The 14th BERLIN & BEYOND will take place from January 15 to 21, 2009 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.
For more than a decade we have been presenting independent dramatic, and documentary features and shorts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as a restored silent film.
The festival also screens Kinofest Lünen's audience favorite, awards $5000 to the Best First Feature Film, announces an Audience Award and much more.
From the San Francisco Chronicle: FILM FEST
 A new film and in-person appearance by director Wim Wenders are the attention grabbers in the 14th annual Berlin & Beyond Film Festival, Jan. 15-21 in San Francisco. But film lovers will also have a wide range of both classic and contemporary choices, with a revival screening of "The Blue Angel," a "Hollywood Speaks German" program that features Buster Keaton and Joan Crawford doing just that and a full slate of recent independent and documentary films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. "Palermo Shooting," the latest work from the prolific Wenders ("Wings of Desire," "Paris, Texas," "Buena Vista Social Club"), features the German punk star Campino in a quest story that leads to the devil's door of Dennis Hopper. The closing-night film is "Rabbit Without Ears," a popular 2007 film that stars writer-director Til Schweiger as a gossip-mongering journalist who's sentenced to community service in a kindergarten. Screenings and other Berlin & Beyond events will take place at the Castro Theatre and the Goethe-Institut. For more information, call (415) 263-8760 or go to www.berlinandbeyond.com or www.goethe.de/sanfrancisco.
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 THURSDAY, JANUARY 22
SF Sketchfest Presents A Salute to Bud Cort with “Harold and Maude”
BUD CORT LIVE IN PERSON!
7:00pm $20
SF Sketchfest, The San Francisco Comedy Festival, is thrilled to welcome the talented and iconic character actor Bud Cort to the Castro Theatre for this special onstage conversation and screening of one of the best films of all time, the romantic-comedy classic Harold and Maude. This is the 38th anniversary of the film that brought Bud Cort to most people's consciousness, Harold and Maude, a film that remains a classic American comedy of the 70's, and one that embodies the era's ethos. But even before that seminal film, Bud had starred in the first two major films of Robert Altman's moviemaking life, M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud. He starred in the title role in Why Shoot the Teacher? and The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud, a comedy with Klaus Kinski and Carol Kane. She Dances Alone came next, embodying Bud's commitment to truly original filmmaking.
 More than 40 films have followed, including Wes Anderson's comedy, The Life Aquatic, with Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett, Kevin Smith's Dogma (as "God"), Ed Harris' Pollock, and his own film, Ted and Venus. Besides his film and theatre work, Bud has sung all over the world from Carnegie Hall to the Alcatraz in Paris in a one man musical show. He was the youngest actor ever given an homage at The Cinematheque in Paris in an evening hosted by the great director/actor Jacques Tati. Bud also lived as a houseguest for many years with Groucho Marx. Not your average resume and not your average artist.
Harold and Maude was shot on location in and around San Francisco by legendary filmmaker Hal Ashby and selected by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 comedies and one of the top 100 romantic films of all time. With masterful performances by Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon and an unforgettable soundtrack by Cat Stevens, Harold and Maude is a true American classic. Directed by Hal Ashby; Cast: Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack; 1971; 91 min; 35MM
 SF Sketchfest Presents
“Better Off Dead”
SAVAGE STEVE HOLLAND, CURTIS ARMSTRONG AND DIANE FRANKLIN LIVE IN PERSON!
9:45pm $10 (That’s eight plus TWO DOLLARS) It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 25 years since Savage Steve Holland unleashed Better Off Dead on the world. A bit of a “spiritual companion piece” to this evening’s prior feature, Better Off Dead is the classic story of a young man’s morbid obsession with ending it all. Featuring an indelible lead performance by John Cusack, who is more than ably supported by the exceptional Curtis Armstrong as his snow-snorting pal, Charles De Mar, and the adorable Diane Franklin as French foreign-exchange mechanic Monique Junot.
SF Sketchfest is delighted to welcome Holland, Armstrong and Franklin for an onstage conversation following the feature.
Directed and Written by Savage Steve Holland; Cast: John Cusack, Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin, David Ogden Stiers; 1985; 97 min; 35MM
The Eighth Annual SF Sketchfest features appearances by The State, Tim and Eric, Martin Mull, Fred Willard, Michael McKean, Janeane Garofalo, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and more and runs January 15-31 throughout the Bay Area. Advance tickets and info at www.sfsketchfest.com
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 The San Francisco Film Noir Festival returns to the majestic Castro Theatre in San Francisco, January 23 — February 1, 2009.
Making a special appearance at this year's festival will be 1950s favorite Arlene Dahl, who will appear for an onstage interview between screenings of two of her favorite films, made back-to-back in 1956: Slightly Scarlet (based on the novel Love's Lovely Counterfeit by James M. Cain) and the rarely screened femme-fatale classic Wicked as They Come. 
The theme of this year's festival is Newspaper Noir, with many of the films set in the world of newspapers, or, in some cases, publishing or radio. Come see how mid-20th-century media stack up against today's fourth estate.
Programmers Eddie Muller and Anita Monga have made a special effort to have NOIR CITY's nightly double bills (and for the first time separate Saturday matinees) reflect the traditional programming of theaters in the 1940s.
To that end, they sought out rare, legitimate B films—shorter movies that were intentionally made to fill out the second half of a double bill.
"I think this will probably be as close as you're going to get to actually going to the movies in 1948," says Muller.
For this year's lineup, visit www.noircity.com
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Saturday, March 21, 2009
8pm Return Of International Superstar Petula Clark LIVE!
 Petula has appeared in over 30 British and American films, but she is best known for her amazing recording career; 50 plus years and over a 1,000 songs and still counting! She has sold over 68 million records. Her breakout hit, "Downtown," skyrocketed to number 1 in the USA. The song launched her American career and earned her a Grammy. She quickly followed with "I Know A Place" which went to number three and earned Petula her second Grammy. All total, Petula has had 15 top 40 hits in the USA and two #1 hits. Internationally, she has charted in the top 40 with 159 recordings!
$35 • $47.50 • $57.50 • $67.50 • $85
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
www.PetulaClark.net
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| Reminder - Parking is very limited
around the Castro District. Street parking is available
along with two small parking lots. Please leave yourself
extra travel time for parking for prompt arrival at
the theatre. San Francisco city residents are advised
to use public transportation available from all points
of the city to the Castro District. |
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