The Deadlines section of sf360.org is a large but selective list of festival calls for entry, upcoming seminars, artist residencies, grant and award deadlines and other opportunities for filmmakers. Are we missing an important deadline? Please write us at sgerhard[at]sffs.org.
Catapult Film Fund provides early development funding to documentary filmmakers who have a compelling story to tell. It supports powerful stories, and moving storytelling, across a broad spectrum of issues and perspectives. ELIGIBILITY: Applicant must be 18 or older. Catapult Film Fund does not award grants for student films. Documentary projects must be 28 minutes or longer. Development funds must specifically be used to complete early writing, shooting and editing once story and characters are in place. Applicants must be independent producers. They must own the copyright of their production, and have artistic, budgetary and editorial control of their project. Applicants must have previous film or television production experience in a principal role as demonstrated by submitting previously completed work sample. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have successfully fund-raised for an independent documentary film, in line with its original budget. AWARDS: Catapult Film Fund development grants range from $5,000 to $20,000. DEADLINE: November 7, 2011. WEBSITE: catapultfilmfund.org/.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
With riveting characters, cascading revelations and momentous breakthroughs, Epstein and Friedman’s work paved the way for contemporary documentary practice.
Rough Cuts is a series of work-in-progress documentary screenings that are produced at a variety of locations throughout San Francisco. The next event (November 14, 2011; 7:30 p.m.) features one rough cut of a feature-length documentary and then a conversation about the film. The post-screening discussion is designed to give the filmmaker a better, more objective sense of what is working and not working with the film, with particular attention paid to improving the film's structure and narrative clarity. ELIGIBILITY: Rough Cuts is currently accepting submissions for the next event. If you are editing a documentary that is over 40 minutes long and are seeking feedback, they encourage you to submit. Principal photography should have been completed, and filmmakers tare encouraged to submit films that are in the later stages of post-production. AWARDS: Invaluable feedback and constructive criticism. DEADLINE: November 1, 2011. Submissions must arrive by 5:00 p.m. WEBSITE: sfroughcuts.com/index.html.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
Universally warm sentiment is attached to the Bay Area's hardest working indie/art film publicist.
"After their weekend-long Film Independent Forum," reports Sophia Savage, "FIND announced eleven filmmakers and nine projects for their 11th annual Producers Lab, and named Brent Hoff and Malcom Pullinger the winners of the 5th annual $25,000 Sloan Producers Grant." More at indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood.
"Filmmakers and coders hunkered down for two days of creative collaboration here during a first-of-its-kind hackathon that explored the future of web video — specifically Popcorn.js, Mozilla’s HTML5 media toolkit designed to amp up interactivity" reports Angela Watercutter. More at wired.com.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Saraf and Light's work is marked by an unwavering appreciation for underdogs and outsiders.
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
Can three film school grads from San Francisco break out without the help of Hollywood or New York connections?
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
The best is yet come for Mexican wunderkind Nicolás Pereda, whose elliptical narratives allow room meditation and imagination on the part of a viewer.
The TFI Documentary Fund provides grants and guidance to exceptional filmmakers developing engaging feature-length documentaries which emphasize character and that allow audiences to consider history, culture and society through the experiences of extraordinary individuals. ELIGIBILITY: Submissions must be non-fiction motion pictures with an intended length of at least 70 minutes and should creatively document unique character(s); submissions can be in the advanced stages of development, production or post-production and must not have aired on any form. Foreign language documentaries are eligible, but must be subtitled and suitable for an American audience. Applicants must be over 18-years old. $25 entry fee. AWARDS: Grants of at least $10,000 will be awarded in 2012. DEADLINE: October 10, 2011. WEBSITE: tribecafilminstitute.org/tfi_documentary/.
The TFI Latin America Media Arts Fund supports innovative film and video artists who are living or working in Mexico, Central and South America and working independently in their efforts to reach a larger audience. ELIGIBILITY: Submissions must be animation, documentary and/or hybrid feature-length films with an intended length of at least 70 minutes. Submissions must be in production or post-production and must not have aired on any form of television, been screened publicly or have been distributed in theaters or via the internet. Projects may be in any language or dialect. Applicants must be over 18 years old. Student films and stand-alone short films are not eligible for submission. $25 entry fee. AWARDS: Last year, the Fund administered $10,000 grants to four selected films. In addition to funding, each grantee will receive a U.S. based advisor and guidance from the Tribeca Film Institute. DEADLINE: October 10, 2011. WEBSITE: tribecafilminstitute.org/filmmakers/latin_fund/.
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Artistic integrity is always in short supply, which makes Broughton an inspiration for every successive generation of poets and filmmakers.
Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.
Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.
Though it's legal to film illegal acts, crime can certainly complicate your filmmaking process.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Two Berkeley filmmakers tap vitality of 84-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Marian Diamond.
Press release: The San Francisco Film Society today announced the three winners of the inaugural SFFS Documentary Film Fund grants. The Fund was created to support the postproduction of singular feature-length nonfiction film work that is distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Each year from 2011 to 2013, a total of $100,000 will be disbursed to further new work by documentary filmmakers nationwide. Winners are: Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, An American Promise, $25,000; Priya Desai and Ann Kim, Match +, $25,000; Zachary Heinzerling, Cutie & the Boxe, $50,000. For more information go to: sffs.org/filmmaker-services.
Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.
Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.
Developing a style that sets your film apart is key to capturing audience attention in nonfiction.
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
Sex-filled fictions dominate Toronto International Film Festival; eclectic docs inspire action.
SF's largest single screen shows a new restoration print of Martin Scorsese's grime classic, 'Taxi Driver.' Playing on the same double-bill is underseen noir 'Blast of Silence', an influence on filmmakers from Scorsese to Lars von Trier. More info at castrotheatre.com.
San Francisco loses two of its cinema icons, pioneering 'camp humorist' George Kuchar and seminal experimental filmmaker Jordan Belson. George Kuchar, the beloved San Francisco filmmaker, teacher, mentor and friend, died Tuesday night, September 6, at the age of 69. He passed away at Coming Home Hospice in the Castro, where he resided for the last month. Kuchar had been diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, but the sad news was not conveyed beyond a circle of close friends until recently. Kuchar and his twin brother, Mike, began making movies in their teens in their Bronx neighborhood in the late ’50s. Inspired by the florid emotions of Hollywood melodramas, they made 8mm narratives that were funny...
