THE TRAITOR
COLLISIONS
WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
OPENS FEBRUARY 14 Veteran auteur Marco Bellocchio tackles the stranger-than-fiction tale of Tommaso Buscetta, a Sicilian crime boss who became the late 20th century's most famous state's witness against the Mafia in this visceral epic. Masterfully juggling crime drama, politics, and gripping courtroom intrigue, Bellocchio brings impressive dramatic flourishes to the story, placing it squarely alongside canonical masterworks of the Mafioso genre like Gomorrah and The Godfather. Director: Marco Bellocchio (Italy 2020) 135 min.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 7:00 In Person: Filmmaker RICHARD LEVIEN The potentially devastating effects of immigration policy impacts one San Francisco family in this impressive first feature from local writer-director Richard Levien. Twelve-year-old Itan Bautista (a powerful Izabella Alvarez, Westworld) is studious, precocious, and tenacious, caring for her young brother Neto while their mother Yoana works multiple jobs to support their family – until the day the children return from school to find their home upended and Yoana arrested in an ICE raid. Director: Richard Levien (US 2018) 82 min.
OPENS FEBRUARY 21 Set on an isolated island in Brittany, France in 1760, Céline Sciamma’s incendiary Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an intimate and lush period piece that crackles with the intensity of first love. Artist Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a reluctant bride-to-be. Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse's first moments of freedom. In French with English subtitles. Rated R. Director: Céline Sciamma (France 2020) 119 min
OPENS FEBRUARY 14
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 4:15 In Person: Filmmaker ROB GARVER The now legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael battled to make her mark — fueled by brilliance, unshakable self-confidence, a complicated past, and a deep love of the arts. With over 35 new interviews and never-before seen archival material, What She Said is an unvarnished documentary portrait of a film criticism pioneer who was both admired and resented for what she said about art in an era of great moviemaking. Director: Rob Garver (US 2019) 95 min CFI French Cinema Sponsor
RIGOLETTO ON THE LAKE
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, NOON Giuseppe Verdi’s masterwork — compelling, blood-curdling, and beautiful — performed for the first time on the breathtaking water stage of Lake Constance, Bregenz, Austria. Directed and designed by Philipp Stölzl, this timeless tragedy will delight audiences with a powerhouse combination of entertainment and emotional intensity from the spectacular and unique setting by the shore. Director: Philipp Stölzl 140 min including 15 min intermission
CAT VIDEOFEST 2020
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2:00 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2:00 Our fuzzy overlords return to the big screen! Each year, Cat VideoFest curates a compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic internet powerhouses (Keyboard Cat, we’re looking at you). CatVideoFest is a joyous communal experience, only available in theaters, and raises money for cats in need. What better way for humans to come together than by watching cats? Rated Paw. Director: Alex P. Kitten (US 2019) 70 min. A portion of proceeds benefit MARIN HUMANE
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