By Geneva Anderson                                                              (April 24, 2026)

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM 69) returns to the Bay Area Friday, April 24, and runs 11 days through Monday, May 4, featuring 79 sharply-curated film programs from 40 countries screening in seven Bay Area theaters.   The world cinema line-up of 32 narratives and 11 docs is phenomenal, with original stories that crystalize into masterful portraits of individuals and place.

Here are ten films from far-flung corners: five narratives and five docs, that I’ve watched in advance, many of which you will be hard-pressed to see outside of film festivals. Most of these have talent in attendance for post screening Q&A’s which deepens the experience. Bold women of all ages are front and forward in the storytelling I’ve selected and I’m recommending four films from Mexico which has remarkably engaging films this year. A new series of classics from past SFFILM festivals, “Films from the Vault,” continues the trend with three of the six selections by female directors. All of these films are screening in the San Francisco Presidio or the Marina district which have ample parking within walking distance of the theaters and make for an easy drive into San Francisco from Marin or the North Bay.

I’ve attend SFFILM loyally year after year because nothing beats the thrill of experiencing live cinema in a full theater with a rapt and film-savvy audience eager to share their experience of the story. As our world continues to spiral, immersing myself in someone else’s story is a refreshing escape and mental re-set.

Clicking on the blue titles will take you to the program’s page on the SFFILM 69 website for more details and to buy tickets.

As of publication, tickets are available for all of these films:

Special Events:  

An Evening with Ritesh Batra + “The Lunchbox” Mon, April 27, 7 PM, Premier Theater at One Letterman

Join acclaimed filmmaker Ritesh Batra for a screening of his wildly successful debut feature, “The Lunchbox” (2013), about a mistaken lunchbox delivery through Mumbai’s famed dabbawala network that sparks an unexpected connection between a dour widowed office worker (Irrfan Khan) and a young homemaker (Nimrat Kaur), setting off an exchange of moving handwritten notes.  This luminous observation of loneliness and intimacy is also a striking portrait of chaotic Mumbai and its multi-layered social fabric.  After the screening, Ritesh will appear in conversation about the World Premiere of the highly-anticipated musical adaptation of his beloved classic at Berkeley Repertory Theater, May 17-June 28.  In Hindi with English subtitles.  (India, 2013, 135 min)

Music + Film: “Mysterious Bird” with Musical Performance by Gabriela Quintero featuring Daniel Ho.  World Premiere, Saturday, May 2, 3 PM, SFJCC

World Premieres are always quite special.  Emmy and Peabody awardee Beth Aala’s intimate new documentary, “Mysterious Bird,” follows the delightful and immensely talented Grammy winning Mexican acoustic guitarist Gabriela Quintero as she creates her debut solo album in her hometown of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.  This short captures her venturing outside of her two-decade long collaboration with Rodrigo Sánchez and focuses on the intersection of her music with her passions—advocating for animal welfare, supporting local female artists, and exploring a softer, more personal musical expression. (Mexico, USA, 2026, 37 min) A post-screening live musical performance by Gabriela, joined by Grammy-winning producer and collaborator Daniel Ho, awaits along with a conversation between the filmmaker and musicians.

“It Would be Night in Caracas” “Aún es de Noche en Caracas,”  Sat, April 25, 7:15 PM, BAMPFA, & Sun, April 26, 8 PM, Marina Theatre 2

Based on Karina Sainz Borgo’s best-selling novel of the same name, this adrenaline surge drama is set in war-torn Caracas in 2017 when violence, protests and shortages triggered a mass exodus.  Thirty-eight-year-old Adelaida (Natalia Reyes) returns to Caracas to bury her mother and finds herself trapped in a city disintegrating into pure anarchy, where protestors are being murdered in the streets. When a group of regime loyalists seize her mother’s apartment, she’s forced into hiding in a neighboring flat only to find her dear elderly neighbor’s fresh corpse. Soon, she rescues Santiago, a colleague she doesn’t trust, and they make plans to leave the city, but nothing goes as expected. Reyes delivers a gripping performance as a woman spiraling in the throes of numbing grief who must act decisively or die.  Part of the vital genre of Latin American filmmaking that addresses collective trauma and healing through a deeply intimate lens, this fictionalized story sheds light on the more than eight million people uprooted and displaced, who were stripped of homeland, of belonging and of even their names.  Directed by Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás.  (Mexico, Venezuela, 2025, 97 min) Directors Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás in attendance for a post-screening Q&A

“Daughters of the Forest: Mycelium Chronicles”  CA Premiere, Sun, April 26, 3PM, Marina Theatre 1

