Peter Wong

Film in 2025 was for this writer a bright spot in a year where American fascists used the umbrella of the Republican Party to try undoing the great political and cultural advancements of the 20th century. The enormity of their success has been enabled by the capitulation and/or cowardice of the institutions, political or otherwise, […]

Peter Wong reviews Cinequest 2026

Directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (and Lessin in particular) are not strangers to the pages of Beyond Chron. The documentaries “Trouble The Water” and “The Janes” (co-directed by Lessin but not Deal) have been previously discussed here. Opening at the Roxie Theater on April 17, 2026 will be Deal and Lessin’s newest documentary […]

SF's 69th International Film Festival showcases 79 programs exploring climate change, geopolitics, and resistance. April 24–May 4, 2026.

Discover 10 must-see films at CAAMFest 2026, celebrating Asian Pacific cinema from May 7-10 across SF venues and venues showcasing diverse stories.

How does a person who’s been blind since birth find social connection in the analog age? Rachael J. Morrison’s delightful documentary “Joybubbles” shows how one very special disabled person discovered the answer. Rent-seeking corporate types who usually profit from this desire for connection will hate any lionization of people such as this film’s subject. But […]

It’s an article of faith in American culture that hardworking immigrants can come to this country and eventually improve their lot in life. But what if the fruits of all that labor is treading economic water at best or getting further into an economic hole at worst? Karla Murthy’s (hereafter “Karla”) Centerpiece Documentary “The Gas […]

Has it really been 25 years since the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival started up in the City? What SF DocFest has helped cumulatively offer over its more than two decades of programming is a transformation of audiences’ perceptions of what could be done with the documentary genre.

Dolls have been one method used in the past to talk about personal trauma when the victim has trouble finding the words. Tim Odonnell and Sam Oldmeadow’s touching documentary “The Last Yztari” shows how AI can be used as a tool for good by its trauma victim central subject. Until 2007, film subject Mary […]

Explore Summer 2026 at BAMPFA: Bold Film Programming Including Frameline50 and Provocative Cinema That Challenges Audiences.