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 “Harvest” opens with the four brothers, who are devoted to farming and to each other, hindered by outdated, faulty machinery.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 →

Afterdeath Communication? — “This Bright Light” Opens A Fascinating Dialogue About Possibilities

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An Interview with Director Alex Lexton

by Geneva Anderson                   (October 9, 2026)

Alexandra Lexton, Photo: In Her Image Photography

An interest in the bonds that tie us to one another eternally and in afterdeath communication drives Sebastopol director Alexandra Lexton’s fascinating docudrama, “This Bright Light,” which has its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF49) on Saturday, October 10th.  Marking Lexton’s fourth film at MVFF, this mostly Bay Area-shot story traces the loving but turbulent sweep of Marin rhythmic gymnast Tamarin Luchessa’s life. Her Olympic dreams were crushed by the onset of increasingly debilitating health issues that plagued her for over two decades until her death at age 42.  Still, she managed to live life with extraordinary intensity.

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You Don’t Have To Be………Jewish

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By Gary Meyer.  (updated August 1 ,2026)

Family dramas, Amazing Sea Monkeys, Hollywood censorship, Woody Guthrie, the Middle East conflicts, Berlin’s nightlife, uncomfortable secrets, teenage angst, many kinds of music, short films, Holocaust stories we never knew, New Yorker cartoonists, LBGTQ lives, inside the most famous Catskills summer resort, and family comedies.

These are some of the stories at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival playing through Sunday, August 2. Continue reading →

Captivating Picks from Eclectic Lineup at the Frameline50 Film Festival

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By Noma Faingold                                     (June 13, 2026)

Frameline50, the annual San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, June 17-27. The milestone is a big deal for the largest and longest-running queer film festival in the world. Several San Francisco and East Bay venues, including the newly restored Castro Theater, will host 140 films from 35 countries with LGBTQ+ themes by mostly queer filmmakers. Programming for the 11-day event also includes parties, networking events and industry panels.

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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 →