After centuries of being ignored and even feared by scientists and the world at large, mushrooms have now captured the attention of academics, entrepreneurs, and popular culture. But as mushrooms become more mainstream, a crucial element of their story is being erased—women, specifically, indigenous women. Otilia Portillo Padua’s immersive and engrossing hybrid, part sci-fi and part doc, was shot deep in Mexico’s forests and follows the fascinating paths of two young indigenous scientists, Lis, a Tlahuica-Pjiekakjoo mycologist, and Juli, a Zapotec biologist. The camera follows them as they work with female elders in their families to document and preserve ancestral knowledge of mushrooms’ nutritional, medicinal and sacred value, seeking to deepen understanding of their communities’ vital symbiosis with the mushrooms that grow around them.  A thoroughly engrossing and deeply personal story told with creativity and urgency that includes stunning photography of gorgeous rare mushrooms in their natural environment, along with slow-mo shots of almost alien-like imagery of fungi releasing spores.  The sci-fi aspect kicks when the mushrooms begin to speak philosophically about their own existence and their purpose. While documenting how Mexico’s forest environments are increasingly threatened by illegal logging and environmental destruction, this doc also points to hope through a blending of scientific methods with indigenous wisdom and sustainable practices.  In Spanish, Tlahuica, Zapotec, Mazatec with English translations.  (Mexico, 2026, 95 min) Director Otilia Portillo Padua in attendance for post-screening Q&A.

“The Queen and the Smokehouse”  “Bałtyk,”  CA Premiere,  Sun, April 26, 5:30 PM, Marina Theatre 2

Iga Lis’s accomplished debut feature documentary is a delightful and delft portrait of Miecia, the dynamic, salt-of-the-earth, owner of a legendary fish smokehouse in the summer resort town of Łeba in Northern Poland along the Baltic Sea coast.  Affectionately called “Queen” by the locals who all revere her, Miecia has sacrificed for her family and worked hard all her life, surviving the transition from Communism with her smokehouse business intact.  She runs a tight ship at her small fish concession booth, letting her cherished employees know exactly what she expects of them and expresses empathy and dispenses advice when anyone comes to her with a problem. But that’s a one way street as she is hiding a serious health issue. Her daily work routine is fueled by one cigarette after another; she been immersed in toxic smoke for decades; and she’s got a bureau top full of pills in her modest apartment.  The camera captures her in a rough transition: her lungs are failing and she needs to plan for what’s ahead, most certainly letting go of actively managing the daily business and redefining who she is beyond the smokehouse.  This is a heartfelt story that works its magic slowly, speaking volumes about living and aging in any culture but especially Eastern European culture. It’s also a snapshot of the odd bustling and hustling environment of an Eastern European resort town where the locals cater entirely to tourists by creating a bizarre atmosphere of pleasure for those who visit for a few days during a seasonal window. The smokehouse is a destination for all, locals and tourists, where Mieicia’s smile is a healing balm and the fish are to die for. In Polish with English subtitles. (Poland, 2025, 65 min) Director Iga Lis in attendance for post-screening Q&A.

“Two Pianos”  “Deux Pianos,”  Sun, April 26, 8:30 PM, Marina Theatre 1

French director Arnaud Desplechin’s 18^th feature film,“Two Pianos,” delivers on what he has perfected: intense melodrama with brilliant character pairings that leave you wanting all their stories to continue. Charlotte Rampling, at her imperious best, is Elena, a famed concert pianist who is retiring.  She has summoned her “discovery” and star student, piano virtuoso Matthias (François Civil), back from Japan to his hometown Lyon to play a final duet with her.  The real drama begins before the concert when Matthias randomly bumps into Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) who he ran away from 8 years ago.  Claude responded quickly and married Matthias’ best friend Pierre (Jeremy Lewin), who dies right after reconnecting with him.  An impossible love story plays out as Matthias faces unexpected reckonings that his tempestuous artist’s nature is ill-suited for.  A chaotic but thought-inspiring look at how our lives and loves can be shaped by our deepest regrets. (France, 2025, 115 min)

“Enough is Enough” “Trop c’est trop,”  North American Premiere, Wed, April 29, 5 PM, BAMPFA, & Sun, May 3, 6:15 PM, Marina Theatre 1

A rare and prescient view into the two+ decades long Kivu War, which you may have never heard of, in the eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) fueled by the DRC’s competition over scarce natural resources, ethnic tensions and the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. Why does it matter?  Aside from astounding humanitarian implications—7 million displaced, 10 million dead—the region is rich in strategic minerals, holding 70 percent of the world’s cobalt reserves and is a major source of copper.  The DRC is vital as the US seeks to reduce its strategic reliance on China in the “Trump-Xi Mineral war.” Director Elisé Sawasawa, whose own displacement and refugee status informs this remarkable debut documentary feature, has captured a startling and engrossing flurry of nonstop essential on-the-ground reporting inside the armed conflicts between DRC, rebel forces and neighboring Rwanda military factions and captures ordinary citizens trying to live amidst this chaos. In French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda.  (2025, Congo, 65 min)

