“If you’ve ever thought ‘Someone should do something about that litter problem,’ remember, you’re someone.”

Keeper of the Creek is director Dan Goldes’s film about his brother, Joel, who has adopted a forgotten creek and watershed near his home. Without fanfare, he has diligently worked for 10 years on cleaning the creek, understanding that “we all live downstream” and that the health of the waterway impacts the health of the surrounding neighborhood. In an era of cynicism and divisiveness, Joel quietly shows that one person can make a difference. This isn’t director Bob Goldes’s first time at SDFF or his only film selected as part of SDFF 2020. His feature, 5 Blocks, about gentrification on Market Street in San Francisco was also an official selection for SDFF 2020’s original festival.

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Farmworkers find themselves in an increasingly precarious position a year after wildfires ravaged the Northern California vineyards in which they worked. The current pandemic has again magnified the a heightened state of insecurity and inequality, and risks to life and limb these workers experience on a daily basis

A year after wildfires ravaged Northern California’s Wine Country, its vulnerable population of farmworkers, many of them undocumented, find themselves in a heightened state of insecurity and inequality. All That Remains follows the second responders and vineyard workers who are still dealing with the aftermath of the fires, long after the media has turned away. Immigration, labor, and housing issues that have been building in Napa and Sonoma for decades, only to be brought to the surface by one of the deadliest natural disasters in California history.

Watch SDDF exclusive interview between filmmaker Eva Rendle and festival programmer and filmmaker liaison Jeffrey Zankel Here!

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A filmmaker explores memory and the way that we use technology to record our lives; sometimes at the expense of being present for them. Filmmaker Martha Gregory utilizes her grandfather’s 16mm home videos as her medium. This journey into family archives employs a very personal story to examine how memory is captured as a moment in time, and breathes new life into what was once thought lost forever.

Photographer Sally Mann once wrote: “Before the invention of photography, significant moments in the flow of time of our lives would be like rocks placed in a stream; impediments that demonstrated but didn’t diminish the volume of the flow and around which accrued the debris of memory, rich in sight, smell, taste and sound.” Do photographs and film help us remember the past or remove us from it? As visual media becomes ever more ubiquitous, do we need our memories? Are our smart phones a barrier between us and experience?

This film evolved over many months of research and interviews and then took on a new form when filmmaker Martha Gregory gained access to hours of archival footage shot by her grandfather in the 50s, 60s and 70s. With a wealth of incredible images she had a new angle from which to explore her initial question; how are our memories changing now that we have the ability to document every moment of our lives? The film’s course was then altered again when she realized her Grandfather would not live to see the project completed; a project to which he had been invaluable.

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Dick Ogg: Fisherman tells the compelling story of the challenges facing the California Dungeness Crab fishing industry and one man’s passion to keep the fisheries alive and thriving.

Living and fishing in the Bodega Bay area for 55 years, Dick is forced to confront the realities of a warming ocean, the creation of a Marine Projected Area in the local fishing grounds, and derelict crab pots. Dick wants to see organic sustainable fishing practices but daunting challenges are causing local fishermen to leave the profession. Here Dick faces these challenges with solutions and actions to keep the local fisheries alive.

Short is complemented by exclusive interview between filmmakers Cynthia Abbott & Andrea Leland and SDFF programmer Jeffrey Zankel.

Dick Ogg: Fisherman streaming at SDFF 2020 is sponsored by Slow Fish & Slow Food Russian River.

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Join Sonoma County artist Genevieve Barnhart on her 97 year pilgrimage through life and art.

When Genevieve Barnhart, now 97, was invited to assemble a retrospective of her sculptures and photographs, her first thought was, “Why would I want to do that?” Her second was, “Maybe I can inspire ‘little women’ to do big things.” This is a cinematic adaptation of her astounding, auto-biographical one- woman show, tracking this iconic local artist’s life and her work’s global reach.

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Honeybees have been domesticated over hundreds of years, however now with colony collapse disorder, rewilding them might be the solution to saving them.

Rewilding practices are a radical shift in beekeeping towards the preservation and protection of the honeybees. This film showcases the work of Michael Thiele, and his vision of symbiotic narratives and an apiculture paradigm which integrates natural bee life cycles as guiding principles. You see the creation of log hives, which Michael puts high up in trees to mirror the natural nest preferences of honeybees, using the research of scientist Thomas Seeley. Throughout the film Michael inquiries into the current conceptions of humans relationship to nature and redesigns the ways in which we live with bees.

