It's one of this filmmaker's strengths that his characters' foibles resonate both privately and against the landscape of a severely repressive theocratic state.

here's a nice queer accent to the 21st edition of "Berlin & Beyond," the German-language film festival playing Feb. 3-5 at the Castro Theatre.

The 2017 edition of the Sundance Film Festival, playing Park City, Utah from Jan. 19-29, sets out to define the independent-film menu across a broad range of genres.