SF CritterFest Debuts With Films About Gay Lions and Hot-Tubbing Bears

There are two kinds of humans in this world. Those who love animals and find comfort and solace in experiencing the world through their eyes, and those who are meat-suit monsters with no soul. (I said what I said.)

Now, in what is bound to be a delight for the former, the geniuses at SF IndieFest have created SF CritterFest, a film series dedicated to our furry and feathery friends around the world. Running Sept. 17–20 at the 4 Star Theater, the festival will include 19 short and feature documentary offerings that examine the realms of deadly sea bunnies, mysterious owls and — this is San Francisco, baby! — a bunch of unabashedly queer wild animals.

Notable short films include Bears in Hot Tubs, a 17-minute jaunt that follows black bears as they invade the garden amenities of Los Angeles residents. There’s Austin Bat Rescue, which provides viewers with an 8-minute visit to a Mexican free-tailed bat rehab in Central Texas. There’s also a 13-minute profile of one German lady and her beloved cow in Gianna & Anne — Significant Otherness. And of particular interest to San Francisco ornithologists will be The Western Snowy Plover, which explores the lives of the small shorebird at Ocean Beach.

At the top of the list of inspiring features not to miss is Better Call Babs, about a one-woman rescue mission in San Diego. Babs Fry leaps into action to locate and return lost pets to their distressed owners; she’s such an unstoppable badass, she’s now a Red Cross Award recipient. Get to know her — and her personal struggles — in this heartfelt documentary.

The festival has also programmed a few free screenings. The Secret Lives of Pets 2 will play at the outdoor Hayes Valley screen Proxy (432 Octavia Blvd.) on Sept. 18 in association with the San Francisco SPCA. Also on offer is Stoner Cats, a hugely popular animated short series about a bunch of cats that gain superintelligence (and insatiable munchies) after inhaling too much of their mom’s weed. That one will be available to stream online — so you can watch it at home with your own kitties.

SF CritterFest runs Sept. 17–20, 2026 at the 4 Star Theater (2200 Clement St., San Francisco). Tickets can be purchased separately for each screening, and ‘all film’ passes are available starting at $60.