MVFF46 Program

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The California Film Institute and Mill Valley Film Festival are located in Marin County, California, on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary homelands of the Coast Miwok, Pomo, and Wappo peoples. This includes the Southern Pomo and Graton Rancheria Tribes. These tribes were removed or displaced from their lands. We recognize this history and the harm to present-day Coast Miwok, Pomo, and Wappo peoples and to their ancestors. The California Film Institute commits to moving forward from a place of authenticity and working with present-day tribes to elevate their stories, history, and present-day legacy through film.

ACCESSIBILITY

The Mill Valley Film Festival is dedicated to using physical venues that are accessible to all of our attendees and invited guests, as well as accessible screening content both in-person and through our streaming services.

MVFF communicates directly with studios, distributors, and filmmakers about accessibility features with their films. This process takes time, and MVFF is committed to verifying that accessibility features do exist and screen properly. As we receive content and verify, the below lists will be updated. Please note that accessibility features for films may be verified and updated after tickets go on sale to the public.

If you wish to communicate an accessibility need, please fill out THIS FORM or email accessibility@cafilm.org directly. If you need ASL interpretation, please contact us at least 10 days prior to the screening you will need it for.

CONSENT TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED

California Film Institute (CAFILM) 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 CAFILM and its affiliates and representatives.

From the Director ...................................................

The Mill Valley Film Festival is presented by the California Film Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that also owns and operates the Smith Rafael Film Center, presents DocLands Documentary Film Festival each May, and offers CAFILM Education programs throughout the year. © Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. No portion of the Mill Valley Film Festival program may be duplicated in any form without written consent from the Mill Valley Film Festival and/or the California Film Institute.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

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Mark Fishkin Executive Director | Founder California Film Institute

OPENING NIGHT DAY OF THE FIGHT

MVFF returns to its roots as a heavyweight champion of independent filmmaking with the North American premiere of renowned actor Jack Huston’s ( Kill Your Darlings, American Hustle ) extraordinary writing/directing debut. With a loving nod to Stanley Kubrick’s 1951 documentary of the same name, Huston (of famed lineage: Walter, John, Anjelica et al) flips the script on the boxing-film genre with this exquisitely composed, delicate, and understated portrait of a complicated man coming to grips with his past. Replacing violence and brutality with tenderness and sensitivity, Huston’s deft, musical approach to the material is revelatory. Featuring stunning performances from Michael Pitt as former middleweight champ Mikey Flannigan, Nicolette Robinson as his estranged lover, Ron Perlman as his coach, and an unforgettable Joe Pesci as Mikey’s wordless and ailing dad, Day of the Fight pulls no punches whatsoever with its aesthetic beauty and a deeply felt emotional resonance. Truly a knock-out. –

KD Davis

PROGRAM + GALA: xx Member / xx General

PROGRAM ONLY: xx Member / xx General

SIMULCAST HOUSE: xx Member / xx General

GALA ONLY: xx Member / xx General

GALA: Marin Country Mart | 9:00-11:30pm

Thursday, October 5 . 7:00pm . Sequoia . Rafael

SPECIAL SCREENING

An extraordinary examination of evil, The Zone of Interest finds a startling new way to depict the Holocaust, avoiding exploitation or intellectualization while portraying the tragedy through the blinkered perspective of the monsters who orchestrated it. Under the Skin filmmaker Jonathan Glazer adapts Martin Amis’ novel, chronicling a family, led by SS officer Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), living right outside Auschwitz, their deceptively ordinary existence on occasion mildly interrupted by atrocities in the distance. Glazer gives the film a clinical remove: Cinematographer Łukasz Żal shoots scenes with icy stillness, as if to evoke dispassionate surveillance footage, and the performances contain the same malevolent passivity. (Sandra Hüller, equally excellent in MVFF46 selection Anatomy of a Fall , is a marvel as Höss’ wife.) Highlighted by Mica Levi’s remarkable score, The Zone of Interest won the Grand Prix at Cannes; it’s a stunning experience, challenging both the strictures of the Holocaust drama and our assumptions about how cinema can (or can’t) memorialize history’s greatest crime. —Tim Grierson

Jonathan Glazer

TRIBUTE + MIND THE GAP AWARD

LYNN HERSHMAN LEESON

A long-time fascination with AI—its potentials, both creative and invasive; its uses and abuses—is at the heart of San Francisco artist, filmmaker, and visionary Lynn Hershman Leeson’s four-film cycle created over several decades, culminating with Cyborgian Rhapsody – Immortality (2023). Ever the innovator, Hershman Leeson’s latest is written and performed by an actual Cyborg—a GPT 3 Chatbot—in the image of its/her creator, Hershman Leeson herself. Others in the quartet of short films feature human performers: Seduction of a Cyborg (1994), a poetic metaphor about the invasion of technology into an unsuspecting body, features Joanne Green Levine. In Shadow Stalker (2018), Tessa Thompson ( Passing , MVFF44) unpacks the dubious outcomes of AI usage—identity theft, predictive policing, inherent racism; and the award-winning Logic Paralyzes the Heart (2022) features Joan Chen’s ( Lust, Caution , MVFF32) graceful portrayal of a cyborg facing, essentially, her midlife crisis. So, what is a cyborg? What is AI? Cyborgian Rhapsody gives an artist’s eye view of this brave new world. —Zoē Elton

The program includes presentation of the Mind the Gap Award, screening of Cyborgian Rhapsody , and onstage interview with Lynn Hershman Leeson conducted by Tony Bravo.

Following MVFF46, the celebration of Lynn Hershman Leeson continues at the Smith Rafael Film Center the week of October 16, showcasing three innovative feature-length films written and directed by Hershman Leeson and featuring Tilda Swinton: Conceiving Ada (1997), Teknolust (2002), and Strange Culture (2007).

October

TICKETS + NAVIGATING MVFF46

VENUES

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St. San Rafael

CINÉARTS SEQUOIA

25 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley

OUTDOOR ART CLUB

1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley

SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL

19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley

LARK THEATER

549 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur

ROXIE THEATER

3117 16th St, San Francisco

BAMPFA

2155 Center St, Berkeley

GUIDELINES + RULES

To ensure the best experience possible and guarantee your admittance, please arrive and be in line at least 30 minutes prior for all of your scheduled screenings and events. Seat saving is not allowed. All programs except those at BAMPFA, Roxie Theater, and Sweetwater Music Hall have a priority seating in the following order:

A B C RUSH

Outside food and beverage is not permitted in any of our venues. BAMPFA has a zero food and beverage policy.

Cell phones and other notification devices should be turned completely off while attending screenings or events.

The use of cameras or recording devices is strictly prohibited during screenings and events and may result in removal from the venue.

Oversized bags, with the exception of medical equipment and childcare bags, will not be allowed inside of any of our venues. All bags 12” x 12” x 6” and smaller will be permitted in. Please plan appropriately.

Reserved Seats: Please DO NOT sit in a reserved seat unless it has been arranged for you by name, badge type, or specific indication on your ticket. Please DO NOT stand next to a reserved seat in hopes of them being released. For venue safety and fire code, all aisles must be clear unless actively walking to or from your seat.

BOX OFFICES

Festival Box Offices open one hour prior to the first screening start time of the day and close 15 minutes past the last screening start time of the day, at each respective venue while screenings are scheduled. Purchase tickets anytime at mvff.com/tickets

SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St. San Rafael

OUTDOOR ART CLUB

1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley

LARK THEATER

549 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur

ROXIE THEATER

3117 16th St, San Francisco

BAMPFA

2155 Center St, Berkeley

CAFILM MEMBER TICKET SALES

Online Only at mvff.com/tickets

PREMIER PATRON + ABOVE Sept 8 12:00pm

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE + ABOVE Sept 9 12:00pm

ALL CAFILM MEMBERS Sept 10 12:00pm

GENERAL PUBLIC Sept 12 12:00pm

TICKET PRICES

General $16.50

CAFILM Members $14.00

Seniors (65+) $15.00

Students (student ID required) $8.00

Shorts Programs $10.50

Youth (12 and under) $8.00

Special events priced specific to each event

ONLINE PROGRAM

Stream our online program on your computer, laptop, iPad, tablet, or mobile device at watch.cafilm.org or download the

CAFILM App on your Roku, AppleTV, or Amazon Firestick.

MVFF46 ONLINE PASS

CAFILM Streaming Room open to California residents only

ONLINE PASS General xx

CAFILM Members xx

The MVFF46 Online Pass offers access to the festival’s online program of 20+ films, filmmaker conversations, and Q&As. Act fast! Some films may have limited capacity and therefore have the potential to sell out.

Premier Patron, Cinema Benefactor, and Donor Circle receive a complimentary Online Pass.

Single film online admission:

General $8 | CAFILM Members $6

BADGE PICKUP

Oct 1 - 4 11:00am - 5:00pm Smith Rafael Film Center

Oct 7 - 14 10:00am - 8:00pm Outdoor Art Club

Oct 15 10:00am - 5:00pm

Badge Pickup will not be available Opening Night, Oct 5

FILMMAKER LOUNGES

OUTDOOR ART CLUB 1 W Blithedale Ave, Mill Valley

AC MARRIOTT HOTEL 1201 Fifth St. San Rafael

ACCESS TO LOUNGES: All MVFF46 badges, tickets and CAFILM Day Passes with an L enjoy access

RUSH TICKETS

When a screening’s advanced tickets are no longer available for purchase, RUSH tickets may become available the day of the show as soon as 15 minutes prior to the show’s scheduled start time. RUSH tickets are not guaranteed and are only available on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last. Vouchers are not valid for RUSH tickets, and they are only available in-person at the venue.

REFUND POLICY

All ticket orders are final. No refunds, exchanges, substitutions, or reprints. MVFF is not responsible for lost, stolen, forgotten, or damaged tickets. 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. Please contact help@cafilm.org to request a refund.

CONTENT ADVISORY

Please bear in mind that our films are making their first entrances into the world before public audiences. Note that, unlike commercial cinema, the majority of our films are not yet rated. We thank you for bearing that in mind as you make your choices.

CAFILM MEMBERSHIP

With membership to the California Film Institute every night is an

Occasion

The California Film Institute relies on the support of our wonderful members to run the Mill Valley Film Festival, show amazing films year-round at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, and promote exceptional independent filmmakers in our community. Become a CAFILM member to keep the magic going all year long with free screenings of upcoming films, access to exclusive member events, and our lowest ticket prices on films and events!

ASSOCIATE

Perfect for the solo film lover, who loves watching films at the Smith Rafael Film Center or online, and receiving invitations to our exclusive member screenings. $80

FILM FAN

All of the perks of Associate membership, but for two! Perfect for couples or two friends who love to see amazing films together. $130

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

For the festival fan, Director’s Circle members receive even earlier access to MVFF tickets and a place in our early entry line, along with all the perks of Film Fan membership. $345

PREMIER PATRON

Premier Patrons receive all of the benefits of Director’s Circle, plus earliest access to film tickets, invitations to exclusive events, and entry into the MVFF Filmmaker Lounge. $680

CINEMA BENEFACTOR

Get behind-the-scenes access! With all of the Premier Patron perks, plus invitations to even more events, free tickets to films, and complimentary concession coupons at the Rafael Film Center. $1,300

DONOR CIRCLE

Want even more? Explore our All-Access levels in the Donor’s Circle. By joining the vibrant Donor Circle community you will deepen your knowledge and appreciation of independent film through exclusive access and opportunities, while supporting a world-class independent film nonprofit organization.

Your involvement at the Donor Circle level enables CAFILM to provide a platform for internationally acclaimed, established and emerging filmmakers to share their stories with our community, offer free programs to thousands of diverse Bay Area students each year, deliver tangible results in gender equity in film, support the sustainability, maintenance, and programming of a historic art house theater, and champion independent filmmakers to make impact nationwide.

To learn more about our Donor Circle levels visit cafilm.org/donor

sponsors

SIGNATURE

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY VICKIE SOULIER

MAJOR

PREMIER MEDIA

SPONSOR

SILVER CIRCLE

CAFILM FRENCH CINEMA

FESTIVAL CIRCLE

VAN and LYDIA MAROEVICH

MAJOR FOUNDATION SUPPORT

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

HELLMAN FOUNDATION

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

COUNTY OF MARIN

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

donor circle

LEADERSHIP

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH FAMILY

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

NANCY P. and RICHARD K. ROBBINS

FAMILY FOUNDATION

VICKIE SOULIER INVESTOR

JIM BOYCE TRUST and KRIS OTIS

KEN and JACKIE BROAD FAMILY FUND

DESTINO FUND

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

DANIEL KENYON and MICHELLE MARCHETTA KENYON

MOBLEY FAMILY FUND

GORDON RADLEY

CHRISTINE A. SCHANTZ

MICHAEL and SUSAN SCHWARTZ FUND

HENRY TIMNICK PLATINUM

KAMALA GEROUX-BERRY and DAVID BERRY

MAGGIE O’DONNELL and JOSH FLOUM

JONATHAN and DEBORAH PARKER

SILVER

NANCY ABODEELY

SHANA CHRYSTIE

ALICE CORNING

STEPHANIE DIMARCO

MICHAEL DYETT and HEIDI RICHARDSON

DENNIS P. FISCO and PAMELA POLITE FISCO

GRISWOLD FAMILY FUND, BOB and ALEX GRISWOLD

MAUREEN GROPER

MARGARET HAAS

LYNNE HALE

TOM and BARBARA HARRISON

ANDREE and JOHN JANSHESKI

WILLA JEFFERSON-STOKES

K.C. and STEVE LAUCK

JAN and JESSICA LINK

CLARE MCCAMY

CATHERINE MCKOWN

KENNETH and VERA MEISLIN

STEPHEN and MARY MIZROCH

JAMES MOCHIZUKI of FRIENDS PRODUCTIONS

LINDA MORGAN

CATHY and ROBERT NOURAFSHAN

THE JAY PRITZKER FOUNDATION

ROBERT SCHROEDL

ERIC SCHWARTZ and MAGDA WESSLUND

JANN STANLEY and SOREN DALSAGER

MONA STEINBERG

LIVIA STONE

PATRICIA TANOURY BRONZE

JANE BAY

THE NEWTON and ROCHELLE BECKER

CHARITABLE TRUST - DAVE and ANN

PECKENPAUGH BECKER

SUSAN and WILLIAM BEECH

SUSAN BOLLE

MARC and ROBIN BUSSIN

JOE and SUE CARLOMAGNO

LESLIE CHATHAM

KEVIN and CHRISTINE CHESSEN

JOY CHIK and TOM LARSON

TOM COHEN and KRISTI DENTON COHEN

JOEL and JUSTINE COOPERSMITH

GAYLE DONSKY and MORTON STEIN

BECKY DRAPER

CATHERINE and PETER FLAXMAN

MICHELLE GRIFFIN and TOM PARKER

MICHELE CRNCICH HODGE and JEFF HODGE

RICHARD J. IDELL and SUSAN KORNBLATT IDELL

ELISABETH and HOWARD JAFFE

RAY and CARLA KALISKI

JOE and MARGARET KEON

AMY KEROES

CAROLINE LABE

JACQUI LOPEZ

CYNTHIA MARAM

JOHN and CINDY M c CAULEY

ROSEMARY and KEVIN M c NEELY

HARRISON MILLER

MONAHAN PARKER, INC.

