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Jack Hirschman
(SF Poet Laureate)
When he was 19, he sent a story to Ernest Hemingway, who responded: "I can't help you, kid. You write better than I did when I was 19."
Hirschman taught at University of California, Los Angeles however, was fired after encouraging his students to resist the Vietnam draft. His first volume of poetry,
published in 1960, included an introduction by Karl Shapiro: "What a relief to find a poet who is not afraid of the vulgar or the sentimental...."
In 2006, Hirschman, an avowed Stalinist, was appointed Poet Laureate of San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Among his many volumes are A Correspondence of Americans, Black Alephs
and The Arcanes, published in Salerno, Italy, which comprises 126 long poems spanning 34 years and has become, like Hirschman himself, an international
sensation. Mr. Hirschman will accompany his film RED POET on APRIL 21st for a LIVE reading.
Matthias Zimmerman
(composer, S.O.D.B.)
A graduate of the prestigeous Berklee College of Music, Swedish composer
Matthias Zimmermann has earned the Henry Mancini Fellowship Prize at the Cinemusic International Music and Film Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland. He has worked on a feature score
archiving project at Paramount Pictures, as well as commissioned compositions for live theater, and has conducted
and composed liturgical music for several choirs. He is an active member of the Society
for Composers & Lyricists and
in 1996, composed and conducted the
musical score to the feature film Exklusiv, with
the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Matthias is here with his new film Suspension of Disbelief on April 11th.
James Russo
(My Own Private Idaho)
Manhattan-born character actor and former professional gravedigger James Russo has been showing
up in hard-bitten film supporting roles since 1981, and has worked alongside some of Hollywood's most prolific actors, including
Al Pacino, Kevin Costner, River Phoenix,
and Johnny Depp. In the otherwise teen-oriented Fast Times at Ridgemont High
(1982), Russo brought a welcome gust of reality as a nasty robber. His more infamous gangster roles have included portrayals
of the infamous Bugsy in 1982's Once Upon a Time in America as well as Vince Hood in 1984's The Cotton Club. Russo gained well-earned critical acclaim for his role as a street-wizened gangster
in Donnie Brasco (1997). The same year, Russo found himself opposite Kevin Costner in The
Postman. In 2003, Costner would call upon Russo's talents for a small role in Open Range.
For the 2010 SFF, he stars with Raymond Berry, Tom Berenger and CSI's Michael Wheatherly in Charlie Valentine.
 
Ryan Mckinney
As an actor, Ryan McKinney has appeared in over 50 movies and TV shows including “Flubber” with Robin Williams,
and “Nash Bridges” with Don Johnson. Ryan's new feature, The Invited which stars Lou Diamond Phillips, and Pam Grier will make
it's premiere on April 17th, the opening day of this year's Sacramento Film Festival. Sacramentans remember Ryan
for the breakout Memorial, which won the very first Place Called Sacramento in 2001 and established a track record to pave the way for many to follow.
It is for this reason that SFF will bestow the inaugural Nor-Cal Legend Award to Ryan at the Sacramento Film Awards (April 25th on board the Delta King). This award is being given to Ryan not only for the amazing
career he's had but for his inspiration to so many others on the local scene.
See Ryan's new film THE INVITED. Read more on RYAN MCKINNEY
Aki Aleong
(I am Somebody)
Actor and record executive Aki Aleong was called Assing Aleong by his father and Leonard
Gonzales by his mother. In his career, Aleong performed in more than 200 different television programs including: Ben Casey, The Outer Limits, L.A. Law, Babylon 5, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
His movie credits include The Hanoi Hilton, Dragon:
The Bruce Lee Story and House of Sand and Fog.
Also a musician, Aleong wrote the hit songs "Trade Winds"
and "Shombalor" and worked for Capitol Records,
for Polydor Records, and has worked with The 5th Dimension,
The Ojays and Bobby Womack.
His new film which he directed stars Academy award winner Earnest
Borgnine and Coolio. It is called I Am Somebody and will be screened on April 25th to close the festival.
