director Alexandre Moratto

From a distance, this lush green landscape is paradise, but up close, life within it is unsustainable. So, Mateus (Christian Malheiros, a compelling talent) and his friends venture to São Paulo, a sprawling gray megalopolis, seeking to improve their fortunes. But the promise of room, board, and a salary in change for their toil quickly evaporates as they find themselves trapped cogs in the modern-day slavery machine. Brazilian leading man Rodrigo Santoro delivers a startling but subtle turn as a kind of dissipated Simon Legree who sees promise in canny Mateus. With world-cinema powerhouses Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger) among its producers, Alexandre Moratto’s (Socrates) slow-burning sophomore outing makes confident use of quick cuts and a constantly moving camera to build dread in this powerful morality tale. There is a way out for Mateus, but the price of freedom may be too steep. In Portuguese with English subtitles –Shari Kizirian

AMERICAN GADFLY

US / DOCS

US 2020, 95 min Director Skye Wallin

In 1971, Alaskan US Senator Mike Gravel famously made public the “Pentagon Papers,” exposing the worst of our government’s secret policies during the Vietnam War. Nearly a half-century later, having retired after decades as a progressive public servant, he ran for POTUS—at age 89. Why? Because some New York teenagers asked him to. Skye Wallin’s documentary offers a humorous, inspiring look at whip-smart, social-media-savvy high schoolers running a national presidential campaign. Their goal is not to “win,” but simply to pressure the Democratic Party establishment into addressing the issues important to their generation, many of which Gravel championed long before they were born. While learning some bitter truths about real politics, they also succeed beyond their wildest imaginations. American Gadfly is a stirring rebuke to cynicism and disengagement, proving that the ordinary citizen without special connections or great wealth can rattle the halls of power, to democracy’s benefit. –Dennis Harvey

Friday, Oct 8, 6:00pm, Sequoia

Monday, Oct 11, 12:00pm, Rafael

ANIMA (Mo Er Dao Ga)

MIND THE GAP / GROW / WORLD

CHINA 2020, 120 min Director Jinling Cao

What happens to our moral compass when we disrupt the harmony of the world around us? How can we reverse course before it’s too late? Brothers Linzi (Eric Wang) and Tutu (Si Ligeng) work together on a logging crew in the rural Mongolian city of Moerdaoga. Dire circumstances force them to cut down more ancient trees than the legal limit, inviting ecological catastrophe. The guilt-ridden Linzi knows he must protect the last remaining virgin forest in the area—which means revisiting a scene of fraternal and tribal trauma, and, with the help of a local widow (Qi Xi), restoring the balance of nature that he upset long ago. Gorgeously scored by Lim Giong (Ash Is Purest White), lensed by Mark Lee Ping-bing (In the Mood for Love), and filmed on location in Mongolia’s stunning Moerdaoga National Forest Park, the directorial debut of screenwriter Cao Jinling is an invitation into the soul of a forest—and a thrilling family drama about tradition and fate.

In Chinese with English subtitles –David Fear

WEST COAST PREMIERE

BAD ATTITUDE: THE ART OF SPAIN RODRIGUEZ

MIND THE GAP / ¡VIVA EL CINE! / LAUGH

US 2021, 71 min Director Susan Stern

Described by R. Crumb as a “working-class Latino crossed with left-wing radical crossed with crazy artist,” Zap Comix mainstay Spain Rodriguez was among those who revolutionized a hitherto disrespected, even demonized art form in the underground comics wave of the late 1960s. Their work was transgressive, provocative, sometimes offensive—and in real life, this swaggering Buffalo, NY, biker-gang member turned San Francisco counterculture celebrity didn’t fall so far from the outrageous page. Though famed for the Trashman comix and other cult faves, his beautifully rendered illustrations also encompassed everything from Sherlock Holmes stories to a Che Guevara biography. In this fond yet questioning documentary, Rodriguez’s filmmaker widow Susan Stern interviews ex-girlfriends, colleagues, and buddies to measure a life lived large, as well as an artistic legacy that remains dazzling if often wildly at odds with today’s cultural norms. –Dennis Harvey

Saturday, Oct 9, 12:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Friday, Oct 15, 7:30pm, Sequoia Saturday, Oct 16, 11:00am, Rafael

Streaming (California only)

(La Fameuse invasion des ours en Sicile)

FAMILY / GROW

FRANCE/ITALY 2019, 82 min Director Lorenzo Mattotti

In his feature debut, celebrated Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti crafts a mesmerizing, visually stunning fairy tale about an epic clash between two worlds: those of bears and humans. Based on a classic 1945 Italian children’s book, the story inhabits a timeless mythic terrain, as the bear king Léonce leads his clan into the “valley of men” in search of his lost son. Thus begins an exciting, upbeat adventure—with snowy battles, giant monsters, an evil duke, a hapless magician, power and prejudice, surprising betrayals, and unexpected kindness. Bold, impressionistic animation brings it all to life: Sculpted mountains, bristly forests, corrugated seas, chunky bears, and beanpole humans are rendered in brilliant, vivid blocks of color. Imbuing his tale with gentle lessons about goodness, judgment, and tolerance, Mattotti leaves us wishing for more time to linger in this lovely, bittersweet fantasy, and to appreciate the beauty in every frame. In French with English subtitles Age 7+ –Jeff Campbell

FAMILY FILM ONLINE OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

SPONSORED BY BELLAM SELF STORAGE & BOXES

+ CFI FRENCH CINEMA SPONSOR TV5MONDE

BECOMING COUSTEAU

MIND THE GAP / GROW / DOCS

US 2021, 92 min Director Liz Garbus

“I am miserable out of the water,” he says early on, setting a tone in stark contrast with the convivial Jacques Cousteau we might recall from TV interviews or one of his many documentaries. But as the explorer, inventor, and filmmaker brought millions on a journey to discover the “silent world” below the ocean surface, he also undertook a probing journey of his own. Becoming Cousteau presents a man in search of equilibrium, with all his contradictions laid bare: family obligations versus obsessive work, fantastic vision against hard realities, and the transition from big-oil exponent to passionate conservationist. That essential arc between aficionado and advocate is at the core of this deeply researched and exquisitely edited film. Director Liz Garbus (All In: The Fight for Democracy, MVFF 2020) comprehends both the man and the legacy; perhaps Cousteau’s greatest gift, on full display here, was his way of raising awareness not through fear but with wonder. –Edward Dunn

DOCUMENTARY ONLINE OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

SPONSORED BY T. WOLF

Friday, Oct 15, 6:30pm, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 16, 2:00pm, Sequoia

Sunday, Oct 10, 6:00pm, Rafael

Friday, Oct 15, 7:00pm, BAMPFA

BELFAST

HEART / WORLD

UK 2021, 97 min Director Kenneth Branagh

BERGMAN ISLAND

MIND THE GAP / SURPRISE / WORLD

FRANCE/SWEDEN/GERMANY 2021, 112 min

Director Mia Hansen-Løve

The iconic island of Fårö—the home of Ingmar Bergman and the setting of some of his greatest films—provides a vivid backdrop to this drama focused on Chris (Vicky Krieps), a writer-director who accompanies her more established filmmaker husband Tony (Tim Roth) there for a working vacation. Somewhat alienated from her partner, who’s preoccupied with his own projects and entranced by Bergman’s legacy, Chris struggles to find her voice. One of Mia Hansen-Løve’s most autobiographical films to date continues her compelling exploration of the existential dynamic between work and love, previously illustrated in films that include Things to Come (MVFF, 2016). Denis Lenoir’s limpid cinematography foregrounds the beauty of Fårö’s white buildings, sparkling seashore, light-filled days, and soft summer nights. Structuring her tale to contain a film within a film (featuring Mia Wasikowska and Anders Danielsen Lie), Hansen-Løve layers elements of documentary and fiction, and past and present, allowing for resonant moments of humor, mystery, and self-realization. –Kate MacKay

CFI FRENCH CINEMA SPONSOR TV5MONDE

Sunday, Oct 10, 6:00pm, Sequoia

Tuesday, Oct 12, 2:00pm, Rafael

Tuesday, Oct 12, 7:30pm, Rafael

Thursday, Oct 14, 12:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

BERNSTEIN’S WALL

CREATE / DOCS

US 2021, 100 min Director Douglas Tirola

“A note only has meaning in relation to the notes around it,” Leonard Bernstein liked to say, and clearly, to this great composer, conductor, music educator, and overall American cultural eminence, context mattered a lot. Bernstein’s Wall examines his personal and professional relationships and their effect on his art; using archival footage, Bernstein’s own autobiographical recordings, and, most revealingly, his letters, Douglas Tirola’s documentary gets to know the man by way of his most meaningful context. In his work and in his life, Bernstein fought for civil rights and the antiwar movement, for international cooperation, and for peace. Through the arc of it all, as this complex portrait reveals, two resounding notes would become motifs: his repressed homosexuality and his hard feelings for his father. At once epic and intimate, Bernstein’s Wall also becomes a poignant survey of how art can give form to the emotions we struggle to realize. –Edward Dunn

