MVFF Marin Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to the 37th
M I LL VALLE Y FI LM FE STIVAL
1 O C TO B E R 2 01 4 M A R Q U I S M V F F
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Home, the Ultimate Luxury Address.
San FranciSco | Marin | PeninSula | eaSt Bay | Wine country | GloBal | McGuire.coM
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Let the Show Begin
W
ELCOME. It is
an honor for Marin Magazine to partner this year with the California Film Institute and the Mill Valley Film Festival to produce our first-ever MVFF Guide. In these 48 pages we include a bit of practical information about the 37th edition of the famous festival — including a schedule of films and a list of events — and take a deeper look into Marin’s long relationship with the silver screen. Did you know that most of the 1914 silent film Salomy Jane was shot in San Rafael? And while it’s well known that high school dance scenes from George Lucas’ American Graffiti were filmed at Tamalpais High, it is less known that Goldie Hawn drove along Conzelman Road in the opening credits for the 1974 movie Foul Play. We also uncover the inner workings of how films are chosen for MVFF, talk to cofounders Mark Fishkin and Zoë Elton and celebrate the festival’s uncanny knack for debuting Oscar-winning films. Whether you are a seasoned festival-goer or a first-timer, we hope you will enjoy this look at filmmaking and film appreciation in our county. — Marin Magazine Staff Editors
MARIN MAGAZINE
MVFF
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE 37TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL PUBLISHER / EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Nikki Wood
Editorial EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Mimi Towle MANAGING EDITOR
Daniel Jewett FASHION EDITOR
Veronica Sooley ASSISTANT EDITOR
Calin Van Paris COPY EDITOR
Cynthia Rubin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Peter Crooks, Marc Hershon, Laura Hilgers, Cynthia Rubin, Calin Van Paris
Art DESIGNER
Victor Maze ART DIRECTOR
Veronica Sooley PRODUCTION MANAGER
Alex French
Advertising ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Debra Hershon ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Michele Geoffrion Johnson SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Leah Bronson ACCOUNT MANAGER
Dana Horner
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Matt Clifford ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR
Alex French
A tribute to the actor and comedian.
10 SIX QUESTIONS FOR
Meet the producers of Low Down, a film about jazz pianist Joe Albany.
12 A REEL EDUCATION
CFI Education explained through the seven plotlines.
24 MVFF SCHEDULE When
and where to see your favorite films.
28 FIVE QUESTIONS FOR
Meet director of programming Zoë Elton.
38 LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Marin is a popu-
lar place to make movies.
40 HISTORY OF THEATERS
Film festival venues with storied pasts.
31 MARIN FILM HISTORY
From Salomy Jane to Star Wars and beyond.
42 TOP 10 FESTS Other great spots to experience movie magic.
14 HIS & HER STYLE Oscar
34 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
44 GETTING PICKED What
party fashion.
Galas, tributes, movies, hikes and more.
19 ROAD TO THE OSCARS
36 MARIN FILMMAKERS
46 THE FIRST FEST A festival with staying power makes its debut.
The golden man favors films debuting in Marin.
6
Local artists who create movie magic.
Administration/Web DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR
Leigh Walker OFFICE MANAGER/SOCIAL MEDIA
Kirstie A. Martinelli
it takes to get presented.
One Harbor Drive, Suite 208 Sausalito, CA 94965 MARINMAGAZINE.COM
TIM PORTER
8 ROBIN WILLIAMS
MARIN MAGAZINE MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL GUIDE
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We had the best seats in the house, and I thought to myself: remember this. Remember that lunch—before it was served—was caught. Planning tomorrow’s memories today. Or, discovering that the best way to see nature is on nature’s terms. It’s funny; I don’t remember a single thing from our Celebrity cruise—I remember everything. Announcing our 2015 Alaska cruises on Celebrity Infinity, sailing to and from San Francisco.
Alaska • Asia • Australia/New Zealand • Bermuda • Caribbean • Europe • Galapagos • South America Visit celebritycruises.com/sf, call 1-888-456-7887, or contact your travel agent. CELEBRITY CRUISES IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 37TH MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL. Be sure to stop by our booth to enter for a chance to win a 7-night cruise for two! ©2014 Celebrity Cruises Inc. Ships’ registry: Malta and Ecuador.
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Robin Williams In Memoriam 1 951 –2 014
Marin Magazine dedicates this issue to the memory of Robin Williams. 8
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
ZAENTZ MEDIA CENTER
A WAREHAM DEVELOPMENT
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6 QUESTIONS FOR
Ron Yerxa & Albert Berger BY MARC H E R S HON
T
on a film is largely unsung. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa’s dynamic-duo production team has brought a number of memorable films, including last year’s multiple-Oscarnominated Nebraska, to the screen. Both they and their movies have made the trek to the Mill Valley Film Festival several times in the past. This year they’ll be bringing their new film Low Down, based on Amy Albany’s memoir about her father, jazz pianist Joe Albany. HE ROLE OF PRODUCER
1
How did you two initially meet? RY: 1982,
New Year’s Day, in Chicago at Albert’s parents’ house. Albert was a graduate student at Columbia University and I was a new junior executive at a production company. By 1989, we were ready to go to the Sundance Film Festival together as producers.
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How did you guys get connected to Low Down, about the life of pianist Joe Albany? AB: We both
read the book and got very excited about it. We went to Book Soup (an L.A.-area bookstore), where Amy Albany was reading and convinced her to let us option it. 10
3
How did you then get Jeff Preiss on board to direct? AB: Amy
suggested Jeff. He had shot a documentary, Let’s Get Lost, about Chet Baker.
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Musicians Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are on board as executive producers. And Flea is in the movie, too. How did these two get involved? AB: Amy knew Flea
from growing up as a kid in Hollywood. And Flea had gotten his start as a jazz trumpet player. Amy very much had in mind that Flea would be wonderful in the part of Hobbs, as well as somebody who might very well
Ron Yerxa (left) and Albert Berger
It’s a great festival that has a community feel but is also very sophisticated. support the movie. Flea said, “If there’s any way I can help beyond acting in the movie, please let me try.” We needed contacts for various music issues or money situations and, every time, Flea came through trying to get this movie made.
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How is the Mill Valley Film Festival experience for you? RY: It’s
great. We’re both big fans of Mill Valley. We’ve known Mark Fishkin for a long time. It also became the premiere location for our movie Election, the year they opened the Rafael Film Center. They closed down the street and we had a tremendous premiere. It’s a great festival that has a community feel but is also very sophisticated.
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Happy about presenting at the MVFF?
RY: Even though it’s an L.A.-based story, it feels like it will really be great for audiences in Northern California. AB: This was a project 10 years in the making. The story is very moving and, ultimately, very optimistic. We’re just happy, after such a long time, to be able to share it with everyone. ■
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Proud sponsor
Argo Slumdog Millionaire The Artist The King’s Speech 12 Years a Slave [Tonight’s feature] MILL VA L LE Y FII L M FE ESTIV VA AL
5 of the last 6 OSCAR® winners for Best Picture screened right here. Odds are, you could be watching next year’s OSCAR winner right now. Enjoy! Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor the 37th annual Mill Valley Film Festival.
