Carrie's SF International Film Festival Schedule
Friday, April 23
Life, Death and Very Large Utensils - Kabuki 7:30pm
The presentation of the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award to maverick animator Don Hertzfeldt will include an onstage interview, questions and answers with the audience and many of Hertzfedlt's most beloved short films, including I am so proud of you.
Cargo - Kabuki 10:30pm
A doctor signs on to a cargo freighter, little knowing what the ship is actually carrying in this suspenseful, stylish and atmospheric science fiction dazzler that potently combines environmental concerns with outer space chills.
Saturday, April 24
Rejoice and Shout - Kabuki 2:00pm
This extensively researched documentary combines archival footage, rare recordings and interviews to trace the fascinating and rousing 200-year history of gospel music, featuring such giants as Mahalia Jackson, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Mavis Staples.
Sunday, April 25
Cracks - Kabuki 9:15pm
At a British girls' boarding school, a glamorous and provocative teacher captures the imagination of a group of students until a new girl from Spain reveals the darker side of a secluded society where obsession, rivalry and sexual awakening collide.
Tuesday, April 27
Gainsbourg - Kabuki 6:00pm
Actor Eric Elmosnino is a dead ringer for legendary French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg in this offbeat, imaginative biopic of a provocative artist as famous for his storied romances and many scandals as he is for his enduring music.
Vengeance - Kabuki 9:55pm
This French and Hong Kong coproduction offers neo-noir fans and newcomers a genre-busting gem populated by a hit man turned chef, family men moonlighting as assassins, and earnestly official, androgynous women detectives. And for good measure, it stars French crooner, Johnny Hallyday.
Wednesday, April 28
Soul Kitchen - Kabuki 9:30pm
Acclaimed Turkish/German filmmaker Faith Akin takes a delightful comedic turn in this romp about the hapless owner of a Hamburg greasy spoon on an epic run of bad luck with love, family and the tax authorities, who'll do anything-including upgrading to gourmet cuisine-to keep his restaurant afloat.
Thursday, April 29
Cairo Time - Kabuki 7pm
A diplomat's wife holed up alone in a modern-day Cairo hotel finds solace, companionship and unexpected romance with a soulful café owner and former employee of her absent husband in this luminous romantic melodrama starring Patricia Clarkson.
Friday, April 30
Air Doll - Kabuki 9:15pm
Kore-eda returns with possibly his most surprising work to date. An “air doll” suddenly comes to life in the middle of modern Tokyo in this offbeat, gorgeously filmed and soulfully directed anti-fairy tale about love, loneliness and what it means to be human, starring Korean starlet Bae Doo-na.
Saturday, May 1
Evening with Roger Ebert & Screening of Julia - Castro 5:30pm
From the maker of 1998's highly acclaimed The Dreamlife of Angels comes this character-driven thriller, powered by an unforgettable performance from ever-daring Tilda Swinton, barreling straight into a sleazy wasteland as an abrasive alcoholic kidnapper in way over her head.
To Die Like A Man - Clay 9:00pm
A Lisbon drag queen has long lived as a woman, but as she struggles with fading stardom, relationship troubles and the leaking breast implants destroying her health, she faces the possibility of dying as a man in this extravagantly stylized melodrama.
Sunday, May 2
I Am Love - Castro 3:30pm
In one of her most absorbing performances, Tilda Swinton plays a Milanese magnate's trophy wife whose attraction to her son's friend sets her on a collision course with propriety. This superb melodrama reimagines the form with bold originality and not a hint of irony.
Bodyguards and Assassins - Castro 6:45pm
Centering around an assassination attempt on Chinese revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen in 1906 Hong Kong, this star-studded epic is a rousing, electrifying mix of history, revolution and martial arts. The first half is an intricate political thriller and the second half is just plain thrilling.
Garbo the Spy - Kabuki 9:30pm
An enthralling narrative woven from the mysteries surrounding Garbo-the Spanish double agent who perpetrated the greatest fraud in World War II-this masterful documentary shows us just how thin the line is between truth and fiction.
