Category Archives: Arts and Culture

SFFILM Will Close Its 69th Festival With The Empire Strikes Back at the Castro

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luke-skywalker-and-darth-vaderSFFILM already has its Closing Night set, and it lands right on May the Fourth.

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival will wrap on Monday, May 4 with a screening of Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back at the newly renovated Castro Theatre. The event is being presented with Lucasfilm and Another Planet Entertainment, and it doubles as a high-profile moment for the Castro as it reopens its doors to major public screenings.

After the film, Anthony Daniels, best known as C-3PO, will take the stage for a conversation with longtime Lucasfilm executive Howard Roffman, who spent decades helping shape the franchise’s reach well beyond the movies themselves.

It’s an on-the-nose choice in the best way. Empire remains the most emotionally grounded film in the series, and San Francisco’s connection to Star Wars runs deeper than most cities, with Lucasfilm’s history rooted just across the bay. Putting it in the Castro, freshly restored and unapologetically theatrical, feels right.

Closing Night begins at 7:00 pm, with tickets available first to SFFILM members on February 4, followed by a general onsale on February 6. The full festival lineup will be announced April 1.

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Brandy, Kirk Franklin, and Pharrell Williams Honored at Recording Academy Honors

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Brandy, Kirk Franklin, and Pharrell Williams were honored Thursday night at the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective, held January 29 in Santa Monica ahead of the Grammy Awards.Brandy and Franklin each received the Black Music Icon Award, recognizing their lasting artistic influence and cultural impact, while Williams was presented with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his contributions to music, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.

The ceremony featured tribute performances from Coco Jones, Kehlani, FLO, John Legend, Lecrae, PJ Morton, Tamela Mann, and others, with appearances by Dr. Dre, Tyler the Creator, and Justin Timberlake. Both Brandy and Franklin also performed during the evening. In a notable moment, Eve was formally awarded a Grammy for her performance on The Roots’ “You Got Me,” correcting a long-standing credit oversight from the song’s original win in 2000.

The Black Music Collective event continues to spotlight Black artists and industry leaders while supporting future generations through scholarship initiatives and mentorship.

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Time and Water Premieres at Sundance in Park City

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By Armando

Sara Dosa, directory, writer, producer

Sara Dosa, directory, writer, producer

Time and Water premiered January 27, 2026, at the Library Center Theatre in Park City as part of the Premieres section of the Sundance Film Festival.

Before the screening, director Sara Dosa and Icelandic writer and subject Andri Snær Magnason stepped out for a press line alongside members of the producing team, a quiet, unhurried moment that felt entirely in keeping with the film they were there to present.

The documentary grew out of Magnason’s deeply personal reckoning with two parallel losses, the death of Iceland’s glaciers and the passing of his grandparents. Rather than approaching climate grief through data or alarm, Dosa weaves together science, myth, and personal history, using Magnason’s own generational archives to craft something closer to a time capsule than a traditional environmental documentary.

At its core, the film traces a striking paradox: while Magnason’s family were among the first to explore Iceland’s glaciers, he has become one of the first to witness their disappearance.

The atmosphere around the premiere matched the film’s tone — contemplative and intimate, circling the question at the heart of Dosa’s work: how do you say goodbye to what you never thought you could lose? National Geographic Documentary

Films is set to release Time and Water in theaters globally beginning May 29.

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One Battle After Another Leads Online Film Critics Society Awards

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onebattle-after-anotherPaul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerged as a major winner at the 2025 Online Film Critics Society Awards, taking Best Picture and Best Director among five total wins. The film’s strong showing places it firmly among the most critically embraced releases of the year.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners ultimately led the awards overall, collecting 10 wins across major categories including acting, writing, cinematography, score, and multiple technical honors. With more than 38 films recognized across 22 categories, this year’s OFCS awards reflected an unusually broad spread of genres, from studio releases to international and independent titles.

One notable takeaway from this year’s results is how concentrated the wins were at the top: just two films accounted for nearly half of all awards handed out, underscoring a rare level of consensus among the Society’s nearly 300 voting critics worldwide.

The organization also presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Colleen Atwood, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Vittorio Storaro, and Walter Murch, alongside Special Achievement Awards recognizing sustainability efforts in filmmaking and advocacy within the industry.

Here’s the complete list of Online Film Critics Society Award winners and nominations for 2025.

Continue reading →

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Broken English Brings Marianne Faithfull Tribute to Sundance Spotlight Premiere

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Broken English co-directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

Broken English co-directors Iain Forsyth and Jane PollardBroken English made its Sundance Film Festival debut on Sunday, January 25, with a Spotlight screening at Eccles Theatre in Park City. The North American premiere was preceded by a red carpet press line, where filmmakers, producers, and performers gathered ahead of the evening’s screening.

Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Broken English is a documentary portrait of singer, songwriter, and cultural icon Marianne Faithfull. The film blends archival material, staged sequences, and performance, presenting Faithfull’s life and career through a stylized and unconventional lens rather than a traditional retrospective format.

Forsyth and Pollard attended the red carpet alongside producer Beth Earl and executive producers Victoria Steventon, Julia Xu, Julia Stier, and Miranda Bailey. Performers Norah Jones and Rufus Wainwright were also present ahead of their post-screening tribute performances, which followed the film’s premiere and added a live element to the evening’s celebration.

The Sundance appearance follows the film’s earlier world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. At Sundance, Broken English screened as part of the festival’s Spotlight section and was presented in person only, drawing a full house and a noticeably attentive crowd.

