DOC Film Institute
Encyclopedia
The DOC Film Institute is an independent organization within San Francisco State University
that is dedicated to support non-fiction cinema by promoting documentary films and filmmakers and producing original films on socially and culturally important topics which deserve wider recognition.
DocFilm was created in 2005 with a generous donation from San Francisco State University alumni George and Judy Marcus. It is situated within State's Cinema Department, with access to a broad cross-section of educational institutions in San Francisco and the Bay Area. It is a resource for undergraduate and graduate students studying film in the area as well as faculty interested in the artistic and politic dimensions of documentary cinema.
Since its inception DocFilm has:
In 2011, Daniel Bernardi assumed the directorship of the Institute and Bill Nichols, the world's most prominent documentary film school, became chair of the advisory committee. Building on the considerable success of the Institute, they created an official charter, connected the Institute more firmly to the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University, and began focusing on: 1) mini-grants to student filmmakers; 2) the production of independent documentary films; and 3) public events such as screenings, lectures and conferences.
and Grizzly Man
which later on gained worldwide recognition among the most important documentaries in recent times.
, widely credited as the father of Mambo. The film also features actor Andy García
, singer Gloria Estefan
, producer Emilio Estefan
, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval
, percussionist John Santos and saxophonist Ray Santos. It was produced by Andy Garcia
, Tom Luddy and Stephen Ujlaki, directed by Dikayl Rimmasch and co-produced and edited by Anay Tarnekar. The film was shot primarily in San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles.
Cachao:Uno Mas opened at the San Francisco International Film Festival
in 2008, screened at several prestigious international festivals in the US, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. In fall 2010 the film premiered on the multiple Emmy® Award winning series, American Masters
on PBS.
Renowned filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola
, Ken Burns
, Bertrand Tavernier
, D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock
, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
, Christopher Hampton
and Hubert Sauper
, have presented master classes for San Francisco State University students, sharing their inspirations, experiences, creative process and gave advice on pertinent issues of making films. Some of the classes were videotaped and will be available on the DocFilm website soon.
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
that is dedicated to support non-fiction cinema by promoting documentary films and filmmakers and producing original films on socially and culturally important topics which deserve wider recognition.
DocFilm was created in 2005 with a generous donation from San Francisco State University alumni George and Judy Marcus. It is situated within State's Cinema Department, with access to a broad cross-section of educational institutions in San Francisco and the Bay Area. It is a resource for undergraduate and graduate students studying film in the area as well as faculty interested in the artistic and politic dimensions of documentary cinema.
History
In 2005 San Francisco State alumni George and Judy Marcus made a generous donation to the university that, among other things, created the DocFilm Institute. In its first three years, DocFilm organized thematic festivals, premieres, individual film exhibitions, tributes and pre-launch activities which brought some of the most important national and international films and filmmakers to a broad base of people. Post-screening sessions featured prominent documentary filmmakers, producers and scholars, thereby opening meaningful dialogues between filmmakers and audiences with and outside the Bay Area.Since its inception DocFilm has:
-
- * Presented over 120 films, including West Coast premieres, to over 12,000 attendees
- * Invited 50+ eminent filmmakers to show films and speak with audiences.
- * Presented interactive seminars by well-known filmmakers for students and general audiences.
- * Collaborated with key regional organizations with shared interests.
- * Created an advisory board with a team of eminent filmmakers, writers, and academicians.
- * Produced a film, Cachao: Uno Mas, that premiered on PBS.
In 2011, Daniel Bernardi assumed the directorship of the Institute and Bill Nichols, the world's most prominent documentary film school, became chair of the advisory committee. Building on the considerable success of the Institute, they created an official charter, connected the Institute more firmly to the Cinema Department at San Francisco State University, and began focusing on: 1) mini-grants to student filmmakers; 2) the production of independent documentary films; and 3) public events such as screenings, lectures and conferences.
