Sue Jean Halvorsen: Confessions of a Film Festival Devotee
By Kevin G. Headly

Sue Jean Halvorsen never misses an opportunity to praise the San Francisco International Film Festival. In fact she often goes out of her way to create such opportunities. She usually gives away her pass to the Festival's posh Closing Night, but she does so judiciously. Sue Jean makes sure the Film Society will get somthing in return: a new member or volunteer, or if the lucky recipient is already a member, they have to promise to raise their membership level.

A member for over a decade, Sue Jean is very outspoken about what she finds so appealing about membership. "What I love most about the SFIFF is the fact that it truly is an international festival. Unlike other venues, which can often operate merely as a screening room for Hollywood previews, I anticipate attending the Festival each year because I know I'll see films that I may never have a chance to see in any other setting," she says. "Audiences from all pockets of San Francisco come out to support films from their native countries. Therefore the Festival also offers a unique opportunity to mingle with, and learn from, people of other cultures."

Halvorsen, a self-described film fanatic, confesses that despite her obvious preferences (documentaries are another priority), she'd go to see just about any film. "Going to the movies for me is like eating out, sometimes you can eat junk pizza or a plain burrito and be perfectly satisfied. You don't always have to go for the full course meal. It all depends on what you are in the mood for."

Frivolous moments aside however, Halvorsen certainly isn't your average moviegoer. She is serious, and years of devoted movie watching have left her with a clear perspective on not only what movies have to offer her, but also what she now expects to take away from a "good" film. "For me movies are a window on another world. At their worst, they offer you an escape from the stress of daily life. However, at their best they can offer illumination into human behavior. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with mere escapism, but do I want films that raise consciousness even while they are letting you escape? Of course I do"

Perhaps, it is her knowledge that exposure to that caliber of film entertainment is precisely what she can expect to receive at the Festival that motivates Sue Jean year after year to scrape together her pennies to pay for her Benefactor membership, even when that involves returning her Coke bottles. Typically, however, she gladly signs over her annual tax refund check to cover this expense.

As for the possibility that this devotion may one day manifest itself as a desire to aid in the Festival's presentation, Halvorsen says, "Who knows? Perhaps one day I will volunteer, but for right now I'm having too much fun."

By the way, in case you were wondering where to find Sue Jean Halvorsen on the evening of May 2 while the lucky recipient of her pass to the Closing Night Wrap Party is grooving the night away, she will be somewhere across town at the last of the Festival screenings, sitting in the audience, in a quiet theater, having fun.