Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Fosters Cultural Diversity with SFBFF Grant
San Francisco, California – October 6, 2008 – The San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) today announced it is the proud recipient of a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), bestowed to the festival for furnishing a unique forum for minority filmmakers, supporting social and cultural diversity and making independent films accessible to underserved audiences. Grants awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reflect the fundamental goals of the Academy: to advance the art and science of motion pictures and to foster cooperation among the creative leaders of the motion picture industry for cultural, educational and technical progress.
“We're absolutely thrilled that the San Francisco Black Festival is being recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences”, said festival founder and executive director Ave Montague. “It’s gratifying to be honored by such a prestigious organization, one that embraces our mission of integrating the work of independent Black filmmakers into the mainstream and illuminating the depth and diversity of the African-American experience.” Montague hopes that the AMPAS award will serve to encourage additional sponsors to support the San Francisco Black Film Festival, which commemorated its tenth anniversary in June of this year.
Long before “going global” became a catch phrase, the San Francisco Black Film Festival served as a bridge between worlds, underscoring the power of personal stories as the key to cultural connection. When Montague launched the SFBFF in 1998, the festival was a one-day event that played to an audience of a few hundred and barely caused a blip on the film industry’s radar screen. Over the years, it has evolved into a ten-day cultural celebration drawing international attention and thousands of attendees. The San Francisco Black Film Festival’s next incarnation runs June 4th through 7th and June 11th through 14th, 2009. “Call for Entries” deadlines for film submissions are December 15, 2008 (early) and January 15, 2009 (final).
About the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
Over the past 40 years, AMPAS has distributed more than $8,000,000 in grants to media arts centers, schools, colleges, universities, film scholars and film festivals.
Grants awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reflect the fundamental goals of the Academy: to advance the art and science of motion pictures and to foster cooperation among the creative leaders of the motion picture industry for cultural, educational and technical progress.
In 1999, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy Foundation instituted a Festival Grants Program. Since its founding, the Festival Grants Program has distributed 174 grants totaling over $3 million in funding to film festivals based in the United States. Grant recipients include major international film festivals such as the Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Sundance and Telluride festivals; those that focus on independent and alternative filmmaking such as the Ann Arbor, Black Maria, Nashville and Woodstock festivals; and those that support social and cultural diversity such as the African Diaspora, Atlanta Jewish Kidfilm, Outfest and San Diego Latino festivals.
About the San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF)
From its modest beginnings in 1998 with only $3,000 in funding, the San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) has grown from a one-day event with an audience of 300 to a ten-day cultural celebration drawing thousands of attendees. Under the leadership of founder and executive director Ave Montague, the SFBFF is managed by a dedicated advisory board of fifteen award-winning filmmakers, artists and business professionals including literary icon Ishmael Reed, actor/director Kevin Epps, producer/director Michael Schultz and actors Adam Davidson, Avon Kirkland and Terri J. Vaughn.
Presenting an array of work from Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Europe and the United States, the San Francisco Black Film Festival has been a driving force integrating the work of independent Black directors into the mainstream, illuminating the depth and diversity of the African-American experience. The SFBFF is now an established forum for the cinematic community and draws a vibrant mix of veteran filmmakers, emerging artists, celebrities, critics and film fans from around the world.
The 2009 San Francisco Black Film Festival is slated to run June 4th through 7th and June 11th through 14th, 2009. For more information about the festival, please call Ave Montague at (415) 346-0199 or film2fest@yahoo.com