RUSSELL MUNSELL

ANDRA MUNTEANU

ALEXANDER NOURAFSHAN

CONSTANCE OCLASSEN

ANDREW PESA

ROBERTA O’NEALE

LORNE and ILONA PARKER

DR. SANFORD ROSENBERG and MEDIA RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

STEVE RIFFKIN

SUSAN and JOEL SKLAR

VISRA VICHIT-VADAKAN

CAMEO WOOD

ZACH and MARLIES ZEISLER

smith rafael film center donors

DIRECTORS CHAIR

CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH

JENNIFER COSLETT MACCREADY

HENRY TIMNICK

DISTINGUISHED BENEFACTOR

MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

SAN RAFAEL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY

BENEFACTOR

MARCIA LUCAS

LUCASFILM LTD

PACIFIC THEATRES CORPORATION

PATRON

MARGARET E. HAAS

HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO

KATZ FAMILY FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTOR

BELLEBYRON FOUNDATION

ED and SUSAN LOWE

THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION

MEL and LOIS TUKMAN

DOLBY LABORATORIESS

SUPPORTER

BANK OF MARIN

THE FRED GELLERT

FAMILY FOUNDATION

GRUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

DON and DONNA KELLEHER

MARIN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

MICHAEL and SUSAN SCHWARTZ

KEN and JACKIE BROAD

FAMILY FUND

FRIEND

AUTODESK, INC

BANK OF AMERICA FOUNDATION

BLOCKBUSTER, INC

DOUG CARLSTON and TOMI PIERCE

MARK CAZENAVE II

TOM and DIANE DURST

SUNITA DUTT

CHINOOK RESTAURANT

LEONARD and ROBIN EBER

DOUG and JANE FERGUSON

HAMBRECHT and QUIST

THE HAYDON FAMILY IL DAVIDE RESTAURANT

DAN HELLER

GERALD G. HOYTT

NANCY K. HUDSON

J. PATRICK and IRENE M. HUNT

MICHAEL and ROXANNE KLEIN

ELLEN JANE KUTTEN

KATHRYN E. JOHNSON AND PETER CULVER

K.C. and STEVE LAUCK

BARBARA BROWN LEIBERT

LUTHER BURBANK SAVINGS

MARIN AIRPORTER

NORTHERN TRUST

PACIFIC TELESIS

JOSEPH and EDA PELL

PINEWOOD FOUNDATION

THE EGAN FAMILY RAFAEL CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL

PHILIP A. SCHAEFER

JIN and LINDA ZIDELL

SUSAN and RICHARD IDELL

JOHN and BETH ALLEN

ANDREW and KATHLEEN VARLOW

NANCY and RICH ROBBINS

MACQUARIE GROUP

FOUNDATION

CARLA EMIL and RICH SILVERSTEIN

PETER and CATHERINE FLAXMAN

ERIC A. SCHWARTZ

BILL and MARY POLAND

INITIATIVES

We believe that film has the power to inspire and activate. MVFF Initiatives are a call to action through screenings, panels, partnerships, masterclasses, and mentorship opportunities.

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

Sponsored by xx

¡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

With support provided by WATER FOR LIFE

WORLD CINEMA

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

Sponsored by Jim Boyce Trust and Kris Otis

SECTIONS

US CINEMA

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

Sponsored by

+ Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

DOCS

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

Sponsored by

+ Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation

FAMILY FILMS

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

Sponsored by

SHORTS

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

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST

BEHIND THE SCREENS

KEYNOTE

THE TIME IS NOW: BUILDING A NEW FILM ECOSYSTEM

TED HOPE

Friday | October 6 | 2:00 | Rafael

Was that the sound of what was formerly known as the film business collapsing on itself? The cinema apocalypse may be here, but if you let your anger be an agent of change and your inherent sense of art guide you, perhaps we can all leap over the ashes and fly. Ted Hope will explain why the conditions are right for a total reboot of cinema and how we can all offer a hand, using all that we really know but somehow forgot or never properly respected. In this one-hour conversation, hope shall bloom anew. Rome wasn’t burnt in a day, but now that we’ve seen what we lost, let’s examine the cracks to see where the light gets in.

After almost 150 feature productions, numerous startups of all shapes and sizes, including Amazon’s foray into features, Hope has built a creative process and system that can show us all a new way forward. Ted helped launch the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, and many others. His most recent films include the first narrative from Oscar ® -winning documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro, as well as Evgeny Afineevsky’s Ukraine War documentary Freedom On Fire, Marina Zenovich’s Jerry Brown: The Disrupter, and Vanessa Hope’s Taiwan documentary Invisible Nation, playing at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival.

PANEL TITLE

Friday | October 6 | 2:00 | Rafael

Was that the sound of what was formerly known as the film

MASTERCLASS TITLE

Friday | October 6 | 2:00 | Rafael

Was that the sound of what was formerly known as the film

BEHIND THE SCREENS

PERFORMANCES IN CELEBRATION OF AN AMERICAN HERO

THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE

A special one-of-a-kind tribute concert honoring the legendary Barbara Dane and the much-anticipated premiere screening of Maureen Gosling's captivating documentary, The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane. Brace yourself for an explosion of talent with mesmerizing performances that span genres and generations. Guest artists Holly Near and Willie Chambers (Chambers Brothers), will join Barbara Dane’s son from Cuba, Pablo Menendez (Mezcla) who will lead Barbara’s band featuring members Tammy Hall (piano), Ruth Davies (bass) and Daria Johnson (drums), with cameo appearances by Barbara’s eldest son Jesse Cahn and her Cuban rockstar grandson Osamu. This electrifying celebration promises an unforgettable night of music, memories, and a deep appreciation for a legacy that has touched lives across the globe.

Tuesday | October 10

Show only $60 | Doors: 7:00 | Show: 8:00

Film and Show $70 | Film: 5:00 | Sequoia

For all ages

MVFF MUSIC

AN EVENING OF EAST AND WEST COAST RENEGADE RADIO FEAST YOUR EARS

Following the California premiere of Jay Schlossberg’s documentary feature film Feast Your Ears: The Story of WHFS 102.3, we're turning up the heat with a live concert that's all about celebrating the iconic independent radio stations that kept us jamming through the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s – WHFS on the East Coast and KSAN on the West Coast. Hosted by the legendary Ben Fong-Torres, this night is gonna rock as we bring you performances by Taj Mahal, Jesse Colin Young, members of the Firesign Theater, a reunion of former DJs from both KSAN and WHFS Radio, and other surprise guests that will have you grooving to the tunes.

Friday | October 13

Show only $70 | Doors: 7:00 | Show: 8:00

Film and Show Price $80 | Film: 4:45 | Sequoia

For all ages

MIND THE GAP

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.

ADRIFT

ANOTHER BODY

FARMING WHILE BLACK

PATROL

THE RIGHT TO READ

ACTIVE CINEMA HIKE: NETWORKING IN NATURE

Saturday Oct 14, 10am | Free

Come and enjoy some fresh air and fresh ideas with filmmakers, friends, festival staff and cinephiles during this hour-long hike to the ocean through beautiful terrain. Exchange ideas on filmmaking, filmmaker resources, activism, and strategies for engagement. Bring water and sunblock, and wear good hiking shoes. All welcome! Meet at Tennessee Valley Trailhead parking lot.

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.

¡Viva el cine! es una iniciativa de MVFF que celebra historias latinoamericanas, latines y en español, conectando a las audiencias con una diversidad de culturas, identidades e historias exploradas a través de la magia del cine.

Features

HEARTBEAT (Mexico)

MOUNTAINS (US)

MÚSICA (US)

PATROL (Nicaragua, US)

RADICAL (US)

RIVER OF DESIRE (Brazil)

ROBOT DREAMS (Spain)

THE SETTLERS (Chile)

THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER (Spain)

SKIN OF GLASS (US)

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (Uruguay, Chile)

TOTEM (Mexico)

WATER FOR LIFE (US)

EL CINE!

Shorts

CLEO & NINA (Costa Rica)

EL BAILE (Colombia)

EL MOÑO (US)

LA CALESITA (Argentina)

MIST (Colombia)

THE PIÑATA (Mexico)

UNDER THE SAME SKY (Mexico)

WITH A WOOL BALL (Argentina)

OPERATION FRANKENSTEIN (Spain)

STRAWBERRY PICKER (US)

NO MORE LONGING (US)

SKIN OF GLASS

MVFF EDUCATION

CAFILM Education has offered free education programs to Bay Area schools for more than 35 years, welcoming thousands of students to participate in the Festival each year by viewing new films and meeting filmmakers from around the world. We continue this tradition with two free programs available exclusively to K-12 schools in the Bay Area and across the country.

SCHOOL SCREENINGS

A selection of narrative features, documentaries, and shorts programs is carefully curated from the general Festival program and offered for free to all participating schools as weekday matinees in the theater and throughout the Festival online. Screenings are followed by Q&As with filmmakers and subject experts, and supplemented by free curriculum resources including film-analysis toolkits, lesson plans, and discussion guides to help teachers incorporate the films into their class curriculum.

FILMMAKERS GO TO SCHOOL

For those schools and students unable to travel to the theater, we offer an additional interactive experience through our Filmmakers Go to School program. Throughout the Festival (and often beyond), CAFILM Education staff brings filmmaker guests into the community to meet with students in their classrooms and school auditoriums, or at nearby venues, for in-depth discussions about the art and craft of filmmaking.

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

Support provided by Pixar | Nancy P. and Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation | Project No. 9

Photo: Tommy Lau

faMILY FilmS

We’re making every Family Film event a reason for celebration this year! Join us for a diverse selection of only-at-MVFF film screenings that both kids and parents will enjoy, followed by a host of free activities, gifts and goodies.

FRYBREAD FACE AND ME (Age 10+)

Q&A with director Billy Luther after both screenings

ROSA AND THE STONE TROLL (Age 5+)

Free face painting and Fairytale Brownies after both screenings— and wear your fairy wings to the theater to get a free small popcorn (ages 12 and under).

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS (Age 8+)

Free Sweetly Cali Desserts and a special children’s book raffle after both screenings.

SHORTS: MONSTERS, MOVIES & THE MOON (Age 9+)

Q&A with director Benjamin Mulholland (The Lake Merritt Monster ) after both screenings, plus a free monster make-up demo after the Oct 8 screening.

SHORTS: ¡VIVA EL CINE INFANTIL! (Age 6+)

Free churros and piñata party after the Oct 14 screening.

SHORTS: YOUTH WORKS (Age 13+)

Q&A with local youth filmmakers and our Young Curators

There are many more hidden gems in the festival program for families to view together. Here are just a few to get you started:

FANCY DANCE (Age 15+)

I AM HOPE (Age 9+)

MUSICÁ! (Age 11+)

MUSTACHE (Age 12+)

ONE WITH THE WHALE (Age 13+)

PERIODICAL (Age 14+)

THE RIGHT TO READ (Age 10+)

ROBOT DREAMS (Age 10+)

NOTE : We provide age recommendations for Family Film programs to assist parents in making appropriate film selections. These recommendations cannot adequately reflect the standards of every parent or the needs of every child, so please plan your movie-going experience accordingly.

ROSA AND THE STONE TROLL

STRANDS

CREATE

Art. Dance. Music. Theater. Creative minds.

CAROL DODA TOPLESS AT THE CONDOR

FEAST YOUR EARS

MILLI VANILLI MÙSICA!

THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE

ROBOT DREAMS

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS

THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER

GROW

Ecology. Geography. Environment.

The human relationship with the natural world

COMMON GROUND

DEMON MINERAL

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST

FARMING WHILE BLACK

ONE WITH THE WHALE

PATROL

WATER FOR LIFE

HEART

Love. Like. Lust.

Passion. Romance.

ÖTE

NATIONAL ANTHEM

FALLEN LEAVES

HEARTBEAT

RIVER OF DESIRE

THE FORTUNATE ONES

THE TASTE OF THE THINGS

LAUGH

Humor. Wit. Satire. Irony.

Comedy. From LOL to WTF.

AMERICAN FICTION

THE CRIME IS MINE

FRYBREAD FACE AND ME

THE HYPNOSIS

LA CHIMERA

MUSTACHE

THE NATURE OF LOVE

SLIDE

TERRESTRIAL VERSES

SPIRIT

Body. Soul.

The wholeness of being human.

I AM HOPE

GOODBYE, JULIA

INSHALLAH A BOY KIDNAPPED MONSTER

PERFECT DAYS

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW

TOTEM

ADRIFT

THE RIGHT TO READ

TRAILBLAZERS

Portraits of courage, vision, talent, and guts.

