Cinema in the News
UTA Job List for 5/13 Available for Download
May 18, 2013
The entertainment industry job list is out. Unless specific permission is given within the listing, DO NOT CALL about positions or to follow up. To download, click here.
FILM PREVIEWS in progress this week - campus community welcome
May 13, 2013
Film Previews features film work from all the disciplines in the Cinema Department, including narrative, documentary, experimental, live-action and animation. Selected finalists from this screening will go on to be featured at Film Finals on May 17th.
Coppola Theater (FA101), Monday and Tuesday, May 13th and 14th, 10am and onward! The complete Film Previews schedule is available here.
McBride's Ford biography noted as one of five best
May 11, 2013
Congratulations to Professor Joe McBride--American director William Friedkin praised Joe's biography, SEARCHING FOR JOHN FORD as one of the "five best" books on film directors. Friedkin's column was part of The Wall Street Journal's "Five Best" series, a feature of its Books and Ideas section.
Cinema grad and Hood recipient chosen as Commencement student speaker
May 10, 2013
Alfonso Solis, who earned his B.A. in Cinema Summa Cum Laude last August, was selected to be this year's Undergraduate Honoree for the Department of Cinema. Subsequently, he was named as this year's Undergraduate Hood recipient for the College of Liberal Creative and Arts. And, just announced is the selection of Alfonso to be the student speaker at this year's Commencement ceremony.
UTA Job List for 5/13 Available for Download
May 7, 2013
The entertainment industry job list is out. Unless specific permission is given within the listing, DO NOT CALL about positions or to follow up. To download, click here.
Cinema grad makes it to Cinéfondation finals at Cannes
May 6, 2013
The Cinema Department is pleased to announce that a film by Joey Izzo, 2012 graduate of Cinema’s M.F.A. program, has been selected as a finalist in the competition for a Cinéfondation Prize. San Mateo County's The Daily Journal interviewed Joey Izzo for this article, published on May 4.
Cinema Department Announces 53rd Film Finals - May 17 - 7 pm - McKenna Theatre
April 22, 2013
FILM FINALS is the Cinema Department's marquee annual event. This jury-selected showcase of student work draws from graduate and undergraduate student films in narrative, documentary, animated and experimental formats. In its 53rd year, FILM FINALS is the longest-standing tradition in the Cinema Department's history, and is older than most American film festivals! At this year's event, the department will honor Professor Bill Nichols with a special tribute. FILM FINALS 53 will culminate in a reception and award ceremony at which scholarships for outstanding Cinema students will be announced.
For more information, visit: sffilmfinals.com
A journey to Cuba via Half Moon Bay - Friday, April 19
April 19, 2013
The Coastside Film Society will present Warren Haack's film, SANTIAGO ES SANTIAGO, on Friday evening at 7:30. The event takes place at the Community United Methodist Church at 777 Miramontes St. in Half Moon Bay; Warren will be present for Q&A following the screening. Stacy Trevenon writes about Warren and his film for the Half Moon Bay Review.
Another Cinema student heading to Cannes
April 17, 2013
Véronica Duport Deliz will screen her film in The Court Métrage (Short Film Corner) for this year’s Festival de Cannes.
Roger Ebert passes
April 8, 2013
Initial thoughts of Cinema students captured in this KTVU broadcast.
Johnny Symons to join Cinema faculty
March 24, 2013
Department welcomes new professor with documentary focus.
SF State's 2013 International Documentary Film Workshop now accepting applications
March 22, 2013
Greta Snider and Weimin Zhang will host informational meeting about Shanghai program set for Thursday, April 4, 12:30-2pm in FA 344B.
Larry Clark film screens on March 30 at National Gallery of Art in D.C.
March 22, 2013
PASSING THROUGH included in program entitled “L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema.”
Cinema grad student to screen at CAAMFEST 2013 on Saturday
March 18, 2013
David Washburn's AN AMERICAN MOSQUE set for screening and panel discussion.
McBride on Truffaut
March 14, 2013
Joe McBride introduces screening and shares insights on Truffaut with Belmont community on March 22.
Teachers do more than teach
March 13, 2013
At the university's Faculty Research and Creative Activities Retreat in January, Daniel Bernardi and other SFSU faculty comment on "The Teacher-Scholar Model" at SFSU.
Cinema alum continues blazing trail started by others
March 13, 2013
Masachi Niwano seems well-suited for his role as director of this year's CAAMFest, which starts March 14 at the Castro Theatre.
Haack film featured at Tiburon Film Festival
March 8, 2013
SANTIAGO ES SANTIAGO, the most recent work by Warren Haack, master of Cinema's facilities and accomplished filmmaker, will be screened at this year's Tiburon Film Festival on April 13. Presented with Q & A led by Joe McBride.
M.F.A. candidate's film wins honors
March 5, 2013
Pedro Gomez's BANZAI RISING receives Official Selection in CAAMFest 2013.
Call for Applications, Cinema Lecturer Pool
February 25, 2013
The Department of Cinema at SF State is accepting applications for projected lecturer opportunities in production in Fall 2013 and Spring 2014.
Cinema's online courses in focus
February 11, 2013
The Golden Gate Xpress examines online teaching and learning in the CSU and here at SF State - including Cinema.
Faculty candidates visit Cinema
February 4, 2013
The Cinema Department is in the process of filling a faculty position for a documentary filmmaker. Four candidates have been invited to come to campus for interviews.