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Two young artists help develop a visual language that became an integral part of Austin’s music scene and underground culture, beginning in the 1960s and 70s.

Milt Abel II, a world renowned pastry chef, reflects on his relationship with his deceased father Milton Abel Sr., famed Kansas City Jazz musician.

How Do You Save What You Love?

The search for an animal on the edge…

This struggle is not over a singular pipeline. Rather, the pipeline is one piece of an ongoing legacy of colonization and slow genocide.

Hebo showcases the work of Sam Ezell, an outsider folk artist in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and explores his struggle to overcome sudden partial blindness.

A single Indian mother fights for her daughter’s empowerment through skateboarding.

Long Yearning is a haunting, evocative documentary that stitches together impressionistic footage of industrialized labor in modern Chinese factories with traditional poetry.

Donald Hall, America’s Poet Laureate and winner of the National Medal of Arts, lives in the fragile space between loneliness and solitude.

The Worlds of Bernice Bing explores the life, activism and art of this Abstract Expressionist painter, radical thinker, Buddhist, feminist, and Chinese American lesbian.

Riding the waves of American history, The Worlds of Bernice Bing examines the life, activism and art of this Abstract Expressionist painter, beat-era existentialist, Buddhist, feminist, activist, and Chinese American lesbian. This poignant documentary is a lush tribute to Bernice Bing, the little-known foremother of Asian American avant-garde art and does justice to her legacy as a San Francisco icon.

The film documents the importance of Bing’s art and life’s work in American Art history using archival footage and interviews with scholars, colleagues and friends. Rather than following the trends of the day, Bing created art on her own terms, from her art studio in North Beach, to her groundbreaking community work and her later life in rural northern California. This short puts her life and art into perspective as groundbreaking and inspirational models for the present day.

Read Lydia Matthews “Quantum Bingo,” about Bing’s critical place in American Art History, written for a 1999 retrospective of Bing’s work at the SOMA Cultural Center.

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Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066 examines the false information and political influences that led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, while also drawing parallels with the current climate of fear, targeting of immigrant and religious communities, and similar attempts to abuse the powers of the government.

A San Francisco neighborhood undergoes its most dramatic change in 50 years.

A documentary about AJ Andrews, the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, and her struggle to make it as one of the best professional softball players in the world.

“When I first heard about AJ and saw some of her flying catches, I could not believe that I had never heard of her.  AJ Andrews should be a household name. But I didn’t know about her because the mainstream media wasn’t covering her story. So I made this film not only to tell people about AJ and to celebrate her achievements but also to unpack the racism and sexism in sports and the media that have kept us from knowing her.” 

 –Knocking Down The Fences filmmaker Meg Shutzer

Knocking Down the Fences tells the story of a superstar athlete you might not have heard of– and why the sports industry hasn’t put her on your radar. AJ Andrews is the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, an award that has been given to the best fielders in Major League Baseball for decades. Her skills are outstanding, but winning the award did not change the fact that Andrews earns less than $15k a year as a professional softball player. And though Andrews is hopeful, she still has to fight against an industry that is more willing to pay female athletes to model than to play their sport.

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“I first learned about Dave Roper from my father, who raced motorcycles in the ’60s and ’70s. He had sold Roper a bike and spoke admiringly of him. Years later, after becoming a journalist and filmmaker, I learned that Roper had become a kind of folk hero of the motorcycling world, partly because of his longevity in the sport, but also because of his philosophical approach to racing and life. So I set out to make a film that would capture his essence as both human being and racer. I tried to make a film that would resonate with general audiences, regardless of their interest in motorcycles or racing, because I think Roper’s story contains universal human themes. I also wanted to explore the unlikely connections between motorcycle racing and art, and the rewards of living an unconventional life.”

-Motorcycle Man filmmaker Dan Lovering

Motorcycle Man portrays the quiet commitment of a man who has pursued motorcycle racing for his entire life. Dave Roper has raced every year since 1972, winning hundreds of races around the world and becoming the first American to triumph at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race. The film is a study of Roper’s lifelong passion and devotion to this sport. Lots of exciting racing footage.

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“The film originated with a fascination for funerals where no one attended. There’s something so empty about a life ending and no one even noticing or caring. These cases are more usual than I think we are all comfortable with. I started attending some of these funerals, trying to find the life behind the death, and I came across the case of Reidun. She had been dead in her apartment for a month before some neighbours reacted. I started talking to everyone I could: her neighbours, her dentist, the police officer who discovered her — even the shop owner where she got her groceries. Collecting these stories, a new image of Reidun emerged, and gave us the challenge of portraying someone totally anonymous, who we’d never meet or know.”

