Mar 27, 2012
Festival
The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19-May 3) and Esurance, the direct-to-consumer car insurance company, today announced the Esurance Online Screening Room, available beginning Tuesday, March 27, 12:00 pm. After a successful run last year, SFIFF teams up with Esurance once again to bring world-wide audiences a chance to visit the Festival (virtually) and sample some highlights of the shorts programs.
“Following the success of last year’s online platform, we’re thrilled to renew our partnership with Esurance to bring attention to the exceptional artistry and scope of short filmmakers featured in SFIFF55,” said Audrey Chang, programmer of the Esurance Online Screening Room. “Once again, viewers everywhere can share in the joy of discovering new works in animation, live action, documentary and films that defy classification.”
“The Esurance Online Screening Room speaks to the San Francisco International Film Festival’s commitment to making the Festival truly a global event,” stated Darren Howard, Esurance vice president of marketing. “As an innovation leader in the car insurance industry, Esurance is a proud supporter of events like SFIFF that showcase the arts in an innovative manner. The Esurance Online Screening Room platform utilizes technology to bring an extraordinary film showcase to cinema enthusiasts anywhere in the world through their computers or mobile devices, creating an exceptional viewing experience for SFIFF fans.”
Five short films will be made available in the Esurance Online Screening Room. These films are: Doctor: Tongue Depressor; Lack of Evidence; The Shrine/An Argument; Us. A Family Album and Aquadettes by Bay Area filmmakers Zachary Canepari and Drea Cooper.
Aquadettes, Zachary Canepari and Drea Cooper. A cozy retirement community in Orange County boasts a bevy of synchronized swimmers who meet regularly to maintain health, vitality and engagement.
Doctor: Tongue Depressor, Oren Brimer. One of four short videos from Front Page Film’s Doctor series, featuring beloved comedians Matt McCarthy and Pete Holmes (voice of the E-Trade baby).
Lack of Evidence, Hayoun Kwon. A translation of an application for political asylum is the touchstone for multiple perspectives on the consequences of civil war.
The Shrine/An Argument, Sean Pecknold. One of the most underrated animators working today, Sean Pecknold often manages to astonish. Here he renews his collaboration with the band Fleet Foxes.
Us. A Family Album, Natalia Babinski. Nothing captures family history more profoundly than home movies. In Us. A Family Album, these familiar images become a harbinger of changing times.
The Online Screening Room was first introduced with the support of Esurance at the 2010 San Francisco International Animation Festival and made its SFIFF debut last year.
For tickets and information visit festival.sffs.org.
To request interviews or screeners, contact your SFIFF publicist.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
Esurance
Esurance offers car insurance for the modern worldTM. With powerful, easy-to-use online tools and stellar 24/7 customer and claims service, Esurance puts busy, on-the-go consumers in control of their insurance. Esurance is committed to providing customers with smarter, easier, and more modern ways to manage their insurance whenever and wherever they are.
55th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 19-May 3 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre, SF Film Society Cinema and SFMOMA in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 people in attendance.