Monday, May 3
Porchlight Storytelling - Kabuki 9:45pm
Porchlight, the acclaimed nonfictional storytelling series, makes a special SFIFF appearance with film specific stories on the theme, “Behind the Scenes.” Festival guests will participate, regaling us with true, sometimes titillating, often absurd tales about making movies.
Tuesday, May 4
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt - Castro 8:30pm
Remarkably gifted and prolific tunesmith Stephin Merritt, best known as the leader of the band the Magnetic Fields, presents live onstage the world premiere of his new score to the stunning 1916 silent film based on Jules Verne's classic tale.
Wednesday, May 5
The Invention of Dr. Nakamats - Kabuki 6:30pm
A legend in his own time-and mind-the fascinating, forbearing 80-year-old Yoshiro Nakamatsu holds 3,400 patents, including the floppy disk, bouncing shoes and the impossible-to-resist Love Spray. This humorous, quirky and visually striking cinematic portrait proves wholly worthy of its eccentric subject.
My Queen Karo - Kabuki 9:15pm
Mirroring circumstances familiar to the filmmaker herself as the child of communards, this knowing and nuanced coming-of-age film concerns the moral choices and dilemmas facing ten-year-old Karo, growing up with her bohemian parents in a chaotic Amsterdam group squat circa 1974.
Thursday, May 6
You Think You're the Prettiest, but You Are the Sluttiest - Kabuki 6:15pm
Flirtatious, narcissistic teenager Javier makes a game of seducing girls. But when he gets dumped, his self-esteem takes a nosedive, and we learn that his apparent frivolousness masks a deeper complexity of character in this astute comedic study by 25-year-old Ché Sandoval.
Wild Grass - Kabuki 8:45pm
A found wallet triggers an unlikely obsession in the latest film by the masterful Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad). An ode to uncontrolled impulses and effervescent possibilities, it's a thriller, a romance, a screwball comedy-and something else entirely.
Life, Death and Very Large Utensils - Kabuki 7:30pm
The presentation of the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award to maverick animator Don Hertzfeldt will include an onstage interview, questions and answers with the audience and many of Hertzfedlt's most beloved short films, including I am so proud of you.
Cargo - Kabuki 10:30pm
A doctor signs on to a cargo freighter, little knowing what the ship is actually carrying in this suspenseful, stylish and atmospheric science fiction dazzler that potently combines environmental concerns with outer space chills.
Saturday, April 24
Rejoice and Shout - Kabuki 2:00pm
This extensively researched documentary combines archival footage, rare recordings and interviews to trace the fascinating and rousing 200-year history of gospel music, featuring such giants as Mahalia Jackson, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Mavis Staples.
Sunday, April 25
Cracks - Kabuki 9:15pm
At a British girls' boarding school, a glamorous and provocative teacher captures the imagination of a group of students until a new girl from Spain reveals the darker side of a secluded society where obsession, rivalry and sexual awakening collide.
Tuesday, April 27
Gainsbourg - Kabuki 6:00pm
Actor Eric Elmosnino is a dead ringer for legendary French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg in this offbeat, imaginative biopic of a provocative artist as famous for his storied romances and many scandals as he is for his enduring music.
Vengeance - Kabuki 9:55pm
This French and Hong Kong coproduction offers neo-noir fans and newcomers a genre-busting gem populated by a hit man turned chef, family men moonlighting as assassins, and earnestly official, androgynous women detectives. And for good measure, it stars French crooner, Johnny Hallyday.
Wednesday, April 28
Soul Kitchen - Kabuki 9:30pm
Acclaimed Turkish/German filmmaker Faith Akin takes a delightful comedic turn in this romp about the hapless owner of a Hamburg greasy spoon on an epic run of bad luck with love, family and the tax authorities, who'll do anything-including upgrading to gourmet cuisine-to keep his restaurant afloat.
