Jenni Olson is an acclaimed nonfiction filmmaker, writer, film curator, historian and collector based in San Francisco. Olson describes her contemplative film practice as a “completely impossible and yet partially successful effort to stop time.”

"An alchemical mix of landscape, sexuality, and suicide." — Sundance Film Festival

The Joy of Life is the debut feature from acclaimed experimental filmmaker Jenni Olson. This innovative feature combines stunning 16mm landscape cinematography with a bold, lyrical voiceover (performed by LA-based artist/actor Harry Dodge) to share two San Francisco stories: the history of the Golden Gate Bridge as a suicide landmark, and the story of a butch dyke in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. These two stories are punctuated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's beautiful reading of his ode to San Francisco, "The Changing Light" as well as a capsule production history of Frank Capra's legendary Hollywood melodrama, Meet John Doe. The film also showcases opening and closing credits music from legendary '50s poet and writer (and probable Golden Gate suicide) Weldon Kees.

The Joy of Life is a film about landscapes, both physical and emotional.

Since its January 2005 premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, this innovative feature film has played a pivotal role in renewing debate about the need for a suicide barrier on The Golden Gate Bridge. The Joy of Life has taken home awards from both the New York and Los Angeles LGBT Film Festivals and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, and has been praised by critics and audiences alike for its unique filmmaking style.

19:00 - Doors open
19:30 - Screening starts (Runtime 1hr 5min)