The 18th Annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival is January 24th through February 2nd.
America doesn’t have a monopoly on swaggering gangsters, larcenous lovers, surly ex-cons, corrupt cops, and scheming femmes fatales. Six years after the first Noir City: International—the Film Noir Foundation is at it again: presenting an array of classic films from around the globe, a wide-ranging, thematically cohesive immersion in a sordid world of sinister and sexy affairs—including the world premieres of two new restorations by the Film Noir Foundation!

Yes, “It’s a Bitter Little World”— but for ten days and nights at the majestic Castro Theatre, Noir City is cinema paradiso! As always, the festival is programmed and hosted by Eddie Muller, internationally renowned “Czar of Noir” and host of the popular Turner Classic Movies series Noir Alley.

For veteran cinephiles, it’s a chance to again experience cherished cinematic masterpieces in a bona fide movie palace. For those just starting their cinematic journey, Noir City is the perfect introduction to a wide world of international filmmakers and stars, on the big screen, larger than life.

The 10-day excursion travels through hot-blooded nightclubs of the Mexican cabareteras, neon-streaked alleys of Japanese yakuza thrillers, the stylish Parisian underworld, Italian palazzos hiding crimes of every social strata, a Kafkaesque Prague as envisioned by the Czech New Wave—even a rare serial killer film set in Nazi Germany made by Hollywood’s finest director of film noir, Robert Siodmak.

Tour guides include some of the world’s most revered filmmakers: Michelangelo Antonioni, Andzrej Wajda, Julien Duvivier, Jean-Pierre Melville, Roberto Gavaldón, Jirí Weiss, and Masahiro Shinoda.

Noir City Passport
Secure your spot for all the fun with an all-access Noir City 18 Passport for $125. This all-access festival pass grants the bearer:

• Entry to all films during Noir City18
• Separate passport holders’ queue for early admittance to the theater for all shows
• Opening night pass holders’ reception (Castro Theatre mezzanine) beginning at 6 PM on Jan. 24

Proceeds from the Noir City festival help fund the FNF’s restoration and preservation efforts year-round. This is your chance to have a smashing time and preserve a valuable art form.

You can purchase your passport at Brown Paper Tickets.

Visit the Noir City Film Festival website for a complete list of screenings and to purchase tickets for individual shows.

And for a great read about the founder and history of the festival, here’s a link to Craftsmanship Quarterly Magazine’s article The Celluloid Gumshoe.

Noir City Film Festival at the Castro Theater
429 Castro Street, San Francisco
January 24 through February 2, 2020