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Film: Sansón and Me, Screening and Discussion

a partnership with the William James Association
Sunday, 12/3/2023
2:00 - 5:00
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

The Poetic Justice Film Festival presents a screening of Sansón and Me followed by a post-film discussion with filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes. 

Reyes, born in Mexico City in 1983, is a filmmaker deeply grounded in his identity as an migrant artist. He crafts a poetic gaze from the margins, using striking imagery to portray the contradictory nature of our shared world while revealing the potential for transformative change.

Reyes received support from The Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), Sundance and Tribeca Institutes. His films have been screened on PBS and Netflix. 499 won Best Cinematography at Tribeca and the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs. He is a recipient of prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim and Creative Capital Awards, the Rainin Fellowship, the SF Indie Vanguard Award and the Eureka Fellowship.

Sansón and Me won the Best Film Award at Sheffield DocFest and is the opening film for the 2023 season premiere of the celebrated documentary series Independent Lens on PBS.

During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Sansón and Reyes worked together over a decade, using hundreds of letters as inspiration for recreations of Sansón's childhood, featuring members of Sansón's own family. The result is a vibrant portrait of a friendship navigating immigration and the depths of the criminal justice system, pushing the boundaries of cinematic imagination to rescue a young migrant's story from oblivion.

This event is part of the Poetic Justice Film Festival (PJFF), an initiative of the William James Association. PJFF is a free screening and speaker series throughout California, spotlighting films about the transformative power of the arts for currently and formerly incarcerated people. 

NR, 86 mins., 2023. In Spanish with closed captions (CC) in English.

Connect: 

Poetic Justice Film Festival - Instagram

William James Association - Website 

Presented by the William James Association and SFPL’s Jail and Reentry Department. 

Film & Video

Watch party and film discussions. 

Jail and Reentry Services (JARS)

Learn about and increase your awareness of issues related to jail, prison, incarceration and reentry resources. Find out more about our services: sfpl.org/services/jail-and-reentry-services.

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

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