San Francisco Film Festival Weekend Screenings

San Francisco’s film festival starts Friday, April 24, with opening-night screenings at the Castro Theatre and a weekend slate spread across San Francisco and the East Bay. (sffilm.org) The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 24 through May 4, 2026, and SFFILM says this year’s program includes 79 programs from 40 countries. (sffilm.org) Friday’s opening night is a double feature at the Castro: Kent Jones’ *Late Fame* at 5:30 p.m. and Olivia Wilde’s *The Invite* at 8:30 p.m. Both films are listed on the official festival schedule. (sffilm.org) Saturday’s schedule starts at 11 a.m. with a family shorts block at the Marina Theatre, then moves through titles including *Renoir* at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive at 11:30 a.m. and *Time and Water* at the Premier Theater at One Letterman at 12:30 p.m. (sffilm.org) The festival is using venues in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley this year, with SFFILM highlighting a return to the Castro Theatre and Grand Lake alongside screenings in the Marina and Presidio neighborhoods and at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. (sffilm.org) (kqed.org) SFFILM calls the festival the longest-running film festival in the Americas and dates its history to 1957. The organization is also using this year’s edition to set up its 70th anniversary next year. (sffilm.org) (kqed.org) This year’s lineup mixes premieres and repertory titles. The official schedule lists new films such as *The Invite* and *Time and Water* alongside “From the Vault” screenings including Henri-Georges Clouzot’s *The Wages of Fear*, which SFFILM says last played the festival in 1978. (sffilm.org) KQED reported that several marquee screenings were already sold out earlier this month, including both screenings of Boots Riley’s *I Love Boosters*, while noting that many other tickets remained available when public sales opened April 3. (kqed.org) (sffilm.org) SFFILM’s printed guide says the festival also includes talks, jury competitions, an industry conference, family programming and awards events, so the weekend is built around more than standard movie showings. (sffilm.org) For moviegoers planning this weekend, the practical detail is simple: screenings are staggered by film and venue, so the official schedule is the key to building a route between the Castro, Marina, Presidio and East Bay theaters. (sffilm.org)