San Francisco loses two of its cinema icons, pioneering 'camp humorist' George Kuchar and seminal experimental filmmaker Jordan Belson. George Kuchar, the beloved San Francisco filmmaker, teacher, mentor and friend, died Tuesday night, September 6, at the age of 69. He passed away at Coming Home Hospice in the Castro, where he resided for the last month. Kuchar had been diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, but the sad news was not conveyed beyond a circle of close friends until recently. Kuchar and his twin brother, Mike, began making movies in their teens in their Bronx neighborhood in the late ’50s. Inspired by the florid emotions of Hollywood melodramas, they made 8mm narratives that were funny...
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
Priya Giri Desai documents matchmaking efforts for HIV-positives in India.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
When news of San Francisco Executive Director Graham Leggat’s passing hit the web, responses were heartfelt and immediate. SF360 collects a few of those thoughts.
The Roy W. Dean Film and Writing Grants fund shorts, documentaries and low budget independent features. ELIGIBILITY: New film and video projects (including works-in-progress) that are unique and benefit the society. Student filmmakers, independent producers or independent production companies are all welcome. AWARDS: Winner gets a variety of awards including scholarships and cash prizes for different production fields. DEADLINE: August 30, 2011. WEBSITE: fromtheheartproductions.com/grant-lavideo.shtml.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
The San Francisco’s Film Commission's executive director offers notes on new incentives for production in the city.
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
Filmmakers find themselves outside the 'buffer' zone as film about graffiti-abaters hits local screens, and streets. Editor's note: Vigilante, Vigilante: The Battle for Expression, a Bay Area-made film on graffiti "abatement," opened with a clamor last weekend at the Roxie, as San Francisco's Department of Public Works made an issue of cleaning up the film's street-art advertising campaign. The filmmakers responded that they've asked that their materials not be posted illegally, but that hasn't stopped DPW requesting them to cease and desist attracting audiences via wheatpaste. What follows is sf360.org's interview...
Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.
Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.
Placing well-timed humor in a documentary film can be a great way to open minds.
The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winners and two honorable mentions of the fifth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including a total of $788,000 already awarded in the first five grant rounds.
Carlton Evans and Matthew Lessner (Ross), $50,000 for screenwriting; Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari), $88,000 for postproduction; Adam Keker (National Park), $35,000 for screenwriting; Timothy Kelly (The Cherokee Word for Water), $75,000 for production; Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of a Southern Wild), $55,000 for postproduction. Honorable Mentions went to: John Dilly (Rubbish), development and Ian Olds (The Western Habit), screenwriting. More at sffs.org.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
The second year of the Film Society's movie-making summer camp puts youth on location.
Film buffs that missed SFJFF entry 'Between Two Worlds' at this year's festival have another opportunity to see the doc this week at the Roxie. A loose series of events beginning with the festival's own highly controversial screening of 'Rachel' in 2009, 'Between Two Worlds' is moored by a sublime ambient soundtrack by guitarist Fred Firth. For analysis, check out Ruby Rich's in-depth feature here on SF360. Filmmakers Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman will be present for Q&A for 7:00 pm screenings Friday, Saturday and Sunday. More info at roxie.com.
Thrill ride 'Point Blank' loses nothing in translation—it's a prime example of cinematic globalization.
Thrill ride 'Point Blank' loses nothing in translation—it's a prime example of cinematic globalization.
Thrill ride 'Point Blank' loses nothing in translation—it's a prime example of cinematic globalization.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
Filmmakers take personal approach to Jewish cultural debates.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
The best of the Bay Area's historical docs transform our understanding of previous eras, and, consequently, our own.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
SF filmmakers Peter Adair and Ellen Bruno created classics on religious intensity.
A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.
A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.
A film festival and conference offered audiences and makers opportunities to move forward.
Press release: The Ninth Street Independent Film Center announced today five new participants for the Center's Media Arts Incubator Program for 2011-2012. "This is a great group of participants," says Skye Christensen, Executive Director of the Ninth Street Independent Film Center. "Each brings a very dynamic project to the Program, and we're really looking forward to what they'll accomplish during their time here." Ninth Street’s Media Arts Incubator Program is designed to nurture socially relevant independent media projects at Ninth Street Independent Film Center. The Incubator Program supports independent filmmakers, start-up film festivals and small media nonprofits through access to workspace and shared resources, such as cross-promotional opportunities, co-productions, affordable meeting or exhibition space and community connections with established media arts partners (Center for Asian American Media, Frameline, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and others). Participants are: Rachel Caplan (CEO) and Daniela Rible (Deputy Director) of the annual SF Green Film Festival; Jennifer Tipton and Cary McQueen Morrow, the directors of Art with Impact, which is a platform for the creation of new media on critical social issues; David Evan Harris, Executive Director of the Global Lives Project, a media arts nonprofit that seeks to collaboratively build a video library of human life experience; Scarlett Shepard is Executive Director of the SF Women’s Film Festival; and J.R. Flemming, director and producer of Guarding Dogs, which is a documentary film with a crowd-sourcing model currently in production that makes the case for adopting a dog instead breeding/buying.
Directors Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton inspect the treasures held in the Library of Congress' revered National Film Registry and consider their lasting impact on the American experience. The locally made doc features insightful interviews with prominent celebrities and critics. Both filmmakers will be present for Q&A after screening at Smith Rafael Film Center. More at cafilm.org.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
Asking the right questions is an art; a consultant speaks on how to conduct documentary interviews that will help structure your film.
S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.
S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.
S. Smith Patrick shares purpose with the children she films.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
Nonfiction filmmakers are re-engaging audiences with an entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on creative narrative strategy.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Filmmakers, critics and fans celebrate their mothers’ unique, eccentric, foundational contributions to their movie-loving lives.
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
Cash prizes, recognition showered on the winning filmmakers of 2011 San Francisco International. The San Francisco International Film Festival presented its 2011 Golden Gate Awards to filmmakers Wednesday night at Temple Nightclub/Prana Restaurant. Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway's Better This World won both Documentary Feature and Bay Area Documentary awards. Yoav Potash's Crime After Crime received the Investigative Documentary prize. Park Jung-bum's The Journals of Musan won the New Directors award. A complete list...
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
The region's nonfiction filmmakers consider next steps after their SFIFF debuts.
Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.
Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.
Social-justice filmmaking gets discussed in a Bill Nichols'-moderated salon during SFIFF.
Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.
Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.
Christine Vachon examines her varied indie successes while offering notes on the world of change engulfing cinema.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Whether in the foreground or background of your narrative feature, pieces of art require copyright consideration.
Press release: Current TV is launching a new pro-social program, called 'The Current Cause,' which invites both amateur and professional filmmakers to create promotional spots focusing on pro-social themes and organizations. The program focuses on a different theme every quarter, beginning with a sustainability-themed "Earth Fights Back" initiative to commemorate Earth Day 2011. More at current.com/cause.
Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.
Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.
Hester Schell’s ‘Casting Revealed’ helps filmmakers hire quality actors.
Filmmakers Ray Telles and Kenn Rabin are in person at the Smith Rafael Film Center to present their documentary, ‘The Storm That Swept Mexico,’ which illustrates the story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and explores the subsequent changes in relationship dynamics between Mexico, the United States and Europe. More at cafilm.org.
The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
The Media that Matters Conference showcased innovative formats and powerful storytelling.
YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.
YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.
YBCA rallies behind Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof with its ‘Iran Beyond Censorship’ series.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
Long story short: A filmmaker finds the right length for his South American health doc.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
A new crop of filmmakers are building audiences by showing nonfiction doesn’t have to be depressing to reveal hard truths.
Screen Circus plays at Red Vic Movie House, offering indie short films by local filmmakers. More at redvicmoviehouse.com.
Pacific Film Archive hosts ‘Film and Video Makers at Cal,’ which offers an array of short narratives, documentaries and music videos by UC Berkeley student filmmakers. More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Short and feature films completed over the previous year by the Scary Cow’s co-op members play at Castro Theater. Attendees vote on which filmmakers should receive funding for future projects. More at scarycow.com.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Scary Cow matches makers with crews, and, every quarter, finds audiences for both.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
Elia Suleiman’s 'The Time That Remains' recalls his parents’ Nazareth.
Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Reality bursts through daydreams; labors of love pay off in 2011's edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Filmmakers Amy and Tom Valens appear in person at Smith Rafael Film Center for the world premiere of their documentary ‘August to June,’ which follows Amy in her final year as an instructor at a public elementary school in the city of Lagunitas. More at cafilm.org.
Roxie Theater presents ‘Two In The Wave,’ a documentary showcasing the friendship and eventual fall out of French New Wave filmmakers Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Actual short works from Truffaut and Godard play after the film. More at roxie.com.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Filmmakers make plans, stay calm, hone their messages for Park City audiences in days before festival opens.
Press release: "...The new initiative, called JustFilms, will invest $10 million a year over the next five years to support and expand the community of filmmakers and mediamakers around the world focused on creating documentaries with passion and purpose, but who often lack funding to realize their visions or reach audiences." More at fordfoundation.org.
A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.
A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.
A filmmaker’s trip to Luanda with a State Department program brings insight on the growth of a young national cinema.
Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.
Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.
Rough-cut screenings can help you identify problems areas of your film—if you know how to listen.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
The Bay Area film community sounds off on the best/worst trends, times, docs and Bay Area-made films of 2010.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Film fans and makers agree to disagree on the best films of 2010 in SF360.org's annual Year in Film poll.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Outspoken and rarely understated, Bay Area filmmakers took center stage in 2010.
Press release: The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winners of the fourth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants: Debbie Brubaker, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Christopher Mason Johnson, Mike Ott and Morgan Wise. The grants are given twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. More at sffs.org.
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.
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
A longtime friendship grows into a film.
San Francisco Film Society celebrates Italy’s freshest film offerings in the New Italian Cinema series at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. Films new and old from director Ferzan Ozpetek begin the weeklong festival, which focuses on a diverse group of work from some of Italy’s most gifted filmmakers, many appearing in person. Opening Night is Ozpetek’s most recent, ‘Loose Cannons,’ which precedes a party at Cigar Bar & Grill, 850 Montgomery Street. More at sffs.org.
Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.
Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.
Laws and treaties protect artists' rights overseas and make the permissions-gathering process all the more important for filmmakers.
This event marks the debut of an exciting new filmmaker-in-person series presented by BAM/PFA. Regarded as one of the most significant voices in contemporary American indie cinema, director Kelly Reichardt presents and discusses her work with professor, author (and SF360.org contributor) B. Ruby Rich at the Pacific Film Archive. Feature films include ‘Ode,’ ‘Old Joy,’ ‘River of Grass’ and ‘Wendy and Lucy,’ as well as two shorts, ‘Then a Year,’ and ‘Travis.’ More at bampfa.berkeley.edu.
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Caitlin Manning takes a look at her cartoon-artist grandfather's life and legacy.
Now in its second year, SFFS's Cinema by the Bay brings Bay Area films and filmmakers to Mission venues the Roxie Theater, the Lab and Southern Exposure. As part of the festivities, SF360 Presents Essential SF November 8, featuring a hard-core handful of the Bay Area's vital filmmakers and institutions. Look for more on the shows at sffs.org.
"Ten Bay Area filmmakers got good news this month when the San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation announced that they had narrowed their choices to a short list of contenders competing for $225,000 in cash," writes Hugh Hart. "The awards will go toward funding projects that explore civil rights, discrimination, gender and sexual identity. Winners will be named in November." More at SFGate.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
At SFFS Film Arts Forum, experts offered live advice on how to pitch a film.
Missing children, justice gone potentially awry: Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio journey back to the Staten Island streets they grew up on to investigate the urban legend of Cropsey, an alleged escaped mental patient who was said to terrorize their community. The San Francisco Bay Guardian's Cheryl Eddy named it one of the best films of 2009; it arrives this week for its SF theatrical release at the Red Vic Movie House.
Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.
Two filmmakers examine the justice system in the U.S. post-Sept. 11.
What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.
What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.
What to consider when you're considering hiring a producer.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
The Bay Area's best first-person documentaries take us through a lens, darkly.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Bay Area filmmakers find a platform at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
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.
San Francisco producer and director Tom Shepard, along with New York filmmakers Tina DiFeliciantonio and Jane C. Wagner, present their new documentary, 'Whiz Kids,' about ambitious teenagers who compete in the Intel Science Talent Search, in person at the Balboa Theatre.
'Howl' filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will host a Q&A and present the San Francisco opening of their new film at the Sundance Kabuki.
San Francisco Film Society and the New York International Children's Film Festival offer three days of films for kids, teens and their families, from 'Turtle—the Incredible Journey' (pictured) to Santosh Sivan's Kashmir story, 'Tahaan,' to shorts and animated films, kicking off Friday, September 24, with a kid-friendly opening night party at the Punch Line Comedy Club.
The San Francisco Irish Film Festival offers Roxie audiences three days of contemporary Irish cinema, including features, documentaries and short films paired with free pints of Irish cider. Closing night film 'His & Hers' won the Cinematography Award at Sundance 2010.
Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.
Judy Irving goes from parrots to pelicans with her new documentary.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
A series at the Roxie mines the fault lines in Robert Altman's varied oeuvre.
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.
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.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
A filmmaker shows environmentalists who are changing the way we as Americans relate to nature.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
Surprising themes and high profile documentaries are among the highlights of the Telluride 2010 lineup.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
When filming a public figure, the rights to privacy as well as publicity need to be considered.
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
Oakland's youth video-production collective The Factory showcases more than a dozen documentary, narrative, and experimental films made by students at the Pacific Film Archive on August 24. A panel discussion with student filmmakers follows.
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
Who's to say if it's a story problem or an audience problem?
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.
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 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival finds fans beyond its identity-based target audience with a wide array of international films and topics.
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.
Frameline34 brought together a wide array of programs following the retrospective impulse.
The makers of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work speak about their latest, as well as the state of documentary filmmaking.
Ondine finds Neil Jordan back on personal terra firma with a story (his own, in conception and screenplay) that sits exactly on the thin line separating reality and fantasy.
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.
Emiko Omori s upcoming documentary, Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World, a collaboration of sorts between the two artists, grew out of a friendship that dates to 1974.
Bay Area filmmakers report back from film festivals far (Cannes) and wide (Marfa).
A letter from Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami speaks out against Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Cutlure and in solidarity with detained director Jafar Panahi.
Today s fun fact: San Francisco has more nail salons per capita than any city in the country.
Today s fun fact: San Francisco has more nail salons per capita than any city in the country.
Almost $300,000 was given out Wednesday night for awards and grants honoring documentary winners.
We caught up with several Bay Area makers, fresh off their high-energy screenings at SFIFF53 and primed to keep the momentum rolling.
Cash prizes totaling nearly $300,000 for filmmakers highlighted the San Francisco International Film Festival s Golden Gate Awards Wednesday night.
Cash prizes totaling nearly $300,000 for filmmakers highlighted the San Francisco International Film Festival s Golden Gate Awards Wednesday night.
Along with selfless sacrifices and random luck, low-budget independent films often depend on the timely intervention of an angel.
Don t let Hollywood crow about The Hurt Locker and the year of the woman until more filmmakers of the sort featured at this year s festival benefit.
Don t let Hollywood crow about The Hurt Locker and the year of the woman until more filmmakers of the sort featured at this year s festival benefit.
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.
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.
If you imagine the S.F. International Film Festival as an circus tent, with Opening and Closing nights the main supports, the other tent poles are interactive live experiences.
First-time filmmaker Christina Yao is soft-spoken and exceedingly polite, but it s apparent that very little intimidates her.
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.
One of the oldest points of contention in documentary is whether the camera s presence alters the subject s behavior.
One of the heroes of South Korean cinema's recent renaissance wisely sticks to home terrain with his follow-up to The Host.
Deann Borshay Liem's 1999 doc First Person Plural recounted her experience as an orphaned Korean adoptee raised in an East Bay suburb.
The Center for Asian American Media, formerly known as NAATA and founded to nurture Asian American filmmakers as well as counter ethnic stereotypes, has accomplished that and more.
The Center for Asian American Media, formerly known as NAATA and founded to nurture Asian American filmmakers as well as counter ethnic stereotypes, has accomplished that and more.
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.
The moving arrow anoints a new hot spot of contemporary cinema every few years, and then moves on. Yet Germany never makes the cool list.
Injured in a crash on the Golden Gate Bridge, Dr. Grace Dammann spent 45 days in a coma and 13 months in the hospital.
YBCA has sustained a major place in S.F.'s cultural landscape without receiving the due it would have had its mission been narrower and more easily defined.
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?
The Oscar nomination for The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers is a validation of the doc's right-now relevance.
Olga Samaroff, the path-breaking 20th-century concert pianist, critic and teacher, was born Lucy Hickenlooper in San Antonio, Texas. That's right, she reinvented herself.
The film historian looks back at Frank Stauffacher's seminal mid-century series, which hatched a Bay Area avant-garde.
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.
In the YouTube-Facebook-viral video era, it's hard to remember the time when youth-made media was rare.
Hilary Hart, who annually holds down the late-night shift at the Egyptian at Sundance, offers interviews with fellow workers at the festival.
Writer-director Andrea Arnold created a stir with her first feature Red Road, but her new film is arguably an even stronger work.
The harsh glare of the spotlight that brought Howl mixed reviews from critics on opening night of Sundance had melted into a warm glow by Saturday.
"I wish gay cinema would die", Joe Graham declares. It s not queer movies the San Francisco filmmaker hates, but categories and pigeonholing.
Seems like every filmmaker I know is ready to party! Everyone s throwing fundraising events for their films. So many babes in the party-planning woods.
Jennifer Phang has experienced more than enough culture shocks in her life to empathize with the identity challenges of the characters in her debut feature.
Geralyn Pezanoski s doc about the separation and occasional reunion of pets and owners in post-Katrina New Orleans beat the shelf-life odds.
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.
Not surprisingly, Bay Area critics, fans, exhibitors and filmmakers did not arrive at a consensus on the best films of the decade.
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.
Michael Fox shows independent filmmakers who are thriving in the Bay Area.
Claire Denis proves her unpredictability and versatility as a director with the 2008 release 35 Shots of Rum.
Filmmakers Justine Jacob And Alex da Silva release the documentary Ready, Set, Bag!, which follows competitive grocery baggers from across the country.
Kristine Enea's documentary shows The EcoCenter, a San Francisco environmental educational facility that treats and recycles wastewater and generates its own solar power.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art honors the 40th anniversary of The Cockettes with a one-night-only program.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: The Doc examines patience in filmmaking.
Here are a few ways to both entice and reward your donors, as well as some tips for thanking them when all's said and done.
Aroy's film excavates the history and contributions of Filipino farmworkers in the Golden State since the 1920s.
George Rush skips legal concerns and instead speaks to a larger issue: the lack of quality independent filmmaking today.
Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is being revived as part of San Francisco Film Society’s second annual French Cinema Now festival, which runs the week of October 29 through November 4 at the city’s Clay Theatre.
It’s hard to imagine a venue where the new documentary Holding On to Jah will sound better than it did at Mezzanine last Wednesday night.
It’s hard to imagine a venue where the new documentary Holding On to Jah will sound better than it did at Mezzanine last Wednesday night.
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.
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.
Chick Strand, a crucial pioneer of West Coast experimental cinema, died July 11 at 78.
Chick Strand, a crucial pioneer of West Coast experimental cinema, died July 11 at 78.
A new, four-day showcase of local filmmaking doubles as a forum for the region's influence as subject and setting for filmmakers beyond the bay.
A new, four-day showcase of local filmmaking doubles as a forum for the region's influence as subject and setting for filmmakers beyond the bay.
Beyond Words: The people who back up the main character are often key sources of revelation, unmasking aspects of personality, motivation and backstory.
Franny Armstrong talks about the moral imperative of her films, the importance of Hopenhagen, and the unexpected magnitude of her success.
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.
To viewers of Lucrecia Martel's earlier work, The Headless Woman is the crowning achievement; the filmmaker speaks about her vision of the world.
High-concept cabaret-act favorite in the Bay Area who sidelines as a filmmaker, Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) speaks about his latest, Stingray Sam.
The movies of William Klein are suffused with the same impudence, social commentary and aesthetic surprise found in his photos.
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.
Behind any narrative for the screen is the story that came before it—the life that shaped the central character, who arrives fully formed as your story opens
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.
Oakland attorney Richard Lee speaks on the legal case surrounding the Swedish filmmakers of the hot-button documentary Bananas!.
Jager McConnell speaks about Scary Cow, a filmmakers' co-op that offers experience, people, money and equipment to aspiring filmmakers with ideas to burn.
Veteran filmmakers Pablo Trapero and Jia Zhang-ke complicate their genres with Lion's Den and 24 City.
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman combine live-action period drama and animation in retelling of Ginsburg's Howl
Newly-retired Pacific Film Archive publicist Shelley Diekman discusses her cinephile tastes, her past and her future.
Newly-retired Pacific Film Archive publicist Shelley Diekman discusses her cinephile tastes, her past and her future.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: How do I choose the right crew for my story?
Lucrecia Martel's films, including La Ciénaga and The Headless Woman feature what have come to be known as her primary concerns: classism, decay and femininity.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Are Your "Friends" Worthless?
Fear-Free Fundraising: Are Your "Friends" Worthless?
During her tenure at the venerable Castro Theatre, film programmer Anita Monga made her mark shepherding the venue to international prominence.
Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho is one of the many highlights on screen during the three-day San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
A festival full of drama finds no more emotional screening than the homophobia-in-sports double bill of Training Rules and Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial.
Blood-soaked, darkly comic All About Evil has writer-director Joshua Grannell and editor Rick LeCompte on an express-train schedule rare for an independent feature.
Blood-soaked, darkly comic All About Evil has writer-director Joshua Grannell and editor Rick LeCompte on an express-train schedule rare for an independent feature.
Avoiding Disaster: Clearing music is one of those horrible, arduous, frustrating tasks that needs to be done in order to show or sell a film.
Oshima's output grazed on familiar genres, such as the youth-gone-wild and domestic drama, while freely incorporating elements from avant-garde and documentary filmmaking.
Like most social-issue documentaries, Food Stamped sprang from an activist impulse for Shira and Yoav Potash.
Berkeley-based filmmaking team Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan speak about social justice as a career and their film Soldiers of Conscience.
At a film festival called Another Hole in the Head, dedicated to sci-fi, horror and fantasy, catastrophic carnage meets comedy more often than not.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: Where does the filmmaker stop existing to give way to the reporter/activist/responsible citizen with camera in hand?
SFIFF handed out approximately $100,000 and announced the winner San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant during its Golden Gate Awards.
Franny Armstrong's The Age of Stupid is a documentary encased like a time capsule inside a fictive but science-based, frighteningly possible future
The 2009 SFIFF has been a launching pad for the numerous Bay Area filmmaker
The Professionals an ambitious array of panels, case studies and discussions, makes its debut as a forum for encouraging Bay Area moviemakers to engage with guests and colleagues.
Jarmel and Schneider's Speaking in Tongues follows the stories of four public school children studying Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish along with their English.
Jarmel and Schneider's Speaking in Tongues follows the stories of four public school children studying Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish along with their English.
Peter Bratt's La Mission focuses on conflict within a family and a neighborhood, exploring what happens when a single father named Che learns a secret about his son that tests his love for his family and his community's love for him.
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.
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.
Ramin Bahrani's Goodbye Solo prompted Roger Ebert to pronounce him "the new great American directorâ" a couple weeks ago. The film is definitely the writer-helmer's most accessible work to date, one that might very well provide him with an arthouse breakthrough.
Local filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf's latest film Empress Hotel delves into the lives of the residents at the titular building, a Tenderloin housing facility for the recently homeless. The film makes visible an area many city dwellers may only experience in the fringe of their consciousness and provides insight into the lives of the residents within.
Holly Million reviews some of the documentaries shown at this year's festival: It Came >From Kuchar, MIne and Motherland.
Sound design: in a documentary can be a great ally in bringing real life to the screen, and the dilemma is not whether to use this wonderful story device but rather how and in what context.
An engaging documentary sampler of nine leading contemporary theorists, interviewed in settings that one way or another in real world terms illustrate (or contrast with) the concepts they discuss.
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.
The tentatively titled Winter of Love uses Prop. 8 as a framework for a look at the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.
This "dramatized documentary" was a labor of love–if also a graphic portrayal of the vast LA detached from Hollywood's success-bubble glamour.
The tentatively titled Winter of Love uses Prop. 8 as a framework for a look at the increasing acceptance of gay marriage.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million suggests ways to make approaching individual donors that much easier.
Davies' latest film recalls his earlier autobiographical narratives, but is also unlike anything he has done before, being nonfiction.
In Strand: A Natural History of Cinema, Christian Bruno pays homage to the pivotal and shifting role of movie theaters in San Francisco's cultural life.
Grants totaling $3 million for narrative feature films made in the Bay Area will be distributed by the SFFS and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
While ballplayers were relaxing in the off-season, Eugene Corr plowed ahead with his baseball documentary From Ghost Town to Havana.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer César Charlone recently codirected his first theatrical feature film, a darkly comic farce about Pope John Paul II.
First-Person: A program officer at the San Francisco Foundation has a sobering experience making a documentary.
A look at Otto; or, Up with Dead People, from a late arrival in the New Queer Cinema wave.
Levy offers thoughts on the program she's presenting at Sundance and what's being called the "New Documentary Movement."
Matt Sussman draws conclusions about women and Hollywood from three big women-oriented films of 2008.
Bay Area filmmakers, critics and industry pros list their favorite unreleased films of 2008.
Oakland's Pamela Harris and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media are connecting media makers with financial resources.
Ask the Documentary Doctor: Fernanda Rossi discusses pros and cons of having to sit through a screening of one's own film.
Bay Area filmmakers represented at Sundance.
Fear-Free Fundraising: Holly Million advises filmmakers on where to get funding when the going gets tough.
Martha Colburn's recent shorts plunge the interstices of Americana for a hidden history of fanaticism and double-faced hypocrisies.
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.
A husband and wife filmmaking pair are in the midst of a documentary on mysterious disappearances in the Galapagos.
A husband and wife filmmaking pair are in the midst of a documentary on mysterious disappearances in the Galapagos.
Beyond Words: Skillful dialogue on film can achieve a structural dimension that shapes the narrative as surely as plot does.
A director who lives in both Switzerland and New York leads a Swiss-German coproduction about two women from former Yugoslavian territories who meet in Zurich.
In its 12th season, the country's first and largest independent exhibitor of Arab cinema has gotten to be one of the bigger small fests in the Bay Area.
Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss's film candidly explores 'the ground truth' of Iraq without setting foot in the country.
We sat down with Michel Shehadeh, who joined the festival earlier this year, for a wide-ranging interview on Arab film.
Avoiding Disaster: George Rush offers tips on bridging the worlds of creativity and business.
The Doc Doctor prescribes cures for common pitfalls of demo reels.
'It takes your guts and your entrails and your soul to make a film,' Mikels once proclaimed. 'It takes everything you possess within you!'
What do women want to watch? With Diane English’s recent unfunny and product placement-filled re-make of The Women hitting theaters last week, Hollywood’s answer, predictably, is more of the same.
What do women want to watch? With Diane English’s recent unfunny and product placement-filled re-make of The Women hitting theaters last week, Hollywood’s answer, predictably, is more of the same.
This year's Mill Valley Film Festival shows healthy signs of life for the independent film business.
A Telluride veteran gives a festival overview, and explains why film lovers and filmmakers travel to a remote corner of Colorado on blind faith.
Film Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by 15 independent filmmakers in 1976, joins forces with SFFS.
Film Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by 15 independent filmmakers in 1976, joins forces with SFFS.
SF360.org asked Bay Area filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth about her film, which follows Judge Juan Guzmán as he investigates General Pinochet's crimes.
SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.
SF360.org looks at the making of a documentary about the controversial leak of the Pentagon papers.
Empress Hotel looks at residents of a hotel turned homeless people's residence through San Francisco's Access to Housing program.
A film from 1961, The Exiles is a long-in-making unvarnished look at 12 hours in the lives of a group of American Indians who have come to Los Angeles.
Muayad Alayan, a 24-year-old filmmaker from the only remaining Arab neighborhood in West Jerusalem, speaks about the making of Lesh Sabreen?.
Programmers for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Peter Stein and Nancy Fishman, speak about never taking the path of least resistance.
Programmers for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Peter Stein and Nancy Fishman, speak about never taking the path of least resistance.
On curating the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, a social Petri dish that annually brings together a different programmer, a captive and engaged audience, and filmmakers.
French author and director Catherine Breillat speaks about the fierce passion play of her latest, The Last Mistress.
Eric Rohmer's latest "moral tale," The Romance of Astrea and Cèladon, filled with evanescent beauty, plays as part of SFFS Screen.
Unlike most experimental filmmakers, Sonbert's collected works have had the benefit of full retrospectives at major museums (SFMOMA, NYMOMA, Guggenheim) and a strong preservation effort.
Food scents and film sensibilities mingled in a pungent party atmosphere at the California Culinary Academy.
Think of it as The Sound of Music meets Quest for Fire, or Jesus Christ Superstar rocks Land of the Lost.
Touching Home by Bay Area-raised identical twins Logan and Noah Miller is a largely autobiographical coming-of-age film that radiates sincerity.
Two films at the Arab Film Festival's program Palestine: Interior/Exterior map physical, personal and ideological terrain.
Boarding Gate is raw, silly, bloody, funny, carnal, intricate, coarse and self-conscious. It all suggests Olivier Assayas has a lot more surprises in him yet.
Boarding Gate is raw, silly, bloody, funny, carnal, intricate, coarse and self-conscious. It all suggests Olivier Assayas has a lot more surprises in him yet.
Bodies of work have emerged from the intersections of performance, film and electronic art. Cinematograph 7ÑLive Cinema: A Contemporary Reader, edited by Thomas Beard's provides thoughtful writing on the subject.
Filipino Director Brillante Mendoza discusses his aesthetic: a basic approach that resists facade and pretense and desires to depict to things as they really are.
Longtime San Francisco Chronicle film critic Judy Stone offers her top ten picks from the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
Longtime San Francisco Chronicle film critic Judy Stone offers her top ten picks from the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
A "discovery" festival from Day OneÑmeaning they premiere a lot of films, including many other fests might pass overÑSan Jose's Cinequest actually adopted "Discover" as motto for its 16th year.
Girls Rock watches a few select 8-18 -year-olds overcome the obstacles to claim their rightful place on Earth and wail away.
“Passion & Power, the Technology of Orgasm” gives Rachel Maines’ entertaining academic book on the subject a new life onscreen.
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.
At Sundance 2008, a swath of features, docs, installations, and projected art shared similar socio-political concerns, which they grappled with via well-honed aesthetic filters.
A reprinting of an interview with Amanda Micheli because her film, now playing Sundance, has just made the final cut for an Academy Award.
As filmmakers, fans, and skiers get zipped up to head off to Parka City for the annual Sundance Festival this week, SF360.org checked in with Gail Silva.
Francisco Vargas' first feature has won a pile of international awards to date, and might have garnered more had it arrived on the scene earlier.
Susan Gerhard enjoys an hour or so inside the wilds of Gondry's brain at the Apple Store, SF.
Judd Apatow has come to so dominate American comedy that I often find myself thinking, "If only this movie had been written by Apatow..."
The Sundance feature follows a 70-year-old novelist trying to complete the book he's been working on for the last 10 years.
Yu's latest doc centers on four rather damaged individuals, applying the dramatic structure of Greek playwright Euripedes to contemporary life.
In honor of Gus Van Sant's new film, 'Paranoid Park,' five skate films that matter to the skate junkie, and three honorable mentions.
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.
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.
"I suddenly found myself surrounded by a group of 15 little [Cambodian] girls aggressively soliciting me for prostitution," Guy Jacobson told a MVFF audience.
"I suddenly found myself surrounded by a group of 15 little [Cambodian] girls aggressively soliciting me for prostitution," Guy Jacobson told a MVFF audience.
Midnites for Maniacs unearths populist yet esoteric genre and exploitation flicks that have mostly disappeared into the netherworld of discarded VHS rental tapes.
U.S.-Cambodian co-production Holly might easily have gone straight to DVD, which would be a pity because it's well worth rushing to the theatre for.
Meet Phil Chambliss, a 54-year-old, recently retired gravel pit nightwatchman who makes what might be termed cinematic folk art.
Sometimes even presumably good intentions can warp into artistic misdeeds most foul.
Herzog's remarks challenged the audience to reconsider its views on non-fiction film at AFI Fest.
The filmmaker talks about her recent projects, including Salud!, which looks at Cuba's world-class health system.
Kopp's organization is helping filmmakers collaborate by accessing virtual communities, facilitating live gatherings, expanding into book publishing, and more.
Jamie Meltzer talks about his new film on Nigeria, where the digital revolution enables entrepreneurs to churn out movies quickly and inexpensively.
SF360.org caught up with the filmmaker, who has been extraordinarily prolific since abandoning celluloid for the lighter, cheaper, more flexible digital realm.
Reality, generally considered over-rated by the moving-going public, is the unapologetic core of SF DocFest.
As the Madcat Women's International Film Festival heads into its final stretch this coming week in San Francisco, SF360.org felt it was important to catch up with its chief curator, Ariella Ben-Dov.
Lynn Hershman Leeson discusses her new project, ÔStrange Culture'.
Does Tomo Uchida, whose retrospective is currently at the PFA, merit the same sort of reverent revival treatment that has been given many times over to other Japanese filmmakers of his generation?
Here are a few quick takes on programs that look particularly worthwhile at Madcat.
Michael Fox interviews director and Mission District icon George Kuchar
Lucy Gray reports from the 35th Telluride Film Festival.
Although it's too early to write Allen off, it's also clear that he hasn't connected with younger audiences in a long time, so who's the next Woody Allen?
The co-programmers discuss their newest endeavor, though those already from the Bay Area will be familiar with their work at S.F. Cinematheque.
An impressive PFA series runs alongside an exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum of Kiarostami's striking photographic work.
An impressive PFA series runs alongside an exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum of Kiarostami's striking photographic work.
While reality television may have reduced Warhol's 15 minutes to a 15 second sound byte, Kemet is setting his sights well beyond his time.
While reality television may have reduced Warhol's 15 minutes to a 15 second sound byte, Kemet is setting his sights well beyond his time.
The '05 feature imagines a 21-year-old Indian American returning to India to visit her family and discover where she was born.
George Ratliff talks about his first feature narrative Joshua, described by Sundance as a "horror story disguised as a sophisticated family drama."
Jasmine Dellal's affinity for Roma (or Gypsy) and new film, Gypsy Caravan is a spectacular portrait of five top-drawer Roma acts.
Review: startling portraits Claude Cahun, her half-sister and lover Marcel Moore took of themselves and each other dressed in a variety of personas, costumes and genders in Lover Other.
Sperling's Itty Bitty Titty Committee closes the SF International LGBT Film Festival, at which Sperling—17 films strong—receives the Frameline Award.
Sperling's Itty Bitty Titty Committee closes the SF International LGBT Film Festival, at which Sperling—17 films strong—receives the Frameline Award.
List: American Cannibal documents two down on their luck television writers, Gil Ripley and Dave Roberts, as they sell their souls to the reality television circuit.
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.
The Unbelievable Truth helped jumpstart the independent film movement in the U.S. in 1989, followed by eight more Hartley features in the next decade.
The List: An Amerindie helmer well before the term was invented, Nilsson names 10 films which deeply affected him.
The artist's filmsÑsensual, intricate, tactileÑare a magical combination of optical artistry, snippets of forgotten films, and bits of lace, tape, and glitter.
Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic blends World War II history with composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars’ staging of a new opera on the subject.
White's heroes and heroines are content with their mundane lives until some uninvited intruder or unforeseen event exposes their frustration and complacency.
Verhoeven's career can be divided between the character-driven movies he made in Holland and the slick genre films he directed in Hollywood after 1985.
It's taken over two years for Police Beat to go from one of the most praised films at Sundance to a theatre near you.
When Bay Area filmmaker Amanda Micheli approaches, you can see that she is an athlete. She's sure of herself.
The SFIFF GreenWorld Contest brings the vision of filmmakers to the forefront of environmental discourse through fiction, documentary, experimental, and essayistic films.
SF360.org checked in with actors and filmmakers roaming this year's festival to give props to their favorite Asian American artist, past or present.
Filmmaker Rory Kennedy talks about her process and approach with making her new chilling documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.
The Pacific Film Archive's standing as a cinema-centric educational institution brings the avant-garde into conversation with a broad program of film history.
The Pacific Film Archive's standing as a cinema-centric educational institution brings the avant-garde into conversation with a broad program of film history.
This year's 125 films follow the fest's growth from 13 films in 1982 in the wake of Wayne Wang's Chan is Missing.
This year's 125 films follow the fest's growth from 13 films in 1982 in the wake of Wayne Wang's Chan is Missing.
Tears of the Black Tiger is Thai eye candy, an exercise pastiche where color just about leaps off the screen, and a star-crossed love story.
Highlights of the upcoming festival were presented by the San Francisco Film Society Executive Director.
A delightfully funny movie on boy-men redeeming themselves from New Zealand, and Mark Becker's absorbing documentary on a musician in the Mission.
Miljenko Skoknic's list of favorites in Chilean Cinema.
The director talks about his movie Perfume and his perspective as a filmmaker and artist.
SF360.org ended the year the way we started it--asking enormous favors from some of our favorite filmmakers: Caveh Zahedi, Sam Green, and Danny Plotnick.
SF360.org ended the year the way we started it--asking enormous favors from some of our favorite filmmakers: Caveh Zahedi, Sam Green, and Danny Plotnick.
The product of a true cinematic innovator and gloriously individual poet, Broughton's film work remains much too idiosyncratic to be deconstructed,
Spies are frequent movie characters, in part because we know so little about them. Nonetheless, The Good Shepherd is an unusual Hollywood project.
San Francisco artist James T. Hong is currently working on a documentary, tentatively titled New History Zero, which explores his interest in revisionist World War II history.
It would not seem to bode well for the stewardship of studio classics that Preston Sturges's indomitable comedies have been so slow to DVD.
At least three Bay Area-based filmmakers will be making the trek to Park City this year, Jon Else, Steven Okazaki, and Jay Rosenblatt.
At least three Bay Area-based filmmakers will be making the trek to Park City this year, Jon Else, Steven Okazaki, and Jay Rosenblatt.
Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.
Song and Solitude, is a twilight sojourn to a secret world much like our own, rendered with profound patience and a hint of wistfulness.
Ramin Bahrani's debut feature follows a solitary, quiet immigrant struggling to make a go of it in New York City.
The director, producer and sometime actor enjoyed a painless ride from well-off circumstances to well-connected beginnings to one of Hollywood's biggest names for decades.
The filmmaker talks about tagging along with three renegade activists on their self-funded humanitarian excursions to war zones and disaster sites.
Filmmaking was just one among many creative outlets for Japanese multimedia artist Hiroshi Teshigahara.
One month ago today, the maverick filmmaker was at the Hamptons International Film Festival reflecting upon his career at a tribute in his honor.
The relationship between intellectualism and passion, a distinctly Italian concern, propels the 2006 edition of New Italian Cinema.
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.
Who knows what the Mafia, or Cosa Nostra as it's called in Sicily, is really like? Marco Turco's really-real chronicle, Excellent Cadavers.
The veteran documentary maker describes the making of Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.
Eric Steel's disturbing, controversial documentary, The Bridge, focuses on people who end their lives at the famous landmark at the edge of the continent.
Eric Steel's disturbing, controversial documentary, The Bridge, focuses on people who end their lives at the famous landmark at the edge of the continent.
Segueing from network television news to documentary features, Amy Berg makes her debut with a shocking, powerful film about pedophile priest Oliver Grady.
For close to a decade now, Miranda July has been exploring and often crossing the traditional boundaries between life and the movies.
After weeks of Western Europe, what better way for the young cineaste to crash the City of Light than a trip to the silver screen?
Joseph McBride's What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of An Independent Career catalogs the director's amazingly prolific final 15 years.
Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez co-wrote and co-directed the unexpected, surprisingly funny short about two musicians vying for a young girl's lone coin.
When onlookers or bystanders disparagingly refer to experimental film as torturous or a bore, it’s a safe bet that they’ve never seen anything by Bruce Baillie.
Killer Films' Christine Vachon's new memoir, A Killer Life (written with Austin Bunn), bolsters the producer as the driving force of independent film.
John Cameron Mitchell's latest film: A bright, sexually explicit ensemble piece featuring American friends and acquaintances who might have made good primetime TV.
Filmmaker Georgia Lee discusses her narrative feature with family member Frances Chang.
The Maquilapolis filmmakers talk about empowering their subjectsÑwomen factory workers in Tijuana.
The List: American Blackout director Ian Inaba names the top four Web sites.
The provocative documentary filmmaker is recalled with a retrospective at Yerba Buena Center For the Arts.
Filmmaker Kirby Dick talks about censorship, and discrimination against independent films.
The founder of the Madcat International Film Festival talks about the 2006 lineup.
The List:10 local filmmakers describe what they love about shooting on the streets of San Francisco.
The List:10 local filmmakers describe what they love about shooting on the streets of San Francisco.
Director Laura Poitras’ traveled to Iraq for her latest film, “My Country, My Country.”
The author's cult gets another buck-up from the release of Norwegian director Bent Hamer;s first English-language feature, Factotum.
Ryan Fleck talks about his new film Half Nelson, his filmmaking career, and his creative inspirations and tastes.
The Association for Computing Machinery Ôs 2006 conference and exhibition offered animation, new media art exhibits and the latest techniques in interactivity.
The director of The Business of Strangers talks about his second feature, starring Robin Williams.
SF Shorts and the SF Underground Short Film Festival provide a big-screen showcase for oft-overlooked short subjects.
The co-director talks about his provocative fictional documentary about conjoined twins groomed for rock Ôn' roll stardom.
Ozon's Time to Leave demonstrates how central he's become to European cinema, and reminds us that he's among gay world cinema's most accomplished writer/directors.
Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer talk about their acclaimed debut Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, their influences, and making films in San Francisco.
Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer talk about their acclaimed debut Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, their influences, and making films in San Francisco.
Conference discusses the difficulties for lesbian features to get made and do well at the box office.
Mat Whitecross talks about his documentary The Road to Guantanamo, which takes a look at the inhumanity of U.S. "detainment" camps in Cuba.
16 filmmakers from the Bay Area find at least 15 minutes of fame in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival this year.
Highlights from San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival's 30th annual edition.
Sheerly Avni talks about his book, Cinema by the Bay, a rich, visual history of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking.
Marc Huestis talks about his latest film,
Highlights of San Francisco Black Film Festival's eighth annual edition.
Dominic Angerame describes the techniques he used while making Consume, and their surprising results.
Newly appointed S.F. Cinematheque executive director Caroline Savage discusses the state of experimental film.
Rodney Ascher and Syd Garon are only two people whose works curator Danny Plotnick would show sight unseen.
Rodney Ascher and Syd Garon are only two people whose works curator Danny Plotnick would show sight unseen.
After 35 years of underground success, veteran indie filmmaker William Farley still hovers just off the shore of mainstream respectability.
Insights into the initial process of bringing the screenplay adaptation of a short story to the screen.
San Francisco filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, a former curmudgeon softened by success, discusses Art School Confidential.
The second week of the 49th SFIFF was packed with tributes and special events, luring diverse crowds with honorees like Werner Herzog and Ed Harris.
Memorize these words that supposedly can bring you under government scrutiny when said over the phone, or written in a text message or email.
If you haven't yet found your repurpose in life, SFIFF's International Remix site might be of use.
The producer talks about the barriers filmmakers have faced in bringing Philip K. Dick's novel to the screen.
The producer talks about the barriers filmmakers have faced in bringing Philip K. Dick's novel to the screen.
David Munro and Xandra Castleton speak about making their indie Full Grown Men and taking it to the Tribeca Film Festival.
The documentary Persian Garden chronicles the grandest art exhibition in Iran since the 1979 Revolution.
The List: How JT LeRoy went from fiction to fact in the media.
Vietnamese American filmmaker Ham Tran rights an historical wrong in his debut feature film on the Vietnam War.
A conversation with the filmmakers and one star of "Sentenced Home," about three Cambodian Americans in the process of being exiled.
Jeff Adachi, San Francisco public defender, adds filmmaker to the resume.
A tribute to the life and work of the late documentary maker Garrett Scott.
Direct cinema pioneers Richard Leacock and D.A. Pennebaker discuss seeing and believing.
The Oppenheimer Cine Rental New Filmmaker Equipment Grant Program supports new filmmakers in producing their first serious film project. The grant awards the use of Grant Program Arriflex 16SR2 camera package to senior and graduate thesis students and to independent filmmakers for a scheduled period of time. ELIGIBILITY: Students, media arts center members and unaffiliated independents are encouraged to apply. Proposed projects may be of any noncommercial nature: dramatic, narrative, documentary, experimental, etc. (Commercial projects, music videos and PSAs will not be considered.) DEADLINE: Ongoing. WEBSITE: oppenheimercinerental.com/grant.html.