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SF International Women's Film Festival Call For Entries (Early Deadline: 8/31)

2010-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival 2011 Call for Entries Early Deadline is now approaching!

“We’re open to professional and emerging filmmakers of narrative, documentary, music video, animation, and experimental works,” says festival founder Scarlett Shepard. “The only constant is that submissions must be directed or co–directed by women.”

SFWFF will be accepting online entries submitted via Withoutabox.com global filmmaker community. Their internet-only submission platform uses one master entry form and is an economical, eco-friendly, and secure alternative to traditional hard-copy DVD submissions: https://www.withoutabox.com/login/4231

The early deadline for submission is August 31, 2010. Entry fee: $20. Any questions regarding submissions can be emailed to: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com or call (415) 754-3456.

Founded in 2004, the SFWFF celebrates the achievements of women working behind the camera and raises awareness about the need for more opportunities for female filmmakers: http://www.sfwff.org

About the Women’s Film Institute (WFI):
'Amplifying the Voices of Women and Girls through Film + New Media'
WFI is the presenter of the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (April 6-l0, 2011), WFI Shorts Tour, and year-round educational programs and events. WFI is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to expand civic dialogue by increasing access to independent voices: http://artsandmedia.net

Check out SF Weekly Photo Booth Pics from GHMAP Benefit

2010-08-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Women's Film Institute (WFI) held a night of fun and networking to raise funds for Generation HERstory Media Arts Project initiative (GHMAP) with special guest Jan Wahl (Photograph: Left, Jan Wahl. Right, Scarlett Shepard, Executive Director of WFI). GHMAP identifies and fosters the next generation of media-makers and broadens public access to arts enrichment by providing free hands-on filmmaking training and mentoring for diverse low-income and at-risk young women (ages 12-19) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Young women are given the tools to create short films and public-service announcements that authentically reflect their voices.

Check out SF Weekly Photo Booth Pics:
http://www.sfweekly.com/slideshow/generation-herstory-media-arts-project-2081788

About WFI:
WFI's mission is to honor, showcase, and facilitate the creation of films that are directed or co-directed by women. WFI is the presenter of the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF), WFI Shorts Tour, Generation HERstory Media Arts Project, and year-round educational programs and events. WFI is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to expand civic dialogue by increasing access to independent voices. Independent Arts & Media is dedicated to producing and promoting independent media and supporting and serving independent artists and media producers: http://www.sfwff.com, http://artsandmedia.net

Join WFI and Jan Wahl to benefit Generation HERstory Media Arts Project

2010-08-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

San Francisco based Women's Film Institute is holding a night of fun and networking to raise funds for our Generation HERstory Media Arts Project initiative (GHMAP).

GHMAP identifies and fosters the next generation of media-makers and broadens public access to arts enrichment by providing free hands-on filmmaking training and mentoring for diverse low-income and at-risk young women (ages 12-19) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Young women are given the tools to create short films and public-service announcements that authentically reflect their voices. Films created in GHMAP will premiere at the 7th Annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (April 2011).

All proceeds from the event will go toward providing scholarships for up to 8 young women to enroll in GHMAP free of charge for the Fall session beginning in September.

Stop by for a drink, to learn more about the Women's Film Institute and Generation Herstory, and participate in our silent auction:

Location: Tonic Bar, 2360 Polk Street (at Union) San Francisco (21 + with Valid ID): http://www.tonic-bar.com

Time: 6-9pm

Date: Thursday, August 12th

• We'll be behind the bar mixin and fixin up drinks for the crowd (No host bar). All tips made during the evening will be donated to Generation HERstory.

• 6-7pm is happy hour-- all drinks are two for one!

• Silent Auction. Bid on some great film-centric and lifestyle items!

To RSVP: http://tiny.cc/wfi0812

We hope you will celebrate with us! Please RSVP, as space is limited.

WFI Benefit is co-presented by SF Weekly:
http://www.sfweekly.com/

About the Women’s Film Institute (WFI):
WFI is the presenter of the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF), WFI Shorts Tour, and year-round educational programs and events. WFI is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to expand civic dialogue by increasing access to independent voices. Independent Arts & Media is dedicated to producing and promoting independent media and supporting and serving independent artists and media producers. Visit us: http://www.sfwff.org, http://artsandmedia.net

SFWFF 2011 Call For Entries Is Open!

2010-07-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

The Women’s Film Institute announces its call for film and video entries in all lengths and genres for the 7th annual San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival (SFWFF). The festival will take place April 4-10, 2011.

“We’re open to professional and amateur filmmakers of narrative, documentary, music video, animation, and experimental works,” says festival founder Scarlett Shepard. “The only constant is that submissions must be directed or co–directed by women.”

SFWFF will be accepting online entries submitted via Withoutabox.com global filmmaker community (Deadline for submissions is December 1, 2010). Their internet-only submission platform uses one master entry form and is an economical, eco-friendly, and secure alternative to traditional hard-copy DVD submissions:
https://www.withoutabox.com/login/4231

“The festival is a powerful and vital forum that brings the voices of women to a wider audience, as well as celebrating their achievements in the world of cinema,” notes Shepard.

Founded in 2004, the SFWFF celebrates the achievements of women working behind the camera and raises awareness about the need for more opportunities for female filmmakers: http://www.sfwff.org

About the Women’s Film Institute (WFI):
WFI is the presenter of the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF), WFI Shorts Tour, and year-round educational programs and events. WFI aims to bring the highest quality films to the community. WFI is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to expand civic dialogue by increasing access to independent voices. Independent Arts & Media is dedicated to producing and promoting independent media and supporting and serving independent artists and media producers: http://artsandmedia.net

Coming soon to SF Jewish Film Festival: You Won't Miss Me by Ry Russo-Young

2010-07-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival is proud to co-present the following film at this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival:

You Won't Miss Me (2009 | USA | Color and Black & White | 81 min) Directed by Ry Russo-Young

Loner, dissenter, flirt, enemy, lover, that's Shelly Brown, and 23-year-old alienated urban misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital. She's back in New York City seeking solace and affirmation but finding little of either.

Balancing order and abstraction, verite and high theatricality, Russo-Young applies a daring and emotionally honest style to the material reminiscent of indie filmmaking pioneers John Cassavetes and Agnes Varda.

Date: Sat, July 24, 2010 at 10:15 p.m.

Admission: $12.00 (General ), $10.50 (Senior discount)

Location: Castro Theatre, San Francisco, CA

For more information and to purchase tickets:

http://www.sfjff.org/film/detail?id=5093

Coming Soon: 30th Annual SF Jewish Film Festival

2010-07-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Women's Film Festival (SFWFF) is proud to be a community partner at this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

SFWFF co-presents a film screening of Grace Paley: Collected Shorts directed by Lily Rivlin

Lily Rivlin's (Gimme a Kiss, SFJFF 2002) intimate documentary is rich, inspiring portrait of Jewish writer and activist Grace Paley, who passed away in 2007. Paley's acclaimed first short story collection, The Little Disturbances of Man, established her reputations with its brilliantly sad and funny chronicles of Jewish American urban females much like herself.

Paley's New York tales, filled with an emotional and sexual frankness especially bold at the tail end of the frightened 1950's, soon became classics of the short fiction form. Not content to rest on her laurels, however, Paley combined her evolving literary career with passionate pursuit of her political concerns through the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

"Art is too long and life is too short," wrote the outspoken Paley, "There's a lot more to do in life than writing."Indeed she spent the rest of her life on the front lines of the anti-war and women's movements, where she endured being arrested time and time again.

Rivlin's film confidently juggles all aspects of Paley's extraordinary story, told in candid recollections and passionate reading by Paley herself, along with fond remembrances by literary critics, family and writer-friends Alan Gurganas and Alice Walker.

