Three new titles added today to our growing list of SFIFF-related films available to stream on Netflix! Watch Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague, Sundance award-winning documentary The Queen of Versailles, and SFIFF55 favorite 17 Girls. See our full list on our WATCH page.
Musician/curator David Byrne poses in front of the Castro Theatre at the 36th San Francisco International Film Festival, 1993. Photo by © Pamela Gentile
SXSW's 2013's lineup was just announced and among them are three films that the Film Society has supported through grants and fiscal sponsorship as they've developed into feature-length films:
directed by Destin Cretton
Narrative Competition
2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking grant winner: $79,000 for postproduction
The film follows Grace, a young supervisor at a foster-care facility, as she looks after the teens in her charge and reckons with her own troubled past. An unsparingly authentic film, full of both heart and surprising humor.
directed by Steve Brown and Jessie Deeter
Documentary Spotlight
Currently in SFFS Project Development program
What happens when you allow yourself to act on your dreams? Spark takes us behind the curtain with organizers and participants of Burning Man, revealing a year of unprecedented challenges and growth.
directed by Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling
Special Events
Currently in SFFS Project Development program
Roots music icon Chris Strachwitz (Arhoolie Records) takes us on a
hip-shaking stomp from Texas to New Orleans, Cajun country to
Appalachia, searching for the musical soul of America.
Five years of sparkling youth, karoke raps, and remarkable flashpants wisdom - damn how we will miss our Jaybird (aka Jay Wertzler)! Flying away from the SFFS nest, but first making a detour to pick up Pootie Tang at the airport for next week's SF Sketchfest. We appreciate all of you and know that your mark on us is for life. Big up and warm those vocals for the next SFIFF talent show - sa da tay!
We asked directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson to reflect on their experience screening their Special Jury Award-winning, SFFS-supported film American Promise at Sundance.
So far the Sundance Film Festival has been a whirlwind of activity – from screening our film American Promise, to interacting with audience members, to attending parties, to meeting other filmmakers around the world, to talking with prospective investors. It is a very intense experience and although it is very exciting, it is also exhausting. The audience reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Many other people have told us they're touched and that the movie has given them a tremendous amount to think about as it relates to race, class, gender, educational opportunity and even parenting.
In the Q&A sessions following the screenings, we're fielding a lot of questions about the boys -- people are clearly rooting for them. Both young men are doing extremely well. Idris just completed his first semester at Occidental College. Like many college freshman he's finding it challenging, but he's growing, learning and starting to stand on his own two feet. Seun told the audience that his freshman experience was "no walk in the park." But he, too, is acclimating to his new environment and doing extremely well. Both the two of us and Seun's parents, Tony and Stacy Summers, are beaming with the knowledge that our sons have overcome tremendous obstacles that we did not anticipate and could not protect them from, and are now doing well in their lives.
People also comment a lot about our bravery, saying that we are exceptionally courageous to expose our family and some of our most difficult parenting days, as we have. We believe that building connections and creating community requires openness. That said, some people feel unsettled by our decision to film our boys. By nature documentaries about people reveal them to the world. The fact that we've exposed our own family puts us in a far better position to protect our son and Seun than the parents of, say, an impoverished child in another country whose story a filmmaker tells are in. If you were to run into either of our young men, he would tell you that he is proud to be part of the film and are grateful to have a role in spreading the word about ending the educational crisis facing Black males. The presence of the cameras made us all into a better people.
Perhaps most significantly, many people have told us that while they don't want to minimize the issues facing African American boys, watching the movie made them realize that both our family and the Summers’ seem strikingly similar to their own. This is one of the most satisfying pieces of feedback we could possibly receive. Because in making American Promise, we bet on our belief that if we could expose the public to who Black boys really are so that their promise is no longer obscured by stereotypes, distortions, and negative media portrayals and people can actually see their humanity, perhaps the world will fear them less, care about them more, and join us in advocating for their wellbeing.
Actress Janet Suzman and actor Ian McKellan, stars of the film Priest of Love, and Festival Program Director Albert Johnson at the 25th San Francisco International, 1981. Photo by Tim Toland.
What would Variety, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, The Wrap, MovieCityNews, Filmmaker Magazine & Deadline report if a single film company took the following awards at Sundance this year?
I can't help but think they would announce the arrival of a powerhouse.
Well, allow me the pleasure of breaking such an announcement. In case you missed it: a filmmaking renaissance is happening in The Bay Area. All of the following films that premiered at Sundance and won an award there had a major Bay Area connection: Fruitvale, Afternoon Delight, Cutie and the Boxer, Inequality For All, and American Promise.
