Esurance Supports Animation at the San Francisco International Film Festival

Esurance Supports Animation at the San Francisco International Film Festival

San Francisco, CA – March 31, 2009 – The San Francisco Film Society and Esurance, the San Francisco-based auto insurance company, announced the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival's (SFIFF) Animation Programs today.

After a lively year of animating customers and burgeoning musical talents in its auto insurance commercials, Esurance merges the 2 artistic forms of animation and music once again through its support of Lost World with Dengue Fever, the live music element in the 52nd SFIFF's Animation Programs. Based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featuring stop-motion animation sequences by animation pioneer, Willis O'Brien, the silent film is an adventure loosely exploring people's fascination with prehistory. Dengue Fever, the Cambodian-American pop band, will perform the world premiere of their newly composed original score for the film. The Lost World with Dengue Fever, exemplifying an annual SFIFF tradition of fusing silent film and live music, will play at the Castro Theatre on May 5 at 8 p.m.

The 52nd SFIFF's Animation Programs continue with The Battle for Terra, directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas. This award-winning, feature length CGI animation film features the voices of Evan Rachel Wood and Dennis Quaid among many others in a star-studded cast. The family-friendly film offers sci-fi action with a social conscience. When Earthlings try to make the peaceful planet of Terra their new home, it becomes a desperate fight for survival.

Rounding out the Animation Programs this year is the annual Animation Shorts Program, titled A Thousand Pictures. Using various animation techniques including hand-drawing, stop motion and CGI, this program features 8 short animated films and goes to show that sometimes a word is worth a thousand pictures.

Stated Kristin Brewe, Esurance's Director of Brand and Public Relations, "Animation has played a special role in establishing a unique brand identity for Esurance, so supporting the art form is very important to us. Because we’re headquartered in San Francisco, a city which is so integral to the craft of animation, it's even more special for us to support the Animation Programs within SFIFF 52. We're very pleased to be working with SFIFF again to highlight some of the most interesting, innovative works in animation today."

"Animation has been part of film since the turn of the 20th century and we are proud to present several of the world's most cutting edge programs in this year's San Francisco International Film Festival,” said Sean Uyehara, programming associate for the Film Society. "We are delighted that Esurance, a San Francisco-based company that uses animation to bring life to its commercials, could partner with us to bring these shows to the public's consciousness."

In addition to SFIFF 52nd Animation Programs, Esurance's support brings 4 technology and design programs to the festival that also incorporate elements of animation. These films include, The Age of Stupid, Art & Copy, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, and Proving Ground.

The 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival's Animation, Technology & Design Programs will take place on several dates between April 23 and May 7. Please visit www.sffs.org for more information.

About Esurance®
Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), is dedicated to constantly improving the way people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance. Since launching the company’s animated icon, Erin Esurance, in July 2004, Esurance has made a name for itself in a highly competitive category through the use of animation in its television commercials. Though most Esurance ads are done in Flash in a 2-D style, more recently, the company has also experimented with the incorporation of live action elements and the use of CG. The result of long-standing collaboration with San Francisco’s award-winning animation studio, W!LDBRAIN, Esurance has received numerous awards and recognition for its animated commercials. For more information on Esurance’s advertising and the company’s animated icon, Erin Esurance, visit www.esurance.com.