Category Archives: Films

SFFILM to Honor Park Chan-wook With Career Tribute and Screening of ‘No Other Choice’

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L to R. Director Park Chan-wook. Actor Lee Byung Hun in NO OTHER CHOICE. Photos: NEON.

San Francisco’s SFFILM will celebrate acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook with a Career Tribute and special screening of his new film No Other Choice on November 20 at the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA.

The event will feature an onstage conversation with Park and a showing of No Other Choice, his first film since Decision to Leave. The film, from NEON, reunites Park with Lee Byung Hun (Joint Security Area) in a darkly comic satire about a man’s descent into desperation after losing his corporate job.

“With No Other Choice, Director Park returns to the sharp social commentary of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Stoker,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “It’s a brilliantly savage look at capitalism, masculinity, and ambition—another masterful addition to his career.”

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai called the tribute “a deep honor,” noting Park’s global influence and the organization’s commitment to international cinema.

Park, best known for Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Thirst, has won multiple Cannes awards and remains one of contemporary cinema’s most influential auteurs. No Other Choice, adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax, opens in select theaters December 25 via NEON and expands nationwide January 2026. Tickets: Available for SFFILM members October 30 and general audiences October 31 at sffilm.org
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Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys Star in Babak Anvari’s Psychological Thriller “Hallow Road”

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Hallow-RoadGolden Globe and Emmy winner Rosamund Pike (Saltburn, Gone Girl) and Emmy and Critics Choice Award winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans) lead the cast of “Hallow Road,” the latest feature from writer-director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow, I Came By). The film opens exclusively in AMC theaters on October 31 as part of a Halloween Double Feature presentation alongside Vincent Must Die.

Premiering at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival in March, Hallow Road has since screened at major international festivals including Brussels, Melbourne, Munich, Leiden, New Horizons, and Neuchâtel, earning early acclaim for its unnerving atmosphere and emotional precision.

The psychological thriller follows parents (Pike and Rhys) who receive a late-night call from their daughter after she accidentally strikes another young woman while driving her father’s car. As they race to protect their family and contain the fallout, the night unravels into a series of chilling revelations that expose deeper secrets—and the fear that they may not be the only ones on Hallow Road.

Produced by Ian Henry, Lucan Toh, Aram Tertzakian, Nate Bolotin, and Richard Bolger, the film marks another step in Anvari’s exploration of guilt, dread, and human fragility through genre storytelling. The filmmaker, also attached to Paramount’s upcoming Cloverfield project, continues his distinctive blend of grounded realism and supernatural unease.

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Picturehouse Acquires ‘The King of Color,’ Documentary on Pantone Creator Lawrence Herbert

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picturehousePicturehouse has acquired all North American distribution rights to The King of Color, a new documentary from director Patrick Creadon (Wordplay, Hesburgh) that explores the life and legacy of Lawrence Herbert, the creator of the Pantone Matching System. The film will premiere October 24 at AFI Fest before opening in limited theatrical release on December 12.

At 96, Herbert remains one of the most influential yet underrecognized figures in modern design. His invention of the Pantone Matching System (PMS) transformed the way artists, manufacturers, and brands communicate color across industries worldwide. The film features an in-depth interview with Herbert, offering a rare look into the mind that standardized color itself.

“Pantone is a language that connects artists, designers, and brands across the globe,” said Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse. “We’re proud to bring The King of Color to audiences everywhere and to honor Larry Herbert’s legacy of innovation and influence. Patrick Creadon has crafted a film that is as vibrant and inspiring as its subject.”

Creadon, best known for his acclaimed documentary Wordplay (a Sundance breakout), is known for illuminating the creative forces behind seemingly everyday phenomena. His directing credits also include If You Build It, ESPN’s 30 for 30: Catholics vs. Convicts, Hesburgh, and Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story.

The King of Color traces Herbert’s journey from Depression-era Brooklyn to global innovation, spotlighting how one man’s vision turned color from a subjective art into a universal language that bridges creativity and commerce.

