50th San Francisco International Film Festival Presents SFIFF/Dialogues

Festival Offers A Four-Panel Series of Provocative Discussions on New Media, Local Film, Economics in Africa and the Environment as well as Three Chronicle Chats

april 3, 2007

San Francisco, CA – The 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26–May 10) presents SFIFF/Dialogues, a four-panel series of chats meant to inspire conversation and provide a forum for new ideas in the Bay Area and beyond. Also on tap in House 2 at the Sundance Cinemas Kabuki, the Festival’s central hub, are the SFIFF San Francisco Chronicle Chats.

Picturing Development takes place on Saturday, April 28 at 5:30 pm. Executive Producer Danny Glover will be joined by activists and academics to discuss the issues raised in Bamako, Abderrahmane Sissako’s powerful film that offers a pointed critique on the policies of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other international agencies. The film is meant as a polemic, charging that the organizations’ “development policies” actually worsen Africa’s economic plight. The panel discusses the persuasiveness of the film’s message.

SF360 Film Culture Confidential: Stories from the SF Film Frontiers comes to House 2 on Sunday, April 29 at 1:00 pm. San Francisco frontiersmen and women from the worlds of film production, distribution and exhibition will relate their best “only in San Francisco” stories. Panelists are: Stefanie Coyote, San Francisco Film Commission; Kevin Epps, Straight Outta Hunters Point and the Hip Hop Film Festival; Allyce Bess, Roxie Film Center; Taro Goto, San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival; and Peter Acworth, Kink.com. Moderated by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eve Batey, formerly of SFist.

No Snacking Allowed: Online Strategies for Meaningful Films, on Saturday, May 5 at 4:00 pm, is presented in association with Jaman. The Internet is great for snack video, self-promotion and porn, but its worth as a powerful platform for global distribution and monetization of meaningful short and feature-length independent and international films has not been fully measured. Panelists Carlos Montalvo of Jaman, Jonathan Marlow of GreenCine and others will discuss the ways in which serious filmmakers might find audiences, realize revenue and manage their portfolio of rights online. Moderated by Joaquín Alvarado of the San Francisco State University Institute for Next Generation Internet.

It’s a New (Green) World happens on Sunday, May 6 at 5:00 pm. Recognizing that the future of the planet is one of humankind’s most pressing concerns, committed film and digital mediamakers are employing diverse and innovative strategies to address burning environmental issues and inspire audiences to action. A panel of noteworthy filmmakers, technologists and activists will take up the discussion.

New this year are the San Francisco Chronicle Chats. Join invited San Francisco Chronicle writers for three in-depth Q&A discussions with Festival filmmakers following select film screenings. Check www.sffs.org for updated info.