SFFS CINEMA BY THE BAY Nov. 22-24, 2013

[Chris Knipp]

The San Francisco Film Society's series, Cinema by the Bay, comprises new films made in the San Francisco area or by filmmakers from the area. I will review some this year.

General Film Forum link and discussion thread for the series is HERE.

Holy Ghost People
Mitchell Altieri
Mitch Altieri, one half of directing duo the Butcher Brothers, presents this unnerving descent into a cult tucked away in the Appalachian mountains. Charlotte is bent on finding her missing sister and believes that she has joined a church that includes snake handling ceremonies and speaking in tongues. She receives the help of alcoholic veteran Wayne in infiltrating the group, as they pose as initiates in order to gain information on Charlotte's sister's possible whereabouts. As they sink deeper into the social structure of the church, stakes, dangers and suspicions are continuously ratcheted up, making for exquisitely tension-filled viewing. Friday, November 22, 7:00 and 9:30, Roxie Theater

The Genius of Marian
Banker White, Anna Fitch
In this personal ode to familial ties and legacy, Banker White (Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars) chronicles his mother Pam's struggle with progressive dementia, and the result is a moving portrait of memory and loss. When Pam is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and it becomes too difficult to continue writing a memoir about her artist mother -- Marian Williams Steele, who herself suffered from Alzheimer's -- White films her remembrances as a way to keep her working on the project. Working with codirector Anna Fitch, White has crafted an intimate documentary that is an exploration not only of the devastating effects of illness, but also of two influential and compelling women. Eebuted at Tribeca April 2013. Saturday, November 23, 12:00, Roxie Theater, 86 mins.

Redemption Trail
Britta Sjogren (USA 2013)
In this new film by local filmmaker Britta Sjogren, two powerful yet troubled women flee a past that haunts them. Debuted 6 October 2013 at Mill Valley Film Festival. Saturday, November 23, 2:15 pm, Roxie Theater

American Vagabond
Susanna Helke (Finland/Denmark 2013)
The burgeoning community of homeless gay youths in San Francisco is dramatically brought to life in Susanna Helke’s poetic and evocative documentary. " American Vagabond [shows that] homosexuality is still so demonized in some communities that some parents are ready to abandon their children over it. One out of every four young people who are coming out to their parents is kicked out of the house. 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth are estimated to belong to sexual minorities in the United States" (IMDb blurb for the film). Saturday, November 23, 4:30 pm, Roxie Theater

Along the Roadside
Zoran Lisinac (Pored Puta, USA and Serbia 2013)
In this modern road movie, a San Francisco–based graphic designer flees his stable life and career when his girlfriend reveals to him that she is pregnant, and crosses paths with an untethered German tourist as he makes his way out of town towards southern California. "Road movie about two young people from different parts of the world, their vastly different cultures and their journey of self-discovery during the drive to the largest music festival in California" (IMDb blurb). Saturday, November 23, 6:45 pm, Roxie Theater, 108 mins.

Street Smarts: YAK Films’ Dance Then and Now
YAK Films is an international media production team whose work with urban dance began with the legendary Turf Feinz crew in Oakland, CA, innovators of the Turf dancing style. This shorts program will trace YAK’s origins in the Bay Area and present some of their newest, unseen international works. Saturday, November 23, 9:30 pm, Roxie Theater

The SF State of Cinema: Shorts from SFSU Alumni
The Cinema Department at SFSU is an enduring educational institution that has played a critical role in defining the history of cinema in the Bay Area. This program of short films made by SFSU alumni barely scratches the surface of the great work being fostered amidst the fog at the end of 19th Avenue. Sunday, November 24, 12:00 pm, Roxie Theater

The Other Side of the Mountain
In Hak Jang (North Korea and USA 2012)
"A North Korean nurse and a South Korean soldier fall in love during a tumultuous time of the Korean War, and experience lifetimes of consequences, separation and pain, with the hope of reuniting one day" (IMDb blurb). "The first U.S./North Korea coproduction ever, this film is a dazzling, epic melodrama depicting the relationship between a South Korean man and a North Korean woman separated by political conflict (SFFS blurb). Sunday, November 24, 2:15 pm, Roxie Theater

The Illness and the Odyssey
Berry Minott (USA, 2013)
Local filmmaker Berry Minott takes us on an epic journey to find the cause -- and perhaps the cure -- of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and other neurological disorders. Her investigation begins on the Pacific island of Guam, where following the end of WWII, the indigenous Chamorro people were afflicted with Alzheimer's -- like symptoms from a disease called Lytico-Bodig. For years renowned scientists descended on this small village to detect the source of this mysterious illness-was it hereditary, environmental or dietary? This engaging and edifying documentary features rare archival footage and candid interviews with author/neurologist Oliver Sacks, New Yorker columnist Jonathan Weiner and many other noted scientists. Sunday, November 24, 7:00 pm, Roxie Theater, 108 mins.

Dear Sidewalk
Jake Oelman (USA 2013)
Gardner, a 24-year old mailman, adheres to the comfort of his routine, rigidly cultivating obsessions that keep him in his small-but-safe world. This changes when he meets Paige, a newly relocated divorcee on his route, and Gardner's quarter-life crisis collides with Paige's mid-life one. Sunday, November 24, 9:15 pm, Roxie Theater