“Milk Teeth”  “Dinți de lapte,” CA Premiere, Sat, May 2, 6 PM, Marina Theatre 2

Romanian director Mihai Mincan has set his drama “Milk Teeth” in the year leading up to the December 1989 fall of totalitarian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.  Set in a small town where daily life under Ceaușescu was characterized by scarcity and a culture of fear and ingenuity; the story zeros in ten-year-old Maria, the remarkable Emma Mogos.  She is the last one to see her older sister, Alina (Lara Comanescu), who, one evening, doesn’t return from emptying the trash.  The disappearance leaves Maria reeling and she becomes the prism through which this crime she can’t even begin to comprehend is explored. As she struggles to connect with her shell-shocked parents, she also witnesses growing anxiety and turbulence in Romanian society which she doesn’t understand.  Handheld camerawork employing a combination of close-ups enhances the atmosphere of confusion, anxiety. Milk teeth symbolize the ephemeral tender nature of childhood when children are extremely vulnerable. This allegorical coming of age story is cleverly and aptly named.  In Romanian with English subtitles. (2025, Romania, France, Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria, 104 min)

“To Hold a Mountain”    CA Premiere, Sat, May 2, 5:15 PM, Marina Theatre 1

Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize Sundance this quietly powerful film is set in Montenegro’s breathtaking untamed Sinjajevina Mountain range, the second largest mountainous grazing land in Europe.  It is the ancestral home of Gara, a shepherd and farmer living off the land, and Nada, her adopted teen daughter. They practice transhumance—grazing their animals in the highlands summer and in the winters, moving to the lower valleys—a regenerative practice that ensures food supply and maintains the craggy karstic landscape. One of the film’s main messages is how the land we live on shapes the way we interact with the world and this wild breathing mountain is as much a character in the film as the humans.  Through breathtaking cinematography, we are slowly introduced to the two women through their daily rhythms of work—milking, herding, cheesemaking, bathing. Their tender relationship is defined by the nurturing care they provide each other and their animals. Slowly, we learn their rustic way life is being threatened by NATO which is seeking their grazing lands as a troop training area, a move that has been made behind their backs. Camera footage confirms how offensive the ominous presence of a single helicopter can be in this tranquil land, a precious hub of biodiversity. Gara’s militant side emerges as she helps organize the local herding community and goes on television to protest the planned sequestration of her land arguing passionately that Sinjajevina is a great treasure of humanity that must be preserved for generations.  A parallel storyline about Nada runs through the film and, in its slow tender reveal, we experience the true nature of the bond that ties Gara and Nada. Filmed over six seasons, this exquisite film is a treasure, a story that will live on in your heart.  In Serbo-Croatian and Montenegrin (2026, Serbia/France/Montenegro/Slovenia/Croatia, 105 min.) Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić in attendance for a post-screening Q & A

“A Child of My Own”  “Un hijo propio,” CA Premiere  Sun, May 3, 2026, 3 PM, Premier Theater One Letterman

This tender and deeply sad hybrid documentary from acclaimed Chilean documentarian Maite Alberti, explores a young Mexican bride’s intense longing to have a child and the complex factors that lead her to an impulsive deception—faking a pregnancy. Once she begins, the charade becomes all-consuming and, in her dazed mind, irreversible. When it culminates in a disastrous media scandal that blames her without ever trying to understand her, the larger societal implications of the story hit home. Alberti, the first Chilean woman to be nominated for an Oscar® for Best Documentary for “The Mole Agent” (2020), and again for “The Eternal Memory” (2023), has a knack for exploring pressing social issues with stories that at times seem outrageous, even humorous, but leave you reeling. Based on a true story, twenty-something Alejandra, a hospital administrator working in the maternity ward, has had two devastating miscarriages and is subject to relentless pressure from her traditional husband, Arturo (Armando Espitia), and various family members to get pregnant again. When she miscarries for the third time, she snaps and embarks on the outrageous path of faking her pregnancy in complicity with Mayra, a young woman she meets who is pregnant and doesn’t want her child.  As she carries through with her charade, the drama intensifies and ultimately upends the families of both Alejandra and Arturo as well as the birthmother. The film rests solidly on the remarkable acting of Ana Celeste Montalvo Peña as Alejandra whose performance embodies a full range of outrageous and also very believable acts.  Alberdi adds a clever twist: the filming of the doc is also filmed so that the camera is on both the actors and the original real-life characters upon which the story is based. In Spanish with English subtitles (2025, Mexico, 96 min)  Director Maite Alberdi in attendance. 