RADICAL

IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE

HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

FARMING WHILE BLACK

PERIODICAL

SKIN OF GLASS

ANOTHER BODY

INVISIBLE NATION

A DOUBLE LIFE

FARMING WHILE BLACK

FEAST YOUR EARS

With an estimated 35 million people currently displaced from their homes, the world now has more refugees than at any other time since World War II. While media reports thrive on sensationalism and populist politicians adopt fear-mongering campaigns, the lives of people fleeing deadly conflict hang in the balance. Without diminishing the extent of the crisis, Adrift contextualizes the debate around migration, highlighting the historical basis of the world’s engagement with refugees. No stranger to the big issues of American life, veteran filmmaker Rory Kennedy traces the US and global response to major conflicts including recent humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Syria, while also supporting a unified and compassionate response that centers dignity. With Adrift , Kennedy delivers an arresting, evidence-driven work of advocacy for the rights of refugees around the world. —Wilfred Okiche

Friday, October 6 . 6:00 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 7 . 3:30 . Rafael

ALL HAPPY FAMILIES

Haroula Rose's charming dramedy stars How I Met Your Mother 's Josh Radnor as Graham, an actor and writer in a slump and still waiting for his big break while his hugely successful brother Will (Rob Huebel) stars in his own sitcom. On the weekend before new tenant Dana (Chandra Russell) is due to move into their childhood home, the siblings and their parents find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof again, where every corner reveals secrets and surprises and the family airs out longheld resentments. This slice-of-life film features a terrific ensemble cast, including the pitch-perfect Becky Ann Baker as Sue, the matriarch who’s tired of having to hold everything together. With a heartfelt and witty script co-written by Coburn Goss, Rose delicately weaves a deeply relatable portrait of family dysfunction, with all of its delightfully entertaining mess coming to the surface over the course of one eventful and unforgettable weekend. —Celeste

Wong

Saturday, October 14 . 3:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 12:00 . Sequoia

AMERICAN FICTION

After making a name for himself in journalism and TV, writer Cord Jefferson ( The Good Place, Watchmen ) proves a director to watch with this adaptation of Percival Everett’s Erasure , a satirical and thought-provoking examination of the publishing industry and how it consumes marginalized voices. Jeffrey Wright delivers a compelling performance as author and professor Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, whose life is falling apart. Ousted from his college and struggling to sell books, he’s forced by a family emergency to retreat for an extended period to his hometown. There, Monk channels his frustration into writing a lampoon of the popular Black books on the market, publishing under a pseudonym and becoming, to his chagrin, an overnight success. A stellar supporting cast joins Wright, including Sterling K. Brown in a standout role unlike anything you’ve seen him in before. —Bri’anna

Moore

Wednesday, October 11 . 6:30 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 3:00 . Rafael

ANATOMY OF A FALL

Did he jump or was he pushed? That question haunts Anatomy of a Fall , a gripping procedural that won the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Sandra Hüller, also superb in MVFF46 selection The Zone of Interest , stars as Sandra, an aloof writer the police suspect killed her husband Vincent (Swann Arlaud). The dueling implications of suicide and murder drive French director Justine Triet’s fascinating mixture of marriage story and courtroom drama. Through flashbacks, the filmmaker (Sibyl) paints Sandra as a mother and wife full of contradictions, seeking the truth of Vincent’s death but, just as doggedly, trying to unravel the complexities that define so many relationships. Here the answers are never clear-cut, but Hüller’s beautifully enigmatic performance suggests that, in love, no one’s entirely innocent.

—Tim Grierson

Saturday, October 7 . 7:00 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 6:30 .

ANOTHER BODY

Some guys take rejection and compose beautiful love songs; others make deepfake revenge porn. These AI-manipulated images designed to deceive are the latest online threat with terrifying real-world consequences. In the political sphere, bad actors use deepfakes to influence elections and stir up conflict. But the technology is also a new tool misogynists wield with impunity to harass women online. Anyone with the creepy inclination and a VPN can scrape social media for photos, superimpose those stolen faces on other women’s bodies in pornography, disseminate the imagery over the internet, and make money doing it. No federal statutes and few state laws exist to protect deepfakes’ victims. In this eye-opening documentary, when the police prove useless, one woman turns sleuth to fight back, immersing herself in 4chan’s cyber-sewer as she works to uncover the person responsible for making and spreading deepfakes using her image. Directors Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn harness the very same AI technology used to make deepfakes to protect her identity as she braves the digital Wild West in search of some kind of justice. —Shari

Kizirian

DIRECTORS

Sophie Compton

Reuben Hamlyn

xx 20xx 105 min

WEST COAST PREMIERE SECTION Docs

Trailblazers INITIATIVE Active Cinema

Mind the Gap

Saturday, October 7 . 4:00 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 8 . 12:30 . Rafael

AVENUE OF THE GIANTS

Beautiful performances from Stephen Lang ( Avatar ) and Elsie Fisher ( Eighth Grade ) anchor a tale of personal strength and sacrifice in this fifth feature from Bay Area writer-director Finn Taylor ( Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait , MVFF41). Set in locations as disparate as Terezín, Prague, and the titular drive in California’s Humboldt Redwoods State Park, it is also very much a Marin story. And it’s true: For more than 50 years, Auschwitz survivor Herbert Heller (Lang) kept his memories of the Holocaust secret — even from his wife and children. But when he met Abbey (Fisher), a troubled teen dealing with her own unspoken pain, Herbert decided it was time to talk. Through sharing their personal traumas, Herbert and Abbey became the unlikeliest of friends, allies in healing whose bond brought them a previously undiscovered sense of purpose. With dramatic reenactments of Herbert’s struggles to survive, Taylor’s touching film demonstrates that hope and redemption can come from anywhere if we’re open to it.

Riedel

Wednesday, October 11 . 7:00 . Rafael

Thursday, October 12 . 2:30 . Sequoia

DIRECTOR

Finn Taylor

US 2022 102 min

THE BIKERIDERS

Anchored by phenomenal performances from Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, and Austin Butler, this latest feature from indie auteur Jeff Nichols ( Loving , MVFF39) chronicles a fictional biker gang in mid-’60s Chicago. Inspired by Danny Lyon’s book cataloging his own reflections on being in a gang, Nichols creates the Vandals, a fictional brotherhood of leather-jacketed men bonded by beers, bikes, and brawls. In this macho culture, tears aren’t permitted and repression can fuel hasty acts of violence. Butler plays Benny, the gang’s most charismatic member, who comes across as a mix of Marlon Brando and James Dean. Hardy fully inhabits his role of Johnny, the gang’s ringleader who develops an intimate connection with Benny. And Comer demonstrates her versatility as Benny’s working-class wife, Kathy, whose outside-looking-in perspective offers an illuminating framework for the story. Rich in production and period detail and photographed with grit and style by Adam Stone, The Bikeriders explores the visceral stimulation as well as the limitations of an archetypically masculine life. It’s Nichols’ most ambitious film yet, continuing his string of great cinematic successes. —Randy Myers

Monday, October 9 . 7:15 . Rafael

Saturday, October 14 . 11:00am . Sequoia

THE BOY AND THE HERON

In the aftermath of World War II, a Japanese boy, Mahito, must settle into a new home with his newly married father. But Mahito remains isolated, friendless, and haunted by the death of his mother. So begins the fantasy whirlwind of the newest film from animation master Hayao Miyazaki ( Spirited Away , Princess Mononoke ). And because it is Miyazaki, the experience involves mysterious passages and stairways, as well as bizarre creatures, some of whom may be malevolent, or perhaps just mischievous. Mahito embarks on a mission tied to his family that brings him into an extraordinary alternate universe where nothing is as it appears. Like so many Miyazaki heroes, he finds that his expected fate may directly conflict with far more urgent and intimate issues, forcing him to discover his personal moral compass. Full of the storied auteur’s remarkable visual imagery — beautiful, surreal, disturbing — this is one adventure you will never forget. —Sterling Hedgpeth

Hayao Miyazaki Japan 2023 124 min

Monday, October 9 . 7:30 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 7:30 . Lark

CAROL DODA TOPLESS AT THE CONDOR

Dancer Carol Doda is a San Francisco legend, a game changer, a lightning rod, and a woman so iconic that her figure in flashing neon once loomed over the intersection of Broadway and Columbus. This fascinating documentary explores the legacy of the Condor Club waitress turned entertainer who — thanks to the serendipitous appearance of the monokini – became the city’s first topless dancer. Risky silicone breast injections enhanced Doda’s figure, while her moxie inspired a cottage industry of topless bars that reshaped the city’s nightlife and her “subversive agenda” to find stardom transformed America’s relationship to female nudity. Using the male gaze to her advantage, Doda found power, letting it rip to great effect. Though scorned by some, Doda was widely celebrated — and even wooed by Frank Sinatra—until in later decades she struggled to find her way in a changing landscape and faced the expiration date patriarchy imposed on her. —Celia

C. Peters

Tuesday, October 10 . 8:45 . Roxie

Saturday, October 14 . 7:00 . Rafael

Marlo McKenzie

Jonathan Parker

US 20xx 100 min

LA CHIMERA

There is a captivating, joyous pulse that bubbles throughout Alice Rohrwacher’s ( Le Pupille , MVFF45) marvelous fantasy-comedy on the themes of love, loss, and…Etruscan antiquities. It’s the 1980s; it’s Tuscany. A lanky Englishman in a grubby white suit (a knock-your-socks-off performance by The Crown ’s Josh O’Connor) shows up in a small town after a stint in prison, shacking up in a nearby shantytown. This is Arthur, an archaeological scholar who moonlights as the lynchpin of a rascally, exuberantly colorful gang of graverobbers scavenging for ancient artifacts — which Arthur locates using a dowsing rod. He also desperately yearns to reunite with his beloved Beniamina, daughter of a local aristocrat (the marvelous Isabella Rossellini), his quest for lost love as much spiritual as actual. Rohrwacher again proves herself an absolute original: As she excavates the world of stolen antiquities with whimsicality and brilliance, what may be ultimately stolen is your heart. —Zoē Elton

Friday, October 6 . 8:00

Sunday, October 8 . 4:00

COMMON GROUND

A striking wake-up call for the entire world, this dramatic and gorgeously shot doc focuses on the power of regenerative farming to transform the Earth, and how soil health is the key to all health. Filmmakers Rebecca and Josh Tickell dig into the impact contemporary agriculture has on everyday lives, with celebrities including Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Donald Glover introducing us to farmers, scientists, and concerned citizens on the literal ground working to save the planet. The film delves into the financial and political drivers behind farming decisions, including a look at the unsettling racial history of American agriculture, the role of government lobbyists, and the influence of chemical companies like Monsanto. Ultimately it delivers a hopeful message as a growing number of innovative farmers find strategies to not only produce nutritional food, but also revive our faltering ecosystem. —Brendan Peterson

Rebecca Tickell

Josh Tickell

US 2023 105 min

Saturday, October 7 . 11:30am . Rafael

THE CRIME IS MINE

French director François Ozon ( By the Grace of God , MVFF42) is at his most playful in this retro confection, derived from the same play that inspired the 1937 Carole Lombard screwball comedy True Confession . Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Rebecca Marder play impoverished Parisian flatmates struggling to start careers as actress and lawyer. Their luck changes when one is implicated in a murder — and they decide not to argue her (actual) innocence, instead pleading self-defense for publicity’s sake. Notoriety is achieved… but what if the real killer turns up to steal back that ill-gotten fame? Plush period trappings, rising young Gallic stars, and several welcome familiar faces adorn this antic soufflé that puts a distinct MeToo-era spin on satire reminiscent of Chicago. Arriving to the party fashionably late is Isabelle Huppert in rare form as “Madame Odette,” a flamboyant gorgon who’s like an Erté (or Edward Gorey) drawing come to life. —Dennis Harvey

François Ozon

France 2023 102 min NORTH

Monday, October 9 . 3:30 . Rafael

Saturday, October 14 . 7:15 . Sequoia

DEMON MINERAL

A penetrating look at the radioactive desert of the Navajo Reservation suffering from the effects of decades of uranium mining, Demon Mineral paints a devastating portrait of bureaucratic inaction and its long-term impact on human life. This fascinating documentary, directed by Hadley Austin and produced by Dr. Tommy Rock, employs an array of well-sourced scientific data, coupled with archival and on-the-ground footage, to bring into vivid focus the heartbreaking toll of omnipresent radiation on the Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah Indigenous population. With few avenues available to offset their suffering — compounded by sustained apathy from politicians who might be able to help — a group of Indigenous scientists, elders, and activists strive to reclaim Diné Bikeyah, the sacred land of the Navajo, and gain compensation for their contaminated lands. The illuminating Demon Mineral is an essential vehicle for those directly impacted by this dire situation to draw attention to their plight. —

Zaki Hasan

Saturday, October 14 . 6:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 12:00 . Rafael

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE

This beautifully crafted documentary, about the life and work of the author of the best-selling 1976 Hite Report on Female Sexuality , stays close to the source, foregrounding sexologist Shere Hite’s writing and numerous television appearances to tell her story. Combined with a treasure trove of home movies, photographs, and interviews with fellow scholars, activists, and friends, it follows Hite’s trajectory from hardworking history student to history maker who revolutionized the cultural conversation about sex. Sharing information gleaned from thousands of candid anonymous responses to questionnaires she designed, Hite showed that the sex and love lives of American women were quite different from those represented in popular culture and the scientific studies of the time. Along with exultation and praise for the liberating potential of her work, the insidious backlash Hite endured is all too familiar in an era when many states are radically curtailing the rights of women. —Kate

MacKay

\\A DOUBLE LIFE

The grim news made international headlines: On August 21, 1971, prison authorities discovered a gun on famed Soledad Brother author, activist, and San Quentin inmate George Jackson. A shootout ensued, killing Jackson, two other inmates, and three guards, and wounding three more correction officers. Authorities asserted that only lawyer Stephen Bingham could have smuggled the weapon into the prison. Fearing that a conviction for abetting the guards’ deaths would lead to his own murder, the attorney fled, beginning a long, strange odyssey of pseudonymous exile. Strange indeed for the Yale-graduate scion of politically prominent New England elites. Told largely in Bingham’s own words half a century later, Catherine Masud’s documentary is both an absorbing flashback to a heyday of Bay Area radical activism, and an indictment of officials willing to frame an innocent party in order to quickly close the books on a high-profile case. —Dennis Harvey

Sunday, October 8 . 2:45 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 11:30am . Rafael

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST

Oscar®-winning director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi ( Drive My Car , MVFF44) builds his beautifully evocative, poetic, and unequivocally political film around the most pressing issues of our time: corporate greed vs. environmental protection; centralized power vs. community control. The drama unfolds as residents of Mizubiki Village, including odd-jobber Takumi and his young daughter Hana, discover plans to build a “glamping” compound in the middle of their forested hamlet. Their water quality is at risk, and residents have been consulted neither about the building plans, nor the incursion of tourism to follow. When the community demands face-to-face accountability from the project developers, they deploy a public-relations firm instead to ply the villagers with unconvincing platitudes. With echoes of Agnieszka Holland’s Spoor and a titular nod to Mohammad Rasoulof’s There Is No Evil , Hamaguchi’s unforgettable drama is a poignant reminder that Nature always casts the deciding vote. —KD Davis