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Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, Tessa Thompson Among Honorees for Critics Choice’s Celebration of Black Cinema & Television

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Critics Choice AssociationThe Critics Choice Association has announced honorees for its 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, taking place December 9 in Los Angeles. Jay Pharoah returns as host, and STARZ is back as official media partner, with the ceremony airing in early 2026.

Spike Lee will receive the Career Achievement Award for his four-decade career, most recently Highest 2 Lowest. David Alan Grier earns the Vanguard Award for his acclaimed work across stage and screen, including St. Denis Medical. Ryan Coogler will be honored with the Director Award for Sinners, his record-breaking IMAX 70 mm feature for Warner Bros.

Reginald Hudlin and Shola Lynch take the Documentary Award for Apple TV’s Number One on the Call Sheet. Janelle James wins the Comedy Award for Abbott Elementary. Tessa Thompson, Sterling K. Brown, and Jurnee Smollett are recognized for Hedda, Paradise, and Smoke, respectively.

The Ensemble Award goes to Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another. Damson Idris earns Supporting Actor – Film for F1, and Skye P. Marshall wins Supporting Actress – Series for Matlock, receiving STARZ’s #TakeTheLead honor. Tenika Davis (Spartacus: House of Ashur) is named Breakthrough Performer, and Naya Desir-Johnson (Sarah’s Oil) takes Rising Star.

Singer-songwriter Aiyana-Lee will perform her song from Highest 2 Lowest. “It’s truly an honor to continue our tradition of celebrating excellence in Black cinema and television,” said executive producer Shawn Edwards.

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Ben Kalina’s “Plan C for Civilization” to World Premiere at DOC NYC

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Plan-C-for-CivilizationAward-winning filmmaker Ben Kalina (Shored Up, Can We Cool the Planet?) returns with Plan C for Civilization, a riveting new documentary that confronts one of the most controversial ideas in climate science: solar geoengineering. The film will make its world premiere at DOC NYC on Thursday, November 13 (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, November 15 (1:00 p.m.) at Village East by Angelika, with an online screening available from November 14 to 30.

In Plan C for Civilization, physicist David Keith explores whether reflecting sunlight back into space could cool the planet and buy humanity time against climate catastrophe. But his early experiments spark fierce global debate, inspiring rogue start-ups like Make Sunsets, whose DIY launches raise urgent questions about science, ethics, and control in a warming world.

Kalina captures this unfolding tension across continents, examining the promise and peril of manipulating Earth’s atmosphere as climate solutions falter. “If we value the ecosystems and humanity of this planet,” Kalina says, “how could we ignore any tool with so much power to cool the planet, quickly?”

Produced by Mangrove Media, the film continues Kalina’s exploration of humanity’s uneasy relationship with nature, following his acclaimed documentaries on climate and coastal resilience.

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Albert Birney’s Retro Sci-Fi Thriller Obex Set for Theatrical Release in January

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ObexFilmmaker Albert Birney’s new feature Obex will open in theaters on January 9, 2026, following its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Written by Birney and Pete Ohs (Erupcja), the black-and-white fantasy is set in 1987, where a reclusive man and his dog become ensnared in a mysterious computer game that turns their analog world into a surreal digital nightmare. The film stars Birney alongside Callie Hernandez, Paisley Isaacs, Frank Mosley, and Tyler Davis, with music by Josh Dibb (Deakin of Animal Collective).

Described as a lo-fi vision of early computing and isolation, Obex blends nostalgic visuals with psychological tension to explore the blurring line between technology and reality. The film is produced by Emma Hannaway, Birney, James Belfer, and Ohs, with cinematography by Ohs.

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Film Forum to Host 36-Film Tribute to Kevin Brownlow Featuring ‘Napoleon,’ ‘The Wind,’ ‘Unknown Chaplin’

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Kevin-BrownlowFilm Forum will present a 36-film retrospective honoring filmmaker, historian, and preservationist Kevin Brownlow from October 24 to November 6 in New York.

