to the longstanding Film Society chairman of the board who died in 2013, honors filmmakers for their contributions to the art of cinema.Recent recipients include: Peter Coyote, 2016 Maurice Kanbar, 2015 John Lasseter, 2014 Ray Dolby, 2013 Midnight Awards The Film Festival's Midnight Awards were given from 2007–2011 to honor a young American actor and actress who have made outstanding contributions to independent and Hollywood cinema.Recent recipients include: Clifton Collins, Jr. and Zoe Saldana, 2011 Evan Rachel Wood and Elijah Wood, 2009 Rose McGowan and Jason Lee, 2008 Rosario Dawson and Sam Rockwell, 2007 60th Anniversary Gala Changes In 2017, the San Francisco Film Society made a "strategic move" to set its 60th anniversary SF Film Awards Night closer to awards season in early December. Awards and Prizes New Directors Award This $15,000 cash award supports innovative thinking by independent filmmakers and shines the spotlight on an emerging director. Films in this juried competition must be the director's first narrative feature and are selected for their unique artistic sensibility or vision. Golden Gate Awards The Golden Gate Awards is the competitive section for documentaries, animation, shorts, experimental film, and video, youth works and works for television. Eligibility requires that entries have a San Francisco Bay Area premiere and be exempt from a previous multiday commercial theatrical run or media broadcast of any kind. The festival currently awards cash prizes in the following categories: Documentary Feature - prize: $20,000 Bay Area Documentary Feature - prize: $15,000 Documentary Short - prize: $5,000 Narrative Short - prize: $5,000 Animated Short - prize: $2,000 Bay Area Short, First Prize - prize: $2,000 Bay Area Short, Second Prize - prize: $1,500 New Visions Short - prize: $1,500 Youth Work - prize: $1,500 Family Film - prize: $1,500 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes the San Francisco International Film Festival as a qualifying festival for the short films (live action and animated) competitions of the 81st annual Academy Awards. FIPRESCI Prize Selected by the International Federation of Film Critics, the FIPRESCI Prize aims to promote film art, to encourage new and young cinema and to help films get better distribution and win greater public attention. State of Cinema Address Each year, the festival invites a prominent thinker to discuss the intersecting worlds of contemporary cinema, culture and society. Recent speakers include: Boots Riley, 2019 Wesley Morris, 2016 Douglas Trumbull, 2015 Steven Soderbergh, 2013