Throughout, Grace Paley: Collected Shorts casts and important and penetrating light on a brilliant and highly principled woman who consistently reinvented her life and art.- Thomas Logoreci

Location: Castro Theatre, San Francisco, CA

Date: Sunday, July 25, 2010

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Admission: $12.00 (regular), $10.50 (Senior discount)

For more information and to purchase tickets:
http://www.sfjff.org/film/detail?id=4871

New Podcasts: Interviews with Joan Braderman director of Heretics & LA Film Grant with Carole Dean

2010-06-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

We are excited to relaunch our podcast that highlights notable women in the world of cinema.

Interview with Carole Dean

In this podcast interview, Lindsay Castillo talks with Carole Dean. In 1992 Carole Dean created the Roy W. Dean Grant Foundation in honor of her late father. To date Carole’s grant and mentor-ship programs have provided filmmakers with millions of dollars in goods and services and have played an instrumental role in establishing the careers of some of the industry’s most promising filmmakers. Learn more about Carole Dean and how to apply for the LA Film Grant (Due June 30, 2010).

Listen to podcast interview:

http://www.sfwff.com/podcast

Interview with Joan Braderman

In this podcast interview, Scarlett Shepard, Executive Director of the Women's Film Institute, talks with Joan Braderman about her latest documentary film 'Heretics.'

Braderman traces the influence of the Women’s Movement’s Second Wave on art and life, The Heretics is the exhilarating inside story of the New York feminist art collective that produced “Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics”.

In this feature-length documentary, cutting-edge video artist/writer/director Joan Braderman, who joined the group in 1971 as an aspiring filmmaker, charts the collective’s challenges to terms of gender and power and its history as a microcosm of the period’s broader transformations.

On the road with her camera crew from New Mexico to Italy, Braderman reconnects with 28 other group members. Still funny, smart and sexy, the geographically dispersed participants revisit how and why they came together and the extraordinary times they shared—supporting and exploring women’s art and demanding the right to be heard.

Listen to podcast interview:

http://www.sfwff.com/podcast

Coming soon to Frameline34

2010-06-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

SFWFF is proud to be a community partner at this year's Frameline34, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival!

SFWFF co-presents a film screening of Heretics directed by Joan Braderman on June 26th at 11:00 am at the Victoria Theater. Admission: $8 (General Admission) and $7 (Members).

For more information and to purchase tickets:
http://www.frameline.org/frameline34

THE HERETICS uncovers the inside story of the Second Wave of the Women’s Movement for the first time in a feature film or video. Joan Braderman, director and narrator, follows her dream of becoming a filmmaker to New York City in 1971. By chance, she joins a feminist art collective at the epicenter of the 1970’s art world in lower Manhattan. In her first person account, THE HERETICS charts the history of a feminist collective from the inside out.

That group, the Heresies Collective, published: “HERESIES; A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics” from 1977-1992. Unlike more traditional “documentaries,” the film is framed with striking new digital motion graphics that extend the aesthetics of the magazine into the digital realm and onto the screen. THE HERETICS focuses on The Heresies Collective as a microcosm of the larger international women’s movement, in which thousands of small, private groups of women met together in forms unique to their own settings, to consider their situation -- as women in a man’s world -- and to devise strategies for unlocking the potential in women’s lives.

The hundreds of collective members, now scattered around the globe are accomplished artists, writers, architects, painters, filmmakers, designers, editors, curators, and teachers. Twenty-four of these women, speak intimately with the filmmaker about the extraordinary times they shared, challenging the terms of gender and power and re-imagining the lives of generations to come.

Designing expressive ways to layer images, we work with: text, animation, archival stills and footage, the magazine itself, completed artworks and art as it is being made on sites world-wide. We collage all these elements in a language that evokes the collective experience and the aesthetics of the magazine. The original soundtrack for THE HERETICS mirrors the "radical collage" aesthetic, mixing acoustic rock guitar, scat-singing, jazz piano and violin, made mainly by women.

Check out all 27 issues at:

http://helios.hampshire.edu/nomorenicegirls/heretics

Coming soon to Frameline34

2010-06-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

SFWFF is proud to be a community partner at this year's Frameline34, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival!

SFWFF co-presents a film screening of Heretics directed by Joan Braderman on June 26th at 11:00 am at the Victoria Theater.

Admission: $8 (General Admission) and $7 (Members).

For more information and to purchase tickets:
http://www.frameline.org/heretics

More about the film:
Welcome to the New York City art world of the 1970s, where women are underrepresented in the MOMA, in publishing, in theaters, as well as in pretty much every other artistic institution. What’s a group of feminist woman artists — painters, filmmakers, designers, writers, architects — to do? Form an art collective, hold endless meetings and publish a progressive magazine called HERESIES: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics. That’s what.

Filmmaker Joan Braderman, a member of the collective, tracks down twenty-four other members who are now accomplished artists living around the globe. The women talk about the magazine that published Adrienne Rich, Alice Walker and Barbara Ehrenreich.

They reminisce about what it was like to be a woman in a man’s world: from an instructor who praised Ida Applebroog, “That is good, you paint just like a man,” to Mark Rothko, who said to Lucy Lippard, “You’re too cute to be an art critic.” They also recall differences and disagreements; since editors changed for each issue, some women protested when it was determined that only self-identified lesbians would edit the magagzine’s Lesbian Art and Artists Issue.

A collage of intimate interviews, archival footage and photographs, digital animation, contemporary art works, and music by women, this is far from an historical piece. Rather, The Heretics emphasizes that collective feminism is as relevant today as ever. It’s a call to action to transmit this “gift, this collective energy of woman’s togetherness” to the younger generation.
— NANI RATNAWATI

The 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF53)

2010-04-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

The 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF53) returns April 22-May 6 with more than 100 unique programs of the finest independent, documentary and international cinema, combining a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, digital media work and star-studded gala events into the best two weeks of the year.

Check out films made by women at SFIFF53: A Brand New Life, Budrus, Cairo Time, Cracks, Empire of Silver, Everyone Else, Father of My Children, Joan Rivers—A Piece of Work, Lourdes, My Dog Tulip, My Queen Karo, Night Catches Us, The Oath, Pianomania, La Pivellina, Russian Lessons, Seducing Charlie Barker, Way of Nature, White Material, and Winter’s Bone.

For more information and to purchase tickets:

http://www.sffs.org

Orgasm Inc. screens tonight

2010-04-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Orgasm Inc. The Strange Science of Female Pleasure directed by Liz Canner

In the shocking and hilarious documentary ORGASM INC., filmmaker Liz Canner takes a job editing erotic videos as part of a pharmaceutical drug company’s drug trial. Her employer is developing what they hope will be the first Viagra drug for women that win FDA approval to treat a new disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Liz gains permission to film the company for her own documentary. Initially, she plans to create a movie about science and pleasure but she soon begins to suspect that her employer, along with a cadre of other medical companies, might be trying to take advantage of women (and potentially endanger their health) in pursuit of billion dollar profits.

ORGASM INC. is a powerful look inside the medical industry and the marketing campaigns that are literally and figuratively reshaping our everyday lives around health, illness, desire — and that ultimate moment: orgasm.

Upbeat, engaging, enlightening, and provocative, ORGASM INC. will change the way you think about sex.

Date:Thursday, April 8, 2010
Time: 7:30 PM
Time: $10 adv, $12 door
Location: The David Brower Center (Tamalpais Room)
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley

http://www.sfwff.com

SF Women's Film Festival begins Tonight

2010-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that the SF International Women's Film Festival, presented by the Women's Film Institute, was awarded with a Mayor proclamation on April 1, 2010. It is official, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, has proclaimed April 7, 2010 as "SF International Women's Film Festival Day."

Get out and see a movie! Don't miss the 6th annual SF International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF) celebrating women in all areas of film will take place April 7th through 11th at the Roxie Theater and other community centers across the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2010 selection of diverse films celebrates the exceptional contributions of women in the world of cinema and represents a convergence of excellence in filmmaking from around the globe.

Use special discount code: film2010 and receive half-off on advance ticket purchase on all festival screenings and events.

