Award-winning actress and singer Bea Arthur, best known for culture-shifting characters in sitcoms, “The Golden Girls” and “Maude,” rarely gave interviews. She preferred to keep her life private. She never went into show business seeking fame. She spent decades in live theater before landing “Maude” at age 49.
Josephine, a sporty eight-year-old girl, without a care in the world, is jogging in Golden Gate Park with her father at dawn. She races ahead to show her athletic dad what she can do and abruptly, comes upon a man following a female jogger into a public restroom.
In the documentary, “Harvest,” co-directors Natalie Baszile and her daughter, Hyacinth Parker, let the four brothers tell and show the story of family farm life in rural Louisiana, revealing complexities, struggles, tragedy, resilience and togetherness.
After graduating from art school at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology in Ireland (now called Atlantic Technological University Galway), Kathy Rose O’Regan wasn’t sure what she would do with her degree in fine art printmaking.
“Being in the ocean is like breathing,” Sachi Cunningham said. “If I’m not in the ocean for a period of time, I feel like I’m not me. It basically allows me to be who I am, which is an ocean lover.”
“Minister Chucky,” a short documentary film about the unconventional Las Vegas wedding of a queer couple, officiated by a killer doll Chucky impersonator from the eight-installment “Child’s Play” horror movie franchise, is funny until you consider the full context of the celebration – including subsequent plans for the pair to flee the United States under President Donald Trump’s regime.
Chilean-born filmmaker Andrés Gallegos chose San Francisco in 2014 to continue his education, earning an Master of Fine Arts in cinema at San Francisco State University. He had visited prestigious film schools in New York and Los Angeles, but said the Bay Area felt like home.
“Pope of Trash,” “Prince of Puke,” “People’s Pervert,” “King of Sleaze” and “Filth Elder” are all monikers apropos for prolific filmmaker, author, photographer, visual artist, provocateur and true original, John Waters, who turns 80 this month.
The Mostly British Film Festival returns for its 18th year, Feb. 5-12, with 26 films, some new, some nearly new, along with a sprinkling of classics. Curated selections come from the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand and will all be screened at San Francisco’s Vogue Theater.
Steve Peletz, 65, underplays his high-risk activities. He has been scuba diving for more than 40 years. He joins marine biologists on expeditions in remote, exotic waters off the coast of Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico and the Galápagos Islands. As a volunteer “citizen scientist,” his task is usually to tag different types of sharks so they can be tracked.
“It’s got a science and marine conservation story that’s a clear arc. But I also think you need a human story to make it interesting,” Peletz said. “The angle would be the dedication of this small group of marine biologists. It’s a hero’s journey.”
The large cast – which includes Seth Green as the boorish head of rival Camp Barak, and Steve Guttenberg as the oldest but wise staffer at Camp Daveed – was assembled with purpose, which included hiring Jewish actors to play Jewish characters.
Prolific, award-winning independent film producer Marc Smolowitz has more than 60 credits in his three-decade career. He has raised at least $30 million for projects in every genre. At any given time, he is the driving force behind 10 films in various stages of production, including at this very moment.
Our documentary, “The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival,” will be screening at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco on May 27, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Kristen Tièche walks into Le Café du Soleil, a French bistro in the Lower Haight, clutching her dog, Zizou. She rode her bike from her Inner Richmond home. It is mid-afternoon. As she places a glass of white wine, accompanied by a glass of water, at a window table, she mentions that her day is tighter than she realized, having already spent time at a volunteer garden, followed by a shower.
