The Magic of “Like Water for Chocolate”

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“For film buffs and literature lovers alike, Turner Classic Movies presents an essential guide to 40 cinematic classics and the enduring love stories that have served as their heart-tugging inspiration.

What makes a good love story endure? Is it the courtship? The obstacles along the way? The happy endings (or in some cases, heartbreaking conclusions)? Author Kristen Lopez explores 40 beloved screen adaptations of the book world’s great romances to reveal what makes these works resonate across decades. Continue reading →

East Bay Singer Destani Wolf is All About Connection

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By Noma Faingold                                 (updated August 11, 2026)

Singer/songwriter Destani Wolf doesn’t sound like anyone else and that suits her just fine.

The vocals of 45-year-old resident of Kensington (just north of Berkeley) are as smooth as charmeuse, confidently improvisational and seemingly effortless, although her perfectionism leads to a lot of tinkering with songs before Wolf is willing to put them out into the world.

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Margaret Cho: The Outsider Comedian Who Found a Way In

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            “Choligarchy” returns to the Bay Area for a limited engagement, September 15-19, at Berkeley Rep.  Tickets are on sale now here. 

Photo by Albert Sanchez

By Noma Faingold.                                               

 (Updated August 6, 2026) 

Trailblazing comedian Margaret Cho has always made sure her brazen stand-up material aligns with her feminist, politically progressive and all-inclusive views on sexuality. What is radically different about the 57-year-old San Francisco native is that her once chaotic, dangerous life has gradually evolved into a that of a serene homebody, who surrounds herself with animal and plant life.

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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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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 →

Clara Bow Runnin’ Wild- On Making “IT”

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By David Stenn

(Editor’s note:The San Francisco Silent Film Festival will return to the restored Castro Theatre on Sunday, March 22 at 7pm with Clara Bow in “IT” live accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Information and tickets here.  Best selling author David Stenn shares his chapter on the making of “IT” and we have added a gallery of stunning images at the end.)

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The Librarians: On the Front Line for Freedom

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By C.J. Hirschfield

I know that I live in a bubble—my liberal community’s libraries don’t ban books, and even offer drag queen story time. But outside of this bubble exists a very real and growing threat to the flow of ideas that none of us can afford to ignore.

Be very afraid when a compelling new documentary often quotes from the dystopian novel Farenheit 451, and shows Nazis burning books as often as it does in an attempt to reflect current events. The parallels are both appropriate and chilling. Continue reading →

Messages for the Future

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The United Nations Association Film Festival returns to the Bay Area with another urgent, globally expansive lineup. Running from October 16–26, the 28th edition of UNAFF brings 60 documentary films to venues across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Stanford University. More than just a film festival, UNAFF is a civic forum—a space for dialogue, reflection, and action.

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