Larger Footprint for the Albany FilmFest

Larger Footprint for the Albany FilmFest

Gilman Street is featured in Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk.


Albany FilmFest is definitely feeling its oats. Last year’s far-reaching, one-day showcase of local short films was so successful that the festival has expanded to five events across six days, plus the annual children’s matinee orchestrated by the Albany Community Center (March 17). The emphasis on local filmmakers and East Bay stories remains unchanged, so have no fear that growth is affecting the fest’s focus. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine Albany FilmFest would ever forget its roots.

In fact, the additional dates are devoted to longer, in-depth studies of local figures that wouldn’t fit in a one-day program.

Going with a certified crowd-pleaser that defrosts hearts and opens minds, the festival begins with My Love Affair with the Brain (March 20). Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg’s irresistible 2016 portrait of the late, great UC Berkeley professor and unlikely Internet video star Marian Diamond speaks to all ages and comprises a brilliant antidote to short-sighted science deniers. Tal Skloot’s 4 Wheel Bob (March 21) follows the inspiring Bob Coomber in his quest to be the first wheelchair hiker to traverse the Kearsage Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Now you’re ready to rock out with Corbett Redford’s epic historical documentary, Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (March 22).

The fest leans in to the future with a guided immersion into the virtual reality innovations of Google Spotlight Stories, led by producer David Eisenmann at the Albany Community Center (March 23), After a day off to marshal your energy, Albany FilmFest goes out with a big bang via its trademark all-day short-film blowout (March 25). Composed of six exhilarating programs, it truly offers something for everyone.

Albany FilmFest, March 17-25, Albany Twin Theatre, 1115 Solano Ave., Albany, 510-525-4531, AlbanyFilmFest.org

Faces of the East Bay