Venues
Studio 45 • Cafe Seventy8 • The Magic Patio • STEMful
When the director shouts, “Action!” on the set of a queer film, it’s more than just the beginning of another scene—it’s the start of a conversation that pushes boundaries and defies conventions.
Anna Firth
Animation | 3:30
Two artists keep warm in the legacy of an esteemed summer residency.
Alex J Bledsoe
Documentary | 3:43
A short film that documents the interior lives of art handlxrs and their experiences in the art world.
Frances Capel
Narrative | 12:49
After their best friend dies, four best friends plan a heist to steal their ashes and take them on a final joyride for the send off they deserve.
Franny Trinidad, Kelly Liu
Documentary | 13:10
Bay Area Filipino drag queens are blending ballroom and pre-colonial Babaylan spirituality as a reclamation and celebration of queer Filipino identity.
We believe in forging highly collaborative partnerships to tell stories that matter.
Sophie Constantinou
Documentary | 3:00
This Love honors the impact and legacy of Reverend Cecil Williams and his partner in life and love, Poet Laureate Janice Mirikitani, who converted trauma and injustice into revolutionary, unconditional love.
Sophie Constantinou
Documentary | 3:00
Maritza shares her experience finding success and community through Immigrants Rising, which works to empower undocumented young people to achieve educational and career goals through personal, institutional and policy transformation.
Jenni Olson
Documentary | 5:00
Jenni Olson’s powerful elegy reveals the play of light and shadow upon the walls of the Castro Camera Store set for the Academy Award winning film “Milk”.
Sam Ball
Documentary | 5:00
Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton explores temporary shelters in an urban context.
Alexi Papalexopoulos
Horror | 25:00
Amid the neon haze and blood-soaked urban legends of a surreal San Francisco, a young woman’s night out spirals into terror as she’s hunted by the Zodiac Killer.
Films presented by
Dance Film SF brings dance to wider audiences by developing, producing and presenting innovative dance-based film and media, cultivating community and supporting and amplifying underrepresented artists.
Axel Robin
Contemporary Narrative | 9:37
A cheeky take on the behind-the-scenes genre — a film within a film uses dance to celebrate the quotidian actions of filmmaking.
Jacob Krupnick
Documentary | 14:20
Daniel Ajala, a self-taught ballet dancer in Nigeria who discovers the European dance form in the American movie, opens Leap of Dance Academy in his front yard: humble, rigorous, and free to anyone with dedication.
Mollie Moore
Screendance | 3:15
The film explores Queer visions and landscapes through dance and poetry, where Queer beings live freely and safely in new imagined spaces outside of urban and confined borders.
Phillip Kaminiak
Screendance | 6:10
An analogy between the modern human being, living in mass cities, and the phenomenon of the circle of death — observed in nature with ants who are separated from the main foraging party and lose the pheromone track.
Iván Asnicar, Ailén Cafiso
Screendance | 6:25
A park. Two bodies dance looking for the exit. Through the tour they find fantastic and real situations. The movement will carry them forward into the next age. A labyrinthine passage from Dance in the Park.
Laura Steiner
Urban Screendance | 2:51
A stylized meditation on bustling urban life in the Colombian capital city of Bogotá.
Alexia Oldini, Steven Gray
Experimental Screendance | 1:54
A merger of meditations on dance from choreographer Martha Graham with music by composer Philip Glass and video featuring professional bull rider and modern dancer Ouncie Mitchell at the 2022 Oakley Rodeo in Oakley, UT.
Iker Karrera, Alberto D. Centeno
Screendance | 3:21
Male trio, sharp, quirky movement.
22 seasons of presenting the work of local filmmakers with a vision of building and bringing community together through film.
Polla Ilariya Kozino
Animation, Music Video | 3:47
In the heart of war-torn Ukraine, a little girl finds refuge in her vivid imagination.
Catherine Ngo
Animation | 6:24
A knight struggles with the intense compulsion to sharpen his sword to perfection. His compulsion manifests as a monster, posing a threat that he cannot face alone.
