media contact:
David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. /
(415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

REVISED / DATE CHANGE

This SATURDAY, April 15
San Francisco City Hall “Lit Up Blue”
to Salute 20th Annual International Ocean Film Festival

Festival Runs April 13 – 16
at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre Fort Mason
and the Smith Theatre San Rafael

www.intloceanfilmfest.org
 

Updated 11 April — 10 April 2023  – San Francisco, CA:  This SATURDAY, April 15, San Francisco City Hall will be “lit blue” to salute the 20th Annual International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org). The Festival runs April 13 – 16 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason and San Rafael’s Smith Theatre. 

“Thank you San Francisco,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the Festival. “We are greatly honored to have San Francisco’s iconic City Hall lit blue in honor of our 20th anniversary. This Friday, we encourage everyone to capture the moment, and post your photos online, using the hashtags #ioff20 and #oceanfilmfest. This Friday, remember to ‘look up’ at the SF City Hall dome!”

This year’s 20th Annual International Ocean Film Festival is marked with four days of ocean-focused, independent films. In addition, the Festival will host lively Q&A panels with film directors, marine scientists, and industry experts, as they discuss the films and share insights into ocean conservation, preservation, and legislation.   

The Festival accepts films of all genres that focus on any of the varied aspects of our big, blue ocean. Subject matter ranges from, but is not limited to, marine wildlife, conservation efforts, ocean environments, coastal cultures, ocean sports and exploration, ocean heroes, and innovative technology designed to help protect the ocean. Films can be documentaries, narratives, shorts, animation, and full-length films from around the world. A number of finalists from the main film festival program will be selected to participate in the world-renowned International Ocean Film Festival Traveling Program. This year’s film categories include Environmental, Marine Sciences/Wildlife, Exploration & Ocean Sports, Coastal Island Culture. Animation, Conservation, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Shorts and Female Directors.

Sponsors for this year’s festival include RingCentral, Jenga Ocean, Hapag Lloyd, RBC Wealth Management, PADI, PADI Club, The Philippine Office of Tourism, Thor Hope Foundation, Dynamico Space and the Consul General of Canada in San Francisco. 

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented over 815 films from 40 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Below is the full list (in alphabetical order by title, followed by director, country of origin and running time) for this year’s 20th Anniversary Festival. 

And yet, I remain, Rick Wall (South Africa) 8 min
The Arctic Halocline, Amy Lauren (USA) 21 min
Big Wave Guardians, Luke Stirtz (USA) 90 min
Blue Carbon, Paul Nicklen (USA) 3 min
Bottle Cap, Marie Hyon & Marco Spier (USA) 5 min
Changing Seas: Vanishing Whales, Alexa Elliott (USA) 27 min
Cold Refuge, Judy Irving (USA) 79 min
Collision, Philip Hamilton (London, UK) 80 min
Deep Look: Barnacles Go to Unbelievable Lengths to Hook Up, Josh Cassidy (USA) 4 min
Deep Look: Skeleton Shrimp Use 18 Appendages to Feed, Fight and… Frolic, Mike Seely (USA) 5 min
Deep Rising, Matthieu Rytz (USA) 98 min
Fishing Into the Future: A San Diego Story, Lindsay Bauman & Andrea Sanchez Davidson (USA) 5 min
Gender Outlaw, A Bodysurfing Story, Peter Williams (USA) 16 min
The Gift of Bathsheba, Zach Hellmuth (USA) 4 min
Havana Libre, Corey McLean (USA) 85 min
Horseshoe Crabs: Survival of a Living Dinosaur, Andrea Kramar (USA) 6 min
Huff, David Mangum (USA) 7 min
Hypnotise, Ste Everington (Australia) 4 min
I Want Sun, Manlio David Martinez (Honduras) 30 min
The Impossible Wave, Jessica Frankovelgia Johnson & Jay Johnson (USA) 40 min 2023 Female Filmmaker Award
Inseparable: Ava, Andrew Harrison Brown (USA) 11 min
Mediterranean LIFE UNDER SIEGE, Fred Fougea (France) 91 min
Molokai and the Frog, José Gerardo Flores Ruiz (Mexico) 19 min
New Boats, Lansana Mansaray (Sierra Leone) 50 min
Patrick and the Whale, Mark Fletcher (Austria) 72 min
Planting Coral Forests, Johann Vorster (Kenya) 27 min
PLSTC, Laen Sanches (France) 2 min
Restoring the Farallon Islands: A Critical Conservation Opportunity, Brandon Schilling (USA) 4 min
Rise of the Clambassador, Alexander Davidowski (USA) 8 min
Robots in the Deep, Leo Richards (UK) 13 min
SAGRES, José Eduardo Zuzarte (Portugal) 44 min
SB2508: A Death Threat to Everglades Restoration, Noah Alexander Miller (USA) 30 min
Seagrass for Sea Change, Whitney Beer-Kerr (Australia) 12 min
The Shark with a Thousand Names, Hendrik Sebastian Schmitt (Germany) 18 min
The Storm Chaser, Jack Pirie (UK) 7 min
Tangled in the Tides, Henk Ekermans & Barend van der Watt (South Africa) 50 min
Truluck, Matt Cannon & Jake Smallwood (UK) 20 min
Washed Ashore, Ley Heimgartner & Cameron Nielsen (USA) 16 min
Windshipped, Jon Bowermaster (USA) 39 min
VR Film: 360 Sea Plastic, Narrated by Tim Robbins (USA) 7 min
VR FIlm: Dive into Sipidan (Malaysia) 7 min
VR Film: Roots to Reef 360 (Singapore) 16 mi

