The San Fran International Film Festival Has Some Flick Tricks Up Its Sleeve

Movie buffs know about must-go movie events like Sundance and Cannes, but they may not realize that the San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. If you want to add the San Fran event to your viewing calendar, this year's festival runs from April 21 to May 5 and will screen 188 films from 48 different countries.

Opening night will feature the flick Beginners, in which a man played by Ewan McGregor gets some lessons in the love department from his dad (Christopher Plummer), who is struggling with cancer but doesn't let his cancer prevent him from coming out of the closet and trying to look for love. McGregor is expected to attend the fest.

Another standout is the 54th annual festival's "Centerpiece" film, one that showcases an esteemed young director and his or her latest film. This year's selection is Azazel Jacobs' Terri, which is shown on April 30. It tells the hilarious and touching coming-of-age story of heavy, awkward junior high student Terri who's befriended by his vice principal, also a fellow misfit played by John C. Reilly.

The festival will feature documentaries, like American Teacher, which chronicles the lives of four teachers all over the country and shows why many good educators end up leaving the profession, and tons of foreign flicks, like closing-night comedy On Tour about a disgraced French TV producer who tries to make a comeback with a troupe of buxom American burlesque performers touring the French countryside. There also will be a number of appearances by the films' directors, actors and producers.

Films will screen throughout the city. Tickets cost $13 apiece, or you can buy a 10-pack of vouchers for $120.

[Photo: Courtesy of the San Francisco Film Society]

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