Rachel Caplan
Founder & CEO

I'm passionate about film as the catalyst for environmental ideas and action. In 2011, I founded the San Francisco Green Film Festival – now the West Coast's leading organization for films & conversations about people and the planet.

I have over 20 years of experience working in film exhibition, including the Edinburgh, London, and San Francisco International Film Festivals and as a publicist with UIP (handling international theatrical campaigns for Paramount, Universal, and DreamWorks). From 2007-09, I was Festival Director for the SF International Ocean Film Festival, the first and largest showcase for marine films in North America. The vision for the Green Film Fest grew out of this work -- to create a platform for sharing bold environmental stories in the city that's at the forefront of both independent film and the global green movement.

Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, I have a M.A. in Cinema & Television Studies from the British Film Institute (BFI) and have been a voting member of BAFTA since 2000. I served as Board Treasurer for Bay Area Women in Film & Media (local WIFTI chapter) 2008-11, and in 2014 joined the Board of Directors for Ninth Street Independent Film Center.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

For Green Film Fest 2018

Development
Ann Jackson - Sponsorship Manager

Programming
Karen Winokan - Submissions Coordinator

Operations
Krystal Jenie Fernandes - Hospitality & Events Manager

Communications
Mike Abate - Community Outreach Coordinator
Emily Boleware - Communications Manager
Anna Colibri - Green Speak Out
Dorothy Mak - Graphic Design
Denise Ramirez - Communications Assistant

Publicity
Sarah Flores, Larsen Associates
Vince Johnson, Larsen Associates
Karen Larsen, Larsen Associates

Photography
Jonathan Fong
Pamela Gentile
Tommy Lau

Box Office
Ben Armington, Box Cubed
Mitchell Vaughn, Box Cubed

Finance
Diane Mendez - Bookkeeper
Alicia Utley - CPA

Screening Team
Tamara Alexa | Nathan Birnbaum | Gemma Bradshaw | Lyndal Cairns | James Caldwell | Rachel Caplan | Michele Dennis | Asali Echols | Krystal Jenie Fernandes | Jonathan Fong | Joe Frazier | Erendira Garcia | Dan Goldes | Maribel Guevara | Diya Guha | Stephanie Hilborn | Ria Howell | Ann Jackson | Heather Jackson | Ambika Jain | Jason Kaminsky | Kevin Krueger | Seth Lalonde | Heather Louie | Carolyn McMaster | Cella Mitchell | Chris Mungall | Gabriel O'Byrne | Francesca Prada | Lex Sloan | Shari Tavaf | Karen Topakian | Mark Valentine | Nadia Ward | Karen Winokan

SPECIAL THANKS
Ryan Delgado, Ninth Street Independent Film Center
Elizabeth O'Malley, Isabel Fondevila and Lex Sloan, Roxie
Brian Collette and Richard Hildreth, Castro Theatre
Luis Reyes, Bayview Opera House
Claude Marks, 518 Valencia
Kelley Trahan, SF Public Library
Linda Blackaby, Cinema Projects
Gaetano Capizzi, Green Film Network

A huge thank you to the many hundreds of passionate and dedicated volunteers who, since the first festival in 2011, have taken tickets, ushered audiences, set-up events (and cleaned up afterward), and created a warm welcome for all our guests. We couldn’t do it without you! Find out how to get involved as a Volunteer.