Oct. 1, 2021
PROXY Fall Film Festival is BACK!
We are incredibly excited to announce the 2021 PROXY Fall Film Festival, our first full festival of outdoor cinema since Fall 2019. Come out and enjoy a movie (or five!) under the stars in the Hayes Valley every Friday night in October.
Presented by HERE FOR NOW, the FREE, Friday evening film screenings at the PROXY Walk-In Theater begin at sundown (7:15) with ‘doors’ opening at 6:00pm.
Come early to claim a good spot and enjoy a frosty Fort Point Beer (all beer proceeds support the arts at PROXY!) with delicious fare from the Viva Vegan and Al Carajo food trucks!
Check out our tips for enjoying movies at PROXY, and the incredible lineup of films below!
2018 PROXY Fall Film Festival
Every Friday | October 1 to October 29, 2021
Proxy, 432 Octavia St, San Francisco
FREE
Friday, October 1st
SUMMER OF SOUL
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, 2021 [PG-13]
“[SUMMER OF SOUL’S] sense of politics isn’t so despondent. Thompson winds things down with Sly and the Family Stone doing “Higher.” That band was male and female, Black and white — weird, rubbery, ecstatic, yet tight, hailing from no appreciable tradition, inventing one instead. It’s been more than half a century, and I still don’t know where these cats came from. They simply seem sent from an American future that no one has to mourn.” – Wesley Morris, The New York Times
SUMMER OF SOUL, the directorial debut of legendary musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, captures the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival through archival footage and direct interviews. Including snippets of performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and Gladys Knight and the Pips among others, the film is an exploration and celebration of Black culture, history, music and fashion.
RSVP ON EVENTBRITE
Friday, October 8th
GUNDA
Directed by Viktor Kossakovsky, 2021 [G]
“Gunda may be a meditational slow-burn, but as it unfurls its immersive audiovisual tapestry it hovers between non-fiction observation and lyrical insight, and to that end feels like an advancement of the nature documentary form. At the same time, there is an air of activist intent lurking just outside the parameters of each scene, as it builds an argument against animal cruelty that transcends the boundaries of shrill polemics. If it doesn’t convince meat-eaters to hold the bacon with their eggs — or order eggs in the first place — it might at least compel them to taste some of the pain.” – Eric Kohn, Indiewire
GUNDA is a moving documentary that explores the quiet power of nature through direct encounters with a sow and her piglets, a family of cows, and a one-legged chicken. The film recalibrates our understanding of the internal lives of animals through innovative filmmaking techniques.
RSVP ON EVENTBRITE
Friday, October 15th
TRY HARDER!
Directed by Debbie Lum, 2021 [not-rated]
“But underneath the goofiness and gallows humor, there is a darker point being made about the impossible cycle of heightened expectations, cultural stereotyping and ever-shrinking admissions quotas for top-flight colleges. The racial profile of the high-performance Lowell is not a coincidence, but nor is it an uncomplicated advantage for any attendee, Asian or otherwise.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
TRY HARDER! is a Sundance selected documentary from local San Francisco director Debbie Lum. It follows a cohort of students at Lowell High School as they work, study, and apply for their dream colleges – and try to grapple with the harsh expectations of elite education.
RSVP ON EVENTBRITE
Friday, October 22nd
PIG
Directed by Michael Sarnoski, 2021 [R]
“Despite a few scenes here and there of Rob snarling, “I want my pig back!” this movie is not the kind of offbeat goof Cage has become infamous for lately. “Pig” is a rich character study, marked by several riveting Cage monologues, as Rob ruminates on the tricky taste of persimmons, or as he warns the Portland status-seekers that the things they think matter will be wiped away when catastrophe comes.” – Noel Murray, LA Times
PIG stars Nicolas Cage as Robin Feld, a former Portland chef who has retired to the woods to hunt for truffles alongside his trained pig, Apple. When Apple is stolen, Robin returns to the city and restaurant community he left behind. Poised to be a smash-and-grab thriller, PIG sheds expectations and plays out as a meditation on the nature of loss and its role in the human experience. Alex Wolff lends his talents in a supporting role, playing a truffle broker whose family history is tied to Robin’s former restaurant.
RSVP ON EVENTBRITE
Friday, October 29th
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by Shaka King, 2020 [R]
“Hampton was just 21 when he was killed in a police raid on Dec. 4, 1969. That’s not a spoiler, just history, and I’d argue that knowing his fate in advance is crucial to an appreciation of “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Though it plays at times like a crime thriller — with stakeouts and shootouts, chases and interrogations — the movie is better understood as a political tragedy. The script, by King and Will Berson, is layered with ethical snares and ideological paradoxes, and while King’s fast-paced direction doesn’t spare the suspense, it also makes room for sorrow, anger and even a measure of exhilaration.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH is the true story of the infiltration of the Chicago branch of the Black Panther Party by informant Bill O’Neal and the assassination of Fred Hampton at the hands of the FBI. Produced by Oakland native Ryan Coogler and directed by Shaka King, the film masterfully explores the history throughout the narrative format, exposing this very recent installment of the federal government’s surveillance and intentional destruction of Black communities.
RSVP ON EVENTBRITE
Let’s watch movies outside together.