A Glamorous Feast In The Name Of RBG

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

The holidays aren’t quite here, but San Francisco is certainly glittering like Tinseltown. Last Saturday night, the city oozed Hollywood glamour as SFFILM honored actors Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer for their upcoming movie On The Basis of Sex, a biopic about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s early obstacles. It shows Bader Ginsburg’s fight for equal rights and the struggles she faced as a young female lawyer and new mom. The stars made a red-carpet appearance at the storied Castro Theatre after receiving an SF Honors Award for Achievement in Filmmaking.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

The celebration continued at sumptuous dinner at interior designer Ken Fulk’s newly opened creative incubator and social club Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, which is housed in a historic converted Romanesque revival church. The setting was nothing short of cinematic, with seating for 50 at long, dimly lit tables dressed with blush roses and sage linens, under the building’s domed nave. Behind the reimagined altar hung a captivating 30’-tall print of Rome’s Hall of Emperors, by artist Catherine Wagner, a fitting backdrop for a regal tablescape.

Noah Cowan, Jonathan King, Daniel Stiepleman and Todd Traina

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Guests included the film’s screenwriter and producer Daniel Stiepleman (who also happens to be Ginsburg’s nephew), along with the local film enthusiasts Todd and Katie Traina, Ken Fulk, Alexandra Wells, Heidi Fisher, Noah Cowan, and Jonathan King. Invitees enjoyed an array of specialty cocktails and dined on little gem salad, Asian braised short rib, and dark chocolate shortcake.

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

During the glamorous feast, SFFILM board member Todd Traina—whose $1 million, the 10-year gift makes the SF Honors award possible each year—thanked Fulk for his continued hospitality and Hammer and Jones for bringing Ginsburg’s poignant and timely story to life in the film, which opens in theaters Christmas Day.