The OSCARS® is a trademark and copyrighted property of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.®). © 2014 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. ECG-1209745
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A Reel Education
Plotting a course to film literacy with Mark Fishkin. BY M A R C H E R S H O N
A
of the screenwriting game states that each story told is based on one of only seven basic plotlines. The secret to entertaining an increasingly savvy audience is to bend, warp and even blend those plots together in new and unexpected ways. Similarly, CFI Education, which, like the Mill Valley Film Festival, is under the umbrella of the California Film Institute, seeks new ways to teach mainly young people to understand and appreciate the art and science of filmmaking. N OLD MAXIM
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CONQUERING THE MONSTER
PLOT: The
hero sets out to defeat an enemy that threatens the hero and his homeland.
CLASSIC: Nicholas Nickleby RECENT: Star Wars IV: A New Hope
the “monster” could be seen as audiences who are content to watch studio blockbuster films filled with empty characters and hackneyed stories. “Our mission has always been to celebrate and promote film as art and education,” says Mark Fishkin, CFI executive director, and one of the MVFF founders. Education programs began soon after the MVFF began in 1978. “Events like Music and the Movies at The Warfield, a tribute to late concert promoter Bill Graham, or workshops — we did 11 workshops for kids within the first two or three years.”
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RICHARD WHEELER
REAL LIFE: In the case of the MVFF,
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RAGS TO RICHES
PLOT: A
poor protagonist acquires money, power or a mate, and then loses it all but gets it back once she has learned and grown as a person.
CLASSIC: Cinderella RECENT: Limitless REAL LIFE: Fishkin relates, “We wanted
to do things outside the purview of the festival to expand our base. It was all tied into the fact we knew we wanted to be a yearround organization.” George Lucas funded the first program. “That has since gone on to become CFI Education, which serves about 6,500 kids a year,” says Fishkin. While CFI never “lost it all,” it saw only limited growth at first, but hit its stride after acquiring the Rafael Film Center.
RICHARD WHEELER
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COMEDY
3
4
THE QUEST
VOYAGE AND RETURN
PLOT: The
hero and companions journey to locate a valuable object. Along the way they face roadblocks and temptations.
PLOT: The
CLASSIC: Jason and the Argonauts RECENT: Lord of the Rings
CLASSIC: The Odyssey RECENT: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
REAL LIFE: According to Fishkin, the
REAL LIFE: Every year, Fishkin
quest for CFI is to safeguard the valued cinematic experiences of the community. “I’ve come up with this phrase for us that people have been using: trusted curator. Based on a 125-word description in a program, people come to see a movie. They trust it’s going to be worthwhile. With the Internet, and blogs, and these kinds of recommendations, it’s even more important that you have a defined taste and perspective.”
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hero heads off to a strange land and, after overcoming its challenges, he returns richer for the experience.
voyages to Midway, Utah, where he serves on the board of the Art House Convergence and brings back ideas to keep CFI sustainable. “More than 450 people representing 700 movie screens,” says Fishkin. Why do these independent operators come together? “It’s about how do you make a sustainable organization? How do you expand your mission? And how do you operate year-round?”
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TRAGEDY
REBIRTH
PLOT: Two
protagonists, destined to be in love, are kept apart by circumstances until the end of the story.
PLOT: The
protagonist is a villain who falls from a position of power, and whose death makes for a satisfying ending.
PLOT: A
CLASSIC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream RECENT: The Five-Year Engagement
CLASSIC: Bonnie and Clyde RECENT: Scarface
CLASSIC: Beauty and the Beast RECENT: Ghost Town
REAL LIFE: My Place/My Story is a program that gives at-risk youth access to digital filmmaking equipment as a way to learn how to tell stories. “One young girl got kicked out of school for taking a knife to class because she was being bullied,” remembers Fishkin. “She made a film about it, they showed it to the administrators, and they let her back in school.” Film educators believe that once kids can learn to tell their stories and understand their world they can never be kept from the good things they want in life.
REAL LIFE: It’s tricky to pull a flawed
REAL LIFE: CFI Education is not all
character off well. It’s the sort of thing that can be learned in programs such as A Place in the World and Future Professionals. Innately embedded in all these programs is a degree of film literacy. It’s “really important now for kids to understand what’s going on because you’re bombarded with images every day,” explains Fishkin. “These programs help them open up to the world and other kids. What they do is break up into small groups to talk about things like what makes a good film.”
villain or unlikable character is able to redeem him- or herself by the story’s end.
about film; sometimes it's about using the medium to understand broader concepts — maybe even using that understanding to improve the earth. With the Environmental Youth Forum, “we wanted to create something that would work with the schools and have young kids raise their consciousness about what’s going on with the environment,” says Fishkin. “We have people from different environmental organizations there so they can engage with the kids, who can then learn directly about what’s being done on the ground.” ■
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Marchesa marquise diamond and 18k white gold necklace, price upon request, at Kathleen Dughi (Mill Valley), 415.383.0462.
Gown by Karen Caldwell, price upon request, at 415.531.6755. Black diamond drop earrings set in 22k gold and blackened silver, $9,100, at Alix and Company (Mill Valley), 415.380.0880.
Jewelry couture bow d’orsay pump by Valentino, $1,095, at Nordstrom (Corte Madera), 415.927.1690. Cleo suede and acrylic clutch, $1,225, at Jimmy Choo (SF), 415.391.3300.
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Road to the Oscars
The golden man seems to favor films debuting right here in Marin. BY C Y N T H I A R U B I N
B
the world to indie treasures like Strictly Ballroom and Stand and Deliver, the Mill Valley Film Festival has a notable Midas touch for picking future Oscar wins. Five of the last six Best Pictures previously showed here, with directors and actors attending, and Variety recently called the festival “a strategic pit stop en route to the Academy Awards.” Indeed, 2013’s Oscar winner, 12 Years a Slave, drew prior festival representation here by director Steve McQueen and actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o, who won the best supporting actress prize. Here’s a look at the latest finds, in the festival’s famously noncompetitive showcase, that went on to win the industry’s most competitive contest of all. ESIDES INTRODUCING
BEST PICTURE FEATURE FILMS
DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY
Slumdog Millionaire, 2008. Also won for best cinematography, director (Danny Boyle), screenplay, editing, original score, sound mixing, song. A Mumbai slum boy aces India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — only to be arrested and skeptically interrogated for his trouble. Autobiographical flashbacks prove he didn’t cheat. Like its hero, a true sleeper hit, and it won eight Oscars — the most for any movie that year. The King’s Speech, 2010. Also won for best actor (Colin Firth), director (Tom Hooper), screenplay (David Seidler). Historical drama about England’s stammering King George VI, who, thrust into the throne, engages a speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) in order to
orate in his new job. Major gig: radio declaration of war on Germany in 1939. Director Hooper appeared at MVFF that year. The Artist, 2011. Also won for best director (Michel Hazanavicius), best actor (Jean Dujardin), original score, costume design. Silent film star meets ingénue dancer in this French comedy-drama; when the talkies arrive, their career paths diverge. First all-blackand-white Best Picture since The Apartment in 1960. Argo, 2012. Also won for screenplay (Chris Terrio) and editing. Proving that truth is stranger than a Hollywood science-fiction film, Ben Affleck directed this real-life thriller about a CIA agent posing as
Lupita Nyong’o appears for 12 Years a Slave.
