The best things in life bring multiple rewards.
If you can solve a problem by improving other things simultaneously, you know everyone is going to win. Besides, we all have way too much to get done, that it only makes sense to kill two birds with one stone whenever humanly possible. I think the San Francisco Film Society and I may have just accomplished this remarkable feat. Let’s see where it goes from here…
One of the reasons I accepted the Executive Director reigns of the Film Society was because the Bay Area is a truly beautiful and vibrant area with an incredible film community. Moving here, we got a great land filled with great people. Double win. The Fog City Mavericks — in the 1970’s and beyond — were and are now some of the greatest American fimmakers ever working. They inspired so many, including us. And they make the film community in the bay what it now is: remarkable. Surely you’ve noted the Bay Area Film Renaissance. My wife Vanessa and I have, and as a result plan to remain part of it when I step down from the Film Society at the end of this year. Goodbye NYC! The Bay is now our home!!
As I finish up my term here, I not only look forward to leaving the Film Society in better shape than how I found it, I hope to do the same for the local film community too. In fact I look forward to staying involved with each going forward too.
San Francisco & The Bay Area can boast the 3rd largest AMPAS community, after NYC and LA. Our members are made up predominately of VFX artists and documentary filmmakers, which gives us a very unique mix. Yet the power and influence of this creative group has never been harnessed in such a way that it can have true and lasting impact beyond a project or corporate way. I want to change that. I want the community here to be something that must be reckoned with! Beyond Lucas, beyond Pixar, beyond AMPAS, the Bay is a true filmic force, Luke.
With Hollywood and the international film community looking to the golden gate and Sili-wood, the Bay can truly influence both the work and the process. We are community committed to innovation, creativity, inspiration, and collaboration. If those values can resonate through the Studio halls, our culture and industry would be far better off. So what are the steps, you ask?
We know the impact a non-profit can have in the world of cinema — and we must keep such institutions thriving. The SFFS has helped to fund the last two Sundance Grand Jury Prize winners. The SFIFF is the longest running film festival in the Americas. The SFFS runs a robust 10 part education & media literacy program serving over 11,000 Bay Area students and teachers annually. Yet, despite all this success, SFFS — like most non-profits– struggles financially. Film support organizations are always on a mission to find new revenue streams. That has been my goal while at SFFS.
With the launch of SFFS’ Fall Cinema Celebration, we hit upon an idea for an event that not only raises funds for SFFS, but also improves the Bay Area Film Community’s influence and impact. How awesome is that?!
This year we are honoring an incredible group of movies and filmmakers: FRUITVALE STATION, HER, NEBRASKA, and THE SQUARE. Yup, Ryan, Spike, Alexander, & Jehane will all be here. Some of the actors too… And producers. You know you come out for the producers, right?
Let’s use our time machine to look three to five years forward. It is now the 5th annual event. Over 2000 people fill a hall. The music is a lively and a blast. The host is hilarious. Our patrons are willing to drop more than a few greenbacks on a good cause — like the Film Society — because they believe in the innovative programs that are offered throughout the year. Filmmakers like Ryan Coogler, Aurora Guerrero, Barry Jenkins, Maryam Kershaverez, Jacob Kornbluth, and Kalyanne Mam (to name a few) are the new Fog City Mavericks; their second, third, and 4th films all rocked the world. Noted vets, like Chris Columbus, Francis Ford Coppola, Phillip Kaufman, and George Lucas continue to lend a hand — godfathers all to SFFS. Other Bay Area film notables like Dan Clowes, Rob Epstien, Charles Ferguson, Jeffrey Friedman, Lynn Hershman-Leeson, Laura Poitras, Lourdes Portillo, and Terry Zwigoff give and give back to the community, making things truly happen. San Francisco, Oakland, Berkely, Marin — when you say these names, people always ask what is it about the water that makes the movies that hail from there so damn fucking good.
The event itself is known as the one award event that is not just a popularity contest, that is a celebration of what we value most about the cinematic arts. It has integrity and guarantees a good time. It is not too long or too short, perfectly paced, with laughter and substance each. The food — this being San Francisco — is fantastic, and sourced locally. Everyone here, everyone on the Peninsula, everyone in Los Angeles, and everyone in NY want to come. In fact, the next five years are already sold out. Organizations sponsor it, not just because of SFFS’ good work, but because it is the only way they can possibly get tickets. And because it is not televised, the stars that come — and there are 100s since all the nominees won’t miss it — get wild and loose and do what they love to do most: have a good time for a good cause. If you are not in the room, the peak behind the curtain you get comes courtesy of the original and long time media sponsor, Variety magazine. It’s grown well beyond the confines of it’s original venue, The Battery, but the late night after party there, well, let’s just say it is legendary.
The remarkable thing is that the SFFS Fall Celebration has now become THE predictive event for the Oscars. It’s been five years in a row that every film we honored went on to win at least one golden guy. Seems the industry started to change back in 2013 somehow. We started to value creativity, innovation, collaboration, and inspiration. We built something better together back then. Sigh…
Don’t you wish you were one of the few who were there when it all started? You can be. There are a few tickets left: https://my.sffs.org/fallcelebration . In fact, I just used the time machine and I see you and I talking about how you could tell five years ago what it would become. It’s pretty damn cool to know the future.