Thursday, April 29
Cairo Time - Kabuki 7pm
A diplomat's wife holed up alone in a modern-day Cairo hotel finds solace, companionship and unexpected romance with a soulful café owner and former employee of her absent husband in this luminous romantic melodrama starring Patricia Clarkson.
Friday, April 30
Air Doll - Kabuki 9:15pm
Kore-eda returns with possibly his most surprising work to date. An “air doll” suddenly comes to life in the middle of modern Tokyo in this offbeat, gorgeously filmed and soulfully directed anti-fairy tale about love, loneliness and what it means to be human, starring Korean starlet Bae Doo-na.
Saturday, May 1
Evening with Roger Ebert & Screening of Julia - Castro 5:30pm
From the maker of 1998's highly acclaimed The Dreamlife of Angels comes this character-driven thriller, powered by an unforgettable performance from ever-daring Tilda Swinton, barreling straight into a sleazy wasteland as an abrasive alcoholic kidnapper in way over her head.
To Die Like A Man - Clay 9:00pm
A Lisbon drag queen has long lived as a woman, but as she struggles with fading stardom, relationship troubles and the leaking breast implants destroying her health, she faces the possibility of dying as a man in this extravagantly stylized melodrama.
Sunday, May 2
I Am Love - Castro 3:30pm
In one of her most absorbing performances, Tilda Swinton plays a Milanese magnate's trophy wife whose attraction to her son's friend sets her on a collision course with propriety. This superb melodrama reimagines the form with bold originality and not a hint of irony.
Bodyguards and Assassins - Castro 6:45pm
Centering around an assassination attempt on Chinese revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen in 1906 Hong Kong, this star-studded epic is a rousing, electrifying mix of history, revolution and martial arts. The first half is an intricate political thriller and the second half is just plain thrilling.
Garbo the Spy - Kabuki 9:30pm
An enthralling narrative woven from the mysteries surrounding Garbo-the Spanish double agent who perpetrated the greatest fraud in World War II-this masterful documentary shows us just how thin the line is between truth and fiction.
Monday, May 3
Porchlight Storytelling - Kabuki 9:45pm
Porchlight, the acclaimed nonfictional storytelling series, makes a special SFIFF appearance with film specific stories on the theme, “Behind the Scenes.” Festival guests will participate, regaling us with true, sometimes titillating, often absurd tales about making movies.
Tuesday, May 4
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt - Castro 8:30pm
Remarkably gifted and prolific tunesmith Stephin Merritt, best known as the leader of the band the Magnetic Fields, presents live onstage the world premiere of his new score to the stunning 1916 silent film based on Jules Verne's classic tale.
Wednesday, May 5
The Invention of Dr. Nakamats - Kabuki 6:30pm
A legend in his own time-and mind-the fascinating, forbearing 80-year-old Yoshiro Nakamatsu holds 3,400 patents, including the floppy disk, bouncing shoes and the impossible-to-resist Love Spray. This humorous, quirky and visually striking cinematic portrait proves wholly worthy of its eccentric subject.
My Queen Karo - Kabuki 9:15pm
Mirroring circumstances familiar to the filmmaker herself as the child of communards, this knowing and nuanced coming-of-age film concerns the moral choices and dilemmas facing ten-year-old Karo, growing up with her bohemian parents in a chaotic Amsterdam group squat circa 1974.
Thursday, May 6
You Think You're the Prettiest, but You Are the Sluttiest - Kabuki 6:15pm
Flirtatious, narcissistic teenager Javier makes a game of seducing girls. But when he gets dumped, his self-esteem takes a nosedive, and we learn that his apparent frivolousness masks a deeper complexity of character in this astute comedic study by 25-year-old Ché Sandoval.
Wild Grass - Kabuki 8:45pm
A found wallet triggers an unlikely obsession in the latest film by the masterful Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad). An ode to uncontrolled impulses and effervescent possibilities, it's a thriller, a romance, a screwball comedy-and something else entirely.