San Francisco Rising
A cinematic mosaic of San Franciscans: weird, messy, beautiful and resilient. Just like their city.
91 min · Documentary · TV-MA
- Kanopy — Most Watched Films of the Week
- ·100,000+ YouTube views in two weeks
“A cinematic love letter and portrait of San Franciscans”
Limited Time
The Film
An independent documentary filmed guerrilla-style inside the 7×7 picturesque footprint of SF.
Natural light only. No tripods. No studios.
Featuring 30+ intimate, honest stories.
A cinematic mosaic of San Franciscans: weird, messy, beautiful and resilient. Just like their city.
Filmed guerrilla-style · Natural light only · No tripods · No studios
- 91 minutes
- ·Documentary
- ·TV-MA
- ·Director: Adam Leao
- ·From Above Media, LLC
From the Film
Golden Gate Bridge towers above fog at sunrise
The Interview
Interview with Adam Leao, director of San Francisco Rising
Director Adam Leao on The San Francisco Beat with Erica Sandberg.
Help JJ Smith Rebuild His Community Cafe
JJ Smith, one of the people featured in San Francisco Rising, opened his cafe with his own savings to give people on a tight budget or experiencing homelessness a warm meal, a safe space, and a path to rehab and family. Then a broken fire sprinkler flooded it for two hours, destroying his equipment, food and floors and leaving him with no income. Your donation helps JJ rebuild and keep serving the people who rely on him every day.
Fundraiser organized by Omar Ward on GoFundMe.
About the Director
Adam Leao
Director · From Above Media
Adam Leao is a San Francisco–based filmmaker and the director and producer of San Francisco Rising, his first feature-length documentary, made through his company From Above Media. A Loyola Marymount film graduate, he spent more than a decade as a creative producer at Lyft, Postmates and Uber before leaving tech to make the film. Shot guerrilla-style over one year with a four-person crew, San Francisco Rising took two years to make.
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