SOLID GOLD Behind the

Solid Gold

Oscar Wins

The golden man has smiled on many past festival pictures. BY BERNARD BOO

IF THERE’S ONE thing that makes the Mill Valley steadfast passion for quality cinema, plus the possibility Film Festival feel so vital and current, it’s its histhat in a way, the Academy is playing cultural catch-up. tory of prominently featuring films that go on MVFF audiences have traditionally wholeheartedly to find big success at the Oscars. Last year, for embraced minority stories, world cinema, movies made example, the festival opened with Green Book, which by and for women, LGBTQ films and indie films because subsequently picked up three golden statues, includthese viewers genuinely cherish great movies by undering Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor win for represented communities, not because it’s trendy to do Mahershala Ali. so, and not because they hope the films will go on to win

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: since MVFF’s awards, say festival programmers who also take pride in inception, films featured across its programming have helping Mark Fishkin guide their audiences’ tastes. garnered over 100 Oscars in total, including nine for Best Picture, seven for Best Director, seven for Best Actress Mark Fishkin and 11 for Best Actor.

So what’s the secret behind the festival’s winning record?

“We just try to pick the best films we can,” says MVFF founder and executive director Mark Fishkin of forecasting Oscars success. “We have been pretty adept at being able to not only point these films out, but have access to feature them. That comes with our longevity, our history, and the trust that filmmakers and distributors have in us. Put that all together and you wind up showing a lot” of Oscar-worthy films, he notes.

Fishkin also attributes a large part of MVFF’s Academy Awards winning streak to the loyal festivalgoers. “We have a great, socially conscious audience that appreciates great movies,” he adds.

But there may be a little more to the festival’s Oscar connection. Back in 2016, when the Academy scrambled to rinse itself clean of the infamous #OscarsSoWhite controversy by launching a diversity initiative in its myriad “Since MVFF’s inception, films featured across its programming have garnered awards categories and membership, the Oscars winners over 100 Oscars in total.” circle suddenly overlapped with MVFF programming more than ever, statistics show. “We are the audience’s trusted curators,” Fishkin

That year, MVFF featured 58 films that later received says. “And that could be with really small films — not Oscar nominations, shattering the previous year’s record always the ones that win the Academy Award. It is a of 39 nominated films. What’s more, 14 of the films shown responsibility that we take seriously.” at the festival went on to win golden statues, besting its The odds are in favor of this year’s Mill Valley Film own previous record of nine winning films (in 2012) by an Festival being yet another showcase for future Oscar even larger margin than for the nomination record. contenders. And the festival, now in its 42nd year, seems

While this might be a coincidence, it more likely speaks poised to stay ahead of trends and to continue being a to the festival’s audience and programmers and their leading voice on the festival circuit.