The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in Silicon Valley this month is a powerhouse, with a 238-film slate. Some of the offerings tell Bay Area stories and sometimes feature Bay Area talent. (For example, Moraga’s Lauren Cucarola has been extra busy, serving as costume designer for the hard-hitting narrative feature “The Snare” as well as the short “Echoes in the Dark.”)
The party begins March 11 with “The Luckiest Man in America,” a retelling of a true game-show scandal. It stars Paul Walter Hauser and Walton Goggins. The fest wraps March 23 with a real winner, “The Friend,” starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. It’s a lovely story about two writers and their connection to a Great Dane.
In addition to the in-theater experience in San Jose, Cinequest offers Cinejoy, a virtual program with some films available to rent from March 24-31. For tickets and a full schedule, visit www.cinequest.org.
Here are five films with Bay Area ties:
- “The Dreamers and I”: Remember the hacker house from David Fincher’s influential “The Social Network”? Those who do may experience a bit of deja vu while watching Bay Area director Kenji Yamamoto’s documentary, which takes viewers into Silicon Valley’s Startup Embassy, founded by Carlos de la Lama-Noriega, who provides bunk beds and a place where entrepreneurs strive to realize their high-tech dreams. The movie, which also illustrates Yamamoto’s personal journey going from being an acclaimed film editor to directing for the first time premieres at 4:40 p.m. March 15 at the Hammer Theatre Center.
- “A Little Fellow: The Legacy of A.P. Giannini”: Fans of Bay Area history will relish Davide Fiore’s fascinating account of how a son of Italian immigrants stood by his principles and boldly moved the banking industry into new directions by creating the Bank of Italy, which became Bank of America. Interviews with historians and descendants and evocative pictures create a memorable portrait of Giannini and San Francisco; the film also serves as a reminder about discrimination Italians faced when they emigrated to the United States. “A Little Fellow” receives a U.S. premiere at 7:10 p.m. March 13 at the Hammer Theatre Center.
- “BAR:”: Alameda documentarian Don Hardy continues to come up with fascinating subjects and stories. He made the insightful 2020 documentary “Citizen Penn,” which detailed Sean Penn’s commitment to helping Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake, and co-directed (with the South Bay’s Dana Nachman) “Pick of the Litter,” the tear-inducing account of clients and canines attending the San Rafael-based Guide Dogs for the Blind school. Most recently, “BAR” chronicles five students studying and attending the tough Beverage Alcohol Resource certification program. Will they pass or must they retry another grueling round of tests? Find out who makes the cut at the movie’s world premiere at 7:10 p.m. March 14 at the California Theatre or at 1:30 p.m. March 23 at the same location.
- “American Agitators”: Documentary maker Raymond Telles explores the legacy of the late Fred Ross, a labor organizer who worked on landmark cases and collaborated with Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez. Telles takes a deep dive, describing Ross’ life and influence in the movie, which premieres at 6:45 p.m. March 16 at the California Theatre.
- “Constant Fleeting”: Santa Cruz’s Ondrea Barbe’s 10-year-in-the-making documentary revisits painful memories of her youth as she and her young son reconnect with her estranged mother, who’s dying of cancer. In her first feature, Barbe takes a poetic approach in telling a very human story, and her film, which premieres at 2 p.m. March 16 at the 3Below Theaters, emphasizes the importance and power of healing.
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