SFWFF 2010 full festival schedule: http://www.sfwff.com

SF International Women's Film Festival Day begins April 7, 2010

2010-04-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Get out and see a movie! Don't miss the 6th annual SF International Women’s Film Festival (SFWFF) celebrating women in all areas of film will take place April 7th through 11th at the Roxie Theater and other community centers across the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2010 selection of diverse films celebrates the exceptional contributions of women in the world of cinema and represents a convergence of excellence in filmmaking from around the globe.

Use special discount code: film2010 and receive half-off on advance ticket purchase on all festival screenings and events.

SFWFF 2010 full festival schedule: http://www.sfwff.com

Animation Shorts Program with Valerie LaPointe from Pixar

2010-03-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

SF Women's Film Festival is proud to present

Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 1:00 PM

SFWFF 2010 presents the best in children’s animation shorts program, including films by Valerie LaPointe. Valerie is currently employed as a story artist for Pixar Animation Studios. Since 2007, she has worked at Pixar on PRESTO, CARSTOONS, and various other films. Summer Storm is her fourth personal film. Her previous films Night Light (2002), Upside Downed (2004), and Lolly’s Box (2005) have screened in various film festivals worldwide. Check out Lolly’s Box and other award-winning animation at this year’s festival. Valerie LaPointe will be in attendance.

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/102092

SFWFF & Indie-Fest Online Competition - Watch and Vote

2010-03-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

IndieFlix.com Kicks off the 2010 Festival Season with Indie-Fest Online Film Competition at the San Francisco International Women's Film Festival. Indie-fest online film competition is the American Idol for independent film. It is free for the audience to watch and vote; choosing the winning filmmaker. The winner will screen at this year's 6th Annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival.

SFWFF + Indie-fest viewing and voting is live from
March 19 to April 5

Watch and vote at:
www.indieflix.com/festivalsonline/sfwff2010

SFWFF 2010 Schedule and Line-up is LIVE!

2010-03-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival (SFWFF) celebrating women in all areas of film will take place April 7th through 11th at the Roxie Theater and other community centers across the San Francisco Bay Area. SFWFF 2010 full festival schedule and line-up are now live!

http://www.sfwff.com/index.html

Don't miss the 28th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Fest

2010-03-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the 28th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), which showcases the best Asian and Asian American films from around the globe. SFIAAFF takes place March 11-21, 2010 in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Festival’s presenting organization the Center for Asian America Media (CAAM).

The San Francisco International Women's Film Festival is proud to co-present the following film at this year's SFIAAFF:

Sing China! will screen on 03/13 @ 1:30pm @ Landmark Clay Theatre. Admission:$12:

Freida Lee Mock’s 2001 Oscar-nominated short film SING! looked behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Children’s Choir, and in her inspiring sequel she returns to the chorus seven years later, chronicling its groundbreaking tour of China. Following the chorus’ 60 members, all 11-17 years-old, Mock not only captures the excitement and drama of performance, but also paints a portrait of a changing China, one then on the cusp of hosting the 2008 Olympics. Internationally acclaimed, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus includes youth from over 50 diverse communities across Los Angeles and has traveled around the world, bringing its young ambassadors of American culture from Brazil to Australia. In the chorus’ first trip to China, Mock captures the intimate moments of their rehearsals and performances, and also their interactions with host organizations and fellow Chinese singers.

From Shanghai to Beijing to Xi’an, SING CHINA! follows the children as they inquisitively learn how silk is made, haggle with street vendors and stand in awe of ancient buildings, and also provides incredible footage of their concerts and performances, featuring everything from Beethoven to Ellington to traditional Chinese songs. For many of the children, the trip is a fascinating glimpse into another culture, but for others it is something quite more meaningful. These include Gianna, a Chinese adoptee returning to China for the first time who is in search of her orphanage, and the precocious Nathan, a Filipino American who is astonished to see so many Asians in one place. Funny, heartful and moving, SING CHINA! is a celebration of performance, culture and the transformative power of music.

http://filmguide.festival.asianamericanmedia.org/tixSYS/2010/xslguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=1090

For more information or tickets please visit:
http://festival.asianamericanmedia.org/2010

'She's All That' Conference and filmmaking workshop for young women

2010-01-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

Women in Movies: Behind the Scenes and On Camera

Are you interested in the field of film making but don’t know how to get started? Learn about the various stages of making movies from expert Scarlett Shepard and two successful film makers who will share their personal journeys with you. After viewing the two inspiring films produced by these young women, you’ll participate in a discussion about basic film making, including how to take a concept and move through the stages of scripting, editing and distributing it. Bring all of your questions, and expect to walk away from this workshop with a good overview of film making and resources that can help you immediately get started in this exciting field. Let your voice be heard and try filmmaking!

Workshop Leader: Scarlett Shepard, Founder and Executive Director of the San Francisco International Women's Film Festival and local film makers Fifer Garbesi and Willa Chiah Connolly Ingram.

Date: 2/6/2010
Cost: $30
Location: California High School - 9870 Broadmoor Dr, San Ramon, CA‎ 94583

(Workshop is for young women ages 11-13).

For more information and to enroll: http://www.soroptimist-sr.org/SAT2010form.html

Networking Mixer for Film Fans, Filmmakers & Artists

2010-01-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is a celebratory evening designed to bring together the movers and shakers in the SF Bay area community. Network and socialize to gain valuable, professional and creative connections with a group consisting of business professionals, writers, artists, musicians, and media makers in film and television. Make a new friend, share resources or collaborate on a project.

Date: Jan. 14, 2010.

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Location: Ninth Street Independent Media Center - 145 9th Street, San Francisco.

Space is limited. To attend RSVP by emailing us at: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com

This event is brought to you by the Women's Film Institute (WFI)
WFI's mission is to honor, showcase, and facilitate the creation of films that are directed or co-directed by women. We achieve our mission by supporting, promoting, exhibiting and honoring the achievements and contributions of women in the world of cinema. In addition to the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival, the WFI supports its mission by presenting the best in women's cinema through the WFI Shorts Tour and year-round educational programs.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

6th Annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival is April 5-11, 2010 at the Roxie Theatre and various SF Bay area locations. http://www.sfwff.com

Submit your film today (Deadline: 12/31/09)

2009-12-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Don't miss the 6th Annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF), presented by the Women's Film Institute, to be held April 5 through 11, 2010.

Call For Entries - San Francisco International Women's Film Festival accepts films and videos of all lengths and genres: narrative, documentary, experimental and animation. Films and videos must be directed or co-directed by women. Entry fee: $30 (Deadline: December 31, 2009). For more information, and to submit your film: http://sfwff.com/submissions/index.html

There are so many ways you can get involved and support an organization that is dedicated to amplifying the voices of women and girls through film and new media. You can volunteer and sign up for our e-newsletter. For more information about volunteering call (415) 754-FILM or email:sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com

For more information visit: http://www.sfwff.com

31st Annual Women's Building Celebration of Craftswomen (Dec. 5-6)

2009-12-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Need a Holiday Gift? Stop by our table at the 31st Annual Women's Building Celebration of Craftswomen.

For the past three decades, The Women’s Building Celebration of Craftswomen has allowed Bay Area residents, along with visitors to San Francisco from throughout the world, to discover the work of the nation’s best female artisans and fine artists.

The Celebration of Craftswomen is San Francisco’s largest holiday fine crafts retail fair, and the largest event celebrating the craft of women in the nation. The event is sponsored by and is a benefit for The Women’s Building, a community service center serving women and girls in San Francisco.

