Film: David Lynch's "Blue Velvet"

100 Years of Surrealism
Wednesday, 4/9/2025
5:30 - 7:30
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

We launch SFPL’s 100 Years of Surrealism film series with a screening of director David Lynch's Blue Velvet, a stunning example of Surrealism's influence in American cinema. In Lynch's dreamlike, subversive film the discovery of a severed human ear leads a young man to investigate a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and the psychopathic criminals who kidnapped her child.

"Brilliant and unsettling...this is the work of an all-American visionary—and a master film stylist." —Stephen Schiff, Vanity Fair

R, 120 mins., 1986. Closed captions (CC) in English. 

100 Years of Surrealism programs:

World Literature Book Club Discusses André Breton’s Nadja – April 3, 6 p.m., Virtual Library

Film: David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) – April 9, 5:30 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, Lower Level

Activity: Paper Dreams & Strange Scenes – April 12, 2 p.m., Main Library, Steve Silver Music Center, 4th Floor

Film: Salvador Dali: In Search of Immortality (2018) - April 13, 1 p.m., Main Library, Latino Room, Lower Level

Presentation: The Prague Surrealist Group - April 13, 4;30 p.m., Virtual Library

Film: Jan Švankmajer’s  Alice (1989) + Surrealist Shorts - April 20, 1 p.m., Main Library, Latino Room, Lower Level

Film: Raul Ruiz’s The Wandering Soap Opera  (2017) + Surrealist Shorts - April 27, 1 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, Lower Level

Presentation and Activity: SF Ballet’s Frankenstein - April 29, 6 p.m., Main Library, Latino Room, Lower Level

100 Years of Surrealism exhibits:

Book Display: Surrealist Poetry and Prose, March 1– April 30, Main Library, Humanities Center (3rd Floor)

Book Display: The Legacy of Surrealism, March 1– April 30, Main Library, International Center (3rd Floor)

Book Display: Surrealist Art, March 1–April 30, Main Library, Art, Music & Recreation Department (4th Floor)

 

100 Years of Surrealism

This April, San Francisco Public Library celebrates 100 years of Surrealism with film screenings, displays, curated book lists and special events.

Film & Video

Watch party and film discussions. 

Art, Architecture & Photography

Learn from world-class designers, artists and experts in their fields. 

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

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The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.