Mar 14, 2018
Festival
San Francisco, CA — SFFILM announced today that groundbreaking filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman will be the recipients of the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award at the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival (April 4–17). The award will be presented to Epstein and Friedman on Sunday, April 15, at 1:00 pm at the Castro Theatre. An intimate onstage conversation will be followed by a screening of their new documentary End Game. The George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award, given in tribute to the longstanding SFFILM chairman of the board who passed away in 2013, honors worthy members of the filmmaking community for outstanding and unique contributions to the art of cinema.
“George Gund III believed the Bay Area had to have a special role in championing social justice and to be a place where permission was granted to explore one’s innate creativity. Our recipients embody those values perfectly,” said SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan. “One cannot overestimate the impact that Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have had on the documentary film form, LGBT cultural representation, and filmmaking in the city of San Francisco. They are heroes to us and continue to be exceptional mentors and educators to this day. We could not be more proud to present them with this award.”
Among the most dynamic documentary filmmakers of the past 30 years and stalwart champions of filmmaking in the Bay Area, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have continually mined hope from tragedy, together telling stories of resilience during the early AIDS crisis (Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, 1989), against the backdrop of Hollywood stereotyping (The Celluloid Closet, 1995), and despite Nazi persecution (Paragraph 175, 2000). LGBTQ history was, of course, pivotally changed by Rob Epstein himself when he wove the community’s anger, anguish, and action into the iconic and Oscar-winning The Times of Harvey Milk (1984). Epstein and Friedman also created notable narrative films that have bent genres (HOWL, 2010) and opened minds (Lovelace, 2013). Their commitment to the film community in the Bay Area is as deep and profound as their practice as filmmakers, making them ideal recipients of this award.
End Game
Well-lit rooms with clean linen and soft voices contrast with the topic at hand in this documentary about the passage from life to death. The brave subjects of this film—some dying, others grieving, and still others tasked with speaking uncomfortable truths—opened their painful processes to Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s cameras. In response, the team gives them and us a hospice film to remember as philosophy, science, empathy, and professional effort are brought to bear on the practice of passing away.
Gund III was an avid film lover and distinguished philanthropist whose unwavering support of SFFILM spanned more than four decades. He led the organization and its annual film festival into a period of unprecedented growth and success, resulting in a robust year-round cultural institution that now reaches more cinema enthusiasts and supports more filmmakers than at any other time in its history. Created in 2011, the George Gund III Award pays homage to Gund for the more than 40 years of service to the organization and will be given periodically to members of the film community in recognition of their distinguished service to cinema as an art form. Previous recipients include Ray Dolby, Maurice Kanbar, Peter Coyote, and Eleanor Coppola.
Tickets to the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award – Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman: End Game are $13 for SFFILM members, $16 for the general public. Box office is open to SFFILM members now online at sffilm.org and opens for the general public Friday, March 16.
For general information visit sffilm.org/festival
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For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press
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2018 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 61st edition runs April 4-17 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 10,000 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.
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