SFFILM Exclusive

In Memoriam—Former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan

Photo by Pamela Gentile.

Remembering former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan

On Wednesday, January 25, former SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan passed away at his home in Los Angeles. Our staff and alumni are deeply saddened by his loss and we’ve been swapping many uproarious stories about Noah, a wonderful, wild, big-hearted, and complex person who did so much for this organization during his tenure. His legacy is still propelling SFFILM ever forward, with filmmaking and film appreciation at its center.

Noah stepped into the Executive Director role at SFFILM in 2014—then known as the San Francisco Film Society—and immediately got to work with his bold vision for the organization. He said at the time, “The Bay Area has a storied relationship to cinema’s century-plus history and is currently home to the technology companies that will decisively influence the medium’s future. SFFS is uniquely positioned to work with filmmakers, educators, and enthusiastic local audiences to embrace the dynamic and exciting changes taking place within the industry and continue to ensure that great cinema is made, seen and appreciated.”

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan on stage with Ellen Burstyn at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan on the red carpet with SF Mayor London Breed and former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Ellen Burstyn sitting together at SFFILM Awards Night.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Pat Cleveland and Stephen Burrows at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Marcus Hu and B. Ruby Rich at SFFILM Essential SF

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Johnnie To at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Shah Rukh Khan at the 2017 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan and Wesley Morris at the 2016 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan in the audience at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CA Governor Gavin Newsom at the 2019 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and filmmakers of Darkest Hour at an SF Honors Award Presentation.

Launched in March of 2017, Noah delivered the rebranding of the organization, integrating all programs including year-round exhibitions, the world-renowned San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM Makers, and SFFILM Education under the banner of SFFILM. This new SFFILM was the foundation of who we are today—an organization that prioritizes supporting filmmakers young and old, bringing together the local film community, and inspiring film lovers throughout the Bay Area.

“Noah’s impact on SFFILM was indelible and lasting, and I was honored to carry the stewardship of the organization from Noah’s visionary work. He helped to bring us into a more modern and accessible era, starting with our name change from the San Francisco Film Society, as well as elevating our artist development and education programs to a higher visibility aligned with our legacy festival,” said SFFILM Executive Director, Anne Lai. “His energy and excitement about what we do continue to echo in the new initiatives he created during his time here. Like the movies, he was bigger than life and will be greatly missed.”

And of course, his love and knowledge of film drove his ambitions for the artform, and for SFFILM. Associate Director of Programming Rod Armstrong shared this remembrance, “Talking about cinema with Noah was a great pleasure for me during his time at SFFILM. Following his departure, we’d pick up our cinephilic chats when we saw one another, sprinkled with nifty gossip. It’s to my great dismay that I won’t be able to continue this conversation with Noah; he made me smarter, better at my job, and hearing his always-at-the-ready laugh made my day a little brighter. The ways he expanded the scope and reach of SFFILM are just one element of his impressive legacy; I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”

We will miss Noah and we know many film communities around the world will as well. We will continue to find solace in his legacy and work, and on especially hard days, we’ll look back at his musings on filmmaking to remind ourselves of the man he was and the devotion he had for filmmaking and film loving.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Spike Lee on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan with Dolores Huerta and Peter Bratt on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan and Ben Fong-Torres on the red carpet.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan onstage at an SFFILM event.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan interviewing at the SFFILM Festival.

Photo by George F. Gund

Noah Cowan in front of an SFFILM Festival venue.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan on stage for the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan posing for a photo at the 2018 SFFILM Festival.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Noah Cowan onstage at the 2019 SFFILM Festival with the filmmakers of Tales of the City.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Boots Riley and Steve McQueen at SFFILM Awards Night.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with former SFFILM Director of Programming Rachel Rosen.

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Noah Cowan with Doron Weber and Josh Singer in front of the Castro Marquee.

Wrap Notes: SFFILM 2022—Our End-of-Year Reflections + Highlights

As 2022 comes to a close, SFFILM’s Anne Lai reflects on a wonderful year for film in the Bay Area.

A Letter from Our Executive Director

Fellow Film Lovers,

This year we had the privilege of seeing so many of you at in-person events in our city’s most beloved theaters. As a lover of movies, I felt both inspired by the enthusiasm of our audiences, filmmakers, and guests, and reinvigorated by sharing in our collective appreciation of cinema. As the Executive Director of SFFILM, I felt reaffirmed in our organization’s mission.

We believe deeply in the power of the arts and particularly cinematic storytelling to bring hope, inspiration, opportunity, and knowledge to the world. We believe that film brings communities together. Film was born as one of the most accessible art forms over a hundred years ago. And, especially now, it provides one of the most influential and impactful forms of storytelling we have. We invest in films, filmmakers (current and future), and audiences of all ages because it is imperative to advocate for independent voices, thoughts, and perspectives.

