San Diego International Film Festival

The San Diego Film Festival Was The Best Film Festival I've Ever Been To, Hands Down. Great Events, Inspiring People, Fun Films And A Fantastic Filmmaker Lounge.

Schedule Of Events:

Bring Them Home Aiskotahkapiyaaya    

10:15 Am - 11:45 Am

Bring Them Home/Aiskotahkapiyaaya Chronicles A Decades-Long Initiative By Members Of The Blackfoot Confederacy To Bring Wild Buffalo (Blackfeet: Iinnii) Back To The Blackfeet Reservation. A Thriving Wild Buffalo Population Would Not Only Reconnect Blackfeet With A Central Part Of Their Heritage, Spirituality And Identity, But Would Provide Economic Opportunities And Healing For The Community. Along The Way, However, The Initiative Faces Obstacles From Ranchers Who See The Buffalo As A Threat To The Cattle Ranches That Dominate The Land And Are A Legacy Of Colonization.

When Worlds Collide

10:45 Am - 12:21 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

This Is Where Unlikely Individuals Clash; Sometimes Resulting In Friendship, And Other Times Despair.

Go In Peace: Evens, A Young Man As Imperfect As He Is Endearing, Accompanies His Mother To The Haitian Consulate In Paris. Feeling Uneasy, He Tries As Best He Can To Shorten Their Visit While His Mother Is Scheming Behind His Back.

Trapped: A Highschool Janitor Runs Into A Series Of Dangerous Obstacles.

Room Taken: Having Just Arrived In Ireland, Isaac Finds An Unexpected Answer To His Temporary Homelessness When He Secretly Takes Refuge In The Home Of Victoria, An Elderly Blind Woman. As These Two Strangers Coexist, A Touching And Unexpected Bond Forms Between The Unlikely Pair.

Blowing In The Wind: In A Faraway Place, Where Endless Miles Of Sand Meet The Horizon, A Tumbleweed Bush Surrenders To The Wind. It Detaches From The Soil And Begins To Roll Wherever The Wind Takes It. Along The Way, It Will Meet People Walking Against The Wind—And Sometimes, Against Each Other.

Neither Donkey Nor Horse: Amidst The Outbreak Of The 1910 Manchurian Plague, A Young Chinese Doctor Must Defy Prejudices Of Both The East And The West To Champion His Groundbreaking Theory About The Disease’s Deadly Evolution.

Drive Back Home

11:30 Am - 1:15 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

In The Winter Of 1970, A Cantankerous, Small Town Plumber From Rural New Brunswick, Must Drive His Beat-Up Work Truck 1000 Miles To Toronto To Get His Estranged, Gay Brother Out Of Jail After Being Arrested For Having Sex In A Public Park. The Two Men Are Then Forced To Drive Back Home Together At The Behest Of Their Hard-Nosed Mother Before They Kill Each Other. Inspired By A True Story.

Flyways: The Untold Journey Of Migratory Shorebirds

12:00 Pm - 1:31 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Each Year, Millions Of Shorebirds Follow Ancient Flyways Moving From The South Of The Planet To The North And Back Again. Yet Many Of Us Know Little About Them. With The World’s Migratory Shorebirds And Their Epic Flyways Under Threat, Scientists, In Search Of A Smoking Gun, Race To Map Their Journeys.

Sugar And Stars

12:30 Pm 2:25 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Based On True Story Of Yazid Ichemrahen And His Biographical Book ‘Rêve D’un Enfant etoile’, On How Patisserie Saved His Life. Ever Since He Was A Little Boy, Yazid Has Dreamed Of Becoming A Pastry Chef. Moved From One Foster Home To Another, Nothing Predestined Him For Such A Career. Yazid’s Indomitable Determination And Resourcefulness Have Proven Priceless In Helping Him Succeed In The Elitist Arena Of Patisserie. Working For The World’s Top Chefs From Paris To Monaco, He Strives To Become The Best And To Fulfill His Dream Of Winning The International Pastry Championship.

