Jun 16, 2016
Artist Development
San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Film Society, in partnership with the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, today announced that Dash Shaw has been awarded the 2016 Djerassi Residency Award / San Francisco Film Society Screenwriting Fellowship, for continuing development of his script The Cryptozoo Debut.
The Djerassi Residency Award / San Francisco Film Society Screenwriting Fellowship provides uninterrupted time for work, reflection and collegial interaction, making this award unique in its capacity to provide a screenwriter with an inspiring and supportive environment in a stunningly beautiful rural location. Located 40 miles south of San Francisco in the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this residency offers living and work-studio accommodations and all meals from September 14-October 12, 2016, at no cost to the recipient.
“During this residency, I’ll be storyboarding my second animated movie, The Cryptozoo Debut,” said Shaw. “This movie is partly an ode to psychedelic underground comic books, which were born in San Francisco, and so I couldn’t be more excited to storyboard it in the Bay Area and in such a beautiful, fantastical location. Thank you to Dale Djerassi, the Djerassi Residency team and San Francisco Film Society for giving me the time and space to work on this!”
WINNER
Dash Shaw
Dash Shaw is a cartoonist and animator whose forthcoming graphic novel, Cosplayers, arrives September 2016 from Fantagraphics Books. His previous book New School was named one of the best books of the year by NPR. His other recent books include Doctors, BodyWorld and Bottomless Belly Button. His animated works include Wheel of Fortune, Blind Date 4, the Sigur Ros video Seraph (co-written with John Cameron Mitchell), and the 2009 IFC web series The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD. He wrote and directed the forthcoming independent animated feature My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea starring the voice talents of Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts, Maya Rudolph and Susan Sarandon. Shaw was a 2010 Sundance Labs fellow and a 2014-2015 Cullman Center fellow at the New York Public Library.
The Cryptozoo Debut
The Cryptozoo Debut is a hand-drawn animated feature modeled after 1960s underground comic books about a zoo that houses mythological creatures. The zookeepers must catch these “cryptids” before they fall into the hands of arms dealers who want to sell them as weapons. As the zookeepers struggle to capture a Baku (a Japanese dream-eating creature) they begin to wonder if they should display these rare beasts, or whether they should allow them to stay hidden.
Previous recipients of the Djerassi Residency Award are Tom Gilroy (2015) for his supernatural drama Our Lady of the Snow, Lea Nakonechny (2014) for her dramatic thriller A Sweeter World, Joshua Zeman (2013) for his scientific drama Collider, Julie Tosh (2012) for her science fiction-infused family drama Program Rose, Adam Chanzit (2011) for his psychological thriller The 15th Stone and Kathryn Mockler (2010) for her project Weak People Are Fun to Torment.
For more information visit sffs.org/Filmmaker360/Grants or djerassi.org.
The Djerassi Residency Award / San Francisco Film Society Screenwriting Fellowship is supported by a gift from Film Society board of directors member Dale Djerassi.
Filmmaker360 is a leader in the field of non-profit support of cinema and offers unparalleled assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers worldwide. Filmmaker360 oversees one of the largest film grant programs in the country, which disperses nearly $1 million annually to incubate and support innovative and exceptional films at every stage of production. Other elements of Filmmaker360 include project development consultation, FilmHouse Residencies, Off the Page screenwriting workshops, fiscal sponsorship and information resources.
Recent Filmmaker360 success stories include Jennifer Phang’s Advantageous, which premiered at Sundance 2015, was a smash hit on the festival circuit and is currently streaming on Netflix; Ian Olds’ The Fixer, starring Dominic Rains, James Franco and Melissa Leo, which had its world premiere in April; Jonas Carpignano’s Mediterranea, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and has created buzz all over the international festival circuit; Chloé Zhao’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which screened at Sundance and Cannes and will be released in theaters this spring; Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012 and earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture). For information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.