The hotly anticipated feature by musician and now-filmmaker Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You — seen filming around Oakland last summer — makes its Bay Area debut on April 12 as the Centerpiece event this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival.
Scooped up at Sundance by Annapurna Pictures with the memorable statement, “We f**king love this movie,” the film stars Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok) and Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name).
Based partially on Riley’s experience of working as a telemarketer, Sorry to Bother You takes place in an alternate reality of present-day Oakland. A black telemarketer (Stanfield) discovers a magical key to professional success — to make his voice sound “white.” Blurring genre lines between comedy, sci-fi and magic realism, the film also features a species of genetically manipulated horse-people named the “Equisapiens.” Expect social satire touching on greed, capitalism and racial dynamics, and plenty of recognizable landmarks.
The film screens on Thursday, April 12, at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre at 6:30pm, and the same night at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre at 8pm. Riley and cast members (no news on which ones yet) are expected to participate in intros and Q&As.
Tickets to Centerpiece: Sorry to Bother You are $20 for SFFILM members (on sale now) and $25 for the general public (on sale starting Friday, March 9, at 10am).