BOILING POINT

CREATE / WORLD

UK 2020, 96 min Director Philip Barantini

Food films tend to start gently, with idealistic chefs ensuring their herbs are fresh and peaches ripe; only later do challenges appear, as manufactured tension not very threateningly mounts. Boiling Point will have none of that. Writer-director Philip Barantini’s riveting drama, brilliantly staged in a single take, unsparingly starts in the thick of it with a London restaurant staff already in over their heads on the last Friday before Christmas and assumes tragic proportions from there. Head chef Andy (the ever-magnetic Stephen Graham) has all manner of disaster imminent: The sous chef struggles to open an oyster; the health inspector has more than a few questions; Andy’s former partner arrives unannounced to collect a debt and brings a famous food critic as his date. What ensues is a harrowing, pitiless—yet humane— appraisal of the fine-dining subculture. Graham leads a brilliant ensemble, with Vinette Robinson also a standout. –Ravinder Kingra

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Monday, Oct 11, 6:30 pm, Sequoia

Tuesday, Oct 12, 4:00 pm, Sequoia Streaming (California only)

Sunday, Oct 10, 12:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

BORN IN CHICAGO

CREATE / DOCS

US 2020, 77 min Directors Bob Sarles, John Anderson

Encompassing a wealth of explosive archival performance footage and no shortage of players steeped in blues heritage, Born in Chicago pays loving tribute to a distinctly American art form. This joyous doc traces the origins of Chicago blues from the Deep South to the South Side, as white prodigies such as Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Barry Goldberg seek out and fall in with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, and other Black legends, learn from them, perform with them, and introduce their musical tradition to a new generation of fans. Proving the blues revival of the 1960s went beyond Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and The Rolling Stones, directors John Anderson and San Francisco’s Bob Sarles (Bang! The Bert Berns Story, MVFF 2016) meticulously showcase the era and conditions that made Chicago the epicenter of the American blues scene. Enthusiastically narrated by blues fan (and Blues Brother) Dan Aykroyd. –David Riedel NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SPONSORED BY BIOMARIN PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

BULADÓ

FAMILY / SPIRIT

CURAÇAO/NETHERLANDS 2020, 86 min Director Eché Janga

This visually spellbinding feature from Dutch director Eché Janga brims with a sense of wonder that occasionally recalls Benh Zeitlin’s magical-realist drama Beasts of the Southern Wild as tragedy and heartache lurk beneath folklore and fantasy. On the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, otherworldly beliefs permeate the solitary life of fiery 11-year-old Kenza (the sublimely spunky Tiara Richards), who plays hooky from school and tries to sell lizards in her free time. Ostracized by classmates and grieving the loss of her mother, the willful Kenza feels caught between her strict police-officer father’s cynicism and her grandfather’s shamanic ways, rooted in the local slave traditions. With a lyrical soundtrack, lush colors, and stunning cinematography that eschew the easily picturesque, Janga’s quietly seething film manages a sensuous toughness, and celebrates its young protagonist’s resilience. In Papiamento and Dutch with English subtitles Age 12+ –Ela Bittencourt

WEST COAST PREMIERE

SPONSORED BY T. WOLF

Tuesday, Oct 12, 6:00pm, Rafael

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2:00pm, Sequoia

Thursday, Oct 14, 4:30pm, Sequoia

Wednesday, Oct 13, 6:30pm, Rafael

Streaming (California only)

C’MON C’MON

HEART / US CINEMA

US 2021, 108 min Director Mike Mills

CELTS

MIND THE GAP / HEART / WORLD

SERBIA 2021, 106 min Director Milica Tomović

In 1993 Belgrade, a family hosts a party to celebrate their daughter Minja’s eighth birthday, opening their doors to friends and family who bring over their children, new lovers, and simmering resentments. Kids circle around Minja’s handmade Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume in one room while adults smoke and pass around drinks in another, the whole house growing fraught with squabbles and passions. At the heart of it is Minja’s mother Majka, growing increasingly numb amidst the frenetic atmosphere, craving something genuine and new. First-time director Milica Tomović beautifully evokes the intimate chaos of an off-the-rails house party, with perfectly rendered period details reflecting the collapse of Yugoslavia. A girl sheltering from the rain under her father’s coat; drunken partygoers falling into formation on a stair landing; an errant frog resting amid the leftover cake: countless moments resonate like visceral memories for characters and audience alike. In Serbian with English subtitles –Drea Clark

US PREMIERE

Sunday, Oct 10, 6:30pm, Rafael

Wednesday, Oct 13, 11:00am, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Sunday, Oct 10, 5:30pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

CENTER DIVIDE

US / US CINEMA

US 2021, 136 min Director Rob Nilsson

A longtime favorite of MVFF, Bay Area auteur Rob Nilsson returns with a mind-expanding exploration of life on society’s rough edges. The second film in Nilsson’s Nomad Trilogy (after Arid Cut, MVFF 2019), Center Divide delves deep into the everyday realities of several complex characters as they retreat from the West Coast. Rail and Mitra are a young couple flying down the road on a stolen motorcycle, searching for a connection to the past as they plot an unknown future. Along the way they encounter like-minded travelers; people in the trenches who struggle against a cold, corporate existence. This surprising road-trip flick is hypnotic and harrowing at once, complete with joyful dancing and penetrating exchanges. Nilsson delivers breathtaking images of contemporary America in all its natural splendor and manmade misfortune. Totally improvised by a group of magnetic actors, the film takes us inside captivating personal experiences while seeking to reveal truths about a world turned upside down. –Brendan Peterson

WORLD PREMIERE

LA CIVIL

MIND THE GAP / ¡VIVA EL CINE! / SURPRISE / WORLD

MEXICO/ROMANIA/BELGIUM 2021, 140 min

Director Teodora Ana Mihai

In her debut fiction feature, Romanian director Teodora Ana Mihai mines a familiar topic—the senseless cruelty of Mexico’s cartel violence—for fresh, chilling insights. In this implacable tale inspired by real events, moral corruption stems not just from wounds inflicted by criminals on the innocent, but also from victims’ desperate need for swift justice, which, when denied, stirs outrage and vengeance. Mexico’s drug trade has inspired plenty of crime drama, from the popular series Narcos to controversial auteur fare like Heli, but Mihai opts for a distinctly intimate, socially aware approach. Mexican actress Arcelia Ramírez lends a steely resolve to her role as Cielo, a mother who investigates her daughter’s kidnapping. Texas-born Chicano Habacuc Antonio De Rosario’s dense script and Marius Panduru’s murky cinematography, with its tight, sometimes willfully blurred shots, bring out the story’s moral ambivalence. The result, which won this year’s Cannes Courage Prize, feels like narrative quicksand, at once enveloping and relentless. In Spanish with English subtitles –Ela Bittencourt

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Friday, Oct 8, 7:00pm, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 9, 1:00pm, Rafael

Monday, Oct 11, 7:00pm, Rafael

Thursday, Oct 14, 3:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (California only)

CLARA SOLA

¡VIVA EL CINE! / MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT / WORLD

SWEDEN/COSTA RICA/BELGIUM/GERMANY 2021, 106 min

Director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén

In Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s quietly seething feature debut, a Costa Rican woman rebels against her family’s regressive, controlling ways. The titular Clara is a shy, revered healer in a Costa Rican village but her heavenly gift is also a worldly prison. Her mother insists that Clara remain a virgin and that she forgo necessary surgery that could help her walk without pain—all to keep her “special.” Dancer Wendy Chinchilla Araya plays Clara with mesmerizing ambiguity, bringing both vulnerability and power to this eros-driven, increasingly rebellious rural mystic, whose anger will literally shake this world. In the dimmed and lushly smoky textures of her forest environs, so richly rendered by cinematographer Sophie Winqvist, Clara’s enlightenment feels like a real epiphany. Clara Sola effortlessly melds an earthy tale of familial stricture with genuine spiritual wonder. In Spanish with English subtitles –Ela Bittencourt

WEST COAST PREMIERE

COEXTINCTION

MIND THE GAP / ACTIVE CINEMA / GROW / DOCS

CANADA 2021, 94 min Directors Gloria Pancrazi, Elena Jean

As the salmon they rely on for sustenance dwindles and the noise from tankers and pleasure boats disrupt their hunt for those elusive fish in the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea, the orca population shrinks. Now numbering less than 100, extinction of the Southern Resident killer whales looms and that’s not all, as this stunning documentary illustrates. Filmmakers Gloria Pancrazi and Elena Jean, activists and central characters in their film, illustrate not only the threats to the whales but also to the salmon, and how their diminishing numbers affects First Nations fisheries, grizzly bears, and potentially the entire human race. Reversing course to save the orcas and the salmon presents a challenge but one that activists, including many tribal leaders, are prepared to meet—if ineffectual politicians and rapacious big business would stop blocking common-sense measures. Gorgeous cinematography highlights the beauty and vulnerability of the whales in an absorbing film that is also a pressing call to action. –Pam Grady

SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

Friday, Oct 8, 4:00pm, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 10, 4:00pm, BAMPFA

Streaming (US only)

DEBATE / DOCS

SPAIN/US 2020, 115 min Director Antonio Méndez Esparza Raw and powerful, Courtroom 3H marks a confident documentary debut from director Antonio Méndez Esparza (Life and Nothing More, MVFF 2017). Shot in a single courtroom over the course of a month, the film takes viewers inside Florida’s Tallahassee Unified Family Court, which focuses on parental rights, juvenile delinquency, and other issues relating to minors. A fly-on-the-wall approach provides a window into the many factors and frustrations for families embroiled in Florida’s legal system. Méndez Esparza’s camera bears silent witness as heart-wrenching cases play out with stakes that couldn’t be higher for the children, parents, and legal representatives involved. Shining a needed light on the economic disparities underlying so much of what occurs in our justice system, Courtroom 3H is a sometimes shocking, sometimes uncomfortable, but nuanced and necessary look into a world too few people know about. –Zaki Hasan

