49th San Francisco International Film Festival Presents Backstage at Zoom! After Hours

March 28, 2006

San Francisco, CA—The 49th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 20–May 4) ZOOM! After Hours screening and party on Tuesday, May 2 will feature the French film Backstage, screening at 7:00 pm at the Kabuki 8 Theatres. Directly following the film, the volume is turned up at the ZOOM! After Hours party at SoMa newcomer Roe. Expected guests will be announced.

Director Emmanuelle Bercot, a San Francisco favorite following the U.S. premiere of her film Clément at SFIFF (2003), again shows off her exceptional strengths with Backstage as she takes on the frenzied and dark world of fandom and immediately immerses viewers in an overwhelming melodrama of desire. A typical teenager, Lucie unwittingly steps into an episode of reality television when pop icon Lauren shows up at her suburban home to give her a personal performance as part of a major publicity stunt. Verging on a nervous breakdown, Lucie, stunningly played by rising star Isild Le Besco, merely trembles, unable to engage with her idol. Lauren, portrayed by the inimitable Emmanuelle Seigner, is reduced to calming Lucie down, but leaves without any meaningful contact. The encounter leaves Lucie hollow, her brush with greatness an utter failure. But, like any good, mentally imbalanced fan, Lucie stalks Lauren, eventually gaining entrance to her Paris hotel room. Quickly their bond takes on the unsavory codependent overtones of master and servant. And from there, the situation gets even dicier.

“ZOOM! After Hours is meant to be a provocative social and cinematic experience,” says Executive Director Graham Leggat. “In Backstage, uncontrollable desire leads the heroine into unusual and life-changing situations. We think this is just what our ZOOM! After Hours audience is looking for, and the perfect film to spark an exciting evening.”

The ZOOM! After Hours party begins to pulse directly following the film at the swanky and fun Roe (651 Howard Street). Roe offers revelers three tiers of party space, from the VIP lounge downstairs to the plush dance club upstairs. There is plenty of room for indulging in cocktails and tasty bites as guests groove and lounge in this stylish venue. Admission for the ZOOM! After Hours film and party is $25 general public/$20 for San Francisco Film Society members; VIP tickets are $50 general public and $45 for members (includes reserved seating at the film and entrance to the celebrity VIP lounge at Roe).

ZOOM! After Hours is sponsored by the Bay Area Women In Film & Television and the Women In Film/General Motors Alliance. General Motors is the National Presenting sponsor of Women In Film. The WIF/GM Alliance was created to support women in the entertainment industry and to expand the programs of Women In Film chapters across the country.

Founded in 1957, the vanguard San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Held each spring for two weeks, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring some 200 films and live events with more than 100 filmmakers in attendance, presenting some 22 awards and attracting a diverse audience of nearly 80,000 people.

The 49th International runs April 20–May 4, 2006 at the Kabuki 8 Theatres, the Castro Theatre 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, as well as several smaller venues. To purchase tickets and for ticket information log on to www.sffs.org, call 925.866.9559 or visit the Main Ticket Outlet at the Kabuki 8 Theatres (1881 Post Street) or the Satellite Ticket Outlet at Virgin Megastore (2 Stockton Street). For additional information log on to www.sffs.org or call 415.561.5000.

San Francisco Film Society, presenter of the flagship SFIFF, is a nonprofit arts and educational organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in all its glorious forms. In early 2006 the Film Society unveiled SF360, a broad-spectrum series of initiatives designed to showcase the extraordinary vitality, variety and innovation of the San Francisco Bay Area film and media scene, including www.sf360.org, SF360 San Francisco Movie Night, SF360 InSchool Cinemas and the SF360 Festival of Festivals.

The Film Society will present the first annual San Francisco International Animation Festival from October 11–15, 2006 and a new SF International Youth Media Festival in 2007.

First to 50: SFIFF will hold its landmark 50th anniversary in April 2007.