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ROOTED RESURGENCE PROGRAMS

Join us from April 15–21, 2024 as we come together for the 10th annual ritual of the SF Urban Film Fest. Each day, a film screening is paired with multidisciplinary discussion, recognizing the strength and resilience of those committed to rooted resurgence in the face of our city and region's latest dispiriting cycle of civic difficulties. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Thank you for taking what you need and giving what you can. By doing so, you are helping us spread our programming to as wide an audience as possible.

2024 Official Selections

There will be a resurgence, as cycles of bust and boom go. But this time it will be different — it must be different, with equity and justice at the center, radiating outward to include us all. These films explore the renewal that blooms from our local places thick with efforts of generations — it’s our responsibility to steward that life force, reconnect with our neighbors and revive community spirit.

   

Latina woman 20s posing in front of mural

Above Ground

Film Above Ground Directed by Jimmy Ramirez Urban designer Elizabeth Garcia helps us understand what happens with rain water in the heart of Oakland's Fruitvale…
Closeup young Asian girl in sequin costume holding baton and metal sport whistle glinting in her mouth

Bean Sprouts, Clips from Episodes 1 + 4

Film Bean Sprouts, Clips from Episodes 1 + 4 Directed by Loni Ding Chinese American children and their friends, dealing with themes of personal identity, intercultural contacts and generational relations in…
Young Latino man in busy backstage dressing room helps adjust large platinum wig on performer with back to the camera

Between Us Women: Undocumented and Trans

Film Between Us Women: Undocumented and Trans Directed by Shauna Siggelkow In 2017 under the threat of a Trump presidency and restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws, the trans, undocumented Latina community…
3 Black femme-presenting dancers all in the same teal dress walk across pedesytrian bridge with back to the camera

A Bird Called Memory

Film A Bird Called Memory Directed by Leonardo Martinelli A trans woman, tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.
Asian man in sunglasses and black leather smoking a cigarette while riding on a motorcycle and stopped at crest of a hill, behind him in the bright hazy distance a steep street, telephone poles and buildings

Dupont Guy: The Schiz of Grant Ave

Film Dupont Guy: The Schiz of Grant Ave Directed by Curtis Choy This 1975 Oscar winner explores cross-cultural currents of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Black and white image of Asian Man 60s smoking a cigarette out of window in brick building. The window is access to landing of a fire escape.

Fortune

Film Fortune Directed by Shirley Yumeng He An experimental short-film meditation on the liminality of Chinese-American identity.
Portrait photo of Latino man in 60s or 70s with goatee and baseball cap, stripes of U.S. flag visible in background

The Golden Cage: Life in the Border Colonias

Film The Golden Cage: Life in the Border Colonias Directed by Shauna Siggelkow A rare glimpse into life in the Southern US border communities called colonias.
Computer aided architectural rendering of proposed re-design for Harvey Milk Plaza, dusk just outside entrance to train station, a round marble two-tiered dais ringed with strips of light, two people standing on top speaking to a small assembled crowd

Harvey Milk Plaza: The Power of Place

Film Harvey Milk Plaza: The Power of Place Directed by Corey Leavitt a short documentary that uses an architectural redesign project to examine the importance of distinctly queer public spaces.
Close up profile Young Black Woman's face eyes closed face tilted toward the sun gloss on her lips shining

Holding Back the Tide

Film Holding Back the Tide Directed by Emily Packer This impressionist hybrid documentary traces the oyster through its many life cycles in New York, once the world’s…
Bedroom. Black woman 30s picking outyoung boy's hair, while she gently cradles his face with her hand and the boy peers down.

Home is a Hotel

Film Home is a Hotel Directed by Kar Yin Tham, Kevin Wong, Todd Sills San Franciscans in an SRO strive against systemic forces and a housing crisis, with hope and humor.
Green and black duotone of young Black masc-presenting person in room with posters haphazardly pinned on one wall

KILL YOUR LANDLORD

Film KILL YOUR LANDLORD Directed by Jill Hill In the city of Scam Francisco, three roommates find a hidden kitchen behind one of the walls of…
Close shot young olive complexioned man in narrow graffit covered hallway

Matar

Film Matar Directed by Hassan Akkad An asylum seeker in England is forced to live on the fringes of society and rely on his…
Closeup shot someone hand holding photo of two people, one femme, one butch in a bar mugging for the camera

Mother (documentary trailer)

Film Mother (documentary trailer) Directed by Brandon Yadegari Moreno, Meg Shutzer In San Francisco, Malia Spanyol, a self-identified dyke sets out to build a space for women and femmes.
Young olive complexioned masc-presenting person at front door holding a platter of cake slices

The Neighbour

Film The Neighbour Directed by Cedoy The everlasting housing problems of trans communities in Istanbul.
Young Black masc-presenting person close-up in profile, sun just above the trees in the distance bathing everything in a warm glow

Passing: Profiling the Lives of Young Transmen of Color

Film Passing: Profiling the Lives of Young Transmen of Color Directed by J. Mitchel Reed, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee Profiling the lives of three young transmen of color.
View of BART tunnel as seen from front of speeding train

Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride

Film Tunnel Vision: An Unauthorized BART Ride Directed by Vincent Woo Embark on a journey with a camera secretly attached to a BART train and ride through the arteries…
Close shot photo of young brown skinned woman with shoulder length hair, head slightly thrown back in laughter, eyes almost closed

UndocuJoy

Film UndocuJoy Directed by Monica Medellin #UndocuJoy combats victimizing representations of people who are undocumented by flooding the media with authentic images of happiness.
Movie poster for Viva 16 with portraits of Ronnie Salazar and Mahogany and other text promoting the video

¡Viva 16!

Film ¡Viva 16! Directed by Augie Robles, Tina Valentin Aguirre The onset of the AIDS epidemic in the LGBTQ Latinx community in San Francisco, a testimony to the…