COW

MIND THE GAP / GROW / WORLD

UK 2021, 93 min Director Andrea Arnold

There’s a depth and beauty in the soulful eyes of Luma, an English dairy cow, whose life and times provide the subject for Andrea Arnold’s first foray into nonfiction filmmaking. Arnold is a director whose works have been distinguished by exploration and observation of character; films like Fish Tank and American Honey confirmed the originality of her voice and vision, making her a Cannes Film Festival favorite. With Cow, Arnold again finds the heart of her subject, as she follows Luma up close and personal through birthing, milking, mating, all the circumstances that make up the life cycle of a working animal. It’s a revelation, centering the animal’s perspective and rarely opening to language—just the occasional words from the farmers offscreen. The film is like rural social realism; Arnold lets her powerful images speak for themselves and to us, opening the door to empathy. It’s a profound and moving journey. –Zoë Elton

Tuesday, Oct 12, 6:00pm, Sequoia

Thursday, Oct 14, 4:00pm, Rafael

CYRANO

HEART / WORLD

UK/ITALY/CANADA/US 2021, 120 min Director Joe Wright

Thursday, Oct 7, 6:00, Rafael + Sequoia

DRIVE MY CAR

HEART / WORLD

JAPAN 2021, 179 min Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Freely adapted from Haruki Murakami’s story of the same name, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s (Happy Hour, Asako I & II) latest film weaves an enchanting narrative around the complexities of human relationships. Yûsuke, a wellknown actor and theater director reeling from a series of familial tragedies, is invited to Hiroshima to direct an international production of Uncle Vanya. Against his wishes, he’s assigned a driver, Misaki, a taciturn young woman, who comes from an abusive background. Through their time together in Yûsuke’s red Saab, the two slowly unburden themselves of their personal traumas. Complicating matters further, a brash young actor connected to Yûsuke’s past comes to audition for the play. Winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes, Drive My Car is an exquisitely crafted mosaic, where Chekhov’s timeless play refracts the main characters’ attempts at connection amid their respective emotional circumstances and their aspirations to move beyond them. In Japanese with English subtitles –Rod Armstrong WEST COAST PREMIERE

Tuesday, Oct 12, 4:30pm, Rafael Saturday, Oct 16, 3:30pm, Sequoia Streaming (CA only)

Wednesday, Oct 13, 6:00pm, Rafael + Sequoia

Thursday, Oct 14, 2:00pm, Sequoia

THE DROVER’S WIFE:

THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON

MIND THE GAP / HEART / WORLD

AUSTRALIA 2021, 109 min Director Leah Purcell

Americans will recognize the cinematic terrain, the dust on the plains, the scrub on the hills, the view down a rifle barrel, all punctuated with twangy bursts on the soundtrack—for this is a western, complete with the pounding gallop of horses against widescreen landscapes and a new sheriff in town. Acclaimed Aboriginal-Australian writer, director, and actor Leah Purcell adapts Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story for the third time after a play and a novel, seeking to fold neglected truths into her country’s Outback myths. Purcell stars as Molly Johnson, left to fend for herself and her children in rural isolation while her husband works far away, who becomes caught up in the hunt for an escaped Aboriginal prisoner. Purcell works plot twists driven by a deep understanding that, for a woman, even the the familiar can be threatening, in an enthralling drama that lays bare colonial Australia’s sorry history of racial and domestic violence. –Shari Kizirian WEST COAST PREMIERE

DUNE

SPIRIT / US CINEMA

US 2021, 155 min Director Denis Villeneuve

This dazzling adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary science-fiction novel is the realization of a longtime dream for director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, MVFF 2016). Set thousands of years in the future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young man propelled by fate into an intergalactic power struggle. Paul’s father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), assumes stewardship of Arrakis, a forbidding desert planet populated by the indigenous Fremen, made hazardous by colossal sandworms, and the sole source of a priceless element called Spice. With a competing family intent on undermining their efforts, the stage is set for war and Paul’s journey to fulfill an ancient prophecy. This monumental tale features an equally spectacular cast, including—among others—Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. With superb design in all its sights and sounds, Dune is, in Denis Villeneuve’s own words, “a love letter to the big screen.” –Richard Peterson

SPONSORED BY DANIEL KENYON and MICHELLE MARCHETTA KENYON

Friday, Oct 8, 12:00pm, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 9, 7:30pm, Sequoia

THE

ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

CREATE

/ WORLD

UK 2021, 111 min Director Will Sharpe

Modern commentary on the English artist Louis Wain tends to focus on the mental illness he suffered later in life, and while that descent is dramatized in Will Sharpe’s The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, this deliciously vibrant and entertaining biopic is more a love story than an attempt at psychoanalysis. We see the eccentric Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch) fall in love with his sisters’ governess, Emily Richardson (Claire Foy), prompting a Victorian-era scandal. Soon after, she is diagnosed with cancer and the couple takes in a foundling kitten, the animal comforting Emily and introducing Louis to a new passion that will transform his art: cats. Even as his reality dims, Wain’s whimsical, often anthropomorphized feline illustrations assure his legacy. Sharpe’s cast is a roster of fine talent, and the art direction and clever cinematography pay homage to Wain’s playful sensibilities. –Edward Dunn

FOUND

MIND THE GAP / PASSAGES / DOCS

US 2021, 97 min Director Amanda Lipitz

Three American teenagers, each a single daughter adopted from China, discover they are cousins through 23andMe, spurring them to confront long-withheld questions about their origins and lost histories. Filmmaker Amanda Lipitz (Step, DOCLANDS 2017) artfully documents Chloe, Sadie, and Lily from tentative first virtual meetings from their suburban homes through deepening connections as they share their private musings over why they were given up and what it would mean to find their birth parents. They decide to travel together to China in search of answers. Found masterfully braids the tender strands of each girl’s story with those of parents who suffered under China’s strict one-child policy, as well as the orphanage workers who cared deeply for the abandoned infants. The film is clear-eyed and gentle with its subjects through joyful and heart-wrenching moments, ultimately crafting an enduring portrait of the ways in which we are all profoundly connected. –Deanna Quinones

Saturday, Oct 16, 6:30pm, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 17, 5:00pm, Rafael + Sequoia

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

LAUGH / WORLD

GERMANY/US 2021, 103 min Director Wes Anderson Wes Anderson’s films are intricate little universes, each a playground of impeccable production design and delightfully droll characters. With The French Dispatch, he pays homage to the literary world of The New Yorker, imagining the rich history of a long-running fictional American publication in France by way of vignettes about different writers at work on their most enduring pieces. Fans of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel will relish the director’s attention to detail, while enjoying keenly idiosyncratic performances from the likes of Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, and Jeffrey Wright. Visually, this may be Anderson’s most dazzlingly dense creation, with one viewing hardly sufficient to absorb all the jokes, cultural references, and stylistic tricks on display. Journalism may be under attack in the modern age, but The French Dispatch makes the case for that venerable institution’s artistry and importance—finding poignancy and humor along the way. –Tim Grierson

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY

+ JACKSON SQUARE PARTNERS

THE HAND OF GOD (È stata la mano di Dio)

PASSAGES / WORLD

ITALY 2021, 130 min Director Paolo Sorrentino

Oscar®-winning (The Great Beauty) Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino (Youth, MVFF 2015) returns with his most personal movie to date, about an awkward young man (Filippo Scotti) growing up in ’80s Naples, for whom life isn’t easy: There’s trouble brewing between his parents, his favorite aunt may be suffering from mental illness, he has the teenage hormonal-free-fall blues, and his post-school future is a giant question mark. When news spreads that Argentine soccer godhead Diego Maradona will soon be playing for Napoli, our hero and his equally football-obsessed dad (Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo) consider it an equivalent of the second coming. Then tragedy, and a legendary film director arriving in their quaint coastal city for a shoot, changes everything. Filmed in Sorrentino’s hometown, this cinematic roman à clef brims with humor, tenderness, beauty, and the modern-day auteur’s own signature brand of Fellinesque surrealism. It’s an absolute masterpiece. In Italian with English subtitles –David Fear

Saturday, Oct 16, 2:00pm, Rafael

Wednesday, Oct 13, 7:00pm, Sequoia

Friday, Oct 15, 3:00pm, Rafael

HAUTE COUTURE

MIND THE GAP / CREATE

FRANCE 2021, 119 min Director Sylvie Ohayon

Nearly 50 years after her film debut in Truffaut’s Day for Night, French icon Nathalie Baye plays Esther, head of the dressmaking studio at Christian Dior. After her purse is stolen on the way to work, it’s reluctantly returned by streetwise Jade (rising star Lyna Khoudri) and an unlikely mentor-protégé relationship is born. This winning and winsome feature is no formulaic Cinderella story: Esther and Jade have complicated lives of their own, and matching bullheadedness and biases to overcome. Nor is the high-end fashion milieu, in style capital Paris itself, an easy mistress to serve. But with its fascinatingly meticulous attention to stunningly detailed couture creation, writer-director Sylvie Ohayon’s beguiling film turns us—and the initially resistant Jade—into converts. The film also deftly weaves into its fabric the ways that the Parisian old guard of high fashion is steadily giving way to new talent, reflecting the increasingly diverse demographics of gifted young creatives. In French with English subtitles –Dennis Harvey

