Fog City Mavericks

I just attended the World Premiere of Fog City Mavericks at the Castro Theatre, San Francisco, last night, April 29, 2007. The documentary was a Spotlight Film of the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival. Most of those featured film makers from the movie were present in the audience and participated in a Q&A following the screening. It was an amazing experience and excellent film. Directed by Gary Leva, who previously directed A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope premiered at Telluride and is part of several film school curriculum, directed, wrote, edited and produced this new film. The movie is a history of film in the San Francsico Bay Area, as early as 1850 with Eadweard Muybridge, followed by Charlie Chaplin, the Essanay Company and Bronco Billy. The amazing last 40 years were chronicled with appearances and interviews by George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Saul Zaentz, Philip Kaufman, Chris Columbus, Clint Eastwood, Walter Murch,John Lasseter, Carroll Ballard, John Korty, Sofia Coppola, Brad Bird, Robin Williams, Peter Coyote (the narrator)Steve Jobs, among others. The key films from their bodies of work were included in Fog City Mavericks. These lions that refused to submit to the Hollywood machine in the late 60's struck out on their own to create an environment where the film school experience could continue without the worry of box office, budgets nor their creative endeavors being spliced and diced by studio editors. Their groundbreaking achievements were chronicled in this excellent documentary. Don't miss it. Jana Hardy

Why does San Francisco sound so envious and insecure in it's vain attempt to focus attention on itself. Boasting of a cinematic legacy that it can only validate by referencing the very city that it continually tries to disassociate from. The film and television capitols of the world, not just the U.S., are in Los Angeles. FACT.

Francis Ford Coppoloa, the so called San Francisco film maker, is often portrayed as the guiding force that gave birth to the "The Godfather". WRONG. The movie was initiated and developed by Parmount Pictures executive Robert Evans. In Los Angeles. He handed the film to FF Cope at a time when the director had not yet hardly flickered. Oh yeah, and unless she's recently moved, his daughter Sofia lives in L.A. Not Frisco. Ooops. We're not "supposed" to call it that as all of the film making "indies" from SF seem to always say as they're having lunch, dinner or drinks on the Sunset Strip. Uh-huh, you know where that is.

Your bitchy and self congratulatory whining would take on an air of greater self respect and credence if you never set foot on the ground you so claim to be superior to in this film. Please, see what you can do to develop your own truly independent film community. Think about it as you remember Francis and George are giving a Best Director Award to the "New York" film maker Martin Scorcese at the Academy Awards. In Los Angeles!

I drove from Sacramento to San Francisco (and back) to see this movie premiere--and really glad I did. As a big movie fan and a life-long Northern Californian, I was surprised how many Oscar-winning films have been made in the Bay Area. As a fashion designer who really wants to stay in the Bay Area as opposed to going to LA, George Lucas' comments about persistence, community and having a vision really resonated with me.

Hey, if he and all the other filmmakers can make it in SF, so can other artists.

Would recommend this film

I just watched the documentary "Fog City Mavericks" on the Starz cable TV network. It is without a doubt, one of my most enjoyable viewing experiences ever! It chronicles the San Francisco Bay area artists and creative talent responsible for the some of the best films ever made. In addition to the well-known artists listed, t also includes segments with Irvin Kershner, Caleb Deschanel and a segment about Pixar Animation Studios. I hope it will be released on DVD-this is a must for any collection about cinema history and brilliant film-making. If you are even remotely interested in movies and the people who create them, you will not be disappointed.