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Festivals

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Home

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
september 22 2011

Dark Thoughts Fill TIFF’s Lightbox
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 18, 2011
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Home

Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’
Michael Fox
Jul 20, 2011
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
In Depth

Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’
Michael Fox
Jul 20, 2011
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
July 21, 2011

Essential SF: ‘North Beach,’ ‘Medicine For Melancholy’
Michael Fox
Jul 20, 2011
Two Bay Area location-based features that speak to the moment are poised to stand the test of time.
Home

Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA
Dennis Harvey
Jul 18, 2011
Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.
July 21, 2011

Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA
Dennis Harvey
Jul 18, 2011
Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.
Reviews

Striking Skolimowski Films Rescued from Obscurity at PFA
Dennis Harvey
Jul 18, 2011
Pacific Film Archive’s ‘Hands Up! Essential Skolimowski’ surveys the Polish director’s confounding oeuvre.
News & Blogs

Fandor Partners with Microcinema International and Kino Lorber
Jun 7, 2011
Press release: Fandor, a new on-demand provider of independent films, along with distributors Kino Lorber and Microcinema International, today announced it is pioneering the coordinated theatrical and digital premier, a first for the industry. The first film to be released under the coordinated theatrical and digital premier paradigm will be the June 15 re-release of 'David Holzman's Diary.' More at microcinema.com and fandor.com.
December 9, 2010

Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips
Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
Dec 7, 2010
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
Home

Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips
Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
Dec 7, 2010
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
January 31, 2011

Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips
Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
Dec 7, 2010
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
Legal

Film Festival Season: Five Last-Minute Music Clearance Tips
Annie Lin/The Rights Workshop
Dec 7, 2010
The Rights Workshop offers timely advice on clearing music rights pre-Sundance.
Digital

A Digital Glossary
Hannah Eaves
Jun 8, 2010
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.
Festivals

San Francisco International's Local Filmmakers Next Step
Michael Fox
May 6, 2010
We caught up with several Bay Area makers, fresh off their high-energy screenings at SFIFF53 and primed to keep the momentum rolling.
Festivals

SFIFF53 Reports: California Dreamin' at Film Society Awards Night
Susan Gerhard
Apr 30, 2010
San Francisco itself took a lead role at Film Society Awards Night, the dinner and awards program benefiting the Film Society s year-round Youth Education initiative.
Festivals

Local Filmmakers In SFIFF Spotlight
Michael Fox
Apr 27, 2010
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.
Legal

Do You Pass the Test?
George Rush
Apr 26, 2010
You are awesome. Spectacular, incredible, interesting, accomplished and generally just way awesome. Everyone wants to hear every possible thing there is to know about you.
Reviews

'It Came from Kuchar,' 'La Mission' in Theatres
sf360
Apr 16, 2010
Bay Area-made and Mission-inspired, Peter Bratt's La Mission joins Jennifer Kroot's wild and woolly It Came from Kuchar in Bay Area theaters this week.
Reviews

Independent Inuit Films at YBCA
Dennis Harvey
Apr 8, 2010
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.
Q & A

Rosen's Insights into 53rd San Francisco International
Michael Fox
Apr 5, 2010
With opening night approaching, Rachel Rosen talked about her L.A. Rolodex, the function of festivals in a broadband world and her favorites in the festival.
Reviews

Streetfilms' Two-Wheeled Revolution
Adam Hartzell
Mar 31, 2010
Pedestrians have always propelled cinema narratives, but the bicycle has rarely had a starring role.
Digital

Sights and Sounds of South by Southwest
Hannah Eaves
Mar 24, 2010
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.
Q & A

Karim Ahmad on ITVS's Forward-Thinking FUTURESTATES
Adam Hartzell
Mar 21, 2010
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.
Reviews

Thoughts On the Aughts: Best/Worst Trends
Susan Gerard
Dec 31, 2009
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.
Reviews

After Sept. 11, 2001, A Decade Found Its Way
B. Ruby Rich
Dec 23, 2009
On Sept. 13, 2001, I stood in a Toronto park and spoke to Canadian television: Movies wouldn't be the same. I was wrong.
In Production

Bay Area Narrative Filmmakers Thriving in Doc Capital
Michael Fox
Dec 23, 2009
Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
Q & A

Filmmakers Stuff 'Bag!' With Self-Distribution Dreams
Michael Fox
Dec 15, 2009
Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.
Reviews

Feast Your Eyes: A Holiday Film Preview
Dennis Harvey
Nov 25, 2009
Dennis Harvey weighs in on the upcoming films of the holiday season.
Q & A