Ben Ridgway's film "Cellular Circuitry" selected as a Director’s Choice for the 32nd Annual Black Maria Film Festival tour
January 30, 2013
The Film Festival Premiere Tour Kickoff will begin on February 1, 2013 at New Jersey City University and then continue on an extended tour to various host venues across the USA and on to Rome, Italy, wrapping up in October.
Women Who Work in Movie Sound
December 4, 2012
Join us this Saturday for a discussion of "Women Who Work in Movie Sound"
Cinema offering Winter Session Courses
December 3, 2012
Cinema is offering three winter session online courses from 24 December to 22 January via the College of Extended Learning.
You're cordially invited to the Fall 2012 MFA in Cinema Screening
November 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 11th
7:00 PM Reception, 7:30 PM-9 Screening (FREE)
August Coppola Theater, Fine Arts Building, SFSU
Lily Zaldivar's film, Bitchology makes it to the second round of Wildcard.
November 20, 2012
Congratulations to Lily Zaldivar and her crew on creating Bitchology. They have been selected to move on to the second round of Wildcard which is to compete in the online national bracket for a chance to screen during CMF Hollywood.
Special Preview Screening - Santiago es Santiago, Warren Haack, Nov 17 at 3PM
November 13, 2012
Discover the Real Cuba: The island time forgot. Where a rich home-grown culture thrives free of the Commercialized World of American Mass Media!
Master Class: Social Activism & Documentary Film
November 8, 2012
Debra Chasnoff is an Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has fueled progressive social-change movements in many fields. She is president and senior producer at GroundSpark, a national non-profit documentary and activist education company headquartered in San Francisco. She co-founded GroundSpark’s Respect For All Project, a program that produces media and training resources to help prevent prejudice among young people. Chasnoff is also the Chair of New Day Films, the premiere national social issue film distribution co-op.
Coppola Theatre to screen Mrs. Judo, November 30th
November 7, 2012
Coppola theatre is proud to host the screening of Mrs. Judo, a documentary on the life-long journey of Keiko Fukuda to defy tradition and become the highest-ranking woman in judo history.
CINE 423, Introduction to Digital Filmmaking students get some publicity
November 7, 2012
Cinema’s very own, Owen Wesson, Daniel Casillas, Marine Gautier, and Aaron Firestone of CINE 423 created this mini-doc on the Three Strikes Law.
The Hungarian Film Festival of Los Angeles finally comes to San Francisco!
November 7, 2012
The 12th edition of the LA Hungarian Film Festival will now also be showing a selection of films at the Coppola Theater, San Francisco State University, November 13, 16, 17.
Master Class: Creating & Sustaining Meaningful Subject Relationships
October 30, 2012
Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated director/writer with 35 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year for 1994, a 1995 Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award. His film Hoop Dreams played in hundreds of theatres nationwide after winning the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was the first documentary ever chosen to close the New York Film Festival.
Upcoming Screening - Coppola Theater, Friday, Nov. 2nd - 12pm
October 22, 2012
A discussion with Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev, co‐directors, will follow the screening.
14th Annual SFSU Film Conference - Cinema in Crisis
October 16, 2012
The Cinema Studies Graduate Student Association (CSGSA) is hosting its 14th Annual SFSU Film Conference, Cinema in Crisis.
Department of Cinema seeks applicants for Assistant or Associate Professor position in Documentary Filmmaking, to start Fall 2013
October 10, 2012
The San Francisco State University Cinema Department seeks candidates for the position of documentary filmmaker at the rank of Assistant (tenure-track) or Associate (tenured or tenure-track) Professor, to begin in Fall 2013.
SFFS Artist-in-residence Anna Boden visits SFSU
October 10, 2012
SFFS Artist-in-residence Anna Boden spoke in Professor Persley's CINE 325 Contemporary Filmmakers course on Saturday October 6. The class screened Gowanus, Brooklyn, Half Nelson, Sugar and It's Kind of a Funny Story before an engaging Q&A with the writer/director. Anna spoke about her beginnings in filmmaking along with her perspective on working with non-professional actors and collaborating with co-director Ryan Fleck.
Cinema Professor Pat Jackson Wins Emmy Award
September 18, 2012
Associate Professor of Cinema Pat Jackson received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special for the HBO film, Hemingway and Gellhorn.
Cinema Department Faculty Show 2012
September 17, 2012
Join the cinema department in a viewing of our very own professors' works of installations and screenings.
"Joseph McBride's Necessary Screenwriting Book" in Script Magazine
September 15, 2012
Finally, somebody who has sold some scripts wrote a book on screenwriting that’s full of good, practical advice that an up-and-coming screenwriter can really learn from. Go figure, right?
Professor Weimin Zhang is pleased to announce four new documentary films made in Shanghai, China this summer!
September 14, 2012
This series of films explored the complexities of modernization and development in Shanghai, the fastest growing metropolitan in the world and the impact it has on individual lives under China’s rapid economic boom.
"Film movie preview: Men take lead in fall action flicks" in FloridaToday.com
September 14, 2012
It’s a man’s man’s man’s world, according to James Brown, and who knew he was a movie observer?
Professor Weimin Zhang presents her documentary in Chicago
September 14, 2012
Weimin Zhang, Associate Professor in Cinema, attended and presented her feature length documentary film, THE LAST DAYS OF BEIJING HUTONGS (MISSING HOME), at the 66th Annual University Film & Video Association (UFVA) Conference held in Chicago.