• www.intloceanfilmfest.org 
• https://www.facebook.com/intloceanfilmfest
• Twitter @oceanfilmfest
• Instagram @intloceanfilmfest

The Castro Merchants Association votes to fully support
Another Planet Entertainment

6 April 2023 – San Francisco: Today the Castro Merchants Association votes to fully support Another Planet Entertainment in their plans to renovate, restore and revitalize the Castro Theatre including their plan for adaptable seating. Another Planet commits to continue its good faith efforts to work with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s office including offering details of the economic impact of their operation of the theatre.

The vote was unanimous except for one nay and one abstention.

“Thank you to all the small businesses in the Castro and the Castro Merchants. We are honored by your faith and look forward to restoring the Castro Theatre to its historic architectural glory and its historic place within the cultural life of the city including vibrant offerings for the film and LBGTQ+ communities.”
— David Perry, spokesman for Another Planet Entertainment 

Media Contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc/David Perry
( 415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

The Hotel Council of San Francisco’s
18th Annual “Hotel Hero Awards” Finalists Are Announced.

Annual Awards are Thursday, April 27
Hilton San Francisco Union Square
www.hotelcouncilsf.org 

5 April 2023 – San Francisco, CA: “And the envelope please…..” The Hotel Council of San Francisco (www.hotelcouncilsf.org) has announced the list of finalists for this year’s annual Hotel Hero Awards Gala celebrating the City’s hospitality industry. The finalists were selected from a wide list of nominees submitted by members of the City’s hospitality industry. The event takes place Thursday, April 27^th (6pm reception; 7pm dinner and awards) at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square (333 O’Farrell Street).

“Everyone working in hospitality in San Francisco is a hero for their role in helping our city bounce back,” said Alex Bastian, Hotel Council President and CEO. “Hospitality has gone above and beyond in their frontline efforts to welcome back the world to everyone’s favorite city. Our community celebrates not only the finalists, but each and every worker.”

Established in 2003, the Hotel Hero awards were created to pay tribute to the people who dedicate their lives to the hospitality industry. As the largest industry in San Francisco, hotels and tourism directly impact the success of many businesses throughout San Francisco, supporting over 86,000 jobs.Prices for the 18th Annual Hotel Hero Gala are: Table of 10: $3000; Half Table $1500. Individual Member Ticket, $ 350; Individual Non-Member Ticket, $425: available at www.hotelcouncilsf.org/events/

Following are this year’s finalists:

Beyond the Call of Duty (300 Rooms or Less)
Binh Thai, Taj Campton Place
Yuko Okumoto, Four Seasons San Francisco
Araceli Alvarado, Harbor Court Hotel
Pilar Hernandez, Galleria Park Hotel
Ryan Koecke, Argonaut Hotel

