World Premiere of Fog City Mavericks at 50th San Francisco International Film Festival

Documentary Explores the Rich Cultural History of Cinema in San Francisco Bay Area

January 22, 2007

The milestone 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26–May 10, 2007) will present the world premiere of Fog City Mavericks, directed by Gary Leva, at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre at 7:30 pm on Sunday, April 29.

A few of the awe-inspiring iconoclastic filmmakers featured in the documentary include Brad Bird, Bruce Conner, Carroll Ballard, Chris Columbus, Clint Eastwood, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, John Korty, John Lasseter, Phil Kaufman, Walter Murch, Sofia Coppola and Saul Zaentz.  George Lucas and several fellow Fog City Mavericks (tbd) will be on stage for the introduction of the film and take part in a Q&A following.

Fog City Mavericks explores and applauds the extraordinary cinematic achievements of San Francisco Bay Area filmmakers, with notable attention to the way in which their lives and work mirror the spirit of invention and independence that makes the Bay Area such a unique cultural and artistic community.

“The Bay Area’s a Shangri La of trailblazing innovation, and nowhere is this more true than in the extraordinary group of filmmakers who have called it home in recent generations,” said Graham Leggat, San Francisco Film Society executive director. “We are thrilled to world premiere the superb documentary with George Lucas and other Bay Area lions in attendance.”

Cinema was, arguably, invented in San Francisco, by Eadweard Muybridge, who converted still photographs of racehorses into a motion sequence as well as inventing the zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures. Beginning with Muybridge, Fog City Mavericks acknowledges numerous other early pioneers—including Charlie Chaplin, who developed his craft at the Essanay Studio in Niles in the East Bay before relocating to Hollywood—in a long swoop up to the present day.

The spirit of cutting-edge innovation that characterizes the work of Bay Area filmmakers is part and parcel of the maverick approach that drives San Francisco’s creative output from the literature of the Beats to the technological revolutions of Silicon Valley. Fog City Mavericksexamines the way that the DNA of San Francisco affects and reflects the lives and work of its artists.

As previously announced George Lucas will be the recipient of the one-time-only Irving “Bud” Levin Award to be presented at the gala Awards Night of the 50th International. The Levin Award, named after the founder of the San Francisco International Film Festival, honors a man who has a deep appreciation for movies as an art form; a recognition of the important role that San Francisco plays in the world of art and cinema; a flair for innovation and entrepreneurship; a spirit of adventure and passion for community. San Francisco has played an important role in Lucas’s career and his commitment to San Francisco has engendered a vast filmmaking community in the Bay Area.  Film Society Awards Night will take place on Thursday, May 3 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

Founded in 1957, the vanguard San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Held each spring for fifteen days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring 25 juried awards and more than 220 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 80,000+ people.

The landmark 50th International runs April 26–May 10, 2007 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinema, the Castro Theatre, The Museum of Modern Art 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 satellite venues.

For tickets and information go to www.sffs.org, call 925.866.9559 or visit the Main Ticket Outlet at the Sundance Kabuki Cinema (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. The Film Society’s year-round programs and events are concentrated in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange; Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth; Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture; and Exploring New Digital Media.

In early 2006 the Film Society unveiled SF360, a broad-spectrum series of initiatives designed to showcase the extraordinary vitality and variety of the Bay Area film and media scene, including www.SF360.org, SF360 San Francisco Movie Night, SF360 Film+Club and the television show SF360 Movie Scene.

The Film Society runs an acclaimed Education Program that each year introduces international cinema and media literacy to several thousand teachers and students (ages 8–18). The Film Society will present the second annual San Francisco International Animation Festival in October 2007, the eleventh annual New Italian Cinema festival in November 2007 and a new SF International Youth Media Festival in early 2008.