Film Screening
Location Studies
Related Exhibition People Make This Place: SFAI Stories
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025
3:15 p.m.
Floor 1, Phyllis Wattis Theater
This program has tiered pricing. Please select the option that works for you:
$0 – Free RSVP
$10 – General
$20 – Extra Support
$30 – Pay It Forward
What stories emerge when we anchor ourselves in a place and search for new understandings? This collection of short films — all created by SFAI graduates and professors — uses specific locations as launching points for profound exploration. The program centers on several works by Tomonari Nishikawa, whose bold experimentation with celluloid-based techniques produced films of stunning complexity and unexpected perspectives. Nishikawa’s work spans diverse landscapes from San Francisco to various locations throughout Japan. These pieces are complemented by films from Lynn Marie Kirby, Kerry Laitala, Toney Merritt, Michael Rudnick, and Al Wong — each artist finding revelations within local landscapes.
Films
Market Street (Tomonari Nishikawa, 2005, 5 min., 16mm)
16-18-4 (Tomonari Nishikawa, 2008, 3 min., 35mm)
sound of a million insects, light of a thousand stars (Tomonari Nishikawa, 2014, 2 min., 35mm)
Tokyo-Ebisu (Tomonari Nishikawa, 2010, 5 min., 16mm)
Shibuya-Tokyo (Tomonari Nishikawa, 2010, 10 min., 16mm)
By the Sea (Toney W. Merritt, 1982, 3 min., 16mm)
Terra Firma (Kerry Laitala, 2005, 7 min., 35mm)
Working Class (Al Wong, 13 min., digital)
Golden Gate Bridge Exposure (Lynn Marie Kirby, 9 min. digital)
Panorama (Michael Rudnick, 16 min., 16mm)