August Rait
Experimental | 5:38
A day in the life of a high school student.
Sal Ardongde
Romance, Drama | 11:20
To rekindle their relationship, Mark and Loretta drive to Yosemite for an anniversary trip in Mark’s vintage jeep, which starts to show signs of mechanical problems.
David Nguyen
Drama | 4:18
A girl grows up under the quiet care of her widowed father, a man bound by traditional Asian values, who struggles to openly express his love.
Nada Djordjevich
Narrative | 9:03
A jaded New York writer and a laid-back California surfer navigate the murky and occasionally painful waters of a first date.
Chloë Fitzmaurice
Documentary | 9:06
Kayla Abe and David Murphy of Shuggie’s restaurant are challenging the very essence of culinary tradition by transforming what others see as food waste into gourmet masterpiece.
AJ Meininger
Experimental | 4:03
An experimental documentary/hybrid film chronicling the visceral and disorienting experiences of a woman with panic disorder.
Lyle Kahney
Narrative | 8:33
Spend the day with a SFMTA ticket officer, as he listens to pleas of his offenders.
Berenice Manzano Castro
Horror, Experimental | 10:00
Awakening in his childhood home, Chicano teen Luis Aguilar is forced to relive discriminations his Mexican immigrant parents have lived through, all while being pursued by a mysterious figure.
Felix Milionis, Laszlo Green
Experimental | 15:33
A Bay Area photographer, Gabi, struggles with the lack of umph in his overlooked work and becomes obsessed with Onyx, a renowned street muralist.
The Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence (AIR) Program is an art and education initiative that supports Bay Area artists. The four-month residency provides a rich and immersive environment for artists to develop their practice while deeply engaging with sustainability and community outreach.
Jeremiah Barber
4:25
The artist walks through the Recology site on unmanageable wooden boxes exploring universal human moments of struggle and transcendence.
Michael Damm
1:14
A site-specific video offers fleeting glimpses of urban life, capturing commuters on a train in familiar yet nonspecific scenes, engaging passersby through spontaneous, reflective moments.
Matthew Gottschalk
2:14
Drawing inspiration from explorers like Cousteau and Sagan Gottschalk crafts a Carl Sagan marionette that explores the Recology site, prompting questions of humanity.
Jamil Hell
1:00
Exploration of ideas related to identity and portraiture. The work questions the shifting nature of identity and the many roles we play in our personal and professional lives.
Darrin Martin
4:00
Darrin Martin humorously evokes spy-thriller tropes by sending a robotic vacuum with a camera through ductwork, its feed on a wall monitor reveals faint video and a subtle, ambient thrum.
Neil Mendoza
3:44
An animated, musical living room is a literal house party and a hallucinatory vision of what a “smart-home” from the future might look like if left to its own devices.
Genevieve Quick
3:14
In video and interactive components, Quick references an Asian Futurism that rejects clichés about technology and Asian cultures, and instead envisions a completely unique galactic existence.
Jeremy Rourke
3:00
A stop motion video combining vintage photographs with modern images, text, and unexpected materials like rose petals, fire, and water to create moments of beauty and enchanting surprise.
Chris Sollars
1:03
Chris Sollars uses humor to discuss environmental issues in this scuba diving adventure where he takes us through a sea of plastic trash.
Nathaniel Stookey
2:44
A score in three movements performed by the San Francisco Youth Orchestra Symphony using instruments Stookey created from objects scavenged from the dump (pipes, pans, mixing bowls).
Minoosh Zomorodinia
2:44
The stop motion videos explore discarded elements from our everyday surroundings, asking us to consider the weight of our collective consumer excesses and the possibilities for new life in overlooked things.
Tariq Stone
9:21
Imagining the history of our discarded objects, the film’s character experiences life through the echoes of others’ memories that she psychometrically calls forth from the trash she finds strewn about.
22 seasons of presenting the work of local filmmakers with a vision of building and bringing community together through film.
