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May 5–7, 2023  ·  Sonora, California

Secret
Agent
Man.

Six films. Three days. Weng Weng. From a Tokyo café where the future is only two minutes away, to the mines of Io where Sean Connery is the last honest cop in the solar system — the 2023 Sonora Film Festival assembled the most improbable roster of secret agents, space marshals, and pint-sized operatives ever committed to celluloid.

For Y'ur Height Only  ·  Dir. Eddie Nicart
6
Films Screening
3
Days of Cinema
5
Nations Represented
1
2'9" Secret Agent
2023 Programme — Secret Agent Man
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes poster
Japan  ·  2020  ·  70 min  ·  Dir. Junta Yamaguchi
With Kazunari Tosa, Riko Fujitani, Gota Ishida

A café owner discovers his TV shows the future — exactly two minutes ahead. Shot in a single continuous take with zero budget and infinite imagination, this micro-budget Japanese gem turns a paradox into pure joy.

Opening Night Japanese Cinema Future Intelligence
★ Best Picture
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Outland poster
UK / USA  ·  1981  ·  109 min  ·  Dir. Peter Hyams
With Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen

A federal marshal on a titanium mining colony on Io uncovers a drug conspiracy that reaches all the way up the chain. Sean Connery is the law in the grittiest, most shotgun-drenched space western ever filmed.

Saturday Night Space Marshal Sci-Fi Western
★ Best Scene — Exploding head
★ Best Location — Sets and miniatures
★ Most Chuck Norris-like Performance — Connery in Outland
★ Most Provocative Use of a Prop — Unlimited shotguns
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For Y'ur Height Only poster
Philippines  ·  1981  ·  83 min  ·  Dir. Eddie Nicart
With Weng Weng, Yehlen Catral, Carmi Martin

A 2'9" secret agent armed with gadgets, jet packs, and unstoppable machismo dismantles an evil syndicate one flipped henchman at a time. Weng Weng delivers the most spectacularly improbable stunt work in the history of recorded cinema.

Saturday Matinee Secret Agent Action Comedy
★ Best Quote — Weng Weng, various quotes
★ Most Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property — Various moments
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Pieces poster
Spain / USA  ·  1982  ·  89 min  ·  Dir. Juan Piquer Simón
With Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Edmund Purdom

A chainsaw-wielding maniac terrorizes a college campus in search of the perfect jigsaw puzzle. A gleefully unhinged Spanish-American slasher with a twist ending so committed, so audacious, it demands to be seen in a crowded room.

Saturday Late Slasher Spanish Cinema
★ Best Surprise/Reveal — Pieces finale
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Italian Spiderman poster
Australia  ·  2007  ·  74 min  ·  Dir. Dario Russo
With David Ashby, Leombruno Tosca, Carmine Russo

An overweight, mustachioed Italian superhero battles villains with espresso, machismo, and deep contempt for everyone around him. A shot-for-shot parody of Eurospy trash that somehow transcends its own joke and becomes something great.

Sunday Afternoon Spy Spoof Parody
★ Most Overacting — Italian Spiderman
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The History of Future Folk poster
USA  ·  2012  ·  86 min  ·  Dir. Jeremy Kipp Walker & J. Anderson Mitchell
With Nils d'Aulaire, Jay Klaitz, Julie Ann Emery

An alien soldier arrives on Earth to prepare its destruction — until he hears music for the first time and becomes a bluegrass performer instead. A deeply strange, deeply charming sci-fi comedy that earns every bit of its absurdity.

Closing Night Sci-Fi Comedy Bluegrass
★ Best Song, Theme, or Soundtrack — History of Future Folk
★ Most Politically Incorrect Moment — "the scene"
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Schedule — May 5–7, 2023
5
May
6:00 pmDoors & Welcome ReceptionGuests
7:30 pmBeyond the Infinite Two MinutesOpening Night
6
May
1:00 pmFor Y'ur Height OnlySaturday Matinee
3:30 pmQ&A & DiscussionGuests
5:00 pmOutlandSaturday Evening
9:00 pmPiecesSaturday Late
7
May
12:00 pmBrunch & Filmmaker TalkGuests
2:00 pmItalian SpidermanSunday Afternoon
4:30 pmThe History of Future FolkClosing Night

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Founded in 2022 in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the Sonora Film Festival is Northern California's premier film festival, featuring the finest selection of overlooked, forgotten, underrated films—hand selected by our panel of experts.

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