The night felt less like a standard documentary premiere and more like a shared moment of remembrance, fitting for a film centered on legacy, memory, and artistic refusal to conform.

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Sundance Producers Celebration Honors Apoorva Guru Charan and Dawne Langford

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sundanceThe 2026 Sundance Film Festival Producers Celebration took place January 25 in Park City, bringing together filmmakers and industry guests to recognize producing excellence across this year’s festival lineup. Presented in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios, the event was held at The Park and centered on the Sundance Institute Producers Awards.

Two producers were honored with $10,000 grants during the ceremony. Apoorva Guru Charan received the Fiction Producers Award for Take Me Home, premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, while Dawne Langford was awarded the Nonfiction Producers Award for Who Killed Alex Odeh?, debuting in the U.S. Documentary Competition. Both films are part of the 2026 Sundance program.

The celebration also featured a keynote from producer Shane Boris, whose recent work includes Navalny and Fire of Love. Boris spoke about collaboration, uncertainty, and the often unseen role producers play in sustaining creative work. The event highlighted producers as connective forces within independent filmmaking, emphasizing long-term relationships and shared risk rather than outcomes or accolades.

The Producers Celebration is an annual Sundance tradition, offering a moment to pause amid premieres and screenings to spotlight the behind-the-scenes work that brings films to the festival.

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Big Girls Don’t Cry Premieres at Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition

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By Armando

Writer Director Paloma Schneideman

Writer Director Paloma Schneideman

Big Girls Don’t Cry premiered Saturday, January 24, at the Sundance Film Festival, screening at The Ray Theatre in Park City as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The afternoon screening was preceded by a red carpet press line, where the film’s creative team gathered for photos and interviews ahead of the first public showing.

In attendance were writer-director Paloma Schneideman, lead cast members Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, and Noah Taylor, along with producers and executive producers connected to the project. The atmosphere reflected the film’s debut status, with the team marking its introduction to festival audiences following its New Zealand production.

Set in rural New Zealand in 2006, Big Girls Don’t Cry follows 14-year-old Sid Bookman over the course of a formative summer as she navigates early desire, shifting friendships, and the influence of the early internet. The film centers on observation rather than spectacle, placing its young protagonist in everyday situations that quietly shape her sense of identity and belonging.

The premiere screening in Park City was the film’s first stop at the festival, with additional in-person and online screenings scheduled as Sundance continues through the end of January.

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Merata Mita and Graton Fellows Honored at Sundance 2026 Native Forum

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Merata-Mita-and-Graton-sundanceThe Sundance Institute recognized this year’s Merata Mita and Graton Fellowship recipients during the Native Forum Celebration at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The annual gathering brings together Indigenous filmmakers, artists, and alumni during the festival to spotlight new voices and ongoing work.

Masami Kawai was named the 2026 Merata Mita Fellow. A Ryukyuan filmmaker based in Oregon, Kawai’s work often explores identity, history, and Indigenous experience, and she has previously participated in Sundance’s Directors and Screenwriters Lab. The fellowship supports an Indigenous woman-identified filmmaker developing a feature project.

The 2026 Graton Fellows are Isabella Madrigal and Tsanavi Spoonhunter. Madrigal, a writer-director and actor, is developing her first feature, expanding a story rooted in Indigenous community performance and cultural memory. Spoonhunter, a nonfiction filmmaker and journalist, is based in Northern Nevada and focuses on documentary storytelling through her independent media company, Mahebe Media.

The Native Forum Celebration took place during the festival as a moment to recognize Indigenous-led projects across Sundance programs and to acknowledge the broader creative community gathered in Park City throughout the week.

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Harry Styles Announces Global Residency Run “Together, Together”

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harry-stylesHarry Styles is returning to the stage with Together, Together, a seven-city global residency running from May through December 2026. The Live Nation-promoted run includes 50 performances across Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne, and Sydney, with Styles limiting his live appearances next year to those cities only.

The residency includes major stretches in New York and London, highlighted by 30 shows at Madison Square Garden, his only U.S. dates of 2026, and a six-night run at Wembley Stadium. Rather than a traditional tour, the format focuses on extended stays, turning each city into its own chapter.

The announcement comes alongside new music. Styles will release his new single “Aperture” tonight, January 22, ahead of his fourth studio album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., arriving March 6. Select dates will feature special guests including Robyn, Shania Twain, Jamie xx, Jorja Smith, and Fousheé.

More details, including ticket information by market, are available at hstyles.co.uk/tour.

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Filipiñana Debuts at Sundance with Red Carpet Screening in Park City

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Writer director Rafael Manuel

Rafael Manuel’s feature debut Filipiñana premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, screening at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah.

The screening was preceded by a red carpet event, where the filmmakers paused for photos and interviews ahead of the film’s first public showing.

The film stars Isabel Sicat and centers on a teenage girl working at an elite country club who becomes drawn to its powerful president, only to uncover a darker history beneath the institution’s polished surface. Set across multiple languages including Filipino, English, and Ilokano, Filipiñana explores class tension, identity, and inherited power through a stylized and unsettling lens.

In attendance at the premiere were writer-director Rafael Manuel, supporting cast member Isabel Sicat, producers Jeremy Chua and Alex Polunin, and executive producer Farhana Bhula. Filipiñana continues its Sundance run in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, with in-person and online screenings scheduled through the festival.

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