Featured at the Celebration of Craftswomen are contemporary and traditional handcrafted items, such as:

• Functional and decorative ceramic and glass vessels
• Sculpted wood and works of metal.
• Polymer clay, beaded, stone and precious metal jewelry
• Woven, painted silk, leather clothing and wearables
• Home furniture and accessories
• Fine art sculpture
• Photography
• Watercolor and oil paintings

The crafts fair will also offer live music, gourmet food, a benefit raffle, and a silent auction

http://ow.ly/ILMO

FREE Webinar - How to Ask People for Money with Holly Million

2009-11-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

How to Ask People for Money Webinar with Holly Million. This webinar is FREE and demonstrates how to develop relationships with individual donors and ask them to make a financial contribution to your film. Learn how to fundraise fearlessly and make a successful ask. We'll discuss how to identify donor prospects and cultivate them, what tools you need to do this kind of fundraising and how to go face to face to ask for money. Webinar will be held on Dec. 3, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Space is limited and RSVP by emailing: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com

About Holly Million:
Holly is a consultant, author, and filmmaker with nearly two decades' worth of experience in fundraising. In addition to securing funding for "A Story of Healing," which won a 1997 Academy Award, Million has raised money for documentary and dramatic films that have aired on PBS, HBO, and other broadcast outlets. She is the author of "Fear-Free Fundraising: How to Ask People for Money," available on Amazon.com. She is writing a new book, "A Helluva Guide to Indie Film Fundraising" to be published in 2010.

She is the founder of Golden Poppy Productions, LLC, the presenters of A Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers on 1/23/2010 and for Nonprofit Rebels on 1/30/2010 in San Francisco, CA. For more information on Helluva Camp or to register visit:http://www.goldenpoppy.com

Panel: Native American Women vs. Hollywood Stereotypes

2009-11-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to the American Indian Film Festival on Nov.12 in SF @ 10:00 a.m.

AIFI seminars bring noted industry professionals to San Francisco to teach, inspire and share their knowledge with current and the next generation of media makers. These programs are free and open to the public. Advance registration required.

This panel explores the stereotypes of Native women in Hollywood from the common portrayal of the "Indian Princess" to the modern Native woman today. Panelists include Shirley Cheechoo, Carole Nee-ta-key Marie, Larissa Fasthorse, Kateri Walker and Casey Camp-Horinek.

The panel will screen Total Silence by Carole Nee-ta-key Marie, a compelling documentary that offers Native American women a opportunity to voice how they have been affected by Hollywood's stereotyped images.

Must Advance Register at:

http://www.aifisf.com/aiff/2009/?fMenu=program&q=&fContent=program&id=86

Coming soon to SF Latino Film Festival

2009-10-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Women's Film Festival is proud to co-present the following screening as part of this year's SF Latino Film Festival featuring: 1, 2, y 3 Mujeres directed by Andrea Herrera, Anabel Rodriguez and Andrea Rios. A beautifully shot film in three parts that navigates Venezuelan society through the lens of three women and their feminine condition. Each woman in the film shows us the grand destinies that exist in even the smallest stories. Fore more information and to purchase tickets:
http://www.sflationfilmfestival.com

Don't miss the Anne McGuire Show on 10/25/09

2009-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the Anne McGuire Show at Cinema by the Bay presented by San Francisco Film Society. McGuire's rare genius (Photograph above by M.C. Schmidt) will be on full display as she draws from her extensive catalogue for an eclectic and pleasurable evening featuring some of her most famous videos, live performances, recent works, a guest MC and several surprises.

Admission: $12.50 (General), $11 (Senior discount).

Landmark Clay Theatre,

San Francisco, CA:

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, 9:00 p.m.

http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=8,38,106&pageid=1311

The Celluloid Ceiling: Thoughts From Five Women Who Broke Through

2009-10-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last night at the London Film Festival, to an audience of possibly 90% women, a lively and at times quite provocative discussion went down about a topic that’s come up quite a bit this year - women and filmmaking. 2009 has been seen by many as landmark film for female-directed, written or produced cinema, which certainly finds evidence London’s programming. To name but a few: Lone Scherfig’s “An Education,” Claire Denis’ “White Material,” Xiaolu Guo’s “She, A Chinese,” Jane Campion’s “Bright Star,” Lindy Heymann’s “Kicks,” Sophie Barthes’ “Cold Souls,” Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Father of My Children,” Catherine Breillat’s “Bluebeard” and Sam Taylor Wood’s “Nowhere Boy.” And in honor of this notable but still stunningly disproportionate trend, the festival put together “Snipping Away at the Celluloid Ceiling,” a panel featuring five women associated with some of those films to discuss whether or not there’s a “sea change” in female-associated filmmaking, and what exactly that characterization means in the first place. (article published by IndieWire, written by Peter Knegt) To read more visit:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/the_celluloid_ceiling_thoughts_from_five_women_who_broke_through/p

San Francisco Film Society Presents Cinema by the Bay (Oct. 22-25)

2009-10-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Film Society Presents Cinema by the Bay (Oct. 22-25)

Don't miss Cinema by the Bay, a three-day festival featuring new films produced in or about the San Francisco Bay Area that provide a compelling window into its local film culture and practice. Cinema by the Bay kicks off Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8:00 p.m. at Temple Nightclub and Prana Restaurant with an eclectic and exuberant evening of short film and video screenings, multimedia performances, live music and collegial carousing. The festival will cover a broad range of subject matter and genres -- from a hipster odyssey of self-discovery to a documentary tracking the likely extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, to a shorts program showcasing Bay Area filmmaking at its best.

Don't miss the Anne McGuire Show. McGuire's rare genius (Photograph above by M.C. Schmidt) will be on full display as she draws from her extensive catalogue for an eclectic and pleasurable evening featuring some of her most famous videos, live performances, recent works, a guest MC and several surprises.

Admission: $12.50 (General), $11 (Senior discount).

Landmark Clay Theatre,

San Francisco, CA:

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, 9:00 p.m.

http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=8,38,106&pageid=1311

Victoria directed by Anna Karina Tonight at MVFF

2009-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF) is proud to co-present VICTORIA, a film starring, written and directed by Anna Karina at this year's MVFF32.

One part Some Like It Hot, one part Breathless and yet thoroughly fresh and new, Anna Karina's first directorial effort in more than 30 years echoes the youthful zest of the world-shaking French New Wave, while brimming with a life entirely its own.

Admission: $12.50 (General), $11 (Senior discount).

Date and Time: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

Location: Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA.

For more information and to purchase tickets:

http://www.tiny.cc/victoria316

Don't Miss Arresting Ana at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival:

If you missed the premiere of Arresting Ana dir. by Lucie Schwartz as part of the Women's Film Institute (WFI) Shorts Tour in San Francisco in August, here's your chance. See an eye-opening film about the global underground of anorexia on Oct.16 at 5:00 PM at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, CA.

http://2009.mvff.com

3 Must See Films Coming Soon to the Mill Valley Film Festival

2009-10-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF) is proud to co-present VICTORIA, a film starring, written and directed by Anna Karina at this year's MVFF32.

Admission: $12.50 (General), $11 (Senior discount).

Date and Time: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

Location: Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA.

For more information and to purchase tickets:

http://www.tiny.cc/victoria316

Don't Miss Kunjo and Arresting Ana at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival:

SFWFF 2007 was honored to screen Terrie Samundra's Tale of Xuan. Don't miss her new film entitled Kunjo on Oct.12 at 5:00 PM at the Sequoia Theatre in Mill Valley, CA. The film is about a young girl coping with her community's displacement and an act of betrayal as she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an upper caste girl.

If you missed the premiere of Arresting Ana dir. by Lucie Schwartz as part of the WFI Shorts Tour in San Francisco in August, here's your chance. See an eye-opening film about the global underground of anorexia on Oct.16 at 5:00 PM at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, CA.

http://2009.mvff.com

2009-10-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival (SFWFF) is proud to co-present VICTORIA, a film starring, written and directed by Anna Karina at this year's MVFF32.

Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Les Lolitas! Not one, but two stars are born, as Stan and Jimmy, a duo of talented and delightfully inept young musicians in sequined drag and not-quite-fitted platinum blonde wigs, hit the road on a tour through Quebec, lured by the thrill of a free meal. But their journey leads them further than they ever dreamed to love, loss and inevitable self-discovery.