-Neighbours filmmaker Trond Kvid Andreassen

How do we remember someone nobody knew?

A woman is found dead in her apartment in the middle of Oslo. She’s been dead for more than a month. No next of kin, friends, or family. How do you remember someone no one knew? The film explores how an anonymous life still leaves an imprint, even if it’s led without much contact with other people in the middle of a city. How do her neighbours remember her? As the story unfolds, the film explores how an anonymous life leaves an imprint with little mysteries that may never be fully explained.

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“This film is a commentary and reflection over perseverance… a road map on how to overcome obstacles and achieve ones goals. Me, as a documentarian, [I] had the privilege to be involved and had so much access to capture the necessary scenes to tell a story that otherwise would be only in the memories of those involved therefore more than exhibiting a film we share an experience.”

—Pablo Croce, Director

An exquisite film testimony to dance, music and heritage now at risk in a failed state.

Siudy Entre Mundos (Between Worlds) – 50 performances of the American Dream, tells the story of the now Miami-based Siudy Flamenco Dance Theater (SFDT) and titular flamenco prodigy, Siudy, as they pursue their own version of the American Dream. The heritage and roots of the performance group are in Venezuela and Spain, but its members are transplanted artists, refugees and immigrants who see themselves accepted in their adopted American homeland and society.

Celebrated as artists in South America and Europe, the dance troupe, and Siudy, seem to have realized their version of the American Dream when their planned 10-week run of the original New York stage production entitled, “Between Worlds” (Entre Mundos in Spanish), achieves acceptable critical and box office success, even selling out in the last weeks of its run. But a scathing review of the show from a New York Times arts critic decimates the company’s self-esteem, leaving its members demoralized and even encouraged to close the show, quit and give up. Instead, the devastated and bewildered troupe work through this heartbreaking low-point, resulting in sold-out houses and winning over critics. This new documentary is a gritty chronicle, bordering on coming-of-age redemptive tale for the artists, but also a universal reflection of what becomes of the human spirit when our dreams seem to die, and then we’re forced to face down our inner dragons of fear and inadequacy, and whatever the challenge, always pick up and start over.

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Farmworkers find themselves in an increasingly precarious position a year after wildfires ravaged the Northern California vineyards in which they worked. The current pandemic has again magnified the a heightened state of insecurity and inequality, and risks to life and limb these workers experience on a daily basis

A year after wildfires ravaged Northern California’s Wine Country, its vulnerable population of farmworkers, many of them undocumented, find themselves in a heightened state of insecurity and inequality. All That Remains follows the second responders and vineyard workers who are still dealing with the aftermath of the fires, long after the media has turned away. Immigration, labor, and housing issues that have been building in Napa and Sonoma for decades, only to be brought to the surface by one of the deadliest natural disasters in California history.

Watch SDDF exclusive interview between filmmaker Eva Rendle and festival programmer and filmmaker liaison Jeffrey Zankel Here!

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Years after the closure of a major public hospital in the Bay Area, patients, first responders and care providers must navigate a hospital desert and adapt to the limited options, longer distances and backlogged systems of care.

The Desert is a short, character-driven film that explores the aftermath of a major public hospital closure in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the wealthiest regions in the country. It was the only full-service public hospital for more than 250,000 residents in West Contra Costa County. Now, the nearest public hospital is more than 15 miles away. Through intimate character-driven storytelling, the film illustrates the multifaceted impact of the loss of a major safety net institution as those in the community travel further and overcome barriers to care.

Watch exclusive interview on Bay Area Health Care & COVID with filmmaker Bo Kovitz here

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The halny wind is the most unpredictable element in the Polish mountains. It comes in cycles, in every spring and autumn. One never knows if or when it turns into a destructive gale. Halny particularly affects the inhabitants of Zakopane and its area, changing picturesque mountain trails into a set for an untamed performance of nature.

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After the “skating Sari girls’ featured in the Wild Beasts’ video Alpha Female went viral, filmmaker Sasha Rainbow was overwhelmed by the public’s response to these young women, who were symbols of rebellion, individualism, self-possession and independence. She wanted to the story of how skateboarding changed these young women’s lives. While shooting the music video, Rainbow met 7 year-old Kamali, a courageous and charismatic skater girl and her mother Suganthi, who made their first trip outside of the small village in which they lived, where Kamali was the only skater girl. Against the wishes of the family, Suganthi is determined to give her daughter a chance to break the family’s cycle of poverty and face the future as an independent woman, a fate Sugathi was denied.