Beyond the Call of Duty (301 Rooms or More)
Salvador Sorro, InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
Ken Murray, Handlery Union Square Hotel
William “Bill” Sutton, InterContinental San Francisco
Luis Enriquez, Hotel Nikko
Elton (Hung) Thanh, Hilton San Francisco Union Square

Unsung Hero (300 Rooms or Less)
Alex Molina, Taj Campton Place
Jeffry Suarez, Presidio Lodging
Chen-Chih Lin, St. Regis
Lin Zhu, Axiom Hotel
Haroldo Lopez, Galleria Park Hotel

Unsung Hero (301 Rooms or More)
Johnathan Ngo, Hotel Nikko
Michael Wilson, Parc 55
Eddy Monge, Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Leif Abram, Beacon Grand
JoJo Capuchino, The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco

Rising Star
Tiffany Wu, Fairmont San Francisco
Joshua Gutierrez, W San Francisco
Deysa Salinas, Argonaut Hotel
Bryan Paige, Hotel Nikko
Joey Tran, Galleria Park Hotel

Werner Lewin Lifetime Achievement, Operations
Rosario Bonilla, Hotel Zoe
Mario Ruano, InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
Brigido “Briggy” Alegre, The Westin St. Francis
Oscar Cruz, Hilton San Francisco Union Square
Simon Hu, Parc 55 San Francisco

Lifetime Achievement, Department Manager
Naushad Alam, The Westin St Francis
Leon Demmon, Parc 55
Jeremy Tanaka, Hotel Kabuki
Edelvia Salic, Galleria Park Hotel
Daniela Puccinelli, The Westin St. Francis

Bob Begley Lifetime Achievement, Hotel Executive
Clifton Clark, Marriott Regional based out of the Westin St. Francis
Roger Huldi, St Regis
Terry Lewis, Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55

Sustainability
Hotel Nikko
Hotel Spero
Hotel Zoe
InterContinental San Francisco
Presidio Lodging

Community Spirit
Argonaut Hotel
Axiom Hotel
Hotel Nikko
Hyatt Hotels of San Francisco
InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco

Sponsors for this year’s Hotel Hero Awards include: United Airlines, Big Bus, Visit California, SF Travel, San Francisco Parks & Rec, HD Supply and RNDC. 

About the Hotel Council of San Francisco:
The Hotel Council of San Francisco is a non-profit membership-based organization advocating for the economic and social vitality of the hospitality industry in San Francisco. Their membership roster includes over 200 hotels, allied members, and partner organizations. The Hotel Council is dedicated to protecting the San Francisco hospitality industry and connecting its members to support the growth and success of the industry.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  

Monday, March 27, 2023  

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org 

*** PRESS RELEASE ***  

MAYOR BREED AND PRESIDENT PESKIN ANNOUNCE LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN AND UNION SQUARE  

Proposal will facilitate the conversion of office buildings to critically needed housing, create more opportunities for businesses, and streamline everyday permit review throughout Downtown and Union Square  

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin today announced a major legislative effort to support Downtown’s future as a place where people work, visit, and live. The legislation amends the City’s Planning Code to enable a vibrant 21^st century downtown core and directs the Department of Building Inspection to develop clear procedures for the adaptive reuse of existing office buildings to housing.  

Mayor Breed and President Peskin came together to introduce this package after learning they were each independently working on parallel legislation in pursuit of the same goals. The legislation is a component of both the Mayor’s Housing for All strategy and her Roadmap to Downtown San Francisco’s Future.  

“The challenges facing Downtown require us to imagine what is possible and create the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future,” said Mayor London Breed. “Working with President Peskin and the Board, we can create more opportunities to fill our empty buildings, whether that’s to create housing or making it easier to fill office and retail space. These changes shouldn’t be something that requires granting exceptions through lengthy paperwork and exhaustive public hearings. We need to make the process easier for getting our buildings active and full.”  

