On the 10th anniversary of SFIFF’s annual State of Cinema Address, we are excited to present iconoclast and filmmaker Steven Soderbergh as he discusses the intersecting worlds of contemporary cinema, culture and society. Citing the “tyranny of narrative” in feature filmmaking, Soderbergh recently surprised the worldwide film community by asserting that his intention to retire from filmmaking in order to devote himself full time to other art forms. This declaration from the director who first came into the public eye with the groundbreaking sex, lies, and videotape sets the backdrop for Soderbergh’s presentation.

Steven Soderbergh’s 27th film, the thriller Side Effects, was released in February 2013. He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his directorial debut, sex, lies, and videotape, and the Academy Award in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich. Among his other credits are the films The Girlfriend Experience, The Informant, Che, the Ocean’s trilogy, The Good German, And Everything is Going Fine, Solaris, Full Frontal, Gray’s Anatomy, The Underneath, King of the Hilland Kafka. In 2009, he created and directed the play Tot Mom for the Sydney Theatre Company. While in Sydney he also directed the film The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg. His film Behind the Candelabra will air in May of this year.

Always riveting and defying expectation, Soderbergh doubtlessly will clarify and challenge one’s current views on where cinema is going and what it should be.

Previous State of Cinema speakers have been author Jonathan Lethem, film producer Christine Vachon, film editor Walter Murch, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, Wired publisher Kevin Kelly, actress Tilda Swinton, writer/director Brad Bird, cultural commentator B. Ruby Rich and longtime editor of the influential French film magazine Positif Michel Ciment.