This inspiring documentary short not only produces a symbol of freedom in its depiction of Kamali, it is also a way of encouraging more young girls to following Kamali’s footsteps, and helping Kamali and her mother make positive changes for the women of their village now and into the future.

Awards + Official Selections: Best Short Doc – Atlanta FF, Best Director – Mumbai Shorts International FF, Outstanding Doc – DC Shorts FF, Best Doc Short – Raindance FF, Audience Choice Award-Short Film – Tacoma FF, Best Shorts Spotlight – SCAD Savannah FF, Best Short Doc – Free Spirit FF, Best Doc – Hamilton FF, Best Doc Short – Camerimage, Best Doc – Norwich FF

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Maikaru looks toward a bright future having survived a childhood filled with violence and human trafficking.

An authentic and vulnerable piece that exposes the invisible issue of human trafficking that is happening worldwide. Maikaru’s story is at once horrific, healing and hopeful. aikaru was born into Seattle’s dark world of human trafficking, drug dealing and violence. His mother was kidnapped at the age of 12 and was forced into prostitution. When Maikaru was seven, he was forced into dealing crack cocaine. His gripping story of survival is the subject of this award-winning documentary short directed by director Amanda Harryman. Told with artistry and honesty, My-kah-rue and his story are unforgettable.

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According to filmmaker Michael Attie, he came to this story after hearing an episode of This American Life about the subject of this documentary, renowned physicist Carl Jewett. Jewett was grappling with the early stages of  an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and trying to use his scientific bearings to decipher his own illness by applying the scientific method to evaluate his own deteriorating abilities. 

This documentary follows Carl and Susan, husband and wife, scientist and artist, as they navigate the challenges of Carl’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Unable to engage in his prior physics career, Carl finds solace dismantling discarded electronics in search of the copper inside. This film is a love story and a testament to human resilience and creativity in the face of a debilitating disease.

Carl and Susan met as teachers. Their chemistry is palpable as Susan recalls the moment she first saw him and, later, the flavors and textures of the picnic lunch Carl packed for their first date. She describes the man she eventually married as a brilliant problem solver drawn to the rules of physics. Her memories illustrate the life they built together, and the ways that it changes when Carl is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Moment to Momentbeautifully renders the tenderness and resiliency of their love story. Navigating the debilitating effects of the disease, Carl finds purpose in removing the copper wiring from televisions. Susan lovingly creates sculptures with the delicate coils, holding on to the profound connection that remains in their lives.

Upon meeting the couple, he found that Carl and Susan’s unique and evolving relationship was what most moved him.

“I started filming knowing that I wanted to capture this moment in their lives, as roles shifted and challenges emerged. In the intervening time the story took an unexpected turn: unable to engage in the scientific inquiry of his prior career, Carl found solace in his basement, dismantling discarded electronics in search of the valuable copper inside. The metaphorical power of the act was striking, but it went one step further when Susan, an art teacher and artist, started framing the copper, leading to a fruitful collaboration (and now traveling art show!) that enriched their relationship in a difficult time.”

-Michael Atttie

The thread that has emerged is one of resiliency and love in the face of a life-changing diagnosis. My hope is that this short documentary can reflect this time.

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After the Fire follows residents of Sonoma Valley as they struggle to find their places in a community that has been reshaped overnight by the historic Northern California wildfires. It is an intimate look at what they’ve lost, what they’ve gained, and what happens next, after the Fire.

In October of 2017, the most destructive fires in U.S history engulfed cities and towns across northern California. While national coverage emphasized the scale and devastation of the disaster, After The Fire examines the less heralded experiences of those who lived through it, following three residents of one of the Sonoma Valley as they struggle to find their places in a community reshaped overnight. Winner of the Tribeca Film Institute’s If/Then Shorts award.

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A documentary about AJ Andrews, the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, and her struggle to make it as one of the best professional softball players in the world.

“When I first heard about AJ and saw some of her flying catches, I could not believe that I had never heard of her.  AJ Andrews should be a household name. But I didn’t know about her because the mainstream media wasn’t covering her story. So I made this film not only to tell people about AJ and to celebrate her achievements but also to unpack the racism and sexism in sports and the media that have kept us from knowing her.” 

