San Francisco fest celebrates 50 years of avant-garde

April 26, 2007 Today, as its 50th anniversary edition begins (the event runs through May 10), it's clear that America's oldest film festival, which features 25 juried awards and is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, has established a venerable presence on the North American circuit -- even though it might not necessarily have eclipsed, say, the Sundance Film Festival just yet. Whether the manner of their acceptance into the festival is serendipitous or not, films admitted into the SFIFF fall into four categories: new directors, world cinema, documentaries and shorts programs. Additionally, three spotlight sections, Cinema by the Bay, KinoTek and the Late Show, focus on local productions, digital media and international horror films, respectively.

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