'Sorry, Thanks' Lavishes Love on the Mission
Michael Fox
Oct 24, 2009
From the steep slope of 22nd Street down to La Taqueria, from the Attic to Boogaloos, this droll feature showcases the Mission to glowing advantage.
Festivals

Mill Valley Film Festival's 32nd
Dennis Harvey
Oct 9, 2009
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.
Festivals

Toronto International Film Festival 2009
B. Ruby Rich
Sep 19, 2009
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.
Funding

Writing a Kick-Ass Funding Proposal
Holly Million
Sep 14, 2009
Fear-Free Fundraising: Notes on assembling the basic ingredients for a great foundation funding proposal.
Q & A

Ellen Schneider's Active Voice
Michael Fox
Aug 31, 2009
Ellen Schneider speaks on the impact of social-issue documentaries and her San Francisco-based strategic communications company Active Voice.
Reviews

Kim Longinotto and Women Make Movies Film Festival
Adam Hartzell
Aug 27, 2009
A mini-retrospective of the work of Kim Longinotto plays during the Women Make Movies Film Festival at the Roxie.
Legal

Fine points on Festivals
George Rush
Aug 17, 2009
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.
Legal

Fine points on Festivals
George Rush
Aug 17, 2009
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.
Story Structure

How a Story Consultant Saved Me
Karen Everett
Aug 4, 2009
The Edit Room: I knew the right thing to do was to turn the project over to an editor. The problem was that I didn't have the $45,000 a good editor would require.
Digital

Free and Open: Video's Cambrian Explosion
Hannah Eaves
Jul 27, 2009
The Sixth Screen: Veteran journalists and filmmakers alike are polishing up their resumes, contemplating the hospitality industry, and wondering: Who stole my career?
Q & A

Anita Monga and the SF Silent Film Festival
Sura Wood
Jul 11, 2009
During her tenure at the venerable Castro Theatre, film programmer Anita Monga made her mark shepherding the venue to international prominence.
Reviews

Box set "Treasures" unearths buried avant-garde
Michael Fox
Apr 2, 2009
National Film Preservation Foundation, Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986, is a splendid package of 26 films, drawn from New York and San Francisco.
Legal

'Medicine for Melancholy' and the Art of DIY Legal Agreements
George Rush
Mar 3, 2009
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.
Reviews

Strand Releasing Turns 20
Dennis Harvey
Feb 26, 2009
Twenty years after its founding, Strand Releasing remains an active, irreplaceable and distinctive presence on the U.S. distribution scene.
First Person

Ten Commandments Before Diving into Digital Delivery
Larry Daressa
Feb 24, 2009
First-Person: Larry Daressa provides helpful hints on distribution strategy.
Reviews

Terence Davies' 'Of Time and the City' is Poetic, Personal
Dennis Harvey
Feb 10, 2009
Davies' latest film recalls his earlier autobiographical narratives, but is also unlike anything he has done before, being nonfiction.
Reviews

Sundance '09: Award-Winners, Bloggers, and More
Susan Gerhard
Jan 26, 2009
Susie Gerhard gives an overview of a festival moving back to the basics of art-making.
Legal

Casting: Names and Numbers
George Rush
Jan 16, 2009
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.
Legal

Casting: Names and Numbers
George Rush
Jan 16, 2009
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.
Reviews

Global Lens on Link TV
Judy Stone
Nov 20, 2008
Global Film Initiative's Global Lens series offers a regular spot in your home theater for edgy world-cinema narratives don't often get a place at local multiplexes.
Q & A

Scott MacDonald's 'Canyon Cinema' Book--Both History and How-to
Michael Fox
Nov 17, 2008
Scott McDonald's Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, details the formation of the revered Bay Area artists' collective in the early 1960s.
Digital

Basics of Web 3.0?
Hannah Eaves
Oct 31, 2008
The Sixth Screen: If you're interested in the future of online technology, 'jaguar' is the evergreen example used to explain what's called The Semantic Web.
Q & A

Lance Hammer on Beauty and 'Ballast'
Michael Guillen
Oct 17, 2008
Hammer discusses his debut feature premiered at Sundance to resounding critical fanfare, winning prizes for best director and cinematography.
Digital

SWAG: Free Feature Films On the Web
Hannah Eaves
Sep 26, 2008
The Sixth Screen: Here are some browser-based legal zones for free online feature film viewing pleasure. No installation required.
In Production

Mendocino's Swine Country
Michael Fox
Sep 17, 2008
"Horror films can hold a lot of crazy ideas and political ideas and no one blinks," says Pig Hunt writer and producer Robert Mailer Anderson, "and that serves our purposes."
First Person

