March 29, 2005

48TH San Francisco International Festival Selects Pixar's Director Brad Bird to Deliver State of Cinema Address; Oscar-Winning Director/Writer of THE INCREDIBLES to Discuss the Future of Filmmaking

The San Francisco Film Society announced today that Pixar Animation Studio's Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning director-writer of the Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, THE INCREDIBLES, will deliver the third annual State of Cinema address at the 48th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21—May 5). Each year, the Festival selects a distinguished member of the film community to speak about current cinematic trends and future possibilities. Bird will speak at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres on Sunday, April 24 at 5:00 pm.

"This year for the first time the State of Cinema address will be delivered by a filmmaker," said Roxanne Messina Captor, executive director of the Film Society. "Brad Bird is an innovator who has embraced technology, but who believes strongly that what makes a good film is not the medium, but a story with interesting characters and a compelling premise. This will be a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from a leading filmmaker who bridges the span between the new technology and the established film medium."

Brad Bird spent three years making his first film. When it was completed he was 14 years old. That film caught the attention of talent scouts from Walt Disney Pictures and Bird started a mentorship with Milt Kahl, one of the legendary Disney animators known as the "Nine Old Men." He honed his craft as an animator at Disney and other studios, and then continued to compile an impressive resume, which includes work on The Simpsons, King of the Hill and the "Family Dog" episode of Steven Spielberg's television anthology series Amazing Stories. In 1999 Bird wrote and directed the critically acclaimed animated feature, THE IRON GIANT, which won numerous awards, including the International Animated Film Society's Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature. Shortly thereafter, Bird joined his former CalArts schoolmate, John Lasseter, at Pixar Animation Studios, and began to develop an original film about a family of superheroes who have been living fitfully in suburbia after being forced into the government's superhero relocation program. THE INCREDIBLES, released by Disney in November 2004, received Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Sound Editing.

Previous State of Cinema addresses have been given by Michel Ciment, longtime editor of the influential French film magazine Positif and B. Ruby Rich, renowned film critic, curator and cultural commentator.

The 48th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 21—May 5, 2005 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, the Home of the Festival, the Castro Theatre, the Palace of Fine Arts, Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center and the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco; the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley; and Landmark's Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto. Tickets for San Francisco Film Society members will be available on March 29 and for the general public on April 5. To purchase tickets and for ticket information log on to www.sffs.org, call 925.866.9559 or visit the Main Ticket Outlet, located in the atrium of the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, 1881 Post Street or the Satellite Ticket Outlet at the Virgin Megastore, 2 Stockton Street. For up-to-date Festival information log on to www.sffs.org or call 415.561.5000.

The 48th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21—May 5, 2005) is presented by the San Francisco Film Society, a nonprofit arts and educational organization dedicated to celebrating international film and the moving image.