Natalie Baszile Pivots from Author to Filmmaker with Documentary ‘Harvest’

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By Noma Faingold

In the documentary, “Harvest,” co-directors Natalie Baszile and her daughter, Hyacinth Parker, let the four Nelson brothers tell and show the story of family farm life in rural Louisiana, revealing all the complexities, struggles, tragedy, resilience and togetherness.

From a stunning view, high above the acres of corn, soy and cotton, the uniformed lines of growth look harmonious. At ground level, the reality isn’t so pristine. “Harvest” opens with the four brothers, who are devoted to farming and to each other, hindered by outdated, faulty machinery. Continue reading →

San Francisco Plays a Pivotal Role in Beth de Araújo’s Family Drama “Josephine”

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By Noma Faingold.  (October 1, 2026)

Picture Josephine, a sporty eight-year-old girl, without a care in the world, jogging in Golden Gate Park with her father at dawn. Being that it’s a familiar activity, she races ahead to show her athletic dad what she can do. Abruptly, she comes upon a man following a female jogger into a public restroom. The woman screams and frantically tries to get away, but he catches her and forces her to the ground.

Josephine instinctively hides behind a nearby tree and watches it all, a clumsy, violent sexual assault. Josephine, played by newcomer Mason Reeves, is transfixed. She is scared and doesn’t dare move. A variety of subtle expressions roll across her face. Her father, Damien, played by Channing Tatum, comes into view and interrupts the brutal act. After making sure his daughter is out of immediate danger, he chases after the assailant. Damien catches him with the help of police.

Yet Josephine will never be the same.

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S.F. Film Preserve Delivers a Luminous Vision in Its Inaugural Film Festival

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Editor’s Note: A much-needed festival featuring a wide range of restorations of mostly forgotten movies will launch its first edition at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater, Thursday, September 24-Sunday, September 27. Re:Vision will showcase 14 feature films. This is a festival that challenges audiences to discover movies they didn’t know existed, but are likely to spread the word so the films might play across the country and beyond. 

Noma Faingold interviewed Kathy Rose O’Regan, Executive Director of San Francisco Film Preserve for EatDrinkFilms.

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Queer Love Triumphs Over Fear in “Minister Chucky”

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By Noma Faingold.       (June 11, 2026)

“Minister Chucky,” a short film about the unconventional Las Vegas wedding of a queer couple, officiated by a killer doll Chucky impersonator, from the eight-installment “Child’s Play” horror movie franchise, is funny until you consider the full context of the celebration and the subsequent plans for the pair to flee the United States under the bleak Donald Trump regime.

Filmmakers non-binary Graham Kolbeins and trans man Jonathan Andre Culliton documented their cheeky nuptials, along with their life choices before and after the festivities. The 11-minute film highlights love and resistance in times when the LGBTQ+ community is under attack.

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‘Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)’ directors Anna Fitch and Banker White

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by Claire Wu

(May 18, 2026)

Created over the span of 16 years, “Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)” is a stunning patchwork of vérité footage, handmade dioramas and puppets, animation sequences and collages. This is not simply a film about grief, but rather a piece of ritual art that continuously meditates on all the highs and lows of Yo’s vibrant life and the integral role she played throughout the filmmaker’s lives as their dear friend.

Photo by Andy Mitchell

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It’s Time to Meet Michelle Satter, the Sundance Labs’ Resident Angel

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By Geneva Anderson        (April 29, 2026)

Film Schools like to feature the successful alumni who attended their programs. But none have guided so many to success as the Sundance Labs program where new filmmakers are mentored by established cinema artists under the sensitive yet firm direction of one person.

Robert Redford and Michelle Satter at the Director’s Lab (2011). Photo by Fred Hayes.  Courtesy of Sundance.

Michelle Satter, one of the world’s most important and influential champions of independent film is the recipient of SFFILM’s 2026 Mel Novikoff Award and will be honored on Thursday, April 30, at a special evening that includes Satter in conversation with award-winning Oakland filmmaker Peter Nicks, followed by a screening of Benh Zeitlin’s 2012 film “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” a wildly successful project supported by both Sundance Institute and SFFILM. Continue reading →

Filmmaker Andrés Gallegos Steps into the Light with ‘The Darkest Night’

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By Noma Faingold             (April 11, 2026)

Chilean-born filmmaker Andrés Gallegos chose San Francisco in 2014 to continue his education, earning an MFA in Cinema at San Francisco State University. He had visited prestigious film schools in New York and Los Angeles, but the Bay Area instantly felt like home. “I liked the program at State, but I fell in love with what was happening here,” he said. “The richness of the culture and the creative community made me want to stay.”

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24 minutes with “Berlin & Beyond’s” Sophoan Sorn

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An interview by Geneva Anderson.     (March 16, 2026)

Sophoan Sorn. Festival director of Berlin & Beyond at the Castro Theater which screens three German dramas on March 19.   Image: Sophoan Sorn

The Berlin & Beyond film festival (B&B) (March 19-23) will celebrate its 30th anniversary in style, with Opening Night at revamped Castro Theater on March 19.  The evening unfolds with Ido Fluk’s drama, “Köln 75,” the exhilarating back story to Keith Jarrett’s famously improvised 1975 piano concert, along with a special Opening Ceremony and tribute to actor Mala Emde, who stars in the film. Continue reading →

Harris Dickinson’s “Urchin” is a promising debut defined by empathy

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By Claire Wu                             (February 7, 2026)

Previously known for his roles in popular films like “Babygirl,” “Triangle of Sadness” and “The Iron Claw,” BAFTA-nominated Brit heartthrob Harris Dickinson made his directorial debut with the psychological drama “Urchin.” With “Urchin,” Dickinson demonstrates his artistic prowess beyond his acting versatility, pulling from his own lived experiences while volunteering at numerous homeless charities. Through his lens of empathy, he crafts a compelling narrative following Mike, a homeless youth struggling with the cyclical nature of addiction and incarceration as he traverses the East London streets in search of purpose and connection. Continue reading →

‘Lands End’ Is Just the Beginning for Filmmaker Steve Peletz

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By Noma Faingold

Steve Peletz, 65, underplays his high-risk activities. He’s been scuba diving for more than 40 years. He joins marine biologists on expeditions in remote, exotic waters off the coast of Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico and the Galápagos Islands. As a volunteer “citizen scientist“ his task is usually to tag different types of sharks so they can be tracked.

In 2019, he took up swimming in the ocean, specifically with a group at China Beach on the West Side of San Francisco. Peletz brought his GoPro camera on virtually all of more than 1,000 swims. He combined his lifelong love of photography and the ocean into his first film, “Lands End,” a nine-minute short getting its world premiere at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco (October 24-30), at the 4-Star Theater. “Lands End” will be screened along with “The Last Dive” on October 26 at 3:30 p.m. Continue reading →