Film & Media Events San Francisco 2019

The longest-running film festival in the Americas, San Francisco Film Festival screened 209 films from 52 countries during its 2019 festival. The festival started with a sold-out premiere of the Netflix episodic series Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, with the renowned San Francisco writer reuniting with original cast members Laura Linney and Paul Gross. Official Secrets was the closing-night film, with director Gavin Hood and two of the real-life subjects of the film—British intelligence officer and whistleblower Katharine Gun and journalist Martin Bright—onstage for a Q&A at the Castro Theatre. Throughout the festival, organizers brought in 126 filmmakers from 19 different countries, showcased the work of filmmakers ranging in ages from 19 to 91, and awarded more than $40,000 in prize money. Next: April 2020

Thanks to its timing at the start of award-contender season, the Mill Valley Film Festival snags at least one major U.S. premiere each year. Green Book, the Oscar winner for Best Picture, had its U.S. debut at the 2018 festival, as did Rosamund Pike’s lauded biopic A Private War. Altogether, the festival showcased 204 films, including eight world premieres. The festival has also committed to the 50/50 pledge to improve gender representation and inclusion in its lineup, and it increase the transparency of its selection process by 2020. In 2018, 45 percent of films screened were directed by women. Next: October 3-13, 2019

CAAMFest is recognized as the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting some 130 works in San Francisco and Oakland. The 11-day festival, run by the Center for Asian American Media, is both a launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers and a source for representational cinema. More than 40,000 people attended the festival in 2019. Next: May 2020

A film lover's film festival, IndieFest showcases the best in independent, alternative, and subversive cinema from around the globe. Founder Jeff Ross launched the festival in 1998 as a vehicle for screening a friend’s film, and 21 years later he’s still helping under-the-radar directors catch a break. These are the types of films that are unlikely to ever see a distribution deal. Screenings occur in venues across the city, maintaining the independent spirit of the festival. In 2019, more than 12,000 viewers attended. Next: February 2020

Up from #6
SketchFest started as a showcase for sketch comedy and has evolved into a nationally recognized comedy festival that mixes well-known comics with up-and-comers. Last year’s hottest events included improv with the Groundlings; conversations with Carol Burnett, Neil Patrick Harris, Margaret Cho; and panel discussions with the casts of Best in Show, Superstore, and Schitt’s Creek. Next: January 9-26, 2020

Founded in 1980, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is the largest and longest-running festival of its kind and a leader in the curation and presentation of new film and media exploring Jewish life around the world. The festival showcases 65 films and 135 screenings, performances, and events over 18 days, for 40,000 filmgoers and industry professionals in the Bay Area. Next: July 18-August 4, 2019

Up from #8
Timed to coincide with San Francisco’s Pride celebration, Frameline is the longest-running, largest, and most widely recognized L.G.B.T.Q. film exhibition event in the world. As a community event with an annual attendance of more than 60,000, it’s also the most prominent and well-attended L.G.B.T.Q. arts program in the Bay Area. The 2019 slate includes 59 films screening for the first time in the U.S., including 22 world premieres, eight international premieres, 12 North American premieres, and 17 U.S. premieres. The lineup also contains 22 narrative features, a new record for the festival. Next: June 20-30, 2019

The largest independent literary festival on the West Coast, Litquake is a 10-day literary spectacle for book lovers complete with panel discussions, cross-media events, and hundreds of readings. The festival debuted as a one-day reading series called Litstock in 1999, and it was reincarnated at Litquake in 2002 with programming to include all elements of the Bay Area literary scene. The 2018 festival featured more than 700 authors at 149 events, including Armistead Maupin, Amy Tan, Akwaeke Emezi, Michael Chabon, Ron Stallworth, Rachel Kushner, Rebecca Solnit, the Residents, Elaine Castillo, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Sisonke Msimang, and Alejandro Murguia. Next: October 10-19, 2019

New to the list
While the Bay Area may lack the volume of comedy clubs that Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York boast, it gets bragging rights as the home of the country’s biggest comedy festival, Clusterfest. The three-day festival in the shadow of San Francisco’s City Hall includes multiple stages and the hottest names in comedy from across the country. Amy Poehler, Issa Rae, Tig Notaro, Leslie Jones, Fred Armisen, and John Mulaney are all set to appear at the 2019 fest in front of a 40,000-strong crowd. Much like music festivals, there are dozens of food vendors and even a few musical acts. And, for anyone who believes that a festival doesn’t matter without a good selfie, Clusterfest is recreating the sets of Atlanta, Drunk History, The Office, and Seinfeld inside the festival this year. Next: June 21-23, 2019

New to the list
Founded in 1996, the Arab Film Festival is the largest and oldest film festival showcasing work from and about the Arab world in North America. With an international standing, the festival is considered one of the most important showcases of Arab cinema outside the Arab world, providing insight into the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the region alongside realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history, and politics. The festival is managed by the Arab Film and Media Institute, which cultivates, nurtures, and celebrates Arab talent in the United States. There were almost 30 screenings at the 2018 festival. Next: October 11-20, 2019