Last week saw the demise at age 90 of Allie Light, the San Francisco documentarian who with late partner Irving Saraf produced, directed, sometimes also edited and wrote decades of significant nonfiction films, winning an Oscar (for 1991’s In the Shadow of the Stars, about the SF Opera Chorus), two Emmys and other laurels en route. Their subject matter was extraordinarily wide-ranging, from mental illness (Dialogues With Madwomen) and clerical activism (The Sermons of Sister Jane) to health issues, crime, education, poverty, folk artists and more, with a frequent emphasis on how U.S. governmental policy impacts the individual.

Another SF-based giant of independent cinema will be honored this weekend with a three-day symposium about his work and influence. “Jordan Belson: COSMOGENESIS” is

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