Editor

Select SFIFF Films will be Made Available to Festival Scope Members Worldwide

The San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21-May 5) is excited to announce that the Festival has been invited to join Festival Scope, a new Internet platform that allows programming of selected film festivals to be viewed online by film professionals around the world.

"We see the participation of SFIFF in Festival Scope as a substantial benefit for the works programmed to screen at the Festival," said Rachel Rosen, San Francisco Film Society director of programming. "The site has been thoughtfully planned by people who really understand the industry and provides access to the Festival program to buyers and festival programmers who can't make the trip to San Francisco."

SFIFF is the first US festival to join the expanding Festival Scope network of festivals including Directors' Fortnight and Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, Berlinale, Rotterdam, Locarno, Melbourne, Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Guadalajara, Valdivia and Cartagena.

"San Francisco International is a festival we particularly like because of their remarkable programming focusing on new directors. They were among those first festivals who believed in Festival Scope even before it was online, so we are very happy to have it as the first Festival in the US," said Alessandro Raja, CEO and founder of Festival Scope. 

Festival Scope is an all-around interactive tool to harness the full potential of the international festival circuit by providing the means for registered professionals to watch films, discover new talent, contact rights holders and directors and view exclusive content including narrative and documentary features, shorts and works in progress.

Festival Scope's main objective is to support independent cinema and filmmakers by increasing access and reducing costs for all parties through an innovative and secure service. There are too many films that are difficult to see outside of festivals, even for professionals. Festival Scope creates additional visibility, not only making the films available to professionals for online screening, but also promoting them through a curated service.

Following each film's initial SFIFF screening, Festival Scope members will be able to view select films from the Festival's New Directors and Documentary sections including Better This World, Children of the Princess of Cleves, Detroit Wild City, The Dish & the Spoon, The Green Wave, Living on Love Alone, The Redemption of General Butt Naked, The Tiniest Place, Ulysses and Year Without a Summer.

Film professionals involved in acquisitions, programming, international coproductions, promotion or reviewing of films who are interested in the service may make a request by sending an email to 
join@festivalscope.com.

The Festival Scope team includes Alessandro Raja, 
formerly with Celluloid Dreams and the Coproduction Office; Mathilde Henrot, formerly with MK2
; and Lucie Kalmar formerly with Wild Bunch.

San Francisco Film Society

Building on a 50-plus-year legacy of bringing the best in world cinema to the Bay Area, the San Francisco Film Society is a national leader in exhibition, education and filmmaker services.

The Film Society presents 300 days of exhibition each year, reaching a total audience of 130,000 people. Its acclaimed education program introduces international cinema and media literacy to more than 15,000 teachers and students and presents 120 classes and workshops annually. Through the filmmaker services program essential creative and business services, and funding totaling millions of dollars, are provided to deserving filmmakers of all levels.

The Film Society seeks to elevate all aspects of film culture, offering a wide range of activities that engage emotions, inspire action, change perceptions and advance knowledge. A 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, it is largely donor and member supported. Patronage and membership provides discounted prices, access to grants and residencies, private events and a wealth of other benefits.

54th San Francisco International Film Festival

The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 21-May 5, 2011 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre, New People and SFMOMA in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country's most beautiful city, featuring 15 juried awards, 200 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 75,000+ people.