By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

Ted Hope Steps Down As Exec Director Of SFFS

Posted Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 - Comments Off on Ted Hope Steps Down As Exec Director Of SFFS
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The San Francisco Film Society announced today that Ted Hope, Executive Director since August 2012, will step down at the end of the year to pursue other film-related interests. He will continue in his current role and will manage all activities of the organization until December 31, working with the staff and board to facilitate a smooth leadership transition. Hope will join the SFFS Advisory Board, to assist in guiding the Film Society into the future in a new capacity. The Board of Directors has already begun the search for a new Executive Director, and expects to have a new leader in place as the organization begins its 57th year.Statement from Ted Hope:
“When I came to San Francisco after producing so many films, it surprised some that I wanted to lead a non-profit organization,” said Hope. “Over the past 14 months I’ve come to realize that as much as I fully embrace the mission of the Film Society, my passion is more entrepreneurial. We accomplished a great deal at SFFS over the last year, and the same fantastic team that initially drew me to the Bay Area is still in place to drive the organization well into the future. Vanessa and I plan to stay in the Bay Area and I look forward to staying involved in an advisory role and collaborating with the Film Society in our film-related activities.”

Statement from SFFS Board President David Winton:
“The Film Society has been fortunate to have Ted Hope at its helm,” said Winton. “He brought with him a lot of great ideas about expanding our already considerable role in promoting film culture given so much disruptive change in media, and we are grateful for his tenure and guidance. We are happy to have Ted’s continued creative input as he steps into his new role on our Advisory Board. The SFFS Board of Directors is committed to finding a new leader that will continue to work closely with our staff to further the mission of the Film Society and its core programs.”

Statement from SFFS Board Vice President Howard Roffman:
“I want to thank Ted Hope for his contributions to our organization” said Roffman. “He leaves us in an even stronger position to continue pursuing the programs that have been the cornerstones of the Film Society. Our robust exhibition, education and filmmaker services programs will continue with the terrific staff that has made them as influential and successful as they are. We will continue exposing great films to a wider audience, supporting essential artists and promoting media literacy as we move into this next phase.”

About the San Francisco Film Society:
Building on a legacy of more than 50 years 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. With the programmatic leadership of Director of Programming Rachel Rosen, Director of Filmmaker360 Michele Turnure-Salleo and Director of Education Joanne Parsont, SFFS is recognized throughout the world as an extraordinary champion of creativity, inspiration, collaboration and innovation.

The crown jewel of the Film Society’s exhibition program is the San Francisco International Film Festival (April 24 – May 8, 2014), the longest-running film festival in the Americas and a beloved showcase of cinematic discovery. An essential stop on the international film festival circuit, SFIFF is well regarded as a significant celebration of world cinema in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. SFIFF56 featured 263 screenings of 158 films from 51 countries, which were attended by over 210 filmmakers and industry guests from over 21 countries around the globe. The Film Society’s additional year-round initiatives in film exhibition include a robust Fall Season of specialized film series and countless individual public and members’ screenings and events with special guests in person.

Filmmaker360, the Film Society’s filmmaker support program, offers unparalleled assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide and oversees one of the largest film grant programs in the country, which disperses nearly $1 million annually to incubate and support innovative and exceptional films. Recent Filmmaker360 success stories include Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut featureFruitvale Station, which won the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012, and earned four Academy Award nominations.

The SFFS Education department offers year-round media literacy programs to over 10,000 K-12 students, develops college and university programs to help students transition into the professional filmmaking arena and connects international filmmakers with local institutions of learning through a prestigious Artist in Residence program. Its pioneering Schools at the Festival program exposes a new generation of viewers to the best in international and independent cinema every year at SFIFF, bringing thousands of Bay Area students to Festival screenings and engaging them with filmmakers from around the world.

For more information visit sffs.org.
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