Jeanne Powell

Based on the book, "The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War" by Marcia and Thomas Mitchell, Official Secrets at the SFFILM Festival unfolds in the tradition of All The President’s Men and Three Days of the Condor. A loyal citizen comes into possession of sensitive information which places her...

When I'm a Moth is an intriguing film, told in a dreamy visual style that fictionalizes a moment in Hillary Rodham’s life, just before she enters law school. Inspired by a brief reference in Hillary’s memoir, co-directors Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak speculate with sensitivity and poetic imagination on...

Across the Bay from the NBA champion Golden State Warriors is another Warriors team, one that plays only home games. These San Quentin Prison athletes are profiled in Q Ball a fascinating documentary, made possible by Kevin Durant, who is executive producer. Directed by Mike Tolajian, this SFFILM Festival...

SFFilm Festival has opened its annual two-week run in the Bay area, showcasing films in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. As always, the Festival will be a dazzling experience. More than 160 films from 52 nations will be featured. The work of more than 70 women directors is included. Among expected...

Stark Insider Broadway Review by Jeanne Powell: Hamilton at the SHN Orpheum Theatre San Francisco. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s remarkable Broadway stage musical Hamilton celebrating America’s founding fathers, but especially Alexander Hamilton, is back in San Francisco on its third national tour. The long-running popularity of this ground-breaking history lesson, composed in hip-hop...

As part of the Mostly British Film Festival in San Francisco, the English film, Four Weddings and a Funeral, was celebrated with a champagne reception and a well-attended showing at the Vogue Theatre. The film was nominated for two American Oscars and two Golden Globes. In England, the movie...

From February 14 through 21, the Mostly British Film Festival returns to the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco. This year’s festival features both new and classic films from English-speaking countries outside the United States -- the UK, Ireland, Australia, India and South Africa. The Mostly British Film Festival opens with...

This month the amazing Kim Nalley performed her Christmas show in Feinstein’s at the Nikko, and filled the intimate club with musical joy. Feinstein’s nightclub is located in the Nikko Hotel, just off historic Union Square in San Francisco. Founder and cabaret singer Michael Feinstein is an interpreter of the...

Essayist Jeanne Powell's take on film Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen Mary Stuart has been celebrated and profiled on stage and screen since Friedrich Schiller’s play in 1800, Gaetano Donizetti’s opera in 1835 and an acclaimed Broadway production in 2005 directed by Phyllida Lloyd. In films she has been portrayed...

The Favourite is a juicy and irreverent romp through the reign of Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665-1714), with a focus on her years as a widow under the political influence of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough. Through the use of potent dramatic sketches and brilliant cinematography, director Yorgos...