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Japan 2023 105 min

Tuesday, October 10 . 8:00 . Sequoia

Thursday, October 12 . 11:00am . Rafael

FALLEN LEAVES

Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki reasserts himself as the master of the wry, melancholy comedy with his first film in six years, the winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s jury prize. Jussi Vatanen and Alma Pöysti star as two lonely souls living in Helsinki who find their possible love connection thwarted when he accidentally loses her number. Those enamored with Kaurismäki’s previous gems, such as The Man Without a Past and Le Havre , will find much to savor in this lovely portrait of downbeat individuals who haven’t given up on happy endings. The performances are precisely calibrated for maximum deadpan pleasure in a movie that contains plenty of winking nods to world-class filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu and Jim Jarmusch. But as always with Kaurismäki, the droll tone is offset by piercing sympathy for his characters, who battle alcoholism, working-class drudgery, and painful pasts as they try to forge a bond. As its title suggests, Fallen Leaves exudes a crisp, autumnal air — its quiet beauty as natural and effortless as the change of seasons. —Tim Grierson

Friday, October 13 . 7:15 . BAMPFA

Saturday, October 14 . 2:45 . Sequoia

FANCY DANCE

Erica Tremblay’s moving narrative debut, set on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma, focuses on Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), a teenager whose mom has vanished, and her Aunt Jax ( Lily Gladstone , The Unknown Country , MVFF45). With Jax’s custody of her niece under threat, the pair hit the road to search for their missing relative, and participate in a nearby powwow. The hasty trip doesn’t sit well with local government officials or with Roki’s grandfather (Shea Whigham), who sets off in pursuit to disrupt their plans. With a sure hand and a light touch, Tremblay shines a light into the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women while telling a moving story of adolescence and maternal bonds. Highlighted by the two leads’ effortless charisma and a keen eye for the backroads and byways of rural America, Fancy Dance is grounded in cultural specificity and beautifully rounded characters.

—Rod Armstrong

Friday, October 13 . 7:30 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 7:00 . BAMPFA

DIRECTOR

Erica Tremblay

US 2023 90 min

BAY AREA PREMIERE

SECTION US INITIATIVE

Mind the Gap

FARMING WHILE BLACK

In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell to two percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. Director Mark Decena adapts Leah Penniman’s 2018 book into a visually eloquent documentary that chronicles Penniman and two other Black farmers’ efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Collectively, their work has a major impact, as each is a leader in sustainable agriculture and food justice movements. Decena outlines their contributions to regenerative agricultural practices, his watchful camera following the trio as they grow food, build community, advocate for themselves, repair the wounds of the past, and create a prosperous future. A rich guide to a world of activists, storytellers, healers, and change-makers, Farming While Black manifests alternate visions of humanity’s relationship to the land. —Wilfred Okiche

Saturday, October 7 . 3:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 4:00 . BAMPFA

FAST CHARLIE

Pierce Brosnan’s titular character shouldn’t have to be so fast anymore — he ought to be well into a comfortable retirement. Yet somehow the job of mob enforcer (or “problem-solver,” as he prefers to discreetly put it) seems never-ending. In fact, it spirals out of control anew once a subordinate’s bungled hit escalates into a full-on syndicate war sprawling from rural Mississippi to New Orleans, bodies piling high en route. Based on pulp crime specialist Victor Gischler’s acclaimed 2001 debut novel Gun Monkeys , this is twist-laden Southern noir with no lack of action, humor, and snappy dialogue. It’s all handled with esprit by versatile veteran Australian director Phillip Noyce ( Rabbit-Proof Fence , MVFF25). The lineup of colorful supporting characters includes Morena Baccarin’s taxidermist heroine, The Wire ’s Gbenga Akinnagbe, a wildly foul-mouthed Sharon Gless, and the late James Caan in one of his final roles as Charlie’s ailing boss. —Dennis Harvey

DIRECTOR

Phillip Noyce

US 2023 90 min

Saturday, October 7 . 7:30 . Rafael

Monday, October 9 . 2:00 . Sequoia

FEAST YOUR EARS: THE STORY OF WHFS 102.3 FM

Built out of “a pile of radio junk,” Bethesda, Maryland’s WHFS was a music fan’s dream of a radio station: the place on the dial to hear music listeners loved and new tunes they soon would, all with an anything-goes mentality and an ear for the sounds of social change. This doc pays loving tribute to free-form radio and WHFS’s influence over FM stations across the US from the 1960s to the 1980s. All good things come to an end, and so did the disc-jockey-driven format that WHFS pioneered and made successful, but its legacy lives on. The station’s DJs relate its history with passion in this film that captures the tenor of an era, abetted by reminiscences of performers including Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Jesse Colin Young, and others whose music found its way to ears and minds eager for something more than the same old Top 40 programming. —David

Riedel

Friday, October 13 . 4:45 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 1:00 . Rafael

DIRECTOR Jay Schlossberg US 2023 96 min

At the “Love Institute,” couples come to reduce the risks of romance. No more uncertainty, no more wondering whether you’ve chosen the right person. Director Christos Nikou ( Apples , MVFF43) brilliantly creates worlds that are both distant from our own yet somehow painfully, achingly familiar. In Fingernails , he asks if we can ever be sure whether our chosen partners have chosen us in return. And if there were a biometric test to prove the veracity of our partner’s desire, would we really want to know the results? Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking , MVFF45) and Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear ) are a couple convinced of their compatibility, having already passed “The Test.” But when Anna takes a job at the Love Institute, her encounter with researcher Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal , MVFF43) calls everything into question. “Heart symptoms first appear in the nail,” reads the poster on the Institute’s wall, and Fingernails hits it right on the head. —KD Davis

Thursday, October 12 . 7:00 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 8:00 . Sequoia

THE FORTUNATE ONES

Raised without parents in an isolated mansion on Portugal’s southernmost coast, Milene (Rita Cabaco) turned out a sort of adult wild child — impulsive, often withdrawn, prone to hysterical outbursts. When her grandmother-minder dies, the stuffy relatives who ignored Milene until now must decide what to “do with” her. Institutionalization? Some menial job? They don’t reckon she might have her own firm ideas on the matter, especially after she meets construction worker Antonino (Milton Lopes), who’s part of a much warmer clan living on the grounds of the shuttered factory that once enriched her own family. The heart wants what it wants…but will anyone respect Milene’s desires? Veteran Swiss writer-director Jeanne Waltz has crafted a delicate yet sturdy and flavorful drama that treats a challenged mental-health status with hope and humor, minus sentimentality or condescension. —Dennis

Harvey

Saturday, October 7 . 4:30 . Rafael

Wednesday, October 11 . 2:00 . Sequoia

FRYBREAD FACE AND ME

Director Billy Luther’s wistfully funny debut spins the tender coming-of-age tale of 11-year-old Benny. Sent from his San Diego home to live with his grandmother on the Navajo reservation in the summer of 1990, he soon bonds with his cousin Dawn, AKA “Frybread Face.” Framed as a fond remembrance narrated by the adult Benny, the film depicts an initially rocky relationship that blossoms into friendship in a drama that lives at the inviting crossroads of American pop culture and Navajo tradition. Luther’s take on the familiar arc of a city kid uncovering his true heritage — complete with amusingly prickly family dynamics — thrives on low-key warmth. Produced by the visionary Taika Waititi, this genuine charmer and its affectionate insights slyly reminds us how important kin can be in a child’s self-discovery.

—Ananya Kumar-Banerjee

Saturday, October 7 . 11:00am . Sequoia

Monday, October 9 . 5:00 . Rafael

GOODBYE JULIA

Sudan’s first film at Cannes — and at MVFF — is a powerful drama set against its 2011 split into two countries, the story of two extraordinary women brought together by the violence of men and racist politics. Mona (Eiman Yousif) is a Muslim woman who, when driving while distracted, accidentally hits a young boy and drives off in a panic. The boy’s mother is the titular Julia (Siren Riak), a Christian woman from the south, whose family is facing religious prejudice despite temporary peace accords. In the wake of tragic events brought about by the hit-and-run, Julia goes to work for Mona, and a fragile friendship develops despite their differences in religion and social standing. Buried deceptions are at play, however, involving Julia’s husband’s disappearance and Mona’s thankless marriage. In addition to eliciting two riveting central performances, debut director Mohamed Kordofani seamlessly interweaves personal and political themes, unifying these elements in vibrant and resonant fashion.

—Rod Armstrong

Thursday, October 12 .12:00 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 11:30am . Sequoia

DIRECTOR

Billy Luther

Sudan/Egypt/Germany/ France/Saudi Arabia/ Sweden 2023 120 min WEST

HEARTBEAT (LATIDO)

When one wants a baby but can’t conceive and another is pregnant and doesn’t want the baby, the solution to each woman’s problem seems simple. But the situation is not as clear-cut as it appears. In Mexico City-based director Katina Medina Mora’s third film to portray the complications of intimacy, two distinct realities converge over how it feels not to have control over your body. The newly separated Leonor (Marina de Tavira) comes from the monied class, while 16-year-old aspiring ballerina Emilia (Camila Calónico) does not. They begin a tense pas de deux waiting out Emilia’s pregnancy in a remote country home, isolated from the world and each other. Nur Rubio Sherwell’s dreamy subjective camerawork culminates in a breathtaking “Dance of the Young Swans” scene at the ballet — and common ground finally found. Recognizable to American audiences for her Oscar®-nominated appearance as the newly separated mom in Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, de Tavira also executive-produces this welcome feature focused on layered relationships between women. —

Shari Kizirian

En Ciudad de México, Leonor quiere un bebé pero no puede concebir, mientras que Emilia, aspirante a bailarina de 16 años, está embarazada y no quiere el bebé. La solución parece sencilla pero la realidad es más complicada. La delicada película de la directora Katina Medina Mora retrata hábilmente a dos mujeres que negocian las complejidades que conlleva forjar nuevos tipos de intimidad. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Sunday, October 8 . 7:30 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 8:30 . Rafael

THE HI DE HO SHOW

Who put the bomp in the bomp-bah-bomp-bah-bomp? Who put the ram in the rama-lama-ding-dong? Well, the grand maestro of rock, roll, and everything in between, John Goddard — of Mill Valley’s legendary Village Music — has some ideas! John again brings his inimitable insights and compendium-like knowledge of music and pop culture to this year’s evening of delights curated from his personal archive of music videos. The Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll is this year’s theme: Before the British Invasion, there was America! There was a spontaneous combustion of cross-cultural influences in music (B.B. King listening to the Grand Ole Opry, the young Carl Perkins picking cotton and hearing gospel), and a generation of teenagers (a whole new concept) ready to engage. This promises to be a who’s-who of the movers and shakers (Little Richard! Elvis! Wanda Jackson!) and a what’s-up of the backstories and gossip behind the movement that, back in the mid-20th century, changed the world forever. —Zoë

Elton

Saturday, October 14 . 8:30 . Sequoia

THE HOLDOVERS

An endearing ode to the power of unlikely friendships, Alexander Payne’s latest brings us back to 1971 at an elite boarding school where curmudgeonly Professor Hunham (Paul Giamatti) finds himself with the responsibility of staying on campus over winter break to supervise those few kids unable to go home for the holidays. One of those students, Angus (Dominic Sessa), is an antagonistic teen whose disappointment in his neglectful parents is matched only by his utter hatred of his professor. Joining them is kind cafeteria manager, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dolemite is My Name , MVFF42), who recently lost her son. Brought together by circumstance in the vast empty halls of an exclusive institution, three lonely outsiders find connection where they least expect it. Giamatti, Sessa, and Randolph are outstanding, with effortless chemistry, in Payne’s deeply moving and delightfully funny film — a heartwarming reminder that community can happen where you least expect it, and that we’re better off facing the world together than alone. —Celeste

Wong

Tuesday, October 10 . 7:00 . Sequoia

Thursday, October 12 . 3:00 . Rafael

HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

Saturday, October 14 . 7:30 . Lark

Sunday, October 15 . 8:30 . Sequoia

THE HYPNOSIS

How well do we know the person sharing our bed? That question powers Swedish filmmaker Ernst De Geer’s provocative debut, which fluctuates between wrenching cringe comedy and sober relationship drama. Herbert Nordrum ( The Worst Person in the World ) stars as Andre, an aspiring entrepreneur developing a socially conscious phone app with his girlfriend Vera (Asta Kamma August). Right before they attend a crucial business seminar, Vera sees a hypnotherapist to shed her smoking habit — and unexpectedly loses all her inhibitions, too. Nordrum won Best Actor at Karlovy Vary, but The Hypnosis is really a doubles act, with August playing a woman apparently unraveling — or is she at last liberated to be her true self around the controlling Andre? De Geer’s excruciatingly funny depiction of social embarrassment serves a surprisingly touching love story about commitment, acceptance, and truly seeing your partner for the first time. —Tim

Grierson

Friday, October 13 . 2:00 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 12:00 . Sequoia

Through fly-on-the-wall footage and insightful interviews, director ShakaJamal chronicles the effort to create a first-of-its-kind yoga and mindfulness program for Oakland Unified School District middle schools. Aimed at expanding students’ awareness and refining their goals, the initiative has been a unique success, and I Am Hope offers a poignant portrait of the day-to-day struggles of diverse young people united in their desire to pursue big dreams. As both director and interview subject, ShakaJamal’s presence is felt in front of and behind the camera, not only in terms of where he chooses to focus his lens but also in his discussions of the project’s origins and hopes for its future. “I’m passionate about your goals because you’re going to be the ones leading,” says the filmmaker to one of his students, and that zeal is plain to see in this heartfelt profile of a special program. —Zaki Hasan

64 min BAY

Shown with FOUNDER GIRLS

Director Contessa Gayles | US 2023 | 26 min

In this kaleidoscopic ode to girlhood, young campers find freedom, sisterhood, and themselves at a historically Black summer camp.