location-scouting movie producer to rescue diplomats in the 1980 hostage crisis in Iran. Tense, even though we kind of know how it ends. Bryan Cranston appeared for the MVFF screening. 12 Years a Slave, 2013. Also for supporting actress (Lupita Nyong’o), screenplay (John
Ridley). Wrenching drama based on a memoir by a free African-American man abducted into slavery in 1841. His ordeal puts him in the path of plantation owners, overseers and other troubled Southerners (Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano) before his eventual release.
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AND THE NOMINEES ARE….
FESTIVAL APPEARANCES BY OSCAR WINNERS •G eoffrey Rush, Best Actor, Shine, 1996 •B ill Condon, Best Screenplay, Gods and Monsters, 1998 • Forest Whitaker, Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006 •H elen Mirren, Best Actress, The Queen, 2006 •T om Hooper, Best Director, The King’s Speech, 2010 •A ng Lee, Best Director, Life of Pi, 2012
ng Lee A went on to win Best Director for Life of Pi.
• Jared Leto, Best Supporting Actor, Dallas Buyers Club, 2013 • Lupita Nyong’o, Best Supporting Actress, 12 Years a Slave, 2013
Jared Leto discusses Dallas Buyers Club.
elen Mirren shares a H laugh with Mark Fishkin. She later took home a Best Actress award for The Queen.
I
BEST DOCUMENTARIES AND FOREIGN FILMS
N 2013 THE MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL held a special tribute to Costa-Gavras, whose 1969 film Z rivaled the best anti-establishment films of its day, including Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy. That’s fitting, since, as Variety noted, the Greek-born director of political (and Oscar-winning) thrillers is famous for “truly revolutionary” films. Marin’s cutting-edge festival has always proudly presented films that take the bigger worldview — embodied by its issues-oriented Valley of the Docs, World Cinema and Active Cinema programing categories, introduced respectively in 2000, 2001 and 2008. Those films, too, have won Oscars and brought high-profile stars to Marin, including Michael Moore. In a surprise guest appearance and Q&A after 2002’s Bowling for Columbine, Moore used a question from actor Ed Asner as an opportunity to thank him for being the only one to respond — with a check — to early funding pleas for Roger and Me. Here are the beyond-Hollywood Oscar winners screened at MVFF:
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FOREIGN FILMS:
• Cinema Paradiso, 1988 • No Man’s Land, 2001 • The Barbarian Invasions, 2003 • Amour, 2012 DOCUMENTARIES:
• Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt, 1989 • Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, 2000 • Bowling for Columbine, 2002 • Born Into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids, 2004
Agnes of God, 1985 Matewan, 1987 The Accused, 1988 Longtime Companion, 1989 Reversal of Fortune, 1990 Short Cuts, 1993 The Piano, 1993 Heavenly Creatures, 1994 Red, 1994 Mighty Aphrodite, 1995 Breaking the Waves, 1996 Secrets and Lies, 1996 Shine, 1996 The Sweet Hereafter, 1997 The Wings of the Dove, 1997 Gods and Monsters, 1998 Little Voice, 1998 Pleasantville, 1998 Snow Falling on Cedars, 1999 Billy Elliot, 2000 Requiem for a Dream, 2000 You Can Count on Me, 2000 Amélie, 2001 In the Bedroom, 2001 Y Tu Mamá También, 2001 City of God, 2002 Frida, 2002 Spellbound, 2002 Girl With a Pearl Earring, 2003 In America, 2003 The Barbarian Invasions, 2003 Finding Neverland, 2004 Pride and Prejudice, 2005 Transamerica, 2005 Babel, 2006 The Queen, 2006 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 2007 Gone Baby Gone, 2007 I’m Not There, 2007 Into the Wild, 2007 Michael Clayton, 2007 Happy-Go-Lucky, 2008 Precious, 2009 Up in the Air, 2009 Blue Valentine, 2010 Margin Call, 2011 My Week With Marilyn, 2011 Life of Pi, 2012 Silver Linings Playbook, 2012 12 Years a Slave, 2013 August: Osage County, 2013 Nebraska, 2013 Philomena, 2013
TOMMY LAU (LEE); DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY (LETO); PATRICK ARGAST (MIRREN)
Scores of other Mill Valley Film Festival selections later got Oscar nods, in one or more categories. Some of the best-known contenders:
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Do you know where your food comes from? Tyler thayer, of aim farmers markets, does. Imagine setting foot on every farm that feeds you. More specifically, visiting the 230 farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and dairy producers of the Marin Farmers Markets on their home turf. Sounds like quite an endeavor, right? Exciting, educational and . . . time intensive. That’s where Tyler comes in. Since AIM launched its Farm Audit Program in 2010, Tyler and his team have done just that. Check √. Why? Because the foundation of any farmers market community is trust. In 2010, NBC did an undercover investigation of farmers markets in Southern California and revealed that some vendors had been lying to customers, selling produce they had not grown themselves. The proverb “one bad apple spoils the barrel” rang true, and public trust in farmers markets took a hit. In an effort to be proactive in ensuring the integrity of our own farmers markets, AIM created the Farm Audit Program. The goal is to verify that all the goods brought to market by the producer are indeed being grown, raised, fished, and cultured by that same producer. This helps guarantee that AIM’s farmers markets are transparent, fair, and trustworthy, in addition to being fresh, local, and delicious. Starting this fall, you will notice the new green “AIM Checked” signs displayed at AIM’s farmers markets, signifying that the vendor has been verified by our Farm Audit Program. To learn more about the people and programs that support the Marin Farmers Markets, visit agriculturalinstitute.org. Marin Civic Center (Sun & Thurs, 8-1, all year) OAKLAND — Grand Lake (Sat, 9-2, ALL YEAR) Hayward (Sat, 9-1, ALL YEAR)
Clement st (Sun, 9-2, ALL YEAR) newark (Sun, 9-1, ALL YEAR) stonestown (Sun, 9-1, ALL YEAR)
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Dinner nightly For reservations (415) 388-0741
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Festival At a Glance
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Festival At a Glance
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mvff.com | 877.874.MVFF (6833) BOX OFFICES SAN RAFAEL
Smith Rafael Film Center 1112 Fourth Street Sept. 7 2:00 – 6:00 (Premier Patron and above) Sept. 8 5:00 – 9:00 (Directors Circle and above) Sept. 9 5:00 – 9:00 (Gold Star and above) Sept. 11 5:00 – 9:00 (All CFI Members) Sept. 14 – 29, 5:00 – 9:00 (General Public)
1020 B Street September 30 – October 12: 10:00 to 15 minutes after last show starts
MILL VALLEY
ROOM Art Gallery 86 Throckmorton Avenue September 14 – 30, 11:00 – 3:00 Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center 85 Throckmorton Ave. October 1, 11:00 – 3:00 October 2 – 12, 10:00 to 15 minutes after last show starts CORTE MADERA Microsoft Store The Village at Corte Madera, 1640 Redwood Highway September 14 – 30, 3:00 – 7:00 Other venues with on-site box offices, including: Corte Madera Cinema, Lark Theater, Throckmorton, open one hour before first screening of the day
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5 QUESTIONS FOR
Zoë Elton BY MARC H E R S HON
M
ILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
director of programming Zoë Elton has been with the event since its beginning in 1978. Originally from England, Elton took a year off to visit America, where her goal was to hitchhike from San Francisco to New York. Since her arrival in the United States, she has traveled thousands of miles to film festivals all around the world, including Cannes, Berlin and Venice, in her search for selections to premiere in Mill Valley. She has yet to embark on her hitchhiking adventure.
