Skip to main content

“Radical Accessibility” and “Serendipity”Are Key to New Initiative from San Francisco’s Letterform Archive

Written on .

Media Contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc/David Perry
(415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

“Radical Accessibility” and “Serendipity”Are Key to New Initiative
from San Francisco’s Letterform Archive


Nearly 1,500 items and 9,000 images integral to the history
of typography, graphic design, and written communication
now available FREE and accessible to all

lettarc.org/online-archive 

8 April 2020 — San Francisco, CA: During the Dark Ages, monasteries were the repository of knowledge and information. With the Renaissance, the preservation of culture and writing took flight with the invention of the printing press. Since then, the beauty of the written word has manifested itself in endlessly creative and artistic lettering styles and typefaces. Nowhere on Earth is this beauty, creativity and artistry more important – or more available, free, to the entire world — than at San Francisco’s nonprofit Letterform Archive (www.letterformarchive.org). This unparalleled collection of typographical artifacts, the digitization of which has been a four-year labor of love, is debuting online in a moment when the world needs it the most. 

“This has been a dream since before the archive opened five years ago, and this launch was planned long ago,” says Rob Saunders, founder and executive director of Letterform Archive. “But what a perfect moment for radical accessibility.”  

Normally, Letterform Archive, located in San Francisco’s creative Dogpatch neighborhood, is strictly a “brick and mortar” collection where artists, scholars, and the font-loving public come in and learn from – and touch – a collection ranging from a 4,000-year-old cuneiform clay tablet to a page from a Gutenberg Bible to style manuals from Apple Computer. From a fifteenth-century handmade Rothschild Book of Hours to psychedelic ’60s posters and the early pixelated digital type designs of the 1980s , it is a collection unparalleled in the Bay Area and unique across the world. 

For the last four years, Saunders and his team of librarians, curators, developers, and designers have been preparing for this moment: making its world-class digital trove of typographical artifacts available – free of charge – to anyone and everyone on the planet. The Archive’s online repository of digitized materials related to lettering, typography, calligraphy, and graphic design spans thousands of years of history. Opened as a beta in 2018, the Online Archive was previously available to members only.

The Archive developed its own photography standards, in consultation with E. M. Ginger of 42-Line, to produce high-fidelity imagery that is as true to the original as possible. Visitors can zoom in and pan around the images for a more detailed view of each object. Viewers will gain access to materials in a variety of formats, including books, periodicals, packaging, posters, original artwork, sketches, type specimens, and related ephemera. 

“Many of our materials are unique, curated from designers’ archives or donated by collectors. They represent centuries of design history for the benefit of current and future generations of design students, professionals, and researchers,” said Saunders, a collector of the letter arts for over 40 years. In 2015, his personal passion opened to the public, eventually offering hands-on access to a curated collection of over 60,000 items. “Some come with specific research ideas in mind, while others are simply looking for inspiration. Invariably, thanks to the breadth and accessibility of the collection, they stumble on something unexpected. Serendipity is key to the Archive experience.”

During the height of the current pandemic and its social distancing protocols, Letterform Archive has opened up the Online Archive to give people all over the world access to a lifetime’s worth of inspiring and informative exploration. The most obvious feature of the site is what Saunders calls its “big, beautiful imagery.” Nonetheless, Saunders and project lead, Librarian Kate Long, are equally proud of the metadata behind those images. Volunteers Murray Grigo-MacMahon and Websy developer Nick Webster developed the site and its incredible data architecture, while Jon Sueda and Chris Hamamoto led the charge on its exquisite design with Omar Mohammad.

“It’s the information that fuels the powerful search and filter functions of the site, and it’s written specifically with graphic designers in mind,” says Long, noting that this first phase of the site surfaces just a small percentage of the metadata collected by Letterform, with more to be revealed as the project develops. “Our challenge was to draw on our existing library services knowledge, but also rethink standards and terminology for the material and audience unique to the Archive. We wanted to create an intuitive experience for designers using the words they use, with a user interface full of rich imagery”

During its five-year history, Letterform Archive has welcomed over 10,000 visitors from 30 countries, including students, practitioners, and letterform admirers from every creative background. Later this year, the Archive will move into a new, expanded building, providing more hands-on access, when such access is once again available.