I don't know when was the last time a film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance as Fruitvale did this year. Not only is director Ryan Coogler from Oakland, not only was the story and subject from The Bay Area, not only was the film shot in The Bay Area, and not only was it mixed at Skywalker, but the San Francisco Film Society & The Kenneth Rainin Foundation granted the film $200,000.
If that wasn't enough to crow about, allow me the thrill of mentioning that this is the second year in a row that a film supported by the San Francisco Film Society & The Kenneth Rainin Foundation won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Yup, Beasts Of The Southern Wild received similar support last year as Fruitvale did this year. Do we need non-profit support in order to make ambitious socially relevant cinema in America? It sure damn looks that way, and if it is not necessary, it sure helps! A market-driven entertainment economy encourages one thing; if we want diversity we must support our cultural institutions (and build new ones!).
But allow me to go on with the glory that this year's Sundance has bestowed upon the cities by The Bay... I don't know when the last time a producer had both a documentary film and a narrative film in each of the Sundance competition. I definitely don't think a producer who managed that feat ever won awards for both films (okay, I once had a film in each section, but only one of them one an award). Winning an award for each of their films is exactly what 72 Productions accomplished with Afternoon Delight's Best Directing of a narrative film award (directed by Jill Soloway) and Inequality For All's U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award (directed by Jacob Kornbluth). And did you know that 72 Productions' Jen Chaiken sits on the San Francisco Film Society's Board of Directors? And that the SFFS was Inequality For All's fiscal sponsor? Surely you know that I4A's incredibly inspiring subject, Robert Reich, teaches and lives in Berkeley, and yup, that is in The Bay Area. I imagine your collective head is now reeling in wonder about what is happening here; I know I am impressed, verily.
Yes, it's true that the Directing Award at Sundance is one of the great honors. Yes, the aforementioned Afternoon Delight won that award for Narrative, and Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling, won for Documentary. The San Francisco Film Society's Doc Film Fund gave Cutie and the Boxer's $50,000... That ain't chicken feed. And that's a Bay Area connection for both sections' Directing Award. It must be something in the water!
But The Bay Area's dominance continues on from there. It kind of takes your breathe away, doesn't it? The other winner of a Special Jury Prize For Documentary Film, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson's American Promise, also received funding from The San Francisco Film Society. How great is it to give money away to films that lift our culture up? I suppose you don't know that feeling until you've done it, but know what? You too can do it and I will tell you how below...
Yup. Five films. Count 'em and tells what it all adds up to...
That is five films, six awards, at Sundance 2013 with Bay Area connections. Pretty awesome. In addition to all of that, the Bay Area was represented by other filmmakers at Sundance too; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman were there with TWO films, one narrative, one doc: Lovelace and The Battle For AmFar. The list goes on and on and on.
If we added in all the films that did sound or mixed at Skywalker (Ain't Them Bodies Saints among others) or did that AND had a key crew person from the Bay Area, like World Cinema Grand Jury Prize Winner, A River Changes Course (with editor Chris Brown), our list could be even longer. When you combine what is happening here and what is going down in Texas (Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Before Midnight, A Teacher, & Upstream Color), it sure seems like the regions are rising over the center. And this may just be the wave before the flood...
That is not a rumbling you are feeling underground, that is the roar of a community's heart beating as one, and quite rapidly at that mind you. You don't just have to be from Poland to have that flutter (if you watched the Awards, you will understand the reference).
I think it is now abundantly clear that if you love independent film, if you want diverse, ambitious film to prosper, you have to act now. You must not delay. You can either pack your bags and get the hell out of town and arrive in Fog City or one of it's many surrounding communities, or you can show your love for such cinema by helping to support the San Francisco Film Society. Either one will do. Just take some action. The momentum will carry you forward.
I am investing my time, labor, & mind to help building a better infrastructure for such cinema through the SFFS. But it takes more. Money almost always helps. Please consider doing what you can to keep this exciting time alive. Join SFFS & become a member. Support SFFS here. It takes more than a village if we are going to build it better. We can only do it together.
The San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest running film festival in the Americas. I hope to see you there this year (April 25- May 9th); we have some great stuff planned for you. The San Francisco Film Society was founded 56 years ago. It was built by the passion and commitment of several key individuals. We lost one of those individuals just as the Sundance Film Festival began this year. George Gund's love and knowledge of cinema was as legendary as his great spirit and generosity. I can not help but think of how wide his grin would be now in knowing the legacy his support has helped build. Thank you, George.
The San Jose Sharks honored former SFFS Chairman of the Board George Gund III (1937–2013) at last night's home opener with a new patch on their jerseys.
Francis Ford Coppola shakes hands with Vincent Price at the 28th San Francisco International Film Festival, 1985. Photo by Bruce Forrester.