charge of what became the Videofest. That was in the first year of the festival — it’s amazing to look back at those first three days. You can see the nuggets, the little seeds, that have grown into a much different kind of oak tree at this point.
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How vital is it to you that the MVFF gets to be the one to premiere a movie? It’s
pretty important, as part of our mandate has always been to introduce films to the San Francisco Bay 28
Area. That’s part of our mission. There’s an energy that a film festival can help create for a filmmaker. It’s the energy of connecting with an audience.
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Are there times in the process where there are surprising highs?
Something like that happens every year. Last year was a real standout year for me with 12 Years A Slave. When we see films, it’s before anyone else has seen them. There are no reviews. There is nothing to affect your relationship to it. So when we previewed 12 Years A Slave, I felt it was a game changer.
There’s an energy that a film festival can help create for a filmmaker. It’s the energy of connecting with an audience.
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The MVFF is a noncompetitive festival — there are no awards, or winning and losing. What’s the response from filmmakers to that approach?
Getting recognition is super-important. We hope that having the Mill Valley stamp of approval helps in
recognition. Getting awards is a whole other thing. We are recognizing great work.
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How does that recognition manifest itself?
As soon as we see a film, the conversation begins, and it’s a conversation that continues onstage
with the filmmakers. The conversation is the important thing, not the awards. It’s a viral thing, spreading the nature of what the work is about and the passion of the work. The truth of what the work is about — through every person who engages with it. ■
RICHARD WHEELER
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What was your involvement in the Mill Valley Film Festival in the beginning? I was in
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Beatriz Michelena, Matt Snyder and William Nigh in Salomy Jane.
Peters and Michelena in Salomy Jane. Scene filmed at Lake Lagunitas.
House Peters in 1914’s Salomy Jane.
You Ought to Be in Pictures
Exploring Marin’s rich cinematic history. BY P E T E R C R O O K S
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ANNE T. KENT CALIFORNIA ROOM, MARIN COUNTY FREE LIBRARY
HE MOVIE’S FIRST SHOT IS
tightly focused on the base of an enormous Sequoia sempervirens, the type of redwood found in Muir Woods. An actress emerges from a large crack in the massive tree’s interior, then approaches the camera. The film cuts to a long shot of the actress standing at the base of the tree, and the camera slowly pans up to show the massive height of the redwood from base to tip, then slowly pans down again. This shot lasts well over a minute. “It’s one of my favorite shots in the film. If you think about it, this is how many people around the world saw a redwood tree for the first time,” says Laurie Thompson, librarian in the Anne T. Kent California Room at the Marin Country Free Library. “Salomy Jane was distributed around the
world, so audiences in New York, or even Australia, who watched the film saw footage from California that had never been seen by most of the world.” Australia is an important reference, because the only existing six-reel print of Salomy Jane was discovered in a film vault Down Under about 15 years ago. The feature-length film was quickly shipped to the U.S. Library of Congress for restoration, and it has been preserved in both celluloid and digital formats. Thompson has hosted two screenings over the past few years. “The audience was very enthusiastic; both screenings sold out,” Thompson says. “There’s a stagecoach chase along Fairfax-Bolinas Road and other scenes featuring recognizable locations. It was quite an experience to see these up on the big screen.”
Salomy Jane was the first production of the wildly ambitious California Motion Picture Corporation (CMPC), a silent film studio that set up shop in San Rafael in 1914. The production studio, founded by a group of wealthy investors, had a stated mission to create films that showed the world life in the West. George Middleton, a Peninsula-raised man with a background in advertising and auto sales, was both a founder of the company and the director of Salomy Jane and the studio’s other pictures. His wife, actress Beatriz Michelena, was the studio’s star — she played Salomy Jane. According to a March 20, 1914, issue of the Marin Journal, the studio’s founders (who included Henry T. Scott, president of the Mercantile National Bank, and Charles Templeton Crocker, director of Crocker National Bank) scoured the state for an ideal location and settled on San Rafael. “The choice of San Rafael as a studio site was made after the producers had searched all the more attractive spots in California,” the Journal’s article said. “Arthur Cadwell, who helped develop the technical end of the motion picture industry in this country after a long schooling in France and who is chief of
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17 FESTIVAL MILESTONES
this department for the California Motion Picture Corporation, declares the light and atmospheric conditions at San Rafael ideal for camera work. Scenic advantages were also influential in determining the new firm to locate in Marin County.” The CMPC built an elaborate western set, known as Hangtown, located near Lagunitas, and a state-of-the-art glass production studio in San Rafael. Sadly, the company ran out of cash and shut down by 1921. In a fire thought to be caused by kids playing with fireworks, a storage facility housing much of California Motion Picture Corporation’s film stock burned to the ground in 1931. Salomy Jane was not the first film from Marin County, nor was the CMPC the area’s first production studio. Thomas Edison had shot footage of Mount
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Three-day festival debuts, with folding chairs, at Oddfellows Hall.
1978
Event moves to Sequoia Theater.
1979
Bill Graham tribute attracts Jerry Garcia and Videofest Carlos Santana; shows electronic premiere of Coppola work John Sayles’ — the digital The Brother cinema age From Another begins. Planet.