Saunders sums up: “This project is a labor of love for everyone on our team, with many generous volunteers, and we hope it provides a source of inspiration and delight to all who love letters and design. At a time when good news is in short supply and so many resources have gone dark, we hope to light a creative spark.”

International Ocean Film Festival Home Edition Now Available Online through April 12

Written on .

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

“Bringing the Ocean to your Couch”

International Ocean Film Festival Home Edition
Now Available Online through April 12
www.intloceanfilmfest.org 


1 April 2020 – San Francisco, CA: The International Ocean Film Festival often called “Sundance for the Ocean” brings the ocean to your couch with its  “Home Edition” online at www.intloceanfilmfest.org through April 12.

“Specially curated from the 2020 International Ocean Film Festival and prior, we’ve gathered a range of films from you, from Johannasburg to the Galapagos Island to Borneo,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “During this ‘pause’ while we are all staying home, share with your friends these incredible films so we can still stay connected through our love of the Ocean.”

Originally scheduled for March of this year, the 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival has been postponed in light of the COVID-19 health emergency. A future date for the festival in San Francisco will be announced in the coming weeks.

“While we all may not be able to get to the ocean right now,” said Blanco, “we decided to bring the ocean to you!”

For the 2020 Festival, 160 submissions were received from around the world, including films from the USA, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Turkey, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Korea, Madagascar and South Africa. The list includes films of all genres – documentaries, narratives, shorts, and animation films of all lengths. As always, the Festival focuses on all ocean centric themes including but not limited to: ocean exploration, wildlife, environmental, conservation, oceanography, seafaring adventures, maritime issues, ocean sports and coastal cultures.

In order to fulfill its conservation mission, and in addition to screening films, the International Ocean Film Festival has aligned itself with the Ocean Unite’s #Love30x30 initiative to bring more awareness to this global effort. #Love30x30 is a call to action to safeguard at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 through a network of highly protected marine areas where no destructive or extractive activities like fishing or mining can take place.

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental activists. Since then, the Festival has presented over 600 films from 50 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Current sponsors for the 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuary, BigBus of San Francisco, Gray Line Tours, SSA, Alcatraz Cruises, the Port of San Francisco, the Consul General of Canada, Blue and Gold Ferry, RBC Wealth Management, Heidrick & Struggles, Pacific Gas & Electric and Troutman Sanders LLC.

The International Ocean Film Festival encourages its patrons, supporters and partners to follow the most current advice from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization for preventing the further spread of the COVID-19 in Northern California and beyond, and to stay tuned for announcements about International Ocean Film Festival events once the threat level is reduced. A new date for the entire 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will be announced in a few weeks.

Below is a full list of the films in the “At Home International Ocean Film Festival”

Song of the Spindle
Drew Christie | USA | 4 min
An animated inter-species conversation that leads to a neuron found in the brains of humans and whales that makes us capable of compassion, whether we use it, or not. 

Protecting Blue Skies and Blue Whales
Michael Hanrahan | USA | 8 min
As international shipping increases, so do ship-strike deaths among endangered whales. Vessel fuel emissions foul the air, putting us at risk, too. But NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program, working with state agencies, whale experts, and maritime transport firms anxious to make our seas safer and our skies cleaner, have voluntarily slowed vessels passing through “whale territory:” This could prove an enduring commerce-conservation partnership! 

Fragile – Why Turtle Hatchlings Need the Sea
Hendrik and Claudia Schmitt | Germany | 8 min
Sea turtles are the most endangered group of pelagic vertebrates with 86% (6 of 7 species) threatened with extinction. In the natural scheme of life, only one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings will survive to maturity. Turtle conservationist Sian Williams of the Gili Eco Trust in Indonesia explains how the impacts of egg poaching, habitat destruction, and even the inadvertent effects of human assistance threaten them. 

Street Surfers
Arthur Neumeier | South Africa | 9 min
A pro surfer, Frank Solomon from Cape Town, meets two young men in Johannesburg known as “street surfers” who comb the streets for recyclables to make a living. Their unsung efforts just to survive, helps reduce plastics in the ocean. Inspired, Frank, also an avid ocean activist, decides to show them the ocean for the first time. An inspirational story of friendship and how two seemingly different worlds can be connected.

Alice in Borneo’s Wonderland
David McGuire | USA | 11 min
Alice, a sixteen-year-old aspiring biologist, learns to SCUBA dive off the coast of Malaysian Borneo and discovers a wondrous world. With the help of Shark Steward instructors she learns to respect the key predators of that astonishing world – the sharks, endangered worldwide because of shark finning. Her next step is to share with other students her new knowledge about the importance of protecting the oceans.

Spinnaker Documentary
Nadine Licostie | USA | 14 min
The crab season was delayed this year from concern about whales getting entangled in the ropes. The concern is serious. During her lifetime, the humpback whale, “Spinnaker,” became entangled three times over 11 years. Each time dedicated teams of fisherfolk and biologists quickly and carefully came to her defense. But it was not enough; her skeleton tells the story.

Super Salmon
Ryan Peterson | USA | 25 min
Ah, the salmon! Perhaps the most famous of fish, it is best known for its healthy omega-three nutrients, but do people realize what is at stake for salmon to survive in the wilderness? With a gorgeous Alaskan backdrop, we follow one amazing salmon on his long journey up the Sustina River, only to run into a government proposed dam that threatens its life. Along the way we meet those who are helping protect both their way of life and the salmons’.

Galapagos Evolution
Roberto Ochoa | Ecuador | 32 min
Led by Pierre Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, a group of internationally famous free-divers explore biodiversity in the cradle of evolutionary theory: the Galapagos Islands. Adventure, excitement and a respectful interaction with ocean wildlife reveal the gentle elegance of hammerhead sharks, gliding manta rays and other marine megafauna, demonstrating the way toward co-existence and saving our oceans.

Dick Ogg: Fisherman
Cynthia Abbott | USA | 9 min
The ocean is his life and his delight. Dick Ogg fishes for a living; but whales do, too – often, in the same spot and whale entanglements in Dungeness crab gear can be the result. Dick discusses how his lifetime at sea has taught him that with collaboration, ingenuity, and much hard work, fisherfolk can help prevent lethal gear interactions, and still land their catch.

Ocean Stories: Greg Stone
Casey Acaster | USA | 31 min
“The Ocean is telling us it doesn’t need us, we need it. And we better stop abusing it…. Our condition is far more vulnerable.” Greg Stone reminisces about his life as an ocean scientist, explorer and marine conservationist. His romantic fascination with the ocean as a young boy became his life work. Now that science has identified the ocean’s problems, Stone challenges us to find a solution.

Dezart Performs’ EVERY BRILLIANT THING Postponed until Fall 2020 Season

Written on .

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

 Dezart Performs’ EVERY BRILLIANT THING Postponed until Fall 2020 Season 

Unique, Immersive Storytelling Experience by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe Performed In-the-Round at the Pearl McManus Theater Was to have run April 3 – 12

www.dezartperforms.org


16 March 2020 – Palm Springs, CA: The previously announced final show of the Dezart Performs 12th Season, EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Duncan has been postponed in light of the COVID-19 health emergency. The production will now be rolled into the upcoming 2020/2021 season slated to begin this fall.

“The health and safety of our patrons, cast, crew, volunteers and staff is the number one priority of Dezart Performs,” said Michael Shaw in a statement. “So, in light of the Presidential Declaration of a National Emergency and the health guidelines established by Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the best response to COVID-19, Dezart Performs’ final production of the 2019-2020 season, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, will be postponed until the Fall as part of our 2020-2021 season.”

Those who have already purchased tickets for EVERY BRILLIANT THING will have their purchases credited toward the corresponding performance in October 2020. Actual performance dates will be finalized in the coming weeks.

“If you are not able to join us for the Fall production of EVERY BRILLIANT THING, we would be so grateful if you would consider converting your ticket purchase to a donation,” the statement continued. “As a small non-profit theater, ticket sales are essential to our survival. Theater and arts around the nation will suffer as a result of these unprecedented events. So your donation would mean a great deal to Dezart Performs at this challenging time. If you would prefer to explore other options, please contact our box office directly at 760-322-0179. We are so proud of the mutual collaboration between our audience and our artists. You give so much back to our actors – their performances depend on your energy and enthusiasm and you never fail to deliver. You are the heart of the Dezart Performs family. So, please stay safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you again in the Fall.”

About EVERY BRILLIANT THING

A boy of seven sets out to list every special, ordinary thing that’s worth living for to lift his mom’s spirits: 1. Ice cream. 2. Water fights. 3. Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV. As he matures to adulthood, the list grows, and he learns the significance the list has on his own life as he goes to college, falls in love, and builds a home. With that simple premise, the off-Broadway hit EVERY BRILLIANT THING takes the audience on a unique theatrical storytelling experience that is both intimate and immersive, performed as theatre-in-the-round by award winning Dezart Performs of Palm Springs. EVERY BRILLIANT THING is the creative partnership between playwright Duncan MacMillan and actor Jonny Donahoe.

“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression – and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” (The Guardian). “Joyful. Life affirming. Brilliant. These are not words one would normally associate with a one-man play centered around depression and suicide. But Every Brilliant Thing is anything but normal.”  (Idaho Press-Tribune)

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley. All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. 

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed Interviewed Thursday, April 2 as part of Manny’s Super Civic Cyber Conversations

Written on .

Media Contact:
David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed Interviewed Thursday, April 2 as part of Manny’s Super Civic Cyber Conversations

Unprecedented LIVE online gathering of civic leaders continues Manny’s tradition as place to community building and civic engagement

15-20k viewers expected & many news outlets tuning in and participating

WHO & WHAT:
San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed Takes Part in Online Forum:
Leading San Francisco in a Time of Crisis
Mayor London Breed was re-elected to be the Mayor of San Francisco just months before the halting of much of the world’s economy and the outbreak of a global pandemic. She is leading San Francisco during unprecedented times and her decisions are having real world consequences for the life and well-being of us all. Tune in to hear her in conversation with Manny’s and to ask her your questions during this time our City’s history. 

WHEN:
Thursday, April 2 – 4pm

WHERE & HOW:
We’ll be using Zoom to broadcast all of the Manny’s Super Civic Cyber Conversations. Folks can register at www.welcometomannys.com and facebook.com/welcometomannys

WHY:
To continue our mission, Manny’s is hosting over one hundred live civic conversations over video for the public.  We’ll be providing opportunities for the public to continue to be civically engaged all at the convenience of their home for free or with a suggested donation.  With an expected reach of 15,000 – 20,000 viewers with many news outlets also tuning in and participating.

MANNY QUOTE:
Manny’s was opened with a crystal clear purpose: civically engage the public in person. It’s imperative that we rise to the occasion and continue to bring hope and inspiration to the public given the times in which we find ourselves.  I’m humbled and excited at how quickly our team put together the “Manny’s Super Civic Cyber Conversations,” and I look forward to continuing to put in the work.

COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF FORUM PARTICIPANTS:

  • Heklina (3/23) 1 p.m. – Heklina has been entertaining the SF nightlife for over two decades. Being half Icelandic, she named herself after the Icelandic volcano Hekla
  • LT. Eleni Kounalakis (3/23) 3 p.m. – Ambassador Eleni Kounalakis was sworn in as the first woman elected Lieutenant Governor of California by Governor Gavin Newsom
  • Laurie Thomas (3/23) 5 p.m. – Laurie owns and operates local restaurants Rose’s Cafe and Terzo and is a board member of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association 
  • Tom Temprano (3/23) 7 p.m. – Member Board Of Trustees at City College of San Francisco & Legislative Aide, Office of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
  • Myrna Melgar (3/24) 3 p.m. – Myrna Melgar is the Executive Director of the Jamestown Community Center
  • Gregory Ferenstein (3/24) 5 p.m. – Gregory Ferenstein is the editor of the Ferenstein Wire, a syndicated publication on tech, health, and politics
  • Max Patinkin (3/24) 7 p.m. – Max is a lawyer and second generation family farmer (on both his father’s and mother’s side). He’s passionate about civic and community engagement, including chairing a recent red-to-blue congressional campaign and assisting in the launch of Manny’s. 
  • Audrey Cooper (3/25) 1 p.m. – Audrey Cooper is the editor in chief of the San Francisco Chronicle, the first woman to fill the role in the company’s 153-year history
  • Aram Fischer (3/25) 3 p.m. – Aram escalated his action substantially in response to the 2016 election, taking on a leadership role with Indivisible San Francisco
  • Jeff Kositsky (3/25) 5 p.m. – Jeff Kositsky is a recognized leader in innovative solutions to homelessness and poverty in the United States and internationally
  • Broke-Ass Stuart (3/25) 7 p.m. – Travel Writer. TV Host. Poet. Motherf*cking Hustler. San Francisco is THAT city. How do we continue to honor the greatness of it? The funk. The weirdness. The all of it. 
  • Eliza Nemser (3/26) 1 p.m. – Eliza Nemser is an earth scientist, environmental advocate, and organizer with over 15 years of technical, research, and consulting experience. 
  • Hadar Aviram (3/26) 3 p.m. – Professor Hadar Aviram specializes in criminal justice, civil rights, law and politics, and social movements, and her research employs socio-legal perspectives and methodologies
  • Tyler MacNiven (3/26) 5 p.m. – Tyler MacNiven is a producer and director, known for Kintaro Walks Japan (2005), Jonny Ramada (2017) and Big in Bollywood (2011)
  • Cody Harris (3/26) 7 p.m.– Mr. Harris also developed a first-hand understanding of a prosecutor’s mindset by spending a year trying and resolving cases at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office
  • Shamann Walton (03/27) 1 p.m.– Supervisor Shamann Walton is the Supervisor for District 10 of San Francisco. 
  • DA Chesa Boudin (3/27) 3 p.m. – Chesa Boudin is the District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco
  • Leah Culver (3/27) 5 p.m. – Computer programmer and startup founder Leah Culver is a 2006 computer science graduate of the University of Minnesota
  • Levi Maxwell (3/27) 7 p.m. – Let’s talk about the ideal queer dance scene with our dearest friend Levi Maxwell! Grab yourself a drink and let’s kiki! 
  • Del Seymour (3/28) 1 p.m. –  Del Seymour founded Code Tenderloin in 2015
  • Mark G DeVito (3/28) 3 p.m.– Mark has owned a portfolio of bars in SF for a decade and is well-networked in the field
  • David Plouffe (3/28) 5 p.m. – David Plouffe is an American political strategist best known as the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s successful 2008 presidential campaign
  • Lateefah Simon (3/28) 7 p.m. – Lateefah Simon was elected to serve District 7 on the BART Board of Directors on November 8, 2016
  • Larry Baer (3/29) 1 p.m. – Laurence M. Baer is the Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball
  • David Perry (3/29) 3 p.m. – David Perry is a crisis communications consultant and a member of SF Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
  • Andrea Dew Steele (3/29) 5 p.m. – Andrea Dew Steele is the Founder of Emerge America and the Co-Founder of our first affiliate, Emerge California
  • Abbie Dillen (3/30) 1 p.m. – Abigail Dillen is the President of Earthjustice, leading the organization’s staff, board and supporters to advance our mission of using the courts to protect our environment and people’s health
  • Stacy Mason (3/30) 3 p.m. –  Stacy is a co-founder of Electing Women San Francisco, a giving circle that is part of a new national network
  • Jane Kim (3/30) 5 p.m. – Once SF’s most prominent supervisors, now Jane Kim heads the Bay Area campaign operations for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders 
