Apr 5, 2017
Artist Development
San Francisco, CA — SFFILM today announced the full list of speakers who will be featured in a series of in-depth public conversations as part of the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival‘s film and technology programs. Produced in partnership with Bay Area-based Pixar Animation Studios and WIRED, the inaugural Creativity Summit is a new suite of programming that will bring together trailblazers at the intersection of film and technology for a day of conversations and networking with leaders in both fields.
To help launch this exciting event, John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer/Senior Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic and Colum Slevin, Head of Experiences at Oculus join an impressive roster of innovators on the vanguard of art, film, and technology—including State of Cinema Address speaker Ed Catmull (President, Pixar and Walt Disney Studios)—for three inspiring onstage discussions. As part of this year’s expansion of the popular VR Days program, four conVRsations will offer all VR Days ticketholders the opportunity to meet the artists behind this cutting edge medium.
“We couldn’t be more honored to welcome John Knoll of ILM and Colum Slevin of Oculus to join Ed Catmull as leaders in their fields for our inaugural Creativity Summit with Pixar and WIRED,” said Caroline von Kühn, SFFILM’s Director of Artist Development. “From our perspective as producers of an international Festival deeply rooted in the Bay Area, the Creativity Summit and our new conVRsations series are exciting ways for us to celebrate the innovative work coming out of San Francisco that exemplify the interdisciplinary magic happening at the intersection of art, film, and technology.”
CREATIVITY SUMMIT SESSIONS
State of Cinema Address and Conversation
Saturday, April 8, 11:00 am at Dolby Cinema at 1275 (1275 Market Street)
Kicking off an exciting day of in-depth public conversation, Dr. Ed Catmull—a pioneering innovator in the fields of computer animation and computer graphics research—will deliver the highly anticipated State of Cinema Address, in which he will dispel the myth that art and technology are incongruous. Immediately following his address, Catmull will be joined onstage by Pixar artists Alan Barillaro (Director), Lindsey Collins (Producer), Danielle Feinberg (Director of Photography – Lighting), and Gini Santos (Supervising Animator) for an extended conversation on the same topic, which will be moderated by Robert Capps of WIRED.
Storytelling with VR: A Discussion with Colum Slevin & Jess Engel
Saturday, April 8, 2:00 pm at Dolby Cinema at 1275 (1275 Market Street)
The afternoon Creativity Summit program kicks off with a discussion between Colum Slevin, Head of Experiences at Oculus, and Jess Engel, Director of Original Content at Within. Virtual reality content has evolved rapidly over the past year, giving people many opportunities to experience the medium’s power. This discussion focuses on how VR has changed the art of storytelling, where we are today, and what we can expect for the future of VR content. WIRED Senior Editor Peter Rubin moderates the session.
Technology & Creativity: How These Powerful Forces Mesh and Spur Innovation
Saturday, April 8, 4:00 pm at Dolby Cinema at 1275 (1275 Market Street)
The closing session of the Creativity Summit is a conversation between John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer and Academy Award-winning Senior Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, and Diana Williams, Creative Producer of the Lucasfilm Story Group, about how technology and storytelling influence each other. This casual discussion between those who develop the technology that filmmakers work with and the creative people inspired by it, will be moderated by Scott Dadich, Co-CEO, Founder, Godfrey Dadich Partners.
VR DAYS conVRsations
conVRsations: Animated Worlds
Sunday, April 9, 1:00 pm at SFFILM Festival Lounge (667 Mission Street)
Meet the makers behind ASTEROIDS! and Pearl (2017 Academy Award® nominee) from Google Spotlight Stories. The ASTEROIDS! team will share their latest work, which pushes the boundaries of the interactive animation experience, while the Pearl team discusses telling this story in both traditional 2D format and Virtual Reality.
Panelists: David Eisenmann (Pearl/GSS), Larry Cutler (ASTEROIDS!/Baobab), Julia Hamilton Trost (Google/Daydream)
conVRsations: Cinematic Narratives
Sunday, April 9, 3:00 pm at SFFILM Festival Lounge (667 Mission Street)
Some of the leading voices in narrative VR work share their artistic process. Directors, producers, and composers with work from Felix & Paul Studios, the New York Times, and Oculus will lift the veil of mystery around telling great stories in Virtual Reality.
Panelists: Mark Degli Antoni (Through You), Lily Baldwin (Through You), Armando Kirwin (L.A. Noir/NYT), Ryan Horrigan (Dreams of ‘O’, Felix & Paul Studios), moderated by Diana Williams (Creative Producer of the Lucasfilm Story Group)
conVRsations: Shooting Great Stories
Monday, April 10, 3:00 pm at SFFILM Festival Lounge (667 Mission Street)
Learn how to turn your VR idea from concept to reality. Artists pushing the boundaries of the form will demystify the creative process of development through production, offering a deep dive into the shoot itself. The artists highlight the great work being shot on Nokia’s OZO Camera. You’ll leave inspired to make your own!
Panelists: Csilla Kozma (Nokia), Joshua Rubin (The Argos File), Josema Roig (The Argos File), Sam Macaroni (VR maker)
conVRsations: Youth-Produced 360 Film
Tuesday, April 10, 3:00 pm at SFFILM Festival Lounge (667 Mission Street)
The 360 Filmmakers Challenge, directed by Digital Promise Global as part of the Oculus VR for Good initiative, is the only formal program in which students are invited to be creators of 360° video content. Join the Digital Promise staff, students, and teachers in a discussion of methods to support teachers and empower students to tell their stories using the full 360° canvas.
Panelists: Dimitri Moore (Digital Promise Global – Video Producer and Storytelling Coach), Chelsea Waite (Digital Promise Global – Program Director for Global Learning), Timothy Brand (Teacher-Sequoia High School), Genesis Lopez Alejandres (student flmmaker, Sequoia High School), Parisa Zagat (Head of Oculus Policy Programs)
Tickets to Creativity Summit: State of Cinema Address and Conversation are $20 for SFFILM members, $25 for the general public. Box office is open to both SFFILM members and the general public now online at sffilm.org.
Tickets to Creativity Summit: Storytelling with VR: A Discussion with Colum Slevin & Jess Engel are $13 for SFFILM members, $15 for the general public. Box office is open to both SFFILM members and the general public now online at sffilm.org.
Tickets to Creativity Summit: Technology & Creativity: How These Powerful Forces Mesh and Spur Innovation are $13 for SFFILM members, $15 for the general public. Box office is open to both SFFILM members and the general public now online at sffilm.org.
Tickets to VR Days grant access to all conVRsations. Tickets to VR Days are $20 for SFFILM members, $25 for the general public. Box office is open to both SFFILM members and the general public now online at sffilm.org.
For general information visit sffilm.org/festival
To request interviews or screeners, contact your Festival Press Office contact.
For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press
60th San Francisco International Film Festival The longest-running film festival in the Americas, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. The 60th edition runs April 5-19 at venues across the Bay Area and features nearly 200 films and live events, 12 juried awards with close to $40,000 in cash prizes, and upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests.