The 68th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) will take place April 17-April 27 with screenings at various theaters around San Francisco and the East Bay.
For a full view of special awards, spotlights, and centerpiece films, check out the complete festival guide. Tickets can be purchased here.
Below is a preview of the festival, featuring brief looks at six films:
1.) THE BOTANIST
(China, 2025. 96 min)
The soulful connection between humans and nature lies at the forefront of Jing Yi’s directorial debut, The Botanist, about a young boy, Arsin, in the remote northern province of Xinjiang during one summer. Arsin spends his time quietly in nature, pressing flowers, examining a faded family tree and contemplating the building blocks of life. The cast of non-actors are amazing, and the stunning real-world environment is beautifully captured in a manner that exhibits the environment as a critical character. When Arsin meets Meiyu, a young girl in the village, his perception of the relationship between nature and civilization becomes simultaneously complicated and ethereal, as the filmmakers employ subtle elements of magical realism to portray his evolving emotional and physical understanding of the world. Other world-building elements include a village radio continuously spouting news about oil taxes and burgeoning industry, Arsin’s aloof brother (“uncle”) calling his network of former lovers and friends in Shanghai, and high-angled shots of the village and surrounding landscape. All of these elements create a meditative and enchanting coming-of-age story about how a forgotten pastoral corner of the world still finds ways to embrace our kinship with the natural world.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Fri., April 18th, 6:00pm at the Presidio Theatre
– Sat., April 19th, 5:15pm at BAMPFA Continue reading “Film Feature: 68th SFFILM Festival Preview #1”