A Green Ride to the Red Carpet: Zipcar to Star at San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 14, 2006) — This year, as attendees don their red carpet attire for the 24th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) the accessory of choice will have more zip than bling. For the first time, the SFIAAFF has turned to Zipcar, the nation's largest car sharing company, to reduce parking and traffic headaches at the Festival by giving Festival badge holders their own private chauffeur in some of the coolest, environmentally-friendly cars in town.

Ticketed badge holders won't have to hail taxis, wait for the train or find parking. They can catch a ride to the March 16 Opening Night Reception in style fitting of environmentally savvy urbanites. Zipcar member volunteers and staff will escort badge holders in a ten-Zipcar shuttle, consisting of Toyota Prius hybrids, Honda Elements, and Mazda 6s. The shuttle will run from the screening of "Americanese" at the Castro Theatre to the opening night gala at the Asian Art Museum. Zipcar transportation will be provided on a first come, first serve basis and will be offered throughout the evening, moving hundreds of attendees and VIPs between the events.

Zipcar is also donating memberships and driving time to the festival's host, the Center for Asian American Media, as well as offering discounted memberships to filmmakers and industry guests to build awareness around this fast growing, community-oriented segment of transportation. "As the premier Asian American film festival in the nation, we draw many out-of-town guests," said Taro Goto, Assistant Festival Director of the SFIAAFF. "We are all very excited to work with Zipcar to introduce our guests to the concept of car sharing. They'll absolutely love the convenience of Zipcar as an alternative transportation option during the Festival."

"Safe, smart transportation, along with parking availability and traffic control are always concerns for event holders, said Dan Shifrin, Regional Vice President at Zipcar. "This is a tremendous, innovative example of the variety of ways our car sharing vehicles can be used to solve transportation challenges in the San Francisco community, and how a prominent event can highlight the importance of making intelligent environmental decisions."

Zipcar's partnership with the SFIAAFF is part of its long-standing commitment to the communities it serves. Last September, Zipcar joined with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for Zipcar's "Car-Bash." During the event, Zipcar invited local residents to take out their aggression on the high costs and numerous hassles of car ownership in San Francisco, and donated all proceeds to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, San Francisco. Other regional and national partners Zipcar supports include The Human Rights Campaign, The Ellie Fund, and Meals on Wheels.

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) is the largest event of its kind in North America. The festival is dedicated to showcasing Asian American and Asian cinema. Presented by the Center for Asian American Media, the SFIAAFF annually presents over 130 films and videos across 11 days in three cities: San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. The 2005 SFIAAFF drew over 150 filmmakers and industry guests, and over 27,000 attendees.

About Zipcar
With approximately 50,000 consumer and business drivers nationwide, Zipcar is the country's largest car sharing service. The company currently operates more than 1,000 vehicles in ten states, including metropolitan New York, Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Washington, DC. With Zipcar's technology, accessing and using a Zipcar is as easy as getting cash from an ATM. In minutes or up to a year in advance, members can reserve Zipcars online or by phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Zipcar members have automated access to Zipcars using a "Zipcard" to simply unlock the door and drive away. Rates start as low as $7.25 per hour and $51 per day, with gas, parking and insurance included. Special business rates are also available for small to large-sized companies looking for a more convenient and cost-effective way of providing transportation for their employees. For more information, visit www.zipcar.com.