All of our successes would not have been possible without the generous support of our members, the guiding vision of our board members, the admirable contributions of our staff, and the meaningful efforts of our seasonal employees and year-round volunteers. Here, we’re revisiting these successes and other highlights, so please read on.
For now, I wish you a restful, reflective, and reinvigorating holiday season.

Warmly,
Anne Lai
Executive Director, SFFILM

SFFILM 2022 Review: From Michelle Yeoh to Ryan Coogler

San Francisco International Film Festival Highlights

As many of you know, this past year marked the 65th San Francisco International Film Festival. Deeply rooted in the notion of film appreciation—film as an art form and as a meaningful force for social change—the Festival encapsulates so much of SFFILM’s mission.

One of the Festival’s most exciting events was A Tribute to Michelle Yeoh, who graciously revisited her filmography while in conversation with Sandra Oh. “We are so blessed that we get to walk in and out of the lives of these characters,” Yeoh told a packed Castro Theatre about her experience leading the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once. “What I found is we were able to find joy. This family—they never gave up. And that’s what we have to do for each other… At the end of the day, stay strong.”

Since we returned to in-person programming in earnest this year, Yeoh’s words felt even more striking. However, that tribute was just one of the many memorable moments from this year’s Festival. The 11-day event featured a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, short and mid-length programs, live music performances, and dazzling red carpet events.

Audiences who attended the latest chapter of the longest-running film festival in the Americas had access to a slate of 130 films from 56 countries. Not to mention, 16 of those screenings marked world premieres. Showings of Stay Awake (Jamie Sisley; USA), Breaking (Abi Damaris Corbin; USA), and Cha Cha Real Smooth (Cooper Raiff; USA) comprised The Festival’s distinguished Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing events, respecitvely.

Other programs of note included tributes and honors to Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell With Shoes On; USA) and the Persistence of Vision Award for Trinh T. Minh-ha (What About China?; USA, China). We also celebrated our Academy Awards-qualifying* 2022 Golden Gate Awards (GGA), which included:

McBaine Documentary Feature—I Didn’t See You There (Reid Davenport; USA) and Master of Light (Rosa Ruth Boesten; USA, Netherlands)
New Directors Prize—Hit the Road (Panah Panahi; Iran)
Animated Short*—Sierra (Sander Joon; Estonia)
Documentary Short*—Long Line of Ladies (Shaadiin Tome and Rayka Zehtabchi; USA) and Holding Moses (Rivkah Beth Medow and Jen Rainin; USA, Japan)
Family Films—Battery Daddy (Seung-bae Jeon; South Korea)
Mid-Lengths—The Time of the Fireflies (Mattis Appelqvist Dalton, Matteo Robert Morales; Mexico, USA, Belgium)
Narrative Shorts*—Busan, 1999 (Thomas Kim; South Korea) and Half-Day (Morgan Mathews; USA)
New Visions—Listen to the Beat of Our Images (Audrey Jean-Baptiste, Maxime Jean-Baptiste; France, French Guiana)
Cine Latino—The Employer and the Employee (Manolo Nieto; Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, France)
Youth Works—Honeybee (Emilio Vazquez Reyes; USA)

SFFILM Presents Review

While the San Francisco International Film Festival is our headlining event, Bay Area cinephiles also enjoyed special screenings of some of 2022’s most significant movies during summer and fall which started with Adamma Ebo’s Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. with Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown in person in August; a September sneak peek of Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, with Hair and Makeup Department Heads Jaime Leigh McIntosh and Tina Roesler Kerwin in attendance; in October, a tribute to Gina Prince-Bythewood with a screening of The Woman King with composer Terence Blanchard presenting the award to Gina, as well as a screening of Charlotte Wells’s debut feature Aftersun featuring the director herself in person; and in November, we celebrated SF Honors with Guillermo del Toro and his newest feature, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio at the Dolby Theater.

All of this was rounded out by Doc Stories—our documentary showcase of some of the year’s finest works, including the world premiere of Marina Zenovich’s Jerry Brown: The Disruptor; Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s Lakota Nation vs. United States; Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes; and Chris Smith’s Sr., which was produced by its subject’s son: Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Vogue Theatre at SFFILM Doc Stories

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Marina Zenovich at SFFILM Doc Stories

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Governor Jerry Brown at SFFILM Doc Stories

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Shaunak Sen at SFFILM Doc Stories

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Laura Poitras at SFFILM Doc Stories

Photo by Tommy Lau

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Lakota Nation Vs United States Filmmakers at SFFILM Doc Stories

As awards season neared, we hosted SFFILM Awards Night, which honored four of contemporary cinema’s greatest talents. This year’s awardees were:

Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) — Irving M. Levin Award for Directing
Sarah Polley (Women Talking) — SFFILM Award for Storytelling
Margot Robbie (Babylon) — Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting
Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) — George Gund III Award

Photo by Tommy Lau

Joan Chen

Photo by Tommy Lau

Stephanie Hsu

Photo by Tommy Lau

Danai Gurira

Photo by Tommy Lau

Danai Gurira and Ryan Coogler

Photo by Tommy Lau

Margot Robbie and Diego Calva

Photo by Tommy Lau

Jessica Fairbanks, Sarah Polley, Mariecar Mendoza, and Anne Lai

SFFILM Director of Programming Jessica Fairbanks, Sarah Polley, Mariecar Mendoza, and SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai

SFFILM Makers at a Glance

After many years spent in the Presidio and Chinatown, SFFILM staff took time this year to really settle into our new headquarters in SoMa. In doing so, we reopened a space for FilmHouse, our community hub that provides Bay Area-based documentary and narrative filmmakers with artistic guidance, office space, a vibrant creative community, and support from established film industry professionals. We were thrilled to welcome filmmakers back to an in-personal, communal gathering space.

In 2022, we also provided funding and artist development support to independent filmmakers through several annual grants. In partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, SFFILM awarded $450,000 in grants to 18 narrative feature projects in various stages of production in the latest round of the SFFILM Rainin Grant program. While you can read about the projects in full, recipients included:

1791 | Stefani Saintonge, writer/director/producer + Sebastien Denis, writer/director/producer
Cousins | Adrian Burrell, writer/director; Alex Bledsoe, producer; Sue-Ellen Chitunya, producer + Saeed Crumpler, co-writer
Dìdi (弟弟) | Sean Wang, writer/director/producer; Carlos López Estrada, producer + Kelly Marie Tran, producer
Dreaming of Lions | Paolo Marinou-Blanco, writer/director
From Honey to Ashes | Emily Cohen Ibañez, writer
In My Father’s House | Abbesi Akhamie, writer/director
Joyride | Edwin Alexis Gómez, writer/director + Evelyn Angelica Martinez, producer
Late Spring | Yuan Yuan, writer/director
Rowdy By Nature | Morningstar Angeline, writer/director
Ruby: Portrait of a Black Teen in an American Suburb | Raven Johnson, writer/director
Santa Anita | David Liu, writer/director + Xin Li, producer
Signs Preceding the End of the World | Joie Estrella Horwitz, writer/director; Luis Gutiérrez Arias, writer/director; Kindred Spirit, producer + Bahìa Colectiva, producer
The President’s Cake | Hasan Hadi, writer/director
The Stud | Matthew Puccini, writer/director
Tokyo Forever | Andres Piñeros, writer/director; Federico Piñeros, producer + John Chaparro, producer
Uncle Hiep’s Casino | Richard Van, writer/director + Betty Hu, producer
Welcome to Roswell | StormMiguel Florez, writer/director/producer
Where Is the Healer? | Tebogo Malebogo, writer/director/producer + Petrus van Staden, producer

But these weren’t the only grants SFFILM provided this year. We collaborated, again, with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for the SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities grant, awarding the funds to Sarah Granger in support of her film The Pain-Free Day. In partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation—the nation’s leading philanthropic grantor for science and the arts—SFFILM awarded filmmakers Temi Ojo (A Man with a Missing Face) and Mark Ingber (Terroir) 2022’s Sloan Science in Cinema fellowships. Our Documentary Film Fund winners will be publicly announced in January.

There was no better way to cap off a wonderful year for SFFILM Makers than with the announcement of the Sundance International Film Festival lineup. Of the 99 films that will screen at Sundance, seven of them are SFFILM-supported projects, including:

Against the Tide | Sarvnik Kaur, director/producer; Koval Bhatia, producer | SFFILM Support Received—Documentary Film Fund; SFFILM Invest | Appearing In—International Documentary Competition
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt | Raven Jackson, writer/director; Maria Altamirano, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, producers | SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Rainin Grant; SFFILM Westridge Grant | Appearing In—U.S. Dramatic Competition
Fancy Dance | Erica Tremblay, writer/director/producer; Miciana Alise, writer | SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Rainin Grant | Appearing In—U.S. Dramatic Competition
Fremont | Babak Jalali, writer/director; Marjaneh Moghimi, producer; George Rush, producer | SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Rainin Grant | Appearing In—Next
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | Joe Brewster, co-director/producer; Michéle Stephenson, co-director/producer | SFFILM Support Received—Documentary Film Fund; SFFILM Invest | Appearing In—U.S. Documentary Competition
Going Varsity in Mariachi | Alejandra Vasquez, director; Sam Osborn, director; Julia Pontecorvo, producer; James Lawler, producer; Luis Miranda, producer | SFFILM Support Received—Documentary Film Fund | Appearing In—U.S. Documentary Competition
The Tuba Thieves | Allison O’Daniel, director/producer; Rachel Nederveld, Wendy Ettinger, Maida Lynn, Su Kim, Maya E. Rudolph, producers | SFFILM Support Received—SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities Grant | Appearing In—Next

