Mar 15, 2017
SFFILM
San Francisco, CA — SFFILM is the new public-facing brand of the San Francisco Film Society. A quartet of sub-brands—SFFILM Festival, SFFILM Presents, SFFILM Education, and SFFILM Makers—have also been introduced to communicate and represent the full range of the organization’s year-round program offerings.
Sixty years ago, in 1957, inspired by his experiences at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals, local exhibitor Irving “Bud” Levin started the San Francisco International Film Festival. Levin grew up in the theater business—his father Samuel H. Levin built the Metro, Balboa, Harding, Alexandria, and Vogue theaters, among others. In 1980, the San Francisco Film Society was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the primary mission of producing the San Francisco International Film Festival and enhancing the public’s understanding and appreciation for international and local film and filmmakers.
Over the years, the organization has evolved into a major year-round cultural institute delivering screenings and events to more than 100,000 film lovers and media education programs to more than 10,000 students and teachers annually. In addition to its public programs, SFFILM supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services.
The new SFFILM logo and branding system were developed in partnership with MuseBrands, a San Francisco-based branding agency.
“Because of the rapid growth in our year-round programming in recent years, we have increasingly faced the challenge of how to effectively represent the breadth and scope of our diverse initiatives,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director Noah Cowan. “We were delighted to work with MuseBrands to help us solve this communications puzzle in a bold and fresh manner.”
Though the shorthand name SFFILM had appeared in various forms and contexts over the decades, the new logo was introduced as SFFILM Festival in the key art for the 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival. Its success last year inspired the creation of the new brand system which aims to reflect the organization’s bold vision for creativity in San Francisco—and beyond.
San Francisco Film Society remains the organization’s legal name. The new logos and program descriptions are as follows:
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization with the mission to champion the world’s finest films and filmmakers through programs anchored in and inspired by the spirit and values of the San Francisco Bay Area. sffilm.org
SFFILM Festival, the longest-running film festival in the Americas, is a global showcase of cinematic discovery. The 60th edition runs April 5-19, 2017. sffilm.org/festival
SFFILM Presents a robust slate of public programs throughout the year, including red carpet premiere events; advance member screenings in partnership with the New York Times; in-depth film series such as Modern Cinema (presented in partnership with SFMOMA), Doc Stories, and Hong Kong Cinema; plus the SFFILM Screening Room, a curated film streaming service. sffilm.org/presents
SFFILM Education cultivates students’ creativity and empowers them to succeed in a media-saturated world. Programs such as Schools at the Festival, the Art and Science of Lucasfilm, Filmmakers in the Classroom, and Young Filmmakers Camp reach more than 10,000 students and teachers annually. SFFILM Education strives to help students from kindergarten through college develop media literacy skills, cross-cultural awareness, and a lifelong appreciation of movies. sffilm.org/education
SFFILM Makers (formerly “Filmmaker360”) the artist development program, provides significant financial and creative resources to independent filmmakers through grants, fellowships, residencies, fiscal sponsorship, and more. Since 2009, nearly $5 million has been disbursed to more than 140 film projects in various stages of production. Highlights include the SFFILM / KRF Filmmaking Grant-the largest granting program for narrative feature films in the US; a joint effort with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to cultivate stories rooted in science and technology; and the Documentary Film Fund, a partnership with the Jenerosity Foundation. sffilm.org/makers
To request interviews, contact your Festival Press Office contact.
Logos are available for download at http://www.sffilm.org/logos
For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press
For more information visit sffilm.org
About MuseBrands MuseBrands is driven by a restless and rebellious spirit that never stands still, furthering a desire to move brands forward with innovation and engaging storytelling. Sometimes solutions come in the form of successful new players launch and other times it is simply breathing new and exciting life into an existing brand. Whatever the objective, MuseBrands is guided by these principles: find the essence, make the work emotional, and always make it great. For more information, visit musebrands.com.