International Visions

The queer highlight of the San Francisco International Film Festival's second week is a timely revival of "The Watermelon Woman," Cheryl Dunye's 1996 LGBTQ Cinema classic. The story involves a black lesbian videostore clerk who sets out to dramatize the life of a 1930s African American actress. "The Watermelon Woman" was so named because she specialized in playing stereotypical black "mammy" roles. "The Watermelon Woman," a hit at the 1996 San Francisco LGBT International Film Festival, marks the first time a black lesbian helmed a feature-length film. (Castro, 5/1)

Thirst In Svetla Tsotsorkova's finely crafted rural drama, a Bulgarian farm family is driven from the land by a pitiless drought that slowly but relentlessly undermines the way of life that has prevailed in this Slavic country since the time of Christ. A baby-faced, ponytailed youth (Alexander Benev) observes the end of his mom's home laundry business due to the lack of a dependable water supply. Director Tsotsorkova lets the great faces in his cast convey the stark cost when ordinary people can no longer command the source of life itself. (Roxie, 5/1, 5)

Home Care This politically incorrect drama from Slavek Horak, the Czech Republic's official Oscar submission, follows a home-care nurse as she busses across rural Moravia looking after mostly elderly patients. When suddenly she becomes the patient, she decides to seek out the community of female healers with their alternative therapies. The film leans towards a realistic and sometimes black-humored approach to end-of-life issues. (PFA, 4/28; Roxie, 5/2)

Journey to the Shore This Japanese "ghost story" from Kiyoshi Kurosawa involves a piano teacher and her dead sailor husband, home from the sea. The quirky comedy/drama will remind some viewers of the Juliet Stevenson/Alan Rickman British drama "Truly Madly Deeply." Warning: This one requires a bit of patience as it takes its sweet time to disclose its treasures. (Victoria, 5/2; PFA, 5/3; Alamo, 5/5)

And When I Die, I Won't Stay Dead Billy Woodberry honors the late Beat poet Bob Kaufman (1925-86) with a film that recalls when North Beach was the West Coast Beat capital, from the 1950s into the early 60s. Kaufman was hugely popular in France, where some fans regarded him as the "black American Rimbaud." This bio-doc marks one of the few times the Beats have been depicted other than from the point of view of their unofficial PR man, poet Alan Ginsberg. After viewing this one, you may find yourself taking a nostalgic trip through the neighborhood's remaining bistros, coffeehouses, and, of course, City Lights Bookstore. (Alamo, 5/1, 3; PFA, 5/4)

Audrie & Daisy San Francisco filmmakers Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen explore a topic in-depth that's normally relegated to tabloid TV news: The increasing epidemic of sexual assaults in American high schools. (Victoria, 4/28; Alamo, 5/1)

Cowboys Director Thomas Bidegain, screenwriter for the powerful European films "A Prophet" and "Rust and Bone," explores a father's frantic search for his 16-year-old daughter, who vanishes while attending a mid-90s French cowboy fair. (Alamo, 4/28)

Escapes Michael Almereyda gives us the story of the dude said to be responsible for writing the sci-fi cult film "Blade Runner." This doc may reveal why this 1982-penned drama - set in a then-futuristic and damp LA in the early 21st century, in other words about now - has been endlessly re-released in multiple so-called "director's final cut" versions. (Roxie, 4/30; Alamo, 5/3)

Frenzy When the movie "Midnight Express" revealed the rough treatment afforded a young American in a Turkish prison, it became almost a cultural cliche that Turkey was the very last place you wanted to upset the powers that be. Now comes an insider's version from Turkish director Emin Alper, who uncorks a tale of paranoia involving a recently freed prisoner who must snitch as a condition of his release. (Alamo, 4/30; Roxie, 5/2, 5)

The Innocents Director Anne Fontaine dramatizes the WWII-era tale of a Red Cross worker who enters a convent to assist a pregnant nun in labor. (Roxie, 4/29; Alamo, 5/1)

The Islands and the Whales Mike Day directs this US/Danish cautionary tale about the impact of virtually every bad environmental conundrum on an isolated Nordic fishing community. (Victoria, 5/3, 4; Alamo, 5/5)

Radio Dreams A San Francisco Farsi-language radio station is the jumping-off point for an encounter between the rock group Metallica and the Afghani band Kabul Dreams. (Victoria, 4/28; PFA, 4/29)

The Summer of Frozen Fountains Georgian director Vano Burduli focuses on his country's odd character traits in a low-key romantic format. (PFA, 5/5)