2009 Film Lineup
Map of event locations

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Thurs. 10/1 | Fri. 10/2 | Sat. 10/3 | Sun. 10/4 | Mon. 10/5
Tue. 10/6 | Wed. 10/7 | Thurs. 10/8 | Fri. 10/9 | Sat. 10/1

Thursday, October 1 — Opening Night Music and Films at El Rio (must be 21 years or over) 3158 Mission Street No cover charge for the entire evening 7–8pm: Meet-the-Filmmakers hour. Music by Justine Lucas-McPlague 8–9pm: Screenings 9pm–1am: Music by London Street, Ferocious Few, DJ Matteo THE YOLANDA TRAIL         Matt Venuti         5:00                                          A tribute to Yolanda Bain (Matt’s wife who died in 2008) and her love of nature, her love of the musical instrument called the Hang, and her love of the trail that bears her name. Sweeping views of Mt. Tamalpais, Phoenix Lake, and the surrounding area are viewed from the trail accompanied by the music from “Hangisphere” played by Matt and the Venusians. CHRISTIAN TRUE         Raymond Clark         3:30 What does it mean to be a true Christian? Raymond Clark discusses how and if homosexuality fits into Christianity. A Ninth-Street Film project. SURPRISE                  Jessi Harrison         5:28 A woman arrives home from work looking forward to a relaxing evening with her boyfriend. She is jolted to find the door to her house from the garage unlocked. We follow her on her frightful and life-changing journey to her inevitable fate. It is a horror that most people fear. OWLS OF BERNAL HILL         Audrey Daniel         7:00 Audrey Daniel, resident of Bernal Hill, produced this documentary about a pair of Owls that lived in the hill-top park in San Francisco. These wild creatures created community as well as a powerful sense of wonder to all who viewed them. QUEEN OF BEECHWOOD DRIVE    Caroline Blair         14:00 Another powerful drama by Caroline Blair, founder of Cortland Studios. Sitting in a jail cell, a young woman struggles to reconcile the inaccuracies of her past after learning of her mother’s sexual infidelity. Told in first person narration, the woman takes a surreal journey back to her childhood in the sixties in search of the truth about her glamorous, alcoholic mother. PREVIEW REEL                  8:00 Samples of other highlights of the season to whet your appetite. Top of Page Friday, October 2 Films and Filmmaker Q&A at 4 Star Video 402 Cortland Avenue* 7–8pm: Meet-the-Filmmakers hour. Music by Will Hammond, Jr. 8–9pm: Screenings 9pm: Q & A with Filmmakers THE CORNER STORE: ACT I       Katherine Bruens         9:00 This work-in-progess documents the life of Yousef Elhaj, an immigrant from Palestine, who has a small convenience store on 15th Street in San Francisco. He has become integral to his neighborhood and is respected and depended upon by his neighbors, many of whom are unaware of the sacrifices he has endured to try to provide for his family who he left behind. THE OAK PARK STORY    Valerie Soe & Russell Jeung         30:00 A work-in-progress, this documentary follows three very different families who find themselves together in a run-down slum in Oakland, CA. These families maintain an uneasy relationship the landlord allows the building to fall into disrepair and  the city condemns it. To fight for their housing rights and to preserve their community, the families form an unprecedented multiethnic alliance. Top of Page Saturday, October 3 Music, Cinemasports and Films at Bernal Playground Moultrie and Jarboe Streets 6-7:30pm: Meet-the-Filmmakers hour. Music by The Venusians 7:30-8pm: Cinemasports 8pm: Screenings EPIC SPACE BATTLE         Elijah Post         3:00 The story of one man’s mission to overcome the odds and save the world in a space battle of epic proportions. A Ninth-Street Film project. WORDS                  Max Strebel         2:00 A silhouetted figure struggles against a violent environment composed solely of written text. The animation is made up of over 800 individually painted images directly on written text from books. Ultimately it is a story about struggle and acceptance. ALESSIA         Cynthia Yeung, Judith Keenan, Renne Perry         7:00 A mind-opening conversation between a questioning teenager and her uncle’s partner. A