Motivated by its motto, “Understanding the World through Film,” the Tiburon International Film Festival (TIFF) annually showcases independent feature and short films from across the globe.
Founded in 2001, the festival has long been a source of cultural enrichment and awareness for Marin County each spring, as TIFF normally plays at the Tiburon Playhouse every April. This year’s 19th annual festival was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ongoing health crisis means that the festival has been unable to gather in person since then.
Undaunted, organizers are now happy to announce that the Tiburon International Film Festival is moving to a virtual platform for a week of socially distanced film screenings, happening December 11 to 17.
The lineup of top quality films that will be screening online ranges from drama to comedy to musicals to documentaries, and the film selections tell stories that highlight people of all backgrounds while offering universal themes of tolerance and community.
Opening the virtual TIFF on Dec. 11 is the Bangladesh adventure documentary Bamboo Stories, which follows bamboo farmers on a 300-kilometer journey down the Kushiyara River to transport 25,000 logs on a huge raft. Also screening on Dec. 11 is Spanish-Indian-American made drama Alex’s Strip, about a teenager reunited with her father on a globe-trotting business trip. Iranian drama The Oath, about a woman struggling to find justice in a feudal system, and Czech Republic drama The Prague Orgy, based on a novella by American novelist Philip Roth, also screen Dec. 11.
On Dec. 12, TIFF continues its virtual program with a noontime screening of Saving Jaws, a documentary that follows world-renowned marine biologist Ocean Ramsey, dubbed “The Shark Whisperer,” on her quest to educate the word about the natural beauty and ecological importance of sharks. TIFF also presents the documentary Errol Flynn’s Ghost: Hollywood in Havana on Dec. 12. The film explores how Hollywood star Errol Flynn became intertwined with the Cuban Revolution in 1958, and delves into the cultural impact of Hollywood movies in Cuba that led Havana to build more movie theaters than New York City.
Other films scheduled to screen virtually on Dec. 12 include the dramatic films The Cage, Trezor, and Marghe & Her Mother; which hail from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy respectively. All three films feature duplicitous characters and thrilling plots packed with twists and turns.
TIFF’s virtual festival keeps the momentum going on Dec. 13 with online screenings of films such as The Mamboniks, a documentary that tells the little-known story of the Jewish love affair with Latin music.
On Dec. 14, TIFF presents films like DeLorean: Living the Dream, which chronicles the incredible true story of the iconic DeLorean automobile’s rise and fall in the 1980s.
On Dec. 15, virtual audiences can watch the films Tall Tales, a Hungarian drama that follows a con man making his way in post-WWII Europe, and Omar & Us, a Turkish drama about a soldier struggling to adjust to civilian life.
On Dec. 16, TIFF screens Italian drama The Vacation, about the friendship between a 30-year-old man who is affected by bipolar disturbance and an older woman who manifests the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Following that, TIFF presents Don Juan Is Balding, a Hungarian drama about a strained marriage that is turned upside down during a fantastical weekend getaway.
TIFF’s final day of virtual screenings, Dec. 17, begins with a presentation of the Indian film Smash (Chidi Balla), about a high school principal who inspires the school to compete in the state-level Badminton tournament. The Tiburon International Film Festival then concludes on the evening of Dec. 17 with a Bay Area filmmakers showcase, offering five short films that cover the gamut of genres and styles and feature local landmarks and characters.
Get tickets now for the 19th annual Tiburon International Film Festival’s virtual program by visiting the festival’s page on Bingewave.com.