Admission: $12.50 (General), $11 (Senior discount).

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, CA:
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets:

http://www.tiny .cc/victoria316

Coming soon to Mill Valley Film Festival

2009-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

http://2009.mvff.com

Networking Mixer and Fundraiser to Benefit SF Women's Film Festival

2009-09-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

You are invited to a special networking and fundraising event to support the San Francisco International Women's Film Festival

The event will take place at S.N.O.B. Wine bar (http://www.sfsnob.com/) at 1327 Polk Street on Thursday, October 1st from 6-9 PM. Located in the heart of San Francisco, it's the perfect place to unwind after work with a glass of wine (or beer, or soda. Whatever suits your fancy!).

This evening is designed to bring together the movers and shakers in the Bay Area art and business community: business professionals, writers, artists, fashion designers, musicians, and media makers in film, TV, online and print. So come out to make a new connection, share resources, or find a collaborator for a project. It will be a fantastic opportunity to mingle with the community, not to mention feel good about supporting an arts organization dedicated to showcasing the best in women's cinema year-round!

We encourage you to invite all of your friends and colleagues, but please RSVP: sfwomensfilmfestival@gmail.com to let us know that you will be joining us. If you plan on attending, or are unable to attend and still would like to make a donation, please do so at our website: http://www.sfwff.com/donate/index.html

Donations accepted at the event as well. For all those who make a donation there will be special discounted wine prices! A little karma with your cocktail.

No one turned away for lack of funds. No contribution is too small or too large, every bit helps in bringing this much needed film festival and gift to the community.

Cash bar. 21 + with Valid ID.

10th Annual Expo and Symposium for Independent Artist Starts Today

2009-09-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Join Us at the 10th Annual Expo and Symposium for Independent Artists

Don't miss a full-day of panel discussions, networking opportunities, conversations, and DIY workshops organized around the theme "Art Works when Artists Work - Creativity, Culture, Community" on Sept. 25th at the David Brower Center in Berkeley.

Admission:
Sliding Scale - No one turned away for lack of funds.

Stop by and say Hello! WFI will be tabling at the Expo on Sept. 26th from Noon -6:30 PM at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

For more information visit:

http://www.artsandmedia.net

October is Funding for Arts Month @ the Foundation Center - Free Events and Classes

2009-09-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

October is Funding for Arts Month @ Foundation Center, Free events for artists/Nonprofits http://ping.fm/F81ri

Coming Soon to the Sausalito Film Festival (Aug 21-23)

2009-08-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival is proud to co-present The Sari Soliders at the inaugural Sausalito Film Festival.

As part of this year's Sausalito Film Festival, which will take place from August 21-23, SFWFF will co-present The Sari Soliders directed by Julie Bridgham. Filmed over three years during the most historic and pivotal time in Nepal's modern history, The Sari Soldiers is an extraordinary story of six women's courageous efforts to shape Nepal's future in the midst of an escalating civil war against Maoist insurgents, and the king's crackdown on civil liberties.

Date/Time: Saturday, August 22nd at 2:30 PM. Admission: Regular $10. $5 with discount code. Location: Cavallo Point at Fort Baker (Callippe Theater) 601 Murray Circle, Sausalito, CA 94965.

Sausalito Film Festival is offering a huge discount on tickets to the SFWFF Community. Receive 50% off the advance ticket price by using the discount code: 012359 at check out.

For more information, or to purchase tickets:

http://www.sausalitofilmfestival.com

Coming Soon to SF Jewish Film Festival

2009-07-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

As a part of this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which will take place from July 23rd to August 10th, SFWFF will be co-presenting three films: Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up and Desert Brides.

Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up

Thursday, July 30th, 3:45 PM - Castro Theater
Saturday, August 1st, 2:00 PM - Roda Theater
Wednesday, August 5th, 2:30 PM - CineArts in Palo Alto

Lady Kul El-Arab
Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer Ibtisam Mara'ana
Israel, 2008, 56 min., color, Arabic, Hebrew

Duah Fares, a spirited Druze Arab from Israel's Galilee, prepares for the annual Lady of the Arabs beauty pageant. Her avuncular coach and sympathetic family offer her loving support in what appears at first to be a documentary about the dreams of Arab girls in Israel. But this film veers rapidly towards edge-of-your-seat suspense when Duah changes her name to Angelina and applies to enter the Miss Israel pageant. Her family worries about the swimsuit competition, the Israelis force her to choose national loyalties, and the mood turns ominous when village traditionalists get involved. Duah's father and mother face agonizing choices and sacrifices if they are to support their rebel daughter's ambition. Against this landscape of runway competition, exploitation and surprising moments of solidarity, Duah will make a decision that is guaranteed to provoke controversy. Special Jury Award winner, IDFA Silver Wolf Competition.

Grown Up
Director Dana Neuberg
Israel, 2008, 20 min., color, English

In the confusing time between childhood and adolescence, 15-year-old Shira discovers the world of sexuality, jealousy and seduction. When her mother's date arrives earlier than expected, things get out of control and boundaries are broken.

Desert Brides

Wednesday, July 29th, 2:15 PM - Castro Theater
Sunday, August 2nd, 4:00 PM - Roda Theater
Tuesday, August 4th, 2:00 PM - CineArts in Palo Alto

Desert Brides
Director Ada Ushpiz
Israel, 2008, 90 min., color, Arabic, Hebrew

In Desert Brides (Best Film, Doc Aviv Festival 2008) a wedding photographer's lens offers a portal to women's struggles with polygamy. Ushpiz's outstanding film explores the realities of becoming a first wife or second wife in Bedouin culture. With the state pressure on nomadic cultures to integrate into Israeli society, a third of Bedouin women live in polygamous households fueled by a relentless drive back to religion for minority survival. Followed by a panel discussion in Berkeley.

For more information, or to purchase tickets click here:

For Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up:
http://tickets.sfjff.org

For Desert Brides:
http://tickets.sfjff.org

Coming Soon to SF Jewish Film Festival

2009-07-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

San Francisco International Women's Film Festival is proud to co-present the following screening as part of this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, featuring the following film:

Desert Brides
Director Ada Ushpiz
Israel, 2008, 90 min., color, Arabic, Hebrew

In Desert Brides (Best Film, Doc Aviv Festival 2008) a wedding photographer's lens offers a portal to women's struggles with polygamy. Ushpiz's outstanding film explores the realities of becoming a first wife or second wife in Bedouin culture. With the state pressure on nomadic cultures to integrate into Israeli society, a third of Bedouin women live in polygamous households fueled by a relentless drive back to religion for minority survival. Screening: Wed. Jul 29th, 2009 @ 2:15 PM - The Castro Theatre, San Francisco, CA

For more information, or to purchase tickets visit:
http://tiny.cc/Gyb1G

Coming Soon to Frameline33

2009-06-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

SFWFF is proud to be a community partner at this year's Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival!

SFWFF co-presents a film screening of To Each Her Own directed by Heather Tobin on June 22 at 6:30 PM and June 25 at 7:00 PM.

DIRECTOR: Heather Tobin

Jess may look like any other beautiful girl, but her life is that of a woman, already married and settled at 25. Her husband Trevor, sweet but utterly clueless, is plotting the course of their lives (including children) with no eye for his wife’s apathy and detachment. Jess’s life is trudging on without her even having a hand in it.

Casey, on the other hand, finds nothing worth committing to. She mindlessly plows away as a landscaper by day, and an array of indiscriminate women by night. But a quick Romeo & Juliet-style balcony exchange ignites a fire in both, and the first date turns into love before either woman knows what hit her. Though they fit together seamlessly, a weak-willed Jess struggles to come to grips with her new love, and the lifestyle change that comes with it. Stifling memories power Jess’s reluctance, the lifelong judgments of her homophobic mother driving the wedge that threatens the relationship.

