2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival
November 7-9
Brava Theater
DON’T PUT ME IN A BOX
Program name: “Don’t Put Me in a Box”
Date, time: Friday, November 7 @ 5:30PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page: https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/feature-length/documentary/dont-put-me-in-a-box/
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1006126279?share=copy
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Step inside the creative mind of choreographer, visionary, and cultural shapeshifter Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Don’t Put Me in a Box”. This intimate documentary follows Cherkaoui across two years and three continents as he blurs borders between traditions, aesthetics, and identities. From Sufi poetry to cyberpunk spectacle, the film reveals how Cherkaoui’s Flemish-Moroccan heritage and artistic curiosity converge in groundbreaking work that defies genre. Offering glimpses of rehearsal processes, sketchbooks, and social media posts, the film is as layered and genre-bending as the artist himself.
Friday, November 7, 5:30PM at Brava Theater
WICKET
Program name: “Wicket”
Date, time: Friday, November 7 @ 8:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page: https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/feature-length/documentary/wicket/
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
After winning Frameline’s 2025 audience favorite award, “Wicket” returns to the Bay for an encore screening!
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival to experience this powerful documentary starring global breakdancing icon, Wicket (Gabriel Jaochico). A story of love, legacy, and self-acceptance, the film chronicles Wicket’s rise to fame and his long journey toward coming out. With legendary battle footage, candid interviews, and raw emotional honesty, it shines a light on the power of community and the freedom of living as your whole self.
Friday, November 7, 8PM at Brava Theater
Includes a Q&A and performance by Bboy Wicket himself
SCREENDANCE II
Program name: “Screendance II”
Date, time: Saturday, November 8 @ 1:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page: https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/shorts-program/screendance/screendance-ii-2/
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Screendance II” — a short, sharp, and soulful collection of bite-sized screendance films that pack an emotional punch in every frame. Each piece offers a vivid encounter between dance and the moving image, whether it’s a flamenco dancer roaming the streets of Sevilla, a child escaping into an inner dream world, or a poetic duet between the city and the self. Imaginative, heartfelt, and sometimes surreal, this program is perfect for viewers who crave variety, discovery, and cinematic surprises in every second.
Saturday, November 8, 1PM at Brava Theater
THE DANCER
Program name: “The Dancer”
Date, time: Saturday, November 8 @ 3:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/feature-length/documentary/the-dancer/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/k1NZ8lAt3oQ?si=12os9PozPlUbNzpw
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
From a refugee camp in Damascus to the world’s most prestigious ballet stages.
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for the North American premiere of “The Dancer”. This unique documentary traces the extraordinary journey of Syrian refugee Ahmad Joudeh, a courageous artist who risked everything to move freely in body and spirit. Condemned for being gay and threatened by extremists for dancing, Ahmad’s story is one of defiance and resilience. Now an internationally recognized artist and the first certified ballet master from an Arabic background, Ahmad returns to Syria with a dream: to uplift a new generation of dancers.
Saturday, November 8, 3PM at Brava Theater.
Includes a Q&A with Ahmad Joudeh and director Lacey Uhlemeyer
DOC SHORTS
Program name: “Doc Shorts”
Date, time: Saturday, November 8 @ 6:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/shorts-program/documentary/doc-shorts-2/
Trailer: available for individual films
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Doc Shorts”, five powerful short documentaries that reveal how dance intersects with identity and cultural expression across the globe. From krump circles in the UK to hula in Hawaiʻi and stepping in South Africa, each film offers a personal glimpse into communities where movement becomes a lifeline. These real-life portraits are tender, raw, and resonant—spotlighting stories of transformation and resilience. Perfect for those who value the truth behind the art, this program is a testament to dance as a mirror of the human experience.