Cinema Professor to Speak at ASIFA-SF
September 12, 2012
Benjamin Ridgway will be a featured speaker at ASIFA-SF on September 21, 2012.
"Haunting Mise-en-scene: The Contours of the Holocaust" by Aaron Kerner in Media Fields Jounal
September 10, 2012
The Sadean hero is not a brute animal beast, but a pale, cold-blooded intellectual much more alienated from the true pleasure of the flesh than is the prudish, inhibited lover, a man of reason enslaved to the amor intellectualis diaboli—what gives pleasure to him (or her) is not sexuality as such, but the activity of outstripping rational civilization by its own means, by way of thinking (and practising) to the end the consequences of its logic.
-Slavoj Zizek [1]
The 15th UNAFF will be held from October 18-28, 2012 in Palo Alto, Stanford University, East Palo Alto, San Jose and San Francisco
August 28, 2012
Founded in 1998 by Jasmina Bojic, film critic and educator, UNAFF is an international documentary film festival originally established as a collaborative project between the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a grassroots, community-based, nonprofit organization and the Stanford Film Society in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Professor Larry Clark's, "As Above, So Below" screening September 19th at PFA Theater.
August 28, 2012
Larry Clark (U.S., 1973) A rediscovered masterpiece, director Larry Clark’s portrayal of black insurgency imagines a post-Watts rebellion state of siege and an organized black underground plotting revolution
"Unique, Untouched: Bay Area Student Film Festival 2012" at PFA Theater, October 3, 2012
August 28, 2012
Presenting the work of thirteen gifted college student filmmakers—includes pieces that explore the less-traveled alleys and alcoves of the Bay Area, unearth fleeting images and sounds of memories long untouched, and employ innovative cinematic structures and forms.
“Venus on Mars” – expanding the universe of novel writing, one scan at a time
August 25, 2012
Pioneering filmmaker/novelist merges print with online media.
San Francisco, August 20, 2012. In her new novel, Venus on Mars, San Francisco writer and filmmaker Jan Millsapps offers readers more than a good page-turner. Some pages serve up “augmented moments” alongside the text.
"Bay Area Cine Schools: Still Stellar But Some Suffering" by CineSource Magazine Staff
August 17, 2012
For those interested in attending a premier institute right in the City at reasonable rates, San Francisco State's your answer. SFSU has actually augmented and improved in the last few years including a $200,000 investment in new equipment, three new student scholarships and new faculty.
Hitchcock's "Vertigo" topples "Citizen Kane" to become New Greatest Film of all time
August 2, 2012
Sight & Sound magazine’s 2012 once-a decade international Critics’ film poll reveals first new winner for 50 years
Alumna Michal Aviad will screen her film “Invisible,” a crime drama, at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. (Article by Peter Wong at Beyond Chron)
July 27, 2012
Buoyed by stunning performances from leads Evgenia Dodina and Ronit Elkabetz, Michal Aviad’s disturbing “Invisible” proves itself one of San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2012’s must-see dramas.
"Cowboys and Colleens" By Maureen Dowd in the New York Times Opinion Pages
July 7, 2012
When John Ford was making “The Quiet Man” on location in the west of Ireland, the studio head in Hollywood looked at the extravagantly gorgeous footage — which would win the 1952 Oscar for color cinematography — and complained, “Everything’s all green.”
It had taken Ford, one of the world’s greatest filmmakers, 20 years to persuade anyone to bankroll the “silly little Irish story,” as Maureen O’Hara, one of its stars, dryly noted. And even then the director had to soft-pedal the I.R.A. politics that informed the 1933 Maurice Walsh story that the movie was based on, and he had to fight to use Technicolor, the better to illuminate his Arden of green hills, blue sea and red hair.
"Filmmaker Features Search for Sierra LaMar in Two Documentaries" by Corrine Speckert at CampellPatch online
July 6, 2012
Morgan Hill filmmaker Brian Garcia recently produced two short documentaries depicting search efforts for missing teen Sierra LaMar.
The five-minute video includes interviews with volunteers who have spent hours searching for Sierra, who law enforcement believe was kidnapped and murdered by Morgan Hill resident Antolin Garcia Torres, CBS Local reports.
Cinema students to compete at college film festival
June 21, 2012
Make a five-minute film in less than a week? Not a problem for SF State cinema students whose movies will compete against other top college productions at what is billed as the world's largest student film festival.
SF State students Nathan Brown (from left), Noah Orozco and Ian Hopps in "The Tenderplex."
Several SF State students' films will be screened at Campus MovieFest, which will take place June 21 to 23 in Hollywood. The event showcases productions from students across North America and the U.K. that compete in several categories for cash prizes and exposure. SF State received more nominations than any other participating university, and one film from SF State students is the most nominated at the event
Saying Goodbye to My Steenbeck: Filmmaker Ralph Arlyck recalls dimly-lit hours spent splicing 16mm film and watching a story come together on his Steenbeck. --The Independent
June 2, 2012
(Editor's note) This year's Mendocino Film Festival's annual Albert Maysles Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking Award has been given to Ralph Arlyck and his film Following Sean. The film will be screened in Mendocino, CA on June 2nd and at the Albert Maysles Cinema in Harlem, NY (at a fall date TBA) with Arlyck in attendance at both screenings.
MA Graduate writes about his investigation of "Psycho" in Bright Lights Film Journal
May 30, 2012
Weimin Zhang Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
May 22, 2012
Cinema is happy to report that Professor Weimin Zhang has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Weimin's extraordinary commitment to our students, undeterred energy, and exceptional talent as a filmmaker has led to this important, landmark achievement in her career and for Cinema at State.
