Graham Leggat, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society (the organization that runs the San Francisco International Film Festival and has just taken over the VIZ Cinema @ New People movie theater) announced this morning that he’s stepping down for health reasons. According to an article by Leah Garchik in this morning’s Chronicle, he has Stage 4 cancer.
"I could not be more excited about what the future holds for the society," Leggat told Garchik. "I’m a little less excited about what the future holds for me, which seems to be not much."
Leggat took over the society in the fall of 2005, making 2006 the first SF festival that he presided over. That was also the first one I covered for Bayflicks. I was just a novice blogger, but he took the time to talk to me and even introduce me to Alice Braga.
A minor chore for a leader who grew and improved the Film Society as much as he did. According to Garchik: “Society membership increased 98 percent; festival ticket sales increased 62 percent. Staff grew from 11 to 35; the operating budget from $2 million to $6 million; and contributions from $1 million to $3 million.” He also oversaw the introduction of a SFFS screen at the Kabuki, and the society’s acquiring a theater of its own at New People.
Bayflicks 