15 October 2009
Buddhist Film Society, Inc. (BFS) has opened a new office for its International Buddhist Film Festival (IBFF) and Festival Media operations in the Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley, California.
The building (formerly known as The Fantasy Building) was built by film producer and record company owner Saul Zaentz, who produced One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, English Patient, Amadeus and many other award-winning films there. It’s also well-known as the site of the annual AMPAS screenings for Academy Award selections as well as where Mill Valley Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival conduct jury selections. Its two state-of-the-art screening rooms, conference rooms and reception areas, the Fantasy Studios full service recording and rehearsal studios, and numerous independent filmmakers, editors, distributors and producers, make the Zaentz Media Center an ideal home for BFS.
BFS, founded in 2000, produces its IBFF events in different cities each year and distributes a select list of documentaries and dramatic works from the IBFF through its Festival Media service. The recent IBFF 2009 LONDON drew over 5,000 attendees for a 46 title, 27 UK premiere program over 11 days at London’s prestigious Barbican Centre, and plans are underway for festivals in Vancouver, New York, Kyoto and Hong Kong over the next two years. Festival Media’s twelfth title, Buddha’s Lost Children, will be released on DVD later this month.
