50th San Francisco International Film Festival Presents First Annual Midnight Awards

Late Night Awards Ceremony and Cocktail Reception to Celebrate Dynamic Hollywood Actors Honors Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell

April 3, 2007

San Francisco, CA - The 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26 – May 10) is proud to present the first annual Midnight Awards, honoring Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell on Saturday, April 28 at 10:30 pm at the W San Francisco Hotel. The evening will include an awards ceremony and cocktail reception featuring food and drinks, DJ entertainment, film clips and remarks by the honorees.

The Midnight Awards, given in memory of Charles Barile, have been created to honor a dynamic young American actor and actress entering the prime of their careers, who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema and who bring striking intelligence, exemplary talent and extraordinary depth of character to their roles.

“Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell are two of the best young actors of our generation, whose performances are, and will no doubt continue to be, in finest traditions of American screen performances,” said Graham Leggat, San Francisco Film Society executive director. “We are very pleased to honor them with the first Midnight Awards.”

Since making an indelible impression in her film debut (Larry Clark’s controversial Kids), Rosario Dawson has lit up the screen in both big-budget mainstream hits (Rent, Sin City, Men in Black II) and well-received indie gems (25th Hour, Sidewalks of New York, Chelsea Walls). Dawson is equally at home amid the sword-and-sandal splendor of Oliver Stone’s Alexander and the down-and-dirty convenience store of Kevin Smith’s Clerks II. Her upcoming films include Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse, John Madden’s Killshot and Talia Lugacy’s Descent, which she also produced. In March of this year, Dawson won the ShoWest Best Supporting Actress of the Year award.

Hailing from Daly City, local-boy-makes-good Sam Rockwell has forged a unique path among actors of his generation, stealing entire movies with his tousle-haired charm and seemingly effortless ability to get under the skin of some out-there characters. Following noteworthy appearances in In the Soup, Box of Moonlight, The Green Mile, Galaxy Quest and Charlie’s Angels, Rockwell’s breakthrough came in George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he brilliantly embodied game show host-cum-CIA hitman Chuck Barris. Rockwell’s upcoming films include David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Charles Barile (1954–2004) was a lifelong film aficionado whose love for the medium began as a child, when he would spend his Saturdays at the cinema watching the same film over and over. He studied film at UCLA and became a well-known publicist, in which capacity he was fond of saying that when you have a jewel of a film it speaks for itself. Barile would be the first to applaud our honorees for their talent, their independent spirit and their exceptional achievements.

W San Francisco Hotel is located at 181 Third Street. Tickets are available for members and general public at $50 per person. Festive dress required. Please visit www.sffs.org or call 925.866.9559.

Special support for this event is provided by Miracle Pictures, W San Francisco Hotel, SKYY Vodka and 7x7 Magazine.