I guess Padre Serra, a very important figure in the history of California, is going to officially become a saint tomorrow, and local filmmaker Jenni Olson finished her new film about him just in time. It screens at the Roxie this Thursday evening only, and it sounds pretty wild:
A cinematic essay in defense of remembering, The Royal Road offers up a primer on Junipero Serra’s Spanish colonization of California and the Mexican American War alongside intimate reflections on nostalgia, the pursuit of unavailable women, butch identity and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo — all against a contemplative backdrop of 16mm urban California landscapes, and featuring a voiceover cameo by Tony Kushner.
Co-presented by the San Francisco Film Society and Frameline, and being shown just one day after Pope Francis actually canonizes Junipero Serra, this bold, innovative film from acclaimed San Francisco filmmaker Jenni Olson combines rigorous historical research with lyrically written personal monologue and relates these seemingly disparate stories from an intimate, colloquial perspective to tell a one-of-a-kind California tale. Filmmaker Jenni Olson will be here IN PERSON!! Written & directed by Jenni Olson. Produced by Julie Dorf & Jenni Olson. USA. 2015, 65 mins.
Tickets and more info here.