1980s
1984
and Martin Scorsese were also among them) who did not want to make the safe and predictable movies the Hollywood studio system had been cranking out. In 1969, Coppola and Lucas formed American Zoetrope, an independent film studio based in San Francisco. The company’s first two movies were Coppola’s acclaimed 1969 drama The Rain People and Lucas’ first feature, THX-1138. Lucas filmed scenes from THX-1138, a thriller set in a sterile, dystopian future, in the Marin County Civic Center. (The Frank Lloyd Wright building was also featured prominently and for futuristic effect in the 1997 film Gattaca.) THX-1138 was a flop, but Lucas’ follow-up wasn’t — in 1973, he cowrote and directed the smash American Graffiti. Coppola produced the film, which earned five Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Lucas’ coming-of-age classic was a reflection on the filmmaker’s teen years in Modesto. But Lucas, then living in Mill Valley, wanted to shoot the film in the North Bay, preferably San Rafael. “We started filming in San Rafael, but a bar owner complained that all the film trucks and equipment were bothering his customers,” says Candy Clark, who was
Birth of “summer blockbuster” (Star Wars, Jaws) prompts gradual festival reschedule to fall.
Festival is now an 11day event.
Rafael Film Center added as a venue.
Valley of the Doc(umentarie)s category introduced.
1987
1992
1999
2000
PHOTO CREDIT
Kim Novak stands under the Golden Gate Bridge in 1958’s Vertigo.
Tamalpais as early as 1898, and the Edison Electric Theater was showing short films on Fourth Street in San Rafael by 1903. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, producer of the popular “Broncho Billy” short films, set up shop in San Rafael in 1911 for less than a year before relocating to the East Bay town of Niles — where the studio hired a young actor/director named Charlie Chaplin to film his breakthrough 1921 movie, The Kid. During the next half-century, the film business burrowed itself into the Hollywood system. Occasionally, Hollywood would come to Marin County to film on location — Humphrey Bogart shot at San Quentin for both San Quentin (1937) and Dark Passage (1947), John Wayne came to Belvedere Island and San Rafael for Blood Alley (1955) and Alfred Hitchcock came to Muir Woods to shoot scenes for Vertigo (1958) and to Bodega Bay for The Birds (1963). But for the most part, Hollywood soundstages were suitable for moviemaking, and the filmmaking industry in the North Bay was nonexistent. That is, until the California contingent of the great maverick directors of the late 1960s came along. This movement, which included Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, was led by energetic and talented young filmmakers (Steven Spielberg
MPTVIMAGES.COM
Arthur Cadwell, who helped develop the technical end of the motion picture industry in this country, declared the light and atmospheric conditions at San Rafael ideal for camera work.
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MPTVIMAGES.COM PHOTO CREDIT
MPTVIMAGES.COM PHOTO CREDIT
nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work in American Graffiti. “So we packed up and moved the production to Petaluma.” Petaluma, more receptive than San Rafael, welcomed the film crew to come shoot every night for a month. When American Graffiti hit theaters it was a box office hit, surprising the Southern California studio that had put up the film’s modest budget. “Universal thought the movie was only going to play at drive-in theaters,” says Clark, laughing. “They even hated the title and wanted to change it. I remember Francis coming to the set and asking if we liked the title Rock Around the Block more than American Graffiti. I said, ‘Don’t you dare call it Rock Around the Block!’ ” The success of American Graffiti was followed by Lucas’ best-known brand — and a seismic shift in contemporary movies. After Graffiti, he holed up in a house in San Anselmo, working on a screenplay for Star Wars. Lucas’ space opera was both a nostalgic nod to the Flash Gordon serials, westerns and samurai films and a quantum leap forward in the possibilities of visual effects and sound design. When Star Wars hit theaters in May 1977, it became the most successful movie of all time, breaking the box office record set by Spielberg’s Jaws two years earlier. Thanks to a brilliant business move, Lucas retained the merchandising rights to all things Star Wars — so while the film studio 20th Century Fox kept the money earned from ticket sales, Lucas cleaned up on T-shirts, lunch boxes and action figures. As Lucas started production on his Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back, he began purchasing parcels of land near Nicasio and developing both his home and
Jonathan Winters tribute includes surprise visit by Robin Williams.
Sequoia’s roof caves; temporary move to Regency.
Audience Awards launched; Claire Danes attends for Shopgirl, Jeff Daniels for The Squid and the Whale.
2001
2004
2006
the ultimate production house in what is now known as Skywalker Ranch. This 4,000-acre paradise became home to Lucas’ special-effects studio Industrial Light and Magic, as well as Skywalker Sound and various other high-tech setups. Filmmakers from around the world use the facilities for all stages of production. Over the past four decades, the worldwide cinematic impact of Skywalker Ranch has been staggering. In addition to the Star Wars films, Lucas’ production studios have performed digital sorcery on countless movies, including the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, the liquid-metal T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and every flying Quidditch broom in Harry Potter. Even the massively successful Pixar Animation Studios began as part of
Industrial Light and Magic, when Pixar founder John Lasseter oversaw a breakthrough computer-generated imagery sequence in the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes. Pixar was sold in 1986 and relocated (as did Essanay Studios) to the East Bay, eventually settling in Emeryville. In 2012, Lucas sold his Star Wars franchise to Disney for a reported sum of just over $4 billion. In addition to his artistic and technological achievements, Lucas has made remarkable efforts as an educational philanthropist. Skywalker Ranch, that magical and creative playground, remains Lucas’ home. It is also one of the world’s cinematic wonders. The founders of the California Motion Picture Corporation would be proud. ■
George Lucas in front of Mel’s Drive-in during the filming of 1973’s American Graffiti.
Ang Lee receives the first Mill Valley Film Festival Award. Lee’s Lust, Caution shows opening night.
Festival hit Slumdog Millionaire wins multiple Oscars; closing-night Hornblower party witnesses Angel Island on fire.
Tributes to Uma Thurman, Woody Harrelson, Clive Owen.
2007
2008
2009
Festival opens Jared Leto with Glenn honored for Close in attenDallas Buyers dance for Albert Dustin Hoffman, Club; sends Nobbs, closes Ben Affleck, MVFF staff with future Allison Anders, two-dozen thankOscar winner Bradley Cooper you Cronuts The Artist. attend. next day.
2011
2012
2013
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Event Highlights Where to go and what to do to make sure you have the ultimate MVFF experience.
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Opening Night Gala Oct. 2, 9:30 p.m.– midnight, Town Center, Corte Madera Kick off the festival with food, drink and live music. COST: $125 general, $110 CFI members FILMS: The Homesman and Men, Women & Children
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Active Cinema Nature Hike October 4, 10:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Tennessee Valley Trailhead, Mill Valley John festival staff and guests as they discuss filmmaking ideas, resources and strategies for action on this hour-long hike. Don’t forget your water and sunblock. COST: Free
Last year’s closing night party featured a screening of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and included a visit from Ben Stiller.
