Releases
52nd San Francisco International Film Festival Presents Third Annual Midnight Awards
Late Night Awards Ceremony Celebrates Dynamic Actors Elijah Wood and Evan Rachel Wood
3/24/2009
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival (April 23–May 7) is excited to announce the third annual Midnight Awards, honoring Elijah Wood and Evan Rachel Wood, Saturday, April 25 at 10:30 pm at the W San Francisco Hotel. The event takes the form of a late night talk show, hosted by Beth Lisick, New York Times best-selling author and co-organizer of the Porchlight Storytelling Series, with live musical accompaniment lead by Marc Capelle. Lisick will interview the two young actors and show clips of their work prior to the presentation of the awards.
The Midnight Awards were created in 2007 to honor a dynamic young actor and actress entering the prime of their careers, who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema and who bring intelligence, talent and depth of character to their roles. Previous Midnight Award honorees are Rose McGowan, Jason Lee, Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell.
Widely regarded as one of the most gifted actors of his generation, Elijah Wood continues to challenge himself with roles in films spanning the spectrum of style and genre. He most recently lent his voice to Focus Feature’s animated film 9 (2009) directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton. He was last seen in Oxford Murders (2008) opposite John Hurt, and before that in Paris, Je T’aime (2006) – a collection of 20 short films about love and life in Paris. Wood is also making his first foray into producing, teaming with Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani’s Indalo Productions on an adaptation of Elliott Chaze’s legendary noir novel Black Wings Has My Angel.
Wood’s credits also include Day Zero (2007) opposite Chris Klein and Ginnifer Goodwin; George Miller’s animated film Happy Feet (2006); Liev Schreiber’s adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling novel Everything Is Illuminated (2005); Sin City (2005) codirected by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller with Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson and Clive Owen; and Michel Gondry’s critically acclaimed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
Wood made an indelible mark in the trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the lead role of the hobbit Frodo Baggins. Directed by Peter Jackson, the three films were critically lauded as well as being box office record setters. In addition, Return of the King (2003) won the Academy Award for Best Picture and 11 Academy Awards in all, tying Titanic for the record.
Born into a theater family in 1987, Evan Rachel Wood began cultivating her acting career in outdoor plays in Raleigh, North Carolina. She appeared in several television series before landing a role in 2002’s Little Secrets and the science fiction drama S1m0ne, starring Al Pacino. Her breakthrough performance followed with the controversial independent film Thirteen (2003), directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Holly Hunter. Her performance in the role of Tracy Louise Freeland, a teen mired in drugs, sex and petty crime was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. She also had supporting roles in The Missing (2003), directed by Ron Howard, and The Upside of Anger (2005), directed by Mike Binder.
More indies followed, including Pretty Persuasion (2005), Down in the Valley (2006) and Running with Scissors (2006). She played a lead in Julie Taymor’s Beatles-themed musical Across the Universe (2007) and recently received recognition for her portrayal of an estranged and independent daughter, acting opposite Mickey Rourke, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler (2008). Wood provides the voice of an alien in the environmentally conscious Battle for Terra (2007), an animated feature in SFIFF’s New Directors section. Later this year, Wood can be seen in director Woody Allen’s latest comedy Whatever Works, costarring Larry David.
The Midnight Awards will be held at the W San Francisco and are sponsored by 7x7 Magazine. Tickets are available for $50. Please visit http://fest09.sffs.org for more information.
San Francisco Film Society
The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange; Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth; Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture; and Exploring New Media.
SFFS shows the best of world cinema year-round on its SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and presents the San Francisco International Animation Festival, New Italian Cinema and French Cinema Now annually in the fall. In all, the Film Society presents more than 300 days of programming each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed youth education program introduces international cinema and media literacy to more than 7,000 teachers and students annually.
The Film Society publishes a daily online magazine, SF360.org, with broad-ranging news and features on Bay Area film culture and provides crucial support to the Bay Area filmmaking community through SFFS filmmaker services including grants & residencies, fiscal sponsorship, production assistance and development, networking and conference events, and professional-level filmmaker classes and workshops.