Jess’s tale is a common one, but in To Each Her Own, that isn’t a flaw: The film simply plays out like the story of someone you know. The tender and very sexy bedroom scenes feel like the first time. You can sense how it just fits for Jess, as she experiences that utterly relatable moment when a first love brings out a part of you that no one else has touched. To Each Her Own may be another coming out story, but it’s a damn good one. — ALEXIS WHITHAM

www.frameline.org

View the Trailer:
www.youtube.com/watch

2009-06-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of SFWFF & Arts Lovers,
I wanted to share some NOT TO BE MISSED events with you. Check it out and hope to see you there! Please help spread the word to your friends and colleagues. For more information, read on.
Thank You
Scarlett Shepard
Women's Film Institute/SF Women's Film Festival

DANCE & FILM COLLIDE @ 9TH STREET
The moving image and moving body push into view for Ninth Street's MediaARTS Series, co-presented with SFWFF on June 12 at 8:00 PM! Join us for dynamic, dreamy and hypnotic films that partner with the medium and movement of dance. Admission: $5. For more information:www.motionpictures-sf.com

CHILLIN' PRODUCTIONS' 11TH ANNIVERSARY
Executive director of SFWFF, Scarlett Shepard, will celebrate with Chillin' Productions at its event featuring 80 fashion designers, 180 painters and photographers, video installations and a host of great DJ's on June 13 from 8:00 PM - 2:00 AM! Stop by our table and check out one-of-a-kind handmade Jewelry by Scarlett. The best part is that the proceeds from your jewelry purchase will go directly to supporting SFWFF and its educational programs. Admission: $7 (21 + with ID). For more information: www.chillinproductions.com

QUEER WOMEN OF COLOR MEDIA ARTS PROJECT PRESENTS
Don't Miss 5th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival from June 12-14, 2009.
Screenings-FREE. For more information:www.qwocmap.org

COMING SOON TO FRAMELINE
SFWFF is proud to be a community partner at this year's Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival! SFWFF co-presents a film screening of To Each Her Own directed by Heather Tobin on June 22 at 6:30 PM and June 25 at 7:00 PM. For more information and to get tickets: www.frameline.org

Dance and Film Collide on 6/12 at 8:00 PM

2009-06-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

The moving image and moving body push into view for Ninth Street's MediaARTS Series, co-presented with SFWFF on June 12 at 8:00 PM!

Join us for dynamic, dreamy and hypnotic films that partner with the medium and movement of dance -- a special opportunity to discuss with Motion Pictures, a San Francisco-based dance on camera collective, how the two artistic mediums of Dance & Film Collide. Admission: $5

For more information about the event: www.motionpictures-sf.com

Coming Soon to Frameline33

2009-06-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Jess may look like any other beautiful girl, but her life is that of a woman, already married and settled at 25. Her husband Trevor, sweet but utterly clueless, is plotting the course of their lives (including children) with no eye for his wife’s apathy and detachment. Jess’s life is trudging on without her even having a hand in it.

Casey, on the other hand, finds nothing worth committing to. She mindlessly plows away as a landscaper by day, and an array of indiscriminate women by night. But a quick Romeo & Juliet-style balcony exchange ignites a fire in both, and the first date turns into love before either woman knows what hit her. Though they fit together seamlessly, a weak-willed Jess struggles to come to grips with her new love, and the lifestyle change that comes with it. Stifling memories power Jess’s reluctance, the lifelong judgments of her homophobic mother driving the wedge that threatens the relationship.

Jess’s tale is a common one, but in To Each Her Own, that isn’t a flaw: The film simply plays out like the story of someone you know. The tender and very sexy bedroom scenes feel like the first time. You can sense how it just fits for Jess, as she experiences that utterly relatable moment when a first love brings out a part of you that no one else has touched. To Each Her Own may be another coming out story, but it’s a damn good one. — ALEXIS WHITHAM

http://www.frameline.org

Wednesday, April 1, 2009: 7:00 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

2009 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL TO PREMIER AND HOST INDIE FILMS FROM FEMALE FILMMAKERS WORLDWIDE THIS APRIL
The San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival (SFWFF) will host its fifth annual film festival-celebrating women in all areas of film from April 1 through 5 in select theaters and community centers across the Bay Area. Join us for our Opening Night, Networking Reception and Festivities on April Fools Day! Here is the line up.

Bay Area Cypher directed By Idris Hassan (USA, 2007, 27 min, Documentary) A performance documentary that blends live freestyle presentations with short interviews that document the unique evolution of Hip Hop in the San Francisco Bay Area. Film screening and performance starts at 7:00 PM. Join us for our Networking Reception from 8:00-9:00 PM.

Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority directed by Kimberlee Bassford (USA, 2008, 56 min, Documentary) Patsy Takemoto Mink made headline news in 1965 when she became the first woman of color to serve in the U.S Congress. An outspoken liberal, Mink stood out for her opposition to the Vietnam War and her fierce advocacy for equality and justice in America. Award-winning filmmaker Kimberlee Bassford chronicles the fascinating life of this pioneering politician who co-authored Title IX, the 1972 landmark decision prohibiting sex discrimination in schools, whether in education or athletics. Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority is the story of this dynamic trailblazer who, battling racism and sexism, redefined American politics. Film screening starts 9:15 PM.

Admission: $20 Advance, $25 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

To learn more about the film:
CLICK HERE

Co-presented by

Thursday, April 2, 2009: 6:00 PM at 9th Street Independent Film Center

2009-03-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Local Filmmaker Spotlight: Documentary and Activism Panel at 6:00 PM
We live in an age where documentary films have the power to inform the masses on hot topic issues from global warming, preserving freedom of speech to genetically modified food debate. SFWFF will host a panel dedicated to “Filmmaking and Activism.” Local Filmmakers, Shani Heckman (America's Most Unwanted), Sheila Ganz (Moms Living Clean), Windy Borman (The Eyes of Thailand), and Tamara Perkins (The Trust).

America's Most Unwanted, is a project that reveals tales of hope and survival from former foster youth and group home kids. Moms Living Clean reveals the trans-formative effect an innovative residential substance abuse treatment program has on six mothers and their young children interwoven with drug policies that impact pregnant and parenting mothers.
The Eyes of Thailand raises awareness about the endangered Thai Asian Elephant. In 1993, Thailand boasted 40,000 Thai Asian Elephants. By November 2007, a mere 14 years later, there were less than 2,600 left in captivity. The Trust is shot inside San Quentin State Prison and in surrounding Bay Area communities. The Trust program is to transform the incarcerated from social liabilities into assets for themselves, their families and their communities.

Indie Spotlight: Short Film Showcase at 7:30 PM
Palm Trees on Third Street directed by Maria Judice (USA, 2007, 19 min, Narrative/Fiction) Half-sisters, Nikki and Winter, meet for the first time among the palm trees in San Francisco. Winter helps Nikki search for a father she's never met. The journey takes a turn as they abandon the search for their father and develop a relationship of their own. Around the Way directed by Ruby Flores (USA, 2008, 11 min, Narrative/Fiction) A slice-of-life tale about a girl, a lovestruck boy, a very special Filipino dish and how they all come together on a summer day in Jamaica, Queens.
A Summer Rain directed by Ela Thier (USA, 2008, 17 min, Narrative/Fiction) When an 11-year-old Israeli girl immigrates to the US, she expresses her humorous and innocent interpretations of American culture in the letter she writes back home to her best friend. As she navigates culture shock, homesickness, and the beginnings of puberty, she finds solace with a Vietnamese girl who shares in her experience.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Co-presented by Ninth Street Independent Film Center

Friday, April 3, 2009: 5:00 PM at 9th Street Independent Film Center

2009-03-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

Making Herstory: Young Women in the Director's Chair. Young women are full of creative insight, allowing for various perspectives through a multitude of genres. SF Women’s Film Festival honors the upcoming generation of women filmmakers, with the support of Ninth Street Independent Film Center’s youth media program, TILT. Please join us for a fun filled, impressive program of young women who make media.

