Kickstarter

The 1st San Francisco Green Film Festival will launch March 3-6, 2011 in San Francisco, CA. This will be the first-ever festival of its kind on the West Coast presenting inspiring programs and discussions that link films and media arts with environmental advocacy and activism - and we need your help to launch! http://sfgreenfilmfest.org

The Festival will include screenings of over 60 premieres from around the globe and kicks off with an Opening Night Green Carpet Gala on Thursday, March 3rd at the beautiful LEED-certified Bently Reserve (formerly the City’s U.S. Federal Reserve). In celebration of the Opening Night’s “plastic pollution theme,” the Festival will screen the Bay Area premiere of the award-winning film "Bag It", in partnership with Berkeley’s Plastic Pollution Coalition. http://www.bagitmovie.com/

Festival screenings and events will take place at the Landmark Theatres Embarcadero Center Cinema and the Bently Reserve. These venues, in close proximity to each other, will create a dynamic hub at the Embarcadero, with an exceptional inaugural line-up including over 60 Bay Area premieres of award winners and audience favorites from the world’s top film festivals including Sundance, Berlin, SxSW, Tribeca, and Toronto.

We are proud of the world-class quality of films premiering at our inaugural festival, with highlights including a live satellite feed Q&A with iconic writer and environmentalist Margaret Atwood, and the West Coast premiere of a new feature documentary by Werner Herzog. We are also thrilled that many internationally renowned filmmakers will be in attendance to screen their latest work and speak to Festival audiences including Fredrik Gertten, Sweden’s pre-eminent documentarian and investigative journalist and director of "BANANAS!*" and acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Huaqing Jin, director of "Heavy Metal".

Other programming highlights include: "SOLA: Louisiana Water Stories" – a topical film about personal stories focusing on water resources in South Louisiana and touching on the recent BP oil spill’s effect; Locally based husband and wife documentarians Steven and Anne Dunsky’s newest film "Butterflies & Bulldozers" about the global dilemma of economic growth versus species preservation seen through the fight over San Bruno Mountain; and the entertaining "Back to the Garden", a time-lapse view of back-to-the-land “hippies”— living off-grid, insulated and isolated from mainstream culture — and their moving personal stories of non-conformity and political activism, with lots of freedom but little cash.

The Festival is also an official part of the United Nations International Year of Forests 2011 and will be hosting content-related films and discussions to reinforce the message that forests are vital to the survival and well being of people everywhere.

The Festival’s Closing Night film, German Director Carl A. Fechner’s "The 4th Revolution: Energy Autonomy", is deemed “…the most inspirational, solutions-based environmental film out there” by the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Festival Program information and the schedule will be available on our website on February 1, 2011 at http://sfgreenfilmfest.org.

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San Francisco is universally regarded as an epicenter of both the global Green Movement, and of an activist and issue-conscious film community. This amazingly diverse city has many film festivals but none that directly and solely addresses these issues and audiences - the San Francisco Green Film Festival comes out of the need to fill that void.

We need funds make sure that we can produce the first festival as a meaningful and memorable world-class showcase that will become an annual event in San Francisco. For example, your help will cover the cost of bringing filmmakers to San Francisco to participate in audience Q&As and meet with local and regional press, so that their stories have impact in the Bay Area and beyond. Currently we are trying to bring filmmakers from China, Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, UK, Canada, and across the USA. We also need funds to produce our free screenings for local schools. In addition, we have high costs for venues, event production, outreach, and for "greening" the festival. Portions of all Kickstarter contributions are tax-deductible through our 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, Green Planet Films (please drop us a note if you need more details).

We have a wonderful opportunity to create an incredible new event in San Francisco and invite you to be a part of it. You'll be recognized from the start as a FOUNDING SUPPORTER and receive ongoing info, perks, and love from us as the festival grows in 2012 and beyond. Can you help us bring the festival life? Be a part of the green revolution!