San Francisco Independent Film Festival Explained

San Francisco Independent Film Festival
Location:San Francisco, California, United States
Years Active:January 1999 – present
Founded:1998
Founder Name:Jeff Ross
Dates:February
Frequency:Annual
Genre:Film Festival
People:
  • Jeff Ross, Director
  • Catie Roads-Redhouse, Operations Manager[1]

The San Francisco Independent Film Festival, known as IndieFest, is an annual film festival, held in January or February, that recognizes contemporary independent film. It is run by SF IndieFest, a non-profit organization, and based at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District.

History

The San Francisco Independent Film Festival was founded in 1998 by Jeff Ross, operations manager of the San Francisco International Film Festival and office manager of the San Francisco Film Society,[2] [3] at the end of a decade when independent films had increased in importance.[4] The impetus was that San Francisco independent filmmaker Rand Alexander was unable to find a venue in the city to show Caged, which had premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival.[5] [6]

The first festival took place in January 1999[7] [8] [9] and comprised 20 films, with a focus on experimental and otherwise unconventional works.[10] The second IndieFest was held in January 2000, expanding from four days to nine,[11] and the festival has continued to take place in January or February and further expanded to two weeks.[12] The 2000 IndieFest added animated shorts; in 2002, despite losing corporate sponsorship in the wake of 9/11, the festival added foreign films.[13] Ross directed the festival alone until a program director, Bruce Fletcher, was added.

IndieFest is now based at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District; it began at the Victoria, also in the Mission,[7] and has used other Bay Area theaters including the United Artists Galaxy, the Castro Theatre,[13] the Brava,[10] [14] the Alamo Drafthouse,[14] the Lumiere, and the Fine Arts Cinema in Berkeley.[2] [11] It has become known for the associated parties, particularly the Big Lebowski party.[2] [8] [12] The 20th IndieFest, in 2018, included a film from each previous festival.[15] The 2021 festival, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, was streamed.[16] [17] The 2022 festival had a mix of screenings at the Roxie and virtual events.[18]

Past festival participants have included Abel Ferrara, Gregg Araki, David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, Don Coscarelli, Bruce Campbell, Jon Cryer, Bill Plympton, Edward Furlong, Ben Wheatley, Alex Cox, Gaspar Noé, Don Hertzfeldt, Sam Elliot, Antonio Campos, Joe Swanberg, Mia Wasikowska, John Leguizamo, Steve Zahn and many more.[19] [20]

Notable Films

Over the years, IndieFest has screened acclaimed films such as Inland Empire (opening film, 2007 edition),[21] Shotgun Stories (opening film, 2008),[22] Paranormal Activity,[23] Zatoichi, Bubba Ho-Tep, Kaboom (opening film, 2011),[24] Heartbeats, Kill List,[25] Berberian Sound Studio, Antiviral,[26] Sightseers, A Field in England,[27] The We and the I (US premiere, 2013),[28] All My Friends Hate Me,[29] Little Woods,[30] Club Zero,[31] among many others.

Associated events

SF IndieFest also runs the spin-off film festivals DocFest, the SF Documentary Film Festival, started in 2001,[3] [32] Another Hole in the Head, a horror and science fiction festival started in 2003,[3] [33] the San Francisco Independent Short Film Festival, started in 2019,[34] and the Livable Planet Festival, which was launched in 2021 as a replacement for the San Francisco Green Film Festival, which folded after the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the 2020 festival,[35] and was rebranded in 2022 as the Green Film Festival of San Francisco.[36] The first Decibels Music Film Festival took place in fall 2021 at the Roxie and online.[37] [38] Past associated festivals included the Northern California Action Sports Film Festival and the US edition of the International Short Film Festival.[1] A week-long Winter Music Fest was added in 2010, taking place the week before the film festival;[39] starting in 2011, it ran concurrently and the number of music-related films was increased.[7] Ross also started A Mighty Ruckus, a rock festival.[40]

Film categories

The San Francisco Independent Film Festival has separate film entry categories for general entrants and for Bay Area filmmakers. Both have sub-categories for length (features and shorts) and genre (narrative fiction, documentary, and animation).[41]

