Mar 19, 2019
Festival
In-Depth Conversation with Laura Linney will Precede the Screening of Her 2007 Film The Savages at SFMOMA’s Phyllis Wattis Theater April 11
San Francisco, CA – SFFILM announced today that acclaimed actor Laura Linney will be honored during the 2019 San Francisco International Film Festival with a special tribute, followed by a screening of her acclaimed 2007 film The Savages. The intimate onstage conversation and the screening will take place Thursday, April 11, at 6:00 pm at the SFMOMA Phyllis Wattis Theater.
“Sophistication and superb timing indelibly mark Laura Linney’s remarkable career on film, stage, and TV,” said SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan. “We are honored to tribute her work at the Festival, as she returns to her Tales of the City roots as part of our world premiere Opening Night event, and introduce new fans to her seminal performance in Tamara Jenkins’ The Savages.
With many years still ahead of her, Laura Linney has thus far won two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmys. She has also received four Tony Award nominations, three Oscar nods, and a BAFTA nomination. It is an impressive list of accolades but one that also underlines her mastery of film, television, and the stage. Her breakthrough came on TV, when she first essayed the role of initially naïve, quick-study heroine Mary Ann Singleton in Tales of the City (1993), a character she would play three more times including in this year’s opening night Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City. Her cinematic breakthrough came in 1998, for her role as an unwitting reality TV star’s on-screen wife in The Truman Show. Two years later, she movingly inhabited the character of an overburdened single mom in You Can Count on Me (2000) and secured her first Oscar nomination. Roles in films like Mystic River (2003), Kinsey (2004), The Savages (2007), and Mr. Holmes (2015); TV series, such as John Adams (2008), The Big C (2010–13), and Ozark (2017–); plays like The Crucible (2002), Time Stands Still (2010), and The Little Foxes (2017) have followed, each revealing a new facet of Linney’s dazzling talent. The Festival pays tribute to Linney with a conversation about her singular career and a screening of The Savages.
The Savages
Tamara Jenkins, USA 2007, 113 min
Family ties have rarely been so fraught as they are in Tamara Jenkins’ acerbic and beautifully acted film. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman are riveting as Wendy and Jon Savage, siblings who have been irrevocably damaged by their abusive father but are nevertheless reluctantly drawn into caring for him when he’s diagnosed with dementia. In addition to the masterful performances at its heart, the film is set in snowy Buffalo, where the wintry weather reflects the frosted-over emotions of a brother and sister trying to muddle through life the best way they can.
Tickets to Laura Linney: Tribute + The Savages are $25 for SFFILM members, $30 for the general public.
Other prominent honorees who will be presented with public tributes and awards at the 2019 SFFILM Festival include Madeline Anderson, Claire Denis, Laura Dern, Claude Jarman, Jr., John C. Reilly, and the documentary series BBC Arena.
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For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press.
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2019 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 62nd edition runs April 10–23 at venues across the Bay Area and features nearly 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards with close to $40,000 in cash prizes, and upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests.
SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization with a 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. Presenter of the San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM is a year-round organization delivering screenings and events to more than 75,000 film lovers and media education programs to more than 12,000 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.
For more information visit sffilm.org.
This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press/releases.
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