Press release: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival announced its new Executive Director: Lexi Leban, who begins working with the festival November 7, 2011. A longtime member of the Bay Area film community, Lexi has worked in all aspects of film, from production to distribution. She’s also worked with numerous film festivals, including the Mill Valley Film Festival, the San Francisco International Film Festival, and the Global Social Change Film Festival in Bali. Lexi is currently Academic Director of the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Program at the Art Institute of California, where she built the department from its inception. Her most recent feature documentary, Girl Trouble, which follows young girls in San Francisco’s juvenile justice system, aired on PBS’s acclaimed series Independent Lens in January of 2006, and won Best Bay Area Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival. More at sfjff.org.
Press release: San Francisco Film Society announced the appointment of Bingham Ray as its executive director, effective November 7, 2011. Ray comes to the San Francisco Film Society from New York City, where he recently served as the first run programming consultant to the Film Society of Lincoln Center, executive consultant to the digital distribution company SnagFilms and adjunct professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. More at sffs.org.
Press release: New People Entertainment, a film division of New People, Inc. that focuses on the licensing and distribution of Japanese films and media, has announced the beta launch of its own exclusive web channel where audiences will be able to stream a variety of the company’s films and content. More at newpeoplechannel.com.
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Ron Merk sends a San Francisco-set series into the ring.
Variety: "Marking another acquisition partnership coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, Roadside Attractions will team with Participant Media," handling U.S. theatrical distribution rights of writer and director Maryam Keshavarz's Iranian drama 'Circumstance.' More at variety.com.
Press Release: Bay Area-based ro*co films announced that they will be distributing Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s documentary film, 'Miss Representation' in the North American educational market. ro*co will distribute the film to academic institutions, universities, and libraries for both classroom use and educational screenings. More at rocofilms.com.
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
Is this what we talk about when we talk about YouTube?
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
'The Social Network' debate offered a moral for all of us: If you don't like this digital revolution, build one of your own.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker may have disappeared for good, but a film about its possible rebirth persists against all odds.
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
Filmmakers with deep roots in Bay Area cinema enter the brave new world of Web broadcasting with a series on food education for children.
"Following its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, Lynn Hershman Leeson’s '!Women Art Revolution' has been acquired by Zeitgeist Films for North American distribution," reports Nigel M. Smith. More at indiewire.com.
Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.
Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.
Ed Burns offers ideas about art and marketing as he releases his new film, 'Nice Guy Johnny,' into the world.
This Bay Area Video Coalition panel includes representatives from Microcinema International and Filmmakers Collaborative discussing the many emerging choices independent filmmakers have for releasing their films.
This Bay Area Video Coalition panel includes representatives from Microcinema International and Filmmakers Collaborative discussing the many emerging choices independent filmmakers have for releasing their films.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
Contemplating the pros and cons of entering online film contests.
The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.
The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.
The looming prospect of a two-tiered internet may compromise the ability of independent filmmakers to fund, exhibit and distribute their films.
Every film needs one person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the film from the start, just as they have a line producer, assistant director, or editor.
Every film needs one person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the film from the start, just as they have a line producer, assistant director, or editor.
The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.
The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.
The maker of Bomb It offers hard-won advice on the marketing of film in the 2010s.
No matter what kind of film you’re making, eventually all filmmakers encounter the common legal problem of filming in a crowd.
No matter what kind of film you’re making, eventually all filmmakers encounter the common legal problem of filming in a crowd.
Screens are getting smaller. From the cineplex to TV to the computer or iPhone screen, surfaces have shrunk but creativity and resourcefulness have expanded.
What s the difference between streaming and download rights? Here s a glossary of terms filmmakers should know before signing a contract or hiring a web developer.
Leland Orser saw his first movie at the Alexandria, and Joshua Grannell initially established himself as a S.F. character via his alter ego Peaches Christ.
The Statton era has begun. Kate and Chris Statton have officially assumed the positions of co-executive directors of the venerable Mission District cinema.
Inuit peoples—the indigenous cultures rooted in Arctic regions from Alaska to Greenland—have an honored place in film history, dating to Flaherty's Nanook of the North.
Tens of thousands of artists, aficionados and businesspeople flock to Austin for a festival that is part online conference, part film festival, and more than part music.
Think of U.S. public television and science fiction or any type of fiction doesn't spring to mind. ITVS aims to change that perception with a series of mini-features.
Think of U.S. public television and science fiction or any type of fiction doesn't spring to mind. ITVS aims to change that perception with a series of mini-features.
There will probably never be a theatrical release for James Benning's landscape movies. Amazingly, Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor have scored distribution and made a splash.
Transformation, of any kind, an ephemeral, elusive thing to capture on film. One advisor told Nancy Kelly she'd never do it. Difficult, sure, but impossible?