Polla Ilariya Kozino
Animation, Music Video | 3:47
In the heart of war-torn Ukraine, a little girl finds refuge in her vivid imagination.
Catherine Ngo
Animation | 6:24
A knight struggles with the intense compulsion to sharpen his sword to perfection. When he hesitates to tell his companion, his compulsion manifests in reality as a monster, posing a threat that he cannot face alone.
August Rait
Experimental | 5:38
A day in the life of a high school student.
Sal Ardongde
Romance, Drama | 11:20
To rekindle their relationship, Mark and Loretta drive to Yosemite for an anniversary trip in Mark’s vintage jeep, which starts to show signs of mechanical problems.
David Nguyen
Drama | 4:18
A girl grows up under the quiet care of her widowed father, a man bound by traditional Asian values, who struggles to openly express his love.
Nada Djordjevich
Narrative | 9:03
A jaded New York writer and a laid-back California surfer navigate the murky and occasionally painful waters of a first date. Set in San Francisco, it’s also a love-hate letter to that paradoxical place where hearts have been left, lost, and also found.
Chloë Fitzmaurice
Documentary | 9:06
In the heart of San Francisco, Shuggie’s is more than just a restaurant—it’s a movement. Founders Kayla Abe and David Murphy are challenging the very essence of culinary tradition by transforming what others see as food waste into gourmet masterpiece
August Michael Montesano
Animation, Experimental | 4:09
A man who in his attempts to get his work done, is plagued by dreams involving animation that warn him of an imminent future.
David Wilde, Daniel Gorrell
Narrative | 12:27
A man grappling with bizarre side effects from losing a loved one, opens up about his struggle on YouTube, forming an unexpected bond with a young girl.
Alexandrea Meyer
Drama | 16:00
A short narrative that aims to capture the pain of a woman who has lost a child in child birth and the madness that results from “carrying on.”
Jonathan DiMaio
Horror, Satire | 15:45
A mother’s ambitions for her son’s chances to get into a premier university result in her resorting to actions that threaten her son’s well-being.
iNation amplifies the voices of immigrant communities to create complex and nuanced narratives rarely seen in today’s media.
Theo Rigby
Documentary | 25:00
A heart-wrenching and inspiring story of two undocumented Latinx mothers, Jeanette and Ingrid, who courageously enter local churches to evade deportation and protect their families. This is a 25 minute clip from the 75 minute feature. Theo will participate in Q&A after each screening.
BAVC Media Youth and Emerging Media Makers Programs (YEMM) equip young people ages 12-25 with the skills and experience they need to create media that matters to them and focuses on their social change goals.
Hieronymous Kasmai
Drama | 4:48
A man’s attempt at dinner preparation for a guest goes awry.
Sydney Masuoka, Leilani Wallace- Boston, Jaden Yu, Nahomy Mendez, Mayerli Escobar Ixcal, Ethan Colin Soto, Naomi Chin
3:55
A compilation – short animations.
Brixton Cobra
Drama | 2:33
A clown prepares for their first day at school.
Meime Chiang
Satire | 3:45
In this short mockumentary, two rival buyers fight over the same piece of modern artwork, both with the hope of outdoing the other, resulting in an unlikely pair.
Laurel Yardley, Harper Hallquist
Experimental | 4:35
A young girl looks back on the innocence of childhood, haunted by memories of growing up, now left to navigate the bittersweet weight of nostalgia
Adam Ouali
Documentary | 6:01
We take a look at San Francisco’s public transportation system, the good, the bad, and everything in between. What’s working with Muni, what isn’t, and their big goal to go fully electric by 2030.
Meime Chiang
Narrative Documentary | 5:02
PSA-based film about how fast fashion is currently affecting climate change and why textile waste is bad for the earth.
Diana Ramos
Experimental Narrative | 3:14
A journey through time in San Francisco reveals how the invisible rise of AI leads to environmental decline.
Camilo Munist
Documentary | 6:36
The history of Bayview and how it’s considered one of the most polluted places in the city.