If You See Something

12:45 Pm - 1:33 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Iin The Bliss Of A New Love, Ali And Katie Start To Build Their Life Together In New York City, He As An Iraqi Immigrant Seeking Political Asylum And She, An Ambitious American Woman. When A Crisis Strikes Back In Baghdad In The Midst Of His Asylum Process, They Are Forced To Navigate Its Impact On Their Relationship... And The Secrets They Have Been Keeping. Navigating Trust And Shame; Rejection And Acceptance; And How Best To Love One Another, Katie And Ali Face An Existential Question: Is It Worth Crossing Borders, Both National And Personal, To Save What They Have?

Twisted Humor

1:00 Pm - 2:40 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Where Funny And Irony Meet Up Fully Armed And Swagger On To The Dark Side.

Olga's Eyes: Olga, A Music-Loving Octogenarian, Is Tired Of Killing Humans. Could It Be The Vampire Blues? For Her Daughter Simone, She’s Just Being Picky! Olga Is Placed In A Care Home Where She Can Deal With Those "Who Have One Foot In The Grave"...

Under The Influence[R]: Two Gen Z Guys Go All-In On A Wild, Illegal Stunt To Go Viral. The Film Dives Into The Crazy Gap Between Our Online Personas And Real Lives, Challenging What We Really Value In A World Hooked On Digital Clout.

Still Scattered: (Dark Comedy) After Losing His Wife, A Failing Gallery Artist Returns Home To His Small Town, Looking For Support From The Very People He's Fought So Hard To Escape.

Cherry Pie: When A Man Dies In The Bar, Lana, The Bar Manager, And Marty, A Bartender, Find Themselves In A Moral Dilemma That Quickly Turns Deadly.

What You Left In The Ditch: Wylitd Is A Dark Comedy About A Woman Facing A Lack Of Attraction To Her Husband, After He Comes Back From A Future War Without Any Lips. This Causes Her To Explore An Affair With A Much-To-Young, Plump Lipped Grocery Clerk. It's A Film About Guilt, Redemption, Culturally Unspoken Vanity And The Selfish Struggles With Empathy.

Women In Film: Breaking Barriers And Shaping The Industry

Fest Lounge
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

1:30 Pm - 2:15 Pm

Explore The Evolving Landscape Of Film And Entertainment In This Compelling Discussion. "The Future Of
Film And Entertainment" Gathers Industry Experts To Delve Into The Transformative Trends And Dynamics
Reshaping The Field.

Key Topics Include:
Shifting Landscape: Examine The Impact Of Streaming Media And The Trend Towards Shorter
Theatrical Releases On The Industry.

Current Industry Trends: Understand The Latest Developments And Shifts In Film And
Entertainment.
Future Directions: Discover What Lies Ahead For The Industry In This Rapidly Changing
Environment.
Challenges And Opportunities: Explore Major Challenges And Emerging Opportunities Driven By
These New Trends.

Join Us For An Insightful Conversation That Provides Valuable Perspectives On The Industry’s Evolution And
Future Prospects.

Into The Unknown

1:30 Pm - 3:04 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Into The Unknown Takes Viewers On An Unflinching Journey With Five Diverse Paramedic Teams From Across The United States. Embedded With A Gulf War Veteran, Two Columbine Survivors, A Pair Of Best Friends On The Night Shift, Dedicated Rural Volunteers, And A High-Flying Helicopter Rescue Crew, This Documentary Offers An Unprecedented Look Into Their World. As They Confront Injury, Dangerous Work Environments, Mental Health Struggles, Assaults, Diseases, And A Global Pandemic, You’ll Witness The Highs Of Life-Saving Moments And The Devastating Lows Of Loss. Into The Unknown Delves Deep Into Their Motivations, Shedding Light On The Courage And Resilience Driving These Everyday Heroes Who Bravely Face The Unknown.

Bang Bang

2:00 Pm - 3:49 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Tim Blake Nelson Stars As 'Bang Bang' Rozyski, An Eccentric Retired Pugilist Obsessed With Rectifying The Sins Of His Past.

Jazzy

2:30 Pm - 4:01 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

In The Follow Up To Her Award-Winning Film The Unknown Country, Filmmaker Morrisa Maltz Captures The Joys And Heartbreaks Of Childhood Friendship As Young Jazzy (Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux) Navigates The Challenges Of Growing Up With Her Peers In South Dakota.