“I am pleased that the Mayor and I were able to come together and merge the two pieces of similar legislation we were each working on into one comprehensive legislative package that will be a significant tool for Downtown revitalization in the short and long term,” said Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin. “Crafting and passing this legislation is only half the battle. Working with and making connections amongst a wide array of stakeholders from building owners to small businesses to arts organizations in order to realize these goals and ensuring these tools are user-friendly is our next big challenge.”  

Paving the Way for Housing  

A primary component of the legislation is to encourage housing production Downtown through commercial-to-residential conversions, while ensuring enough office space remains to house San Francisco’s concentration of job-supporting businesses. Although Downtown is currently zoned for housing, the legislation advances a range of code adjustments to slash barriers that may hamper the conversion of underutilized and obsolete downtown office buildings to housing – and that could unlock thousands of new housing units over time.   

The legislation provides much needed flexibility for the re-use of older office buildings by relaxing Planning Code requirement like rear yards, that don’t make sense for conversions of existing buildings in our dense, downtown core.  The legislation will also provide for alternative paths to Building and Fire Code compliance for adaptive reuse projects that would otherwise struggle to meet requirements designed for new ground-up construction projects. 
  

Allowing More Flexibility in Union Square  

This legislation targets zoning changes to allow additional flexibility for new and diversified uses and activities in existing buildings in Union Square. Responding to both the pre-pandemic impacts of online shopping and to post-pandemic shifts in the retail industry, the legislation allows a wider range of uses to better activate streets and buildings. On upper floors, that includes allowing for additional office, service and retail uses; and on ground floors allowing for indoor and outdoor entertainment, flexible retail workspaces, and larger retailers that will make the area more attractive for businesses, employees, and visitors alike.   

“This proposed legislation fills in a key puzzle piece toward the revival of Union Square,” said Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of the Union Square Alliance.  “In our Union Square Strategic Plan, released in November of last year, we identified the need for zoning and regulatory changes in our District to create the flexibility that will allow Union Square not only to recover more quickly from the Pandemic but also to reach its full potential as a complete downtown neighborhood where people shop, visit, live and work.  We are extremely grateful for how quickly and thoughtfully the Mayor and Supervisor Peskin have spearheaded this legislative package. The proposal announced today will help tremendously and we are in full support.”  

Reducing Barriers and Supporting Pop-Up Activations  

The legislation also builds on Mayor Breed’s priority to reduce process with changes to many of the specialized procedures and mechanisms for Downtown development review. Specifically, the legislation allows for a greater variety of ground floor and other uses, provides for the re-use of longstanding business signage, and allows City staff to review minor changes to historic buildings administratively without a public hearing.  

“Downtown’s future is San Francisco’s future,” said Rodney Fong, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. “This proposal to make housing conversions easier and  

downtown zoning more flexible is an important step in charting San Francisco’s path to a reimagined downtown where resident, visitors, and workers all want to spend time.” 

The legislation would also broaden the types of temporary pop-up activations that can take place in vacant ground floor spaces throughout Downtown, supporting a key goal of the Mayor’s Roadmap to support entrepreneurs, artists, and other ventures in bringing new energy to vacant storefronts that will serve to enliven the overall Downtown experience.   

“In the new normal of hybrid work, the City has to be proactive about helping create new reasons for residents, workers and visitors to want to come and spend their time Downtown,” said Kate Sofis, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “This legislation lays the groundwork for the creativity and new ideas we want to invite.”  

Following extensive work by City staff and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, the legislation will be heard at the Planning Commission and Building Inspection Commission this spring with hearings before the Board of Supervisors soon thereafter. Staff is continuing to work on further improvements to allow for conversion of other uses, which will be in forthcoming legislation.   

“We’re updating the downtown playbook,” said Planning Director Rich Hillis. “Clearing the way for office conversions represents an important new tool to promote a vibrant downtown. While not flashy, these critical roll-up-your-sleeves technical improvements will help keep our downtown engine running.”  

“We are fully engaged to be creative and proactive in identifying ways to facilitate adaptive reuse downtown,” said Patrick O’Riordan, Director of the Department of Building Inspection.  “We’ve seen this done successfully in other cities and know we can achieve similar results in San Francisco.”  

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