Erin Persley is already packing her bags for Africa. The graduate student in Cinema will travel to Kenya and Uganda in August to screen a film she made in an SF State class, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s American Documentary Showcase.

As an award-winning filmmaker, author, teacher and feminist, Britta Sjogren found a need to explore why she adores 1940s films that are full of sexism and stereotypes. The Cinema associate professor’s research has resulted in a book and new film series, both titled “Into the Vortex: Female Voice in Film.”

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival takes viewers back to a bygone era of visual storytelling. The festival's executive director, Stacey Wisnia, is an SF State alumna.

Many immigrant families worked and lived behind the scenes at historic Bay Meadows in San Mateo, recently demolished to make way for luxury housing and high-end commercial space. The story of one of these families, during Bay Meadows’ final season, is told in a new documentary by Cinema alumna Tricia Creason-Valencia.

For the second consecutive week, Disney/Pixar’s “Up” is the No. 1 movie in America. Cinema alumnus Jonas Rivera is the critically acclaimed film’s producer, the latest SF State alum to achieve success in animation.

Delroy Lindo, the SF State alumnus known for his roles in "The Cider House Rules," "Malcolm X" and "Get Shorty," has moved behind the scenes in live theatre, directing August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

John Fell, a professor emeritus of Cinema, died Oct. 9 at age 81. The Cinema Department will celebrate Fell with a reception at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in the August Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts Building.

The maestro lives on in “CACHAO: Uno Mas,” as the SF State documentary on the great Afro-Cuban bassist Israel “Cachao” López screens at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the August Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts building. Admission is free.

Feminism, diversity and disabilities dominate three documentaries by Cinema Department alumni screening at the 31st Mill Valley Film Festival, through Oct. 12.