San Francisco-based film and media arts organizations today announced that they will jointly host the inaugural filmmakers’ reception, “Spotlight on San Francisco at Sundance” in Park City during the annual Sundance Film Festival. Host organizations include the San Francisco Film Commission (Film SF), Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Frameline, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE Local 16), ITVS, Jewish Film Institute (JFI), SFFILM, and Teamsters Local 665.
“San Francisco is undeniably a dynamic, cinematic city,” said San Francisco Film Commission (Film SF) Executive Director Manijeh Fata. “With our vibrant filmmaking community, extensive network and resources, and strong Scene in SF rebate program, film productions must consider San Francisco as a filmmaking destination.”
Named by MovieWeb in 2022 as one of the most popular places to film, San Francisco recently hosted productions for Warner Brother’s The Matrix Resurrections, Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, HBO’s Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. Last year, San Francisco hosted more than 300 productions, including web, corporate, still photography, documentaries, commercials, and music videos, in addition to TV series and film productions.
San Francisco is also home to many high-profile nonprofit film and media arts organizations, and many world-renowned film festivals here are leaders in their respective communities.
“We are proud to partner with legacy film and media arts organizations who make up the artist development and exhibition infrastructure that brings audiences into theaters year after year,” said Fata.
At the reception, organizers will recognize filmmakers making their premieres at the Sundance Film Festival who received grants and professional support for their projects. This year’s titles and filmmakers are:
- Against the Tide, Sarvnik Kaur (SFFILM)
- All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Raven Jackson (SFFILM)
- Earth Mama, Savanah Leaf (FILM SF, SFFILM)
- Fairyland, Andrew Durham (FILM SF)
- Fancy Dance, Erica Tremblay (SFFILM)
- Fremont, Babak Jalali (FILM SF, SFFILM)
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stevenson (SFFILM)
- Going Varsity in Mariachi, Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez (SFFILM)
- The Longest Goodbye, Ido Mizrahy (ITVS)
- Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV, Amanda Kim (CAAM)
- A Still Small Voice, Luke Lorentzen (JFI)
- The Tuba Thieves, Alison O’Daniel (ITVS, SFFILM)
“Spotlight on San Francisco at Sundance” will be held on January 21, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Nelson Cottage near High West Distillery, at 651 Park Avenue in Park City, Utah. Guests may RSVP through Eventbrite. Entry to the event is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Organizers of the event plan on hosting similar networking receptions at various film festivals throughout the coming year and beyond.
“Spotlight on San Francisco” Host Organizations:
San Francisco Film Commission (Film SF)
Film SF and the San Francisco Film Commission champion filming in San Francisco. We are a City agency that strives to attract a diversity of storytellers to the cinematic city of San Francisco and foster filming in order to stimulate economic development, create jobs and share the beauty of our city with the rest of the world. For more information, visit Film SF.
Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media)
BAVC Media has been a trusted community educator, collaborator, incubator, community builder, and resource for the media arts world since 1976. BAVC Media serves as a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country, reaching thousands of freelancers, filmmakers, jobseekers, activists, and artists every year. We provide access to media-making technology, hands-on training, workshops, mentorship, preservation services, broadcast opportunities, artist development support, and more. Across BAVC Media’s programs, we advocate for those whose stories aren’t being told and provides the resources for anyone to create, share, and amplify their stories and those of their communities. For more information, visit www.bavc.org
Center for Asian American Media
For over 40 years, CAAM (Center for Asian American Media) has been dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. As a nonprofit organization, CAAM funds, produces, distributes, and exhibits works in film, television, and digital media. For more information about CAAM, please visit www.CAAMedia.org
Frameline
Frameline’s mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema. As a media arts nonprofit, Frameline’s integrated programs connect filmmakers and audiences in San Francisco and around the globe. Frameline provides critical funding for emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers, reaches hundreds of thousands with a collection of over 250 films distributed worldwide, inspires thousands of students in schools across the nation with free films and curricula through Youth in Motion, and creates an international stage for the world’s best LGBTQ+ film through the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival and additional year-round screenings and cinematic events. For more information on Frameline, visit www.frameline.org
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE Local 16)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, and Canada (I.A.T.S.E) Local 16 provides stage craft and technical support to a wide variety of entertainment and event industries ranging from Motion Pictures, Commercial Production, Theatrical Events, Industrial Trade Shows, Live Concert Events, and many other venues from San Francisco to San Mateo to Napa and Sonoma Counties. We provide skilled, trained technicians in a multitude of disciplines including Lighting, Carpentry, Audio Engineering, Props, Makeup, Camera Operators, Video Engineering, Audio Visual Technicians, etc. For more information, visit www.local16.org/
ITVS
ITVS is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that has, for over 25 years, funded and partnered with a diverse range of documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and co-produces these award-winning films and then airs them for free on PBS via our weekly series, INDEPENDENT LENS, as well as on other PBS series and through our digital platform, OVEE. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The National Endowment for the Humanities: American Rescue Plan, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation. For more information, visit www.itvs.org
Jewish Film Institute
The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) champions bold films and filmmakers that expand and evolve the Jewish story for audiences everywhere. JFI inspires audiences through the transformative power of film and media to entertain and engage us, to turn conversation into action, and to reframe understanding of Jewish cultures and identities. JFI’s annual public programs include the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), the first and largest Jewish film festival in the world, WinterFest weekend series, online film offerings, and special events with filmmakers, artists, and culturally-diverse thought leaders. JFI’s Filmmaker Services support emerging and established filmmakers worldwide through the JFI Completion Grants, which provide finishing funds to feature and short films of all genres, and the JFI Filmmakers in Residence program, which provides documentarians with a year-long, community-driven program to enhance their creative, marketing, business, and production skills. For more information, visit www.jfi.org.
SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM inspires and connects audiences, students and teachers, and filmmakers through film exhibitions, youth education, and artist development programs. Annual public film programs presented by SFFILM include the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) which is the longest-running film festival in the Americas, Doc Stories documentary series, special events with the best and brightest in contemporary film, and family programming. SFFILM Education serves more than 15,000 students and educators with learning opportunities designed to cultivate media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. SFFILM Makers supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services. For more information visit www.sffilm.org
Teamsters Local 665
Teamsters Local 665 is an affiliated union of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Motion Picture and Theatrical Trades Division. Local 665’s members in this division are onset transportation drivers of industry equipment including Camera Car, Production Van, Horse Truck, Crane, Tram, Stunt/Blind vehicles. The skilled and trained men and women in this this craft are employed In feature film, series and television commercial production.
For more information, please visit: https://www.teamsters665.org/