It’s not every day we see Demi Moore, Austin Butler, and Denis Villeneuve in San Francisco — because we’re the city where fog never ends. We’re more likely to rub elbows with engineers in Allbirds than to ever encounter a member of Hollywood royalty.
But rub elbows we did, sort of. SFFILM is a great place to find an indie flick and also the ultimate one to clout chase in The Bay. Their red carpet on Monday served up many orchestrated meet-cutes for The Bold Italic. Demi Moore was too good for us while holding onto her tiny dog, but Austin Butler, Zac Posen and Denis Villeneuve all had choice things to say about San Francisco, the life here, our fashion choices and our place in the national film industry.
The Gateway Pavilion at Pier 2 — Fort Mason Center made for a beautiful setting, and they packed it tighter than a Muni train during rush hour — with the city’s film cognoscenti spread across two levels of industrial-chic architecture that screamed “converted tech office.”
Butler, fresh off his Dune: Part Two press tour and sporting a perfectly tailored black suit, took a surprisingly grounded approach to the evening. “Make it about the work as much as you possibly can,” he advised, adding thoughtfully: “Surround yourself with the people who will support you.”
The evening honored Denis Villeneuve with the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction, Demi Moore with the Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting, Malcolm Washington with the George Gund III Award for Virtuosity, and Jason Reitman with the Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling. SFFILM’s fundraising effort raised a record $500,000 on Monday.
It was also a night of firsts for The Bold Italic. We’ve never worked a Hollywood red carpet and found it pretty entertaining; Journalists feel valued about as much as cater waiters, and managers closely watch their clients to make sure they don’t trip on a hem or say the wrong thing. But make no mistake: This was a fun experience despite some sarcastic moments. Our favorite conversation came from Villeneuve, who said we can’t appreciate film if it’s via streaming apps on our phones.
“Cinema is an art form that needs to be received collectively on the big screen,” he said. Coming from the man who just made us all watch giant sandworms in IMAX, we’re inclined to agree.
Zac Posen — dressed impeccably as one would expect from fashion royalty — offered a refreshingly earnest take on our city, but his expression didn’t quite sell it as the truth. “San Francisco is so expressive, wonderful, full of life,” he said. That’s absolutely a fact, but we’re generally hosting dance parties in Dolores Park, wearing Crocs and drinking Tall Boys.
That’s San Francisco, where even the most star-studded events can’t escape our particular brand of tech-meets-fog, meets casual shoes, beautiful parks, and cheap beer. And honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Though next time, Demi, maybe let us pet the dog at least?
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More photos from SFFILM Awards 2024
All photos by Courtney Muro for The Bold Italic.
