Mar 19, 2019
Festival
Actor and Vital Supporter of Film and the Arts to Receive Honor Followed by Screening of His Groundbreaking 1949 Film Intruder in the Dust
San Francisco, CA — SFFILM announced today that Claude Jarman Jr., the successful child actor who went on to be an important arts leader, including head of the San Francisco Film Society (now known as SFFILM), will be the recipient of the George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award at the 2019 San Francisco International Film Festival (April 10–23). The award will be presented to Jarman on Saturday, April 20, at 12:00 pm at the SFMOMA Phyllis Wattis Theater. An intimate onstage conversation, moderated by film scholar David Thomson, will be followed by a screening of the 1949 film featuring Jarman, Intruder in the Dust. 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.
“Claude Jarman, Jr. holds a special place for us at SFFILM, far beyond his work that built our organization,” said SFFILM Executive Director Noah Cowan. “He elegantly leveraged his success as a young actor to promote the art of film, bringing together the industry and Bay Area community in ways that reverberate to this day, and will for many years to come”
The longtime head of the San Francisco Film Society during its glamorous middle years (1965–1980)—made especially famous by day-long tributes to Hollywood legends and for its Board president Shirley Temple Black—Claude Jarman was also an accomplished child actor who worked with several legends, including the great John Ford (Rio Grande, 1950). According to those who came before and after, there would be no San Francisco International Film Festival without him. Jarman’s exceptional life is chronicled in a recent book My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood. We salute him for his service to the film community and his unwavering commitment to the arts with a moderated conversation and screening of Intruder in the Dust (1949).
Intruder in the Dust
Clarence Brown, USA 1949, 87 min
Crafted by six-time Oscar nominee Clarence Brown, this classic story of racial injustice, adapted from William Faulkner’s novel, is also a suspenseful murder mystery and a complex morality tale of the Deep South. Black farmer Lucas is assumed to be guilty of murdering a white man, and a lynch mob hovers. But young Chick (Claude Jarman Jr. at his sensitive best), his Black friend, and a courageous white spinster believe in Lucas and prove that a dedicated few can defeat the racist rabble when justice is on their side.
George 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, Eleanor Coppola, and the team of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
Tickets to Claude Jarman, Jr.: George Gund III Award + Intruder in the Dust are $13 for SFFILM members, $16 for the general public.
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For photos and press materials visit sffilm.org/press.
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2019 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 62nd edition runs April 10–23 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 12,000 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.
This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press/releases.
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