  • Patrick Ayscue (03/30) 6 p.m. – Dr. Ayscue is an applied epidemiologist with over ten years of experience in infectious disease outbreak response, surveillance, and analysis. He has previously worked as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, where he was deployed to Liberia early in the course of the West Africa Ebola virus outbreak in 2014.
  • Betty Yee (3/30) 7 p.m. – State Controller Betty T. Yee was elected in November 2014, following two terms of service on the California Board of Equalization
  • Rosny Daniel (03/31) 11 a.m. “My Experience with Coronavirus: UCSF ER Doctor Rosny Daniel”– Medical staff is on the frontline of this pandemic, risking their lives to save the lives of others. Dr. Rosny Daniel is Assistant Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine who contracted Coronavirus.
  • Heather Knight (3/31) 1 p.m. – San Francisco Chronicle columnist; host of SF City Insider podcast; co-founder of #TotalSF and #49MileMakeover; cable car bell ringing judge; public transit fan
  • Morgan Bailey (3/31) 3 p.m. – Morgan Bailey’s curiosity led me to pursue a PhD in Engineering, a Masters in Public Health, and a certificate in Co-Active Coaching
  • Sam Moss (3/31) 5 p.m. – Sam Moss oversees the administration of all Mission Housing assets, programs and services
  • Kevin Roose (3/31) 7 p.m. – Kevin Roose is a columnist for Business Day and a writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine
  • Jeff Bleich (4/01) 5 p.m. – Longtime friend of President Obama, Jeffrey Laurence Bleichis an American lawyer and diplomat from California, currently the chair of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
  • Scott Wiener (4/01) 7 p.m. – Scott Wiener is an American politician and a member of the California State Senate
  • Regulating through Crisis (4/02) 1 p.m. – Comedian and playwright Luna Malbroux and Trauma Expert Sarah Buffie explore ways to help ground ourselves and our friends during tough times
  • SF Mayor London N. Breed (4/02) 4 p.m. – Leading San Francisco in a Time of CrisisMayor London Breed was re-elected to be the Mayor of San Francisco just months before the halting of much of the world’s economy and the outbreak of a global pandemic. She is leading San Francisco during unprecedented times and her decisions are having real world consequences for the life and well-being of us all. Tune in to hear her in conversation with Manny’s and to ask her your questions during this time our City’s history. 
  • Rebecca Rolfe (4/02) 7 p.m. – Rebecca Rolfe is a community activist who has worked on issues of social justice for over twenty-eight years
  • Valerie Jarrett (04/03) 11 a.m. “Presidential Leadership During Crisis: A Conversation with Valerie Jarrett”– Ms. Jarrett was the longest serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls..
  • Emmett Shear (4/03) 1 p.m. – Emmett Shear is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder of live video platforms Justin.tv and TwitchTV with and is the Chief executive officer of Twitch.
  • Deborah Cullinan (4/03) 3 p.m. – Deborah Cullinan is the Chief Executive Officer for Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
  • Debra Walker (4/03) 7 p.m. – Artist and housing policy advisor Debra Walker serves on the San Francisco Arts Commission, appointed by Mayor London Breed
  • Terry Beswick (4/6) 1 p.m. – – Executive Director at GLBT Historical Society. San Francisco is rich in LGBTQ+ history. However, how do we remember LGBT history? How do we honor it? Why is it that we don’t have a museum?
  • Marianne Williamson (4/6) 2 p.m. – Marianne Williamson is a bestselling author, political activist and spiritual thought leader. For over three decades Marianne has been a leader in spiritual and religiously progressive circles. She was one of 29 Democratic candidates to run for president in 2020. 
  • Eric Swalwell (4/06) 5 p.m. – Eric Swalwell in 2012 was elected to represent California’s Fifteenth Congressional District, which includes a large part of the East Bay
  • Matt Haney (04/06) 6 p.m. – As President of the Board of Education, Haney was known for tackling some of the city’s biggest challenges with creative solutions. He led initiatives to build affordable housing for teachers and protect them from evictions, launch a new school in Mission Bay, secure housing and expand services for homeless students, and ensure all our kids have access to computer science and technology.
  • Rudy Gonzalez (04/06) 7 p.m. – In 2018, Rudy Gonzalez was selected to be the youngest Executive Director and first person of color to head the San Francisco Labor Council in its 125 year history.After leading organizing campaigns that nearly doubled the size and strength of his local union, he became a director and officer of Local 856. 