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SPONSORED BY CAROLINE LABE + CFI FRENCH CINEMA SPONSOR TV5MONDE

Saturday, Oct 9, 7:00pm, BAMPFA

Sunday, Oct 10, 2:30pm, Rafael

A HERO (Ghahreman)

DEBATE / WORLD

IRAN 2021, 127 min Director Asghar Farhadi

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, whose intricate dramas A Separation and The Salesman (MVFF, 2016) both won Oscars®, returns with another gripping, incisive study of human frailty. In this year’s Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner, Rahim (Amir Jadidi) languishes in prison for an unpaid debt but hopes that he can pay what he owes after his girlfriend stumbles on a bag of gold coins. When the found money proves far more complicated than expected, Rahim’s unusual response sends A Hero on an unpredictable journey. Farhadi methodically maps out a moral dilemma, astutely examining how folk heroes put on pedestals can be quickly knocked off them. Jadidi’s excellent performance is one of increasing anxiety and nicely modulated ambiguity, and Farhadi constantly shifts our loyalties, resulting in a fascinating portrait of a world in which everyone owes something to someone. In Farsi with English subtitles –Tim Grierson

Sunday, Oct 17, 1:00pm, Rafael

Friday, Oct 8, 3:00pm, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 9, 11:00am, Rafael

INDIA SWEETS AND SPICES

MIND THE GAP / LAUGH / US CINEMA

US 2021, 101 min Director Geeta Malik

Writer-director Geeta Malik’s family dramedy, set in an affluent Indian-American suburb, feels like an irresistible peek behind an ornate silk curtain. The film offers a biting portrayal of the snobbery, pettiness, keeping up with the Joneses, and general drama in posh Ruby Hill, NJ; it’s not pretty. But underneath the social rebuke lies an adult coming-of-age story as college student Alia (Sophia Ali) comes home for the summer. The progressive firebrand confronts the jarring reality that parents are human, too, when shocking and complicated family truths come to light. The revelations rock Alia’s core, all while she’s also navigating pressures, boundaries, and expectations, and figuring out how tradition fits into her very modern life. There are laughs along the way, but this is a game-changing journey—for Alia, her parents, and maybe even for Ruby Hill itself. –Celia C. Peters

JOCKEY

US / US CINEMA

US 2021, 99 min Director Clint Bentley

Accomplished and aging jockey Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) is ready for another season on the racetrack. Ruth (Molly Parker), a trainer and longtime friend, has acquired a horse of her own that she and Jackson both feel certain is a champion. There’s just the matter of Jackson’s chronic health problems to deal with, as well as Gabriel (Moisés Arias), a young and promising rider who shows up claiming to be Jackson’s son. Shot on a live racetrack, director and co-writer Clint Bentley’s second feature is steeped in a realism that feels as authentic as a documentary, with beautiful photography and natural performances from Parker, Arias, the incomparable Collins, and a deep well of first-time actors. Jockey is a sober, funny, and touching portrait of a man living with the choices he’s made—or didn’t make—and the effects they have on everyone around him. –David Riedel

Saturday, Oct 9, 2:30pm, Rafael

Wednesday, Oct 13, 4:00pm, Sequoia

JULIA

MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT / DOCS

US 2021, 95 min Directors Julie Cohen, Betsy West

Attention all foodies: It’s best to get a snack before watching this sumptuous four-course meal on iconic chef Julia Child. Not only do Oscar®-nominated filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West (the duo behind RBG) tantalize the taste buds with sensual shots of mouth-watering culinary delights, they also create an equally indelible portrait of the California-born trailblazer. Through the use of intimate letters, interviews, and insights gleaned from three major books, Julia surveys the milestones of Child’s life, from her conservative upbringing to her long-running PBS cooking show. Cohen and West excel at capturing Child’s major passions: her amour for French cuisine as well as her enduring love for her supportive husband, Paul. As Julia richly illustrates, she was a game-changer in a male-dominated profession, a shrewd businesswoman, and an individual unafraid to evolve on issues and stand up for change. –Randy Myers

LADY BUDS

MIND THE GAP / ACTIVE CINEMA / DOCS / GROW

US 2021, 96 min Director Chris J. Russo

Now that this history can be more openly told, it’s clear that when it comes to marijuana, women have been the most vital pioneers. Chris J. Russo’s amiable documentary celebrates the women and marginalized people who’ve truly tended the roots of cannabis culture, from innovating in medicinal usage and organic agriculture to combating discrimination. Living and working within the so-called Emerald Triangle of Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino Counties, where descendants of back-to-the-landers and new transplants alike carry on the legacy of communal agriculture, the subjects of Lady Buds face a mountain of obstacles, but bravely keep fighting for a greater understanding of cannabis’ healing potential. Russo explores the rapidly changing nature of an only recently legalized industry without ever losing sight of the grassroots farmers, horticulturists, and activists of a once-underground culture now at risk of corporate takeover. –Nadine Smith

US PREMIERE

THE LAST BUS

HEART / WORLD

UK 2021, 88 min Director Gillies MacKinnon

Here’s a film that proves a true hero’s journey can take place on even the humblest of conveyances—public buses. In director Gillies MacKinnon’s heartfelt, humane comedy-drama, Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner, MVFF 2014) stars as Tom, an ailing, elderly widower, who leaves home with little more than his free transit pass and a briefcase that he never lets out of his sight. Transferring from bus to bus, he travels from the village of John o’Groats in northern Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall, 600 miles away. Flashbacks reveal that Tom, desperately committed to keeping a mysterious promise while he still can, is retracing a path to the spot where he and his wife first fell in love. Spall delivers a once-in-a-lifetime performance, supported by a delightful ensemble of characters who sometimes hinder but more frequently help this unforgettable, understated hero on his epic and heartwarming quest. –David Templeton

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

WORLD CINEMA ONLINE OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

LAST FILM SHOW

HEART / WORLD / FAMILY

INDIA 2021, 110 min Director Pan Nalin

A movie about the magic of movies had better be magical, and this one truly is. Pan Nalin’s semi-autobiographical film explores the nature of creation from the perspective of spirited 9-year-old Samay, as he bribes his way into watching a summer’s worth of on-screen wonders from a rundown movie-house projection booth. In this enchanted fable, chock-full of the colors and food of India, there are echoes of Cinema Paradiso. Just as that Italian classic is a paean to cinema, so is Last Film Show—and a love story between a boy and film. Samay and his gang of cinephiles literally chase the light in a quest to make stories come to life. Film transports us all, but in this India it has an even more transportive, transformative quality; Nalin’s drama honors its characters, their struggles, passions, and especially the journeys by which they become dreamers, storytellers, and creators themselves. Time, youth, cinema: all fleeting, all magical. In Gujarati with English subtitles Age 12+ –Ravinder Kingra

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Sunday, Oct 10, 5:00pm, Sequoia

Monday, Oct 11, 2:00pm, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 10, 7:00pm, BAMPFA

Tuesday, Oct 12, 6:30pm, Rafael

LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES

MIND THE GAP / CREATE / DOCS

US 2021, 102 min Director Suzanne Joe Kai

As one of the staffers who transformed Rolling Stone from an underground countercultural magazine to a taste-making national brand, Ben Fong-Torres is the rare journalist who commands admiration from music legends and fans alike. His frank but unassuming interview style endeared him to artists from Jim Morrison to Marvin Gaye to Tina Turner, and Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary takes a similarly humble approach to profiling the man himself. Expanding its scope beyond his groundbreaking music reporting, the film also limns Fong-Torres’ work at the San Francisco Chinatown newspaper East-West and his sense of journalism as community activism. It is also a loving testament to his mentorship to generations of journalists and writers—including Cameron Crowe, who immortalized Fong-Torres as a character in Almost Famous. With no shortage of rich material from his life and storied career, Like a Rolling Stone presents an intimate portrait of a Bay Area institution. –Nadine Smith

LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

PASSAGES / WORLD

CHAD/FRANCE/GERMANY/BELGIUM 2021, 87 min

Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Pioneering Chadian auteur Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Grigris, MVFF 2013) is in blistering form with his latest film, a feminist social realist drama exploring abortion rights in conservative Chadian society. Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane) is an independent woman, exiled by her family after becoming pregnant as a young girl, and now the single mother of a teenager. She finds herself in a race against time and the forces of patriarchy when her daughter Maria (Rihane Khalil Alio) is expelled from school after she gets pregnant. Determined to give her child opportunities that were denied her, Amina supports Maria’s effort to have an abortion, a procedure that is not merely frowned upon but also illegal. Impeccably shot and tenderly realized, Lingui adds to the abortion conversation not with chaos or hubris, but with a curiosity that engages fully with the women who insist on preserving their bodily autonomy despite very real threats of violence. In French and Arabic with English subtitles –Wilfred Okiche

Saturday, Oct 16, 6:00pm, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 17, 12:00pm, Sequoia

THE LOST DAUGHTER

MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT

US/UK/GREECE/ISRAEL 2021, 121 min Director Maggie Gyllenhaal

–Jonathan Kiefer

LUNAFEST FILM FESTIVAL: FILMS BY AND ABOUT WOMEN MIND THE GAP

Total program 86 min

LUNAFEST features seven short films. Overexposed (Holly Morris, Santa Fe, NM, 12 min): A behind-the-scenes look at the film team that captured the daring story of the Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition. Knocking Down the Fences (Meg Shutzer, Oakland, CA, 12 min): AJ Andrews, the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award, struggles to make it as one of the best professional softball players in the world. A Line Birds Cannot See (Amy Bench, Austin, TX, 9 min): Separated at the border, a 12-year-old sets out on a harrowing journey to the U.S. to find her mother. The Scientists Versus Dartmouth (Sharon Shattuck, Brooklyn, NY, 14 min): A young neuroscientist and her colleagues make a life-changing decision to speak up for women in science everywhere. Until She Is Free (Maria Finitzo, Chicago, IL, 14 min): Mixed-media artist Sophia Wallace, best known for her viral project Cliteracy, imagines a world where all people are equal and able to live with rich possibility and purpose. Connection (Ciara Lacy, Honolulu, HI, & Portland, OR, and Tracy Nguyen-Chung, Los Angeles, CA, 8 min): A lifelong angler, Autumn Harry had never fished beyond the waters of her reservation—until she picked up a fly rod. Betye Saar: Taking Care of Business (Christine Turner, Brooklyn, NY, 8 min): At 93, there’s no stopping when it comes to this legendary artist.

