Lourdes Portillo has persistence and vision

San Francisco filmmaker Lourdes Portillo is a respected director, but not exactly a household name in Hollywood circles. So just look at the company she now keeps: Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, Elijah Wood, and several other fan-magazine delights.

The common thread: they are being honored with top awards at the 52nd annual San Francisco International Film Festival, opening Thursday for a two-week run. Portillo, 65, is receiving the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award, for “challenging the boundaries of the documentary form and remaining dedicated to broadening the scope of Latino and Chicano portrayals in film.”