Films include: & All That Jazz directed by Marie Benedetto, Allyson Laquian, Ida VSW Red, Erika Sokolower-Shain (USA, 2008, 6 min) Two urban lesbians, one young, one old - find themselves in competition for scarce housing. Their generational styles, needs, and approaches clash, but there is a hint of common ground in search for home, community. Generation of Consolidation directed by Brooke Noel and Sami Muilenburg (USA, 2008, 12 min, Documentary) A documentary exploring the impact of media consolidation on news content and how this affects youth, both as viewers and media makers. Sound Affects directed by Fifer Garbesi (USA, 2008, 2 min) What happens when you wake up one morning to discover all the sounds in your life have been scrambled? Still Life directed by Michaela Creedon (USA, 2008, 2 min) A multi-layered short that shows us the view of the city through the eyes of a young artist as she transitions through on public transportation. Klaira's Story, Part I of As Old as Our Eyes directed by Klaira Markenzon (USA, 2004, 13 min) Klaira lives in that foggy middle space between Old and New World. This Unkrainian-Jewish Teenager immigrated to San Francisco as a young child with her extended family. Now on the brink of adulthood, she interviews her grandparents about their new American lives, yearning to see her adopted world through older generations' eyes. Klaira understands that life in the United States has changed her profoundly. Thicker Than Water directed by Camille Kolodziejski and Sami Kubo (USA, 2008, 16 min) Abby is going through something that will transform her life forever. Can she keep her identity and be happy in a harshly judgmental society?

Admission: FREE. For more information about the film screening and panel:
CLICK HERE

Co-presented by

Friday, April 3, 2009: 6:30 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

On this evening, SFWFF honors Lourdes Portillo with a festival Tribute Award for her many achievements and contributions to independent cinema. We will screen her film entitled Senorita Extraviada/Missing Young Woman. Senorita Extraviada/Missing Young Woman tells the haunting story of the more than 350 kidnapped, raped and murdered women of Juarez, Mexico. Visually poetic, yet unflinching in its gaze, this compelling investigation unravels the layers of complicity that has allowed for the brutal murders of women living along the Mexico-U.S. border. In the midst of Juarez's international mystique and high profile job market, there exists a murky history of grossly under-reported human rights abuses and violence against women. The climate of violence and impunity continues to grow, and the murders of women continue to this day. Relying on what Portillo comes to see as the most reliable of sources the testimonies of the families of the victims. The film documents a two-year search for the truth in the underbelly of the new global economy. Film screening with special guest Lourdes Portillo starts at 8:00 PM.

Join us at our networking reception and live performance by Lit by Lightning before film screening at 6:30 PM.

Admission: $15 Advance, $20 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Listen to Lit by Lightning:
CLICK HERE

Friday, April 3, 2009: 10:15 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Short Film Showcase. Films include: Discovering Composition in Art directed by Heidi Phillips (Canada, 2008, 2 min, Experimental) Discovering Composition in Art uses found footage as source material for various darkroom experiments. These failed attempts to capture "good composition" race before viewers' eyes like flashing lights. "By using some of these guides we can create exciting art from the world around us." Bottled directed by Jian Lee (USA, 2007, 4 min, Animation) 'Bottled' is about two people living in glass bottles. The bottles are located in an artist's studio and the characters are the creations of the artist. The hand, the artist, creates another male character for the woman to save her from loneliness. Resta directed by Anna Bucchetti (Netherlands/Italy, 2008, 24 min, Narrative/Fiction) Elena's mental illness dominates the lives of her husband and children, whose fears increasingly worsen as she goes missing every night. Mofetas directed by Ines Enciso (Spain, 2007, 10 min, Narrative/Fiction) In Tangiers, two boys hide inside the undercarriage of a truck, in order to smuggle themselves across the border. We see their joyful fantasies of getting a car, an education, and fame as such as a soccer player. In this beautifully surreal and yet down-to-earth short, the comical delight such of such dreams is interrupted when one of the stowaways is dragged away by police. But he cheers his friend on - as the truck leaves for a better world.
Dandelion Dharma directed by Veronica DiPippo (USA, 2008, 26 min, Narrative/Fiction) A magical tale of love, loss and letting go, we first meet Trudy, a distraught 20-something determined to rid herself of the final dredges of a failed romance. Brokenhearted, she stands in the community garden plot she shared with her fiance, once a reflection of their vibrant love for each other, now a barren weed-filled piece of land. Suddenly, Trudy is interrupted by three mysterious women who appear on the garden path; reluctantly she listens as the eccentric women eventually befriend and ultimately beguile her with their stories. The three women surprise her with their power of persuasion, as they become intimate sharing laced brownies and shots of vodka, as well as stories of failed romance and their own "Mr. Wrong." Savoring every detail of their touching and humorous accounts, Trudy continues to fall under the spell of these quirky wise women. Following their tales of love, where "beginnings" come from endings, endings from beginnings," Trudy's perception of life, love and reality changes, as she unexpectedly uncovers new meaning to "letting go."

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 11:00 AM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Producing with Passion: Making Films That Change the World by Dorothy Fadiman and Tony Levelle

In Conversation with Dorothy Fadiman (Book discussion/workshop with filmmaker and author)
Dorothy Fadiman is an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning filmmaker who has produced twenty documentaries focusing on issues of human rights and social justice. In this workshop and book discussion, you will learn how to sustain your intention throughout the production process, to build confidence in your ability to complete your piece, and you will develop tools for launching the final production. You will learn how to stay focused on your vision through challenges of going from idea to final product. Drawing from thirty years of experience in filmmaking, Fadiman shows how building community with a supportive team as you work is essential to turning your vision into reality that will inspire others. The workshop/book discussion combines Fadiman sharing her knowledge of three decades of producing independent media; screening of selections from her gallery of films; and an opportunity for each attendee to examine and move forward with a personal project. Books will be available at the event for purchase.

Admission: $15 Advance, $20 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Learn more about the book:
CLICK HERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 2:00 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang directed by Stacie Hawkins (USA, 2007, 89 min, Narrative/Fiction)
Starring Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, an internationally renowned tap dancer who was the first female performer in the Tony Award Winning Bring In Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk, The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang tells a story of Dee Miller, a former tap dance prodigy. Dee now spends her time ruling the dance floor at the local nightclub. Living with her Mother, Dee uses the money she earns working part-time in her mother's home hair salon to finance her lifestyle. She refuses to grow up - until the day she learns of her mother's dark secret - a gambling habit that has thrown the family into financial ruin and threatens to divide them forever. In the midst of turmoil, Dee's only comfort is a new friend who reintroduces her to the world of tap - an art form that has always been close to her heart.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Watch The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang trailer:
CLICK HERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 2:00 PM at Variety Screening Room

2009-03-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Oysters Without a Shell directed by Jette Miller (Germany, 2008, 86 min, Narrative/Fiction)
For Jules and Mia, time seems to be standing still. Again and again they are trying to reinvent themselves and escape the still image, which keeps them hostage. But as soon as they dive into denial and seem to get hold of a glimpse of intimacy, reality catches up with them and throws them back into their self imposed struggle. "Oysters Without a Shell" is the semi-fictional portrait of two women, their dreams and fears, their dysfunctional generation, and Berlin, the city they live in, and that has, just like them, not found its identity yet.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 2:00 PM at LGBT Center

2009-03-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

GIRLS LIKE IT Shorts Program. Films include: Worst Case Scenario/Femme Edition directed by Mary Guzman (USA, 2008, 5 min, Narrative/Fiction) Lipstick ladies get a lesson in love in this self-help spoof. Rock the Like directed by Gina Mainwal (USA, 2007, 3 min, Music Video) Hip-Hop and hot dykes..we like! Lezbro: Don't Cha Know directed by Melinda Bagetelos and Dara Sklar (USA, 2008, 10 min, Music Video) Reveals the unique friendship between guys and dykes in a sassy mix of faux anthropology, reality and techno-pop music video. Your Turn directed by Sarah Grimmer (Australia, 2008, 5 min, Narrative/Fiction) Two women pass the time playing online video checkers with each other on a regular basis. On this particular night, one of them has a surprise for the other. Happy Birthday directed by Roberta Marie Munroe (USA, 2008, 14 min, Narrative/Fiction) Hannah wants a baby. Abigail wants a dildo. Jack and Madeleine like things just the way they are. Son of a Preacher directed by Jasmine Gervais (Canada, 2008, 6 min, Narrative/Fiction) Billy, the son of the town's preacher, secretly falls for a mysterious and pretty new parishoner. Unfortunately, she's thinking about someone else. Tanz ins Glueck directed by Barbara Seiler (Switzerland, 2008, 16 min, Narrative/Fiction) Anna is working as a cleaning lady. Every night she cleans Helen's office. Helen is a high level broker working in the stock exchange. The two women live in different worlds and normally would never meet each other. However they happen to have enrolled in the same salsa course. Due to the lack of men, Anna and Helen have to dance together. A lesbian fairytale depicting the possibility of overcoming social borders.

