Oct 17, 2017
Artist Development
San Francisco, CA — SFFILM has announced that its second annual SF Honors program will acknowledge the groundbreaking accomplishments of Darkest Hour, from Focus Features and Working Title, with a public screening event Monday, November 6, 6:30 pm at the Castro Theatre. Director Joe Wright, the film’s star Gary Oldman, along with actor Ben Mendelsohn, writer/producer Anthony McCarten, and supervising sound editor Craig Berkey will attend in person and participate in a pre-screening special award presentation followed by an in-depth post-screening conversation about their work.
“The remarkable ability of cinema to capture a distinct moment in time drew us to Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour and the extraordinary performance by Gary Oldman at its center. We are proud to name it this year’s SF HONORS recipient,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director Noah Cowan. “This award, a major event in the San Francisco cultural season, would not be possible without the support of Todd Traina and Diane B. Wilsey, significant long-time supporters of the cultural infrastructure of the Bay Area and SFFILM.”
Academy Award® nominee and BAFTA Award winner Gary Oldman stars for BAFTA Award-winning director Joe Wright in Darkest Hour, a thrilling account inspired by the true story of Winston Churchill’s first weeks in office during the early days of the Second World War. Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten’s original screenplay takes a revelatory look at the man behind the icon in a feature film that was met with glowing reviews of Gary Oldman’s performance and Wright’s masterful direction. Following its premiere at the 44th Telluride Film Festival, the film has been garnering acclaim all over the international film festival circuit, including at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Focus Features will open Darkest Hour in New York and Los Angeles on November 22, and in the Bay Area on December 8.
Now in its second edition, and already a landmark cinema event on the Bay Area’s major event calendar, SF Honors is an annual award and tribute designed to bring particular attention to innovation and audacity in current cinema with a screening and special onstage tribute to the creators and cast of one of the best films of the year.
The inaugural SF Honors award was presented in 2016 to Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, with a public screening event and onstage conversation featuring writer/director Damien Chazelle, stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and composer Justin Hurwitz at the Castro Theatre. Celebrating achievement in filmmaking, and adding a Bay Area voice to the end-of-year awards conversations, SF Honors is made possible by a $1 million, ten-year gift from SFFILM’s Board Vice President Todd Traina and philanthropist Diane B. Wilsey.
Tickets to SF Honors: Darkest Hour are $15 for SFFILM members, $20 general; now on sale at sffilm.org. Guest information subject to change.
For general information visit sffilm.org To request screeners, interviews, and press materials, contact lmolinari@sffilm.org
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 champions 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 nonprofit organization delivering screenings and events to more than 100,000 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. For more information visit sffilm.org.
###