At MerciSF, the San Francisco Dance Film Festival has long been one of our favorite fall events. We are dance lovers, and over MerciSF’s seven years of existence, we have had the pleasure of partnering with the festival on several occasions.
This year, the San Francisco Dance Film Festival returns from October 23 through November 8, 2026, with documentaries, screendance, filmed performances and short films from around the world.
French dance is well represented in the 2026 lineup, and one program in particular is especially close to us: on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m., the Delancey Street Theater will host the U.S. premiere of My Benjamin, Victoria Clay Mendoza’s intimate documentary about former Paris Opera Ballet Étoile Benjamin Pech.
The film follows Pech during the final year of his performing career, as a serious hip injury forces him to confront the end of a life defined by dance. At the same time, the filmmaker is facing a deeply personal transition of her own, giving the documentary an emotional dimension that goes far beyond a traditional portrait of a ballet star.
Following the screening, MerciSF will moderate a conversation with filmmaker Victoria Clay Mendoza about the making of the film, her relationship with Benjamin Pech and the story behind this unusually intimate documentary.
Other French connections in this year’s program include Otter Lake, a French-produced documentary about choreographer and dancer Emma Portner, screening on October 30, and French choreographer Medhi Walerski, whose work appears in Vestiges as part of the Spotlight Shorts program on November 7.
The festival opens on October 23 with Nureyev, a filmed ballet tracing the extraordinary life and career of Rudolf Nureyev.
And this is only a glimpse of what SFDFF has in store. Don’t miss the rest of the festival’s powerful 2026 program, featuring bold documentaries, innovative screendance and remarkable stories from across the international dance world. Explore the full program here.
Once again, SFDFF offers a chance to discover dance from a different perspective — not only from the stage, but through the stories, bodies and creative processes behind the performances.
San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2026
October 23 – November 8, 2026
Various venues in San Francisco
Full program and ticketsMy Benjamin — U.S. Premiere
Thursday, October 29 — 7 p.m.
Delancey Street Theater
Director: Victoria Clay Mendoza
Featuring Benjamin Pech
Post-screening conversation moderated by MerciSF
Information and tickets