Mark S. Allen
(CW Ch. 31)
Entertainment anchor for “Good Day Sacramento,” the
#1 rated morning show in Sacramento (Beating The Today Show, and Good Morning America), Mark is no ordinary broadcaster.
He created and hosted “Dateless and Desperate” for
the Emmy Award winning Nationally syndicated TV show “Scratch,”
and was the host of Comedy Centrals’ Ace-Award winning variety show “Short
Attention Span Theater”.
Mark interviews the biggest stars in entertainment! his movie
reviews appear in newspapers coast to coast. He’s also heard on over 175 radio stations nationwide, and continues to
bring wild antics, and top name celebrities to “Good Day Sacramento,” every day!
Toni Suttie
(Casting Director)
Toni is the President of Integrity Casting (http://www.IntegrityCasting.com) with studios in both California and Nevada, casting talent
for major Hollywood Pictures and Independent Features alike. Her credits include Mad City,
Beverly Hills 90210, The Ellen De Generis
Show and The Apprentice. She also
casts for voice-over, promotional, commercials, reality tv, music videos, video games, live events. In doing so, she has enjoyed
meeting and working with both first time filmmakers and Oscar-winning Producers.
With 25+ years experience in the Entertainment Industry, Toni has been responsible for locating,
auditioning, hiring, and negotiating talent fees for major production companies, corporate industrial films, television, live
events, and much more.
Toni's Casting at Sac Film Fest 2009
Jeffrey Weissman
Back to The Future III
Jeffrey Weissman will be at our Film School 101 on April 23rd discussing "The Business of Acting". Jeffrey is a 33 year veteran of film, theater,
television. He’s perhaps best known for taking over the role of George McFly in "Back to
the Future II and III", but he also co-starred with Clint Eastwood in “Pale
Rider”, with John Lithgow in “Twilight Zone: The Movie”, on
TV with Dick Van Dyke in “Diagnosis Murder” and many others.
He's worked with directors; George Miller, Louis Malle, Robert Zemeckis, Amy Heckerling, Catherine Harwicke, Clint Eastwood,
Mark Rydell, Oz Scott and dozens of other industry greats. Jeffrey shares the reality of what it is like to be thrown into
the heart of Hollywood filmmaking. For more
information visit: IMDB and jeffreyweissman.com.
Terri Cundall
owner- propville
Terri owns the Propville Directory, the Bay Area's progressive and responsive free
production directory for Film & Video, Photography, Theater, Events & Visual Merchandising. We find these markets
overlap so often, that compiling all of the resources in one place makes perfect sense! Take a look around, we have what you
seek. Our production directory is updated quarterly, fast-loading and pre-qualified. We provide live support backed with years
of experience.
Joseph Arthur - DP
Hollywood style digital cinema is here and recent advances can make your show
POP! Meet Joseph Arthur and his RED. Joseph is Norcal's first RED steadicam operator having shot big movies
and music videos (Paramore) and is a master of the digital game. Check out his lively, interactive session.
Jeff Darby
Sony Playstation Games
Award winning sound designer Jeff Darby is a veteran of the Bay Area Indie film scene. His
credits include the grind-house classic Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun and the ground breaking 24 Hours
on Craigslist. In recent years Jeff has turned his attention to video games with great success. His most
recent titles include Uncharted 2: Among Theives and current smash, Gods of
War III which is currently the most lauded and best selling game of the year. see jeff at the DIGITAL ODYSSEY CONFERENCE
Michael Davidson
Producer
Michael Davidson has been on the leading edge of Transmedia for over a decade. Successful
producer (Justin's Lot Video Productions), Internet Marketer (Timeless Media ) and documentary maker (Scaboret) his talents
have crossed all mediums and platforms of delivery. He has been for years what all indie film makers need to be now and in
the future.
Robert Pratten
Author, filmmkaer
Initially an artist and a musician, Robert turned to filmmaking in 2000 when he started at the renowned
London Film School. Widely regarded as an industry leader in the Transmedia verse he a contributing editor to Indie
Slate magazine and Culturehack. He is currently co-founder of the production company Zen Films where he directed two
films, London Voodoo and the award winning, genre bender Mind Flesh. He is currently in development on his next
tranmedia epic entitled "Parasite".
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