Staff
- Daniel BernardiDaniel BernardiDaniel Bernardi is Professor and Chair of the at San Francisco State University . Bernardi earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio-TV and a Masters of Arts in Media Arts from the University of Arizona. He went on to earn a PhD in Film and Television Studies from UCLA...
, Director - Anay Tarnekar, Associate Director
- Silvia Turchin, Resident Filmmaker
Advisory Board
- Bill NicholsBill NicholsBill Nichols is an American historian and theoretician of documentary film. His study Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary covers the theory of documentary film, a topic neglected by mainstream film theory...
, Chairman, Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University - Mark Johnson, Director of Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State University
- Mary Jane Marcus, Expert on Cross-Cultural Community Building and International Affairs
- Greta Snider, Professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University
Public Programs
DocFilm promotes the work of emerging and established documentary filmmakers through tributes and annual thematic festivals. The public programs have invited some of the most celebrated documentarians to the Bay Area. DocFilm did the west coast premiers of films like Darwin's NightmareDarwin's Nightmare
Darwin's Nightmare is a 2004 French-Belgian-Austrian documentary film written and directed by Hubert Sauper, dealing with the environmental and social effects of the fishing industry around Lake Victoria in Tanzania. It premiered at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for the 2006...
and Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man is a 2005 American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. The film consists of Treadwell's own footage of his interactions with grizzly bears before he and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by a bear...
which later on gained worldwide recognition among the most important documentaries in recent times.
Oscar Docs
Oscar Docs (2006-09, 2011) is an annual three-day festival of the Academy Award-nominated short and feature documentaries, featuring introductions and Q&As by many of the nominated filmmakers. The event is open to general public.Other Key Events
- 2008 - An in-house home production, CACHAO:Uno Mas, was screened at various international film festivals in the US, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. It also screened nationally on PBS.
- 2007 - "Witness to War" led to an exclusive DocFilm weekend screening of Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
’ seven-part documentary, The WarThe WarThe War may refer to:In film and television:* The War , a 2007 television documentary about World War II by Ken Burns* The War , a 1994 film starring Elijah Wood...
, at Lucasfilm’s state-of-the-art Letterman Digital Arts CenterLetterman Digital Arts CenterThe Letterman Digital Arts Center , located in the Presidio, San Francisco, is the combined home of Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units....
. - 2006 - "A Tribute to Two Masters: LeacockRichard LeacockRichard Leacock was a British-born documentary film director and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema and Cinéma vérité.-Early life and career:...
& PennebakerD. A. PennebakerDonn Alan Pennebaker is an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema/Cinéma vérité. Performing arts and politics are his primary subjects.-Biography:...
" featured 22 films by these legendary filmmakers who revolutionized documentary filmmaking. - 2005 - "The Green Screen U.N. World Environment Day Film Festival" featured 28 inspiring films dealing with life and surival on our planet, including the West Coast premieres of Darwin’s Nightmare and Grizzly Man, both of which subsequently won many prestigious international awards.
Guest speakers
Filmmakers and friends of DocFilm who have presented films at our festivals, saluted filmmakers or fielded Q & A include Amy Berg, Les Blank, Sarah Botstein, Ken Burns, Mark Danner, Dale Djerassi, Nick Doob, Charles Ferguson, Andy Garcia, Al Gore, Roberta Grossman, Chris Hegedus, Stefan Jarl, Michael Krasny, Richard Leacock, Delroy Lindo, Amanda Micheli, Gavin Newsom, Steve Okazaki, Carl Pope, D.A. Pennebaker, Dikayl Rimmasch, Thomas Sanchez, John Santos, Hubert Sauper, Martin Scorsese, Gail Small, Bertrand Tavernier, David Thomson, Alice Waters, Caveh Zahedi.Productions
From paying tributes to master artists to highlighting pressing social issues, DocFilm produces films which provide a deeper introspection of a wide range of socio-cultural topics. Institute staff work with professional filmmakers, some of whom are Cinema Department faculty at San Francisco State University. State students benefit from working as interns on these films.1. Cachao: Uno Mas
DocFilm’s first original production, this film paid tribute to the life and music of one of the greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time, Israel Israel 'Cachao' LópezCachao López
Israel "Cachao" López , often known as Cachao, was a Cuban musician and composer who helped popularize mambo in the United States in the early 1950s....
