Announcement: Berkeley FILM Foundation Receives $1.5M Grant From The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation
NEWS
Media Contact:
Andrew Neilly, Nancy Amaral
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Isabella Miller, BFF Program Director
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For Immediate Release
Berkeley FILM Foundation Receives $1.5M Grant
From The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation
Funds benefit local, independent filmmakers and celebrate iconic filmmaker’s legacy
BERKELEY, Calif., January 18, 2024– The Berkeley FILM Foundation (BFF) has received a $1.5 million grant from the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation (SZCF). The funding over a three-year period will augment BFF’s current grant program to fund local independent film projects, establishes new educational programs focused on filmmaking, and inaugurates the first annual Saul Zaentz Film Festival to be held September 14-15 at the Smith Rafael Film Center in partnership with the California Film Institute.
“We are thrilled to be receiving this incredibly generous and timely grant,” said Abby Ginzberg, president of Berkeley Film Foundation’s Board of Directors. “It’s an honor to continue Saul’s legacy by ensuring that the next generation of Bay Area filmmakers receives the critical support they need and also to celebrate Saul’s work by bringing his iconic films back to the Bay Area in September,” she added.
“Saul’s career as a filmmaker and producer began in the late 1960’s after his move to Berkeley. For more than thirty years Saul’s belief in his art, along with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, brought to the Bay Area a new stronghold of independent filmmaking. Saul encouraged all artists to ‘live an imagined life’ (as he did) regardless of the hurdles one may encounter in the quest to follow one’s passions,” said Elliot Steinberg, President of the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation.
New Programming
The Berkeley FILM Foundation will honor the legacy of Saul Zaentz as one of the industry’s most celebrated independent filmmakers utilizing the new SZCF funds to support emerging filmmakers through new initiatives in line with BFF’s mission and ongoing activities, including:
The Saul Zaentz Emerging Filmmaker Mentoring Program
· This new program will support three former BFF grantees by pairing each with an established filmmaker to improve a specific documentary film project during a nine-month intensive program.
· Students and mentors will collaborate to discover and address an aspect of the film requiring the most attention, such as story arc, animation, cinematography, music, post-production, or sound design, in order to move the project forward.
The Saul Zaentz Film Festival
· Saul Zaentz began his career as a media entrepreneur and independent film producer in Berkeley, California. His creativity and passion for film resulted in 34 Academy Award nominations and three Oscars for “Best Picture” for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Amadeus’, and ‘The English Patient’. The Berkeley FILM Foundation will honor Saul’s legacy in a weekend-long film festival to take place September 14-15, 2024 at the Smith Rafael Film Center. The event will feature special guests and selected screenings from Zaentz’s filmography many of which were screened initially at the Smith Rafael Film Center during the international Mill Valley Film Festival.
“This generous commitment from The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation augments Saul’s unwavering support for the Berkeley FILM Foundation. As a co-founder alongside Saul, Al Bendich, and the City of Berkeley, I’m delighted that this gift will continue to keep Saul’s legacy alive in the Bay Area, as inspiration to future generations of young and emerging filmmakers,” said Richard K. Robbins, President of Wareham Development, one of the three founding partners of the BFF.
About SZCF:
Located: Glenview, Illinois
The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation builds on the legacy of three-time Best Picture winner Saul Zaentz and his celebrated career as an independent media entrepreneur. True to Zaentz’s vision, the Foundation is dedicated to improving outcomes for poor and vulnerable minority children in the U.S.
The SZCF supports programs that assist the homeless, advance early childhood education, improve K-12 graduation rates, provide college scholarships, medical care, shelter and nutrition to the needy, as well as supporting programs to aid with entry into employment opportunities.
Website: https://saulzaentzfoundation.org/
About the Berkeley FILM Foundation:
The Berkeley FILM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grant and educational program for independent filmmakers founded by the City of Berkeley, Wareham Development, and the Saul Zaentz Company with a mission to nurture, sustain and preserve the thriving local film community while attracting the next generation of filmmakers.
The BFF focuses on supporting social, historical and innovative documentary and dramatic works. Many of our grant winners have gone on to screen at U.S. and international film festivals, been recognized with prestigious awards, received television broadcasts and are making a difference around the world.
Website: https://berkeleyfilmfoundation.org/
Please visit our website for announcements of upcoming events: www.berkeleyfilmfoundation.org, www.twitter.com/BerkeleyFilmFdn and www.facebook.com/BerkeleyFilmFoundation.
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