The program is bolstered further by a new addition, “Films from the Vault,” a series presented in collaboration with Janus Films that revisits films screened previously at SFFILM, highlighting the Festival’s role in championing both emerging artists and auteurs at the top of their game.

Jessie Cohen, Program Director, announced the new series at the festival press conference as a means of “inviting our audience to rediscover these films anew while celebrating SFFILM’s incredible legacy as it heads towards its 70^th anniversary next year. It’s also a way of “honoring the many many programmers who have come before us.” This year, six films will be shown—Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Wages of Fear,” (1953); (1968); Agnes Varda’s “Vagabond,” (1985); Leos Carax’s “Bad Blood,” (1986); Guillermo del Toro’s “Cronos,” (1993); Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail,” (1999); and  T’ang Shushuen’s “The Arch.”

“The Arch”   Thursday, April 30, 6:00pm at the Marina 1 and Sunday, May 3, 4:00pm at BAMPFA.

T’ang Shushuen was raised in Hong Kong, graduated from USC Film School in the 1960’s and went on to become Hong Kong’s first noted female film director. “The Arch,” her self-financed debut feature, was the first Hong Kong film produced independently and released in Hong Kong in a film industry environment dominated by men  It had its world premiere at SFILM in 1968 and garnered increasing critical attention such that it was part of the very first Director’s Fortnight at Cannes in 1969.

Based on an embellished short story by Lin Yutang who based his story on a 17th-century Chinese folktale, it’s about a woman’s suppressed desires and rich internal life. Young widow and schoolteacher, Madam Tung (Lisa Lu), caring for her mother-in-law and daughter, abides by the mores of traditional Chinese society, devoting herself to work and to the memory of her deceased husband. In recognition of her steadfast example, the village council is planning to build a chastity archway in her honor. When a handsome army Captain Yang (Roy Chiao) arrives in town and garrisons her home and schoolhouse, their attraction is immediate and magnetic but Madam Tung, torn between passion and virtue, holds steadfast. Captain Yang instead succumbs to another’s advances. Shot in Taiwan and Hong Kong in luminous black-and-white by Subrata Mitra, a frequent collaborator with Satyajit Ray, the film is said to be bathed in refracted light mimicking the pull-push dynamics of Madame Tung’s intense longing. Co-edited by T’ang and Les Blank, it was hailed a classic right after it was released. In Mandarin w/ English subtitles. (Hong Kong, 1968, 95 min)

According to SFFILM programmer Rod Armstrong, “The Arch” has been screened rarely. The original black-and-white 35mm negatives of the film were lost. Its 2025 4K digital restoration utilized existing materials from 1968, including a 35mm release print that is preserved at non other than BAMPFA and a release print preserved and scanned from BFI’s national archives. Conformation, restoration, and color grading were undertaken at Silver Salt Restoration in the UK. “The Arch” is one of the films under M+ Restored Hong Kong.

San Francisco International Film Festival Details:

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival is April 24-May 4, 2026 in San Francisco (Castro Theatre, Marina Theatres 1 and 2, Premier Theatre at One Letterman, and JCCSF); Berkeley (BAMPFA) and Oakland (Grand Lake Theatre). Tickets to most screenings are $20 GA; $19 Student/Senior/ADA; $16 SFFILM Member; $11 Children (for select programs only). Ticket Packs are sold in 6 and 10 Packs. Big Nights, Tributes and Parties cost more. A printable PDF version of the program with grid is here.

SFFILM membership has many perks, including early access to tickets and free member screenings at the festival. More info here.

To answers for frequently asked questions, visit FAQs. 

Click here to see an interactive Google map of all Festival Venues.

If a film is “At Rush,” keep checking the festival website as tickets that are held in reserve are often released before and during the festival.

This article has been adapted from the author’s ARThound.

Geneva Anderson is a free-lance writer based in rural Penngrove, CA who writes on art, film, food, identity, and cultural heritage.  She is the editor of ARThound, an online arts publication.  She grew up on a small farm in Petaluma, CA, with animals and gardens.  A graduate of UC Berkeley, Princeton, and Columbia School of Journalism, she covered the transition of Eastern Europe from state socialism and reported for seven years from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Turkey.  She has also worked on assignment in Asia, Cuba, Mexico, South America.

She has written or done photography for Art, Arte, ARTnews, The Art Newspaper, Balkan, Balkan News, Budapest Sun, EatDrinkFilms, Flash Art, Neue Bildende Kunst, Sculpture, EIU, Euromoney, The International Economy, The Press Democrat, The Argus Courier,Vanity Fair,  Global Finance, and others.  She is passionate about Rhodesian Ridgebacks and currently has two, Frida and Ruby Rose.