Mother Valley

3:15 Pm -  4:43 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Lebanon, 1958. While A Civil War Rages, Pitting Christians Against Muslims In Coastal Towns, A Young Mother And Model Wife, Layla, Spends The Summer With Her Family In A Remote Village In The Christian Mountains. It’s Wedding Season But Her Two Younger Sisters, Eva And Nada, Have No Desire To Follow In Layla’s Footsteps By Accepting An Arranged Marriage Organized By Their Father, A Broke Feudal Aristocrat. This Summer, An Encounter With A French Guy And His Mother Opens Layla’s Eyes On Her Condition As A Woman Living In A Patriarchal Society, Where Female Fates Are Decided By Men – Fathers, Husbands, And Even Sons. For The First Time Ever, Layla Suddenly Stifles.

Docudrama

3:15 Pm - 4:44 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

These Filmmakers Take Us On An Impactful Journey Inside The Hearts And Minds Of Everyday People.

Motorcycle Mary: In The 1950s, Mary Mcgee Found Her Sense Of Freedom When She Became The First American Woman To Race Motorcycles. Mary’s Pioneering Journey Of Conquering Sexism And Her Own Fears Paved The Way For The Next Chapter In Motorsports.

Hello Stranger: Between Loads Of Laundry At The Corner Laundromat, Cooper Shares The Story Of Her Gender Reassignment Journey. Piecing Together Her Memories, From Her Childhood In A Small Fishing Village Through Her Tumultuous Medical Process, Cooper Attempts To Make Peace With The Last Male Imprint Remaining On Her Body: That Annoying Deep Voice That Sticks To Her Skin.

The Call: An Anywhere Aloha Film: The Call Tells The Story Of Mike Coots, A Kauai-Based Shark Photographer And Conservationist, And A Shark Attack Victim. This Documentary Shares How Pivotal Moments Come In Unexpected Forms, And How Sometimes What Hurts Us, Can Also Be What Empowers Us To Move Forward.

Sludge: A Pfas Uprising: Doing The Right Thing – Cost Them Everything. "Sludge" Tells The Stories Of Farmers Who Are Speaking Up About "Forever Chemicals" Poisoning Their Land, Water, And Livestock, Only To Lose Everything In The Process. Who’s To Blame? And What’s Being Done Now To Ensure Our Land And Water Is Safe For Future Generations?

Marks Of Majesty (International Premiere): Marks Of Majesty Examines The Stories Of 7 Breast Cancer Survivors & Previvors. Through Portraits And Motion, Filmed Interviews, And Organic User-Generated Footage, Our Subjects Share Their Varied Perspectives And Post-Operative Bodies, Dismantling Myths And Misconceptions About Breast Cancer, While Also Giving Voice And Power To Those Whose Stories Have Historically Been Overlooked.

Filmmaker Happy Hour

3:30 Pm - 5:30 Pm

Fest Lounge
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

The Festival Lounge Is The Place To Be For The Filmmaker Happy Hour Before Hopping Into Your Next Film Screening! This Is Your Opportunity To Network With The Filmmakers, Engage In Stimulating Conversation And Learn About Other Films To Go See!

Pass Access: Vip, Fest Pass, Weekend & Patron Passes Access Into Lounge Or There Is A Fest Lounge Day Ticket ($25/Day). The Ticket Gives You Access To The Lounge For That Day. Day Access Includes Lounge Activities For That Day Including Panels, Alcoholic And Nonalcoholic Drinks, Bites, Red Carpet, Coffee & Donuts, And Much More!

The Uninvited

4:00 Pm 5:52 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

The Uninvited Is A Story About The Passing Of Time, Love, Regret And Aging. This Comedic Drama Centers On Rose, A Former Actress Now Living As A Stay-At-Home Mom, Who Faces A Night Of Chaos When An Elderly Woman Named Helen Arrives At Her Home, Claiming It As Her Own. This Unexpected Encounter, Along With The Presence Of Other Complicated Characters From Her Past And Present, Forces Rose To Confront Her Insecurities And Reflect On Her Journey As A Woman. The Film Humorously Critiques Hollywood's Beauty Standards While Celebrating The Complexities Of Womanhood And Explores The Themes Of Motherhood, And Self-Discovery In Los Angeles.