Saturday, October 7 . 1:00 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 5:00 . Rafael

IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE

A teenage physics prodigy juggles familial and academic responsibilities in Zoljargal Purevdash’s moving directorial debut. Growing up in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Ulzii is one of four kids of an illiterate, widowed mother ill-equipped to provide for her family. His new physics teacher recognizes the boy’s talents and recommends him for a scholarship competition that could lead to a brighter future, but his mom’s desire to move back to the countryside results in a series of decisions that put significant pressure on him and his two siblings who stay behind. Purevdash's lovely film creates great empathy for her protagonist and effortlessly establishes the warm relationship Ulzii has with his younger brother and sister. As he’s thrust into the role of family provider, his struggles reveal how tattered the social fabric is for impoverished people in a drama that deftly demonstrates the role that socioeconomics can play in advancing a person’s life.

Armstrong

Friday, October 13 . 12:00 . Rafae

Saturday, October 14 . 4:45 . Rafael l

INSHALLAH A BOY

After her husband Adnan’s sudden death, Nawal and her daughter are threatened with the loss of their home in this suspenseful and devastating look at a woman driven to desperate extremes by Iran’s patriarchal marital laws. With Adnan’s grave still warm, his brother claims ownership of the property since Nawal isn’t listed as co-owner and doesn’t have a male heir, so she pulls a rabbit out of her hat and claims to be pregnant to buy time. The increasingly complicated web she must construct in order to delay the process enmeshes her with the wealthy family she works for and brings her face to face with the misogyny of her country — as well as the benefits that can be gained if one has enough money. Director Amjad Al Rasheed based elements of his story on a female relative’s experience in this superlative feature debut that powerfully tackles social injustice within an unforgettable and constantly surprising narrative framework. — Rod Armstrong

Monday, October 9 . 6:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 3:00 . Lark

INVISIBLE NATION

Taiwan’s live-free-or-die spirit is embodied by progressive President Tsai Ing-wen and youth activists who’ve shaped the country’s flourishing democracy. Under increasing threat of military invasion by totalitarian China, Taiwan seeks peaceful coexistence and the same support for its free sovereign state that Ukraine has gathered from the West. Xi Jinping’s regime insists on absorbing Taiwan in its One China policy, while the island nation asserts its independence and a pluralistic culture aligned with freedom movements around the world. Vanessa Hope’s ( All Eyes and Ears , MVFF38) arresting documentary reveals how one East Asian democratic linchpin fights for global voice and visibility while its bigger neighbor pressures its allies, the US included, to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and exclude it from global organizations. With urgency and verve, the film offers a deep dive into Taiwan’s — and democracy’s — urgent fight for survival. —Carol Harada

Vanessa Hope

2023 85

KIDNAPPED (RAPITO)

Program note: Marco Bellocchio’s ( Blood of My Blood , The Traitor ) riveting historical drama is based on the true story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy in 1857 Bologna secretly baptized in his cradle by a Christian maid. Six years later, authorities become aware of the baptism and rip the child away from his family, in accordance with Papal States norms. But Mortara never forgets his faith, practicing Judaism in secret even as he is raised in a Catholic environment. His parents’ quest to reclaim their son intertwines with a broader political conflict, and Pope Pius IX decides to take it as a personal cause. Mortara’s harrowing journey navigates the intricate balance between faith and dogma. This poignant film authentically portrays universal emotions while paying homage to 19th-century aesthetics. Bellocchio’s skill shines once more in an essential and unexpected classic. —João Federici

Friday, October 6 . 3:00 . Rafael

Thursday, October 12 . 6:00 . Rafael

Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan deliver stunning performances as Leonard Bernstein and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, in this intimate portrait of a marriage that spanned more than 25 years. Bernstein was an indispensable figure in the history of classical music, as a conductor, composer, pianist, and educator. Certainly the dominant American conductor of the late 20th century, he accomplished as much as anyone in making “serious” music intelligible to a broad audience. With breathtaking sweep, Maestro reflects on Bernstein’s life, career, and marriage with Felicia, which endured through his many liaisons. The film marks Cooper’s return to the director’s chair, following his triumphant A Star Is Born , and, co-scripting with Josh Singer, he’s also among its producers along with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Against an evolving film canvas of black-and-white and color, his extraordinary portrayal captures Bernstein’s bold and charismatic conducting style, animated by music from the maestro himself. —Richard Peterson

In this sharp new romantic drama from director Todd Haynes (Tribute, MVFF40), a sly battle of wills ensues when an actress (Natalie Portman) spends time with the housewife (Julianne Moore) she’s been hired to portray: a former tabloid queen whose shocking affair with an underage schoolboy made headlines 20 years earlier. The once-illicit lovers are married now, with a couple of kids, but the legacy of the scandal still stirs up a tangled web of emotions. Where is the line between research and flirtation, between naivete and delusion? Where does assumption end and judgment begin? No stranger to the complexity of relationships, Haynes — of Far from Heaven and Carol fame — once again resists easy answers, instead offering plenty of stunning revelations, with family secrets revealed, surprise motivations surfaced, and audience expectations engrossingly subverted. —Sterling

Hedgpeth

MILLI VANILLI

Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus were singer-dancer-models trying to make ends meet in Munich when German producer Frank Farian made them an offer they couldn’t refuse: He wanted them to be the photogenic faces — but not the voices — behind his concept for a new pop act. They became Milli Vanilli, and, well, we all know the rest…or maybe we don’t? Luke Korem’s eye-opening documentary on the ’80s duo that gave us “Girl You Know It’s True” retells the triumph-to-tragedy story from Morvan’s perspective (and archival interviews with Pilatus, who died in 1998), and traces the group’s steep rise and post-Grammy-win fall in a way that refuses to treat Milli Vanilli as a punchline. It’s both a reclamation of a career that turned Rob and Fab from superstars to pop-music pariahs and a sharp indictment of a music industry that screwed them over, the actual singers, and fans before getting away scot-free. —David Fear

Friday, October 13 . 7:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 1:30 . Rafael

The truth depends on who you ask in Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s affecting new drama, a Rashomon-like tale of a troubling school incident that proves much less clear-cut than initially believed. Sakura Andō, who previously starred in the director’s acclaimed Shoplifters (MVFF41), plays Saori, a single mother who notices her son Minato (Sōya Kurokawa) acting oddly. Could a recent school punishment be the cause? Why was Minato disciplined? And how is classmate Yori (Hinata Hiiragi) involved? This Cannes Film Festival screenplay winner offers a study of bullying and youthful yearning from different perspectives, each version providing not just new information but also illustrating how life can be confusing to both adults and children. The result is exceptionally moving, with delicate twists and turns accentuated by a gorgeous score from Oscar®-winner Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March at the age of 71. —Tim Grierson

2023

Saturday, October 7 . 3:00 .

Thursday, October 12 . 4:00 . Rafael

MOUNTAINS

Monica Sorelle’s breathtaking first feature sneaks up on you. Unfolding as a hypnotic slow burn of one family’s struggles, the story focuses on a Haitian demolition worker witnessing the gentrification of his Miami neighborhood. Xavier is a father and husband becoming tired of days spent tearing down properties for future mansions. His wife, Esperance, works as a crossing guard and dressmaker, while their Americanized son, Junior, dreams of a life in show business. As the family navigates a world that is not overtly welcoming, cracks open in their psyches and in the strength of their connection. Sorelle communicates so much with intimate character moments and beautiful camera work, focused on the mesmerizing streets, people, and colors of Miami. A deeply powerful, brilliantly subtle exploration of a family finding its way in a complex time and place, the drama presents an eye-opening observation of the attraction and challenge of the American dream. —Brendan

Peterson

El impresionante primer largometraje de Monica Sorelle revela las dificultades por las que pasa una familia de manera lenta e hipnótica, centrándose en un trabajador de demolición haitiano que percibe la gentrificación de su vecindario de Miami. Este drama profundamente poderoso y brillantemente sutil presenta una reveladora observación de la atracción y el desafío del sueño americano. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

DIRECTOR

Monica Sorelle

US 2023 95 min

WEST COAST PREMIERE

SECTION US INITIATIVE

Mind the Gap ¡Viva el cine!

Saturday, October 7 . 8:00 . Rafael

Friday, October 13 . 5:00 . BAMPFA

The latest from Oscar®-winning Bay Area documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet, Common Threads) paints a joyful portrait of an exceptional partnership. Founded 120 years ago, the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory of Music trains the crème de la crème among aspiring young Cuban musicians — enrollment is so competitive, the school accepts only about one in a hundred applicants. Yet even this prestigious institution in a musically rich culture suffers from its nation’s political isolation. Enter Horns to Havana, a volunteer organization of US artisans that makes regular pilgrimages to deliver strings and other basic supplies and teach instrument-repair workshops. The film goes beyond the depiction of this alliance to provide an intimate portrait of some remarkable formative talents, many seen drinking in living jazz history during a rare “field trip” to New Orleans. Shot over several years, Mùsica! allows us to witness these performers embarking on professional careers that may well prove stellar.

—Dennis Harvey

Desde 2011, músicos y artesanos estadounidenses han viajado a Cuba como voluntarios para regalar materiales muy necesarios y ayudar a reparar instrumentos en esa nación aislada. Lo último de los venerados documentalistas del Área de la Bahía, Rob Epstein y Jeffrey Friedman, celebra no solo este esfuerzo de colaboración, sino también las ricas tradiciones musicales y los jóvenes intérpretes en ciernes que ayuda a sostener. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Rob Epstein

Jeffery Friedman

US 2023 72 min

Monday, October 9 . 5:00 . Sequoia (MEMBER SCREENING)

Tuesday, October 10 . 6:30 . Roxie

It’s not easy being a teen, no matter where or when you grow up. This is the central truth underlying writer-director Imran J. Khan’s confident feature debut, a humorous look at the Pakistani-American immigrant experience. Set in Silicon Valley in the 1990s, this SXSW audience award winner follows the travails of 13-year-old Ilyas (Atharva Verma), already struggling with his Muslim identity when he’s forced to switch from private school to public. Suddenly, Ilyas faces a whole new social hierarchy and circle of friends just as a wholly unwelcome bit of hair sprouts on his upper lip. In addition to its young lead’s endearing breakout performance, Mustache also boasts a solid ensemble including Alicia Silverstone, Hasan Minhaj, and Rizwan Manji. Finding the universality in a specific cultural experience can be tough, but Khan's heartwarming and hilarious film rises to the challenge, speaking to our collective insecurities while also acknowledging the many ways these experiences make us stronger. —Zaki Hasan

DIRECTORS

Imran J. Khan

Jeffery Friedman

US 2023 81 min

Friday, October 6 . 7:30 . Rafael

Saturday, October 7 . 7:00 . Rafael

NATIONAL ANTHEM

Twenty-one-year-old Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a country boy grinding away as a day laborer. But scant employment opportunities in this New Mexico backwater aren’t the only things trapping him: His dissolute single mother (Robyn Lively) expects him to pay the bills and parent his younger brother, too. Dylan’s horizons widen, however, once he’s introduced to a remote ranch where the West is still wild, albeit now in the exuberant realms of gender fluidity and open relationships. His guide to both is the alluring Sky (Eve Lindley), along with an endlessly endearing community of other queer rodeo performers. Luke Gilford’s scenic and sensuous debut feature provides an open-hearted coming-out party for a shy cowpoke — and a southwestern ranch romance for the 21st-century. —Dennis Harvey

Luke Gilford

US 2023 99 min WEST

Thursday, October 12 . 7:30 . Rafael

Friday, October 13 . 4:00 . Rafael

THE NATURE OF LOVE (SIMPLE COMME SYLVAIN)

Sophia (luminous Magalie Lépine-Blondeau), at the cusp of 40, is lively, erudite, and bored. A university lecturer awaiting her chance at a tenure-track post (“probably not before menopause sets in”), she teaches courses for seniors part-time on the philosophical nature of love. Spinoza: desire is life; Socrates: we desire what we do not possess. When sent by her long-time partner Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume) to supervise renovations at their country chalet, Sophia meets general contractor Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal), and their erotic coup de foudre threatens to scorch all bystanders within range. But working-class Sylvain is not as “simple” as privileged Sophia fantasizes him to be. His presence in her world exposes her judgmental side, and her presence in his reveals the misogyny and xenophobia of his social milieu. Triple-threat writer-director-actor Monia Chokri ( Heartbeats , MVFF33) expertly weaves the delicate threads of love into sparkling patterns of human desire. — KD Davis

Tuesday, October 10 . 4:00 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 12:00 . Rafael

THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE

For decades Barbara Dane lent her stellar singing voice to social-justice movements in the Bay Area and beyond, garnering an impressive FBI file along the way. Deeply respected by fellow luminaries in folk, blues, and jazz, Dane built a far-reaching legacy with music, activism, and love. As Maureen Gosling’s celebratory portrait reveals, early solidarity with those suffering racial and economic injustice sparked Dane’s passion to use her talent to sustain marginalized people. Rather than chase stardom, she followed her own maternal instincts to root herself and her family among generations of activist performers. Bonnie Raitt, Jane Fonda, and other notables attest to Dane’s unique way of shaping and being shaped by tumultuous social revolutions from the 1950s on. Nearing 90, Dane triumphantly tours with piano virtuoso Tammy Hall to celebrate a life of staying awake and connected, true to her ideals. One star among many illuminates so much. —Carol Harada

Maureen Gosling

US 2023 107 min

Tuesday, October 10 . 5:00 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 3:00 . Lark

In 1978, at the age of 28, renowned long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad attempted a record-setting 110-mile open-water swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida. She was unsuccessful. In 2013, at the age of 64, she decided to shoot for her dream once again — this time navigating the shark-infested waters with no cage for protection. Oscar®-winning documentarians Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi ( Free Solo , MVFF41; The Rescue , MVFF44) make their narrative feature debut with this extraordinary true story of fortitude and female friendship. Annette Bening and Jodie Foster are an indomitable duo as Nyad and Bonnie Stoll, her coach and longtime friend. Nyad is a prickly powerhouse with a short fuse and a singular focus; Bonnie is her stalwart supporter and the vital voice of reason. Together, with a small but mighty crew, they take on the ocean, the elements, and a swarm of poisonous jellyfish to make a seemingly implausible dream a remarkable reality. —Joanne

Parsont

Friday, October 13 . 6:15 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 7:00 . Lark

