An intelligent, beautifully made and sensitive exploration of the deep
relationships that can be formed between humans and other creatures. It's a
story that leaves audiences with a glow...." -- Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle
Mark Bittner & Judy Irving IN PERSON Friday & Saturday!
Fri, Jan. 12 Q&A co-moderated by Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle & Heather Knight of the New York Times
The true story of a Bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red-and-green parrots. Mark Bittner, a dharma bum*, former street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs.
Mark Bittner was born and raised in southwestern Washington State. His ambition as a teenager was to be a Great Novelist, but Mark was alarmed by the uniformly miserable fates of all the writers whom he loved. So, he decided to pursue a career in music instead. After hitchhiking through Europe in search of experience, he moved to San Francisco determined to sink or swim as a poet-singer-songwriter. He sank. Completely bereft, he turned to spiritual seeking and ended up on the street where he spent the next 14 years. Ultimately his search led him to the wild parrot flock, which, in turn, led him back to writing, and his first book: THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL. The hardcover edition, published by Random House, was a best seller - the paperback edition came out in early February 2005.
In the spring of 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle hosted a contest to pick the City's "Official Animal." In a hotly contested battle over four rounds of voting, the maverick Wild Parrots beat the corporate tourism Sea Lions of Pier 39 and 15 other species. The official City Ordinance took effect in August 2023.
Co-Presented by Film SF - https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-economic-and-workforce-development/film-sf
~~~~~~~~
Saturated with local color, Judy Irving's film weaves elements of nature documentary and personal portraiture into a tale of love and survival in the urban jungle. This is the story of a flock of wild cherry-headed conures--descendants of escaped or abandoned pets--and one ponytailed man, Mark Bittner, who, like the birds, has endured hardship and displacement but eventually flourished in the unique habitat of North Beach. After many years living on the streets, Bittner began feeding the flock, and a way of passing idle time gradually became a calling. Bittner offers us his insights into the birds and their ways, and the film vividly captures the parrots' individual characters as well as Bittner's own. Following its human and avian protagonists as they share joys and face perils--from predators to the machinations of San Francisco real estate--the film is an affecting consideration of the mysteries of attachment and what it means to be free. - Juliet Clark
show less
relationships that can be formed between humans and other creatures. It's a
story that leaves audiences with a glow...." -- Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle
Mark Bittner & Judy Irving IN PERSON Friday & Saturday!
Fri, Jan. 12 Q&A co-moderated by Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle & Heather Knight of the New York Times
The true story of a Bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red-and-green parrots. Mark Bittner, a dharma bum*, former street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs.
Mark Bittner was born and raised in southwestern Washington State. His ambition as a teenager was to be a Great Novelist, but Mark was alarmed by the uniformly miserable fates of all the writers whom he loved. So, he decided to pursue a career in music instead. After hitchhiking through Europe in search of experience, he moved to San Francisco determined to sink or swim as a poet-singer-songwriter. He sank. Completely bereft, he turned to spiritual seeking and ended up on the street where he spent the next 14 years. Ultimately his search led him to the wild parrot flock, which, in turn, led him back to writing, and his first book: THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL. The hardcover edition, published by Random House, was a best seller - the paperback edition came out in early February 2005.
In the spring of 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle hosted a contest to pick the City's "Official Animal." In a hotly contested battle over four rounds of voting, the maverick Wild Parrots beat the corporate tourism Sea Lions of Pier 39 and 15 other species. The official City Ordinance took effect in August 2023.
Co-Presented by Film SF - https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-economic-and-workforce-development/film-sf
~~~~~~~~
Saturated with local color, Judy Irving's film weaves elements of nature documentary and personal portraiture into a tale of love and survival in the urban jungle. This is the story of a flock of wild cherry-headed conures--descendants of escaped or abandoned pets--and one ponytailed man, Mark Bittner, who, like the birds, has endured hardship and displacement but eventually flourished in the unique habitat of North Beach. After many years living on the streets, Bittner began feeding the flock, and a way of passing idle time gradually became a calling. Bittner offers us his insights into the birds and their ways, and the film vividly captures the parrots' individual characters as well as Bittner's own. Following its human and avian protagonists as they share joys and face perils--from predators to the machinations of San Francisco real estate--the film is an affecting consideration of the mysteries of attachment and what it means to be free. - Juliet Clark
An intelligent, beautifully made and sensitive exploration of the deep
relationships that can be formed between humans and other creatures. It's a
story that leaves audiences with a glow...." -- Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle
Mark Bittner & Judy Irving IN PERSON Friday & Saturday!
