SDFF proudly announces the Inaugural presentation of the Jean McGlothlin Documentary Spirit Award to filmmakers and longtime festival supporters, Vivien Hillgrove and James LeBrecht. While both of the recipients are esteemed filmmakers whose work has shown at the festival, they have also supported the SDFF over the years and shown great generosity in mentoring younger filmmakers, attending films and giving feedback, and holding panel discussions and Q&As.
This is the first time SDFF has given out what will be an award, established in honor of the commitment to documentary and documentarians shown by Jean McGlothlin, Co-Director and Lead Programmer. It is awarded to members of the SDFF family who embody dedication, integrity, and passion for the art form and its filmmaking community. The award will be given out annually to recipients selected by McGlothlin.
JAMES LEBRECHT
For the boldness through which he pursues his craft, his life and the mentoring he does along the way. Jim’s dedication to the story-telling power of documentary film: beyond a flash of light on the truth illuminating the windows of otherness of all who inhabit this planet.
Best-known for his recent directorial debut Crip Camp,(co-directed & co-written with Nicole Newnham), James LeBrecht has over 170 film credits to his name and 40 years of experience as a film and theater sound designer and mixer, in addition to his work as an author, disability rights activist, and filmmaker. Jim is also the founder of Berkeley Sound Artists (BSA), an audio house that specializes in post production audio for documentaries that has operated for over 20 years, and done work on many vaunted projects.
VIVIEN HILLGROVE
For the boldness through which she pursues her craft, her life and the mentoring she does along the way. Viv’s dedication to the story-telling power of documentary film: beyond a flash of light on the truth illuminating the windows of otherness of all who inhabit this planet.
Vivien Hillgrove has over 50 years of experience as an editor (visual and sound) for both narrative feature films and documentaries, working on Hollywood Classics like Amadeus and Blue Velvet,as well as intimate documentaries In The Matter of Cha Jung Hee and We Breathe Again. She has served as an editing advisor at multiple Sundance Institute Documentary Composer Edit Labs, as well as for the Latino Producers Academy, and for Chicken & Egg Pictures. Hillgrove is currently working on her documentary, Vivien’s Wild Ride (working title).