Not Quite Quiet Desperation
Jonathan Marlow
Aug 14, 2008
First Person: Jonathan Marlow rehashes commentary on film that has caused a kerfuffle of late.
In Production

Beard world and Swenson's Salton Sea
Michael Fox
Jul 22, 2008
The first of SF360.org's In Production columns looks at two works-in-progress: Laura Lukitsch's film about beards and Lise Swenson's Salton Sea pic.
Q & A

Strand's Marcus Hu and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin
Marcus Hu
Jun 16, 2008
Strand Releasing President Marcus Hu speaks with Frameline Artistic Director Lumpkin about Frameline, queer cinema and the future of this niche festival.]
Q & A

SFIFF51: California Newsreel at 40
Erika Young
Apr 21, 2008
Founded in 1968, San Francisco-based Newsreel is the oldest nonprofit, social-issue documentary film center in the U.S.
Reviews

"Warts & All: The Films of Danny Plotnick"
Michael Fox
Mar 3, 2008
Warts & All: The Films of Danny Plotnick: 10 short comic narratives are exemplars of an unpolished, unpretentious school of moviemaking that aims at every moment to be audience-friendly.
News & Blogs

SF-Based Distributor Viz Pictures
Erika Young
Jan 9, 2008
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.
Reviews

The Best Undistributed Films of 2007
Chris Wisniewski
Jan 2, 2008
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.
Festivals

Mill Valley Film Festival 30
Dennis Harvey
Oct 15, 2007
Mill Valley retains its genuinely alterna-vibe and local (rather than professional outta-towner) audience after 30 years.
Q & A

Anywhere Road's Robert Ogden Barnum
Susan Gerhard
Oct 1, 2007
SF360.org spoke with Robert Ogden Barnum on guiding four future pop stars onto the big screen in Antonia and his new distribution company.
Q & A

Irina Leimbacher and Konrad Steiner on "kino21"
Max Goldberg
Aug 13, 2007
The co-programmers discuss their newest endeavor, though those already from the Bay Area will be familiar with their work at S.F. Cinematheque.
Festivals

Frameline31
Dennis Harvey
Jun 14, 2007
Now past its third-decade anniversary, SFILGBTFF — the producing organization keeps trying to change its public-recognition name to something more manageable, which this annum would be Frameline31 — now has filmmakers and distributors banging on its door.
Festivals

A Strandful at Frameline31
Michael Guillen
Jun 8, 2007
Strand Releasing can always be relied upon for some of the best art films and queer indies, and it has a strong festival presence,
Q & A

A Word From Our Sponsored Films
Max Goldberg
Nov 28, 2006
Collector and archivist Rick Prelinger puts on a show at the Other Cinema to celebrate his new book, A Field Guide to Sponsored Films.
Q & A

InDplay and The New Art of Film Distribution
Justin Juul
Nov 20, 2006
The Redwood City-based startup InDplay is like an online dating service for the film industry.
Festivals

A Cinequest 35
Susan Gerhard
Nov 17, 2006
Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.
Festivals

A Cinequest 35
Susan Gerhard
Nov 17, 2006
Cinequest announces a plan to distribute indie films via DVD, the Internet, TV, and some traditional theatrical sales.
News & Blogs

Case Studies in Indie Distribution at Digimart
Sean Uyehara
Nov 8, 2006
The resounding refrain at Digimart 2006 was that the traditional model of independent film and video distribution was dying.
Q & A

Poetic Terrorism and Wholphin #2
Sean Uyehara
Oct 17, 2006
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.
News & Blogs

Netflix 101, a Dispatch from IFP's Filmmaker Conference
Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE
Sep 22, 2006
A panel discussion yields insights into the presentÑand futureÑof indie distribution.
News & Blogs

Indie Distributors Strategize for Fall 2006 Releases
Steven Rosen
Sep 8, 2006
Distributors of independent films reveal their strategies and assessment of the market heading into the all-important fall season.
News & Blogs

Indie Distributors Strategize for Fall 2006 Releases
Steven Rosen
Sep 8, 2006
Distributors of independent films reveal their strategies and assessment of the market heading into the all-important fall season.
Q & A

25 Years of Sundance at the CFI's Rafael
Susan Gerhard
Jul 18, 2006
California Film Institute's Executive Director, Mark Fishkin, comments on the Sundance Institute's "Art House Project."
News & Blogs

Sundance Cinemas Buys Kabuki 8
Susan Gerhard
Mar 24, 2006
Sundance Cinemas buys the Kabuki 8 and announces plans to reopen as the Sundance Kabuki in early fall 2006.

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