Cinema’s 2011-2012 academic year goes out with a bang via the 52nd Film Finals!
May 19, 2012
The biggest night of the year for Cinema proves to be filled with awesome work and smiles all around. The program, comprised of 5 graduate films and 11 undergraduate, with 7 out of the total 16 films grad/undergrad thesis films, spanned the gamut: narrative (comedy/drama/satire), (experimental/social) documentary, experimental, lyrical, and animation. Indeed, such works represent the peak veins of form Cinema students engage fueled by theory and realized in practice.
Rutgers University Press releases "Narrative Landmines" by Daniel Bernardi, Pauline Cheong, Chris Lundry, and Scott Ruston
May 16, 2012
“Narrative Landmines is a goldmine of insights. It shows how pervasive and persistent rumors profoundly shape the strategically critical social realities and perceptions of vast cultures vulnerable to Islamic extremism.” —Nicholas DiFonzo, author of The Watercooler Effect
“A strong and useful contribution to the field, Narrative Landmines makes important points about the relevance of rumor to counterinsurgency theory and operations.” —Philip Seib, University of Southern California
2011-2012 Cinema Student Accolades
May 15, 2012
Success defines our 2011-2012 Cinema majors. Check it out:
Cinema Students Honored by Department
May 3, 2012
The Cinema faculty is proud to announce the three students to receive special honors this year:
• Savanna Salter is the 2012 Undergraduate Honoree.
• Erin Persley and Courtney Fellion are the Graduate Student Distinguished Achievement Award recipients.
These awards recognize students for excellent academic achievement as well as contributions to the department and/or the field. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding students!
Three Weekends, Three Film Festivals, Three Cinema Units (June/July)
May 1, 2012
A chance to participate in any or all of three of SF's most beloved Summer film festivals and earn one unit for each.
CALLENBACH, ERNEST by San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate
April 29, 2012
Ernest W. "Chick" Callenbach April 3,1929 - April 16, 2012 Ernest "Chick" Callenbach, 83, longtime Berkeley resident, died peacefully of cancer at his home in Berkeley, California.
Two members of our Careers in Animation Panel were recently invited to the White House.
April 16, 2012
Clarissa Matalone and Seth Podowitz produced, directed and edited a video that resulted in artist Nidhi Chanani (www.e-nidhi.com) being recognized as a Champion of Change, part of President Obama's Winning the Future initiative.
Undergrad Student, Jason Fritz Michael Glassford
April 14, 2012
The Cinema Department’s 2011 Undergraduate Student Honoree Jason Fritz Michael Glassford has been accepted into the MFA program in the Department of Art Practice at UC Berkeley.
Mexican Fugue - Thursday, April 12 - 7:00pm - Phyllis Wattis Theater
April 11, 2012
The title of the program, Mexican Fugue, is taken from the late Olivier Debroise’s book Fuga Mexicana (translated as Mexican Suite)—a watershed text in the cultural history of Mexican photography. It will be composed and staged as both a critical dialogue with SFMOMA’s exhibition of Mexican photography and as an exploration of wider representations of Mexican national culture and cosmopolitan modernism.
Justin Wyatt, VP of Primary Research at NBCUniversal on campus April 10, 2012
April 4, 2012
Justin Wyatt, VP of Primary Research at NBCUniversal will be on campus April 10, 2012 (see attached flyer).
His public lecture Entertainment Market Research: Costs, Benefits and Pitfalls will take place in the Coppola Theater at 4:30 pm.
Another success story from our Masters of Arts Program – Spencer William Harkness
April 3, 2012
M.A. student Spencer Harkness was accepted into the University of Kansas Film & Media Studies doctoral program (and a couple of other programs at other schools).
"SF State Professor’s Film Explores Racism in 19th-century Pacific Northwest" by Asianweek Staff
March 29, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO – What does a late-1800s Pacific Northwest town have in common with today’s immigration debate? Quite a bit, says SF State’s Valerie Soe.
Visiting Artist Christopher Munch attending select classes
March 28, 2012
Tomorrow, Thursday, March 29, Visiting Artist Christopher Munch will be here in person attending select classes (see attached itinerary) and screening his latest feature film, ‘Letters from the Big Man’ at 5:30 in the Coppola theater. Please join us.
Faculty are also invited to eat lunch with Britta and Chris at 12 pm.
Success story from our Masters of Arts Program, Clayton Dillard
March 25, 2012
Another success story from our Masters of Arts Program: Clayton Dillard was accepted into several doctoral programs. He has elected to earn a PhD in English: Screen Studies at Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma made him an offer he couldn't refuse: a Graduate Teaching Associate position, tuition waver, a Doctoral Stipend, and a single-person health insurance premium.
52nd Film Finals - Friday, May 11, 7:00pm - McKenna Theater, CA 129
March 20, 2012
An SF State Cinema tradition since the inception of the department in the 1960s, Film Finals is the annual showcase of juried student films from the past academic year.
Film Previews - May 7-8, 10am-5pm - Coppola Theater
March 20, 2012
Come and vote for your favorites in this two-day marathon screening of roughly 80-100 student films.
M.F.A. Thesis Films (Spring) - April 27, 7pm - Coppola Theater
March 20, 2012
Narrative, experimental, animation, documentary and hybridized forms are represented at this bi-annual show.