It s a strange time for independent film, with scaled-back specialty divisions and online self-distribution, but SF Indiefest remains a champion of the unsung and un-buzzable.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
By any measure, the long-awaited release of Have You Heard from Johannesburg? shapes up to be one of the major documentary events of 2010.
Geralyn Pezanoski s doc about the separation and occasional reunion of pets and owners in post-Katrina New Orleans beat the shelf-life odds.
Nani Sahra Walker went to Nepal for seven months, and returned with a one-hour documentary. OK, a rough cut. No big deal? Enlightenment guaranteed, indeed.
With more than 25 documentaries to his credit, many on mathematicians and scientists, George Csicsery is arguably the most prolific filmmaker in the Bay Area.
While the U.S. moved from rebuilding decimated skyscrapers to the rebuilding of an entire economy, film moved from the multiplex to the mailbox to the mobile.
On Sept. 13, 2001, I stood in a Toronto park and spoke to Canadian television: Movies wouldn't be the same. I was wrong.
Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.
The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves compiles some questions about "convergence", the increasingly popular practice of combining television and computer usage.
George Rush skips legal concerns and instead speaks to a larger issue: the lack of quality independent filmmaking today.
At their respective festival tributes, the actors gave entertaining and revealing onstage interviews.
The program offers a surprisingly potent mainstream industry presence, with tributes to A-list types more frequently seen at the multiplex than at the art house.
AnyClip and Clicker are standouts at TechCrunch's annual conference, where startups a chance to pitch to expert judges and investors.
Joe Berlinger speaks about the making of an environmental disaster in the Amazon, as seen in his new film, Crude.
The Toronto International Film Festival has always allowed a generosity of pursuits to co-exist, rewarding the adventurous and satiating the lazy, all without judgment.
The rapid adoption of e-newsletters by documentary filmmakers is the latest example of resourcefulness and efficiency among contemporary independents.
A mini-retrospective of the work of Kim Longinotto plays during the Women Make Movies Film Festival at the Roxie.
Avoiding Disaster: Festivals are a good way to have your film discovered by distributors, to build buzz and to build an audience—if you're well prepared.
The Sixth Screen: Veteran journalists and filmmakers alike are polishing up their resumes, contemplating the hospitality industry, and wondering: Who stole my career?
The Miller brothers take their memoir-release to the local ballpark.
Arthouse theaters like The Roxie, Red Vic and The Balboa resist the economic downturn and adjust calendars to meet audience demands.
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
Four independent narratives - La Mission, My Suicide, Everything Strange and New and (Untitled) - are adding to the Bay Area's repertoire, historically regarded as a breeding ground for documentary filmmakers.
Local filmmaker Jim Granato, whose movie D tour follows the band Rogue Wave and its ailing drummer Pat Spurgeon, on tour and on dialysis, is competing for the San Francisco International Film Festival's Golden Gate Award in Documentary.
The 6th Screen: Hannah Eaves recommends Twitter, Meebo, Facebook, Ning and eNewsletters as film promotion tools.
Barry Jenkins talks abut his background, making movies in San Francisco and the issues of black identity, assimilation and gentrification, which are at the heart of his film.
For many narrative filmmakers, hiring a lawyer is either an afterthought or not a financial reality, but moving forward with a film without considering legal is a huge mistake.
Twenty years after its founding, Strand Releasing remains an active, irreplaceable and distinctive presence on the U.S. distribution scene.
Twenty years after its founding, Strand Releasing remains an active, irreplaceable and distinctive presence on the U.S. distribution scene.
First-Person: Larry Daressa provides helpful hints on distribution strategy.
First-Person: Larry Daressa provides helpful hints on distribution strategy.
SF360.org interviews Davila on his film about a bottom-rung Tenderloin drug dealer with aspirations of becoming an artist.
When we're finally all watching movies on the most expedient of platforms–our mobile phone–Ellen Lake will be at the head of the parade.
SF360.org joined in on a conversation about Cinematheque's past and present when Steven Jenkins lunched with Jonathan Marlow at Caffe Centro.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush writes on the conundrum of not getting money for a project without a known cast, and not getting a cast without a bunch of money.
Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."
If you've been waiting for a punk-rock doc about sewage and wastewater treatment–admit it–it's in the pipeline and heading your way by year's end.
Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.
Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi discusses pros and cons of having to sit through a screening of one's own film.
Hammer discusses his debut feature premiered at Sundance to resounding critical fanfare, winning prizes for best director and cinematography.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush offers tips on bridging the worlds of creativity and business.
The SFFS has added a Gallic counterpart to its long-running New Italian Cinema series.
The Sixth Screen: Here are some browser-based legal zones for free online feature film viewing pleasure. No installation required.
A conversation with the executive director of an experimental/avant-garde film distribution company, who both runs a profitable business and creates dynamic art.
