Jan 28, 2013
Artist Development
Four films that received significant support from the San Francisco Film Society’s Filmmaker360 program have won awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, it was announced Saturday in Park City, Utah. Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the narrative category, Zachary Heinzerling won the Directing Award in the documentary category for Cutie and the Boxer, and both Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s American Promise and Jacob Kornbluth’s Inequality for All won Special Jury Prizes in the documentary category. This marks the second year in a row that a SFFS-supported film took the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, following last year’s Beasts of the Southern Wild. For the full list of award winners, visit sundance.org.
“The success of these amazing films at Sundance proves definitively that there is a film renaissance happening right now in the Bay Area,” said Ted Hope, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society. “We’re proud to support these talented storytellers and we’re thrilled that others share our enthusiasm for their impressive work.”
Filmmaker360, the Film Society’s filmmaker support program, offers unparalleled assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide and 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. The Film Society recently announced the renewal and expansion of its partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, including the flagship SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants that awarded significant funds to both Fruitvale and Beasts of the Southern Wild at multiple stages of production. Other services offered by Filmmaker360 include project development and fiscal sponsorship, FilmHouse residencies offering free office space to filmmakers in any stage of production, Off the Page script workshops, and more.
The application period for the Spring 2013 round of SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grants is now open. For more information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.
SUNDANCE AWARD WINNERS SUPPORTED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY
Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler
• Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic
• Dramatic Audience Award
– Spring 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant winner: $100,000 for production (more info)
– Fall 2012 SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grant winner: $100,000 for postproduction (more info)
– Off the Page script workshop, April 2012 (more info)
Cutie and the Boxer, directed by Zachary Heinzerling
• Directing Award, Documentary
– 2011 SFFS Documentary Film Fund grant winner: $50,000 for postproduction (more info)
American Promise, directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson
• Special Jury Prize, Documentary
– 2011 SFFS Documentary Film Fund grant winner: $25,000 for postproduction (more info)
Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth
• Special Jury Prize, Documentary
– Currently enrolled in San Francisco Film Society Project Development program (more info)
In addition to these films directly supported by the Film Society, other Bay Area success stories at Sundance include the oustanding double win by 72 Productions, whose Jen Chaiken sits on the SFFS board of directors. 72 Productions films won awards in both the narrative and documentary competitions: the aforementioned Special Jury Prize for Inequality for All and the Directing Award in the narrative category for Jill Soloway’s Afternoon Delight.
As well as having a strong presence in the Sundance Film Festival program, the Film Society recently deepened its relationship with the Sundance Institute with the announcement of a new partnership with Sundance’s Artist Services program. As one of six prestigious film organizations partnering with Artist Services, SFFS will hand-pick projects supported through Filmmaker360 cash grants, residencies and script workshops to be enrolled in Artist Services, which provides filmmakers with exclusive opportunities for creative self-distribution, marketing and financing solutions for their work. For more information visit sffs.org.
Other San Francisco Film Society-supported projects featured in the Sundance Film Festival lineup in recent years include Shaul Shwarz’s Narco Cultura (awarded $20,000 Documentary Film Fund grant), Aurora Guerrero’s Mosquita y Mari (awarded $88,000 SFFS/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant for postproduction), Mark Kitchell’s A Fierce Green Fire (fiscally sponsored by SFFS) and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which received two SFFS/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants totaling $105,000 for postproduction, went on to win both Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or, and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
For additional information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.