Saturday, Oct 16, 3:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Friday, Oct 8, 7:00pm, BAMPFA

Friday, Oct 15, 6:00pm, Rafael

MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE

MIND THE GAP / LAUGH / FAMILY

US 2021, 81 min Director Kate Tsang

Toss a moody teen delinquent into a secret society of magicians, step into her perspective with clever dark humor and fun fantasy scenes, and blaze through an uplifting coming-of-age story that’s both unique and universal. Kate Tsang’s debut feature pairs the perfectly cast Miya Cech (Always Be My Maybe), as angry and rebellious 13-year-old Sammy, and Rhea Perlman (Cheers), as Margot the Marvelous, a children’s party magician giving off grumpy-but-wise grandma vibes. Behind the snarl, cigarettes, and combat boots, Sammy shields a heart fractured by grief over her mother’s death. After stumbling across Margot in a chance encounter, she tiptoes into an unlikely friendship that unlocks the healing they both need. Viewers will wrap their hearts around relatable Sammy, and her fragile, dysfunctional family, as she finds her way to peace by harnessing the special magic of forgiveness and love. Age 11+ –Deanna Quinones

Note to family audiences: This film contains profanity, teenage smoking, comedic scenes of fantasized violence, and references to self-harm through stick-and-poke tattooing.

MEMORIA

¡VIVA EL CINE! / SURPRISE

COLOMBIA/MEXICO/FRANCE/UK/THAILAND/GERMANY/CHINA/ SWITZERLAND 2020, 136 min

Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s first feature made outside of Thailand is an expansive exploration of the permeable border between the natural world and spirit realm, strange afflictions, and haunted landscapes. Troubled by a recurrent loud banging which only she can hear, Jessica (Tilda Swinton), a recently widowed botanist living in Colombia, embarks on a meandering journey to determine the source of the mysterious noise. Exquisitely photographed by cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, the film follows Jessica through the modernist institutional environs of Ciudad Universitaria de Bogotá, including a hospital room where she visits her sister, a recording studio, an art gallery where lights flicker off as soon as she arrives, and an archeological laboratory. Her encounters manifest more mysteries than answers, and her quest eventually takes her into the verdant wilderness. Memoria becomes a gentle but insistent reminder that no matter how deeply they are buried, collective traumas continue to burrow into those affected and those around them, emerging as memories or dreams. In Spanish/English with English subtitles –Kate MacKay

Saturday, Oct 9, 6:30pm, Sequoia Friday, Oct 15, 4:00pm, Sequoia Streaming (California only)

Thursday, Oct 14, 6:30pm, Sequoia Friday, Oct 15, 12:00pm, Rafael

MISSION: JOY – FINDING

HAPPINESS

IN TROUBLED TIMES

MIND THE GAP / ACTIVE CINEMA / SPIRIT / DOCS

US 2021, 90 min Directors Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan

From Oscar®-winner Louie Psihoyos (DocLands Honors Award, 2018) and Peggy Callahan, this illuminating documentary offers an up close and personal look into the friendship between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Taking inspiration from its subjects’ bestseller The Book of Joy, the film allows their deep and abiding relationship to shine through as they field questions from co-author (and former UC Press religion editor) Doug Abrams about anger, happiness, forgiveness, and other big topics. Particularly during our current age of strife and suffering, watching these great minds unpack their experiences and bask in each other’s company makes it impossible not to be won over by their camaraderie. Interspersed with archival footage and animation, Mission Joy offers an engrossing portrait of two influential world leaders who share the ability to find hope––and yes, even joy––in adversity. –Zaki Hasan

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

MOTHERING SUNDAY

MIND THE GAP / HEART / WORLD

UK 2021, 110 min Director Eva Husson

A final tryst with a well-born lover is the bittersweet memory a woman carries, the pathway to her successful writing career, in Eva Husson’s erotically tinged adaptation of Graham Swift’s prize-winning novel. While the Nivens and the Sheringhams picnic to celebrate mothers—despite both families losing sons during World War I—the Nivens’ maid Jane (Odessa Young) enjoys a stolen afternoon with the surviving Sheringham scion, Paul (Josh O’Connor). Jamie Ramsay’s lush, glorious cinematography underscores not just the beauty of the English countryside but also the naked carnality of the film’s gorgeous young lovers. Colin Firth and Olivia Colman are stunning as the Nivens, whose years-long grief remains fresh, and 85-year-old Glenda Jackson adds a sardonic cameo as elderly Jane. Young rivets as a confident young woman ready to rise above her station in this astonishing drama that weaves through Jane’s life but keeps returning to this day when what begins with such sensual promise takes an abrupt turn. –Pam Grady

Saturday, Oct 9, 6:00pm, Rafael

Monday, Oct 11, 3:00pm, Rafael Streaming

Friday, Oct 8, 4:30pm, Sequoia Sunday, Oct 17, 2:00pm, Rafael Streaming (US only)

MY DEAD DAD

¡VIVA EL CINE! / PASSAGES / US CINEMA

US 2021, 90 min Director Fabio Frey

When ex-skateboarder Lucas’ (Pedro Correa) estranged father dies and leaves him a Los Angeles apartment complex, the young slacker travels there from Reno with a plan to sell the building and forget the man he believes abandoned him. But the apartment’s tenants—including Frank (Raymond Cruz), the longtime superintendent who isn’t buying Lucas’ tough exterior, and Sophie (Courtney Dietz), a young woman who, like Lucas, isn’t sure what she wants from life—remember his dad as a different man from the one Lucas imagined. Other compelling figures include a scene-stealing Simon Rex (Red Rocket). Co-writer/director Fabio Frey and co-writer/star Correa’s coming-of-age drama deftly navigates identity, perception, and the gap between being seen and seeing oneself. As Lucas confronts the pain he’s bottled up since childhood, his journey becomes an endearing exploration of different paths toward happiness and closure. Clearly, the Frey-Correa team is a talent to watch. –Kiko Martinez

NINJABABY (Fallteknikk)

MIND THE GAP / PASSAGES / WORLD

NORWAY 2021, 103 min Director Yngvild Sve Flikke

Rakel, a young cartoonist with a messy room and an even messier social life, is surprised when her best friend Ingrid points out the obvious cause of Rakel’s recent body changes: She’s pregnant. Rakel spins out further upon discovering it’s too late to do anything about it. Complicating matters is Mos, the hapless but kind-hearted one-night-stand and presumed father, who becomes yet another unexpected presence in her life. As Rakel flails through decisions with petulant charm, the increasingly (and literally) animated fetus begins to affect her mind as much as her body—even chiming in with opinions on her every move. Enriching the story with illustrations that nod to her graphic-novel source material, director Yngvild Sve Flikke strikes an engaging balance between irreverence and heart. But it’s the choice to let Rakel be as likable as she is caustic that elevates this from raucous comedy to affecting coming-of-age tale. In Norwegian with English subtitles –Drea Clark

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Saturday, Oct 9, 3:00pm, Rafael

Wednesday, Oct 13, 3:00pm, Rafael

Monday, Oct 11, 5:30pm, Sequoia

Wednesday, Oct 13, 7:30pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT / US CINEMA

US 2021, 97 min Director Lauren Hadaway Writer-director Lauren Hadaway’s debut feature takes a fascinating look into the authentic experience of young womanhood: powerful, intense, relentless, and often ruled by self-imposed expectations. Obsessively driven, college freshman Alex is determined to land a spot on the varsity rowing team despite her lack of experience on the water. Against the backdrop of competitive sports, so often the cinematic domain of men, Hadaway shows us just how real it gets when a woman directs the full force of her energy to her ambitions. The winner of the Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film award at the Tribeca Film Festival, The Novice is a rich audiovisual feast of powerful camerawork and electrifying sound design that Hadaway expertly uses to bring us inside Alex’s experience. Strong performances elevate the story, particularly from Isabelle Fuhrman, who brings nuance to a challenging protagonist. We do want Alex to win, which means first getting out of her own way. –Celia C. Peters

PAPER & GLUE

CREATE / DOCS

US 2021, 95 min Director JR

The French artist known as JR has called the street “the largest art gallery in the world,” and his work is all about communities—uniting them, connecting them to the larger world, and lending dignity and visibility to the unseen. Cineastes will recall his collaboration with Agnès Varda in 2017’s delightful Faces Places (Mind the Gap Gold Audience Award, MVFF 2017). Others were already familiar with his often startling public art projects, in sites from Paris to Times Square to the West Bank. This documentary follows the impish artiste, perpetually in shades and pork pie hat, through several characteristically provocative yet accessible endeavors: one at a Texas maximum-security prison, another in a violence-riddled Rio favela, and so forth. Whether subtly commenting on border politics or societal inequity, his giant photographic blowups and other images affirm the humanity of subjects too often ignored or stereotyped. Paper & Glue is a disarming portrait of non-didactic, often temporary art serving to validate and inspire. In English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish with English subtitles –Dennis Harvey