"Let the 'Hunger Games' Begin" by Jessica Yadegaran at Contra Costa Times
March 20, 2012
Most of us can't remember what we read last week. But Marlon Gonzalez can recall every shocking, suspenseful detail of the "The Hunger Games," the trilogy of young adult novels that makes its film debut Friday [March 23].
Call for applications, Cinema Lecturer Pool
March 14, 2012
The Department of Cinema is now accepting applications for lecturer positions in production, screenwriting, and animation. Deadline: March 28, 2012.
"Cinema in the city: San Francisco as a backdrop for classic films" By Ben Trefny at KALW 91.7PM
March 14, 2012
Steven Kovacs is a movie man. A Harvard PhD, he co-produced the Oscar-nominated short doc Arthur and Lillie in 1975. He also produced, wrote, and directed a number of other features and is now a professor of cinema studies at San Francisco State. KALW’s Ben Trefny went on a drive with Kovacs to talk about film history as set in San Francisco.
"The Heretics," 2009 Television Premiere March 17th, 8:00pm
March 13, 2012
THE HERETICS, 2009. Directed by Joan Braderman, Produced by MFA student Crescent Diamond. After its World Premiere at MoMA and screenings at film festivals around the world, THE HERETICS will have its television premiere during Women's History month on the Documentary Channel on March 17th at 8:00 pm.
Larry Clark’s PASSING THROUGH to be screened on March 13
March 13, 2012
Coppola Theatre, 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 13
Oscar-winning alumnus attributes success to SF State Cinema Department by Devery Sheffer at Golden Gate Xpress
March 7, 2012
This golden knight holds the sword of a crusader, stands at 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds. His name is Oscar.
For SF State alumus Ethan Van der Ryn, the recipient of two Academy Awards, that’s a total of 17 pounds of pure win.
"SF State Cinema Professor Brings Life to the Big Screen", by Monica Quesada at Xpress Staff
February 29, 2012
Sometimes life imitates art. Sometimes, art and life become so intertwined, it’s hard to tell which is imitating the other.
The Slasher Genre with Professor Aaron Kerner
February 29, 2012
Monday, March 12, 7:00-10:00PM at The Roxio Theater
"The Road Ahead: 10 Tips for the Screenwriter" by Joseph McBride
February 28, 2012
Joseph McBride is an internationally renowned film historian and biographer and a veteran film and television writer whose decades of experience have brought him a Writers Guild of America Award, four other WGA nominations, two Emmy Award nominations, and a Canadian Film Awards nomination. McBride was one of the screenwriters of the cult classic punk rock musical “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” and co-wrote five American Film Institute Life Achievement Award specials for CBS-TV. Here, he shares some of the key dos and don’ts that help define the craft of screenwriting.
"Steven Spielberg: Control Freak and Collaborator" by Joseph McBride
February 24, 2012
Appearing at a Hollywood alternative film school in 1974, a young director named Steven Spielberg made a revealing admission.
Chinese edition of Write 'What You Don't Know' by Julian Hoxter
February 13, 2012
Julian Hoxter, Assistant Professor of Screenwriting and Cinema Department Screenwriting Coordinator, will have a Chinese language edition of his book on screenwriting: 'Write What You Don't Know: An Accessible Manual for Screenwriters' available in the near future.
Professor Bill Nichols advises Department of State on U.S. Film showcase.
February 9, 2012
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) announced today the 29 films selected for the American Film Showcase. The Showcase, a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, brings award-winning American films, including documentaries, feature films and animated shorts, to foreign audiences through events worldwide.
SF State alums nominated for Academy Awards
January 30, 2012
SF State alums Ethan Van der Ryn (B.A., '85) and Steve Zaillian (B.A., 75) were nominated for Academy Awards on Jan. 24, marking the 13th consecutive year SF State alums have earned Oscar nods.
MFA Thesis Show, December 14th
December 7, 2011
Come out and support the work of 8 Outstanding MFA students screening the thesis films!
International Doc Film Workshop films to be screened on 11/17
October 27, 2011
Please join us for an International Documentary Film Screening as part of the upcoming International Educational Week!
Cinema Alum Wins Emmy
October 27, 2011
In September, Jonathan Wachter was awarded an Emmy for his editing and photography on a news story about a tornado in early August that impacted the Breckenridge, Minn., region.
New cinema chair studies "narrative IEDs" -- rumors
September 27, 2011
Daniel Bernardi returned from a 10-month deployment in Iraq followed by a nine-month deployment in the South Pacific with a new appreciation for a disruptive and potentially deadly weapon: rumor.
New cinema chair studies "narrative IEDs" -- rumors
September 27, 2011
Daniel Bernardi returned from a 10-month deployment in Iraq followed by a nine-month deployment in the South Pacific with a new appreciation for a disruptive and potentially deadly weapon: rumor.
M.A. student in Cinema wins Pre-Doc award
September 16, 2011
Alexander Farrow (M.A. candidate) is one of only ten CSU pre-doctoral Sally Casanova Scholars from SF State this year.
L.A. Rebellion – the work of Larry Clark and fellow filmmakers featured in a major retrospective at UCLA this fall
September 16, 2011
UCLA Film and Television Archive will host “L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema” between October 7 and December 17. The retrospective highlights the work of students who entered the university’s School of Theater, Film and Television from the late 1960s through the late 1980s. Larry Clark will appear in person on December 10, and will show three films: As Above So Below, Passing Through, and Cutting Horse. More on the retrospective here.