, widely credited as the father of Mambo. The film also features actor Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
, singer Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
, producer Emilio Estefan
Emilio Estefan
Emilio Estefan, Jr. is a Cuban-American of Lebanese ancestry who is a musician and producer. Estefan's first taste of celebrity came as a member of the Miami Sound Machine, but he is also recognized as the producer of many famous singers. He is the husband of singer Gloria Estefan...
, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
, percussionist John Santos and saxophonist Ray Santos. It was produced by Andy Garcia
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
, Tom Luddy and Stephen Ujlaki, directed by Dikayl Rimmasch and co-produced and edited by Anay Tarnekar. The film was shot primarily in San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles.
Cachao:Uno Mas opened at the San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
in 2008, screened at several prestigious international festivals in the US, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. In fall 2010 the film premiered on the multiple Emmy® Award winning series, American Masters
American Masters
American Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
on PBS.
2. Change Dai-Chien in California
This 23min film pays tribute to Chinese master painter, Chang Dai-chien. Chang Dai-chien is among the most widely acclaimed painters of the 20th century. The artist left China in the late 1940s and relocated to the West in the early 1950s. Chang Dai-chien lived in Brazil for roughly fifteen years before moving to California in the mid-1960s. This film was produced by the eminent Chinese art historian Michael Sullivan in 1967, and has never been seen previously. San Francisco State University acquired the film from Professor Sullivan, and DocFilm restored it and created a unique short film that shows the artist's process of painting a work from inspiration to completion. This is the only existing footage of this painter, who is now called the Picasso of China.3. Films in Development
Genius of Chang Dai-chien - To honor and explore the life and work of Chang Dai-chien, the DocFilm and the Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State University are partnering to produce a feature-length documentary on Chang’s development as a calligrapher and painter. Directed by internationally renowned filmmaker Weimin Zhang, the film will follow the artist’s life journey from pre-Communist China to Brazil, later to the California coast of the 1960s and 1970s, and to his eventual retirement in Taiwan. Along the way, it will explore the political, cultural and economic forces - from the Chinese Cultural Revolution to U.S.-Sino relations - that influenced his life, his body of work and also the relation between the East and West today.Education
Education is an inherent part of DocFilm. As an integral part of Cinema Department, DocFilm offers master classes, production internships, seminars and mentoring to students and audiences at large.Renowned filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
, Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
, Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier is a French director, screenwriter, actor, and producer.-Life and career:Tavernier was born in Lyon, the son of Geneviève and René Tavernier, a publicist and writer, several years president of the French PEN club. Tavernier wanted to become a filmmaker since the age of thirteen...
, D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock was a British-born documentary film director and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema and Cinéma vérité.-Early life and career:...
, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
-Life and career:Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, Loire, France. He bought his first camera at the age of 17 and made short films while studying animation at Cinémation Studios. He befriended Marc Caro, a designer and comic book artist who became his longtime collaborator and...
, Christopher Hampton
Christopher Hampton
Christopher James Hampton CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, screen writer and film director. He is best known for his play based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses and the film version Dangerous Liaisons and also more recently for writing the nominated screenplay for the film adaptation of...
and Hubert Sauper
Hubert Sauper
Hubert Sauper is a documentary filmmaker best known for the highly controversial Darwin's Nightmare which was nominated for an Academy Award....
, have presented master classes for San Francisco State University students, sharing their inspirations, experiences, creative process and gave advice on pertinent issues of making films. Some of the classes were videotaped and will be available on the DocFilm website soon.
External Links
- http://sfsu.edu/docfilm
- http://sfsu.edu/cinema
- http://sfsu.edu
- http://geniusofchangdaichien.com