The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival returns to PFA Theater with a schedule featuring 34 films over a span of two weeks. We get started tonight with Russian director Aleksei Fedorchenko’s Silent Souls (pictured above), a meditative movie exploring love and loss, and Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas Ramirez’s Jean Gentil, a documentary-like narrative about a thoughtful and intelligent Haitian man living in the Dominican Republic who’s pushed to the outer fringes of society. As usual we will welcome a robust list of special guests featuring some of the most adventurous filmmakers from around the globe working today.

Saturday, April 23
4:00 p.m. The Green Wave (Germany/Iran, 2010)
Director Ali Samadi Ahadi in person

6:15 Autumn (India, 2010)
Director Aamir Bashir in person

Sunday, April 24
2:00 Something Ventured (U.S., 2011)
Directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine in person

Monday, April 25
8:40 p.m. !Women Art Revolution (U.S./Canada, 2010)
Director Lynn Hershman Leeson in person

Tuesday, April 26
6:30 p.m Better This World (U.S., 2011)
Directors Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, plus subject Bradley Crowder in person

8:50 p.m. Position Among the Stars (The Netherlands, 2010)
Director Leonard Retel Helmrich in person

Wednesday, April 27
6:30 p.m. Crime After Crime (U.S., 2011)
Director Yoav Potash in person

Thursday, April 28
6:15 p.m. Nostalgia for the Light (France/Chile/Germany, 2010)
Director Patricio Guzmán in conversation with Jorge Rufinelli

8:45 p.m. The Dish & the Spoon (U.S., 2011)
Director Alison Bagnall in person

Friday, April 29
9:00 p.m. Living on Love Alone (France)
Director Isabelle Czajika in person

Saturday, April 30
6:00 p.m. The Tiniest Place (Mexico, 2010)
Director Tatiana Huezo in person

Monday, May 2
6:30 p.m. The Pipe (Ireland, 2010)
Director Risteard Ó Domhnaill in person

Tuesday, May 3
6:30 p.m. Cinema Komunisto (Serbia, 2010)
Director Mila Turajlic in person

8:50 p.m. The Salesman (Canada, 2010)
Director Sébastien Pilote in person

Wednesday, May 4
6:30 p.m. Ulysses (Chile/Argentina, 2011)
Director Oscar Godoy in person