The two-week series will feature works Brownlow directed, films he helped restore, and silent classics that influenced him. Highlights include the first New York screening since 1981 of Abel Gance’s 1927 epic Napoleon in its full 5½-hour version, Brownlow and Andrew Mollo’s WWII drama It Happened Here (1964), Winstanley (1975), and the documentary Unknown Chaplin (1983). Screenings of silent landmarks such as The Thief of Bagdad (1924), Intolerance (1916), Safety Last (1923), and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) will feature scores by the late composer Carl Davis, with select titles accompanied live on piano by Steve Sterner.

The retrospective will also include Victor Sjöström’s The Wind (1928) in a restored 35mm print, opening night introductions from filmmakers and authors including Diane Baker and Daniel Kehlmann, and a special daylong presentation of Napoleon.

Brownlow, who received an Academy Honorary Award in 2010 and TCM’s Robert Osborne Award in 2019, is recognized as one of the most influential voices in film history and preservation. His books, including The Parade’s Gone By, and documentaries such as Hollywood and Cinema Europe have been credited with reshaping the way silent cinema is viewed and valued.

Film Forum’s tribute is supported by the Robert Jolin Osborne Trust and the Ira M. Resnick Foundation.

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Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Kadir Nelson Join Jessica Alba for Lucas Museum Panel at L.A. Comic Con

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Rendering of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art offered fans an early look at its 2026 opening during a panel at Los Angeles Comic Con, where filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, comic creator Frank Miller, and painter-illustrator Kadir Nelson joined moderator Jessica Alba for a discussion on the power of visual storytelling.

The conversation explored the impact of comics, cinema, and illustration as forms of “narrative art,” a term the museum’s founders George Lucas and Mellody Hobson use to describe popular visual storytelling across cultures and eras. A preview video showcased renderings of the museum, selections from its collection, and a recorded message from the founders.

Set to open in Los Angeles in 2026, the Lucas Museum will be the first institution dedicated to narrative art, presenting works ranging from ancient cave drawings to comic books, magazine illustrations, and digital media.

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Robert Redford, Hollywood Icon and Architect of Independent Cinema, Dies at 89

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By Armando

Robert Redford during the filming of The Sting (1973). Photo by Ken Dare, Los Angeles Times / Courtesy of the Dutch National Archives.

Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director, and visionary who built Sundance into the home of independent film, has died at his home in Utah. He was 89. Redford was first known as one of Hollywood’s most magnetic leading men, but his greatest impact came later, as he reshaped the future of filmmaking by giving independent voices a place to be heard.

Redford began his career in television and on Broadway before breaking through in film. His first leading role that brought him recognition was Barefoot in the Park (1967) opposite Jane Fonda. Two years later, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) made him a household name. His pairing with Paul Newman became one of the most beloved duos in film history. They reunited in The Sting (1973), which became a massive hit and earned Redford an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

An American Icon

In the 1970s, Redford wasn’t just a star. With his blond hair, windswept style, and natural charisma, he became a cultural symbol of American masculinity. But he quickly proved he was more than an image. In The Candidate (1972), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976), he pursued stories with political and social weight. By the end of the decade, he had become both a top box office draw and one of the most respected actors of his generation.

Behind the Camera

In 1980, Redford made his directing debut with Ordinary People, a family drama that went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film marked his transformation from leading man to accomplished filmmaker and proved he could command just as much respect behind the camera.
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Eric Roberts and Kenzie Ziegler Hit the Right Notes in Redemption Drama Shakey Grounds

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shakey-groundsGravitas Ventures will release Shakey Grounds on digital platforms September 16, 2025.

The 82-minute feature follows a troubled musician and his band as they navigate personal demons and a chance at redemption with a disgraced record executive. Together, they confront obstacles that ultimately draw them closer through music and camaraderie.

The film stars Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight), Emmy and Tony Award winner Eric Nelsen (1883), Ella Cannon (Trees of Peace), Emmy Award winner Kelly Thiebaud (General Hospital), and singer/actor Kenzie Ziegler (Dance Moms). Johnny Danks, who also stars, produced alongside Gary Dankner and Jack Sattin.

Written by Trace Slobotkin and directed by Michael Garcia, Shakey Grounds had its world premiere at WorldFest Houston International Festival, where it won a Remi Award.

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