Nofa Quali, Tlaloc
Narrative Fiction | 4:54
In the year 2050 on Treasure Island a group of kids explore the radioactive side of the Island.
SFBFF believes film can lead to a better understanding of and communication between, peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while simultaneously serving as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
Melvin Taylor II
Dramedy
Haunted by looming thoughts of his receding hairline, Travis struggles with how to open up about it to his friends and family.
Rodrigo Williams
Horror | 25:00
In a surreal San Francisco where urban legends exist, a young woman on a date is stalked by an infamous serial killer terrorizing Vibeland and the greater Bay Area.
At Precita Park we kicked off the evening with Salsa lessons followed by films including the celebration of the Best of Bernal, Spirit of Bernal and Bernal Bright Star award-winning films.
Morgan Notari
Animation | 2:18
Daisy, a lingering ghost who learns the importance of death after she accidentally kills a flower and observes the new life that sprouts in its place.
Keya Thota
Animation | 2:11
Two inseparable elementary school best friends exchange a diary documenting their upbringing in the suburbs of Bangalore, India until one reveals that she is moving away.
Howie Gelman
Experimental | 2:35
Something nearly magical happens while heating up some water.
Birxton Cobra
Drama | 2:33
On the first day of school, a youth struggles to make friends.
Conor Casey
Animation, Experimental | 1:30
A day at the ballpark.
Mike Godlewski
Documentary | 2:40
A Guatemalan mother living in the US struggles to maintain a healthy diet for her family on a limited budget.
Jonah Belsky, ArVejon Jones, Ames Tierney, David Rosenthal, Sarah Rosenthal
Experimental, Dance | 6:35
A cross-genre film that darts and skitters. Lizard is wild and Lizard is you.
Meera Angelica Joshi
Comic Narrative | 10:52
A widow, who is on her first date since her husband died has an accident and now she must overcome her fear of driving to get her date help.
Chloë Fitzmaurice
Documentary | 16:00
Khaled came from war-torn Yemen to Oakland, CA to pursue beekeeping and a better life. But with an increasing amount of uncertainties, life’s not always as sweet as honey.
Dylan Clarke
Documentary | 8:35
A vibrant visual tapestry that reflects the lived experience of Chris Gazaleh, muralist, in diaspora after the 1948 forced removal of his ancestors from Palestine. Produced by eigt youth filmmakers from BAYCAT.
Justine Nagan
Documentary | 12:00
Spend a day in pre-pandemic San Francisco with Mercedes Weatherford, a quirky woman in her 70’s who reflects on her career and life journey. The documentary asks “what is the value of work?”.
Syra McCarthy, Kyle Casey Chu
Drama | 15:00
In the wake of a terrifying encounter, an overwhelmed drag queen struggles under the weight of public attention. Inspired by Kyle’s true story.
Steven Gong
Magical Realism | 10:00
A first-gen young professional,accompanied by the spirit of Jiji, the black cat, spends a day in his local neighborhood reflecting on the intergenerational values that landed him a 9-5 work-from-home job.
We closed out the 22nd season with a mini-screening of audience favorites followed by the presentation of the Good Life Audience award. After the screening, the audience engaged in a Q&A with the GLA award winner and the Bernal Bright Star, the Spirit of Bernal and the Best of Bernal award-winners.
Following the film program and awards presentations, we partied and enjoyed music and delicious refreshments provided by our partner in-kind donors. Thanks to all!
• Good Life Audience Honorable Mention
EAT SURF LOVE by Nada Djordjevich
• Good Life Audience Honorable Mention
FOR THE BEES by Chloe Fitzmaurice-Shean
• Good Life Audience Award — PRINCETON’S IN THE MIX by Jonathan DeMaio, Directo,r and Heather Brawley, Producer
★ Season #22 Celebration — closed out the season and spurred us on to the next. Thanks to all the Cortland and Mission/Bernal eateries that provided wonderful treats for all to enjoy.
