Mission Mission

What a beautiful sunny day in the Mission!  Everyone’s out and about walking around, and the sidewalks are alive with all sorts of interesting excitement.  Do yourself a favor and walk down Valencia or 24th and you won’t regret it!

Also, fans of cinema should be sure to stop by Lost Weekend video to check out their sidewalk sale.  They’ll probably do it again tomorrow too!  There’s definitely some gems in there–I came away with Murder by Death starring the legendary Peter Falk (and I guess Truman Capote)!!!

(RIP Columbo)

Previously:

Let’s Not Lose Lost Weekend Video

Smoke was billowing out of it, it was all lit up, the license plate read “OUTTA TIME” 40 people were standing around taking pictures with it. I said to some other gawkers, “Well, what, are they gonna light in on fire and then put it out?” And the other gawkers were uniformly outraged: “No! That’s a priceless piece of cinematic history!” “That’s THE ACTUAL DELOREAN FROM BACK TO THE FUTURE!” “Dude, that’s the car from THAT MOVIE! Why would they light it on fire??” I dunno, dude! It’s a fire department training facility is all!

Anyway, I don’t know what happened.

The Mission may have Teen Witch, and she’s pretty great, but I don’t know that she’s ever uttered a phrase quite as killer as, “I don’t have no money to waste on a skateboard, so I take one from whoever I want, whenever I want.” (Correct me if I’m wrong.)

In any case, prepare to be dazzled by Skate Witches, filmed in Ann Arbor about 25 years ago:

[via Damn Arbor]

Our buddy Plumpy gives us a little background:

[Last] week, I got a flier on my door announcing the filming of an “indepedent feature film”. The important part says: “In a scene to be filmed in front of the Haight Ashbury clinic, one actor threatens another actor with a prop weapon while a group of onlookers (extras) look on. Do not be alarmed. The SFPD will be on site to facilitate our filming and ensure public safety.” I live on Mission St.; do they really think I would be alarmed by something as minor as a knife fight?

Ha! Not bloody likely! Here’s the notice in question:

Here is a genius concept that, like Ghetto Scrabble or cute stray kittens, should be adopted into your own homes: YouTube film festivals! My friend Jerry J just curated and hosted one in his cool Mission warehouse residence. It included gems like these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1CFYNUKhhs

You haven’t been to Oddball Films yet? It’s this weird film archive in a warehouse space above Capp Street that hosts curated film screenings on a regular basis.

This Thursday evening, they’re showing a bunch of films about beer. Some are old, some are new. Some will be of interest to beer aficionados, some will be of interest to people who want to see a cat drink beer and use drugs.

A cat drink beer and use drugs. A cat drink beer and use drugs.

Plus, there will be a selection of microbrews on the scene, for drinking.

Click here for a PDF rundown of the whole program. [via Mission Local]

Congrats, ATA! Here’s the deal:

Artists’ Television Access celebrates the first five years of the ATA Annual Film & Video Festival with a retrospective screening at The Roxie, Playback: 2006-2010, April 19th, 2011.

[...]

Festival directors Isabel Fondevila and Shae Green proudly present a selection of local & international works, celebrating unconventional films and a singular film festival that entertains and provokes audiences worldwide. Don’t miss your chance to experience what BadLit describes as “a real powerhouse of experimental media exhibition.”

Read on for a full program and ticketing details.

Can’t wait!

[via David Enos]

Local filmmaker Garry Bowden‘s new short film “Saturn Rising” premieres tonight at The Roxie. Along with the short there will be poetry readings, an art show and a live performance by Wild Child, whose music is in the movie.

Show starts at 7:30pm, $10 tickets.

Check out the trailer:

FUTURESTATES is an ITVS (Independent Television Service) project which asks filmmakers from around the country to make a short film projecting a possible future for their city. For the first season I produced Tanuj Chopra’s PIA, which looked at the personal issues of San Francisco’s android population. The second season is now rolling out and I was lucky enough to be a producer on Remigration, a vision of the future for San Francisco’s working class, by local filmmaker Barry Jenkins’ (Medicine for Melancholy).

Tonight at Public Works (161 Erie Street, near Mission) ITVS holds their launch party for the new series. Two of the shorts will be screened, and series manager Karim Ahmad will lead a Q&A with writer/director Jenkins. The event is free, but you have to RSVP here.

Check out the Remigration trailer below, and you can also see the full (20 minute) movie here!