Four local film festivals for Sacramento cinephiles

Sac Films 2
A quartet of independent film festivals will bring a global feast for the eyes to town.

Take a cinematic trip around the world with these four local film festivals that are set to screen a slew of foreign and domestic flicks, including an anime ghost story and a 3D sci-fi thriller from Argentina.

Sacramento International Film Festival

April 28-May 5 Movies from across the globe will take center stage at the 24th annual Sacramento International Film Festival. This year's lineup will include the Canadian documentary Finding Big Country, which tracks a Vancouver Grizzlies superfan’s search for ’90s-era NBA star Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, and Anacronte, an Argentinian 3D animated fantasy short that chronicles humanity’s fallout from an attack by the “Sorcerers of Evil.” $12-$15 per screening; $150 for festival pass. Times and locations vary by screening. californiafilm.net

Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival

May 18 The Asian-American experience will be showcased during this one-day movie showcase. Held at Oak Park’s Guild Theater, the festival will exhibit flicks from Asian creators, including two coming-of-age films—1985, where four Hmong-American teenagers search for a dragon that lives beneath a Minnesota lake, and The Debut, in which a young Filipino American grapples with his ethnic identity—along with the documentary Defender about the work of Sacramento-raised Jeff Adachi, the San Francisco public defender who passed away earlier this year. $15 for afternoon and evening passes ($20 after May 15); $30 for festival pass ($40 after May 15). noon-10 p.m. Guild Theater. 2828 35th St. sapff.org

Forty films will be screened at the Sacramento French Film Festival. (Photos courtesy of the Sacramento French Film Festival)

Sacramento French Film Festival

June 21-30 Spanning two weekends, this yearly cinematic extravaganza will screen 40 Francophile-friendly films, from mid-century French New Wave art-house movies to modern-day features, including 2018's The Freshman, about a pair of stressed-out first-year med school students, and In Safe Hands, which examines the French foster system through the story of a newborn baby who is given up for adoption. $12 per screening; $90 for festival pass. Times vary by screening. Crest Theatre. 1013 K St. 916-476-3356. sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

A young girl befriends a gang of ghosts in the 2018 anime "Okko's Inn." (Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Japanese Film Festival)

Sacramento Japanese Film Festival

July 19-21 Seven movies will be spotlighted during the 15th annual Sacramento Japanese Film Festival, including Japanese Academy Award-winning director Yoji Yamada’s 2016 dramedy What a Wonderful Family!; the 2018 anime Okko’s Inn about a young girl who discovers friendly ghosts living in her grandmother’s hotel; and the 2016 documentary Forgive—Don’t Forget, in which the director Brad Bennett chronicles his journey to Japan to return a samurai sword that was confiscated by America during World War II to its original owner’s family. $10 per screening; $40 for festival pass. Times vary by screening. Crest Theatre. 1013 K St. 916-421-1017. sacjapanesefilmfestival.net

You Might Also Like
The Sacramento Food Film Festival pairs flicks with flavors
Get your shine on at these three lantern festivals
The Big Picture