Saturday, November 8, 6PM at Brava Theater
Includes a live dance demonstration by the Montreal Steppers
SPOTLIGHT SHORTS
Program name: “Spotlight Shorts”
Date, time: Saturday, November 8 @ 8:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/shorts-program/spotlight-shorts/
Trailer: coming soon
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Spotlight Shorts”, a vibrant showcase of dance films at the cutting edge of creativity and cinematic risk. This program features an eclectic blend of humor, ritual, suspense, and social commentary while spanning animated experiments, satirical horror, futuristic robotics, and global folklore. With choreographers at the forefront of today’s movement innovation, these films surprise and delight in equal measure. If you’re looking for a showcase of fresh ideas and cinematic daring, this is the screening to catch.
Saturday, November 8, 6PM at Brava Theater.
Includes a post-screening dance party in the lobby!
GUSTAVIA
Program name: “Gustavia”
Date, time: Sunday, November 9 @ 11:00AM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/feature-length/live-performance-capture/gustavia/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/FT1eb4A3Fvo?si=jKO4PdrJmjBNC3NK
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Royal Swedish Opera’s lush stage portrait of Gustav Badin - a dancer, outsider, and icon in the making.
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Gustavia”. Based on a remarkable true story, this live performance capture from the Royal Swedish Opera tells the tale of Gustav Badin, an enslaved child brought to the Swedish royal court who grew into a renowned dancer and diplomat. With commanding performances by Paris Opera Ballet Etoile Guillaume Diop and choreography by Pär Isberg, this sweeping production blends ballet, theater, and history to examine identity, power, and cultural erasure.
Sunday, November 9, 11AM at Brava Theater.
LEAP!
Program name: “Leap!”
Date, time: Sunday, November 9 @ 2:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/feature-length/animation/leap/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/RQBkvddF32I?si=XSLHrO1ELRDaCPXk
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Bring the whole family for a free screening of the animated feature film “Leap!”, a heartwarming adventure about courage, friendship, and following your dreams.
Set in 19th-century Paris, the story follows Félicie, a spirited orphan determined to become a ballerina, and her best friend Victor, an aspiring inventor. Together they escape their orphanage and chase their passions in the City of Lights, where Félicie must summon all her determination to pursue the role of a lifetime at the Paris Opera Ballet. Perfect for aspiring young artists, this event will include an introduction by San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer Jennifer Stahl.
Sunday, November 9, 2PM at Brava Theater
Refreshments provided by YES Bar, Hint Water, The French Cookie Guys, and Brioche Pasquier/Galaxy Desserts
RAISING VOICES
Program name: “Raising Voices”
Date, time: Sunday, November 9 @ 5:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/shorts-program/raising-voices-5/
Trailer: coming soon
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Celebrate underrepresented voices who use dance to speak truth and reclaim space.
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival for “Raising Voices,” where engaging and deeply emotive storytelling centers the fem perspective. These nine films blend movement with poetry, testimony, and activism to spotlight a spectrum of lived experiences from trans joy and queer identity to carceral systems and cultural reclamation. Curated by laura elaine ellis and followed by a filmmaker panel, this screening is more than a program - it’s a gathering place for reflection on universal themes of resilience, courage, and self-discovery. Experience stories that move the body and speak from the heart.
Sunday, November 9, 5PM at Brava Theater
BAY AREA SHORTS
Program name: “Bay Area Shorts”
Date, time: Sunday, November 9 @ 8:00PM
Location: Brava Theater
SFDFF Event Page:
https://sfdancefilmfest.org/fall-festival-2025/shorts-program/bay-area-shorts-3/
Trailer: coming soon
Suggested newsletter/social media copy:
Join us at the 2025 San Francisco Dance Film Festival’s grand finale — “Bay Area Shorts” — an annual tradition honoring the artistry and imagination of Northern California’s vibrant dance film community. This dynamic program features local filmmakers and performers exploring a range of topics, including environmental justice, girlhood, labor rights, and queer heritage, all rooted in the landscapes and identities of the region. With a live performance, closing reception, and community in full bloom, this closing night event is your chance to toast the creative spirit of the Bay.
Sunday, November 9, 8PM at Brava Theater
Includes a live performance by Full Out Studios and post-screening reception
Website: https://sfdancefilmfest.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfdancefilmfest/