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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · JANUARY 28, 2013
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SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY
DOMINATES SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
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Four SFFS-Supported Films Win Five Awards, Including Dramatic Grand Jury Prize for Second Year in a Row
San Francisco, CA -- Four films that received significant support from the San Francisco Film Society's Filmmaker360 program have won awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, it was announced Saturday in Park City, Utah. Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale
won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the narrative
category, Zachary Heinzerling won the Directing Award in the documentary
category for Cutie and the Boxer, and both Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson's American Promise and Jacob Kornbluth's Inequality for All
won Special Jury Prizes in the documentary category. This marks the
second year in a row that a SFFS-supported film took the Dramatic Grand
Jury Prize, following last year's Beasts of the Southern Wild. For the full list of award winners, visit sundance.org.
"The
success of these amazing films at Sundance proves definitively that
there is a film renaissance happening right now in the Bay Area," said
Ted Hope, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society. "We're
proud to support these talented storytellers and we're thrilled that
others share our enthusiasm for their impressive work."
Filmmaker360,
the Film Society's filmmaker support program, offers unparalleled
assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further
the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide and oversees one of the
largest film grant programs in the country, which disperses nearly $1
million annually to incubate and support innovative and exceptional
films. The Film Society recently announced the renewal and expansion of
its partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, including the
flagship SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants that awarded significant funds to both Fruitvale and Beasts of the Southern Wild
at multiple stages of production. Other services offered by
Filmmaker360 include project development and fiscal sponsorship,
FilmHouse residencies offering free office space to filmmakers in any
stage of production, Off the Page script workshops, and more.
The application period for the Spring 2013 round of SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants is now open. For more information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.
SUNDANCE AWARD WINNERS SUPPORTED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY
Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler
* Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic * Dramatic Audience Award
-- Spring 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant winner: $100,000 for production (more info)
-- Fall 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant winner: $100,000 for postproduction (more info)
-- Off the Page script workshop, April 2012 (more info)
Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling
* Directing Award, Documentary
-- 2011 SFFS Documentary Film Fund grant winner: $50,000 for postproduction (more info)
American Promise, directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson
* Special Jury Prize, Documentary
-- 2011 SFFS Documentary Film Fund grant winner: $25,000 for postproduction (more info)
Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth
* Special Jury Prize, Documentary
-- Currently enrolled in San Francisco Film Society Project Development program (more info)
In
addition to these films directly supported by the Film Society, other
Bay Area success stories at Sundance include the outstanding double win
by 72 Productions, whose Jen Chaiken sits on the SFFS board of
directors. 72 Productions films won awards in both the narrative and
documentary competitions: the aforementioned Special Jury Prize for Inequality for All and the Directing Award in the narrative category for Jill Soloway's Afternoon Delight.
As
well as having a strong presence in the Sundance Film Festival program,
the Film Society recently deepened its relationship with the Sundance
Institute with the announcement of a new partnership with Sundance's Artist Services
program. As one of six prestigious film organizations partnering with
Artist Services, SFFS will hand-pick projects supported through
Filmmaker360 cash grants, residencies and script workshops to be
enrolled in Artist Services, which provides filmmakers with exclusive
opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing
solutions for their work. For more information visit sffs.org.
Other
San Francisco Film Society-supported projects featured in the Sundance
Film Festival lineup in recent years include Shaul Shwarz's Narco Cultura (awarded $20,000 Documentary Film Fund grant), Aurora Guerrero's Mosquita y Mari (awarded $88,000 SFFS/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant for postproduction), Mark Kitchell's A Fierce Green Fire (fiscally sponsored by SFFS) and Beasts of the Southern Wild,
Benh Zeitlin's debut phenomenon which received two SFFS/Kenneth Rainin
Foundation Filmmaking Grants totaling $105,000 for postproduction, went
on to win both Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and Cannes' Camera d'Or, and
has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
For additional information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.
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San Francisco Film Society
Building
on a legacy of more than 50 years of bringing the best in world cinema
to the Bay Area, the San Francisco Film Society is a national leader in
exhibition, education and filmmaker services. SFFS is headed by
Executive Director Ted Hope with the programmatic leadership of Director
of Programming Rachel Rosen, Director of Filmmaker360 Michele
Turnure-Salleo and Director of Education Joanne Parsont.
The Film
Society presents more than 100 days of exhibition each year, reaching a
total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed education
program introduces international, independent and documentary cinema and
media literacy to more than 10,000 teachers and students. Through
Filmmaker360, the Film Society's filmmaker services program, essential
creative and business services, professional development classes, and
funding totaling millions of dollars are provided to deserving
filmmakers of all levels.
The Film Society seeks to elevate all
aspects of film culture, offering a wide range of activities that engage
emotions, inspire action, change perceptions and advance knowledge. A
501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, it is largely donor and member supported.
Patronage and membership provides discounted prices, access to grants
and residencies, private events and a wealth of other benefits.
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