The SFIFF announced its 2008 program and the June 13 launch of its year-round programming on one screen at the Sundance Kabuki
Just when Gus Van Sant seemed on the verge of turning into just another Hollywood selloutÑhe did a total about-face. His four features since have been true art films
Way back in 1998, Jeff Ross founded the San Francisco Independent Film Festival to showcase iconoclastic, grassroots moviemakers locked out of the standard channels of distribution. As the 10th SF Indiefest kicks off tonight, Ross and his rotating cast of programmers remain as idealistic as ever, but the indie landscape has largely changed for the worse.
Michael Fox reviews the release of a Sergei Paradjanov DVD boxed set and the arrival of a Jean-Luc Godard box spotlighting his underrated mid-'80s work.
The live-action film division of Viz Media has just marked its second year of bringing a broader range of Japanese film to the growing audience for Japanese pop culture.
If they don't get the chance to beguile the world in theaters, maybe, at the very least, they'll find their way to audiences via digital download.
Somewhere between iPhone and YouTube there’s a wee festival known as miniPAH. A more slender version of PAH-FEST, the touring weeklong digital film festival founded a year and a half ago by filmmaker Christopher Coppola, “miniPAH: San Francisco” happens this weekend at Coppola’s alma mater, San Francisco Art Institute, ahead of a full-fledged Bay Area PAH sometime next year.
Six features in the week-long series had not been seen in 50 (and in one case 70) years due to legal complications.
SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.
Tirard takes an ingenious tack in conjuring the creative evolution of France's master of satiric comedy.
San Franciscans have a poignant symbiotic relationship with William Kaufman's freshman feature, The Prodigy, which returns to the city this week.
Movies are shifting at mach speed from the theater to the home. The future is at hand.
How did Kink.com make it to the Mission? How did Straight Outta Hunters Point get out of Hunters Point? How'd the Roxie get saved?
Is there anyone who doesn't know that the San Francisco International Film Festival is turning 50 this month?
James Longley's Fragments stands out amongst the crowded field of Iraqumentaries, while Others pulls back the Iron Curtain to powerful effect.
The List: A collection of individuals who caught my eye in an intense week of YouTube scouring. Most have gotten upwards of one million views.
Wrapping up Sundance Ô07, with the NFL's big game as the best metaphor to describe the annual festival.
Hailed as one of the best films of 2005 without distribution, Becker's doc hits theaters nearly two years after it debuted at Sundance.
Collector and archivist Rick Prelinger puts on a show at the Other Cinema to celebrate his new book, A Field Guide to Sponsored Films.
The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.
The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.
Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.
Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.
It doesn't seem like a stretch to group Janus with those American institutions which have represented a vision of what art is and can be.
The resounding refrain at Digimart 2006 was that the traditional model of independent film and video distribution was dying.
The resounding refrain at Digimart 2006 was that the traditional model of independent film and video distribution was dying.
Through a close examination of his own family, filmmaker Doug Block explores universal questions about our own mothers and fathers in 51 Birch Street.
When Brent Hoff was checking into a hotel for a film festival, the concierge thrust a business card into his hand, “Remember me next time you’re casting a film." So he asked the biggest directors he knows to cast the concierge in a series of short films.
Joseph McBride's What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of An Independent Career catalogs the director's amazingly prolific final 15 years.
A panel discussion yields insights into the presentÑand futureÑof indie distribution.
The annual series of films from countries with less developed or out-of-favor national cinemas has several winners.
The annual series of films from countries with less developed or out-of-favor national cinemas has several winners.
Craig Baldwin and Noel Lawrence bring their brand of smart, quirky, avant-garde and political programming into the home.
Distributors of independent films reveal their strategies and assessment of the market heading into the all-important fall season.
This 2006 series of recent releases and restorations that played theaters for only a day or, at most, a week is exceptionally varied.
Austin's Alamo Drafthouse Cinema touring program brings classics to the locations they made famous, with a mobile outdoor projection unit and inflatable screen.
Al Gore's fledgling S.F.--based cable and satellite channel, Current TV, generates cutting-edge content democratically, with a third of the programming created by viewers.
There's one resource on the Net where some of the best travel videos have congregated, the Emervyille company aptly named TurnHere.
The List: Ten faves from Eva Sollberger's YouTube series, The Deadbeat Club, which revisits the decade she spent working in the Bay Area film community.
California Film Institute's Executive Director, Mark Fishkin, comments on the Sundance Institute's "Art House Project."
If you haven't yet found your repurpose in life, SFIFF's International Remix site might be of use.
George Bush Senior's thousand points of light may never have materialized, but Adam Werbach believes that millions of pixels can truly accomplish something.
Sundance Cinemas buys the Kabuki 8 and announces plans to reopen as the Sundance Kabuki in early fall 2006.