The San Francisco International Film Festival Returns To The Castro Theatre

The San Francisco International Film Festival Returns To The Castro TheatreTommy Lau/Courtesy of The San Francisco Film Society
Stephen Jackson
Published on April 23, 2015

You might not know it, but our fair city by The Bay is actually home to the longest running film festival in the Americas, The San Francisco International Film Festival, now in its 58th year. The festival, organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is a prized yearly cultural event, and there are enough exciting film happenings across the city over the next two weeks to keep any patron of the arts' dance card full.

Starting today, and running through May 7th, the festival will host 181 films in total across a wide variety of formats. The festival itself is taking place at several locations: Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Landmark's Clay Theatre, The Roxie Theatre, The Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, and The Castro Theatre. "We're actually doing more programming at The Castro Theatre than we have in the past, and I'm very excited about that because it's such a great theatre," said Rachel Rosen, Director of Programming for the SFIFF. "It's the best of both worlds because it has all the history that comes with being a 1920s movie palace, and the presentation is up to date in terms of image and sound, so you're not sacrificing anything for the atmosphere."

Here's a handy overview we've compiled to highlight the festival's major events at The Castro Theatre over the next two weeks. For tickets, visit www.sffs.org, and remember that rush tickets may be available for shows that are sold out. 

Image via SFIFF

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (Thursday, April 23rd)

Director Alex Gibney is expected to attend.

Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (who recently debuted the HBO Scientology exposé Going Clear) takes a candid look at Steve Jobs and his ultimate impact on the world we live in today. The film seeks to investigate a man who was at once influenced by the peaceful teachings of zen and notorious for unforgiving practices in both his business and family life. Using interviews from close friends and colleagues, Gibney portrays a man of staggering intellect, questionable values, and great ambition in what Variety's Justin Chang called "a coolly absorbing, deeply unflattering portrait." 7pm, $50.

Image via SFIFF

What Happened, Miss Simone? (Friday, April 24th)

Director Liz Garbus is expected to attend.

Nina Simone will be forever remembered for her deeply soulful voice and unstoppable stage presence, but beneath that lay a complicated artist that was much more than a just a singer. Liz Garbus' documentary seeks to give a definitive portrait of Nina Simone throughout her career, including her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and her artistic vision and self image. (As she says in the film, “Sometimes I sound like gravel and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream”.) 6pm, $15.

Image via SFIFF

54: The Director's Cut (Friday, April 24th)

Director Mark Christopher and actors Ryan Phillipe and Brekin Meyer are expected to attend.

The original 1998 release of this film was massacred in the editing room, removing most of the wild bacchanal the famed nightclub was famous for and padded with asinine Hallmark dialogue to make it acceptable for a mainstream audience. The full director's cut has since been circulated as somewhat of a cult classic, and this year it was showcased at the Berlin Film Festival as a resurrected, erotically accurate depiction of what Studio 54 actually was. Including a remarkable performance by Mike Meyers as Steve Rubell, the unedited version is said to be an entirely different, and far superior, film. 9:30pm, $15.

Image via SFIFF

Wanda (Saturday, April 25th)

Presenter Rachel Kushner (author of The Flamethrowers and Telex from Cuba, Telluride Film Festival’s 2015 Guest Director) will attend.

This 1970 independent film, shot in 16mm, was described by director and star Barbara Loden as "an anti-Bonnie and Clyde movie". The film follows a woman who, after leaving her husband, travels with a small-time thief across the bleak industrial landscape of America during that time period. The film, although receiving some accolades, was only released in one New York Theatre and was nearly lost and forgotten until its recent resurrection. 4pm, $15.

Image via SFIFF

Saint Laurent (Sunday, April 26th)

Director Bertrand Bonello and actor Gaspard Ulliel are expected to attend.

Bask in the glory and downfall of one of fashion's greatest figures at the peak of his hedonism in Bertand Bonillo's portrayal of Yves Saint Laurent. The film focuses more on the man than his craft itself and provides an unflinching view of the lifestyle of a cultural icon. As New York Magazine noted, Saint Laurent's once-lover and long-term business partner Pierre Bergé "damned this version in the press (and threatened to sue Bonello for it in 2013) — but it’s already received glowing reviews for its fluid approach to an often heavy-handed genre." 2pm, $15.

Image via SFIFF

Peter J. Owens Award: Richard Gere: Time Out Of Mind (Sunday, April 26th)

Director Oren Moverman and Actor Richard Gere are expected to attend.

This year, the SFIFF will present its prestigious Peter J. Owens Award to screen legend Richard Gere. There will also be a screening of Gere's latest film, Time Out of Mind, in which director Oren Moverman depicts Gere as a homeless man facing the cruel and unforgiving streets of New York City. The film, Gere said last year, "demands of the audience to let go of their normal expectations for storytelling" and "plays essentially like a silent movie." "The movie is asking, 'What is it to be a human being?'"

Image via SFIFF

Cibo Matto New Scene (Tuesday, May 5th)

Cibo Matto's hip-hop infused electro-pop stylings made waves in the '90s until they announced their hiatus in 2001. Now, back with a new album in 2014, the duo's at it again and fans of the team couldn't be happier. Join them for a unique evening of live musical performance set to some very special short features including Yoko Ono's 1970 short "Fly" and Oskar Sclemmer's "Triadic Ballet". Other screenings will include various animated shorts and clips from some of Cibo Matto's favorite films. 8pm, $25.

Image via SFIFF

The Experimenter (Thursday, May 7th)

Director Michael Almereyda is expected to attend.

This film examines the controversial experiments conducted by social psychologist Stanley Milgram while he was a professor at Yale in the 1960s. In the experiments, subjects were notoriously allowed to administer varying degrees of simulated electroshocks to paid actors in order to determine their willingness to obey authority and "follow orders". Don't miss Peter Sarsgaard's acclaimed performance as Milgram at a showing fit for the festival's closing night. 7pm, $50.

For more information regarding the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival, visit the website here.