WEST COAST PREMIERE

SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

Thursday, Oct 14, 2:00, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 16, 7:00pm, Sequoia

Thursday, Oct 14, 6:30pm, Rafael

Friday, Oct 15, 2:00pm, Rafael

Friday, Oct 15, 3:00pm, Sequoia

PARALLEL MOTHERS (Madres paralelas)

¡VIVA EL CINE! / SURPRISE / WORLD

SPAIN 2021, 120 min Director Pedro Almodóvar

Spain’s most prolific and influential filmmaker, Pedro Almodóvar, surprises us once again with this contemporary melodrama about two women, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), whose lives intersect profoundly thanks to a casual encounter in a hospital where they’re both going into labor. Janis, the older of the two, has no regrets and is delighted with the idea of motherhood. But young Ana is regretful and scared. As they walk through the hospital corridor, waiting for their respective new arrivals, just a few words exchanged between them will complicate the women’s lives forever. Almodóvar expands on his earlier cinematic representations of femininity, turning the film’s focus to the many complicated facets of motherhood. A unique offering, Parallel Mothers sits well within the director’s gallery of great films with a bold color palette and dramatic performances that border on comic, yet stands memorably on its own. In Spanish with English subtitles –João Federici

PASSING

MIND THE GAP / US / US CINEMA

US 2021, 98 min Director Rebecca Hall

Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga deliver their most powerful performances to date in this exquisitely nuanced drama centered on one form of Black resistance to the Jim Crow one-drop rule (“passing as white”), and the complexities of privilege and sacrifice that follow. Director Rebecca Hall’s elegant adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novella focuses on two former highschool classmates, Irene (Thompson) and Clare (Negga), whose chance encounter at a stylish New York City tea salon leads to a rekindling of their friendship, and the realization of how similar and divergent their lives have become. Both are married, well-off, with children, but while Irene is comfortable as a high-class Harlem society wife (often admonishing her darker skinned household help), Clare, passing as white, is married to an unabashed racist and confined to an isolated life of deception and lies. With fine supporting performances from André Holland and Alexander Skarsgård, Hall navigates the terrain of Black identity and skin tone discrimination (colorism) with a masterful hand and compassionate vision. –KD Davis

Saturday, Oct 9, 5:00pm, BAMPFA

Sunday, Oct 10, 3:00pm, Rafael

Friday, October 8, 6:00pm, Rafael (Tribute program)

Tuesday, Oct 12, 2:30am, Rafael

Sunday, Oct 10, 11:00am, Sequoia

PETITE MAMAN

MIND THE GAP / HEART / WORLD

FRANCE 2020, 72 min Director Céline Sciamma

“Secrets aren’t always things we try to hide, there’s just no one to tell them to,” says 8-year-old Nelly to her new best friend. Left alone for long stretches of time after the death of her beloved grandmother, Nelly discovers a makeshift hut in the woods behind the house where her mother was raised and encounters a girl her own age to whom this magical playhouse belongs. As the children share their hopes, dreams, and secrets with each other, their deepening bond reveals the extraordinary nature of their connection. Petite Maman’s tender and delicate sequences of make-believe and play are rendered fully believable and relatable by gifted sibling actors Gabrielle and Joséphine Sanz. In Céline Sciamma’s (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, MVFF 2019) achingly beautiful new film, the past and present magically merge to ease the sorrows of a grieving mother and daughter, and we are healed by its loving touch. In French with English subtitles –KD Davis

THE POWER OF THE DOG

MIND THE GAP / US / WORLD

UK/Australia/US/Canada/New Zealand 2021, 125 min Director Jane Campion

Set on a ranch in mid-1920s Montana, Jane Campion’s (The Piano, MVFF 1994) first Western is a rich story of longing, love, and betrayal. Beautifully shot, the expansiveness of the outer landscape is a counterpoint to the inner landscapes of her characters, an undercurrent of tension, suppressed feelings, and brooding eroticism lying just beneath the surface. In a striking performance, Benedict Cumberbatch is a powerful, charismatic, very physical presence throughout the film as Phil, a well-heeled rancher, who’s a consummate bully, a man of the land, as macho as he is cultured. Phil coowns the family property with his stoic and upright brother George (Jesse Plemons). When George brings home a wife, the widowed Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Phil’s finely-controlled world is thrown out of kilter. Campion brings her extraordinary artist’s eye and sensibility to her adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel, with an uncanny ability to peer beneath the surface of human behavior and reveal both mind and heart. She again proves herself one of the most original and compelling filmmakers today. –Zoë Elton

QUEEN OF GLORY

MIND THE GAP / LAUGH / US CINEMA

US 2021, 75 mine Director Nana Mensah

Smart and determined Ghanaian-American scientist Sarah is weeks away from the life she’s designed for herself. Sure, it involves a move to Ohio, away from her Ivy League position in New York, and yes, her boyfriend is married, but at least Sarah is in the driver’s seat. But then her mother’s death upends those plans as she bequeaths her daughter a small but beloved Christian bookstore in the Bronx. Helping and occasionally hindering Sarah on her unexpected venture is a motley crew of characters that include fiery African aunties, a charismatic formerly incarcerated baker, and some nosy neighbors. Writer, star, and first-time feature director Nana Mensah brings to life this hilarious and heartwarming story of confronting cultural expectations and forging one’s own path while walking between worlds—as so many children of immigrants must. The film’s strong voice and vision signal a talent we’ll be watching for years to come. –Faridah Gbadamosi

US CINEMA ONLINE OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

RED ROCKET

US / US CINEMA

US 2021, 128 min Director Sean Baker

Filmmaker Sean Baker continues the hot streak he started with indie smashes Tangerine and The Florida Project (MVFF, 2017) with this engrossing tragicomedy about a washed-up former porn actor who returns home to Texas. Simon Rex gives a revelatory performance as Mikey, who years ago followed dreams of stardom to L.A., and now pretends he’s a bigger deal than he actually was. Part character study, part social commentary—the contentious runup to the 2016 presidential election serves as the backdrop—Red Rocket is a brilliantly unflinching portrait of a hustler. It’s a testament to Rex’s sneaky charm that you almost root for this callous schemer. He’s matched by newcomer Suzanna Son, electric as a flirtatious teen Mikey tries to seduce. After its triumphant premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Baker’s latest exploration of American life is ready to introduce audiences to one of the year’s most fascinating scoundrels. You may despise Mikey, but you’ll never forget him. –Tim Grierson

Saturday, Oct 9, 6:30pm, Rafael

REFLECTION: A WALK WITH WATER

ACTIVE CINEMA / GROW / DOCS

US 2021, 80 min Director Emmett Brennan

Hope is the surprising emotional core of Sebastopol-based filmmaker Emmett Brennan’s poetic and soulful essay on the perilous state of California’s water ecosystems. Initially motivated by a profound sense of rage and helplessness over environmental devastation, Brennan takes an improbable approach: Instead of dwelling only on the catastrophic consequences of disrupting California’s water cycle (through decades of diversion, desertification, overdevelopment, and global warming), Reflection affirms the inspiring efforts of committed eco-visionaries who are restoring the natural and healing equilibrium that healthy water systems can bring. We meet Santa Rosa ranchers, Ojai farmers, L.A. greywater ecologists, and Sonoma soil gurus whose innovations (often based on ancient wisdom) point the way to a healthier water future. Threaded throughout is the filmmaker’s weeks-long walk along the path of the L.A. Aqueduct, which drained the Owens Valley: a fitting symbol of the price we’ve paid for building the Dream State. –Peter L. Stein

SPONSORED BY T. WOLF

REHAB CABIN

MIND THE GAP / LAUGH / US CINEMA

US 2020, 77 min Directors Kate Beacom, Louis Legge

Best friends Chloe and Domenic fall into an old routine before he heads back to college, watching terrible but beloved childhood movies starring their favorite actress, Amanda Campbell. The intervening years have not been kind to their idol, now a scandal-prone hot mess. The pals are certain that if she had the support of fans like them, Amanda could turn her life around. When Chloe takes a shift as a limo driver, Domenic in tow, they get the chance to test their theory when a drunken, belligerent Amanda staggers into the car. Taking it as a sign, Chloe convinces Domenic that they should take their oblivious passenger to his family’s isolated cabin in the woods and oversee a little homespun rehab. Co-directors Kate Beacom and Louis Legge spin an absurd yet relatable concept—who hasn’t imagined they could fix a superstar’s messy life?—into an investigation of possessiveness in all its insidious forms. –Drea Clark

Thursday, Oct 14, 6:00pm, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 16, 12:30pm, Sequoia

Streaming (US only)

Monday, Oct 11, 6:00pm, Rafael

Tuesday, Oct 12, 12:00pm, Rafael Streaming (California only)

Saturday, Oct 9, 3:30pm, Sequoia

Monday, Oct 11, 1:00pm, Sequoia

Streaming (California only)

THE RESCUE

MIND THE GAP / SURPRISE / DOCS

US/UK 2021, 110 min

Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

In June 2018, 12 teenage boys and their soccer coach disappeared while exploring the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province. What followed was remarkable: Millions worldwide watched in heart-pounding real time as a global team of cave divers, Navy SEALs, medical professionals, first responders, and other volunteers set aside differences to achieve the common goal of locating the missing and getting them out alive. Making the most of exclusive access to the rescue operation, wife-and-husband directing duo Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin follow up their Oscar®-winner Free Solo (MVFF 2018) with another thrilling documentary, one that shares the same intensity that made that earlier film so memorable. Unspooling with dramatic flair and relentless tension, The Rescue maintains an emotional core, getting to the heart of heroic cooperation and what it means to be human. –Wilfred Okiche

RICKSHAW GIRL

CREATE / FAMILY

BANGLADESH 2020, 102 min Director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury

In this Bangladeshi drama, feisty young painter Naima (a riveting Novera Rahman) sets out on a quest to save her ailing father. Her artistic gift has blossomed with his encouragement but hasn’t yet proven financially rewarding. Naima’s mother dashes such childish dreams, which sends the frustrated teen off to the big city, determined to earn money for the family’s survival. And she does, by disguising herself as a boy to get a job as a rickshaw driver. Still, Naima’s creative drive has her sneaking every opportunity to paint, and as her vivid artwork comes to life in beautifully animated form, there is hope that her emergence as an artist will be her true salvation. Based on the acclaimed and beloved young adult novel by Mitali Perkins, Rickshaw Girl is a magical ride.

