one-year anniversary of office and studio occupancy in the Saul Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley last night by attending the Berkeley Film Foundation’s annual Fundraiser. At the event, Daniel Elsberg was featured, along with Academy Award nominated filmmaker (and a Zaentz Media Center neighbor) Rick Goldsmith (The Most Dangerous Man in America). Filmmaker Abby Ginsberg (also down the hall from William) gave a moving tribute to much-beloved filmmaker Gail Dolgin (Daughter from Danang), and showed a clip from Gail’s as-yet-unfinished film, The Barber of Burmingham (skillfully shot by cinematographer Vicente Franco).

William gives BIG thanks to filmmaker Jed Riffe (a 2010 Berkeley Film Foundation grantee this year for Germ Wars), who’s friendship and enthusiasm enticed William to actually move in to the Zaentz Media Center. “It’s SO CLEAR to me now”, William says, “that this is THE place to be for doc-makers… not only in the Bay Area, but in the entire country!”

When asked what stands out for him the most about this past year, William replied, “I’ve met so many awesome new people since moving to the Bay Area–filmmakers and technician/craftsmen who are brilliantly talented masters of their craft. People like Jim LeBrecht [Berkeley Sound Artists] and Rick Goldsmith and Jed Riffe put the kind of heart and soul into their work that makes me proud to be a documentary filmmaker. Were it not for being at the [Zaentz] Media Center, I would never have met these folks!”

Happy Anniversary!