SFFilm is finally able to throw an in-person, indoor film festival again, andQuestloveis ready to celebrate.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the drummer for the Roots, is scheduled to appear at the Castro Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 6, to present his documentary “Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).” He’s one of 15 filmmakers traveling from around the world to present their work at Doc Stories, SFFilm’s first in-person film festival event, not counting drive-ins, in two years.

“I’ve been meeting people in person, and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s the physical you.’ It feels really good; it’s very exciting,” said SFFilm Executive DirectorAnne Lai,who came to SFFilm in March 2020, just in time to watch helplessly as the pandemic forced thecancellation of the organization’s flagship event,the San Francisco International Film Festival, and relegated the April event in 2021 to anonline and drive-in festival.

“Being back in a theater, being back at the Castro, being back at the Vogue, being back inneighborhoodsand being able to bring filmmakers together again feels wonderful,” Lai said.

Doc Stories, which features 17 films and several live events at the Castro and Vogue theaters, opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, with Bay Area filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s documentary “Attica,” which chronicles the 1971 prison uprising that was a flashpoint in Vietnam War-era social justice movements, ahead of its debut on Showtime two days later. Then the festival closes at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Castro with “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” in which directors Dave Wooley and David Heilbroner profile the legendary singer.

Strict COVID protocols will be in effect, including proof of vaccination, reduced capacity and a mask mandate in theaters, regardless of the city’s policy. All of the programs will also be offered online.

But this is more than just another documentary festival. Now in its seventh year, Doc Stories has become an increasingly crucial stop for documentarians hoping to catch Oscar voters’ attention. A sizable chunk of industry professionals who cast votes for the Academy Awards nominations live in the Bay Area.

“The titles we have are the films that are being talked about today and will continue to be talked about in the coming months,” said SFFilm Director of ProgrammingJessie Fairbanks. “This is a really critical moment for these documentaries to gain awareness; they’re some of the best documentaries of the year.”

Thus Questlove is happy to stop by San Francisco to promote his film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that had as many big musical acts as that year’s more celebrated Woodstock — even if his film already premiered atSundancein January,had a stop in Bay Area theatersover the summer and can now be streamed on Hulu.

“For me, bringing ‘Summer of Soul’ to the Castro Theatre with SFFilm for an incredible screening is a perfect way to celebrate this film and this year,” said Questlove, who is slated to be interviewed onstage by Bay Area rock journalistBen Fong-Torres, in a statement.

其他亮点包括“带我回家,”39-minute short film about the homelessness crisis partially filmed in San Francisco, a candidate for best Oscar short documentary, that will premiere at Doc Stories at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the Castro before its Nov. 18 release on Netflix. Directors Jon Shenk and Pedro Kos are expected to be in person, along with one of the subjects in the film, Annie Stickel, the senior director of community engagement of LavaMaeX, which was founded in San Francisco and brings mobile showers and other care to unhoused people. The film will also be the subject of an online discussion moderated by The Chronicle’s Kevin Fagan at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7.

Additionally, Jessica Kingdon, named one of “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine, plans to present her documentary “Ascension,” about contemporary China’s identity and the paradoxes of economic progress, at the Castro at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, ahead of a Nov. 12 wide theatrical release.

Documentaries on global warming (“Burning”), refugees (“Simple as Water”), frontline workers during the pandemic (“The First Wave”) and the late food enthusiast Julia Child (“Julia”) are also on the bill.

But no filmmaker will travel farther than Denmark’s Jonas Poher Rasmussen, who with the easing of international travel restrictions is able to travel with his family to the Bay Area to present his most unusual film, “Flee,” at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Castro. The animated film tells the story of a refugee from Afghanistan now living in Denmark, who is coming to terms with being gay in a society that has no word for homosexual.

Like “Summer of Soul,” “Flee” is a prizewinner at Sundance that is considered an Oscar front-runner.

Doc Stories

What:SFFilm’s seventh annual documentary film festival.

When:Thursday-Sunday, 11月4 - 7日。

Where:The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., S.F.; and the Vogue Theater, 3290 Sacramento St., S.F.; and online.

门票:Series pass, $250; six-pack (six-event pass) cost $80 general public, $65 members; individual programs are $16; $15 students/seniors.

More information:sffilm。org