Ninth-Street Film project. OWLS OF BERNAL HILL         Audrey Daniel         7:00 Audrey Daniel, resident of Bernal Hill, produced this documentary about a pair of Owls that lived in the hill-top park in San Francisco. These wild creatures created community as well as a powerful sense of wonder to all who viewed them. LAST DAY AT THE NUTHOUSE  Nathan & Kathy Kensinger         7:00 After 37 years in the nut house, Jackie Helbert is retiring. What will San Francisco do without its nut lady? NUESTRAS CASAS DE CARTON  Shelley Cook-Contreras         4:00 This video artwork is a visual poem inspired by the bitter words of the song Casas de Carton, written by Ali Primero, sung by longtime Mission resident and social activist Francisco Herrera. It examines the American Dream of a safe home, seen in the context of our nation’s worst nightmares. THE POINT                  Elijah Dale & Lawrence Rollerson         30:00 Two young residents of Hunter’s Point decide to document the “state of their neighborhood” and enlist the help of a local news anchor to tell their story. A BAYCAT production. Top of Page Sunday, October 4 Filmmakers Gustavo Vazquez and John Hewitt, discuss their book Documentary Filmmaking: A Contemporary Field Guide at Red Hill Books 401 Cortland Avenue* 4-5:30pm: Reading, discussion and film clips Top of Page Monday, October 5 Co-presentation with Excelsior Branch, San Francisco Public Library 4400 Mission Street 6-6:30pm: Screenings of Short Films 6:30pm: THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED WORDS                  Max Strebel         2:00 A silhouetted figure struggles against a violent environment composed solely of written text. The animation is made up of over 800 individually painted images directly on written text from books. Ultimately it is a story about struggle and acceptance. WHEN I GROW UP         Michelle Meeker         6:00 In this charming animated film, the boundless ambition of youthful expectations are juxtaposed with the unpredictable, and sometimes tragic realities we end up living. We hear the words of children and Bernal Heights seniors artfully illustrated by an international team of 12 illustrators. NEUROTIQUE #4         Nara Denning         7:00 A man seeks out a fortune teller and finds her in a wonderfully sinister back alley in San Francisco. This silent film set to evocative sounds exhibits a real gift for storytelling. LAST DAY AT THE NUTHOUSE  Nathan & Kathy Kensinger         7:00 After 37 years in the nut house, Jackie Helbert is retiring. What will San Francisco do without its nut lady? SURPRISE                  Jessi Harrison         5:28 A woman arrives home from work looking forward to a relaxing evening with her boyfriend. She is jolted to find the door to her house from the garage unlocked. We follow her on her frightful and life-changing journey to her inevitable fate. It is a horror that most people fear. Top of Page Tuesday, October 6 Film Meets Music forum and mixer at Red Poppy Art House 2698 Folsom Street* 7-9pm: A filmmaker/composer/musician panel with Greta Snider, Johunna Grayson, Marshall Crutcher, Beth Custer and facilitator Ken Shelf will illustrate the unlimited potential of music and how it interfaces with film/video. Audience members are invited participate in the lively discussion and following reception. Top of Page Wednesday, October 7 Music and Films at Kingmond Young Studio 416 Cortland Avenue* 7–8pm: Meet-the-Filmmakers hour. Music by The Richter Scales, Candace Guirao, violinist, and Terry Adams, cellist. 8pm: Screenings I’VE GOT EMAIL     Michelle Meeker         3:00 An animated music video featuring the satirical lyrics of the Richter Scales, a local men’s a’cappella group. FINE DINING     Dean Mermell         7:00 A silent film with original piano score by Dean Mermell. WATER HOLE     Sam Rubin         2:00 The music of water. FM4 PASO LIBRE     Joseph Smooke         4:00 These photos accompanied by the song “Preguntan de donde soy” (They ask me where I’m from) depict the thousands of people who risk their lives to reach the U.S. from Central America and Southern Mexico and the volunteers working to provide food, medicine, and clothes to migrants, and wto establish a non-profit organization called "FM4 Paso Libre. Red…Blue      Andrew Friedman         10:00 An artful send-up of Italian films of a certain era. NEUROTIQUE #4     Nara Denning         7:00 A man seeks out a fortune teller and finds her in a wonderfully sinister back alley in San Francisco. This silent film set to evocative sounds exhibits a real gift for storytelling. PERSONAL LIVES      Greta Snider, Johunna Grayson      15:00 A 3-D exhibition of photographic and new media works, the excerpted segments examine personal narratives through various media including photography, performance, collage, and video. 