Fri, Jan. 12 Q&A co-moderated by Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle & Heather Knight of the New York Times
The true story of a Bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red-and-green parrots. Mark Bittner, a dharma bum*, former street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs.
Mark Bittner was born and raised in southwestern Washington State. His ambition as a teenager was to be a Great Novelist, but Mark was alarmed by the uniformly miserable fates of all the writers whom he loved. So, he decided to pursue a career in music instead. After hitchhiking through Europe in search of experience, he moved to San Francisco determined to sink or swim as a poet-singer-songwriter. He sank. Completely bereft, he turned to spiritual seeking and ended up on the street where he spent the next 14 years. Ultimately his search led him to the wild parrot flock, which, in turn, led him back to writing, and his first book: THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL. The hardcover edition, published by Random House, was a best seller - the paperback edition came out in early February 2005.
In the spring of 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle hosted a contest to pick the City's "Official Animal." In a hotly contested battle over four rounds of voting, the maverick Wild Parrots beat the corporate tourism Sea Lions of Pier 39 and 15 other species. The official City Ordinance took effect in August 2023.
Co-Presented by Film SF - https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-economic-and-workforce-development/film-sf
~~~~~~~~
Saturated with local color, Judy Irving's film weaves elements of nature documentary and personal portraiture into a tale of love and survival in the urban jungle. This is the story of a flock of wild cherry-headed conures--descendants of escaped or abandoned pets--and one ponytailed man, Mark Bittner, who, like the birds, has endured hardship and displacement but eventually flourished in the unique habitat of North Beach. After many years living on the streets, Bittner began feeding the flock, and a way of passing idle time gradually became a calling. Bittner offers us his insights into the birds and their ways, and the film vividly captures the parrots' individual characters as well as Bittner's own. Following its human and avian protagonists as they share joys and face perils--from predators to the machinations of San Francisco real estate--the film is an affecting consideration of the mysteries of attachment and what it means to be free. - Juliet Clark
read more
relationships that can be formed between humans and other creatures. It's a
story that leaves audiences with a glow...." -- Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle
Mark Bittner & Judy Irving IN PERSON Friday & Saturday!
Fri, Jan. 12 Q&A co-moderated by Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle & Heather Knight of the New York Times
The true story of a Bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red-and-green parrots. Mark Bittner, a dharma bum*, former street musician in San Francisco, falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs.
Mark Bittner was born and raised in southwestern Washington State. His ambition as a teenager was to be a Great Novelist, but Mark was alarmed by the uniformly miserable fates of all the writers whom he loved. So, he decided to pursue a career in music instead. After hitchhiking through Europe in search of experience, he moved to San Francisco determined to sink or swim as a poet-singer-songwriter. He sank. Completely bereft, he turned to spiritual seeking and ended up on the street where he spent the next 14 years. Ultimately his search led him to the wild parrot flock, which, in turn, led him back to writing, and his first book: THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL. The hardcover edition, published by Random House, was a best seller - the paperback edition came out in early February 2005.
In the spring of 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle hosted a contest to pick the City's "Official Animal." In a hotly contested battle over four rounds of voting, the maverick Wild Parrots beat the corporate tourism Sea Lions of Pier 39 and 15 other species. The official City Ordinance took effect in August 2023.
Co-Presented by Film SF - https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-economic-and-workforce-development/film-sf
~~~~~~~~
Saturated with local color, Judy Irving's film weaves elements of nature documentary and personal portraiture into a tale of love and survival in the urban jungle. This is the story of a flock of wild cherry-headed conures--descendants of escaped or abandoned pets--and one ponytailed man, Mark Bittner, who, like the birds, has endured hardship and displacement but eventually flourished in the unique habitat of North Beach. After many years living on the streets, Bittner began feeding the flock, and a way of passing idle time gradually became a calling. Bittner offers us his insights into the birds and their ways, and the film vividly captures the parrots' individual characters as well as Bittner's own. Following its human and avian protagonists as they share joys and face perils--from predators to the machinations of San Francisco real estate--the film is an affecting consideration of the mysteries of attachment and what it means to be free. - Juliet Clark
show less
Date/Times:
The Roxie
1 Upcoming Events
3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.