Mar 9, 2010
Festival
The 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival (April 22-May 6) is proud to present the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award to Academy Award-nominated short filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt for his unique contributions to animation. Over a long career, Hertzfeldt has remained fiercely independent by sticking to short format and challenging the boundaries of his craft. The popularity of his work is unprecedented in the world of short animation and his films are frequently referenced in pop culture. Hertzfeldt will be presented with the award and participate in an onstage interview at Life, Death and Very Large Utensils, 7:30 pm, Friday, April 23 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. A collection of short films, past and present, including I am so proud of you, Intermission in the Third Dimension and a few surprise selections are set to follow.
Established in 1997, the Persistence of Vision Award each year honors the achievement of a filmmaker whose work is crafting documentaries, short films, animation or work for television.
“We are delighted to present this honor to Don Hertzfeldt, who is the youngest recipient to be awarded to date, but whose body of work and determination to remain an independent animator exemplifies a true persistence of vision.” said Rachel Rosen, SFFS director of programming.
Born in Fremont, California, Hertzfeldt taught himself animation at age 15 with a small video camera. While in film school at the University of California, Santa Barbara he was able to find international distribution for all of his 16mm student films: Ah, L’Amour, Lily and Jim, Genre and Billy’s Balloon. Created traditionally with pen and paper and without the aid of computers, his work commonly features hand-drawn stick figures in odd stories infused with black humor, surrealism and tragicomedy. Hertzfeldt uses antique 16mm or 35mm film cameras to photograph his artwork and often employs old-fashioned special effect techniques such as multiple exposures, in-camera mattes and experimental photography. Hertzfeldt often single-handedly produces all aspects of his films, taking years to complete a single short. Hertzfeldt’s early films have prominently influenced the past decade’s pronounced absurdist strain in animation, exemplified by much of the programming on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. His films are regularly featured in international film festivals, touring animation programs like the Animation Show and on DVD collections. His works are also featured on television, including MTV, Bravo, Sundance Channel and IFC.
Previous winners include documentarians Lourdes Portillo (2009), Errol Morris (2008) and Heddy Honigmann (2007), Canadian iconoclast Guy Maddin (2006), documentarians Adam Curtis (2005) and Jon Else (2004), experimental filmmaker Pat O’Neill (2003), Latin American cinema pioneer Fernando Birri (2002), avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger (2001), animator Faith Hubley (2000), documentarians Johan van der Keuken (1999) and Robert Frank (1998) and animator Jan Svankmajer (1997).
This year’s program is sponsored by Esurance, the direct-to-consumer insurance company known for its popular commercials featuring the quirky, pink-haired animated character, Erin Esurance. In addition to this award, Esurance is also proud to support this year’s SFIFF Animation, Technology and Design programs.
For tickets and information, go to www.sffs.org or call 925-866-9559.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.