SFFILM Education, In Brief

Our Education team ensures that filmmaking and film literacy are more accessible to the Bay Area’s youngest movie fans. The annual Schools at the Festival program, which took place at the 65th San Francisco International Film Festival, is just one example of this vital outreach; in connecting the Bay Area community and schools with the Festival, students of all ages can be inspired, moved, and connected to stories from around the world.

SFFILM’s Director of Education Keith Zwölfer said, “It’s been an extremely difficult two years for parents, students, and teachers. We were fortunate to be able to implement online resources and still provide meaningful and impactful experiences, but our passion truly lives in the impact we achieve through in-person educational events. So, it was fantastic to be able to bring school groups back in 2022. Nothing compares to seeing and hearing hundreds of students reacting to world class cinema in a theater with their peers. The silver lining of the pandemic is that we’ve learned to utilize online programming to supplement our in-person offerings, providing a level of accessibility we didn’t have previously for the Bay Area while also allowing us to expand our reach throughout the country and internationally.”

This year’s program reached 11,000 students and teachers for 19 in-person and online screenings and 24 school visits. Along with our Bay Area participants, we also had school groups from 14 states—as well as the UK and Canada—who viewed our online offerings.

When it comes to hands-on experiences, our annual Youth Filmmaker Camp allows participants to learn from local professionals, and then take what they learn and apply it to their own short narrative films. This year, 38 campers learned about screenwriting, filming, and editing over each of the camp’s two-week sessions. SFFILM provided 20 full scholarships ($1000) and one partial scholarship ($600). In addition to our in-house educators, Bay Area filmmakers Trevor Jiminez, Morgan Mathews, Joshua Pausanos, Ashley Valenzuela, Kar Yin Tham, Kein Wong, and Jim LeBrecht all provided campers with invaluable insight, too.

Other events throughout the year included a family screening of Turning Red, with Oscar-winning director Domee Shi (Bao) and production designer Rona Liu (Kitbull) in attendance. The screening had roughly 600 attendees, making it a wonderful way to welcome families back to in-person movie-going. In the fall, over 800 people attended the world premiere of ONI: Thunder God’s Tale, a 3D stop-motion hybrid animated fantasy series created by Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi (Dam Keeper).

A few weeks later, SFFILM made Doc Stories more accessible to students with Education’s first in-person iteration of Schools at Doc Stories. Across nine in-person and online screenings, and one in-person school visit, we served 4,772 students and teachers. School groups from 12 states as well as the UK also tuned in, building on our resolve to make film education more accessible and equitable to all students.

Throughout Doc Stories weekend, Disney Legend and long-time animator Floyd Norman (The Jungle Book, 1967) and Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot (The Queen of Basketball) of Breakwater Studios both stopped by to speak with young film lovers. To close out Schools at Doc Stories we held online Q&A sessions with filmmakers, which were attended by 3,400 K–12 students.

To close out a successful 2022, Youth Residency sessions will be held at FilmHouse (and virtually) in the coming weeks.

SFFILM 2023: What’s Ahead?

As we look ahead to a fresh year of exhibitions, artist development initiatives, and educational programming, the whole SFFILM team is motivated to continue our organization’s essential work. Make sure to save the date for the 2023 of the San Francisco International Film Festival, which will be held April 13–23. Until then, we will see you at the movies.

Stay In Touch With SFFILM

SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM works hard to bring the most exciting films and filmmakers to Bay Area movie lovers. To be the first to know what’s coming, sign up for our email alerts and watch your inbox.

Wrap Notes: 2022 SFFILM Awards Night

Relive SFFILM Awards Night, from the red carpet glamour and awardees’ acceptance speeches to the success of our annual fundraising efforts.

On Monday, December 5 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), the sold-out 2022 SFFILM Awards Night commemorated some of the year’s most remarkable filmmakers, actors, and storytellers. This year, SFFILM honored the following visionaries:

Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once) — George Gund III Award: Breakthrough Performance
Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) — Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction
Margot Robbie (Babylon) — Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting
Sarah Polley (Women Talking) — SFFILM Award for Storytelling

The importance of what IndieWire has called “an awards stop on the road to the Oscars” is two-fold, relating to both SFFILM’s mission and the film industry at large. SFFILM is a nonprofit organization working to transform the world through the creativity and inspiration of film. We work to inspire and connect audiences, educate students and teachers, and support filmmakers at every stage of their careers. Our screening events, education initiatives, artist development programs, and more share contemporary film’s most essential works with audiences, and provide artists with a platform to elevate their projects.

FilmHouse Resident Natalie Baszile. Photo by Pamela Gentile and courtesy of SFFILM.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without Awards Night, our organization’s most impactful annual fundraising event. “This evening of celebration not only honors the unique contributions of artists, but also fuels our ability to achieve our year-round initiatives of nurturing filmmakers, supporting students, and bringing audiences together through the transformative power of cinematic storytelling,” SFFILM’s Executive Director Anne Lai said of the event. “The impact of Awards Night is felt in every corner of our mission.”

Events like Awards Night have another goal, too: make Bay Area filmmakers, and the Bay Area film scene, an even more integral part of the film industry at large. “San Francisco now has a foothold in the awards season proper,” The Hollywood Reporter said of SFFILM Awards Night.

So, whether you joined in on the fun (and fundraising) in person, or caught highlights on our Instagram story, you can join us now in reliving 2022 SFFILM Awards Night.

Live From the Red Carpet

In true film fashion, Awards Night kicked off with a red carpet event. All of the awardees—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director and writer Ryan Coogler; Babylon star Margot Robbie; Women Talking director and writer Sarah Polley; and Everything Everywhere All at Once co-lead Stephanie Hsu—stopped in to pose for photos and chat with members of the press.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Joan Chen

Photo by Tommy Lau

Stephanie Hsu

Photo by Tommy Lau

Danai Gurira

Photo by Tommy Lau

Danai Gurira and Ryan Coogler

Photo by Tommy Lau

Margot Robbie and Diego Calva

Photo by Tommy Lau

Jessica Fairbanks, Sarah Polley, Mariecar Mendoza, and Anne Lai

SFFILM Director of Programming Jessica Fairbanks, Sarah Polley, Mariecar Mendoza, and SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai

Our awardees were joined on the carpet by the entertainment heavy-hitters who would later present them with their awards. The evening’s presenters included actor and playwright Danai Gurira (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever); actor Diego Calva (Babylon); the San Francisco Chronicle’s Senior Arts and Entertainment Editor, Mariecar Mendoza; and actor and filmmaker Joan Chen (Saving Face).

First to arrive were Hsu and Chen. When the two met on the carpet, Hsu thanked Chen for coming, sharing that she’d recently watched Alice Wu’s seminal Saving Face (2004), which, like Everything Everywhere All at Once, centers the relationship between a Chinese American mother and her queer daughter. Hsu referred to her experience with both of these films happening pretty serendipitously as a “real full-circle moment.”

Throughout the evening, the other stars stopped by the red carpet, too. Before stepping in front of the cameras, Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans (Executive Producer, Judas and the Black Messiah) and SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai greeted each other with warm admiration. A decade ago, Ryan Coogler received the SFFILM Rainin Grant, which helped the Oakland native complete his acclaimed debut feature, Fruitvale Station (2013). Soon after, Gurira embraced Coogler excitedly before stunning on the carpet with one of the evening’s sharpest looks.

Philanthropist and arts advocate Maria Manetti Shrem (left) and Honoree Margot Robbie (right). Photo Courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography.

The star-studded arrivals were capped off by Polley, who spent much time discussing the ins-and-outs of her latest film and writing process with journalists, and Babylon co-stars Robbie and Calva. Robbie not only shared insights into her much-lauded performance in Babylon, but also paused for photos with Maria Manetti Shrem — a philanthropist and patron of the arts as well as the namesake of the acting award she generously supports — and gushed about spending time in San Francisco.

Once the red carpet ended, all of the evening’s stars mingled with guests at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) reception, while other Awards Night attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour and snapped their own photos in front of our step-and-repeat.

Insider Scoop: Acceptance Speeches + Awards

After guests, honorees, and presenters enjoyed dinner service in the YBCA’s Forum, the real show began.

**Joan Chen** celebrates and introduces Honoree **Stephanie Hsu**. Photo Courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography.

First up, Stephanie Hsu received the George Gund III Award: Breakthrough Performance for her work in the Daniels’ hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. “Stephanie’s performance brought vulnerability, humor, edge, and richness to a story that—at its heart—is about a daughter and mother trying to find connection and trust,” presenter Joan Chen said before handing the mic to Hsu.

Honoree **Stephanie Hsu** at SFFILM Awards Night. Photo courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography.

“I keep saying that this movie is the most honest handshake I could possibly make with Hollywood, because it encapsulates so much of what I have always dreamed stories can offer,” Hsu said upon accepting her award. “Wildness, subversion, challenge, healing. Mass medicine, mass possibility. Togetherness. A transference of energy that hopefully inspires us to be better for one another. Joy.”