Awards

The SF IndieFest awards panel confers the following awards:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About . SF IndieFest . October 24, 2021 .
  2. News: James Sullivan . IndieFest Aspires to Be A Good Party / 'Light, fun films' picked for second annual festival . . January 6, 2000 . October 23, 2021 .
  3. Web site: Matthew Toffolo . Interview with Festival Director Jeff Ross (SF IndieFest // SF DocFest // Another Hole in the Head) . Festival Reviews . February 4, 2016 . October 24, 2021 .
  4. News: Sandy Yang. Independent films changed face of '˜90s movie industry. May 24, 2000. . University of California, Los Angeles . October 23, 2021.
  5. News: Delfin Vigil . Zombies, Swingers, Punks: it's Indiefest . San Francisco Chronicle . February 4, 2007 .
  6. News: Emily Wilson . Jeff Ross Says SF Indiefest Couldn't Happen in Any Other City But San Francisco . . February 9, 2012 . October 23, 2021 .
  7. News: G. Allen Johnson . S.F. IndieFest: Expanded version adds MusicFest . San Francisco Chronicle . February 3, 2011 . October 24, 2021 .
  8. News: Pam Grady . 5 questions for IndieFest founder-director Jeff Ross . San Francisco Chronicle . January 28, 2015 . February 5, 2015 . October 24, 2021 .
  9. News: G. Allen Johnson . SF IndieFest a showcase for digital filmmakers . San Francisco Chronicle . February 5, 2012 . October 24, 2021 .
  10. News: G. Allen Johnson . S.F. IndieFest shows experimental films . San Francisco Chronicle . February 6, 2013 . October 23, 2021 .
  11. News: Wesley Morris . Indie Fest disarms and charms . . SFGate . January 7, 2000 . October 24, 2021 .
  12. News: David Lewis . Datebook: An insider’s guide to SF Indie Fest . San Francisco Chronicle . January 21, 2019 . February 5, 2019 . October 23, 2021 .
  13. News: Carla Meyer . IndieFest goes for broke / Down on funds, event keeps growing . San Francisco Chronicle . January 31, 2002 . October 23, 2021 .
  14. News: David Lewis . Facts about SF IndieFest . San Francisco Chronicle . January 25, 2017 . October 23, 2021 .
  15. News: G. Allen Johnson . Crash course in indie film as 20th IndieFest screens a film from each festival . San Francisco Chronicle . January 31, 2018 . October 24, 2021 .
  16. News: Pam Grady . Datebook: A conquistador visits modern Mexico in Oakland filmmaker’s unconventional '499' at SF Indie Fest . San Francisco Chronicle . February 1, 2021 . February 4, 2021 . October 23, 2021 .
  17. News: Rice Stoughtenborough . Dozens of offbeat flicks online in SF IndieFest . San Francisco Examiner . February 1, 2021 . October 24, 2021 .
  18. News: Pam Grady . Datebook: 6 films to catch at 2022 SF IndieFest . San Francisco Chronicle . February 3, 2022 . February 2, 2022 .
  19. Web site: Special Guests Antonio Campos, Joe Swanberg, Jane Adams, Amy Seimetz and more! . 2024-02-17 . sfindie.com . en-US.
  20. Web site: San Francisco IndieFest . 2024-01-02 . sfindie.com.
  21. Web site: Hart . Hugh . 2007-01-07 . INDUSTRY BUZZ . 2023-12-22 . SFGATE . en.
  22. Web site: SF Indiefest Opening Night: Riding "Shotgun" With Jeff Nichols SF360 . 2024-02-17 . SF360.
  23. Web site: Wong . Peter . 2008-02-21 . San Francisco Indie-Fest: Week Two . 2023-12-29 . Beyond Chron . en-US.
  24. Web site: 2011-02-25 . 'Kaboom' gets film festival Audience Award . 2023-12-22 . San Francisco Chronicle . en.
  25. Web site: 2012-02-09 . Daily Briefing. SF Indiefest — and a Tsunami of Projects in the Works . 2023-12-26 . MUBI . en.
  26. Web site: 2013-02-23 . Top 10 Films from SF IndieFest Film Festival, News . 2023-12-22 . Way Too Indie . en-US.
  27. Web site: IndieFest selection "A FIELD IN ENGLAND" gets psychedelic new trailer and poster! . 2023-12-22 . sfindie.com . en-US.
  28. Web site: Parties and Movies Galore: It's the 15th SF Independent Film Festival February 7–21 Brava Theatre, Roxie Theatre, Vortex Room in San Francisco. Category: Arts & Events from The Berkeley Daily Planet . 2023-12-22 . Berkeley Daily Planet.
  29. Web site: 2022-01-14 . SF IndieFest Returns to Roxie Theater in February, Will Include 65 Films . 2024-01-02 . SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports . en.
  30. Web site: Correspondent . Randy Myers . 2019-01-29 . SF Indie Fest — 7 compelling films you’ve gotta see . 2023-12-22 . The Mercury News . en-US.
  31. Web site: Harvey . Dennis . 2024-02-03 . Pack the popcorn, Indiefest 2024 is adventure time for moviegoers . 2024-02-18 . 48 hills . en-US.
  32. Web site: Lei Wang . San Francisco events calendar . . September 30, 2014 . October 24, 2021 .
  33. News: Richard von Busack . Horror Heaven: Another Hole in the Head film festival in San Francisco deliver the scares and gore . . March 17, 2004 . October 23, 2021 .
  34. News: G. Allen Johnson . Datebook: SF IndieFest brings first all-shorts program to Japantown’s New People . San Francisco Chronicle . September 11, 2019 . September 17, 2019 .
  35. News: Pam Grady . Datebook: 6 films to catch at the Livable Planet Film Festival . San Francisco Chronicle . April 21, 2021 . May 10, 2021 . October 24, 2021 .
  36. News: G. Allen Johnson . Datebook: Like spring itself, Bay Area film festivals about to experience a warming trend . San Francisco Chronicle . March 16, 2022 .
  37. News: Mick LaSalle . Datebook Pick: Decibels Music Film Festival . San Francisco Chronicle . October 24, 2021 .
  38. News: Pam Grady . Datebook: In 'Oh, It Hertz!' an obscure conspiracy theory provides a lesson in listening . San Francisco Chronicle . October 26, 2021 . October 25, 2021 .
  39. News: Aidin Vaziri . Robert Hurwitt . Date Lines: IndieFest adds Winter Music Fest . San Francisco Chronicle . January 22, 2010 . October 23, 2021 .
  40. News: Aidin Vaziri . ON THE TOWN: With Jeff Ross / Festival of tastes suits this Mission dweller . San Francisco Chronicle . September 17, 2006 . October 24, 2021 .
  41. Web site: SF IndieFest Submissions. October 16, 2021. FilmFreeway. October 16, 2021 .

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