The two SF Indie Fest films we watched on Friday night at the Victoria Theatre made for a very thought-provoking juxtaposition. The short film Mischief at 16th and Florida captured the rich history of an industrial area (and the river beneath it) located just a mere five blocks from the film screening. The feature film The Ballad of Greenwich Village was related to us through the countless anecdotes of the many amazing artists, performers and activists who have called Greenwich Village home over the years. There is a second screening of these films again tonight at the Victoria Theatre at 9:30.

The above video is the trailer for Mischief at 16th and Florida.

SFist Leanne, contributing. Read the reviews after the jump!

When we first saw that Mischief at 16th and Florida was about rats, we were prepared to be thoroughly grossed out. We were then pleasantly surprised to see that rats were merely the vehicle through which the story was being told. (There was one disgusting thing we learned from the film that we've been unable to get out of our minds since: Anyone ever heard of the Rat King?) We also learned that the old Hamm's Brewery at 145 Florida Street housed squatting "Vat Rats" in the '80s and thus became the venue for a thriving punk scene. The history of the elusive Mission Creek and its sad and greedy demise was revealed, and it was weird to think it was flowing directly below us as we were watching the film. We also learned about the famous "Little Giant" fire hydrant at 20th and Church that saved the Mission from being burned down during the post-earthquake fires of 1906. Oh, and did you know that the bubonic plague came to the US via an Asian ship that docked in San Francisco and was unwittingly transporting two Norwegian rats? {{shudder}}

There were so many remarkable anecdotes about the people and places in The Ballad of Greenwich Village that we took about five pages of notes in the dark theater. Norman Mailer had some great stories, and he joked that he and his friends simply moved to Greenwich Village "to get laid." Maya Angelou said going "down to the Village" from her hometown of San Francisco—where going downtown at the time entailed putting on white gloves and pearls—was like "coming home." Woody Allen told us about doing his early stand-up routines while Bill Cosby was doing his stand-up across the street, and during their breaks they'd stroll along Bleecker Street and compare notes.

There were also great stories about all the jazz and folk clubs, and how the signature snapping in place of normal applause originated in the Village Vanguard because clapping would disturb the tenants above the club via the air ducts. There was a great story about a young Charles Mingus breaking the door of the Vanguard and knocking into several people with his bass, and another one about how 19-year-old Bob Dylan, upon first arrival to Greenwich Village, resembled "a cherub in an overcoat." The film also featured stories of countless protests and the advancement of gay and civil rights, and it illustrated the ultimate gentrification of Greenwich Village, mostly at the hands of New York University.

We really enjoyed both films and felt inspired to capture our own "backyard" when we get the chance.