Golden Gate Express highlights Owen Morris, Cinema student and former Marine
September 16, 2011
Morris is in the midst of making a feature documentary about his experiences stationed with the Marine Corps in Afghanistan.
Mind, Body, Cinema
September 12, 2011
The Cinema Studies Graduate Student Association (CGSA) warmly invites you to attend its 13th annual Fall conference, "Mind, Body, Cinema." This conference aims to engage the mind/body dialectic central to cinematic representation and viewer-experience with a goal to re-figure (and dis-figure) these things we call “mind” and “body.” The conference will host panelists from universities across the country and beyond.
For a detailed schedule of “Mind, Body, Cinema” please visit the CSGSA website.
The conference will be held in the August Coppola Theater in SFSU’s Fine Arts Building, October 19-21, 2011. We hope you can make it!
Congratulations to Julian Hoxter on the publication of his new book
August 31, 2011
A hearty congratulations goes out to our Professor Julian Hoxter for his publication of Write What You Don't Know. Write What You Don't Know is a friendly manual for aspiring screenwriters. It encourages you to move beyond your comfort zones in search of stories. We all write what we know - how could we not? Writing what you don't know and doing it in an informed and imaginative way is what makes the process worthwhile. To read more of this review, visit the Continuum Books website or the Write What You Don’t Know blog to hear the great things that everyone is saying and to check out what readers are saying.
Greetings from the new Cinema Department Chair
August 31, 2011
I am proud to join an internationally renowned faculty committed to expanding the creative and intellectual life of cinema. The department's focus on the independent, artistic voice of the filmmaker and its commitment to social justice makes it an enriching and competitive program for students interested in a diverse range of careers: from the entertainment industry to the art cinema community. That's what makes us special - and unique! And that's why I came here. I have been meeting with faculty and administrators. I'm also meeting with students, both one-to-one and in small groups. The more, the better! Soon I'll be meeting with the incredibly rich and diverse collection of film scholars and makers in the Bay Area. Together, we will build upon the Cinema Department's storied history.
New Production Coordinator Blog
November 4, 2009
Attention Cinema Production Students: Scott Boswell has created a blog to keep you posted on production classes and information. Get updates by RSS or email pertaining to the Advanced Production Pool, Sound Stage, Edit Cage, Cinema labs, film production opportunities, and more.
Professor contributes to 'A New Literary History of America'
September 2, 2009
More than 200 top scholars and writers nationwide contribute essays to a new, bold volume on the history of American culture, “A New Literary History of America.” Associate Professor Joseph McBride writes the essay on screenwriting.
McBride’s entry begins in 1941 with “Citizen Kane,” discussing the controversy over the authorship of the screenplay by Herman J. Mankewicz and Orson Welles. “I go on from there to discuss the role of the screenwriter in serving as one of the authors of a film, and to define what the contribution of the screenwriter is to a film,” McBride said.
Published by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, “A New Literary History of America” includes 1,128 pages crucial moments in the “making” of America, addressing literature, music, film, art, history, history of science, philosophy and political rhetoric. Other contributors include Camille Paglia, Ishmael Reed and Walter Mosley. Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors edited the book.
A review in Publishers Weekly states: “Overall, this is an astounding achievement in multiculturalism and American studies, which in the age of Google and the Internet lights the way toward serious interpretive reference publishing.”
Two students win international awards
August 25, 2009
Two Cinema students are among the 2009 Princess Grace Award winners, each receiving a coveted international prize to help fund their film projects. M.F.A. candidate Terrie Samundra and undergraduate Charlie Corriea will travel to New York for the Oct. 21 awards gala, a black-tie event attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Fifteen SF State students have won Princess Grace Awards since 1989. The 22 winners this year exemplify both classical and alternative artistic disciplines and, while still considered emerging talent, already show exceptional promise.
The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a nonprofit, publicly supported foundation, based in New York City and founded more than 25 years ago by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in honor of his wife, Princess Grace Kelly. The Foundation's mission, mirrors that of Princess Grace, supporting emerging artists in theatre, dance and film through the awarding of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships. In total, the foundation has given more than 650 awards totaling more than $7 million.
A 'Full-Grown' DVD release
August 24, 2009
“Full Grown Men,” the successful feature film directed by alum David Munro, receives its full DVD release Aug. 25.
Winner of the 2007 Undiscovered Gems Sundance Channel Audience Award, “Full Grown Men” garnered widespread critical acclaim during its theatrical release, including the LA Weekly, New York Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. “Full Grown Men” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and played to enthusiastic audiences at more than 24 top-tier festivals, including AFI/LA, CineVegas and the Miami International Film Festival.
The whimsical comedy tells the story of a hopelessly nostalgic man who learns the hard way that the best years of his life may still lie ahead. Stars include Matt McGrath, Judah Friedlander, Amy Sedaris, Alan Cumming and Deborah Harry.
Writer-director Munro (M.A., ’96) and writer-producer Xandra Castleton (M.F.A., ’06) founded their independent production company Grottofilms in 2002. Grottofilms is the movie-making arm of the San Francisco Writers Grotto.
Check out Munro’s blog for musings on independent films and more.
'Empowering the Yard' and the world
July 28, 2009
Erin Persley is already packing her bags for Africa. The graduate student will travel to Kenya and Uganda in August to screen a film she made in an SF State class, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s American Documentary Showcase.