ONE WITH THE WHALE

Modern technology confronts ancient ritual in this profound and moving documentary. Teenager Chris Apassingok and his Yupik family live in Gambell, Alaska, a tiny village on St. Lawrence island in the Bering Sea. Life there differs vastly from the rest of the US – for one, hunting whales holds the key to the islanders’ survival. Conflict emerges after Chris kills a whale that will feed Gambell’s townspeople for months –and news of the successful hunt reaches the outside world. Facebook trolls and animal-rights activists attack from afar, captured in Pete Chelkowski and environmental journalist Jim Wickens’ captivating film that delves into environmental issues, cultural and generational challenges, and cyberspace hysteria. Fueled by breathtaking shots of stunning Alaskan vistas, footage of Chris’ daily life, and electrifying action scenes, One with the Whale brilliantly elucidates the various cultural pressures on one community’s way of life. —Brendan

Peterson

Pete Chelkowski

Jim Wickensi

US 2023 80 min

In this quietly beguiling film, Lela (Iman Artwell-Freeman), an adventurous Black American woman, backpacks through Turkey on her way to meet a friend in Armenia. Lela is a lovely oddity in Turkey (there’s a lot of staring), but people open up to her winning charm. At times she’s surprisingly trusting for a woman traveling alone, but this isn’t a film about worst-case scenarios; it’s about unexpected connection. When Lela reaches her final stop before crossing the border, she stays at a family-owned inn where she becomes quickly enmeshed in the lives of two cousins. They each see something in her that they want — and she, in turn, responds soulfully. When all is said and done, Öte reminds us that the world is huge and the experience of being human is beautifully universal. —Celia

C. Peters

Saturday, October 7 . 12:00 . Rafael

Thursday, October 12 . 2:30 . Rafael

Esra Saydam

A lush green canopy of tropical vegetation stretches out as far as the eye can see along the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, home to the Rama and Kriol peoples who have coexisted in this land for centuries. But among the cavorting monkeys, swooping macaws, stealthy jaguars, and mud-loving tapirs of this rainforest is a nefarious invasive species heedlessly destroying the region’s fragile balance: cattle ranchers. Despite holding territorial rights, the Rama-Kriol are on their own against this threat to not only their way of life but also to an entire ecosystem. Ranchers claim the land illegally, raising cattle to meet the insatiable demand of the international beef market and leaving behind a landscape of ruinous scabs that will take decades to heal. Shot in eye-opening widescreen, this documentary conveys the full scope of what stands to be lost and the urgency of the Rama-Kriols’ mission, as they gather evidence to compel the Nicaraguan government to act. —Shari

Kizirian

La ganadería ilegal representa una amenaza existencial para la Reserva Biológica Indio Maíz en Nicaragua, una de las regiones con mayor biodiversidad de Centroamérica. Este conmovedor documental sigue a los pueblos Rama-Kriol, los legítimos administradores de la selva tropical, mientras reúnen pruebas contra los ganaderos con la esperanza de salvar este precioso ecosistema antes de que sea demasiado tarde.

Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Sunday, October 8 . 3:00 . Sequoia

Monday, October 9 . 11:00am . Rafael

PERFECT DAYS

Kōji Yakusho mesmerizes as Hirayama, a contented middle-aged man living a structured life as a Tokyo toilet cleaner in Wim Wenders’ poetic and contemplative new film. The drama weaves together short stories that reveal how Hirayama’s deep passion for music, books, and tree photography enriches his daily routine. As the film elegantly unfolds, unexpected encounters add detail to the façade of Hirayama’s generosity and simplicity. Wenders’ delicate filmmaking captures Tokyo’s essence through carefully framed shots, enhancing the viewer’s connection with the city. Music, mainly 1960s pop, becomes a narrative thread, reflecting Hirayama’s emotional state. His moods resonate with classics from Nina Simone and Van Morrison, the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” and even Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.” It’s impossible not to be engrossed by Yakusho's captivating, subtle, and passionate performance, for which he won the Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes, where the film also deservedly won the Ecumenical Jury Prize. —João Federici

DIRECTOR

Wim Wenders

2023

min

Saturday, October 7 . 7:00 . BAMPFA

Monday, October 9 . 4:00 . Rafael

Special message to Barbie’s gynecologist and doctors everywhere: Please start prescribing this documentary pronto! Eye-opening, energizing, and empowering, Periodical relates an oft-overlooked story of the human body by exploring the science, politics, and mystery of the menstrual cycle. Gloria Steinem, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Watts, and Anna Konkle add star power to the roster of people sharing their experiences, from doctors and educators working hard to shine a light into this shadowy corner of women's health to journalists and activists righting the wrongs of cultural misrepresentation and unfair taxation. Brimming with vital information about menstruation, reproduction, menopause, and the burgeoning field of menstrual rights, this is a rousing call to action for every person — including women, men, and trans people of all ages — to raise our voices for education and fair treatment for all. Periodical is not to be missed … period. —Deanna Quinones

Sunday, October 8 . 5:00 . Sequoia

Monday, October 9 . 2:00 . Rafael

THE PERSIAN VERSION

Colorful dance sequences and direct-to-camera addresses animate this exuberant, multifaceted crowd pleaser. Aspiring filmmaker Leila dreams of being the “Iranian American Scorsese” and can’t quite put her finger on the reasons she and her mom Shirin are always at odds. Leila’s queerness is one source of conflict, but there’s something more fundamental at play, revealed in a flashback illuminating Shirin’s history with Leila’s father. Director Maryam Keshavarz plays an ambitious cinematic gambit shifting locales from the US to Iran as well as protagonists, building indelible insight into how Shirin became the person she is. As Leila stumbles through personal and romantic travails, including her dad’s hospitalization and an unplanned pregnancy, she tries to reach détente with her mother rooted in mutual respect. Mother-daughter conflicts have rarely been depicted with such deftness and wit as in this genre-busting film. —Rod Armstrong

Saturday, October 7 . 3:00 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 8 . 6:30 . Sequoia

THE PIGEON TUNNEL

A system by which birds became targets at a Monte Carlo gun club, the so-called “pigeon tunnel” haunted John le Carré all his life — enough so to supply a title for the spy novelist’s only autobiographical work. Drawing on that, and a rare in-depth interview with the notably press-shy author of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and other celebrated works, Academy Award®-winning director Errol Morris ( The Fog of War ) gathered the essential ingredients for this film before le Carré, real name David Cornwell, died in 2020. Worth the wait, the result is a must for le Carré fans and anyone interested in how a neglected boy, son of a criminal father and absent mother, took on a radically contrived identity as he immersed himself in spycraft — and what that manufactured sense of self that would cost him. Probing history from the Cold War through the present day, as well as storytelling craft and ethics, Morris’ film profoundly illuminates a great 20th-century writer. —Sterling Hedgpeth

Saturday, October 14 . 4:00 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 2:30 . Sequoia

September 1959. A shy, ponytailed fourteen-year-old sips her soft drink at an American-style diner on a West German air base. Who could’ve guessed this homesick and impressionable Texas transplant would soon encounter a King and become rockand-roll’s first Queen? Director Sofia Coppola’s exquisite gift for depicting the complex psychology of young women ( The Virgin Suicides , Lost in Translation ) is in ample evidence in Priscilla, along with her extraordinary ability to express the ambiance and milieu of an era. Based on Priscilla Presley’s best-selling memoir, Elvis and Me , the film tracks Elvis’s ascent from teen heartthrob to international superstardom, while centering the drama on a young woman facing powerful challenges as she’s swept up in the turbulent wake of a mercurial and over-medicated icon. Cailee Spaeny, in a riveting performance as Priscilla, and mega-talent Jacob Elordi as Elvis lead an exemplary cast in this superb star-crossed love story. —KD Davis

DIRECTOR

Sophia Coppola

US 2023 113 min

THE PROMISED LAND (BASTARDEN)

Mega-star Mads Mikkelsen is a real bastard? It’s true in this captivating epic from director Nikolaj Arcel ( A Royal Affai r, MVFF35), set amid the arid no-man’s-landscape known as Danish Jutland. It’s 1755 and the dour, driven, down-on-his-luck Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mikkelsen), of dubious birth and doubtful motivation, seeks the right to establish a Jutland settlement in the name of the King. His reward: a desperately desired royal title for himself, in hopes of eradicating the ignominy of his extra-marital birth. But the arrogantly avaricious local lord, Frederik de Schinkel, claims Jutland for himself, along with all the women forcibly serving his cruel desires. When de Schinkel’s rebellious housekeeper Ann Barbara decamps to Kahlen’s compound on the heath, a dyspeptic de Schinkel exacts revenge on the Captain’s scrappy group of followers, all clinging to the promise of land, bread, and a better life. Arcel’s vision is sweepingly cinematic and Mads has never been “Madder” than in this must-see modern classic. — KD Davis

Thursday, October 12 . 3:30 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 12:00 . Lark

A sixth-grade teacher in a Mexican border town upends convention so that his students might realize their potential in this engrossing, fact-based drama. Paloma lives next door to a dump and dreams of being an astronaut. Quick-witted Nico shares a seaside shack with an older brother, both seemingly destined as fodder in the illegal drug trade. Observant and kind, Lupita cannot even begin to imagine a future for herself as she raises her younger siblings. These are the impoverished students whose lives Sergio (Eugenio Derbez, CODA’s charismatic music teacher) intends to change. Tired of public education failing kids, he ditches the standard curriculum in favor of improvisation, adopting student-centered learning in his classes. Adapted from a Wired story and produced by the founders of Epic magazine, publisher of the photo essay that inspired the series Little America , this Sundance audience favorite raises the question: Why don’t all schoolrooms already look like Sergio’s? —Shari Kizirian

Este favorito del público de Sundance 2023 dramatiza cómo un maestro de escuela en México descartó las reglas para que sus alumnos de sexto grado pudieran ver su verdadero potencial. De los fundadores de la revista Epic, cuyo trabajo descubriendo historias inspiradoras de la vida real también resultó en Argo y Little America, Radical humaniza el argumento para cambiar el aprendizaje a uno centrado en el estudiante Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Sunday, October 8 . 11:15am . Rafael

Monday, October 9 . 6:20 . Roxie

THE RIGHT TO READ

Why is it that reading levels, particularly for children of color, continue to plummet, and what decisive steps can be taken to reverse this distressing trend? Emmy Award ®-winning director Jenny Mackenzie’s topical documentary, executive produced by reading advocate and actor LeVar Burton, asks and thoughtfully answers these pertinent questions. As Mackenzie’s inspirational eye-opener illustrates, those with the power to change this broken system — in which learning modules prove not only outdated but ineffective — aren’t just government officials, advocates, and school administrators, but actively engaged parents, too. Mackenzie centers The Right to Read on the efforts of tireless Bay Area education game-changers, including the Oakland NAACP’s Kareem Weaver and first-grade teacher Sabrina Causey, as well as two hard-working American families — all of whom play a part in giving kids a brighter future complete with a deeper understanding and love of reading.

—Randy Myers

Saturday, October 14 . 4:15 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 12:00 . Lark

DIRECTOR

Jenny Mackenzie

US 2023 79 min

Evoking sensual 1980s noirs, and accompanied by an absorbing original score, Sérgio Machado’s sultry and riveting drama delves into desire, passion, and jealousy at their most intense. The acclaimed Brazilian writer-director, known for Cannes winner Lower City and The Violin Teacher , sets his highly anticipated new movie amidst the lush expanse of the Amazon River, where Brazil, Peru, and Colombia converge. The film follows three brothers (Daniel de Oliveira, Gabriel Leone, and Rômulo Braga) who find themselves sharing a home with the alluring new wife (Sophie Charlotte) of the middle sibling. As they become infatuated with the same woman, a complex and enthralling tale ensues in this tropical paradise. Outstanding performances breathe life into the captivating narrative, based on Milton Hatoum’s short story Farewell Captain , with sun-drenched cinematography and impeccable art direction immersing us in the opulent natural surroundings. —João Federici

Exuberantemente ambientado en la Amazonía brasileña, el sensual drama del aclamado guionista y director Sérgio Machado sigue a tres hermanos enredados en una espinosa convivencia con la nueva esposa del hermano del medio. Basada en una historia de Milton Hatoum, esta fascinante película indaga en el deseo, la pasión y los celos en sus formas más intensas. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Friday, October 6 . 4:00 . Sequoia

Tuesday, October 10 . 4:30 . Rafael

ROBOT DREAMS

A poignant animated tale of friendship in 1980s Manhattan unfolds in this adaptation of Sara Varon’s graphic novel, scripted by the author in collaboration with award-winning director Pablo Berger ( Blancanieves ). After Dog, a lonely canine, purchases Robot, their bond thrives in a vibrant city populated by funny anthropomorphized animals in the subways, bars, movie theaters, and streets. What begins as a tale of inseparable friendship takes a bittersweet turn when circumstances force Dog, with a heavy heart, to leave Robot on a moonlit beach, illuminating their nascent connection’s fragility. Set against old New York’s melancholic beauty, this hand-drawn tragicomedy resonates with themes of acceptance, diversity, and enduring companionship. It also makes fine use of the music and sounds of the era, creating an enchanting and moving ode to companionship while leaving a lasting cinematic impression. —João Federici

Pablo Berger Spain/France 2023 103 min

El director Pablo Berger ( Blancanieves ) y Sara Varón adaptan la novela gráfica de Varón sobre el vínculo entre un canino solitario y un robot en el Manhattan de los años 80. Acentuada por la música y los sonidos de esa época, esta obra dibujada a mano de melancólica belleza resuena con temas de aceptación, diversidad y compañerismo duradero. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Sunday, October 8 . 12:00 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 8:00 . Rafael

ROSA AND THE STONE TROLL

Swoop into Summerland, a magical forest where adventure awaits a timid fairy who’s about to discover her first true friend—and the courage she never knew she had. Good-hearted Rosa joyfully tends wildflowers with her magic wand, but she longs for companionship. When she meets Silk, a curious, fearless butterfly, the two become inseparable. But soon Rosa and Silk, along with some pie-loving mice, a shimmering Elf King, a wise old owl, and a wisecracking troll, uncover a perilous mystery that leads to a dangerous confrontation with an evil Stone Troll. Rosa must find a way to put her fears aside and save the day. With friendship as her guiding light, she surprises even herself by opening her heart to all the possibilities within and around her. This sweet delight features lush animation, giggly humor, and a heartwarming message for us all. —Deanna