In English Age 11+ –Carol Harada

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SPONSORED BY JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

Monday, Oct 11, 4:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Saturday, Oct 16, 1:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

SAMI, JOE AND I

MIND THE GAP / PASSAGES / WORLD

SWITZERLAND 2020, 94 min Director Karin Heberlein

In the suburbs of Zurich, best friends Sami, Joe, and Leyla burst out of another school year, buzzing with the potential of what they anticipate will be a truly epic summer. Joined at the hip and mutually enamored in the universal way of teenage girls, they laughingly plot schemes, flirtations, and leisurely amusements. But parents’ expectations and new responsibilities thwart their plans for fun and freedom: As carefree hangouts give way to a growing awareness of the world’s hardships and injustices, the trio’s formerly unbreakable bond starts to show cracks. Revolving around three characters juggling distinct and disparate challenges, this multi-faceted coming-of-age story is buoyed by vibrancy and tethered by realism. Swiss director Karin Heberlein dynamically depicts an authentic moment in time for these girls on the precipice of becoming women, capturing both the energy of youth and the push-pull of adulthood. Note to family audiences: In Swiss German, Spanish, Serbo-Croat, and German with English subtitles Age 14+ –Drea Clark

This film contains a scene of a clearly implied but offscreen sexual assault on a teenager.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

SHORTS: FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG

PASSAGES / FAMILY

Total program 64 min

We can all feel a little out of place sometimes. But in this delightful collection of animated shorts, the journey to find where you fit in can be fun and inspiring. A curious lynx ventures out of the forest in A Lynx in the Town (Nina Bisiarina, France/Switzerland 2019, 7 min), causing a stir among the locals. In Louis’s Shoes (Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Théo Jamin, & JeanGéraud Blanc, France 2020, 5 min), the first day at a new school presents unique challenges to autistic 8½-year-old Louis. A baby owl hatched during a storm in Shooom’s Odyssey (Julien Bisaro, France 2019, 26 min) searches for her mother. In Star Bound (Richard O’Connor, US 2020, 3 min), a NASA engineer and his six-year-old nephew chat about the splendors of space. Inspired by Thumbelina, Tulip (Andrea Love, Phoebe Wahl, US 2020, 9 min) brings a miniature garden to life for a tiny flower child seeking community. A grumpy polar bear gets a lesson in simple pleasures from a perky brown bear in Blanket (Marina Moshkova, Russia 2020, 6 min). In Cinema Rex (Mayan Engelman & Eliran Peled, Israel 2020, 8 min), a Jewish boy and Arab girl transcend language to find a common love for film. Age 5+ In English and various languages with English subtitles –Joanne Parsont

Sunday, Oct 17, 11:00am, Rafael Streaming

SHORTS: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES

SURPRISE / FAMILY

Total program 88 min

This year’s collection of peer-reviewed, youth-produced short films showcases an international cohort of storytellers whose work spans genres. After a long, locked-down year, it’s unsurprising that some of these young filmmakers have leaned toward darker themes, with a fair amount of murder, death, and dystopia—balanced by a dose of social justice, a dash of fairy dust, and a bit of scatological humor. It’s a wild but worthwhile ride! My Best Friend (Benji Tucker, 2020, US 6 min), O.range (Sunday Derham, Australia 2020, 5 min), Spud (Will McDonald & Gavin Bell, US 2021, 5 min), Beyond the Model (Erin Kökdil, US 2020, 5 min), The Black Collective (Roxy Morris, Shiva Kansagara & Sophia Lee, US 2021, 3 min), Jasmine’s Book (Ashley Kumar & Chloe Meyer, US 2021, 8 min), Conjugal Revivification (Reed H. Sharp, US 2021, 10 min), Down Seafaring Way (Roxy Morris, Sophia Lee, Shiva Kansagara & Meia Voss, US 2021, 8 min), Distanced (Cassy Callari, US 2021, 1 min), The Puppet (Will Nordstrom, US 2020, 2 min), The Fairy Tale (Seung jae Lee, Korea 2020, 15 min), Faery Houses (Marabee Barry, US 2021, 3 min), Distortion (Verzerrung) (Samuel J Punto, Germany 2021, 7 min), Closing Night (David Camilo Cuevas, Canada, 5 min) Age 13+ –Joanne Parsont

SHORTS: THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

GROW / DOCS

Total program 64 min

The New Environmentalists, from Accra to Eleuthera Island (US 2021, 30 min) is the latest in the Mill Valley Film Group’s Emmy Award-winning series, narrated by Robert Redford and featuring inspiring portraits of six passionate and dedicated activists from Myanmar, France, Mexico, Ghana, The Bahamas, and Ecuador. They share a common goal: safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while fighting for justice in their communities. These are the true environmental heroes who have placed themselves squarely in harm’s way to battle intimidating adversaries while building strong grassroots support. Directed by John Antonelli, Will Parrinello, and Matt Yamashita. In Anchored Out (US 2021, 26 min) Katie Bernstein and Clara Mokri focus on a vulnerable community known as the anchor-outs who live on boats anchored off the coast in Sausalito, just north of San Francisco. Tule Elk - The Killing of a Native Species (US 2020, 8 min) looks at the heated controversy between conservationists and the National Park Service over the fate of the Tule elk in Point Reyes National Seashore. –Kelly Clement Saturday, Oct 9, 4:00pm, Rafael

Streaming

SPONSORED BY T. WOLF

Monday, Oct 11, 8:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

SHORTS: THE OCEAN

SURPRISE

Total program 70 min

“Here come the waves down by the shore, washing the soul of the body that comes from the depth of the sea.” A deep dive into tales where courage, self-confidence, and renewal are front and center. Marianne Farley’s medical thriller Frimas (Canada 2021, 20 min) shows how the commonplace can become forbidden in a dystopian future. Grace Sloan’s Death Valley (US 2021, 11 min) is a fabulous tribute to ’70s science-fiction cinema. Caroline Liviakis’s highly kinetic dance film Boys and Girls (US 2021, 6 min) presents an irresistible battle of wills. There are few words but a ton of emotions, and laughs, in Ariel Iman Rose’s empowerment parable Bolt Cutters Make Great Friends (US 2021, 9 min). And a trans dancer’s efforts to opt out of mandatory military service forces a gutsy confrontation in Byun Sung-bin’s unforgettable God’s Daughter Dances (South Korea 2020, 25 min). This is a collection of films that will definitely stick with you. –Sterling Hedgpeth

SHORTS: PALE BLUE EYES

SPIRIT / DOCS

Total program 60 min

“If I could make the world as pure and strange as what I see, I’d put you in the mirror I put in front of me.” Suspicious packages found in a small town in Northern California expose a vast network of succulent plant poachers in Plant Heist (US 2020, 18 min) from Chelsi and Gabriel de Cuba. In Anna Kuperberg and Julia Caskey’s Eleven Weeks (US 2020, 15 min), we are witness to a couple’s final conversations in a story that is more about love than death. Matt Klug and Joshua Harding show us how a San Francisco-based chef and his team found a way to bring a new dining experience to life during the pandemic in Going Dark, Finding Light (US 2021, 7 min).