**Danai Gurira** introduces Honoree **Ryan Coogler**. Photo by Pamela Gentile and courtesy of SFFILM.

Next, Danai Gurira presented Ryan Coogler with the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction. Centering her remarks on Coogler’s uniqueness, as both a filmmaker and a human, Gurira reached out to the director’s mother for input. One anecdote came from a teacher, who compared a young Coogler to a figure from Greek mythology: “He was like Atlas…carrying the entire world on his shoulders, bearing profound concern for others, his family, his classmates, his community,” Gurira relayed. “He needed an outlet to pour all that love and deep care and concern for the world around him [into].” Filmmaking was that outlet.

Gurira applauded the “nice, unassuming” Coogler for holding fast to his vision in such a demanding industry; creating such remarkable, thoughtful worlds on screen; honoring the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman; and working with so many women as key collaborators. “Ryan is a man whose pureness of heart is that special ingredient that makes his visionary brand of leadership so empowering,” Gurira said. “This man gives me hope for the world. A world where power is shared.”

Honoree **Ryan Coogler** and **Danai Gurira** (back). Photo Courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography.

After accepting his award for directing, Coogler touched on the surrealness of the moment. “It feels very strange — you get this award [and] look and see Guillermo [Del Toro] and Spike [Lee] holding this thing,” Coogler said. “I feel like I’m just getting started. But it has been 10 years since I’ve been [a] professional filmmaker — a decade as they say, for gravitas.”

The director went on to compare breaking into the film industry like standing outside and watching airplanes fly overhead; for Coogler, those seemingly untouchable planes were filmmakers, flying high. “You know when you sit down on an airplane and you go from, like, just sitting still to, you know, [feeling] tight — and it’s pretty, pretty, pretty fast, and all of a sudden it lifts off and then you know you can relax? That was the moment that, you know, [SFFILM] got me to,” Coogler said, referencing the SFFILM Rainin Grant he received a decade ago, which went toward the making of Fruitvale Station (2013). “Without that, I don’t know where I would be [today].”

**Diego Calva** introduces Honoree **Margot Robbie**. Photo by Pamela Gentile and courtesy of SFFILM.

Later, Hollywood newcomer Diego Calva presented Margot Robbie with the newly named Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting. “Diego is an undeniable talent. You might not know who he is now, but you will soon,” Robbie said of her Babylon co-star on the SFFILM Awards Night stage. “I really look forward to the moment where I get to return the favor and give you an award. ‘Cause that day will come.”

Robbie then thanked SFFILM for its commitment to preserving cinema, reiterating that she wasn’t just thanking the organization for her award, but for SFFILM’s screenings, community outreach, and the San Francisco International Film Festival. “[You do] so much,” Robbie said. “It’s so important to foster new voices, and that means a lot to me, too.”

Honoree **Margot Robbie** as **Diego Calva** (back) looks on. Photo by Pamela Gentile and courtesy of SFFILM.

As for her performance — which fellow awardee Sarah Polley later called something that’s “not to be believed, it’s Olympic acting. I don’t even understand what you did” — the Maria Manetti Shrem Award-winner expressed one connection she shares with her Babylon character, Nelly. “She dreams of being a part of something bigger than her. Something that means something — something that’s gonna last. And I feel that way too,” Robbie continued. “And I think cinema at its best can do that.”

**Mariecar Mendoza** introduces Honoree **Sarah Polley** at SFFILM Awards Night. Photo by Pamela Gentile and courtesy of SFFILM.

San Francisco’s very own Mariecar Mendoza, senior arts and entertainment editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, had the pleasure of introducing the evening’s final awardee, director and writer Sarah Polley, who received the SFFILM Award for Storytelling. “[It’s clear that] not only [does] she have a genuine knack for storytelling, but also for listening and absorbing the expertise of those around her,” Mendoza said of Polley.

Honoree **Sarah Polley** as presenter **Mariecar Mendoza** looks on. Photo by Tommy Lau and courtesy of SFFILM

After calling the evening “such an education,” Polley paid homage to a filmmaker who wasn’t in the room: Audrey Wells, notably the screenwriter behind films like Guinevere (1999) and The Hate U Give (2018). “I’m in the hometown of my mentor and role model, the late great Audrey Wells, who loved this city so much,” Polley said. “She made it her mission to make me see myself as a storyteller… This would’ve been Audrey’s moment. So I, in part, accept this on her behalf.”

The Women Talking writer and director went on to give her thoughts on the nature of storytelling, explaining that since making her documentary, Stories We Tell (2013), she’s interested in stories “told by a chorus of voices.” For Polley, “[Our narratives] are moving, fluid, elastic things… but we hold onto them with white knuckles as though they’re solid structures, hoping they’ll be our life raft on the white waters we’re tossed on,” underscoring the importance of not just storytelling, but film as a whole.

