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Tom Hanks appears in "California Typewriter," showing at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Dec. 22-23. Image courtesy BAMPFA
Tom Hanks appears in "California Typewriter," showing at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Dec. 22-23. Image courtesy BAMPFA
Photo: Courtesy BAMPFA
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"California Typewriter," showing at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Dec. 22-23. Image courtesy BAMPFA
"California Typewriter," showing at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Dec. 22-23. Image courtesy BAMPFA
Photo: Courtesy BAMPFA
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The documentary “California Typewriter” will be screened at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive this weekend.
The documentary “California Typewriter” will be screened at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive this weekend.
Photo: Courtesy BAMPFA

“California Typewriter” is a love letter to local business, and an ode to the mechanical joy of typing in the analog age. Doug Nichol’s documentary film, which was a 2016 film festival favorite, takes a thoughtful look at Berkeley’s California Typewriter, a repair shop on San Pablo owned and operated by Herbert L. Permillion III and his family. As one of the country’s last dedicated typewriter repair shops, California Typewriter provides a window into the world of enthusiasts — like Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David McCullough — who remain persistent and ebullient in their use of these old-fashioned machines.

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (at 2155 Center St. in downtown Berkeley) offers screenings of “California Typewriter” on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 22-23. Friday’s showing begins at 4 p.m. and Saturday’s screening is at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for the film are $12 for non-members.

— Maxine Marshall