Quinones

Age 10+

Sunday, October 8 . 11:00am . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 11:00am . Rafael

Emmy ® winner Colman Domingo’s ( If Beale Street Could Talk , MVFF41) fully immersive performance animates this rousing and intimate portrait of gay Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin. This insightful biopic chronicles Rustin’s leadership in conceiving and co-organizing the 1963 March on Washington in just a matter of weeks, while exploring his deep yet complicated friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Aml Ameen), the challenges he faced in convening so many Civil Rights groups for the event, and the racist and homophobic backlash he endured. Tony winner George C. Wolfe deftly directs Julian Breece and Oscar ® winner Dustin Lance Black’s sharp screenplay depicting this monumental history. Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, the drama draws much vitality from Domingo’s phenomenal turn, as he tenderly portrays the passion, pain, and joy of Rustin’s life and activism. —Celeste

Wong

DIRECTOR

George C. Wolfe

xx 2023 106 min XX

Be prepared! With Saltburn, Emerald Fennell has created an extraordinary act of cinema, giving full rein to those talents (writer, director, producer) evident in her Oscar ® -winning first feature, Promising Young Woman (MVFF43). Somewhere between revenge comedy and erotic thriller, and just plain brilliant, the wily and wickedly funny story centers on Oliver (Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin , MVFF45), a scholarship student at Oxford University. An unlikely friendship with the aristocratic, self-assured Felix (Jacob Elordi) bridges class divides and leads to a summer sojourn at the opulent Saltburn, Felix's family’s estate. And what a family. Fennell’s pitch-perfect script and excellent cast nail English eccentricity with cut-to-the-quick wit: as the matriarch of the tight-knit clan, Rosamund Pike’s ( A Private War , MVFF41) one-liners are, well, to die for. Corridors are explored, bathtubs are fair game, and partying runs to excess as Oliver insinuates himself into their lives in ways charming and disarming, seductive and pernicious. Watch out for Barry Keoghan as you’ve never seen him before. —Zoë Elton

Tuesday, October 10 . 7:00 . Rafael

Wednesday, October 11 . 2:30 . Rafael

THE SETTLERS (LOS COLONOS)

This ambitious debut charts the depredations visited on Indigenous people in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of the Americas. It’s 1901 in Chilean Patagonia, where a ruthless landowner contracts with a Scottish army man and a Texan mercenary to clear a path for livestock transportation, regardless of the Native peoples who also call the place home. A mixed-race guide serves as the pair’s interpreter and marksman — and the drama’s moral compass. Director Felipe Gálvez balances western tropes with modern conceits including lurid chapter headings, a palpable affinity for the story’s victims, and a seven-year flash-forward that puts matters in further context. The Settlers is carefully and expertly crafted, from Harry Allouche’s evocative score to Simone D’Arcangelo’s haunting cinematography to the film’s fearless portraits of depraved men. The story it tells may not be pretty, but the result is beautiful indeed. —Rod Armstrong

Con una sensibilidad refrescante y moderna, una cinematografía inquietante y una banda sonora evocadora, el ambicioso y hábilmente elaborado debut del cineasta Felipe Gálvez muestra la devastación que sufrieron los pueblos indígenas en Tierra del Fuego en 1901. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Friday, October 6 . 7:00 . Sequoia

Wednesday, October 11 . 3:30 . Sequoia

SHORTS: THE CIRCLE GAME

“And the seasons, they go round and round. And the painted ponies go up and down. We're captive on the carousel of time.” Themes of memory, legacy, and family unify this shorts collection. Sally Eckhoff's animated THE INNOCENT BYSTANDER is an affectionate tribute to the late San Francisco musician Dan Hicks (US 2023, 6 min). Liz Sargent's touching TAKE ME HOME forces two sisters to confront the reality of a major change in their lives (US 2022, 15 min). A father faces some difficult truths when he revisits the past with his daughter in Josh Hundermark's deeply compassionate FARTHER (South Africa 2022, 15 min). An artist finds herself in a disorienting painting session in Cara Yeates’ GONE BEFORE YOUR EYES (US/Canada 2023, 12 min). A heavenly body finds itself on an Earth-bound trajectory in Mitra Shahidi's sweet, animated fable STARLING (US 2023, 9 min). And two strangers find themselves in a surreal chat in Matthew Segal’s funny A CONVERSATION IN PASSING (Canada 2023, 12 min). Don’t miss this assembly of shorts with its share of laughs, surprises, and maybe a few tears. —Sterling Hedgpeth

Wednesday, October 11 . 8:00 . Rafael

Thursday, October 12 . 1:30 . Rafael

SHORTS: EMMA LEE

“Women’s ways — you never know how they gonna do it. Women’s ways — there’s really nothing to it.” Women write and/or direct women-centered stories in this fun assembly of shorts. Puberty rears its head unexpectedly for one girl as she navigates relationships with male schoolmates in Zoé Pelchat’s savvy coming-of-age drama GABY’S HILLS (Canada 2023, 21 min). An immersion into the exquisite tactility of housekeeping finds expression and rebellion in Amanda Rowan’s irresistibly lush PLACE SETTING (US 2022, 7 min). A woman experiences a sexual reawakening when she finds herself in a surprise hookup in Tali Barde’s delightfully surreal THE LAMPBOY, OR THE UNIVERSE BETWEEN US (Germany 2022, 14 min). Maternal longings go viral within a woman’s social circle as she tries to navigate around the B WORD (US 2023, 15 min) in Honora Talbott’s comedy. And a reunion with a romantic partner spurs a moment of reflection for a woman in Lilian Bowden’s poetic ONCE WAS (US 2023, 11 min). Be sure to check out this wonderful variety of Mind the Gap tales. —Sterling Hedgpeth

Monday, October 9 . 8:00 . Rafael

Tuesday, October 10 . 2:00 . Rafael

SHORTS: EVENTUALLY

“And I know that the future depends on you and me; I hope we can work it out — eventually.” In this shorts program, we present a collection of true-life tales about extraordinary individuals from around the world. In Toshikazu Hosoki’s CIRCLE OF DONUTS (US 2023, 10 min), we meet a Japanese immigrant who traveled across the world at a young age and paved a unique path to success. Sally Patrica Pearce shares a moment of mourning — for a friend, and for the Earth — in PRIPYAT HORSE (UK 2023, 2 min). Imagine putting on a blindfold on a busy Berkeley street corner and inviting strangers to dance with you. That’s what Gabriel Diamond did in DANCE WITH ME (US 2020, 5 min). When photographer and writer Cig Harvey discovers her best friend has leukemia, she sets out to fill her world with color and light in RIVER

AUTUMN FINLAY’S EAT FLOWERS (US 2023, 15 min). In FOR THE SKEPTICAL (US 2023, 3 min), Dawn Westlake asks us to stop autocracy in its track, with facts. Kirk Horton’s LIGHT BEAMS FOR HELENA (US 2023, 10 min) explores a woman’s journey with depression, and what diving into the darkness of deep water has taught her about life and light. Gary Weimberg offers a wordless contemplation of longevity in HOW TO LIVE 100 YEARS (OR MORE) ( US 2023, 4 min). And Joshua Harding, Adam Hobbs, and Matt Klug introduce us to an unforgettable eccentric artist from rural Alabama in CHASIN' BUTTERFLIES (US 2022, 20 min). —Kelly Clement

Friday, October 6 . 5:30 . Rafael

Friday, October 13 . 2:30 . Rafael

SHORTS: IT'S MY WAY

“I’ve got own seeds, I’ve got my own weeds, I’ve got my own harvest that I’ve sown.” This documentary shorts program with strong Bay Area ties follows exceptional individuals bravely delving into their roots. In Jalena Keane-Lee’s TRACING HISTORY (US 2022, 13 min), a Chinese-American filmmaker and her mother contemplate loss and legacy while visiting sites where their Chinese ancestors labored. San Francisco printmaker and social activist Juan R. Fuentes reflects on generations of struggle and resilience in the Chicano art community in Eugenia Renteria’s STRAWBERRY PICKER (US 2023, 20 min). Nicolas Collins and Alex Zajicek’s SWIMMING THE ROCK (US 2023, 7 min) captures a man overcoming his grief by swimming to shore from Alcatraz. In Andrew Nadkarni’s BETWEEN EARTH & SKY (US 2023, 25 min), renowned ecologist Nalini Nadkarni must turn her research onto herself in order to understand the effects of disturbance and recovery throughout her life. Markelle Taylor runs the Dipsea, America’s oldest trail race, in Alex Massey’s FROM THE SHADOW OF A MOUNTAIN (US 2022, 6 min). From Brazil to California and four years after starting testosterone, Jaime Jobim searches for his new voice in Connor Lee O'Keefe’s NO MORE LONGING (US 2023, 16 min). ––Diana Sánchez Maciel

Monday, October 9 . 1:00 . Rafael

Saturday, October 14 . 8:30 . Rafael

SHORTS: MONSTERS, MOVIES, & THE MOON

Take a wild ride from Oakland to Zimbabwe in this fun and fanciful collection of stories filled with crazy monsters, classic movies, and magical trips to the moon. In WEIRDOS (Paul Hollingsworth, US 2023, 6 min), middle-school frenemies join together to stop a monster invasion, while a trio of mischievous siblings in OPERATION FRANKENSTEIN (José María Fernández de Vega, Spain 2022, 11 min) scheme to build their own creature, and an Oakland teen attempts to find his mother after she’s abducted in THE LAKE MERRITT MONSTER (Benjamin Mulholland, US 2022, 16 min). In A LIFE IN TECHNICOLOR (Alex Ramirez, US 2022, 19 min), a young movie lover takes us on a tour through film history when her world suddenly turns black-and-white. It’s the moon that connects 12-year-old Gugu in Australia with her beloved grandmother in Zimbabwe in GUGU NAGOGO (Taku Mbudzi, Australia 2022, 20 min), and that illuminates the dreams of young Jay Jay and his mother Edie on a warm summer night in NEW MOON (Jeff Le Bars & Jérémie Balais, US 2022, 11 min). —Joanne

Parsont

Total Program 83 min

Ages 9+

Sunday, October 8 . 1:30 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 11:00am . Rafael

SHORTS: THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS

SHORTS: ¡VIVE EL CINE INFANTIL!

As part of MVFF’s ¡ Viva el cine! programming, we invite families and younger viewers to join our annual celebration of Spanish-language and Latinx films, stories, and storytellers with this festive collection of kid-centric animated and narrative short films. From merry-go-rounds to missing socks and pet pigs to piñata contests, it is a visual feast for Spanish and English speakers alike: EL MOÑO (Luis Fernando Puente & Lizde Arias, US 2022, 8 min), CLEO & NINA (Manrique Cortés Castro, Costa Rica 2021, 2 min), THE DANCE (EL BAILE) (Pedro Pablo Vega Reyes, Colombia 2021, 15 min), MIST (NIEBLA) (Leonardo Romero Zarza, Colombia 2020, 10 min), THE PIÑATA (Verónica Ramírez, Mexico 2021, 13 min), WITH A WOOL BALL (CON UN OVILLO DE LANA) (Belén Ricardes, Argentina 2022, 5 min), UNDER THE SAME SKY (Ana Laura Calderón, Mexico 2023, 15 min), La Calesita (Augusto Schillaci, Argentina 2022, 10 min). —Joanne Parsont

In Spanish with English subtitles Total Program 78 min Ages 6+

Como parte del programa ¡Viva el cine! del MVFF, invitamos a las familias y a los espectadores más jóvenes a unirse a nuestra celebración anual de películas e historias latinas y en español con esta festiva colección de cortometrajes narrativos y animados centrados en los niños. Desde tiovivos hasta calcetines perdidos, puercos mascota y concursos de piñatas, es un festín visual tanto para los hispanohablantes como para los angloparlantes. Edades 6+

Saturday, October 14 . 1:30 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 2:45 . Rafael

SHORTS: YOU GOT TO RUN

“You learn to be your own best friend, and you learn how and you learn when, to take a chance….” Kindred spirits find joy, comfort, and support in these short films that celebrate friendships, both new and seasoned, in lovely detail. Physically separated by COVID, two girls form a touching bond via their adjoining rooftops in Ana Laura Calderón’s UNDER THE SAME SKY (Mexico 2023, 15 min). A woman faces the reality that maybe her roommate needs different things in their relationship in LaTajh A. Weaver's delightful COMPANION (US 2023, 5 min). A chance encounter between an Israeli boy and a mysterious stranger yields something special in Liel Simon’s SEAWEED (Israel/Germany 2023, 22 min). An Iranian youth finds fierce loyalty and solidarity among her two closest friends in Mostafa Keshvari’s powerful FOR HER (Canada 2023, 15 min). Two female friends — one blind, the other in a wheelchair — find that time they decided to spend together is anything but AN ORDINARY DAY (South Korea 2023, 19 min), a beautiful film from Ju-yeon Gim. Don’t miss this remarkable international assortment of stories, full of heart and some real surprises.

—Sterling Hedgpeth

Tuesday, October 10 . 8:30 . Rafael

Wednesday, October 11 . 1:00 . Rafael

SHORTS: YOUTH WORKS

This year’s collection of peer-reviewed, youth-produced short films showcases an international cohort of storytellers who span genres from animation to documentary, comedy, horror, and drama. It’s an inspiring display of emerging young talent from as close to home as San Rafael and San Francisco and as far afield as Australia, Belgium, and Belarus: CLOWNIN ' (Samantha Jimenez Garcia, US 2023, 6 min), DAVID'S DOODLES (Michelle Tang, US 2023, 5 min), DAISIES (Ana Testas, US 2023, 6 min)

BESTIARY (Paul Van der Stegen, France 2023, 13 min), BLOODY RIVER (Polina Bai, Belarus 2023, 1 min), GOOSE TOWN (Gaspard Choquet, US 2023, 9 min), MOUNTAIN MAN (Otis Monteny, Belgium 2023, 5 min), BINARY. (Milan Mackenzie Wood & Maddie Barbiee, US 2023, 14 min), BURNOUT (Jonathon Charlie Copson-Pacal, Australia 2023, 4 min), MY SISTERS IN THE STARS: THE STORY OF LEE YONG-SOO (Ian Kim, US 2023, 10 min), BETTER LATE THAN NEVER (Estevan Evaristo Garcia, US 2022, 1 min), ROOM (Ian Dani Kim, US 2022, 9 min), YESTERDAY , Again (Noah Shin, US 2022, 10 min). —Joanne Parsont

Note: This program contains some profanity and references to teen suicide and teen alcohol/drug use.