As Erin Brethauer and Tim Hussin’s Eric and the Bees (US 2020, 8 min) reveals, when Eric Grandon discovered beekeeping, he had no idea that bees would give him the power to transform both his own life and that of many others. After 25 years as an in-home caregiver, a Midwestern Black woman in her 60s strikes out for San Francisco to restart her music career in My Little Hilton (US 2020, 12 min) by Kevin Duncan Wong and Todd Sills. –Kelly Clement Tuesday, Oct 12, 3:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Wednesday, Oct 13, 4:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

Sunday, Oct 10, 2:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

SHORTS: SOME KINDA LOVE

CREATE

Total program 70 min

“Between thought and expression lies a lifetime. Situations arise because of the weather.” These wonderful stories explore the intersection of creativity, loss, and embracing the unknown. Eric Roberts (Runaway Train) stars in Matthew Avery Berg’s Marked (US 2021, 12 min), about a tattoo artist who encounters a blast from his past. The complex relationship between artist and muse is the foundation of Erin Whited-Ford’s powerful The Wild Woman and the Painter (US 2021, 17 min). A playful spirit and local color bring life to the beautiful watercolor-style animation of Laura Margulies’ Blue Cooler (US 2021, 8 min). In Jay Kamal’s touching Baba (Canada 2021, 14 min), a young boy must navigate traditions and obligations at his Muslim father’s funeral. And an archeologist must decipher a mysterious code at a dig, sending her down a historical wormhole, in Giulio Callegari’s truly unpredictable Erratum (France 2020, 19 min). Expect the unexpected with this formidable set of stories. –Sterling Hedgpeth

SHORTS: SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY PASSAGES / FAMILY

Total program 76 min

In this shorts compilation, meet a captivating group of real and fictional youth who are finding their purpose, their values—and their wings. In Golden Age Karate (Sindha Agha, US 2021, 5 min), a teen martial arts pro shares his passion with an unlikely group of students. When a baby owl gets pushed from her nest in Try to Fly (The Affolter Brothers, US 2020, 8 min), it triggers an existential crisis. In Furthest From (Kyung Sok Kim, US 2021, 19 min), two friends struggle with sudden separation when their Novato trailer park is evacuated. Are You Okay? (Ryan Cannon, US 2021, 9 min) addresses cyber-bullying, highlighting the positive impact bystanders can have by simply reaching out to their peers. In Matilda and the Spare Head (Ignas Meilūnas, Lithuania 2020, 13 min), a drive to be the smartest leads to the misguided conclusion that two heads are better than one. Generation Impact: The Coder (Samantha Knowles, US 2021, 6 min), introduces us to a 13-year-old who built an app for kids to send messages to their incarcerated parents, and Kata (James Latimer, Japan 2021, 7 min) introduces us to the incredible talent of a tween karate champion. In Rise Up (Bryan Buckley, US 2021, 9 min), 12 inspiring children from around the world are asked: Who are the role models for mankind today? (We’re pretty sure it’s them). Age 9+ In English and various languages with English subtitles –Joanne Parsont

Friday, Oct 8, 5:00pm, Rafael Streaming

Friday, Oct 15, 6:30pm Sequoia Saturday, Oct 16, 4:30pm, BAMPFA

SHORTS: THERE SHE GOES AGAIN

MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT

Total program 69 min

“Now take a look, there’s no tears in her eyes. Like a bird, you know she would fly.” These wonderfully diverse stories from female filmmakers demonstrate how certain impulses—to grow, change, want—are indeed universal. A young woman finds her agency slipping away when it comes to an arranged marriage in Suzannah Mirghani’s beautiful Al-Sit (Sudan/ Qatar 2020, 20 min). Internal anxiety about creating a family forces a woman to question her own personal history in Ashley Paige Brim’s The Goldfish (US 2021, 17 min). A meditation on her daughter and the elusiveness of memory grounds Lynne Sachs’s lovely Maya at 24 (US 2021, 4 min). Holiday tensions between father and daughter loom over efforts to reconcile the past in Suzanne Lenz and Tom Bean’s Christmas Eve Eve or: The Things I Can’t Remember (US 2020, 14 min). And an ad hoc therapy “session” allows a teenage girl to process a host of epiphanies about herself and her high school in C. Fraser Press’s enchanting Too Many Buddhas (US 2021, 14 min). Perceptive, beautiful, and engaging stories that you won’t want to miss. –Sterling Hedgpeth

SONG FOR CESAR

¡VIVA EL CINE! / CREATE / DOCS

US 2021, 85 min Directors Andres Alegria, Abel Sanchez History will remember the blood, sweat, and tears shed by late civil-rights activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez while standing up for American farmworkers. In Song for Cesar, co-writers and co-directors Andres Alegria and Abel Sanchez build on that legacy and pride through the music of Chavez’s era. Daniel Valdez’s “Brown Eyed Children of the Sun,” Joel Rafael’s “El Bracero,” Little Joe y La Familia’s “Viva la Huelga,” and other songs become the powerful soundtrack for Latino farmworkers who otherwise felt invisible and unheard. Through stunning archival photographs and footage and interviews with icons that include Carlos Santana, Joan Baez, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos, Maya Angelou, and Chavez’s United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, this affectionate documentary hits many inspiring notes, expressing the emotion that flourished artistically during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s. As filmmaker and playwright Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) says in the film, “Beware of a movement that sings.” –Kiko Martinez WORLD PREMIERE

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2:00pm, Rafael

Saturday, Oct 16, 6:00pm, Sequoia

SPENCER

SURPRISE / WORLD

UK/GERMANY/CHILE 2021, 111 min Director Pablo Larraín

What more is there to say about the late Princeess Diana, whose life pop culture has already thoroughly dissected? Plenty, as it turns out, when Pablo Larraín is the auteur interpreting the very public life of the beloved Princess of Wales. The Jackie (MVFF, 2017) director will have audiences clutching their pearls at the sight of this gripping, unconventional take on an unhappily married Diana, played with intense insight and emotional heft by Kristen Stewart. Focused on a suffocating 1991 Christmas with the royal family at the pristine Sandringham grounds in Norfolk, England, Larraín and screenwriter Steven Knight weave elements of The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, and even It’s a Wonderful Life into a provocative fable, as daring as it is unpredictable. Rich period details; a cast full of acting royalty including Sally Hawkins and Timothy Spall; and Jonny Greenwood’s eclectic soundtrack support every unforgettable moment. –Randy Myers

SUBJECTS OF DESIRE

MIND THE GAP / SPIRIT / DOCS

CANADA 2020, 102 min Director Jennifer Holness

This gorgeously shot documentary is an intimate, clear-eyed look at the complicated relationship between Black women, their beauty, and America’s view of both. Filmmaker Jennifer Holness follows a group of Miss Black America contestants during the pageant’s 50th anniversary year, using the occasion as the springboard for a bigger, deeper conversation. The film’s superpower is its access: We’re up-close and personal with Black women candidly sharing experiences of society’s rejection (and appropriation) of their beauty—and their evolving responses. Equally significant, academics connect the historical framework for Black beauty to the realities of life in America for Black women. Recording artist India Arie, who celebrated her Afrocentric looks in her 2001 hit “Video,” offers grounded insight. And there’s a twist: Rachel Dolezal, infamous for identifying as Black despite being born white, also weighs in. Subjects of Desire is a rich, humanizing exploration of a hot-button subject. –Celia C. Peters

Note to family audiences: This film contains references to rape and sexual violence.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

CREATE

US 2021, 110 min Director Todd Haynes

They were the downtown NYC group that doubled as the missing link between John Cage, Rimbaud, and the Brill Building; the in-house band for Warhol’s Factory happenings; and the leather-jacketed, sexuality-blurring rock stars that inspired generations of musicians to pick up droning guitars. Who better to pay tribute to the Velvet Underground than Todd Haynes (MVFF Tribute, 2017)? The filmmaker who gave us an abundance of Dylans in I’m Not There (MVFF 2007) and the glam-rock freak out Velvet Goldmine turns his attention to the V.U. in his first documentary, charting everything from Lou Reed and John Cale’s early musical collaborations to the group’s early-’70s dissolution. It’s a trove of rare performance clips, vintage experimental-movie snippets, and new interviews—as much a portrait of an era as of a band, told in the style of the avant-garde filmmaking that fueled the Velvets’ moment in the spotlight and secured their status as world-renowned countercultural icons. –David Fear

Sunday, Oct 17, 12:00pm, Rafael

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA

MIND THE GAP / DEBATE / DOCS

US 2021, 117 min Directors Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler

Jeffrey Robinson, the formidable legal activist and criminal defense lawyer whose groundbreaking talks have become a hit in conference rooms and community halls across America, shoots for his biggest audience yet, with this filmed version of his acclaimed Juneteenth 2018 presentation at New York City’s Town Hall. Directed by Sarah and Emily Kunstler (the sister duo behind William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe), Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America expands Robinson’s talk to include interviews and personal exchanges that lean into his central argument that America can be two things at once: a great country and a racist one. Often provocative but ultimately illuminating, Robinson and his collaborators probe the history books, revealing fresh detail about America’s founding fathers, connecting their legacy with historical events and contemporary social issues. This absorbing documentary is more than an indictment, though; it’s also a summons for personal introspection and communal re-examination. –Wilfred Okiche

Saturday, Oct 16, 12:00pm, Rafael

Friday, Oct 8, 8:00pm, Rafael

Streaming (US only)

WOMEN IS LOSERS

MIND THE GAP / ¡VIVA EL CINE! / US / US CINEMA

US 2020, 84 min Director Lissette Feliciano

In her rousing crowd-pleaser of a feature debut, writer-director Lissette Feliciano revisits San Francisco of the ’60s and ’70s, a period when most women were seen but seldom heard. Our guide on this feminist journey is Celina (played with moxie by Lorenza Izzo), a Catholic high-school rebel in a challenging romance with a handsome G.I. (Bryan Craig) but who dreams of pursuing a life on her own terms. It is a path to independence strewn with obstacles: her macho alcoholic stepdad (Steven Bauer); an overly attentive boss (Simu Liu), who may harbor ulterior motives; and society’s reluctance to embrace a woman without a husband. Shattering the fourth wall, this always entertaining drama is as much of a rule-breaker as its determined protagonist. Women Is Losers celebrates the Celinas of the world, women of color who triumph over sexism and adversity. –Randy Myers