The Force was strong at the Castro āØāØ
We closed out the 69th SFFILM Festival in the most unexpected, perfect way: a Star Wars Day screening of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK at the newly renovated Castro Theatre. Followed by an onstage conversation with the one and only Anthony Daniels, the man behind C-3PO in every single chapter of the Saga.
Thank you to Anthony and SFFILM Board VP Howard Roffman for a night that was truly out of this galaxy. And to our incredible collaborators @thecastrosf , @lucasfilm , and @apeconcerts ,Ā may the Force (and the film festival) be with you. Always. šŖ
šø by Pamela Gentile, Tommy Lau, and Deborah Coleman
Thank goodness Olivia Wilde got THE INVITE to Opening Night šā£ļø
We still canāt believe we got to be the FIRST to see her latest feature on 35mm film (!!!) at the Castro Theatre and talk to her all about THE INVITE.
The biggest shoutout to our friends at @apeconcerts@theinvitemov@thecastrosf@a24 š„°
šø by Pamela Gentile, Tommy Lau, Deborah Coleman
We are ā£ļømadlyā£ļø in love with I LOVE BOOSTERS šš¢
From spontaneous splits to the spectacular style, our Centerpiece presentation was absolute movie-magic from start to finish. š¬šæ
Thank you to everyone who showed up (and showed out!) last night but especially our friends at @neonrated@iloveboostersmovie@grandlaketheater and the spectacular filmmakers themselves @bootsriley@lakeithstanfield3@eizagonzalez@poppyliu and @tuneyards š«š
šø by Pamela Gentile, Deborah Coleman and Tommy Lau
A New Yorkerā¦ wearing a Niners jacketā¦ in Oaklandā¦ make it make sense?
Did you know that BLINDSPOTTING, written by Oakland natives Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, was supported by the SFFILM Rainin Grant?! SFFILM fiction grant applications are approaching the final deadline! Submit your project at the link in bio.
šļø: BLINDSPOTTING (2018)
Family dynamics are never simple, but relocating to Vancouver Island canāt hurt? Right?
In Sophy Romvariās feature debut, BLUE HERON, a young girl and her family chase a fresh start on the idyllic Vancouver Island. However, things may not be as bucolic as they appear when her older brother begins acting strangely.
We were thrilled to get to experience the quiet revelation that is BLUE HERON at the 2026 SFFILM Festival, but if you missed out, donāt fret.
šļø You can catch it playing at the Roxie starting May 8!
Becoming an adult isnāt easy; there are indeed some mad bills to pay. šµ
MAD BILLS TO PAY, which premiered at the 2025 SFFILM Festival, follows a 19-year-old Dominican American in the Bronx navigating the slow, unglamorous journey to adulthood.
Catch it at the Roxie starting May 7 with director Joel Alfonso Vargas in person!
And the winners of the Golden Gate Awards for the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival areeeeeeeeā¦ā¦ š„š„š„
The Golden Gate Awards has honored emerging global film artists in the United States since 1957, and we are thrilled to announce the class of 2026 is here. Cheers to another year of filmmaking excellence and THANK YOU to all of the filmmakers for sharing their insight and artistry. We literally couldnāt do it without you ā„ļø
The Boosters would approve. š§„šš§¢š
We asked director Boots Riley and the cast of I LOVE BOOSTERS which costume piece wish they couldāve boosted from the set. Turns out even the filmmakers canāt resist the fits and WE CANāT BLAME THEM š¤
Hehehe watch until the end for Poppy Liuās on-set hack š
Last week at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Michelle Satter received the 2026 Mel Novikoff Award. š
Presented by SFFILM and the Mel Novikoff Family Foundation, the award honors champions of film culture and the theatrical experience. Artists, advisors, and alumni gathered for an evening recognizing Satterās decades of supporting independent filmmakers through Sundance Instituteās Artist Programs.
The program featured a conversation with Peter Nicks and a screening of āBeasts of the Southern Wild,ā co-written and directed by Benh Zeitlin and co-written by Lucy Alibar, both fellows of Sundance Instituteās 2009 Screenwriters Lab.
Read more about the impact of Michelleās work at the link in our bio.
Photos courtesy of SFFILM. Photos by Pamela Gentile.
It wouldāve been weird NOT to ask. š¤·āāļø
Director Russell Goldman and star Britt Lower on the last thing they ordered online, fresh off the California premiere of SENDER at the 69th SFFILM Festival.
We canāt think of a better way to describe the power of filmmaking than these words from George Lucas, the creator of STAR WARS. ššŖš«āļø
On May the 4th, we close out our 69th SFFILM Festival at the Castro with a screening of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, plus an onstage conversation with C-3PO himself, Anthony Daniels.
