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And here’s our press release:
SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY LAUNCHES A2E: ARTIST TO ENTREPRENEUR
AT 56TH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Pilot Programs Designed to Foster Entrepreneurial Skills in Today’s Filmmakers
Set to Trigger Flashpoint of Creative Innovation and Artistic Expression in SF Bay
Area
San Francisco, CA –
The San Francisco Film Society today announced the launch of A2E:
Artist to Entrepreneur, a new suite of programs at the San Francisco International Film Festival
(April 25–May 9) designed to match independent filmmakers with cutting-edge tools for digital distribution,
outreach and audience engagement in the heart of the nation’s new frontier of technological innovation.
Under the auspices of SFFS’s Filmmaker360 program, A2E will bring filmmakers and tech pioneers
together May 2–5 in a lab-like setting to collaborate and confront the challenges facing artists today in
getting their work seen, connecting with audiences and building community.
“When we first started designing this program, we were particularly inspired by Sundance Institute’s
community-minded approach to their #ArtistServices distribution platform,” said SFFS Executive Director
Ted Hope. “Just as they invited us and other organizations to participate, we are doing the same with
A2E. This is a new era of cooperation—not competition—among support organizations in film. For this
initial pilot program we’ve invited Sundance and our other #ArtistServices collaborators—IFP, FIND,
Cinereach, BritDoc and the Bertha Foundation—to work with us, and have invited projects from BFI, Film
London, Frameline and the Canadian Film Center. Also, none of this could have happened without the
help of Screen Australia, who sent producer Alicia Brown over to help launch A2E with the Film Society.”
A2E is the San Francisco Film Society’s first attempt to address filmmakers’ new challenges head on and
create an environment where storytelling and entrepreneurial culture intersect. The program is committed
to providing artists with entrepreneurial skills and bringing them together with leaders in technology,
engagement and investment in order to make independent filmmaking a more sustainable and profitable
enterprise for artist, industry, financier and audience. The cinematic landscape has changed—new
technology has removed almost all barriers to access yet increasingly fragmented audiences are faced
with an overwhelming abundance of content. Through A2E, the San Francisco Film Society leads the
charge in developing new tools, strategies and practices for moving-image artists in conjunction with key
players in the tech world, so all parties involved can prosper in the emerging terrain together.
A2E Direct Distribution Lab (May 2–5)
The Direct Distribution Lab is an event designed to explore various direct distribution opportunities
and identify successful financial and creative avenues for independent filmmakers. Over four days,
filmmakers, technology partners and distribution experts will consider and strategize new models of
audience outreach and engagement to determine how each film may best engage audiences in the digital
age. Through an “open source” collaborative approach, the Direct Distribution Lab will not only connect
artists, services, tools, and tech partners but also build custom plans for each filmmaker to utilize. At the
end of the process, select projects committed to a direct distribution approach will then be presented to
potential funders and collaborators in the hope of making their engagement strategy a reality. The Direct
Distribution Lab is open to narrative filmmakers (documentaries will be considered moving forward) on
an invitation-only basis. The list of participating filmmakers and tech partners will be announced in the
coming weeks.
A2E LaunchPad (May 3–4)
Held in conjunction with the Direct Distribution Lab, A2E LaunchPad will present a select group of
companies and forge productive relationships between the global filmmaking community and the
emerging film tech sphere. 20-minute meetings will be scheduled over the course of two days for
tech partners to demo their product to filmmakers from the A2E Direct Distribution Lab, international
filmmakers visiting for the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Bay Area film community
at large. A2E LaunchPad is where new players and new ideas in film technology work directly with
filmmakers to hone their offering and enable artists to use the technology from the very early stages of
the creative process. The full list of participating startups will be announced in the coming weeks; for
more information about how to participate, contact Alicia Brown at abrown@sffs.org.
For more information visit festival.sffs.org.
