Euro-fests deliver in SF. Plus: South Bay’s Cinequest heats up, ‘My Father’s Shadow,’ Billy Preston biopic, more
Our government may currently be actively attacking or rattling its sabres at seemingly half the world, but here in the Bay Area we still cling to notions of achieving cultural understanding between nations, rather than the philosophy of “bombs away.” This week brings another slew of events celebrating international cinema, from returning annual festivals to one-off retrospective screenings.
This weekend sees the start of the 23rd San Francisco Greek Film Festival, which since 2004 has provided a local showcase for new screen work from the “cradle of Western civilization” still most associated with its contributions to arts and ideas in the ancient world. This latest edition brings together eight fictive features, sixteen documentaries of various length, and nine narrative shorts. The opening night selection on Sat/14 is Yannis Economides’ Broken Vein, a taut suspense drama about a businessman whose financial straits drive him to some extreme, and disastrous, decisions. Eight days later on Sat/21 the fest closes with another, albeit less lethal, tale of economic duress: Amerissa Basta’s Life In A Beat has as its protagonist a 20-year-old Athenian desperate to move out of her quarrelsome family’s cramped flat, only to discover she’s being downsized out of the supermarket job she’d hoped would fund her independence. Both nights will feature a post-screening reception, and filmmaking talent in person.