This interview was published in conjunction with the screenings of Asphalt and The Devil’s Circus at SFSFF 2025 Most nights you can go out in the Bay Area and hear bassist Sascha Jacobsen play. He’s part of no fewer than four regularly performing groups and his expansive musical realm includes … [Read more...] about The Boundless Musical Horizons of Sascha Jacobsen
Silent Films Enter the Digital Stream: An Interview with Thomas Christensen
This interview was published in conjunction with the screening of Master of the House at SFSFF 2025 Few things are more frustrating to a silent film fan than hearing about the rediscovery and restoration of a lost film and, barring travel or the hope for a future DVD release, having no way of … [Read more...] about Silent Films Enter the Digital Stream: An Interview with Thomas Christensen
Partners in Preservation: Robert Harris and James Mockoski Team Up
Collectively, they’ve seen worse. Like the time audio was missing from a pivotal moment in David Lean’s magnum opus, Lawrence of Arabia, the actor who delivered the lines long dead. Or the painstaking patchwork that was necessary to make The Godfather into a cohesive whole when much of its negative … [Read more...] about Partners in Preservation: Robert Harris and James Mockoski Team Up
Meet Ben Palmer
A trumpeter and composer by training, London-based Ben Palmer is recognized as one of the world’s foremost conductors for “live-to-picture” performances, with a repertoire that spans the entire history of cinema. Personally authorized by John Williams, Steven Spielberg’s longtime composer, to … [Read more...] about Meet Ben Palmer
From Godzilla to Gish: Hisashi Okajima Embraces His Film Destiny
When film enthusiasts discuss their first encounter with Japanese cinema, they often name the big (really big) stars—Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, and other menacing creatures that were staples in movie theaters in the 1950s and ’60s. It is certainly true for this year’s recipient of the SFSFF Award for … [Read more...] about From Godzilla to Gish: Hisashi Okajima Embraces His Film Destiny
Piano Man: Utsav Lal Lends His Virtuosity to Live Cinema
This interview was published in conjunction with the screenings of The Opportunist and I Was Born, But... at SFSFF 2024 Utsav Lal has crossed many borders, some of which you can hear in his voice. Speaking the Indian-accented English of his native Delhi, flecked with Americanisms from his adopted … [Read more...] about Piano Man: Utsav Lal Lends His Virtuosity to Live Cinema
Crossover Artist: Maud Nelissen Plays It All
Published in conjunction with the screening of The Merry Widow at SFSFF 2023 When Dutch composer and pianist Maud Nelissen was commissioned to write accompaniment for Erich von Stroheim’s The Merry Widow, the first thing she did was look for the original score. But the music by William Axt and … [Read more...] about Crossover Artist: Maud Nelissen Plays It All
Stefan Drössler Works His Magic
Stefan Drössler received the 2023 SFSFF Award for commitment to the preservation and presentation of silent cinema at the screening of A Daughter of Destiny at SFSFF 2023 World cinema owes an incalculable debt to Germany. Some of the greatest and most iconic treasures ever committed to film come … [Read more...] about Stefan Drössler Works His Magic