Ted Hope named SFFS executive director

Hope will begin in his new role on Sept 1 and will leave his base in New York, where he produced films through Good Machine, This Is That and Double Hope Films.

“Ted Hope is the perfect choice to build on the San Francisco Film Society’s already strong reputation for supporting filmmakers and its established excellence in exhibition and education,” SFFS board president Pat McBaine said.

“His absolute grasp of the current state of film culture, his innovative approach to each of his projects, his dedication to bringing artists’ visions to the screen and his bold plans for the Film Society are exciting to us all. We are truly fortunate to have one of the industry’s most creative thinkers take the helm going forward.”

“The film world – be it in content, creation, business or audience – has changed significantly over the last twenty years and we all must change with it,” Hope said. “It’s time that the film industry looked not just to Hollywood but instead to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, and San Francisco Film Society is a major artistic voice positioned right in the heart of this vibrant cultural location.

“This unique opportunity to work with the Film Society’s diverse communities is an extension of producing in the fullest of ways –allowing me to engage with the art form as a whole, at every level of activity. I am deeply honoured and humbled to continue the extraordinary legacy of Bingham Ray and Graham Leggat, which is evident in SFFS’s dedication to empowering artists to get their work not just made but also truly appreciated, and by their support for the complete cinematic enterprise, process and community.”

Hope’s producer credits include Happiness, American Splendor, The Ice Storm, Adventureland and more recently Dark Horse.