52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23–May 7, 2009 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and Landmark’s Clay Theatre in San Francisco; and the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring 25 juried awards, 200 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 75,000+ people.
For tickets and information, go to http://fest09.sffs.org or call 925-866-9559.
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The Midnight Awards were created in 2007 to honor a dynamic young actor and actress entering the prime of their careers, who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema and who bring intelligence, talent and depth of character to their roles. Previous Midnight Award honorees are Rose McGowan, Jason Lee, Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell.
Widely regarded as one of the most gifted actors of his generation, Elijah Wood continues to challenge himself with roles in films spanning the spectrum of style and genre. He most recently lent his voice to Focus Feature’s animated film 9 (2009) directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton. He was last seen in Oxford Murders (2008) opposite John Hurt, and before that in Paris, Je T’aime (2006) – a collection of 20 short films about love and life in Paris. Wood is also making his first foray into producing, teaming with Anthony Moody and Rob Malkani’s Indalo Productions on an adaptation of Elliott Chaze’s legendary noir novel Black Wings Has My Angel.
Wood’s credits also include Day Zero (2007) opposite Chris Klein and Ginnifer Goodwin; George Miller’s animated film Happy Feet (2006); Liev Schreiber’s adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s bestselling novel Everything Is Illuminated (2005); Sin City (2005) codirected by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller with Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson and Clive Owen; and Michel Gondry’s critically acclaimed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
Wood made an indelible mark in the trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in the lead role of the hobbit Frodo Baggins. Directed by Peter Jackson, the three films were critically lauded as well as being box office record setters. In addition, Return of the King (2003) won the Academy Award for Best Picture and 11 Academy Awards in all, tying Titanic for the record.
Born into a theater family in 1987, Evan Rachel Wood began cultivating her acting career in outdoor plays in Raleigh, North Carolina. She appeared in several television series before landing a role in 2002’s Little Secrets and the science fiction drama S1m0ne, starring Al Pacino. Her breakthrough performance followed with the controversial independent film Thirteen (2003), directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Holly Hunter. Her performance in the role of Tracy Louise Freeland, a teen mired in drugs, sex and petty crime was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. She also had supporting roles in The Missing (2003), directed by Ron Howard, and The Upside of Anger (2005), directed by Mike Binder.
More indies followed, including Pretty Persuasion (2005), Down in the Valley (2006) and Running with Scissors (2006). She played a lead in Julie Taymor’s Beatles-themed musical Across the Universe (2007) and recently received recognition for her portrayal of an estranged and independent daughter, acting opposite Mickey Rourke, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler (2008). Wood provides the voice of an alien in the environmentally conscious Battle for Terra (2007), an animated feature in SFIFF’s New Directors section. Later this year, Wood can be seen in director Woody Allen’s latest comedy Whatever Works, costarring Larry David.
The Midnight Awards will be held at the W San Francisco and are sponsored by 7x7 Magazine. Tickets are available for $50. Please visit http://fest09.sffs.org for more information.
San Francisco Film Society
The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange; Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth; Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture; and Exploring New Media.
SFFS shows the best of world cinema year-round on its SFFS Screen at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and presents the San Francisco International Animation Festival, New Italian Cinema and French Cinema Now annually in the fall. In all, the Film Society presents more than 300 days of programming each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed youth education program introduces international cinema and media literacy to more than 7,000 teachers and students annually.
The Film Society publishes a daily online magazine, SF360.org, with broad-ranging news and features on Bay Area film culture and provides crucial support to the Bay Area filmmaking community through SFFS filmmaker services including grants & residencies, fiscal sponsorship, production assistance and development, networking and conference events, and professional-level filmmaker classes and workshops.
52nd San Francisco International Film Festival
The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 23–May 7, 2009 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and Landmark’s Clay Theatre in San Francisco; and the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring 25 juried awards, 200 films and live events with upwards of 100 participating filmmakers and diverse audiences of 75,000+ people.
For tickets and information, go to http://fest09.sffs.org or call 925-866-9559.
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