Reel Talk: Remarks from Anne Lai + Our Fundraising Successes

“In addition to honoring our awardees, you are also helping to raise critical funds to support SFFILM’s year-round work in showing films, in educating youth about and through film, and helping independent filmmakers get their work made,” Executive Director Anne Lai said in her remarks. This year, the sold-out event garnered generous support from our dedicated, passionate community, allowing us to hit our fundraising goals to Fund the Future of Film.

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai at SFFILM’s Awards Night. Photo Courtesy of Drew Altizer Photography.

“It’s as transformative and as present today as it was at its birth over a century ago,” Lai said, referencing the power of films. “The allure of being in the cinema together remains one of the brightest and most potent, the most influential and inspiring, and the most democratic and accessible way in which we can seek entertainment, knowledge, escape, and human connection.”

While Coogler, Hsu, Robbie, and Polley’s collective body of work has already made an unequivocal impact on film, art, and, in many cases, our very lives, SFFILM hopes to empower more artists and filmmakers to change the world through their remarkable talents and singular perspectives. And, thanks to our many supporters, patrons, and members, 2023 is already shaping up to be another landmark year of championing films and filmmakers.

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SFFILM’s Anne Lai on the Future of the Castro Theatre

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai’s thoughts on preserving cinema at the Castro Theatre

This past year has been an affirming success for SFFILM, and we could not have done it without you. From our Festival in April through Doc Stories this fall, we joyfully welcomed people back to the movies and into our city’s theaters. We saw energized audiences, filled with movie lovers who were eager to find in-person community again.

In addition to our public programming, we’ve hosted filmmakers from around the world, re-opened FilmHouse in the new SFFILM headquarters in SoMa, provided support to many promising and independent filmmakers, taught students at our Youth Filmmakers Camp this summer, and meaningfully reconnected with our partner organizations. To close out 2022, we will honor four of the year’s singular filmmakers and performers at SFFILM Awards Night: Oakland’s own Ryan Coogler, director Sarah Polley, actor and producer Margot Robbie, and actor Stephanie Hsu. The state of Bay Area filmmaking and moviegoing is strong and we are overjoyed to do our part in keeping the culture of film vibrant and accessible for all.

Photo by Tommy Lau

Audience in the Castro Theatre

Photo by Pamela Gentile

STAY AWAKE, Shrihari Sathe + Albert Jones + Quinn McColgan + Fin Argus + Chrissy Metz + Jamie Sisley + Jessie Fairbanks

Photo by Tommy Lau

Doc Stories Attendees

Photo by Pamela Gentile

FilmHouse College Night

Photo by Pamela Gentile

32 SOUNDS, Castro Theatre

Photo by Pamela Gentile

Youth Filmmaker Camp

Photo by Pamela Gentile

JEANNETTE, Yvens Carrenard + Maris Curran + Jeannette Feliciano

Photo by Pamela Gentile

SFFILM Festival Attendees

With this returned momentum also come real challenges to the filmgoing culture that has been such a vital part of our city. I want to highlight one challenge in particular that has taken center stage this year for film lovers in San Francisco: the loss of movie theaters. Local independent theaters, and even some national chains, have closed their doors here, significantly reducing communal exhibition opportunities. To compound these losses, the proposed changes coming to our beloved movie palace, the Castro Theatre, have been especially concerning.

As many of you know, the Castro Theatre is slated to lose its cinematic-centered design under the current renovation plans. Now managed by Another Planet Entertainment (APE), the theater will undergo changes to address some much-needed updates to an historic building. We feel there is great power and opportunity in having a locally based and highly successful management company like APE both preserve and improve this historic venue. However, after months of listening, talking, and engaging behind the scenes with APE and local organizations we remain deeply concerned about the planned renovations from a number of perspectives. First, the prioritization of multi-use space over raked cinema seating could result in a diminished filmgoing experience. Next, the lack of significant improvement to accessibility, safety, and an equitable, dignified audience experience for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility does not align with SFFILM’s commitment to improving accessibility. Of particular concern is the proposed use of lifts for wheelchair users which brings up serious safety issues in case of evacuation. Finally, potential rental cost increases for nonprofits like ours could significantly impair our ability to utilize the theater at all post-renovation.

We very much want to have a relationship with APE in which we can express our concerns and work together to address them for the benefit of the greater community. We also want a relationship in which there is an appropriate level of sensitivity and consultation regarding programming decisions so that the unique character of the neighborhood and its importance to the LGBTQ+ community is recognized and respected. Obviously, we are not alone in this desire. We applaud all of our colleagues who have been outspoken about their concerns, including those at the Silent Film Festival, Eat Drink Films, the Castro Theatre Conservancy, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, noteworthy actors and directors, and so many others. They have been quick and consistent to rally the community and highlight the challenges these proposed changes present to filmgoing at the Castro.

