66th San Francisco International Film Festival at BAMPFA

April 14–23, 2023

BAMPFA is proud to partner with the SFFILM Festival, an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and a major cultural event in the Bay Area.

Read full description

  • Earth Mama

  • L’immensità

  • Snow and the Bear

  • Against the Tide

  • Upcoming
    Films
  • Upcoming
    Events
  • Selected
    Objects
  • Past
    Films
  • Past
    Events

Past Films

  • Animalia

    • Sunday, April 23 8 PM
    Sofia Alaoui
    France, Morocco, Qatar, 2023

    In this wide-ranging, genre-encompassing debut, mysterious apparitions above a remote Moroccan lake bring chaos to the world of a pregnant woman. 

  • Rally

    • Sunday, April 23 12 PM
    Rooth Tang
    United States, 2023

    Closed captioned

    Rooth Tang chronicles the life and legacy of Rose Pak, San Francisco’s atypical kingmaker, who worked tirelessly to bring Chinese American issues to the forefront of political discourse in this profile of a Bay Area mover and shaker.

    Rooth Tang and Michelle Moy in Person

  • Fremont

    • Sunday, April 23 3 PM
    Babak Jalali
    United States, 2023

    Closed captioned

    A former translator for the US military, Donya now lives among the Afghan diaspora who call the eponymous Bay Area suburb home and works at a San Francisco fortune cookie factory in Babak Jalali’s wry, character-driven drama.

    Babak Jalali in Person

  • I Have Electric Dreams

    • Sunday, April 23 5:30 PM
    Valentina Maurel
    Belgium, France, Costa Rica, 2022

    I Have Electric Dreams follows teenage Eva as she grapples with the emotions and realities of her parents’ split and her own shifting priorities and desires.

  • Something You Said Last Night

    • Saturday, April 22 8:15 PM
    Luis De Filippis
    Canada, Switzerland, 2022

    Luis De Filippis’s story of a family vacation, notable for its subtle, undramatic depiction of trans life on-screen, perfectly encapsulates the tensions that can arise from close proximity and overdetermined fun when paired with family dynamics.

  • 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed

    • Saturday, April 22 12 PM
    W. Kamau Bell
    United States, 2023

    W. Kamau Bell’s latest work profiles the joys and struggles of children growing up mixed-race. With shorts Creating Things and Southern Afternoon.

    W. Kamau Bell, Bryan Simpson, and Chenning Yang in Person

  • Milisuthando

    • Saturday, April 22 2:30 PM
    Milisuthando Bongela
    South Africa, Colombia, 2023

    Closed captioned

    Using archival and verité footage, along with deeply personal interviews, Milisuthando Bongela constructs this intimate essay about what it meant to grow up in South Africa’s Transkei during apartheid and her continuing process of coming to terms with the aftermath.

    Milisuthando Bongela in Person

  • Against the Tide

    • Saturday, April 22 5:30 PM
    Sarvnik Kaur
    India, 2023

    As the Arabian Sea’s fish population dwindles, two fishermen from Mumbai’s Koli community endeavor to change their fortunes. United by a shared ambition, their friendship is tested as they employ different methods to achieve their goal.

    Sarvnik Kaur and Koval Bhatia in Person

  • Martínez

    • Friday, April 21 7 PM
    Lorena Padilla
    Mexico, 2023

    In this satirical take on workplace culture and urban alienation, Martínez deals with the death of a neighbor and his imminent forced retirement, finding hope and inspiration on the flip side of humiliation and despair.

    Lorena Padilla and Georgina González in Person

  • My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock

    • Friday, April 21 4 PM
    Mark Cousins
    United Kingdom, 2022

    Mark Cousins’s film dives into the oeuvre of the Master of Suspense, with actor Alistair McGowan as Alfred Hitchcock providing a lively lecture populated with clips from his entire career.

    Mark Cousins in Person

  • Persistence of Vision Award: Mark Cousins + The March on Rome

    • Thursday, April 20 7 PM
    Mark Cousins
    Italy, 2022

    Filmmaker Mark Cousins is this year’s recipient of the Persistence of Vision Award, dedicated to Tom Luddy. Cousins will present his new film, The March on Rome.

    Mark Cousins and Thom Powers in Conversation

  • Snow and the Bear

    • Sunday, April 16 4:45 PM
    Selcen Ergun
    Turkey, Germany, Serbia, 2022

    Director Selcen Ergun expertly balances the tension between patriarchal tradition and modernity, crafting a mystery-drama about a dedicated nurse starting a new job in a remote Turkish village.

  • Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    • Sunday, April 16 7 PM
    Antonio Lukich
    Ukraine, 2022

    Twin brothers embark on a road trip to search for their Yugoslavian father, who is rumored to be in Luxembourg.

  • What These Walls Won’t Hold

    • Sunday, April 16 2 PM
    Adamu Chan
    United States, 2022

    Closed captioned

    Formerly incarcerated director Adamu Chan documents a community within and outside of prison thriving with relationships built on trust and an indomitable zeal to fight for a brighter and better future. With shorts How We Get Free and Sol in the Garden.

    Adamu Chan, Emily Cohen Ibañez, Débora Souza Silva, Sol Mercado, and Kathleen Lingo in Person

  • L’immensità

    • Saturday, April 15 5:30 PM
    Emanuele Crialese
    Italy, France, 2022

    Emanuele Crialese’s first film in eleven years is a portrait of two outsiders, an effusive, fun-loving mother (Penélope Cruz) and her daughter, trying to escape the confines of their environment in 1970s Rome.

  • Dalíland

    • Saturday, April 15 7:45 PM
    Mary Harron
    United Kingdom, United States, 2022

    A young gallery assistant is asked to deliver money to Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, and is swept into their world of art and parties filled with beautiful people and stimulating substances.

    Mary Harron and John C. Walsh in Person

  • The Tuba Thieves

    • Saturday, April 15 12 PM
    Alison O’Daniel
    United States, 2023

    Open Captioned
    Audio description

    In this visually stunning work, which features a visceral, textured sound design and an almost entirely deaf cast, Alison O’Daniel invites the audience to listen to the world through the experiences of the deaf and hard of hearing.

    Alison O’Daniel, Daphne Hanrahan, and Maya E. Rudolph in Person

  • Peafowl

    • Saturday, April 15 2:30 PM
    Byun Sung-bin
    South Korea, 2022

    A masterfully shot debut feature, Peafowl follows a professional waack dancer, Myung, as she confronts her relationship with her family and finds her own personal style of performance.

    Byun Sung-bin in Person

  • Vicenta B.

    • Friday, April 14 6 PM
    Carlos Lechuga
    Cuba, France, Colombia, Norway, United States, 2022

    Vicenta is a gifted clairvoyant. While she can foretell others’ future, her own remains cloudy as she struggles to communicate with her ancestors to understand the journey ahead for her and her son, who is leaving Cuba for the United States.

  • Earth Mama

    • Friday, April 14 8 PM
    Savanah Leaf
    United States, 2023

    Closed captioned

    A single mother in Oakland navigates the foster care system while making a living at a family portrait studio in this intimate coming-of-age story.

    Savanah Leaf, Tia Nomore, and Keta Price in Person