  • Christine Pelosi (04/07) 1 p.m. – Pelosi is the author of Campaign Boot Camp 2.0 (2012) and Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders’ (2007), books used in her leadership training for candidates and causes. Since 2005 she has directed the AFSCME PEOPLE Congressional Candidates Boot Camp, which prepares Democrats for campaigns and has helped over 40 challengers get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. 
  • Rob Avruch (4/07) 5 p.m. – Advocacy Associate, Housing Affordability at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. You can ask them anything. The floor is open. 
  • Joaquin Torres (04/07) 7 p.m. – Joaquín Torres is the Director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
  • Jamie Rudman (04/08) 3 p.m. –Jamie Rudman has more than twenty years of experience representing management in labor and employment matters.   
  • Dr. Judy Kuriansky (4/08) 5 p.m. – Dr. Judy Kuriansky is a world renowned radio advice host, clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist, popular lecturer, newspaper columnist, and author of many books
  • Rodney Fong (04/09) 3 p.m. – Fong sat on San Francisco’s Port Commission for four years and also on the city’s Planning Commission. Fong was also the chair of the San Francisco Travel Association board. Now he is the president of SF Chamber of Commerce.
  • Ritchie Torres (04/09) 7 p.m. – Ritchie Torres is an American politician from New York.. Elected in 2013, he is the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the Bronx, and the youngest member of the city council. 
  • Jess Nguyen (04/10) 3 p.m. – Join us for a conversation with student activist, Jess Nguyen, on Community College of San Francisco’s student activism. 
  • Jim Haas (04/10) 7 p.m. – James W. Haas has lived most of his life in the city. Now retired, he has written about San Francisco including a biography of the long-forgotten Mayor Edward Robeson Taylor which appeared in the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society’s journal.
  • Ben Bleiman (04/13) 3 p.m. – Ben is currently the President of the California Music & Culture Association, which is the only trade group to represent bars, clubs, music venues and music festivals in SF. 
  • Aria Sa’id (04/13) 5 p.m. – Aria Sa’id is a transgender advocate and award winning political strategist based in San Francisco Bay Area. She is a founder and the Executive Director of the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District- the world’s first transgender district.
  • Laura Tam (04/15) 1 p.m. – Laura Tam is the Sustainable Development Policy Director at SPUR, a Bay Area think-tank and one of the leading urban policy groups in the United States. 
  • Jeffrey Tumlin (4/15) 7 p.m. – Jeffrey Tumlin is the former director of strategy at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a San Francisco-based transportation planning and engineering firm that focuses on sustainable mobility
  • Hillary Ronen (04/16) 1 p.m. “Q&A with District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen”– Supervisor Ronen attended UC Berkeley School of Law. Upon graduating she joined La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco’s Mission District  where I spent over six years fighting for immigrants’ rights and organizing to get unpaid back wages for domestic workers and day laborers. She went on as Chief of Staff for-then Supervisor of District 9, David Campos. 
  • Naomi Kelly (04/21) 1 p.m.– Naomi Kelly is San Francisco’s City Administrator, the highest-ranking non-elected official of San Francisco City and County government.  In this capacity, Ms. Kelly oversees 25 departments, divisions, and programs 
  • Ben Rosenfield (4/22) 7 p.m. – Ben Rosenfield serves as the City Controller. Mr. Rosenfield was initially appointed to a 10-year term as Controller by Mayor Gavin Newsom in Spring 2008 and re-appointed to a second term by Mayor Mark Farrell in Spring 2018
  • Lex Sloan (4/24) 3 p.m. – Manager of the movie theart The Roxie, Alexis ‘Lex’ Sloan is an American, Jewish, middle-class feminist filmmaker
  • Cecilia Cabello (04/24) 7 p.m. – Cecilia Cabello is the Vice President of the Board of Public Works.  She was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in November 2018. She was tapped as Hillary for America’s California State Director during the 2016 general campaign and California Deputy Political Director for the 2016 primary campaign.
  • Tal Klement (4/27) 7 p.m. – Tal Klement is a Deputy Public Defender in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office