PHOTO CREDIT
HE 11-DAY EVENT offers much more than just movies and popcorn. Check out these event highlights and mark your calendar to enjoy galas, tribute parties, movies, hikes and more. For more details go to mvff.com.
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Spotlight: Elle Fanning October 4, 7 p.m., Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael Enjoy a Spotlight program featuring a conversation with Elle Fanning and a screening of Low Down. Fanning will be presented with the MVFF Award, designed by Mill Valley artist Alice Corning. Swing by Il Fornaio in Corte Madera after the program. COST FOR PROGRAM AND PARTY: $85 general, $75 CFI members COST FOR PROGRAM ONLY:
$45 general, $40 CFI members
Brown, Johnny Steele and special guests. COST: $45 general, $40 CFI members Special Screening October 5, 5 p.m., Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael MVFF is proud to honor the contributions of renowned filmmaker Wayne Wang and the subject of his new film, culinary artist Cecilia Chiang, with this onstage conversation and screening of Soul of a Banquet. Following the program head to Cavallo Point in Sausalito.
DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO CREDIT
COST FOR PROGRAM AND
3 Still Standing — Onstage! October 4, 8 p.m., 142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley This live comedy event follows the world premiere of the film 3 Still Standing. Performers include Will Durst, Larry “Bubbles”
PARTY: $85 general, $75 CFI members COST FOR PROGRAM ONLY: $45 general, $40 CFI members
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back October 6, 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Century Cinema, Corte Madera
Dust off your light saber and join MVFF in celebrating Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen. Skywalker Sound veterans Matthew Wood and David Acord will discuss the sounds of the Star Wars universe. COST: $15 general, $14 CFI members, $10 children A Musical Celebration of JACO October 6, 9 p.m., Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley MVFF and Steep Productions present a musical celebration honoring the pioneering jazz musician Jaco Pastorius and the work-in-progress screening of JACO. This evening features numerous performers and benefits the California Film Institute. COST: $150 (available at sweet watermusichall.com; festival badges not valid)
The Art of Amazing 4K Showcase October 9, 7 p.m., CineArts at Sequoia, Mill Valley Sharp’s Art of Amazing 4K Film Competition, which asks filmmakers to highlight the benefits of ultra-high-resolution entertainment through compelling short 4K films, will culminate with a screening at MVFF. COST: Free, but ticket required Closing Night Party October 12, 7:30–10 p.m., Elks Lodge, San Rafael Immediately following the screening, celebrate the culmination of the 37th MVFF with live music, food and cocktails at the Elks Lodge. COST FOR PROGRAM AND PARTY: $85 general, $75 CFI members FILM CURRENTLY SCHEDULED:
Wild
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Marin’s Filmmaker Hall of Fame
Local residents who create movie magic on their home turf. BY L AU R A H I L G E R S
FILMMAKER
GEORGE LUCAS
DESCRIPTION OF FILMS Do you need to ask? Lucas has created action-packed American classic franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Director, Screenwriter, Producer
LAST FIVE FILMS
TOP THREE ALL-TIME FILMS
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
American Graffiti
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Red Tails
The Iron Giant One of Pixar’s go-to guys and the director of fun animated kids’ films.
The Incredibles
The Iron Giant
Jack-Jack Attack (a short)
The Incredibles
Ratatouille
Ratatouille
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
BRAD BIRD
Director, Screenwriter
Chicken Run The Road to El Dorado
The Lion King
Cars
Up
Up
Brave
Brave
Director, Screenwriter, Storyboard Artist
DENNIS MUREN
With nine Oscars to his name, Muren has created stunning visual effects for the films of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas.
Visual Effects Artist
ANDREW STANTON
Stanton helped put Pixar on the map, directing or teaming with other artists to create many of its most memorable films.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Hulk War of the Worlds Paranormal Activity Super 8
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Jurassic Park
Finding Nemo WALL-E
Monsters, Inc.
Toy Story 3
Finding Nemo
John Carter
WALL-E
Party Central (a short)
Director, Producer, Screenwriter
KEVIN LIMA
Lima has directed quintessential Disney films and designed the characters for movies like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
Director, Animator
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Tarzan 102 Dalmations
The Jungle Book
Eloise at the Plaza
102 Dalmations
Eloise at Christmastime
Enchanted
Enchanted
DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS (BIRD); TIM PORTER (CHAPMAN); ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ (MUREN); VALERIE MACON (STANTON); TANG HENG (LIMA)
BRENDA CHAPMAN
Pixar’s first female director has worked on or created many of Disney’s and Pixar’s top films.
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SCAL ARE COLLECTION
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (left) and Dirty Harry both include scenes filmed in the Bay Area.
Location, Location, Location Want to see Marin County on screen? Check out these classics.
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north many times. Whether it’s a trip through the Waldo Tunnel to show travel to S.F. or a futuristic ape colony in the forests of Mount Tamalpais, Marin has always been more than ready for its close-up. Queue this lineup of movies that were filmed right here. OLLYWOOD HAS HEADED
DARK PASSAGE (1947) Bogart and Bacall’s third film was this Bay Area–based thriller with scenes shot in Fort Baker’s Waldo Tunnel and San Quentin State Prison. EXPERIMENT IN TERROR
(1962) Director Blake Edwards’ film noir thriller features Bay Area locations like the Marin Town and Country Club’s swimming pool in Fairfax and San Francisco’s soon-to-beextinct Candlestick Park. THE BIRDS (1963) Alfred
Hitchcock’s last great movie would be a postcard-pretty
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visual love letter to Sonoma County’s Bodega Bay, were it not for the flock of murderous crows. The schoolhouse, scene of a particularly tense sequence, is still intact and sells Birds memorabilia in the gift shop. DIRTY HARRY (1971) Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry was a San Francisco cop, but much of the action occurred in the North Bay, with memorable scenes shot in the Waldo Tunnel, a rock quarry in Larkspur, some military bunkers in the Marin Headlands and picturesque Mill Valley.
FOUL PLAY (1978) Chevy
Chase and Goldie Hawn shared a charming chemistry in this film. There’s an openingcredits drive along Conzelman Road (set to Barry Manilow’s “Ready to Take a Chance Again”), and Chase’s bachelor pad is a houseboat in Sausalito.
THE FOG (1980) Cult director
John Carpenter created one of the most successful horror films ever made. The film is a virtual travelogue of coastal North Bay locations, with Point Reyes and its fog-engulfed lighthouse being the spookiest.