“Empowering the Yard,” a 13-minute documentary, chronicles an HIV prevention program in Oklahoma that helps incarcerated women use peer education as a means of empowerment. Persley and fellow students Emily Kirsch and Vincent Horner made the film in the Documentary for Social Justice and Health class, a partnership of the National AIDS Fund, SF State Health Equality Initiative and Cinema and Health Education departments. Read more in an SF State News story published July 24.
Cinema professor enters 'vortex' of feminism, classic movies
July 24, 2009
As an award-winning filmmaker, author, teacher and feminist, Britta Sjogren found a need to explore why she adores 1940s films that are full of sexism and stereotypes. The associate professor’s research has resulted in a book and new film series, both titled “Into the Vortex: Female Voice in Film.”
The film series, curated by Sjogren, runs through Aug. 26 at the UC Berkeley Pacific Film Archive. Upcoming screenings include Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” and Irving Rapper’s “Now, Voyager” starring Bette Davis.
“We can find them laughable at a certain level,” Sjogren said in a July 16 article in the San Francisco Chronicle. “But in a lot of them there’s an incredibly profound spiritual and metaphysical core that when you peel away the excess and the obviousness and the ridiculousness and the high romance level, they say really profound things about love and about perception.”
“Into the Vortex” closes with Sjogren’s own 1992 acclaimed feature “Jo-Jo at the Gate of Lions,” followed by a talk by Sjogren.
Shhh...the Silent Film Festival is on
July 15, 2009
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival takes viewers back to a bygone era of visual storytelling. The festival's executive director, Stacey Wisnia, is a Cinema alumna.
“I love being transported to another era, seeing how the actors dressed, and the live music,” Wisnia said in a 2006 article in the Golden Gate [X]press.
Staying true to the silent film experience, live music by a pianist and percussionist accompany all films shown at the festival, held at the Castro Theatre.
Wisnia (B.A., ’97) manages a board of directors, small staff, advisory committee, and more than 100 volunteers. The festival, founded in 1992, draws 11,000 viewers each year. This year’s festival was held July 10–12.
Documentary filmmaker joins SF State Alumni Hall of Fame
July 2, 2009
Documentary filmmaker Steven Okazaki is among the 2009 inductees to the SF State Alumni Hall of Fame. The Academy Award winner was honored at a campus ceremony May 22.
Okazaki (B.A., Cinema, ’76) earned his fourth Academy Award nomination earlier this year for the documentary short “The Conscience of Nhem En.” He won an Oscar and a Peabody Award for his 1990 short subject documentary, “Days of Waiting,” about a Caucasian artist who accompanied her Japanese American husband to a World War II internment camp. Okazaki’s “White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and won an Emmy in 2007. Other films nominated for Academy Awards were “Unfinished Business” and “The Mushroom Club.”
The other inductees to the SF State Alumni Hall of Fame this year are former football player Bill Baird and Darlene Iskra, the first woman to command a Navy ship.
The SF State Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes alumni who have earned the respect of their peers through professional, cultural and civic achievements. Previous inductees include San Francisco Food Bank Director Paul Ash, actress Annette Bening, E-LOAN Co-founder and CEO Chris Larsen, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and physician and astronaut Yvonne Cagle.
Behind Bay Meadows' last days: a family's story
June 29, 2009
Many immigrant families worked and lived behind the scenes at historic Bay Meadows in San Mateo, recently demolished to make way for luxury housing and high-end commercial space. The story of one of these families, during Bay Meadows’ final season, is told in a new documentary by Cinema alumna Tricia Creason-Valencia.
“Also Ran” tells the story of the Muñoz-Martinez family, undocumented immigrants, in their “Also Ran” is featured at the exhibition “Journeys” at Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara through July 19.
An award-winning filmmaker, Creason-Valencia (M.F.A., ’02) is one of three recipients of the 2009 Arts Council Silicon Valley Artists Fellowship Awards. Creason-Valencia and her SF State classmates Meadow Holmes and Amy Happ founded Flacafilms, a production company that has made films exploring women’s issues, religion and adoption.
Alum's documentary premieres on PBS
June 25, 2009
American feature films often portray the Chinese as exotic and devious characters—or simply the “other.” An award winning documentary by Cinema alumnus Arthur Dong chronicles the full gamut of Chinese representation in Hollywood. “Hollywood Chinese” premieres on PBS’ “American Masters” series at 9pm May 27.
The 90-minute film features interviews with candid interviews and back lot stories from artists in front of and behind the camera, including Joan Chen, James Hong, David Henry Hwang, Nancy Kwan, Ang Lee, Christopher Lee, Justin Lin, Luise Rainer, Amy Tan and Wayne Wang.
“Hollywood Chinese” won the 2007 Golden Horse Award, China’s top cinematic honor. It is the latest documentary by Dong (B.A., ’82) to inspire social awareness and change. Among his best-known is “Licensed to Kill,” about the psyche of killers of gay men. While attending SF State, Dong made a film about his mother’s immigration to America from China, “Sewing Woman,” which was nominated for a 1984 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
Northern California to Vancouver in 24 hours
June 10, 2009
The latest short film by Cinema alumna and Lecturer Anjali Sundaram is part memoir, part fiction. Set against the first Persian Gulf War in 1990, “Canada” is the story of a young, half-Indian girl named Jaina and her broke, free-spirited, flaky mother as they attempt to move from Northern California to Vancouver in a Volkswagen bug.
