San Francisco Film Festival
The San Francisco International Film Festival is currently running until May. There are 109 movies playing- ranging from documentaries to short subject films to dramas to family movies- and from countries all over the world. We have highlighted five films that hail from Spanish-speaking countries. All of them play at the Sundance Kabuki Theaters in Japantown.
"Alamar", a film from Mexico, tells the story of a man and his son embarking on an epic journey into the open sea. Directed by Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio, the movie tells the tale of a father and son who have precious little time to spend together before they part ways for good. It won the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and plays at the Festival on Saturday and Sunday, May 1st and 2nd, at 9:30 and 6:15, respectively, and Thursday, May 6th at 6:30.
"Garbo the Spy" is a documentary from Spain that tells the incredible story of a double agent known simply as Garbo, for being "the best actor in the world". Garbo, AKA Juan Pujol, worked for both the Third Reich and the Allies- he is credited with making the D-Day landings possible. This documentary should be a fascinating window into a little-known aspect of World War II for the history buffs out there. It plays Sunday May 2nd at 9:30, Monday May 3rd at 3:45, Tuesday May 4th at 3:30, and Thursday May 6th at 8:00.
Directed by Rigoberto Perezcano, "Northless" is presented with support from the Consulate General of Mexico, and it tells a story that is very current. Andres is a young man from Oaxaca who attempts to cross the border into the U.S., is apprehended by Border Patrol, and then finds himself in a limbo working odd jobs along the border, waiting to cross again and meeting women in town in the meantime. This lovely film plays Wednesday, May 5th at 4:30.
"The Peddler" revolves around an Argentinean director, Daniel Burmeister, who peddles the idea of making a movie in a small town, on the cheap, featuring locals. Part documentary, part fiction, the director makes himself a central character in the story of bringing movie magic to a small village that welcomes him and his crew. This movie plays Monday, April 26th at 6:30, Saturday May 1st at 12:30, and Tuesday, May 4th at 6:30.
The Mexican documentary "Presumed Guilty" sheds light on the byzantine Mexican justice system, and shows how easy it is for one innocent man to get caught up in a penal system that boasts a 95% conviction rate- easy to do when defendants are presumed innocent and given few recourses to defend themselves. This documentary plays on Sunday May 2nd, at 3:30, Monday May 3rd at 6:30, and Thursday May 6th at 6:15.