The Black Sea

4:30 Pm -  6:11 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Inspired By Derrick B. Harden’s Travels To Bulgaria, The Black Sea Is The Transformative Journey Of A Man Who Finds Unexpected Connections In A Small Coastal Eastern European Town Even As He Finds Himself To Be The Only Black Person Around.

Seen

4:30 Pm - 5:58 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

A Socially Awkward Outcast Becomes Obsessed With A Girl He Meets Online. As Their Connection Deepens, He Falls Into A Dangerous Spiral Of Unintended Consequences.

Lost On A Mountain In Maine

4:45 Pm - 6:45 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Based On The Book By The Same Name, The Film Tells The Inspiring Story Of A 12-Year-Old Boy, Who, Separated From His Family By A Fast Moving Storm, Must Fight To Stay Alive During His Nine-Day Adventure Lost In The Backwoods Of Maine.

Bob Trevino Likes It

5:15 Pm - 7:02 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Lily Trevino Longs For A Familial Connection, Having Been Abandoned By Her Mother As A Child And Then Suddenly By Her Father In Her Twenties. Bob Trevino Works Long Hours To Support His Wife Jeanie’s Scrapbooking Habit. Having Survived Hardships As A Couple, Bob Ignores His Own Feelings And Need For Friendship, Meaning, And Connection. That Is, Until He Gets An Unexpected Facebook Message From A Stranger. Inspired By The True Friendship That Writer/Director Tracie Laymon Found With A Stranger When Looking For Her Father Online.

The "Reel" Influencer Revolution

5:30 Pm 6:15 Pm

Fest Lounge
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Discover The Powerful Impact Of Influencers In The Entertainment Industry. This Panel Brings Together Leading Influencers To Discuss:

Impact On Trends: How Influencers Are Driving Cultural And Industry Trends.
Content Creation: The Role Of Influencers In Shaping And Producing Content.
Industry Collaboration: How Traditional Media And Influencers Are Collaborating And Evolving Together.

Last Chance To Save A Life

5:30 Pm - 6:30 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

In A World Threatened By Deadly Antibiotic-Resistant Infections, New Hope Emerges From The Unlikeliest Of Sources: Viruses. Patients Are Being Injected With Trillions Of Viruses To Survive. We Follow The Doctors, Scientists And Patients In Nail-Biting Real Time To Discover The Extraordinary Power And Challenges Of ‘Phage Therapy’; A Strange And Elusive 100-Year Old Treatment That Promises To Not Only Save Patients’ Lives But Give Hope To The World.

Short & Sweet

5:45 Pm - 7:07 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Either By Choice Or By Accident, Sometimes The Least Likely Person Saves The Day.

In The Fold: In A Family-Owned Restaurant, A Cutting-Edge Algorithm Creates Extremely Accurate Personalized Fortune Cookies, Blurring The Lines Between Fate, Fortune, And The Unpredictability Of Life.

The Runt: In A Coming-Of-Age Story Set In 1979, A Tween Girl Must Couple Skate With A Boy To Keep From Being Chosen As The 7th Grade "Runt" -A Fate Which Would Ruin Her Life Forever.

My Week With Maisy: When Uptight Retiree Mrs Foster Begins Chemotherapy She's Thrown Together In The Treatment Room With Maisy, A Whirlwind Inquisitive Child Aspiring To Be A Lesbian. As Treatment Progresses The Pair's Fortuitous Bond Offers Healing And Newfound Hope In Unexpected Places.

Alejandro!: A Sentient Piñata Embarks On A Journey To Discover It's Purpose.

Gloria: Gloria, An Indigenous Woman From The Q'ero Community In Perú, Unravels Her Roots, Goals, And Past, To Move Towards Her Future.

Buddy Love: Henry, A Nerdy Widower, Has His Hands Full When A Cheeky Robot Named Buddy Arrives Ready To Force Him Back Into The Dating Scene, And To Learn What Love And Connection Is Really All About.

