Aug 30, 2018
SFFILM
San Francisco, CA – SFFILM announced today that celebrated actor Rupert Everett will be presented with a special onstage tribute featuring an advance screening of The Happy Prince, his first film as a writer and director, Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 pm at the Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street). Internationally recognized for his roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shakespeare in Love, A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, and Another Country, among others, Everett will be honored for an extensive career. The tribute presentation and screening will be followed by an onstage Q&A with Rupert Everett, moderated by the New York Times‘ new California-based Carpetbagger columnist Kyle Buchanan, who will be making his first public appearance in that role.
“We are delighted to celebrate iconic British actor-now director-Rupert Everett, who for decades has inspired us through his great performances and his personal courage, as a proudly out gay actor,” said SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan. “We are thrilled to honor Everett here in San Francisco on the occasion of his debut as a narrative feature director and this landmark depiction of Oscar Wilde.”
Rupert Everett first appeared on stage in 1981 as Guy Bennett in the West End production of Julian Mitchell’s play Another Country, a role which he repeated, alongside Colin Firth, in the 1984 film version directed by Marek Kanievska which saw him nominated for a BAFTA as Best Newcomer to Film. Everett followed up with another British film, 1985’s Dance with a Stranger, with Miranda Richardson and Ian Holm, in which he played the lover of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. His first American role was in 1987’s Hearts of Fire, co-starring Bob Dylan. Everett’s other acclaimed film appearances include The Comfort of Strangers, Prêt-à-Porter, The Madness of King George, Shakespeare in Love, An Ideal Husband, Inspector Gadget, A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, The Next Big Thing, The Importance of Being Earnest, Stage Beauty, and Stardust. He is the voice of Prince Charming in the Shrek cycle.
In 1997, Everett’s role in My Best Friend’s Wedding won him both Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his performance as Julia Roberts’ confidante. In 2007, Everett played both Camilla and Carnaby Fritton in a role originally made famous by Alastair Sim in 1954’s The Belles of St Trinian’s. The resulting film, St Trinian’s, was followed by a sequel in 2009, St Trinian’s: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold. In 2008, his documentary The Victorian Sex Explorer retraced the steps of Sir Richard Burton, the infamous author, explorer, and sexual adventurer. He followed this with a series about Lord Byron, another called Love for Sale, and most recently, Fifty Shades of Gay, celebrating the 50th anniversary of homosexual decriminalization in the UK.
About The Happy Prince:
In a cheap Parisian hotel room, Oscar Wilde lies on his deathbed and the past floods back, transporting him to other times and places. Was he once the most famous man in London? The artist crucified by a society that once worshiped him? The lover imprisoned and freed, yet still running towards ruin in the final chapter of his life? Under the microscope of death, he reviews the failed attempt to reconcile with his long-suffering wife Constance, the ensuing reprisal of his fatal love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and the warmth and devotion of Robbie Ross who tried and failed to save him from himself. From Dieppe to Naples to Paris, freedom is elusive and Wilde is a penniless vagabond, always moving on, shunned by his old acquaintances, but revered by a strange group of outlaws and urchins to whom he tells the old stories—his incomparable wit still sharp. The Happy Prince is a portrait of the dark side of a genius who lived and died for love in the last days of the 19th century.
Tickets to A Tribute to Rupert Everett: The Happy Prince are $15 for SFFILM members, $20 for the general public. Box office is open to SFFILM members now online at sffilm.org and opens for the general public 10:00 am Friday, August 31.
For general information visit sffilm.org
To request interviews or screeners, contact lmolinari@sffilm.org
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SFFILM Presents
SFFILM produces a robust slate of public programs throughout the year, including red carpet premiere events, advance member screenings, and in-depth film series. With diverse offerings and a commitment to excellence in world cinema, SFFILM is the home of great film in the Bay Area all year long. For more information visit sffilm.org/presents.
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 (April 10–23, 2019), SFFILM is a year-round nonprofit organization delivering screenings and events to nearly 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.
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