SFFILM https://sffilm.org The Bay Area's home for the world's finest films and filmmakers. Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:52:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.4 https://sffilm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/logo-dark-50x50.png SFFILM https://sffilm.org 32 32 High School: 2nd Runner-Up – Tanaya Safi https://sffilm.org/high-school-2nd-runner-up-tanaya-safi/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:44:16 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20270 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest The Art & Science of Lucasfilm: James Tooley – ILM Creature Supervisor As the screen lit up with a montage of galaxies, animals, and some of my favorite characters and movies. I sat in admiration of the visuals that brought me back to my childhood...

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]]> High School: 1st Runner-Up – Alina Wang https://sffilm.org/high-school-1st-runner-up-alina-wang/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:43:05 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20269 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Watching Violet Du Feng’s documentary The Dating Game (2025) was unexpectedly emotional for me. On the surface, it’s about three bachelors-Zhou, Li, and Wu-as they attend a seven day dating bootcamp in ChongQing, China, led by the bold dating coach Hao and his more grounded...

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]]> High School: Grand Prize – Athena Lucero https://sffilm.org/high-school-grand-prize-athena-lucero/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:41:58 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20268 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest A Deep Personal Reflection about the Short Film Why Can’t We Just Be Ghosts? Why Can’t We Just Be Ghosts? is a short film that had a huge emotional impact on me. It’s a story that follows a ghost who is dealing with sadness and...

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]]> Middle School: 2nd Runner-Up – Sam Mercurio-Corao https://sffilm.org/middle-school-2nd-runner-up-sam-mercurio-corao/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:41:02 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20267 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Kai slides down the wall onto the sidewalk, closing her eyes tightly, the sound of the glass shattering and ringing. She reaches for a bright weed flourishing in a crack in the gloomy sidewalk. She holds it tightly, not damaging it, and its presence eases...

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]]> Middle School: 1st Runner-Up – Liliana Inglin https://sffilm.org/middle-school-1st-runner-up-liliana-inglin/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:40:07 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20266 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Twirling snow falling in flurries, White blankets covering the hills, Two tracks side by side left behind, The wind whipping, numbed to the bone, Howling heard through the vast distance, Pitter patter pitter patter, Paw prints two by two, In the Norway snow, Big eyes,...

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]]> Middle School: Grand Prize – Rachel Malvin https://sffilm.org/middle-school-grand-prize-rachel-malvin/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:39:03 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20265 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest “The more layers you add to something, the more beautiful it gets.” That is what my dad said as he dipped a candle wick into warm wax. It was a hot summer day, and my dad and I were dipping candles in our garage. It...

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]]> Elementary School: 2nd Runner-Up – Dahlia Silva https://sffilm.org/elementary-school-2nd-runner-up-dahlia-silva/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:37:07 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20264 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Pets There are two things I truly love in this world: short films and pets. So this film truly stood out amongst the eight other films we watched for the SFFILM festival that my class and I watched. I truly felt connected to and touched...

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]]> Elementary School: 1st Runner-Up – Najwa Fadul https://sffilm.org/elementary-school-1st-runner-up-najwa-fadul/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:35:09 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20262 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest

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]]> Elementary School: Grand Prize – Tyler McClory https://sffilm.org/elementary-school-grand-prize-tyler-mcclory/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:30:38 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=20261 Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest Looking at Snow Bears If I had to pick one short film I saw to talk about it would be Snow Bears by Aaron Blaise. I like this movie because the bear was lonely but tried to find ways to have fun and be happy....

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]]> 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest https://sffilm.org/2025-nellie-wong-magic-of-movies-essay-contest/ Wed, 19 Mar 2025 19:47:43 +0000 https://sf-film.local/?p=19735 SFFILM Education presents the sixteenth annual Schools at the Festival Student Essay Contest at the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival. This contest is made possible by the generous support of the Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Education Fund, endowed by Tim Kochis and SFFILM board member Penelope Wong to honor the memory of her...

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