INDIANA JONES Trilogy (1981–1989) Indiana Jones was known for globe-trotting, but the hero of director Steven Spielberg’s adventure films has plenty of ties to Marin. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy’s house was in San Anselmo, near Drake High School. The
sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, used Novato’s Hamilton Air Force Base as a Shanghai airport. RETURN OF THE JEDI
(1983) That awesome speedy bike chase through the forests of Endor? A redwood grove near Skywalker Ranch. BLUE JASMINE (2013) Cate
Blanchett won an Oscar for her performance, but scenes shot along Britton Avenue in Belvedere, as well as locations in Larkspur and Tiburon, could have been nominated for Best Supporting Background.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014) In this
summer’s smash sequel, a tribe of quickly evolving primates have turned Mount Tamalpais into an eco-friendly communal living compound. ■
DAVID JAMES/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION (APES); MPTVIMAGES.COM (DIRTY HARRY)
BY P E T E R C R O O K S
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Mill Valley’s destination jewelry store since 1994. Watch for our week-long 20th anniversary celebration kicking off with Downton Abbey’s Mrs. Patmore, Lesley Nicol, on November 29th! 80 Throckmorton Ave | Mill Valley, Ca 94941 415 . 388 . 8776 | www.sofiajewelry.com
JUNE 6, 2 015 IN CONCERT Yo u r M a r i n S y m p h o n y ’ s L ov e i t L I V E ! s e a s o n fi n a l e t a k e s yo u o u t o f t h i s wo r l d t o a p l a c e w h e r e n o o r c h e s t r a h a s g o n e b e fo r e . We ’ r e h o n o r e d t o b r i n g t h e wo r l d p r e m i e r e o f S t a r Tr e k i n C o n c e r t t o o u r s t a g e , i n o u r c o m m u n i t y o f M a r i n . T h i s e x c i t i n g mu l t i m e d i a , mu l t i - s e n s o r y e x p e r i e n c e w i l l t o t a l l y i m m e r s e yo u i n t o t h e mu s i c o f S t a r Tr e k — s p a n n i n g d e c a d e s o f m ov i e s a n d T V — l ov e d b y g e n e r a t i o n s o f fa n s . T i c k e t s a r e o n s a l e n ow. C a l l 4 1 5 . 4 7 3 . 6 8 0 0 o r o r d e r o n l i n e .
M S
M A R I N SY M P H ONY ALASDA IR NE ALE
m a r i n s y m p h o n y. o r g
| MUS IC DIRECTOR
© M a r i n S y m p h o n y. D a t e s , d e t i a l s a n d p r i c i n g s u b j e c t t o c h a n g e .
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Local Theater History Like film itself, these venues share a storied past. BY C A L I N VA N PA R I S
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the Mill Valley Film Festival to see incredible stories come alive on the big screen — but did you know that the theaters that house the films have equally compelling tales to tell? Here are some fun facts about the spaces that will showcase must-see movies throughout the festival. U DIE NCE S FLOCK TO
CENTURY CINEMA CORTE MADERA
A county favorite for its one-movie-at-atime mentality, the 800-seat Corte Madera theater features a giant screen and high-quality sound good enough for George Lucas to occasionally hold screenings there. 41 Tamal Vista Boulevard, 415.924.6505, cinemark.com
Larkspur
From top to bottom: The Lark Theater in 1946; the Sequoia in the 1950s; the Rafael in the 1940s.
LARK THEATER Always a center of entertainment, the Lark Theater was built on top of a horseshoe pit. The art deco–style theater opened in 1940 and has functioned as both a movie theater and an arts venue over the years. The building lost its luster in the 1990s and was slated for demolition in 2003, but the community rallied to launch the “Save the Lark” campaign, which succeeded in bringing the iconic theater back to life. The Lark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a winner of the Art Deco Society Preservation Award. 549 Magnolia Avenue, 415.924.5111, larktheater.net
Mill Valley
142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE
Initially called the Hub Theatre, 142 Throckmorton is one of Marin’s oldest — it celebrated a centennial this year. Back in 1914, the Hub played host to silent films starring actors like Charlie Chaplin; this year, MVFF will screen a variety of pictures in the historic venue. 142 Throckmorton Avenue, 415.383.9600, throckmortontheatre.org 40
CINEARTS @ SEQUOIA The Sequoia, another downtown Mill Valley gem, opened in 1929 as a mecca for lovers of silent films, talkies and live performances. The theater was such a success, in fact, that it put the Hub out of the movie business. In 1975 the theater was “twinned” or split into two theaters, but the exterior design remained — and continues to remain — faithful to the original vision. 25 Throckmorton Avenue, 415.388.1190, cinemark.com
San Rafael
CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER Founded in 1920 as the
Orpheus, the Smith Rafael Film Center was birthed from a fire, which forced the closure of the original theater in 1937. When the doors opened again in 1938, the space was called the Rafael. After the Loma Prieta earthquake rocked the foundation in 1989, the San Rafael Redevelopment Agency and the Film Institute of Northern California (now the California Film Institute) teamed up to rebuild the theater. Planning and construction took six years (1993–1998), but in 1999 the Rafael Film Center was, once again, open for business. The theater elongated its moniker to the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in 2003 — Smith, a Tiburon philanthropist, donated $500,000 to the film center in 2000. These days, the Smith Rafael shows a variety of award-worthy films and recordings of live performances from across the pond (think Royal Shakespeare Company) and serves as base camp for the Mill Valley Film Festival. 1001 Lootens Place, 415.454.1222, cafilm.org ■
ANNE T. KENT CALIFORNIA ROOM (RAFAEL)
Corte Madera
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Step into the history and grandeur of Houghton Hall, reminiscent of the popular PBS television drama Downton Abbey. A stunning display reflecting aristocratic life in an English country house from the 18th through the 20th centuries, Houghton Hall hosts spectacular interiors, rarely exhibited treasures, and exquisite furniture paired with paintings by such masters as Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and John Singer Sargent.
OctOber 18, 2014–JAnuAry 18, 2015
Legion of Honor Lincoln Park • legionofhonor.org
This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in collaboration with Houghton Hall. An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Director’s Circle: The Buena Vista Fund of Horizons Foundation, The Michael Taylor Trust, and Diane B. Wilsey. Conservator’s Circle: Mr. and Mrs. Carl F. Pascarella. Patron’s Circle: Mr. and Mrs. Adolphus Andrews, Jr., Giselle Parry-Farris and Ray K. Farris, and Mr. and Mrs. William Hamilton. Media Sponsors exterior view of Houghton Hall, norfolk, england. Photo: nick Mccann
hip s n ma s t f ra C d an y r st i t r A
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MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL GUIDE MARIN MAGAZINE
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10 Best Fests How MVFF stacks up to festivals near and far. BY P E T E R C R O O K S
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1. Sundance Film Festival WHEN: Mid-January WHY: Launched in 1978, Sundance is the best-known independent festival in the country. Held in charming Park City, Utah, this is the event when film lovers meet the new mavericks of the medium. Consider the talent Sundance has launched: Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell,
Steven Soderbergh and Paul Thomas Anderson each premiered breakthrough films here. sundance.org 2. Noir City San Francisco WHEN: Late January/early February WHY: Most film festivals showcase new works; Noir City San Francisco showcases and preserves the black-and-white world of
Hollywood’s film noir movement of the 1930s–1950s. Nightclub parties and tours of the city’s great noir locations complement the 10-day fest. noircity.com 3. Berlin International Film Festival WHEN: February WHY: The first big overseas fest of
the year is in West Berlin, where filmmakers have competed annually for the Golden Bear award since 1951. Said to be the largest publicly attended festival in the world, Berlin is great fun for film buffs, but it’s also a vital trade show for the European film market. berlinale.de
PAMELA GENTILE
INCE ITS INCEPTION in 1978, the Mill Valley Film Festival has been delighting movie lovers from all over. But if 11 days of cinematic celebration aren’t enough for you, don’t worry: There’s a whole world of great film festivals. Here are 10 fests — some requiring a passport to get to; others, just bridge toll — to check out between now and next year’s MVFF.
