This weekend sees the start of the 23rd San Francisco Greek Film Festival, which since 2004 has provided a local showcase for new screen work from the "cradle of Western civilization" still most associated with its contributions to arts and ideas in the ancient world. This latest edition brings together eight fictive features, sixteen documentaries of various length, and nine narrative shorts.
That setup makes Sirāt sound like an arty Euro version of some Liam Neeson paternal vengeance thriller, complete with one-word title. No, sirāt isn't Arabic for taken—it literally translates as 'path,' but it's also a reference to the Islamic end-times prophecy of a bridge that souls must cross to reach the afterlife, the unworthy being cast over its side into eternal damnation. And that eschatological connotation is key to director Óliver Laxe's immersive but unpleasant parable.
Jim Jarmusch's quiet film "Father Mother Sister Brother" took the top prize, the Golden Lion. It was a surprise to many who expected that honor to go to "The Voice of Hind Rajab," which ended up with the runner up award, or "No Other Choice."Aside from Benny Safdie's best director win for "The Smashing Machine," Hollywood players were largely shut out of the awards in favor of a diverse, international selection.
