On May 2, 2025, arts and cultural organizations across the country received notifications that grants and funding promised by the National Endowment for the Arts were being rescinded. This was part of a larger initiative by the Trump Administration to dismantle not just the NEA, but also other arts advocacy programs including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
The final show I review below got me looks that made me feel like a fish in a bowl. First, the private security at the door had two Valiant rent-a-cops who scowling at me-and only me-with that same 'Give me an excuse!' glare I've gotten from real cops all my life.
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora, a stage actress, the main role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star.
Join us February 22, 2026, at The Roxie Theater for 836M FESTour first mini documentary festival. This inaugural program features two powerful films: Porcelain War and Prime Minister. Together, these documentaries embody our 2026 Metamorphosis theme, celebrating resilience, transformation, and the extraordinary ways humans adapt in pursuit of a better world. 836M Fest Sunday, February 22, 2026 Noon Porcelain War 2:30p Prime Minister Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, SF
But there's a Saturday night screening that really slapped our polka face. You may recall back in early 2023 when an SF-based burlesque group was running a Kickstarter to make a documentary about their Weird Al' Yankovic-themed burlesque troupe. Welp, they actually raised their $115,000 and made the damned thing, and now the documentary will have its West Coast premiere Saturday night at The Roxie at 8:30 pm.
Jeff Ross didn't plan to start his own film festival. In 1998, he was working for both the SF International Film Festival and the San Francisco Film Society, yet he couldn't find a single local venue to screen the film "Caged" by his friend Rand Alexander. Within months, Ross found himself running the first San Francisco Independent Film Festival (SF IndieFest) out of The Roxie Theater in The Mission.
While her bandmate takes a keyboard solo, Micah Morris lowers her microphone and sways to the music. Directly behind her, a 20-foot screen cycles through psychedelic imagery: clips of Jupiter and mandalas, all overlaid with flashes of color and fuzz. As the singer moves, she casts a small shadow, a dark mark over the swirls of color. Down below in the theater's seats, a small crowd listens attentively. Three friends silently pass a large bag of popcorn, and in the dark, greased paper catches the projector's faint glow. A man across the aisle sips a Fort Point.