RZA and Jim Jarmusch in front of the Castro Theatre, about to screen Jarmusch's Coffee & Cigarettes at SFIFF47 in 2004. Photo by Pamela Gentile.
We asked directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson to reflect on the lead-up to their SFFS-supported film American Promise getting into Sundance. American Promise premieres today at Sundance.
Joe: When we received the phone call from Sundance, we were in the editing room agonizing over how we should end our film. When the phone rang and we noticed the call was from the Sundance institute, I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up so I handed the phone over to Michèle. For a moment, it was as if time stood still. I could hear Michèle say “Hey Shari,” after that, even the sound in my head had been drowned down. I had anticipated this moment for years and the thought of hearing no was now impossible for me to come to terms with, only because of my temporary brain fix. Suddenly, Michèle went airborne, jumping up and down, pumping her fist in the air. Then the sound in my mind came back on. She was screaming the word, “YES!”
Michèle: Perhaps there was some fist pumping and jumping up and down, I don’t know, I think I was numb with elation. I called my mother in Quebec to share the good news, she asked, “What film did you get in with?” She was surprised that a festival as important as Sundance would accept a home movie. Once all the phone calls to crew members were made the daunting nature of what we had to accomplish by January began to sink in. Be careful what you wish for.
Joe: Preparing for Sundance has felt like running a marathon every day for thirty days. We have day jobs and on top of a busy post-production schedule, we are creating a short for NYT Op-Docs and preparing for the Television Critics Association press conference in Pasadena, which just happens to be the same week as the Open of the Sundance Film Festival. We’ve also put preparations for our community engagement campaign into high gear. The campaign is huge and we are so excited about its potential for change. So, this means we’re now working on adrenaline and less than 5 hours of sleep a day until February.
Michèle: We are set on taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself for the film and our campaign. And in this day and age of new technologies, that means loads of blogging and social media opportunities to develop a following. Our engagement campaign is a part of that build up to our premiere screening. One small piece of that campaign will begin during our film festival tour. It’s unusual to organize a dedicated campaign for a film festival run, so we’re hoping we set a precedent for future documentary films. We came up with this idea because we wanted to harvest any good intention resulting from the screening of the film. Since film festivals draw a general audience, we needed something that anyone could do.
Joe: So, as we travel the festival circuit, we’re going to ask our audiences to help us raise $100,000 and 100 mentors for Big Brothers Big Sister’s Mentoring Brothers in Action program. The goal of this program is to recruit mentors, particularly men of color, and expand the organization’s capacity to serve more African American boys. We launched the campaign the week after Sundance announced our acceptance.
Michèle: Idris and Seun are very excited for Sundance; they are eager to represent the film at such a prestigious event – and are certainly more relaxed about it than we are. Although Seun was initially a bit apprehensive about everything, he is getting more and more excited everyday.
Joe: We decided to prepare the boys for press and interviews, our thought was that we did not want them to became overwhelmed in front of the camera. That’s when both boys said almost in unison, “we’ve been in front of a camera for 13 years. What’s another week.” – I guess the pressure is really on us.
Is there a model where both can further film culture, audience development, and overall cinema appreciation? With very few critics left with a mass market soap box, where do we turn for curation? With a global onslaught of 50,000 feature films generated per year, how do we connect with the films that are best for us? When audiences enjoy cinema in any form, they are far more apt to engage with more film soon after? Is there a model that leads to a a win/win for everyone?
MUBI recently announced a partnership with Picturehouse Theaters where members get 90 days free access on MUBI. One wonders if there are similar deals to be done with online aggregators and exhibitors in the US…
Our community theaters are just one of the curators we have in this country for cinema culture. Film Societies, like the San Francisco FIlm Society and Lincoln Center, also help develop audiences and advance the dialogue. Critics, blogs, friends and family, all help with discovery, recognition and appreciation. Yet in a world with a plethora of leisure time options, it’s critical for one’s love of an art form to run deep if it is to become habitual — which our industry and business models currently require. Discovering and enjoying great cinema goes a long, long way to building a long term relationship.
I have to think that there is something to be said about getting access to great classic cinema alongside a membership into an organization that gives you access to the latest of world and arthouse cinema. Of course, the level of each would have to line up well.
What else would help this model work well?
The San Francisco Film Society wrapped its 56th San Francisco International Film Festival with 263 screenings of 158 films from 51 countries, which were attended by over 210 filmmakers and industry guests from over 21 countries around the globe. During its 15-day run, SFIFF56 showed 67 Narrative Features, 28 Documentary Features and a total of 63 short films.
This year the International awarded over $70,000 in prizes—one of the largest cash totals distributed by a U.S. film festival—to emerging and established filmmakers from ten countries around the world. Below are the award winning films.