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4. South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival WHEN: March WHY: This young whippersnapper, launched in 1987, has become one of the most entertaining fests in America thanks to the Keep Austin Weird vibe it projects. The “Film Conference” part of the name is important — great effort is put into the interactive panels and Q&As. sxsw.com/film 5. Tribeca Film Festival
PAMELA GENTILE
WHEN: Mid-April WHY: The
first Tribeca premiered in lower Manhattan in 2002, just months after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have been lauded as some of the world’s most influential philanthropists, and this juggernaut of a festival
drew millions of visitors to New York in its first decade. tribecafilmfestival.org 6. Festival de Cannes WHEN: Mid-May WHY: The granddaddy of film fests, set along the elegant French Riviera, Cannes is an international showcase of cinema greatness. The festival’s biggest prize, the Palme d’Or, has gone to such controversial and edgy films as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. festival-cannes.fr/en.html 7. Venice Film Festival WHEN: Late August WHY: The 71-year-old fest in Italy’s sinking city is as romantic an experience as a film buff could hope for. Screenings are held in elegant venues, such as the Palazzo del Cinema,
with audiences of up to 1,300. Along with Toronto, this is a great place to see next year’s Oscar bait early. labiennale.org/en/cinema 8. Telluride Film Festival WHEN: Labor Day weekend, late August/early September WHY: Telluride has been around just a few more years than MVFF. The fest has a solid tradition of getting first crack at screenings — David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game and Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain all premiered in this Rocky Mountain town. telluridefilmfestival.org 9. Toronto International Film Festival WHEN: September WHY: Hollywood producers know that if their film is going to win an Academy Award, the
road probably goes through Toronto — this 38-year-old fest has become the goodluck charm for Oscar. Recent Best Picture winners 12 Years a Slave, Argo, The King’s Speech and Slumdog Millionaire each had early screenings here.tiff.net 10. Napa Valley Film Festival WHEN: November WHY: The youngest on this list, Napa Valley’s festival is just four years old, but it hit the ground running in 2010, as founders Marc and Brenda Lhormer had plenty of experience running the Sonoma International Film Festival. Screenings are held in a range of wine country venues, from Napa’s historic Opera House and St. Helena’s charming Cameo Cinema to more offbeat settings like wine caves. napavalleyfilmfest.org ■
MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL GUIDE MARIN MAGAZINE
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Getting Picked
Many obstacles await those aiming for the big screen. BY M A R C H E R S H O N
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H E JOU R N E Y from a filmmaker’s
imagination to being presented at the Mill Valley Film Festival is not an easy one. According to Zoë Elton, the festival’s director of programming, there is a general call for entries beginning in the early spring, which usually runs up until June. (This year’s entry period was extended until July to accommodate the largest number of entries for the festival to date.) “A lot of filmmakers these days use a website called withoutabox.com,” Elton says about the submission process. “Other people will come to us by going to our website and finding the information there, filling out forms and sending their movie in.” Aside from the general entry films, there are a number of applicants, particularly those coming through studios, distributors and filmmakers, who have a relationship with the festival due to past presentations and are invited to participate without going through the festival’s screening process. That screening process is quite rigorous and is something that every general-entry film must face. The MVFF’s screening committees are composed of film professionals. “The films are looked 44
at by people working in the film industry — filmmakers, or writers or critics,” Elton says. “They make recommendations to the programming team. The programming team then reviews the films that have been most highly recommended.” After looking at all the films deemed worthy of consideration, the programming team evaluates them in terms of several other criteria: • A re there films in the running that could be seen as important films? • Will the film connect or speak to the MVFF audience?
The screening process is quite rigorous and is something that every generalentry film must face.
• Do the final films selected create a balanced program — in terms of demographics, countries represented and different sensibilities? All in all, almost 2,000 films were considered and are in the MVFF database this year, roughly half of those being from the call for entries. From that figure, the festival will feature between 150 to 170 movies, including shorts, documentaries and feature films, which will be divided into about 100 programs. ■
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TIBURON
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OCT 16 - NOV 16
Opening Night | Oct 16 | 6 - 8 pm Tiburon Belvedere Chamber | tiburonchamber.org | 415.435.5633 | artbythebaysf.com
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The First Fest
The decade that gave birth to disco also introduced a movie event with staying power. BY M A R C H E R S H O N
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HEN THE MILL VALLEY FILM
Festival started in August 1978, it was happening at the tail end of what author Tom Wolfe dubbed “the Me Decade,” celebrating “the much dreamed-of combination of money, free time and personal freedom.” Jimmy Carter’s third year as president was marked by efforts to negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt. Steve Martin’s novelty song “King Tut” hit No. 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Roller disco was becoming a national fad, helped no doubt by the fact the Bee Gees–laden sound track for Saturday Night Fever was the No. 1 album for 24 weeks. Also in 1978, National Lampoon’s Animal House touched off a craze of toga parties on college campuses nationwide. Other films that were grabbing ticket sales: Grease, Superman, The Deer Hunter, Halloween, Midnight Express and I Spit on Your Grave. Most were a far cry from the fare nascent festival director Mark Fishkin showed first-time festival attendees during the initial three-day 46
event. They saw Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rain People, Oscar-winning documentary Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? and a tribute to filmmaker/poet James Broughton, dubbed “grand master of independent cinema.” At home, audiences were tuning in to the debuts of TV series Fantasy Island, Dallas and Taxi. The MVFF had video, too, that first year, showing five selections in its “What’s New in Video” series, which included Rio, “an unusual concept in record promotion utilizing a startling array of video special effects,” produced and directed by Michael Nesmith, who’d found fame as a member of TV’s The Monkees. The Mill Valley Film Festival closed out its program that year on Sunday with a movie from 1972, The Candidate, starring Robert Redford and directed by Michael Ritchie. It was immediately followed by Electric Flag, a documentary about the making of The Candidate, directed by John Korty. The first festival then ended. And a tradition had begun. ■
Most films were a far cry from the fare nascent festival director Mark Fishkin showed firsttime festival attendees during the initial threeday event.
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