***Meena Harris TBD “Inspiring Hope Online with Meena Harris”– Meena Harris is an American lawyer, tech-policy expert, political activist, and entrepreneur. She is the niece of California Senator, Kamala Harris. On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017, she launched the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, a grassroots fundraising initiative that benefits women’s organizations like Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List.

17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival Holds “Global Online Audience Award”

Written on .

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival Holds “Global Online Audience Award” for Student Films March 25 – April 5

Winners will be announced online via the International Ocean Film Festival newsletter and social media on Monday, April 6 at 12 noon PDT. 

25 March 2020 – San Francisco, CA: The International Ocean Film Festival often called “Sundance for the Ocean” will host a very special “Global Online Audience Award” for its Student Film Competition submissions. The online voting form and the films are listed by title at www.intloceanfilmfest.org/student-film-competition. Online viewers are asked to vote for their one top choice in each category of middle school and high school students. The contest will run from Wednesday March 25 at 12:00 noon and end at midnight Sunday, April 5th(all times Pacific Standard Time)

“While we’re all doing our best to ‘bend the curve’ and decrease coronavirus infections, this is a great opportunity to acknowledge the great work by our student filmmakers around the world,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the IOFF. “With submissions from across the US, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand and Turkey, this will truly be a global audience award.  These next generation of artists,  activists and ocean leaders are telling stories whereby we can truly save the world’s oceans. This is an opportunity for people around the world to be entertained, weigh in and engage with us during this challenging period.”

Rules for the online contest are: 

  • Only one vote per email.
  • Votes can’t be changed once submitted.
  • Open to anyone around the world

The winning student filmmaker will receive a cash prize of $100,  a Jenga Ocean game, and a Global Online Audience Award Certificate. Winners will also be honored =at the Festival’s rescheduled full event later this year, along with the announcement of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place student film winners in each category. 

For 17 years, San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival has been pursuing its ocean conservation mission through film: Saving Our Oceans – One Film at a Time. This year’s Festival selection comprised 56 films from 15 countries including four world premieres, six United States premieres, nine West Coast premieres and six Bay Area Premieres.

“This is easily the most diverse group of films we’ve ever had, with the greatest international participation to date,” said Blanco.

For the 2020 Festival, 160 submissions were received from around the world, including films from the USA, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Turkey, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Korea, Madagascar and South Africa. The list includes films of all genres – documentaries, narratives, shorts, and animation films of all lengths. As always, the Festival focuses on all ocean centric themes including but not limited to: ocean exploration, wildlife, environmental, conservation, oceanography, seafaring adventures, maritime issues, ocean sports and coastal cultures.

In order to fulfill its conservation mission, and in addition to screening films, the International Ocean Film Festival has aligned itself with the Ocean Unite’s #Love30x30 initiative to bring more awareness to this global effort. #Love30x30 is a call to action to safeguard at least 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 through a network of highly protected marine areas where no destructive or extractive activities like fishing or mining can take place.

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental activists. Since then, the Festival has presented over 600 films from 50 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Current sponsors for the 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuary, BigBus of San Francisco, Gray Line Tours, SSA, Alcatraz Cruises, the Port of San Francisco, the Consul General of Canada, Blue and Gold Ferry, RBC Wealth Management, Heidrick & Struggles, Pacific Gas & Electric and Troutman Sanders LLC.

The International Ocean Film Festival encourages its patrons, supporters and partners to follow the most current advice from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization for preventing the further spread of the COVID-19 in Northern California and beyond, and to stay tuned for announcements about International Ocean Film Festival events once the threat level is reduced. A new date for the entire 17th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will be announced in a few weeks.