Anthony Daniels to join San Francisco May 4 closing-night screening and conversation at renovated Castro Theatre

A Star Wars Day event anchors the San Francisco International Film Festival’s closing night

San Francisco’s May 4 “Star Wars Day” celebrations will include a major in-person appearance by actor Anthony Daniels, known for portraying the droid C-3PO across the Star Wars film saga. Daniels is scheduled to take part in a live onstage conversation in San Francisco on Monday, May 4, 2026, tied to a closing-night presentation at the Castro Theatre.

The event is set to close the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival with a screening of “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back.” The program is presented as a collaboration involving SFFILM, Lucasfilm and Another Planet Entertainment, with Lucasfilm veteran Howard Roffman also slated to appear in the onstage discussion.

Why the Castro Theatre matters for this program

The May 4 program is planned for the Castro Theatre, described by organizers as newly renovated. The venue has long been one of the city’s best-known film houses and a frequent site for large-format, audience-driven screenings. Positioning a Star Wars Day event there places the festival’s finale in a setting designed for theatrical spectacle and live conversation, rather than a standard repertory screening.

What audiences can expect during the evening

The closing-night schedule centers on two components: the feature presentation and the onstage conversation. “The Empire Strikes Back,” released in 1980, is widely regarded as a cornerstone of modern franchise filmmaking, featuring key narrative developments for Luke Skywalker, the Rebel Alliance and the saga’s central conflict.

• A full screening of “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back”
• An in-person conversation with Anthony Daniels and Howard Roffman
• A festival closing-night format that typically includes heightened production elements and audience programming

“May the Fourth” has become a fixed annual marker for Star Wars fans, built around a widely used play on the franchise’s signature phrase.

Ticketing and timeline

Ticket sales for the May 4 closing-night event are structured with an advance window for members followed by a public on-sale date. The festival’s full lineup is scheduled to be announced on April 1, 2026. With the closing-night program linked to a single-date appearance and a specific venue, availability is expected to be constrained by seating capacity.

The May 4 event also reflects the Bay Area’s ongoing connection to the Star Wars legacy through Lucasfilm’s long-standing presence in San Francisco, helping make local programming around the date unusually prominent compared with many U.S. cities.