About this event

Saturday, October 4th, 2025

7:30-9:00 PM

518 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA

Tickets are sliding-scale and donation-based.

Click here for tickets!

In His Own Words: An Invocation is a visually rich short film that reimagines the formative years of painter Marc Chagall. Inspired by his autobiography Mein Leben, the film traces his journey from a Jewish shtetl childhood to the emergence of his visionary artistic style.

Blending shadow puppetry, animation, and early cinematic techniques, the production transforms Chagall’s words and paintings into a living tapestry of light and movement. Directed by Larry Reed with art direction by Naomie Kremer, this ShadowLight Productions film employs hand-crafted puppets, layered projections, and painterly visual effects evocative of Chagall’s dreamlike imagery.

Narration is performed by award-winning actor Peter Coyote (English version) and acclaimed French actor Tchéky Karyo (French version).

The public premiere program features a screening of the 10-minute film, followed by a conversation with the artists and a live demonstration of the puppets and techniques behind the work. Complimentary refreshments, including beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks, will be served. Sliding-scale tickets are available through ShadowLight's website via Eventbrite.

Fred C. Riley III puppeteering Uncle Neutsch.

Film Credits

Words by Marc Chagall

English Narration by Peter Coyote

Director - Larry Reed

Art Director & Artist - Naomie Kremer

Producer - Caryl Kientz

Music & Foley - Beth Custer

Shadow Master - I Made Moja

Shadow Casters/Puppet Fabricators

Fred C. Riley III

Wendy Morton

Jessica Nguyen

Daniel McGuire

Stephen Clifford

Caryl Kientz

Jacquelyn Serrano

Larry Reed

Camera Operator, Film Editor, Colorist - Jacquelyn Serrano

Colorist - Ed Rudolph

Re-Recording Mixer

Ben Hicks

Disher Sound

Title Typography

Maria Jarzyna