Tag: San Francisco Film Society

Categories
Issues and Actions

Let Others Pay For Your Office Rent

The most important issue for independent filmmakers these days is survival.  How do you make ends meet? Taking rent off the table, filmmakers have room to move.  When we shut down our offices at This is that, and I started working out of my kitchen, I got less productive and could share less (and limited my intern use).  That won’t happen to you though.  Why?  Because if you live in San Francisco, the San Francisco Film Society can help you with your office expense by providing you a free office.

The San Francisco Film Society is pleased to announce that, as of September 2012, FilmHouse is open once again in 4,800 spacious square feet of newly-renovated office space located in the bustling Fillmore District. With generous funding from theKenneth Rainin Foundation and additional support from the San Francisco Film Commission, the FilmHouse residency program is designed to offer free office space to filmmakers in various stages of production where they can share talents and resources with their peers.

Open to both narrative and documentary filmmakers, FilmHouse offers a residency of either 6 or 12 months to filmmakers with projects that, through plot, character, theme or setting explore social issues of our time.

 

APPLICATION NOW OPEN
EARLY DEADLINE: October 31
LATE DEADLINE: November 7

CONTACT
Jessica Anthony
FilmHouse Coordinator
415-561-5033
janthony@sffs.org

Categories
Truly Free Film

Why I Chose To Lead The San Francisco Film Society

To effectively serve, preserve, embrace and enhance film and film culture, we must examine, participate, and evolve the broadest definition thereof. Film, as an art, culture, community, business, and science is consistently evolving – it may be a cliché, but it’s a fact that film culture’s only constant is change. Film’s evolution needs to be embraced and experimented with –not feared.

Large well-financed interests are heavily committed to maintaining the status quo and as much as those corporate and business entities are the filmmakers’ & film cultures’ allies, those who love film first for the art and culture must act for the artists’ interests over those of pure profit.

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Uncategorized

Free Office Space Further Proves San Francisco Is The New Center Of Indie Film

Two years ago today, after having the first sale of the Toronto International Film Festival (at a far higher amount than I had hoped for) and my business partner having the #1 film at the US Box Office, I shut the doors on my production office for good.  As an Indie Film Producer, I could not afford the high rents of NYC.  Today I confess: my productivity went down as a result.  Further, I lost the ability to naturally collaborate with the other producers and filmmakers I shared office space with.  It sucks not to have an office (although I did love having lunch regularly with my wife).

I am thrilled that the San Francisco Film Society has confronted this problem head on (office space — not lunches), offering filmmakers free office space in a wonderfully collaborative work space.  Seriously, how many reasons am I going to have to give you to move Indie Film to The Bay Area?  Is funding and work space not enough for you?  How about a great film culture?  Well, there is still more coming…

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Uncategorized

Can We Help Fund Your Great Project?

I wouldn’t have been so excited to become the Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society if it didn’t have the support from Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

The SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants support feature narrative films that through plot, character, theme or setting explore human and civil rights, antidiscrimination, gender and sexual identity and other social issues of our time. This is NOT a documentary grant.

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Categories
These Are Those Things

Proof How Indie Film Requires So Much Support

If we didn’t have the Indie Film support organizations, you wouldn’t have indie films in the theater.  Cinereach, IFP, Film Independent, SxSW, Tribeca, Sundance, and yes, my new home, the San Francisco Film Society — it takes more than a village; it takes a freakin’ army.

The proof is in the pudding.  Look at all the films in theaters this week.  All these films were discovered at Sundance and supported by these various organizations.  Where would they be without them?  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  And just the start.  If you don’t go see them — and soon — our very culture will be threatened!

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD written by Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar and directed by Benh Zeitlin

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/beastsofthesouthernwild/

 

HELLO I MUST BE GOING written by Sarah Koskoff and directed by Todd Louiso

http://hello.oscilloscope.net/

 

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias and directed by Ira Sachs

http://keepthelightsonfilm.com/

 

LITTLE BIRDS written and directed by Elgin James

http://littlebirdsmovie.com/

 

SLEEPWALK WITH ME written by Mike Birbiglia, Seth Barrish, and Joe Birbiglia  and directed by Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish

http://www.sleepwalkmovie.com/

 

COMPLIANCE written and directed by Craig Zobel

http://www.magpictures.com/compliance/

 

THE WORDS written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal

http://www.thewordsmovie.com/

 

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Uncategorized

2013 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Call For Entries

The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival, recognized throughout the world as an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. Works in all genres, forms and lengths are considered. Deadlines:

• Early deadline Tuesday, October 9
• Regular deadline Monday, November 5
• Final deadline for short films Monday, December 3
• Final deadline for features Monday, December 10

HOW TO ENTER Entry form and information: sffs.org or withoutabox.com.

Categories
Truly Free Film

Read The Press About My New Job

Okay, read it if you want to.  I don’t want to make any demands.  There are some more important things to do — I understand.  I just needed to get all the press together in one place.  I wanted to send it to my Mom.  So here it is.  I am sure I am missing some, so let me know if you find any more.

Don’t want to overwhelm anyone, but since there’s been so much demand….