3-D glasses provided. Top of Page Thursday, October 8 Music, Films and Filmmaker Q&A at SoCha Café 3235 Mission Street* 7–8pm: Meet-the-Filmmakers hour. Music by Vishnu’s Secret 8pm: Screenings 9:45pm: Q & A with Filmmakers THE WEIRD TURN PRO     Chip Lord         9:00 Surf band Pollo Del Mar playing in the plaza where the Bay to Breakers route crosses Market and heads up Hayes Street. Because of this strategic location and the nature of the music, many artist/runners pause to perform with the band. Featured are President Nixon, Batman and Robin, mermaids, sharks, multiple Elvises and a naked sax player along with a cast of thousands running past. SYRIA: BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE Saul Landau     30:00 Syrians live with the tension of maintaining their centuries-old     traditions and the invasion of “globalization”—as culture and economics. Located between Iraq and a hard place, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Syrians identify with their historical mosaic symbolized by ancient Roman ruins in Bosra, the Krak des Chevaliers crusader fortress and churches and mosques—bereft of tourists after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. GLOBAL LIVES PROJECT:     James Bullock, David Harris     10:00 Having worked for decades in San Francisco’s public transport sector, James is outgoing, curious, and energetic as he brings locals and tourists up and down California Street. Surfing before work, playing bass with a jam band in the evening, there is never a dull moment. THE MAKING OF THE KISS     SAM RUBIN         35:00 “Making of” documentary of the vampire love story film THE KISS (distributed by Invincible Pictures). Shot on location. Top of Page Friday, October 9 – Grab Your Partner! Films and Old Time Music and Dancing at Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center 515 Cortland Avenue 7-8:30pm: Screenings 8:30pm: Music by Knuckle Knockers and the The Blue Wolves, dancing with Susan Pena, caller WAITING FOR A TRAIN:    Oscar Bucher         20:00 THE TOSHIO HIRANO STORY From Tokyo to Texas to San Francisco, a Japanese musician's lifelong love of bluegrass music takes him on a mission of discovery into the heartland of America. ALWAYS BEEN A RAMBLER     Yasha Aginsky         58:00 This documentary celebrates 50 years of the New Lost City Ramblers (Mike Seeger, John Cohen, Tracy Schwarz and Tom Paley.) They inspired generations of younger musicians to explore America’s traditional music, from elder statesman Bob Dylan to banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck to the contemporary African-American string band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, all of whom participated in the film. Top of Page Saturday, October 10 – Closing Night Music, Films and Sing-along at Precita Park Folsom Street at Precita Avenue. Rain back-up site: St. Anthony Immaculate Conception Auditorium, 299 Precita Avenue at Folsom — enter on Folsom between Cesar Chavez and Precita. Site Sponsor: Mona Tong & Associates 6-7:30pm: Music by The Dont's 7:30pm: Screenings of Short Films 8pm: MAMMA MIA! Sing-along SUGARPLUM 007     James Harding         6:00 7th grade students at San Francisco School created this piece that interweaves live action and animation with the musical themes of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies and James Bond. 575 CASTRO STREET     Jenni Olson         11:00 Shot on the set of the Focus Features film MILK. The audio archival recordings of Harvey Milk describing the events he would like to take place in the event of his assassination.