Our belief in our city’s identity as a global cultural leader is steadfast. The Castro Theatre has been and remains a vital component of that identity. San Francisco and the greater Bay Area deserve to have its last and greatest cinema palace embody a long-standing commitment to film arts and entertainment. We sincerely hope that the city’s planning authorities and the Historic Preservation Commission set to meet on December 7 understand the value and the opportunity to prioritize cinema as they consider approving any proposed changes to the Castro Theatre. In the meantime, we plan to continue the conversation with both members of the community and APE, with a firm view toward preserving the Castro for an art form that sparks joy, inspiration, and connection for so many people.

Warmly,
Anne Lai
Executive Director, SFFILM

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The Art Vanguard Behind SFFILM’s Renamed Award for Acting, Maria Manetti Shrem

Q&A with the Icon Whose Namesake Now Dons SFFILM’s Renamed Award for Acting: Maria Manetti Shrem

Maria Manetti Shrem is an entrepreneurial force whose legacy spans fashion, fine art, film, and so much more. She’s pursued many lives-worth of visions, most recently establishing the Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting as part of a new partnership with us here at SFFILM. This honor recognizes the 360-degree dedication that actors give to their crafts, developing their characters and themselves along the way, all in pursuit of sharing something transformative with the world. Today, Maria and Jan, her husband, continue to bring energy to a number of channels and causes, as founders of the UC Davis Museum of Contemporary Art and supporters of over 30 charities. Maria and Jan currently reside in San Francisco, which makes this following Q&A that much closer to home.

Do you recall when you were introduced to SFFILM? What was your first SFFILM experience?

The first time I attended SFFILM was 20 years ago. I have admired their organization and their devotion to movies. I loved meeting and talking with Jeremy Irons. “The House Of The Spirit” is one of my favorite movies.

SFFILM’s acting award was first established in 1996 and has honed iconic performances from recipients including Glenn Close, Adam Driver, Richard Gere, Oscar Issac, Robin Willliams, and Amy Adams, among many others. What does this particular honor signify to you and your love of film and acting? What do you hope to carry on with this new title?

I love movies. Actors in the end are who make them memorable. No matter if they play evil or good people. We are enchanted by those characters–their words, their faces, their moves, their attitude, their walk, their gazes, their silence. I want to support the festival naming this specific award to raise attention and awareness on such a difficult job. Actors must be resilient dreamers as I am still.

Why did you decide to champion the Award for Acting, specifically, alongside SFFILM? How does it fit alongside your other work?

Last year, during the SFFILM’s Awards Night, I realized that this very specific award didn’t have a supporting name yet. So, I thought I had a chance to contribute to one of the oldest festivals in the Nation, and specifically the film festival of my city, San Francisco, adding my name to such a special job. Actors deliver moods, values and feeling alongside their own glamour. My whole life’s job was in fashion. I have always dealt with elegance and beauty.

How exactly, or in what ways, does the Award “provide support to a vital cinematic arts organization whose work invests in the storytellers of tomorrow”?

I hope to contribute to raise some national and international attention to SFFILM, helping to build long-term brand awareness, and to support the educational values that SFFILM brings to the SF Bay Area community.

You’re building community all over—at Met Opera, at UC Davis, at SF Opera, at KQED, at Festival Napa Valley, at UCSF, at CPMC, at SFFILM to mention a few—what do you hope is your greatest legacy in doing so?

I want to give with my warm hands, and not with cold ones after passing. I have always said that for me there are three stages in life: education; hard work; and if success brings prosperity and wealthy, to eventually give back. I support all three stages by fostering educational programs, talents in science, health, opera, and the arts; and by inspiring other wealthy people to give now to help others, and to motivate the youth to fulfill their own dreams.

How have you personally been impacted by cinema, theatre, acting and the film community?

I love movies, and particularly the old Italian cinema masters such as Fellini, De Sica-Zavattini, Rossellini, Pasolini, Visconti, Zeffirelli, and some of their main actors such as Sophia Loren (a very dear friend of mine), Marcello Mastroianni, Monica Vitti, Claudia Cardinale, Anna Magnani, etc. I love cinema in general and the kind of stories filmmakers tell us sharing knowledge, values and dreams, principles, and ideas to fight for. I was born romantic, but movies made me more passionate. That’s why I love romantic movies.

SFFILM’s Awards Night is one of the most star-studded and important nights in cinema throughout the year. Is there a memory that stands out most to you?

Meeting actors and directors is very exciting and rewarding for me. Recently, I enjoyed so much having dinner and talking with Michelle Yeoh and Sandra Oh. Truly two versatile professionals who inspire us.