46th San Francisco International Film Festival Call for Entries

The San Francisco International Film Festival, which celebrates filmart and filmmakers and has presented world cinema since 1957, is proudto announce the call for entries for its 46th Festival to run April 24- May 8, 2003.

Narrative features, documentaries, shorts, animation, experimentaland television productions on film, video and digital media may besubmitted. The entry deadline for all submissions is November 15, 2002.Roxanne Messina Captor, Executive Director of the San Francisco FilmSociety, points out that submission procedures have been streamlinedand cash prizes have been substantially increased.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

Any narrative feature over 40 minutes long that has been completedsince January 1, 2002 is eligible for consideration. Works in allgenres (dramatic, animated, experimental) are accepted in thiscategory. Narrative features are eligible for participation only if thefilm has never been screened in the San Francisco Bay Area or beenbroadcast on television.

First features by emerging filmmakers are eligible for the SKYYPrize, which includes a $10,000 cash award and was established in 1997by the Festival and premier sponsor SKYY Vodka to recognize a newdirector whose film exhibits a unique artistic sensibility. At the 45thFestival the SKYY Prize went to Bohdan Sláma of the Czech Republicfor his coming-of-age story THE WILD BEES.

GOLDEN GATE AWARDS

Documentaries, shorts, animation, experimental and televisionproductions may be submitted for consideration for Golden Gate Awardsand cash prizes totaling over $17,000. Entries, which in 2002 totalednearly 1,600 films and videos from 49 countries, will be reviewed bypanels of dedicated media professionals for nominations as OfficialSelections for the competition. Distinguished international juries willconvene to select 13 Golden Gate Award winners and award cash prizes ofup to $5,000. Some recent Golden Gate Award winners that have gone onto further acclaim are PROMISES and GENGHIS BLUES, which garneredAcademy Award nominations, RIVERS AND TIDES, which landed arecord-breaking post-Festival theatrical run in San Francisco, andFIRST PERSON PLURAL, which was televised as part of PBS¹s heraldedPOV series.

VIRGINMEGA AUDIENCE AWARD

Audience Awards will be given to the Best Narrative Feature and theBest Documentary Feature. The 2002 VIRGINMEGA Audience Award for BestNarrative Feature went to SPIRITED AWAY, the animated feature byJapanese master Hayao Miyazaki, which Disney will release on September20. The VIRGINMEGA Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went toPHOTOS TO SEND, San Francisco based filmmaker Dierdre Lynch¹smoving tribute to the great artistry of photographer Dorothea Lange.Runner-up in the Documentary Feature category was UNCLE FRANK, adelightful look at director Matthew Ginsburg¹s energeticoctogenarian uncle and the first documentary produced by KevinSpacey¹s production company Trigger Street. Last fall BenjaminBratt commented in Entertainment Weekly that the high of his career waswatching his film FOLLOW ME HOME win the Audience Award at the 1996 SanFrancisco International Film Festival.

The Golden Gate Awards will be presented at the Golden Gate Awardsceremony during the Festival. The SKYY Prize and VIRGINMEGA AudienceAwards will be announced at the Festival¹s Closing Press Brunch onMay 8, 2003.

ENTRY INFORMATION

Entry forms may be completed online at the San Francisco FilmSociety Web site at www.sffs.orgafter September 9. Entry forms and eligibility guidelines can also berequested by email at gga@sffs.org (Golden Gate Awards) orprogramming@sffs.org (narrative features), by fax at 415.561.5099 or bymail at Programming Department, San Francisco Film Society, 39 MesaStreet, Suite 110, The Presidio, San Francisco CA 94129, USA.

The San Francisco Film Society, presenter of the 46th San FranciscoInternational Film Festival (April 24 - May 8, 2003), is a nonprofitarts organization whose goal is to lead in expanding the knowledge andappreciation of international film art and its artists.