In English, French, and Korean with English subtitles

Total Program 93 min

Ages 12+

Sunday, October 15 . 11:00am . Sequoia

SIROCCO AND THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS

Echoes of everything from Little Nemo in Slumberland to The Wizard of Oz to Howl’s Moving Castle hold this animated fantasy aloft. When an author of children’s books babysits her friend’s two young daughters for the weekend, she’s just pulled a writing all-nighter and needs a nap. Unsupervised, the girls promptly tumble into trouble — somehow entering the world of their minder’s fictional creations. There, Carmen and Juliette ally with ethereal singing star Selma as they flee the realm’s mean mayor and his Goodie Gobblers. The trio is wary of the great sorcerer Sirocco, whose moods are literally stormy…but he may also be the key to the kiddies — who’ve magically transformed into kitties! — getting home. Charming and surreal, this vividly colored whimsy finds our wee heroines coping with various bizarre perils as if naturally suited to it. As Selma says, “Adventure is like riding a bike — you never forget.” In French with English subtitles.

—Dennis Harvey

Age 10+

France/Beligium 2023

80 min

Saturday, October 7 . 2:00 . Rafael

Saturday, October 14 . 2:00 . Sequoia

SKIN OF GLASS

When she learns that squatters occupy the landmark São Paulo skyscraper her late father, Roger, designed in the early 1960s, Bay Area documentarian Denise Zmekhol ( Children of the Amazon , MVFF31) returns to her hometown to investigate — and make peace with her dad’s memory. The Edifício Wilton Paes de Almeida, nicknamed the “Pele de Vidro (Skin of Glass)” for its windowed façade, was the first building of its kind in South America, a shiny symbol of Brazil’s promising future. Zmekhol recalls an idyllic childhood that would give way to eventual estrangement from the man whose innovative structure would become a dilapidated eyesore in a film that weaves together family photographs, archival material, testimonials from friends and colleagues, and impressive drone footage of the decaying high-rise. Not simply the story of a family and a building, the documentary also relates how the Skin of Glass has come to symbolize the escalating inequities of Brazil — the so-called “Once and Future Country.” —Shari Kizirian

La “Piel de Vidrio” de São Paulo, de 24 pisos y apodado así por su fachada de ventanas, fue una vez un símbolo del prometedor futuro de Brasil. Cuando se entera de que hay okupas en el ahora dilapidado edificio que diseñó su difunto padre, la documentalista del Área de la Bahía Denise Zmekhol regresa a casa para investigar y hacer las paces con su padre. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Saturday, October 14 . 5:15 . Sequoia

Sunday, October 15 . 1:30 . BAMPFA

SLIDE

In the idyllic logging town of Sourdough Creek, the shotgun-toting, opportunistic mayor and his slimy brother attempt to lure a Hollywood production by paving over the trees, erecting a dam, building a casino, and calling it all “Monte Carlo del Norte.” All of this they expect to accomplish within seven days. If only things were that easy: Slide, a slide guitar-playing cowboy, shows up in town — like any good mythic hero, he seems to come and go like a ghost — bringing with him a havoc-wreaking creature called the Hellbug, and a proper Wild West showdown ensues. Animated and directed by Bill Plympton in his singular hand-drawn style and brimming with hauntingly beautiful country-and-western music and biting satire, Slide lampoons Hollywood and its habit of spoiling the unspoiled. It’s a visual and aural feast. —David

Riedel

Sunday, October 8 . 6:00 . Rafael

Monday, October 9 . 9:00 . Roxie

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (LA SOCIEDAD DE LA NIEVE)

Society of the Snow is a gripping thriller, an unforgettable cinematic experience that moves and enthralls. When a Uruguayan flight carrying 45 passengers and crew, including a Catholic college rugby team, smashes into an Andes mountain, the nightmarish crash is only the beginning. Stranded in freezing temperatures more than two miles above sea level without food or shelter for 72 harrowing days, only 16 people will survive. J.A. Bayona ( A Monster Calls , MVFF39) adapts Pablo Vierci’s book, the astonishing true story of the 1972 air disaster, first brought to the big screen in the 1993 English-language drama Alive, starring Ethan Hawke. Despite experiencing an unimaginable tragedy, the survivors transcend near impossible odds with a courageous endurance that continues to inspire as the “Miracle of the Andes.” —João Federici

Basado en la historia real del accidente aéreo en los Andes de un avión Uruguayo en 1972, este apasionante thriller uruguayo-español del director J. A. Bayona adapta el libro de Pablo Vierci y narra la crónica de 16 supervivientes varados en temperaturas gélidas sin comida ni refugio durante 72 días. A pesar de vivir una tragedia inimaginable, su valiente resistencia nos inspira en una inolvidable experiencia cinematográfica. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Thursday, October 12 . 6:00 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 4:00 . Lark

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Bobbi Salvör Menuez is luminous as Leo, a young trans man weekending in the countryside with Eleanor, his cis straight crush from college. Their seemingly carefree youth collides with the realities of adulting, forcing the actor and nomadic photographer to question whether they still belong together as kindred spirits and chosen family. In his burgeoning acting career and love life, Leo is impatient to be wholly accepted. Not current with the intricacies of Leo’s transition, Eleanor feels shut out and reverts to wild abandon, expecting Leo to tag along. Made vivid by Marianne Rendón, Eleanor is loath to face her own artistic and romantic disappointments, and rehearsing an emotional family scene for Leo’s audition frames a long overdue reckoning. In their first narrative feature, writer-director Noah Schamus takes an assured dive into the challenges of two creatives seeking home with each other in a relationship that’s shifting and changing. —Carol Harada

DIRECTOR

Noah Schamus

US 2023 81 min

Wednesday, October 11 . 5:15 . Rafael

Sunday, October 15 . 2:15 . Rafael

THE TASTE OF THINGS

(LA PASSION OF DODIN BOUFFANT)

Trân Anh Hùng won Best Director at Cannes for this sumptuous and impossibly romantic film that pays tribute to love, food, and joie de vivre. Based on a Marcel Rouff novel, The Taste of Things stars Juliette Binoche as Eugénie, a renowned 19th-century chef who partners with the gourmet Dodin (Benoît Magimel) to create gustatory pleasures. They’ve become lovers over the years, but Eugénie refuses to marry him, citing a desire to maintain her independence. That tension brings additional spice to a film inclined to linger over delicious dishes, charting a nuanced and touching relationship between strong-willed, deeply affectionate individuals with intertwined yet separate lives. Trần ( The Scent of Green Papaya , Norwegian Wood ) deftly presents this culinary world as a reminder of how our passions give us meaning. The cast is superb, with Binoche especially divine as a witty, elegant cook who sees in every meal the possibility for creativity and personal expression. No wonder Dodin adores Eugénie so — viewers will feel the same. —Tim

Grierson

Wednesday, October 11 . 6:00 . Rafael

Thursday, October 12 . 3:00 . BAMPFA

THE TEACHERS' LOUNGE

The classroom serves as a microcosm for society at large in this gripping drama from German director İlker Çatak. Leonie Benesch is superb as Carla, a middle-school teacher who believes she can make a difference in her students’ lives. When an innocent boy faces accusations in a series of thefts, Carla decides to investigate further, leading to a split-second decision that brings her idealism crashing down. Çatak’s nuanced story examines racism and bureaucracy, exploring all the ways in which our institutional foundations fail those most in need. But Benesch’s brittlely brilliant performance twists the knife further, hinting at how even the well-intentioned can cause harm, their seemingly noble actions creating unimagined repercussions. Featuring Marvin Miller’s nerve-jangling score, Çatak’s incisive character study isn’t a thriller, per se, but it puts you through an emotional and moral wringer — not to mention delivering a reminder about the challenges and heartaches teachers face every single day. —Tim Grierson

Sunday, October 8 . 7:00 . BAMPFA

Tuesday, October 10 . 11:00am . Rafael

TERRESTRIAL VERSES

A satirical take on the mundane absurdities of life in modern-day Iran, these nine vignettes illuminate the lighter side of enduring under authoritarian rule. Whether choosing a name for a newborn, graduating from grade school, getting a driver’s license, applying for a job, or seeking approval for a film script, if you live in Iran, you best come fluent in Orwellian discourse. Progressing along a rough timeline from birth to death, each story is shot in a static camera angle as a single petitioner negotiates with an authority figure hovering just outside of frame, who is practiced in the language of doublespeak. With their film’s title, co-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami pay fitting tribute to the revered poet and filmmaker Forough Farrokhzad, whose documentary The House Is Black was a harbinger of the Iranian New Wave. While she died more than a decade before the Islamic Revolution, Farrokhzad knew well the experience of having the whole of allowable existence circumscribed by the relentlessly narrow-minded, and expressed it in stanzas as spare, vivid, and human as these nine stories. —Shari

Kizirian

Friday, October 6 . 2:00 . Sequoia

Tuesday, October 10 . 5:30 . Rafael

DIRECTORS

Ali Asgari

Alireza Khatami

Iran 2023 77 min WEST

THEY SHOT THE PIANO PLAYER

Jeff Goldblum’s voice alluringly leads this animated jewel from Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal (the genius duo behind Chico & Rita), as a New York music journalist investigating Brazilian piano virtuoso Francisco Tenório Júnior's 1976 disappearance in Argentina. The film sets forth on a captivating odyssey, gathering luminaries like João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Vinicius de Moraes, and Chico Buarque, and weaving their musical prowess into the rich tapestry of Tenório's brilliance. The narrative flourishes as a vibrant celebration of bossa nova set against the 1960s and ’70s, when Brazil and Argentina edged toward dictatorships. With innovative and colorful animation, and no shortage of history-altering music, Trueba and Mariscal’s film pays moving tribute to a brilliant creative life, tragically curtailed, while crystallizing a pivotal era of creative emancipation in Brazil. —João Federici

Javier Mariscal

Fernando Trueba

Spain/France 2023 103 min

La voz de Jeff Goldblum lidera de manera seductora esta joya animada de Fernando Trueba y Javier Mariscal, como un periodista musical de Nueva York que investiga la desaparición en 1976 del virtuoso del piano brasileño Francisco Tenório Júnior. Los sonidos de la bossa nova, interpretados por algunos de los luminarios musicales más importantes de la época, dan vida a la brillantez de Tenório y su intrigante historia. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Monday, October 9 . 3:30 . Sequoia

Friday, October 13 . 7:30 . Rafael

TOTEM

Lila Avilés follows up her excellent 2018 debut The Chambermaid with this similarly impressionistic tale that places a child at the center of a family in crisis. Over the course of a single day, seven-year-old Sol (Naíma Sentíes) musters all her will in wishing her dying father back to health, while lively preparations for his final birthday celebration go on around her. Nothing is explained as Avilés burrows deep into the beautifully textured intimacies of this large, lived-in hive of a home. Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, pets, and insects come and go to a homebound soundtrack of clinking dishes, giggling children, whispered worries, sudden anger, and the padded thuds of farewell hugs. As Sol eavesdrops into the nooks and crannies of the adult world, listening for word of her father’s salvation, we eavesdrop, too, until what at first seems fragmentary accumulates into the full weight of Sol’s joy and sorrow, now also substantial within us. —Shari Kizirian

Ganador del Premio del Jurado Ecuménico en el Festival Internacional de Cine de Berlín, el drama impresionista de Lila Avilés observa las intimidades de una familia de clase media en crisis a través de los ojos de una niña. Mientras sus familiares preparan la última celebración del cumpleaños de su moribundo padre, Sol, de siete años, navega por su caótico mundo, preguntándose cómo detener lo inevitable Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Friday, October 13 . 8:00 . Rafael

Saturday, October 14 . 4:30 . BAMPFA

WATER FOR LIFE

Cash-rich, Goliath-like corporations with government backing rapaciously seek to privatize natural resources wherever in the world they can. Marin director Will Parrinello ( The New Environmentalists , MVFF) reports from the frontlines of the resistance, following Alberto Curamil, a Mapuche chief in Chile; Francisco Pineda, a corn-grower in El Salvador; and the late Berta Cáceres, of the Lenca in Honduras, each facing overwhelming odds to simply keep the water clean for their people. Letting these defenders speak for themselves, Parrinello gets astonishingly close as he captures not only the logistics of the trio’s work and visceral dangers they face, but also the beauty of the natural world they’re trying to preserve. Living under the constant threat of harm with the smallest victories paid for in blood, they persevere. As any one of them might say, considering the stakes, it would be even more perilous not to fight. What other choice is there? —Shari

Kizirian

El documentalista Will Parrinello consigue capturar los esfuerzos de tres defensores ambientales en Chile, El Salvador y Honduras, todos luchando por agua potable. Enfrentándose a poderosas corporaciones globales y sus patrocinadores gubernamentales, el trío persiste a pesar del peligro, pero los costos casi siempre se cobran con sangre. Traducido por Isabel Fondevila

Monday, October 9 . 6:30 . Sequoia

Saturday, October 14 . 7:30 . Rafael

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

An extraordinary examination of evil, The Zone of Interest finds a startling new way to depict the Holocaust, avoiding exploitation or intellectualization while portraying the tragedy through the blinkered perspective of the monsters who orchestrated it. Under the Skin filmmaker Jonathan Glazer adapts Martin Amis’ novel, chronicling a family, led by SS officer Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), living right outside Auschwitz, their deceptively ordinary existence on occasion mildly interrupted by atrocities in the distance. Glazer gives the film a clinical remove: Cinematographer Łukasz Żal shoots scenes with icy stillness, as if to evoke dispassionate surveillance footage, and the performances contain the same malevolent passivity. (Sandra Hüller, equally excellent in MVFF46 selection Anatomy of a Fall , is a marvel as Höss’ wife.) Highlighted by Mica Levi’s remarkable score, The Zone of Interest won the Grand Prix at Cannes; it’s a stunning experience, challenging both the strictures of the Holocaust drama and our assumptions about how cinema can (or can’t) memorialize history’s greatest crime. —Tim Grierson

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