Film SF (the San Francisco Film Commission) hosts a series of FREE film screenings spotlighting local talent from the San Francisco Bay Area’s Latinx community in conjunction with Latino Heritage Month (September 15–October 15). Films will be screened throughout September and October at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the only airport in the country with an accredited museum and film program, SFO Video Arts. Film SF and SFO Video Arts will co-host a community kickoff event with some of the filmmakers featured in the series on September 5, 1 – 3:30 p.m. The event series culminates at the Main Library with a community screening and mixer on October 7.
“We're excited for this new partnership with SFO Museum’s Video Arts Program and San Francisco Public Library to showcase the incredible and robust local talent our region boasts,” said Manijeh Fata, Executive Director of Film SF. “These San Francisco Bay Area storytellers have created moving portraits of iconic institutions, individuals, companions, and cityscapes. We are especially excited to share these films in such a unique and novel setting as SFO, where they can be enjoyed by travelers and locals alike. We'll see you at the screening room!”
SFO Museum’s Video Arts program presents short films from artists working at the leading edge of their craft in a variety of genres—narrative, animation, documentary, and experimental. Film SF partnered with SFO Video Arts Curator Vincent Balgemino to present six films: A Film is a Goodbye That Never Ends by María Luisa Santos; A Place to Call Home by Clara Pérez Medina; Distant Futures by Susana Canales Barrón; El Soñador by Javier Roberto Carlos; Nosotros by Lottie Pacheco-Lobatos; and Love Note to the West Coast by Marilyn Montúfar.
The films will be projected onto a 160-inch screen in a dedicated, state-of-the-art gallery space in the International Terminal Main Hall. The gallery is located prior to all security checkpoints and is accessible to millions of annual visitors. The September 5 opening event will take place at SFO’s Aviation Museum and will feature a conversation with the featured filmmakers, moderated by Vincent Balgemino, and a reception with light refreshments and treats. See full program details below.
"We are thrilled for the partnership with Film SF, and for the opportunity to host a larger public audience to experience our Museum's Video Arts program,” stated Balgemino. “We aim to showcase the work of our local artists and changemakers, and to share their stories to a global audience. We are grateful for the interest shown in our program thus far, and we hope to continue growing our involvement in the Bay Area film community.”
On October 7, Film SF and San Francisco Public Library host a Latinx Community Screening and Mixer at the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium. This is a unique opportunity to celebrate local talent and mingle with artists prior to a screening, which is also followed by a Q&A.
EVENT AND FILM DETAILS:
September Film SF + SFO Video Arts Latinx Heritage Screening Series
Throughout the month of September, SFO visitors and travelers can see four films by local Latinx filmmakers. María Luisa Santos’ A Film is a Goodbye That Never Ends is about a woman who waits for a visa with Turbo, a dog that she grows to adore. As time passes, she has to grapple with how their relationship will change when she has to leave. A Place to Call Home by Clara Pérez Medina follows three generations of artists as they map the contours of their communities The film Distant Futures by Susana Canales Barrón examines the bond communities in the San Joaquin Valley have formed with their automobiles amidst a technological shift. Lastly, Javier Roberto Carlos’ El Soñador is an intimate portrait of blind street musician Marcos "El Soñador" Alvarez as he dreams of overcoming his struggles through music in San Francisco.
All films can be viewed on a drop-in basis in SFO’s Video Arts Gallery located in the International Terminal Main Hall from August 29 through October 2, 2024. Join Film SF and SFO Museum’s Video Arts for the kickoff event on September 5, 1 - 3:30 p.m., featuring some of the filmmakers from the series. The free event includes a conversation with the filmmakers followed by a reception.
WHEN: August 29, 2024 – October 2, 2024, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
WHERE: SFO Museum Video Arts Gallery, International Terminal, Departures Level
COST: Free
INFORMATION: sfomuseum.org/programs/video-arts
Film Series Kickoff and Reception
WHEN: Thursday, September 5, 2024, 1 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: SFO Museum Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library, International Terminal, Departures Level
COST: Free
RSVP: sf.gov/filmsf
INFORMATION: sfomuseum.org/programs/video-arts
October Film SF + SFO Video Arts Present Latinx Heritage Screening Series
Throughout the month of October, SFO visitors and travelers can drop in to SFO’s Video Arts Gallery, located in the International Terminal Main Hall to view two films by local Latinx filmmakers. Nosotros by Lottie Pacheco-Lobatos is a poignant experimental film chronicling the enduring love of Belén and Santos from adolescence to senescence. Inspired by and dedicated to the filmmaker’s grandmother, the film unfolds to the bolero “Nosotros” by Los Panchos. Marilyn Montúfar’s debut Super 8 film Love Note to the West Coast explores the relationship of people to the west coast landscape and the moving image. Both films will screen October 3 through October 30, 2024.
WHEN: October 3, 2024 – October 30, 2024, 8 a.m. -10 p.m.
WHERE: SFO Museum Video Arts Gallery, International Terminal, Departures Level
COST: Free
INFORMATION: sfomuseum.org/programs/video-arts
Latinx Community Screening and Mixer, Hosted by Film SF, Cine + Mas, and San Francisco Public Library
Join Film SF, Cine + Mas, and SFPL for a reception celebrating local Latinx film talent, followed by a screening and Q&A with the filmmakers.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 8, 4 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, Koret Auditorium, Lower Level
COST: Free
INFORMATION: sfpl.org
ABOUT
Film SF (the San Francisco Film Commission) champions filming in San Francisco to support a diversity of storytellers and our thriving production community. In addition to overseeing and facilitating production activity in the City, we also sponsor local film and media organizations, and our incentive, the Scene in San Francisco Rebate Program, awards up to $600,000 back to qualifying productions in fees paid to city agencies. filmsf.org