As long as Noir City is helmed by Anita Monga and Eddie Muller, the genre's devotees can be sure they're in for a glorious couple of weeks at the movies. Monga's reputation as a programmer was sealed by her many years at the Castro Theatre, and Muller simply breathes film noir (his expert's wit is on great display on the Born to Kill DVD commentary track). The bulk of this year's festival will take place at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, though the addendum at the Balboa Theater (four nights celebrating films produced in 1946, a watershed year in which, according to Muller, noir really came of age) could be considered a minifestival in itself. The double bills at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre are largely organized according to key noir criteria (screenwriters like Cornell Woolrich, stars like John Garfield, and settings like foggy San Fran). Actor Farley Granger, producer Stanley Rubin, noir author James Ellroy, and femme fatale Coleen Gray will all appear at the festival, as will Sean Penn, presenting one of his directorial attempts at neonoir (The Pledge) followed by a classic of his choosing. There are, as always, plenty of rarities, almost all of which have lean running times and viciously blunt titles (Nobody Lives Forever, Crime Without Passion, The Man Who Cheated Himself, and on and on). Some of these selections will find DVD distribution on the basis of successful screenings here in San Francisco (industry savants will note that Fox is sponsoring the Coleen Gray night), so cinephiles have added incentive to attend the festival and show their support for what has always been the film-lover's genre.

(Max Goldberg)

NOIR CITY FOURTH ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO FILM NOIR FESTIVAL Jan. 13-26 $10; festival pass $120 Palace of Fine Arts Theatre (415) 567-6642 www.palaceoffinearts.org Balboa Theater (415) 221-8184 www.balboamovies.com www.noircity.com