Sundaram’s personal life has a strong influence on her work. Her mixed ethnicity and peripatetic childhood somewhat mirror the experiences of Jaina in “Canada,” written and directed by Sundaram (M.F.A., ’07). The 16-minute film screened in April at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and last year at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
Outwardly, very little happens in the film’s 24-hour time span—the car breaks down, gets fixed and the family gets back on the road. The drama is psychological, augmented by the confined space of the car and a transient lifestyle. As a result, Jaina’s family is highly dependent on one another and barely connected to the outside world.
“Canada” is Sundaram’s first narrative work, having previously focused on experimental and documentary films. An earlier experimental piece, “Buckle My Shoe,” won Slamdance’s global Anarchy online competition and screened at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2002. She is also co-editor of the 1991 book “A Decade of War: El Salvador Confronts the Future,” published by Monthly Review Press.
Alum produces 'Up,' the No. 1 movie in America
June 8, 2009
For the second consecutive week, Disney/Pixar’s “Up” is the No. 1 movie in America. Cinema alumnus Jonas Rivera is the critically acclaimed film’s producer, the latest SF State alum to achieve success in animation.
Rivera has worked at Pixar since earning his bachelor’s degree from SF State in 1996.
“The best part of my job is that it’s a different job almost every single day,” he said in a May 23 San Francisco Examiner article. “You see the film go from page to storyboard to the computer model to animation; it’s like I see life breathed into it.”
Student film captures musical journey
May 4, 2009
Graduate student Oscar Bucher followed Toshio Hirano on a journey to the heartland of America, driven by a lifelong love of bluegrass. Bucher’s documentary of this journey, “Waiting for a Train,” is traveling nationwide itself, landing most recently at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Hirano, a native of Tokyo, learned to play the banjo, guitar and mandolin in college, inspired by country musician Jimmie Rodgers, Hirano is a fixture at cafes and bars in San Francisco, where he has lived since 1986. “Waiting for a Train” was shot on location, capturing performances by Hirano and his trio, performing in the city, on moving vintage passenger trains and by the riverside. He speaks about novelty, authenticity and heritage—how the fact that he is Japanese both helps him—in that it attracts a crowd interested in the novelty aspect—and hinders in that his ethnicity has little to do with his love and passion of the music.
The documentary will also screen at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific, Mendocino, New York Asian American International, Slant (Houston), and D.C. Asian American Pacific film festivals.
“It goes without saying that I couldn’t have made this film without the creative support of the members of the Cinema Department,” Bucher said.
MINICINE 2.0 TO PREMIERE MAY 15
May 1, 2009
MiniCine 2.0
Mobile movies you can twitter to
Presented by CINE 623 (Cinema as an Online Medium) class
Everything is being downsized these days, cinema included. Members of this semester’s “Cinema as an Online Medium” (CINE 623) class are not only creating original movies designed for small screens; they’ve also set up a way for viewers to “tweet” mini-reviews of the movies from computers or cell phones.
On May 15, “MiniCine 2.0” will premiere small-screen movies on ipods and iphones during the reception prior to this year’s annual Film Finals. Students will roam the crowd with their mobile movie “theatres” where audience members can view a short film, then “review” it by sending a brief message to the class twitter channel.
“Participatory media is an integral part of the web 2.0 experience,” says professor Jan Millsapps, who teaches the course. “See it, share it, comment on it. We’re trying to make all of that possible in one venue.”
In addition, class members are recording podcast commentaries about their small-screen movies, which will also be available during the reception.
MFA student Eirini Steirou wanted to take the class to explore ways to present her movies online. She believes there is a definite small screen aesthetic.
“I want to make something web-specific,” she says, “so that someone watching will understand that it’s designed for a small screen.”
All movies, podcasts and additional materials created by the students will be available after the event on the class home page, which also links to the class twitter channel, “so that viewing and reviewing can continue 24/7,” says Millsapps.
Info for Live Event:
SFSU Cinema Department Film Finals
May 15, 2009
Reception 6-7 p.m. in CA 153
More Info (includes map, parking, ticket info)
In memoriam: Professor John Fell
November 3, 2008
John Fell, a professor emeritus of Cinema, died Oct. 9 at age 81. The Cinema Department will celebrate Fell with a reception at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, in the August Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts Building.
Fell taught at SF State from 1960 to 1984. He was a noted historian, scholar and jazz musician. "John was a pioneer of the film education movement and a fearless leader," said Cinema Professor Jim Kitses in an obituary published in the Nov. 2 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Read obituaries on Fell from the San Francisco Chronicle and SF State's CampusMemo newsletter.
'Uno Mas' showing of film on music maestro
October 7, 2008
The maestro lives on in “CACHAO: Uno Mas,” as the SF State documentary on the great Afro-Cuban bassist Israel “Cachao” López screens at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the August Coppola Theatre, Fine Arts building. Admission is free.
A glimpse into the late maestro’s life and music, “CACHAO: Uno Mas” pays tribute to Cachao. This 68-minute documentary, produced by the Documentary Film Institute, features a live concert in San Francisco and interviews with musical collaborators Andy Garcia, John Santos, Ray Santos and Orestes Vilató who help trace Cachao's musical journey from his early days in Cuba to worldwide fame and recognition. Professor Stephen Ujlaki, a producer of the film, will introduce the film and, afterward, answer questions from the audience.
“CACHAO: Uno Mas” premiered at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. Read a recent San Francisco Chronicle article about the film.