Way Home

7:00 Pm - 8:41 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

How Far Are You Willing To Go To Save The People You Love? This Is The Question Christian (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) Is Forced To Answer When He Is Smuggled Into Syria In A Desperate Search For His Son Adam. It's A Deadly And Soul-Searching Journey Into A Brutal, War-Torn Country. Gradually, Christian Realises That He Must Be Willing To Sacrifice Everything He Believes In To Be Reunited With His Son. Way Home Is A Powerful And Gripping Drama About Powerlessness, Forgiveness And The Love For Our Children.

Mr Blake At Your Service !

7:15 Pm - 9:10 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Based On Gilles Legardinier’s Bestseller ‘Completement Crame !’ When Mr. Blake Turns Up At The Domaine De Beauvillier Estate, Everyone – The Manor Itself, Along With Its Owner And Staff – Are All Just As Badly Off As He Is! But Unlike Mr. Blake, Who Has Come To This Familiar Abode Merely To Collect His Thoughts, The Other Protagonists Are In The Throes Of Tackling Their Respective Personal Problems. The Arrival Of This Very British Guest Acts As A Trigger, Spurring Them Back To Life, "Taming" Them And Prompting Them To Start Working Together To Restore The Manor’s Former Beauty And Revive Their Individual Quests. The Result Will Be A New Lease Of Life For The Beauvillier Estate And Each And Every One Of Them Living On It.

Nightbitch

7:30 Pm - 8:43 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

A Woman (Amy Adams) Pauses Her Career To Be A Stay-At-Home Mom, But Soon Her New Domesticity Takes A Surreal Turn.

On Pins And Needles

7:45 Pm - 9:08 Pm

Amc 14 Utc
4425 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, Ca 92122

Experience Stories Fraught With Fear And Tension, Bubble, Boil And Burst. You Won’t Be Able To Take Your Eyes Off The Screen...Unless You’re Shielding Them In Fear.

Caller 102: A Ballad Of Cyberspace: When A Blackhat Hacker Gets Hit With A Coincidentally-Timed Power Surge While Attempting To Defraud A Radio Contest, He Begins To Unravel A Web Of Conspiracy That Threatens To Bring Down His Life’s Work And Send Him Spiraling Into Oblivion.

Grieving: An Aspiring Actress Is Pushed To Her Limits When She Lands An Unconventional Role Helping Grieving Clients Mourn Their Departed.

Missing: A New Mother Struggling With Postpartum Anxiety Becomes Convinced Her New Neighbours Are Harboring A Dark Secret That She Must Investigate.


The Door: A Year After Their Daughter's Disappearance, Kara And Felix Struggle To Move On In Their Own Ways As Their Marriage Falls Apart Around Them. But When A Mysterious Door Appears In Her Kitchen, Kara Becomes Obsessed With Uncovering What Lies Behind It At Any Cost. Even As It Threatens To Reopen Old Wounds.

Mean Ends: A Buried Body, A Missing Sister And An Inquisitive Neighbour Makes For A Hell Of An Evening. And The Sun Isn’t Close To Setting On Eric’s Sh*Tty Day.
Short Track

Experience Stories Fraught With Fear And Tension, Bubble, Boil And Burst. You Won’t Be Able To Take Your Eyes Off The Screen...Unless You’re Shielding Them In Fear.

Caller 102: A Ballad Of Cyberspace: When A Blackhat Hacker Gets Hit With A Coincidentally-Timed Power Surge While Attempting To Defraud A Radio Contest, He Begins To Unravel A Web Of Conspiracy That Threatens To Bring Down His Life’s Work And Send Him Spiraling Into Oblivion.

Grieving: An Aspiring Actress Is Pushed To Her Limits When She Lands An Unconventional Role Helping Grieving Clients Mourn Their Departed.

Missing: A New Mother Struggling With Postpartum Anxiety Becomes Convinced Her New Neighbours Are Harboring A Dark Secret That She Must Investigate.


The Door: A Year After Their Daughter's Disappearance, Kara And Felix Struggle To Move On In Their Own Ways As Their Marriage Falls Apart Around Them. But When A Mysterious Door Appears In Her Kitchen, Kara Becomes Obsessed With Uncovering What Lies Behind It At Any Cost. Even As It Threatens To Reopen Old Wounds.

Mean Ends: A Buried Body, A Missing Sister And An Inquisitive Neighbour Makes For A Hell Of An Evening. And The Sun Isn’t Close To Setting On Eric’s Day.

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