SF Film Festival highlights Bay Area voices

Posted: Apr 17, 2023 / 06:34 PM PDT

Updated: Apr 17, 2023 / 06:34 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The San Francisco Film Festival has officially kicked off.

From shorts and animation to documentaries on prominent Bay Area figures, organizers said there is something for everyone this year. More than 90 films are featured over the course of 11 days.

“This is our 66th year and in that entire history, this is the first time we’ve done opening night in Oakland and its appropriate for the film we have,” said Anne Lai, SF Film Festival executive director.

“Stephen Curry: Underrated” premiered at Grand Lake Theatre. The documentary chronicles the basketball star’s road to the Golden State Warriors. “It’s one of those films where when you walk out of it, you feel 10 feet tall. We want people to feel like they can accomplish their dreams after watching this film,” said Ryan Coogler, producer.

“We’re known for our international selection but one of the things we’ve been growing a lot over the past few years is Bay Area voices,” said Lai.

Rose Pak is one of the voices. She was a journalist turned activist, often called the Chinatown Kingmaker that became a highly divisive character in San Francisco politics. Her life and work are highlighted in the documentary film, “Rally”.

“She was a figure sort of well-known but a little behind the curtain so the archival stuff we looked at was stuff we had to dig up to find personal elements of,” said Rooth Tang, director. The film includes interviews with current and past Bay Area mayors and supervisors as well as Pak’s family and friends discussing her impact on the city.

“I think if she were around, she’d probably be embarrassed about a feature film about her being shown, but the film is an in-depth look at these people and characters that are behind the city,” said Tang.