 –Knocking Down The Fences filmmaker Meg Shutzer

Knocking Down the Fences tells the story of a superstar athlete you might not have heard of– and why the sports industry hasn’t put her on your radar. AJ Andrews is the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, an award that has been given to the best fielders in Major League Baseball for decades. Her skills are outstanding, but winning the award did not change the fact that Andrews earns less than $15k a year as a professional softball player. And though Andrews is hopeful, she still has to fight against an industry that is more willing to pay female athletes to model than to play their sport.

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Join Sonoma County artist Genevieve Barnhart on her 97 year pilgrimage through life and art.

Just before her 95th birthday, sculptor/fine art photographer Genevieve Barnhart agreed to let her friends organize a retrospective of her work at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, which included photographs and bronze sculptures based on Genevieve’s years of repeated “Pilgrimages” along the Camino di Santiago (driven, in her V.W. bug!). The exhibit also included performances of her one woman show. In the process of recording  Genevieve’s performance, the filmmakers discovered Genevieve was in the midst of another pilgrimage: telling her life journey as female artist in a man’s world – in the foundry, in society, and at home. Genevieve’s first thought when asked to be the subject of a documentary,, “Why would I want to do that?” Her second was, “Maybe I can inspire ‘little women’ to do big things.” This documentary began as a cinematic adaptation of her astounding, auto-biographical one- woman show, tracking this iconic local artist’s life and her work’s global reach.”

Filmmaker Sara Alexander further explains how the project came together, “One day I wandered into the Sebastopol Center for the Arts and discovered that a brilliant and petite artist, whose work is far greater than her fame, was living just a few miles away.  By chance I soon came to know and film Genevieve Barnhart, then 95, who has always believed (and “wants young women to know”) that “little women can do something else if they wanted to.”  And she wanted to, so she did.  The exhibit ended and her exquisite bronze sculptures and photographs inspired by decades on the Pilgrimage trails of Europe returned to private collections where they live hidden from most of us, but this film preserves part of Gen’s remarkable life work and life story.”

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Dick Ogg: Fisherman tells the compelling story of the challenges facing the California Dungeness Crab fishing industry and one mans passion to keep the fisheries alive and thriving.

Living and fishing in the Bodega Bay area for 55 years, Dick is forced to confront the realities of a warming ocean, the creation of a Marine Projected Area in the local fishing grounds, and derelict crab pots. Dick wants to see organic sustainable fishing practices but daunting challenges are causing local fishermen to leave the profession. Here Dick faces these challenges with solutions and actions to keep the local fisheries alive.

Short is complemented by exclusive interview between filmmakers Cynthia Abbott & Andrea Leland and SDFF programmer Jeffrey Zankel, which you can watch here.

Dick Ogg: Fisherman streaming at SDFF 2020 is sponsored by Slow Food & Slow Fish Russian River

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A Canadian filmmaker befriends a 9-year-old girl hawking clothes and jewelry on a hip-pie-lovers’ beach in Goa, India, and returns 3 times over the next 7 years to capture her story and help her achieve her childhood dream of going to school.

“Come look my shop! Very cheap, okay!”While on vacation in Goa, India, Canadian filmmaker Chris McDonell turns his camera on Shilpa Poojar, a 9-year-old beach hawker hustling tourists to buy clothes and jewelry from her seaside shop. Funny, charming and skilled beyond her years, she is a migrant worker from the unique Banjara people and the primary breadwinner for her family. Forging a connection in this chance encounter, Chris returns 3 times over the next 7 years to capture Shilpa’s story of sacrifice and survival and help her achieve her childhood dream of going to school – a relentless effort that will test them both along the way.rom child-laborer to teenage-entrepreneur to one of the “lucky” ones who learned how to read and write (in a culture that favours boys over girls), Shilpa is now an inspiration to many and has been lovingly nicknamed: “Queen of the Beach.”

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Butterfly is the delicate story of an Italian teenager who sees her life plan collapse in eight minutes. Raised in one of Naples’ most troubled neighborhoods, Irma focuses on boxing and reaches the Olympics at just 18 years old. Her dramatic defeat there shakes the core of her identity while family tensions, economic strain, and unrealistic dreams complicate her return home. She struggles to reconnect until a new opportunity forces her to decide who she really is. This is a real-life story, but its irresistible protagonist and cinematic storytelling style allow Butterfly to be experienced like a fiction film.

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