San Francisco International Film Festival

Today marks the opening of the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest-running film festival in the Americas.

Some highlights include the opening night film Golden Doors, centerpiece film Delirious, and closing night film La Vie en Rose. George Lucas, Spike Lee, Robin Williams, Rosario Dawson, and Sam Rockwell will all receive various awards.

Other films that seem interesting include the following:
- Forever, Dutch documentarian Heddy Honigmann's look at Pere-Lachaise cemetery (anyone who's spent more than a week in Paris while in their teens or early 20's probably spent some drunken afternoon looking for Jim Morrison's grave...or maybe that was just me). By the way, she's also receiving an award.
-All in this Tea, which follows a tea importer who travels throughout China trying to find the best possible tea (ideally handpicked).
-After This Our Exile, Patrick Tam's return after 15 years picked up best picture awards in Hong Kong and best Asian film at the Tokyo Film Festival.

There's several films about music:
-Fabricating Tom Ze, a documentary about one of tropicallismo's pioneers
-The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of Folk Music
-Punk's Not Dead, which follows the history of punk rock from the Clash and Sex Pistols through the underground 80's and into the commercial success it has today (but, by definition, how can DIY punk be commercially successful?). Go see this, and then go check out the Vivienne Westwood exhibit at the DeYoung.
-Once, a little Irish film about musicians that charmed Sundance.

There are also six movies which combine film and live onstage performance, highlighted by a 1921 classic silent film. "The Phantom Carriage rides again with a new score composed and presented live by local icon Jonathan Richman." (By the way, you know him from the guy who sang in There's Something About Mary). Other films that have a live onstage performance can be found here.

There are also shorts, many new directors highlighted, and even several horror films.