2014 –– PRESENT
SF Urban Film Fest
PROJECT
FILM FESTIVAL AS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
TEAM
OMEED MANOCHERI –– ROBIN ABAD OCUBILLO –– SUSANNAH SMITH –– RONALD S. SUNDSTROM –– FAY DARMAWI
Founded in 2014 and now in its 6th season, the festival has grown from a week-long annual event to now include year-round programs. The festival organization has established innovative partnerships with community-based non-profits integrating film and storytelling into urban planning. It is the first film festival to have residency at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
SFUFF examines a two-part theory of change. The first part posits that cultural norms drive legislative and policy change. Since popular forms of storytelling like film influence cultural norms, they are also effective vehicles for shaping public policies.
The second part of this theory of change is that public policies, in order to be sustainable, must be formed in collaboration with the communities they are intended to serve.