Admission: $10 Advance. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Co-presented by

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 5:00 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Look Again directed by Jennifer Lin and Jagadamba: Mother of Universe directed by Amber Field were created in a Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) Workshop. QWOCMAP promotes the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that increase the visibility of queer women of color, authentically reflect our life stories, and address the vital social justice issues that concern our communities. Look Again directed by Jennifer Lin (USA, 2008, 7 min, Narrative/Fiction) June and Kelly are a bi-national couple struggling to stay together when Kelly's works visa runs out. Jagadamba: Mother of Universe directed by Amber Field (USA, 2008, 10 min, Documentary) A tender documentary about a queer transnational adoptee's healing journey through breath, sound, and music. To learn more about QWOCMAP: CLICK HERE

In Sickness and In Health directed by Pilar Prassas (USA, 2007, 56 min, Documentary)
In 2002, filmmaker Pilar Prassas began following seven couples in their effort to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of New Jersey. Two years into filming, however, plaintiff Marilyn Maneely, mother of five, was diagnosed with the incurable, terminal disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. On the day Marilyn passed away, her life partner of 14 years, Diane Marini, was not even allowed to sign her death certificate.

In traditional marriage vows, "till death do us part" is the phrase that follows "in sickness and in health," but to many gay and lesbian Americans, saying these words and enjoying their subsequent rights is not an option. With a tender touch, Prassas delicately balances tragedy and triumph in this film about the civil rights issues of our time - the fight to marry, and care for, the ones we love, in sickness and in health.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Watch In Sickness and In Health trailer:
CLICK HERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009: 8:00 PM at Women's Building

2009-03-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Iron Ladies of Liberia directed by Siatta Scott Johnson and Daniel Junge (Liberia/USA, 2007, 77 min, Documentary)
After nearly two decades of brutal civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated as the country's first elected female president and Africa's first freely elected female head of state. Despite massive support in Liberia and abroad, Johnson Sirleaf must not only find ways to reform a corrupt authoritarian government saddled with astronomical debts, but must also confront opponents loyal to former President Charles Taylor-all without alienating her voter base. Since taking office, Johnson Sirleaf has appointed an unprecedented number of women of leadership positions in all areas of the Liberian government. Highlighting the challenges of African countries currently face, this film provides an uplifting example of women who have become the backbone of change. As filmmakers explore a historic transition from authoritarianism to democracy, the viewer is treated to a joyous, inspirational testimony of the political power of women's leadership and diplomacy.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Learn more about the film:
CLICK HERE

Sunday, April 5, 2009: 11:00 AM at Brava Theatre

2009-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

How NOT To Make a Short Film: Secrets From a Sundance Programmer In Conversation with Roberta Marie Munroe (Discussion/Workshop with filmmaker and author)
Join us, As Roberta Marie Munroe, dispels the mystery of making short films and guides us through the madness of production for both narrative and documentary, from funding and casting to festival and distribution strategy. She should know. After fifteen years of watching 15,000 short films and making her own award-winning short films, Munroe has a keen insider's take on production and the business of short filmmaking. Advance ticket purchase includes a copy of Munroe’s book How Not to Make a Short Film!

Admission: $35 Advance, $40 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Learn more about the book:
CLICK HERE

Sunday, April 5, 2009: 2:00 PM at Brava Theatre

2009-03-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

The Gits directed by Kerri O'Kane (USA, 2007, 70 min, Documentary)
The Gits chronicles the tragic story of one of the most influential bands to emerge from the Seattle music underground. With an innovative sound that coupled hardcore punk with heartfelt blues, the Gits were poised to break into mainstream, but they could never achieve the success of contemporaries Nirvana or Pearl Jam because of July 7, 1993 singer Mia Zapata was found murdered - apparent victim of rape/homicide. It was a crime unsolved when director Kerri O'Kane began shooting her debut feature. In the interim, however, fans, friends and celebrities like Joan Jett and Nirvana helped raise money to reopen what had become a cold case file. Mia's death had reverberated throughout the music community, and unprecedentedly Mia's killer was brought to justice as the cameras rolled. Steve Moriarty, co-founder and drummer of the GITS in attendance.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Learn more about the film:
http://www.thegitsmovie.com

Sunday, April 5, 2009: 2:00 PM at Variety Screening Room

2009-03-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

6 Yards to Democracy directed by Nishtha Jain and Smriti Nevatia (India, 2006, 55 min, Documentary) 6 Yards to Democracy revisits a gruesome incident that took place during an election rally in north India. Thousands of women from poor localities of Lucknow city, lured by the promise of free saris, had been waiting for hours in the harsh sun for the cheap six-yard cloths. A stampede occurred: 22 died and hundreds were injured. This seemingly stray happening uncovers the sordid side of Indian democracy, and connects in significant ways with the daily humiliations forced upon these women and their families. As boomtown dynamics keep pushing them further into the margins, we observe women's struggles to keep their homes, hopes and dignity intact while petitioning an apathetic state of their dues.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Co-presented by Stephen Parr, Oddball Films

Sunday, April 5, 2009: 5:00 PM at Brava Theatre

2009-03-04T07:05:00.000-08:00

Filming Desire: A Journey Through Women's Film directed by Marie Mandy (France, 2000, 60 min, Documentary)
"In this bold documentary Marie Mandy asks the question: how do women directors film love, desire, and, especially, sexuality? In rare interviews with many of the leading women directors working in the world today - including Sally Potter, Agnes Varda, Catherine Breillat, Doris Dorrie, Deepa Mehta, Moufida Tiatli, Safi Faye, and Jane Campion - FILMING DESIRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH WOMEN'S CINEMA directly engages the sexual politics of cinematographic choice.
Powerfully illustrated in film clips from their own work, the directors discuss the reality of an explicit women's point of view, the possibility of a women's cinematic language, and the desire in their films to 'fantasize and dream a new image of themselves'. While discussing how their depictions of sexuality and relationships are correctives, they also reflect on the sexual differences in selection of image, shot, and story.

Admission: $10 Advance, $12 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Sunday, April 5, 2009: 8:00 PM at Brava Theatre

2009-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

Isabel Allende directed by Paula Rodriguez Sickert (Germany, 2007/2008, 58 min, Documentary)
Award-winning best selling novelist Isabel Allende has inherited her uncle's name and with it a legacy of troubled Chilean history. The world-famous Chilean author reveals her passionate engagement with life and politics. Born in Peru in 1942 and raised in her grandparent's house in Chile, she started her career as a journalist. After the Chilean army overthrew her uncle Salvador Allende's government, she spent thirteen years in political exile in Venezuela before love finally brought her to live in the United States. Isabel Allende manages to transform her passionate and painful life into literature, exorcising her experiences onto the page. What emerges is a portrait of a remarkable woman who not only emerged out of history but helped shape it directly. Isabel Allende in attendance.

Admission: $20 Advance, $25 Door. To purchase tickets in advance go to:
CLICK HERE

Learn more about Isabel Allende:
www.isabelallende.com